July 15th, the Ghost Festival. The night when a hundred ghosts roam.
Rain was falling; horses were baying.
“Faster, even faster!” Ning Zhiwei urged her horse into a gallop. Dressed in a suit of black martial attire, her ink-black hair tied into a high ponytail and a longbow slung across her back, she appeared like a dashing young nobleman, her gender difficult to discern.
Between her exquisite features, there was nothing but a cold, murderous intent. Her phoenix eyes were frost-chilled.
“Quickly, Baishuitan is just ahead.” Ning Zhiwei’s heart pounded violently. The closer she got, the more panicked she became.
Just a few days ago, she had been reborn.
She had returned to three years ago, a time when the loyal and courageous men of the Ning family had not yet died on the battlefield, before they were framed for colluding with the enemy, and before the entire clan was executed.
“Fifth Young Miss, we should enter the city first. How could Baishuitan possibly be a battlefield where two armies clash…” The guards had been traveling day and night; their patience was exhausted by fatigue.
They were supposed to be escorting the Fifth Young Miss back to the capital to celebrate the Old Madam’s birthday. Who could have known that midway through the journey, she would claim she dreamt the Ning Family Army was in danger and order them to turn back toward the border?
It was a dream! Why did they have to join her in this madness? Why accompany her on this thousand-mile rush?
As soon as the words left the guard’s mouth, a gust of wind swept past, carrying with it a thick, pungent stench of blood.
Straining their ears, they heard the clash of blades, shrill screams, the sounds of frantic slaughter—each sound thundering against the sky.
The sounds of battle were deafening!
Everyone’s expression shifted drastically. This was bad; something truly had happened.
Ning Zhiwei’s head buzzed, her small face turning deathly pale as her blood surged with agitation. Was she still a step too late?
With her right hand, she drew a long arrow from her back and notched it to the string, her movements quick as lightning.
The moment the long arrow was in her hand, her entire aura changed. She became as unstoppable as a peerless blade unsheathed, radiating a chilling murderous intent.
“Act according to my previous arrangements. Move fast. Anyone who fails to follow orders will be dealt with by military law.”
“Kill without mercy!”
She squeezed her legs against the horse’s flanks, charging forward like mad, and the guards immediately followed.
The scene that met their eyes caused their pupils to shrink in shock, their blood running cold.
“No!”
A great battle was nearing its end. Bodies lay strewn across the fields, the stench of blood reached the heavens, and the Ning Family Army had suffered devastating losses.
On this expedition, the Ning Family Army was led by General Ning Guangzhi. They were headed to Yuluo Pass to provide reinforcements, but they had been ambushed midway at Baishuitan, caught completely off guard.
All their arrangements and movements had been discovered by the enemy in advance. This was a one-sided massacre.
The Ning Family Army had fought with all their might, yet they could not escape this meticulously planned assassination. One by one, they fell into pools of blood, their eyes staring wide with indignation.
General Ning Guangzhi was covered in blood and riddled with wounds, yet he fought until the final moment, preferring death over surrender.
No one in the Ning family was a coward.
Prince Yijier was the most beloved young son of the Northern Jin Emperor. For the sake of military merit and his right to the succession, he had personally led the army to intercept the Ning Family Army.
As he watched the once-invincible Ning Family Army die miserable deaths at his hands, his heart was filled with smug satisfaction.
“General Ning Guangzhi, you have lost. Surrender, and this Prince shall spare your life.”
The old commander of the Ning Family Army was nearly eighty years old and could no longer lead troops in person; he usually stayed in the military camp to act as a stabilizing force.
By now, the transfer of power between the two generations had long been completed. The practical commander of the Ning Family Army was the old commander’s eldest son, Ning Guangzhi.
Looking at the familiar faces falling into pools of blood, Ning Guangzhi’s eyes turned a visceral red, his heart aching to the point of numbness.
“Those of the Ning family would rather die standing than live on their knees. Not a single one of us is a spineless coward.”
For generations, the Ning family had guarded the Northwest, protecting the home and defending the country. Countless sons had died on the battlefield, sacrificing themselves for the nation without a single regret.
Loyal and courageous, they sacrificed their lives for righteousness, never failing their sovereign or the people. It was a tragic and heroic legacy.
He clutched his chest, bright red blood flowing through the gaps of his fingers, yet he remained awe-inspiring and unyielding. His integrity commanded respect even from the Northern Jin soldiers.
Some people, even as enemies, were worthy of respect.
A flash of tyranny crossed Prince Yijier’s heart. He loved nothing more than breaking someone’s pride and crushing their will, forcing them to become the lowly scum beneath his feet.
“Do you know who leaked the military intelligence in advance? Do you know who betrayed you?”
He flashed a wicked smile and spat out chilling words, “It was a Prince of your Great Qi Dynasty. Isn’t it laughable? The very imperial family you serve with your lives betrayed you. Hahaha!”
Ning Guangzhi felt as if he had been struck by a bolt from the blue, his heart and gallbladder nearly splitting with rage. From the moment they were ambushed, he knew there was an internal problem, but he never imagined it was a Prince!
The imperial family was supported by the people and protected by countless soldiers. What reason could they have to betray their own troops? Why?!!
Grief and fury—emotions too strong to contain—swept over him.
“Shut up!”
Prince Yijier was desperate to break his opponent’s spirit, shouting aggressively, “Don’t you care for the female members of your family? With just a snap of my fingers, your Ning family will be branded with the crime of colluding with the enemy. Your entire clan will be executed, and your names will stink for ten thousand years.”
Ning Guangzhi thought of his family, whom he rarely saw. He truly owed them too much, yet there was nothing he could do. His eyes reddened with fury. “Despicable and shameless! If you want to kill me, then do it.”
Seeing this, Prince Yijier lost his patience and gave a cold command, “Kill him.”
The value of a living person was high, as it could shake the morale of Great Qi’s army, but a dead one would suffice. Once the Northwest was no longer guarded by the Ning Family Army, they could drive straight in.
The Ning family was nothing special after all. And they called them the immortal Gods of War? Heh.
Just as the command left his lips, a shoo-shoo sound echoed as a Cloud-Piercing Arrow tore through the air. It pierced Prince Yijier’s chest, and blood flowed down the arrowhead.
Prince Yijier looked at his bleeding chest in disbelief, his spirit crumbling. One moment he was high and mighty, presiding over the fates of others, and the next, he had been shot!
Life is fickle; nothing is more so than this.
He looked in the direction the arrow had come from and saw an exquisite young girl with simple clothes and black hair gripping a bow. She fired three arrows at once; they were like meteors streaking through the dark night, stunningly brilliant.
In an instant, three shrill screams rang out. The surrounding generals fell into pools of blood one after another, and the soldiers scrambled to find cover.
“Who are you?” Where did this divine archer come from?
Under the bright moonlight, the girl’s expression was cold and distant, as if Death itself had descended.
“Ning Zhiwei.”