Murong Yun only felt her throat tighten as she staggered backward until her back slammed against the wall.
The two shadowy figures loomed monstrously beneath the blaze, their drawn blades glinting coldly.
“Murong!”
“Murong!”
Song Qi, carrying his father on his back, shouted himself hoarse. Yet in his panic, he failed to notice the threshold beneath his feet. With a loud crash, he stumbled and fell heavily to the ground. The impact jolted Song Nanyue awake.
At almost the same instant, the blade in another assassin’s hand swung toward the father and son.
The silver needles in Murong Yun’s hand shot forward, striking the assassin squarely at the back of his neck.
The man let out a muffled grunt before collapsing. But before she could catch her breath, another blade slashed across her arm.
Pain exploded through her instantly.
The assassin raised his weapon toward her again. Murong Yun crouched down, covering her head and squeezing her eyes shut as she awaited death.
She had painstakingly studied countless books to learn how to kill with silver needles, believing she had finally gained the means to protect herself. Yet now, faced with these highly trained assassins, she realized just how powerless she truly was.
All she could do was wait for death.
The bamboo ribs hidden within a folding fan suddenly struck the figure before Murong Yun directly in the kneecap.
A scream rang out as the assassin dropped to one knee.
His bone had clearly shattered.
Seizing the opportunity, Murong Yun drove a silver needle deep into his temple with her left hand. Warm blood splattered across her face.
At that moment, the assassin entangled with Shangguan Xuan abruptly changed targets, his blade flashing as he lunged toward Madam Lin.
Murong Yun’s heart lurched.
She flung another needle, trying to disrupt him, but the assassin evaded it effortlessly. His eyes remained fixed on Madam Lin.
Without hesitation, Murong Yun threw herself forward.
Rage radiated from the assassin as his sword thrust toward Madam Lin.
Murong Yun suddenly appeared in front of her.
The blade pierced into her chest.
The assassin froze. “Murong!”
Song Qi roared as he hurled himself at the assassin, striking the back of the man’s head. But he failed to bring him down, instead becoming entangled in a desperate struggle.
Among them, this assassin possessed the greatest martial skill.
Without the slightest hesitation, he yanked his sword free from Murong Yun’s chest and turned it toward Song Qi’s throat.
“My son!”
Madam Lin’s scream tore through the night.
Shangguan Xuan kicked the assassin from the side.
Several people converged upon him at once.
The shadowy figure finally crashed to the ground.
Song Nanyue charged forward like a maddened lion. The alcohol haze vanished from his mind as he wrapped both hands around the assassin’s neck.
“Give me back my son’s life! Give him back!”
“Tell me, who sent you here?”
Before he could finish speaking, the assassin’s lips twitched.
“He’s biting down on the poison hidden in his mouth,” Shangguan Xuan said as he grabbed the man’s cheeks.
But it was too late.
Before their eyes, the strongest assassin suddenly went limp.
Madam Lin cradled Song Qi’s head in her arms as tears streamed endlessly down her face. Beneath her palms, she could feel her son’s body growing colder by the second.
“No… no… no…”
Murong Yun pressed a hand against the blood pouring from her chest.
Her entire body hurt.
Each step felt agonizing as she made her way toward Song Qi.
“Shangguan… save him…” She reached toward Shangguan Xuan. “Wrap him with thick cloth… press the wound… apply astragalus… Four Substance Decoction…”
Her vision blurred. Only a vague silhouette rushed toward her before darkness claimed her.
Shangguan Xuan caught her before she hit the ground.
Blood flowed continuously from the gash on her arm. Her chest was soaked crimson, though beneath the darkness of night the blood appeared black, pooling across the floor in slick puddles. The air grew thick with the overwhelming metallic scent of blood.
Using the last remnants of his strength, Song Qi whispered weakly,
“Father… Mother… I’m sorry…”
“Murong… Shangguan… don’t waste your efforts…”
“Being able to know all of you… truly made me so happy…”
Happy! His eyes closed.
“No!”
A howl erupted from Song Nanyue’s chest, startling the surrounding villagers. Doors and windows slowly opened, and only after confirming there was no immediate danger did they emerge.
When Murong Yun awoke again, it was deep into the night.
Suddenly, a fragment from the original novel surfaced in her mind.
The brief passages concerning Shangguan Xuan before the imperial examinations.
At last, one sentence became clear.
“The death of an old friend left him heartbroken beyond measure.”
“Shangguan… Song Qi…”
Tears streamed down her face as her hands groped blindly through the darkness, reopening the wound on her right arm.
“I had a nightmare…”
“Murong, are you hungry?”
Madam Lin had been sitting vigil beside her bed.
She lit a candle, its soft glow illuminating the exhaustion etched into her features.
“Auntie… where is Song Qi?”
Pain radiated from Murong Yun’s chest. Someone had changed her into looser clothing, and thick bandages wrapped around her arm to stem the bleeding.
“Song Qi was buried two days ago. Shangguan handled everything personally.”
Madam Lin rose and brought over a bowl of medicine.
“Drink this, child. I treated your wounds and changed your clothes. Don’t worry. No one knows.”
Her eyes were bloodshot, her voice hoarse.
She had not slept in four days.
Yet her expression remained eerily calm.
Too calm! Murong Yun clutched Madam Lin’s icy hands.
“No… he can’t be dead… He wanted to become a great official and earn money… he was going to buy us delicious food…”
Madam Lin said nothing.
Silently, she wiped away Murong Yun’s tears and lit another candle.
Murong Yun held onto her hand until all strength drained from her fingers.
Looking down, she saw fresh blood staining the white bandages around her chest.
“Where was he buried?”
“On the mountaintop behind Qingshan Academy,” Madam Lin replied softly. “Song Qi loved that place most.”
Murong Yun remained at the Song residence in a daze for half a month.
She never once saw Shangguan Xuan.
Song Qi’s parents remained unnervingly composed.
Song Nanyue still cooked, washed vegetables, and handled household chores, but he no longer ventured out to sea. Instead, he stayed by Madam Lin’s side every day, exchanging idle conversation with her.
One afternoon, while Murong Yun and Madam Lin basked beneath the sun in the courtyard, Madam Lin examined her wounds before clasping her hands to warm them.
Suddenly, she whispered,
“It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t agreed to let them drink, they wouldn’t have slept so deeply. Maybe… maybe they would still have had a chance to survive.”
…
Shangguan Xuan returned one morning.
Hearing repeated thuds from inside the room, he hurried inside.
Murong Yun had been attempting to stand.
Again and again she fell.
Again and again she forced herself back up.
Without a single complaint. Bruises marred her face.
Shangguan Xuan’s expression tightened instantly.
He scooped her into his arms. “Why didn’t you call for someone?”
“You weren’t here,” Murong Yun replied, struggling slightly before relaxing against him. “I didn’t want to trouble anyone else.”
They had survived life and death together.
When she had been stabbed, the fear and concern in Shangguan Xuan’s eyes had been impossible to fake.
He dared not hold her too tightly.
Murong Yun had grown alarmingly thin.
Guilt welled within him.
“Next time, I won’t go so far away,” he murmured. “You’ll always be able to call for me.”
“Hurry and eat breakfast. In a few days, we’ll return to the academy. Master Xu has already written to urge us back.”
Shangguan Xuan himself looked much more haggard.
Already slender by nature, he now appeared almost malnourished.
Breakfast consisted only of plain congee and vegetables.
Not a trace of meat could be found. Song Nanyue ladled generous portions of porridge into their bowls.
“Eat more, I didn’t do anything special.”
The old fisherman paused briefly before forcing a smile.
“Next time you come, I’ll prepare more hairy crabs.”
At the mention of hairy crabs, his spoon stilled.
“Alright,” Murong Yun replied with a smile of her own, though it felt painfully strained. “This time, I’ll eat Song Qi’s share too.”
After breakfast, she visited a pawnshop in the marketplace.
The green jade pendant she had carried since inhabiting Murong Yun’s body fetched three hundred taels.
She had never imagined it would be worth so much.
Murong Yun exchanged the silver for banknotes and handed all of it to Madam Lin. She also provided an address.
It belonged to a residence Murong Yun’s mother had secretly prepared for her.
“Take this money and move to Jiangnan. The place is secluded.”
“I’ve already hired a coachman. You’ll leave within the next few days.”
“Live under different names.”
“You mustn’t contact Song Qi’s sisters,” Shangguan Xuan added. “We’ll quietly get in touch with them ourselves.”
“What about the two of you?” Madam Lin pressed the money back toward them. “Those assassins saw your faces too.”
“Qingshan Academy is very secure,” Shangguan Xuan explained. “The academy sits high in the mountains. It’s easy to defend and difficult to infiltrate.”
“Once we return, we’ll inform the masters and increase our vigilance.”
“We’ll be fine.”
“Even so,” Madam Lin insisted, “we cannot accept charity from you.”
Murong Yun looked directly at her.
“Song Qi’s greatest wish was to become an official and give you both a better life.”
“Shangguan and I are Song Qi’s closest friends.”
“We’ll seek justice for him.”
“You must live well until the day we avenge Song Qi.”
Murong Yun fought back her tears.
In front of Song Qi’s parents, she could not cry again.
“My child…”
Madam Lin’s voice trembled.
“I’ve thought about it constantly these past few days.”
“I shouldn’t have misunderstood you.”
“I even argued with Song Qi over it.”
“I wonder if he resented me for that.”
When Murong Yun had thrown herself in front of that sword for her, Madam Lin had finally understood why her son had defended this friend so fiercely.
Murong Yun was loyal and righteous.
How could anyone dislike someone like her?
Accepting the money, Madam Lin led her back inside to change her bandages.
Quietly, she said, “Protect yourself, child.”
“If there is another life, I hope Song Qi and you can be together.”
“If there is another life,” Murong Yun answered, “Song Qi and I will still be friends.”
Madam Lin considered her words before nodding.
Song Qi’s feelings toward Murong Yun had been sincere and pure.
He had treasured her as a friend.
For his mother to impose other interpretations upon that bond would only tarnish the honesty of his affection.
“I’ll be careful,” Murong Yun promised.
“One day, I’ll gain the strength to protect myself.”
“And the people I love.”
If she continued relying solely upon others, it would be no different from a slow death.
Several days later, Murong Yun and Shangguan Xuan departed from the fishing village.
Madam Lin soon discovered that every sharp blade in the house had disappeared.
Only the fish spears remained for self-defense.
On the carriage ride back to Wanping County, Shangguan Xuan, drenched in sweat, finally hauled a massive sack aboard.
Opening it, he discovered it was stuffed full of knives.
“Why did you steal all their blades?”
Murong Yun wiped the sweat from her brow.
Moving that many weapons had been exhausting work.
“I’m worried they’ll do something irreversible.”
The carriage halted before a butcher’s stall.
“If you insist on bringing these back to the academy,” Shangguan Xuan remarked dryly, “the masters will skin us alive.”
“Then sell them,” Murong Yun replied lazily from where she reclined inside the carriage.
Shangguan Xuan sold the knives cheaply before returning with a handful of silver.
The weather had begun cooling, though the air remained heavy and humid.
As the carriage rocked onward, Murong Yun’s chest throbbed painfully.
Eventually, she drifted asleep.
In her dreams, Song Qi still called out to them, urging them to climb mountains together to catch birds and roast pigeons over an open fire.
Shangguan Xuan quietly studied Murong Yun’s sleeping face.
When she had been wounded, panic unlike anything he had ever experienced had surged through him.
He had remained composed while treating Song Qi’s injuries.
But when Murong Yun collapsed before him, his hands trembled.
Even afterward, he had never dared inspect her healing wounds personally.
Lifting the carriage curtain, Shangguan Xuan stared at the bustling crowds outside.
He drew deep breaths of air.
At the academy gates, Master Xu stood at the forefront beside Master Wang, with the other students gathered behind them.
Supported by Shangguan Xuan, Murong Yun limped forward.
Seeing her condition, Master Xu’s heart ached.
Fighting back tears, he stepped forward.
“Had I known this would happen, I never would have allowed you to leave!”
“Master,” Murong Yun replied softly, “what does this have to do with us returning home during the break?”
Master Xu merely sighed repeatedly, his eyes reddening.
Master Wang intervened.
“Master Xu simply blames himself for failing to protect you.”
“You’ve suffered serious injuries. Focus on resting.”
“Tomorrow is the major examination.”
The examination before the provincial exam simulated the actual provincial examination format.
It was the most important test Murong Yun had encountered thus far.
Ordinarily, students who failed would be expelled from Qingshan Academy.
Yet Murong Yun and Shangguan Xuan had missed over half a month’s worth of lessons while grieving Song Qi’s death.
The masters had already promised they would not hold poor results against them.
Shangguan Xuan remained worried about Murong Yun’s injuries and insisted upon changing her bandages.
Murong Yun refused.
“You’re all thumbs. If you accidentally reopen the wound, I’ll truly collapse.”
“Besides, it’s almost healed.”
Unable to persuade her otherwise, Shangguan Xuan helped her settle into bed before lingering to chat.
“Do we still have the belongings taken from those assassins?” Murong Yun asked.
“I stored everything in a small chest,” Shangguan Xuan replied while blowing gently across the surface of her porridge. “We’ll investigate after you’ve recovered.”
“Uncle and Auntie have already relocated.”
Feeling uncomfortable, Murong Yun quickly wrote down a medicinal prescription and asked Shangguan Xuan to fetch the ingredients, using the excuse to send him away.
That night, a fever overtook her.
Curled beneath her blankets, she drifted in and out of consciousness.
The system’s voice echoed in her mind.
[Contradict Master tomorrow before the examination to obtain Ten Strategies on Water Transport.]
Murong Yun offered no response.
She remained trapped within her dreams.
“Song Qi…”
Tears dampened the pillow beneath her neck.
The following day, when Murong Yun forced herself into the examination hall, every gaze turned toward her.
Her complexion was pale and fragile.
Zheng Yuan had been chatting and laughing with his companions, but the sight of her silenced him.
Xiao Heng folded his arms.
“I was wondering who it was. Turns out it’s the person who got her friend killed.”
After delivering the insult, satisfaction swelled within him.
Song Qi had always opposed Zheng Yuan.
Served him right. A writing brush suddenly flew through the air.
The handle smacked Xiao Heng’s arm, leaving a red welt while splattering ink across his pale robes.
“Who did that?!”
Xiao Heng leapt to his feet. His gaze locked onto Murong Yun.
“I didn’t expect anyone would still defend you. How laughable.”
An empty inkstone came hurtling toward him.
It landed just short of crushing his toes.
Xiao Heng jolted backward, cold sweat breaking across his skin.
“I did.”
Shangguan Xuan slowly spread out his examination papers before rising to retrieve his brush.
Xiao Heng steadied himself. Shangguan Xuan was merely another poor scholar like himself.
“Song Qi is dead, and you’re not afraid?” Xiao Heng sneered. “You’re still associated with Murong Yun?”
“Your policy essays are excellent, Shangguan. Don’t let someone like this ruin your future.”
Resting his chin against one hand, Shangguan Xuan smiled with genuine interest.
“If Murong were the one to get me killed, perhaps that wouldn’t be such a terrible fate.”
“The very thought is oddly intriguing.”
His gaze shifted toward Zheng Yuan.
“As for you, Brother Zheng, Xiao Heng’s loose tongue may someday bring disaster upon you.”
“There’s a saying: disaster comes from careless words.”
“Perhaps tomorrow will bring you another unpleasant surprise.”
Zheng Yuan merely curled his lips into a cold smile.
Without responding, he turned away and shot Xiao Heng a warning glare.
By the time Master Wang entered carrying the examination papers, tension still crackled throughout the room.
Without questioning them, he swept his gaze across the students’ empty desks before distributing the tests.
Murong Yun stared at her examination paper with unprecedented focus.
The system spoke once more.
[The examination is about to begin. If the host fails to complete the task, the reward cannot be obtained.]
She ignored it.
As expected, the examination included questions concerning water transport.
Murong Yun’s heart skipped a beat.
A realization struck her. The system could predict examination topics.
There was no way it had repeatedly guessed correctly by coincidence.
Before meeting Granny Wei, the system had even provided Daying Land Taxation in advance.
The early rewards of effortless knowledge had merely been temptation.
When she interfered to save Granny Wei and was punished by coughing blood, it had been a warning.
The system wanted to train her into someone who obeyed orders unquestioningly.
Murong Yun shook her head lightly, banishing those distracting thoughts.
Fixing her eyes upon the examination paper, she silently vowed:
Song Qi was gone.
She would fulfill his dream. She would become a high-ranking official.
Within the capital, a mute caretaker tended to an unconscious man bearing a wound across his neck.
The man had lost too much blood.
His master had warned that no one knew when he might awaken, instructing the mute to care for him diligently.
Martial guards patrolled the courtyard without pause.
Clearly, the master valued this unconscious individual greatly.
But why…
Why had he been hidden away in the capital?