At Yanmen Pass, the mountain path was treacherous, with sheer cliffs towering into the clouds on both sides. The snow-covered rocks were slippery and difficult to traverse, and the wind howled through the gorge like a ghostly wail.
The wedding procession slowed as they reached this point. The palace attendants and guards were all terrified, fearing a single misstep could send them tumbling into the abyss.
Murong Zhao sat inside the carriage, her fingers still resting on the short knife, her mind somewhat calmer. With Wei Zhao by her side, she felt a bit more secure.
But just as the procession reached the narrowest part of the gorge, a sudden, sharp neigh of a horse echoed from the front!
Wei Zhao yanked the reins hard, causing the horse to rear up. He remained as steady as a mountain, his sharp gaze fixed on the towering cliffs on either side.
Years of living on the edge of life and death had honed his instincts, and every nerve in his body tensed instantly!
It was too quiet.
Quiet enough that only the sound of wind and snow remained, not even a single bird in sight.
Something was wrong!
“Princess! Be careful!”
Wei Zhao roared, and before his words faded, he had already dismounted, darting toward the carriage like an arrow. His broad back firmly shielded the front of the carriage as a fierce aura erupted around him!
Murong Zhao’s heart sank. Just as she was about to lift the carriage curtain, a deafening roar suddenly erupted from above!
Countless rocks tumbled wildly from the cliff’s peak!
Boulders the size of millstones, carrying the force of thunder, and dense showers of smaller stones poured down like a torrential rain, slicing through the air with piercing shrieks—
Snow splattered, and rocks shattered!
“Ah—!”
The accompanying palace attendants screamed and scattered in panic. Several were struck by the boulders, letting out a single cry before falling silent. The scene instantly descended into chaos.
Wei Zhao’s eyes turned fierce. With a backhanded motion, he tore away the wooden curtain of the carriage. A split second before the boulders crashed down, he seized Murong Zhao’s wrist and yanked her out of the carriage!
“Bang—!”
The next moment, a massive rock smashed into the carriage!
The flimsy wooden vehicle instantly splintered into pieces, wood fragments flying everywhere, reduced to a pile of wreckage.
“Go!”
Wei Zhao shielded Murong Zhao as he retreated swiftly, trying to find a place to take cover. But the falling rocks were relentless, leaving nowhere to hide.
A fist-sized stone whistled past Murong Zhao’s ear, grazing her cheek and leaving a shallow cut.
Wei Zhao’s pupils contracted. He abruptly turned, using his own body to block the subsequent barrage of stones—
“Thud—!”
Several sharp-edged stones slammed into his shoulders and back, tearing through his clothes and embedding themselves in his flesh!
Blood instantly seeped out, staining his dark martial attire with dark, wet patches.
He grunted, his brow furrowed tightly, but he didn’t retreat a single step, steadfastly protecting Murong Zhao in his arms.
“Wei Zhao! You’re hurt!” Murong Zhao cried out in alarm.
“It’s nothing… just a flesh wound…” Wei Zhao gritted his teeth, his voice low but steady. “Princess, don’t move! Protect your head!”
Before his words faded, another wave of stones came flying!
He turned again, using his back to shield her. The stones struck his back with dull thuds, each sound echoing painfully in Murong Zhao’s heart.
Some stones tore through his clothes, leaving deep gashes in his flesh; others, with sharp edges, embedded themselves directly into his skin, blood trickling down his spine.
Yet Wei Zhao seemed impervious to the pain, shielding her with his body as he slowly inched their way out.
The rockfall lasted for the time it takes an incense stick to burn.
Only when all movement ceased atop the cliff and the boulders had completely stopped tumbling down did the chaotic scene gradually settle.
The Imperial Guard hurriedly arrived to clear the area, immediately dispatching a team to climb the cliff and search. Yet they found only a few scattered footprints—the assassins had long since fled.
Wei Zhao slowly released his arm from shielding Murong Zhao, swaying slightly but still forcing himself to stand upright.
His back was a mess—his clothing torn, flesh lacerated, with wounds large and small densely covering his skin. Some were still oozing blood, while others were embedded with tiny gravel, a horrifying sight.
Though not fatal, the injuries were severe.
Murong Zhao looked at his body covered in wounds, her fingertips trembling uncontrollably, her voice carrying a panic she had never known before: "Quick! Summon the military physician! Summon the military physician at once!"
In her eighteen years of life, she had never been so distraught.
The humiliation of the Cold Palace, the indifference of the imperial palace, the despair of being forced into a substitute marriage—none of these had shaken her in the slightest.
But now, watching this man who had shielded her from the falling gravel with his own body, her heart was thrown into turmoil for the first time.
The military physician rushed over, hastily tending to Wei Zhao's wounds—picking out the gravel embedded in his flesh, cleaning the wounds, stopping the bleeding, applying medicine, and wrapping layer after layer of bandages.
Wei Zhao remained silent throughout, his brow furrowed tightly, cold sweat trickling down his cheeks, yet he did not utter a single groan.
Murong Zhao stood by his side, her dark eyes deep and unfathomable as she gazed at the densely packed wounds on his back, lost in thought.
In the stillness of the deep night.
Wei Zhao, weakened from excessive blood loss, fell into a deep slumber. His brow remained tightly furrowed, his lips trembling slightly as he murmured incoherently, his voice faint yet clear:
"Princess… be careful…"
"There are… still others…"
"Don't… don't let the princess get hurt…"
In his delirium, he uttered a few more barely audible syllables: "Shadow… Shadow Guard… don't move…"
Murong Zhao's heart sank heavily.
Still others? Shadow Guard?
Her fingertips trembled slightly as she gave him a deep look, but she did not press further.
Some words need only be hinted at; some people reveal their true selves over time.
She simply sat silently by the bedside, gazing at the densely packed wounds on this man's back, and suddenly recalled something her mother had once said:
"Zhao'er, in this world, if someone has once risked death for you, you must remember them for a lifetime."
When her mother had spoken these words, her eyes had looked into the distance, as if gazing upon someone she would never see again.
Murong Zhao had not understood back then.
Now, she seemed to understand.
She lowered her head and gently took hold of Wei Zhao's hand, which lay limply by the bedside.
It was very cold.
She squeezed it tightly, wanting to transfer her own warmth to him.
In his deep slumber, Wei Zhao's fingers seemed to twitch ever so slightly, as if responding to her.
Murong Zhao's eyes stung, but she held back fiercely, not allowing a single tear to fall.
She lifted her gaze toward the towering cliff that pierced the clouds, her dark eyes filled with bone-chilling coldness.
This was no accident.
It was deliberate.
Someone did not want her to reach Dayin alive—they wanted her to die in these desolate mountains of Yanmen Pass, with no evidence left behind!
Who was it?
The Empress of Beishuo? Murong Yan?
Or… had Dayin already laid a trap for her?
Murong Zhao slowly clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white, the lifelessness in her eyes completely replaced by a cold, ruthless ferocity.
Want her dead?
Not so easy!
She abruptly lowered her head, looking at the unconscious Wei Zhao, her voice so soft only she could hear it, yet carrying a deadly resolve: "Rest assured, I will not die. Those who want my life—I will track them down, one by one, every last one of them!"
Unbeknownst to her, atop the cliff's peak, a dark figure stood silently, watching the disheveled team below. A sinister smile curled at the corner of his lips before he turned and vanished into the wind and snow.
The second wave of assassins was already on the way!