Chapter Eight: Wounded

In the morning, Shen Munian rose to the sound of clamor in the streets. Pushing open his door, he was stunned to see the area filled with refugees. Rubbing his eyes, he could hardly believe that so many had appeared overnight.

"Quickly, order the porridge to be boiled! Start distributing food immediately!" Shen Munian commanded, but before he could finish, someone emerged carrying a pot of porridge.

"Miss Shen gave the orders early this morning. General Shen, please come and help with the distribution."

Shen Qiuning ran over and pulled at her father: "Don't just stand there, Dad! Come help hand out the porridge!"

"Oh, yes, of course." Shen Munian joined the effort.

As the crowd of refugees grew, they found themselves short-handed. Gu Yan dispatched more guards, and Shen Qiuning asked Shen San to assist in managing the crowd.

While everyone was busy, a six or seven-year-old child in ragged clothes tugged at Shen Qiuning’s skirt. "Big sister, big sister, please save my mother! She fainted, please save her!"

The child grew increasingly frantic, breaking into loud sobs. Shen Qiuning knelt down to soothe him: "Don't cry. Take me to your mother, okay?"

As the child led her away from the crowd and they were about to reach his mother, several men in black suddenly lunged from behind, attempting to cover Shen Qiuning’s mouth and nose.

Sensing something wrong, Shen Qiuning spun around and collided with the assailants. A struggle ensued, but when they realized they couldn't easily overpower her, one man threw a powdered anesthetic when she wasn't looking. Both Shen Qiuning and the child were overcome, and the men bound her.

"What about the kid?" someone asked.

The leader looked at the child on the ground. "Take him too. He saw our faces. We must cut the weeds at the root; no witnesses can be left behind!"

When Shen Qiuning regained consciousness, her hands and feet were tied. She surveyed her surroundings; she couldn't tell exactly where she was, but the sound of water nearby suggested she was being held somewhere along the riverbank.

Shen San, while serving porridge, suddenly realized he hadn't seen Shen Qiuning for a while. He looked around, but she was nowhere to be found. He handed his ladle to someone nearby, drew his sword, and began searching. After confirming she was missing, he rushed to find Shen Munian.

"General, Miss Shen is gone."

Shen Munian thought he had misheard. "What did you say? Ning’er is missing? Why are you still standing there? Mobilize the troops and find her!"

Damn it, kidnapping someone right under his nose! He would show them who was tired of living. Shen Munian was furious.

Hearing the commotion, Gu Yan immediately stormed toward the Zhao residence. Zhao Xingzhou had expected this and had set a trap; his secret guards were lying in wait, ready for Gu Yan.

"Zhao Xingzhou, come out!" The moment Gu Yan stepped into the Zhao residence, the gates slammed shut, and guards surrounded him.

Zhao Xingzhou walked out with a smile. "General Gu, you came alone? Let’s see how you escape this time."

Gu Yan sneered. "Enough talk. Where is Shen Qiuning?"

"Shen Qiuning? How would I know? Perhaps she’s busy enjoying herself with a few men right now." Zhao Xingzhou laughed lewdly.

Gu Yan’s grip on his sword tightened, his heart sinking. He feared the possibility that Zhao Xingzhou might have truly harmed her. In a flash, Gu Yan had his blade pressed against Zhao Xingzhou’s throat. In that moment, he truly wanted to kill him.

Meanwhile, Shen Qiuning felt the knot binding her hands; luckily, it wasn't a permanent knot. After much fumbling, she managed to loosen it. She spotted a small stick nearby, maneuvered toward it, wedged it into the center of the knot, and gave it a sharp pull, finally freeing her hands.

Just as she was about to work on her feet, the door opened. The men in black entered. Shen Qiuning quickly wrapped the rope back around her wrists and closed her eyes, feigning unconsciousness.

"Boss, why hasn't she woken up yet? The master said we could have our fun with her. It’s no fun if she’s passed out," one of the men remarked.

Shen Qiuning listened with closed eyes, disgusted by Zhao Xingzhou’s shamelessness.

"Let's go for now. We'll reward ourselves once she wakes up." The men let out a series of vile laughs.

Once they left, Shen Qiuning quickly untied her feet and retrieved her jade hairpin, holding it tightly in her hand. The door was locked, so she waited for them to return, planning to kill them before making her escape.

Back at the Zhao residence, Gu Yan pressed again: "I’ll ask you one more time: where is Shen Qiuning? Don't think I won't kill you."

Zhao Xingzhou remained nonchalant. "General Gu, I am the Empress's cousin. Even the Emperor must give me some face. Do you really dare to kill me?"

Zhao Xingzhou signaled his guards, who charged forward with their blades. Gu Yan stomped the ground, soaring into the air. His sword moved with a life of its own. As the guards fell one by one, the others retreated in fear.

Gu Yan scoffed at the incompetence of his foes. With a fierce, relentless sword style, he cleared the courtyard. Though Gu Yan took a shallow cut to his waist, he held his ground.

He pressed his blade against Zhao Xingzhou’s throat again. "Zhao Xingzhou, if your men touch a single hair on Shen Qiuning’s head, I will deliver your severed head to the Empress's palace."

Seeing the corpses in the courtyard, Zhao Xingzhou’s voice trembled. "Gu Yan, you—please, lower your sword. Can’t we talk about this?"

"Don't stall. Three seconds. If you don't speak, your head will be in the capital before the Empress." Gu Yan’s patience had vanished.

Blood began to seep from Zhao Xingzhou’s neck. "I'll tell you! I'll tell you! There is a cellar beneath the Baiyang Pawnshop. She is there."

Upon getting the location, Gu Yan turned to leave. Zhao Xingzhou raised his hand, and the guards on the roof stood up and fired a volley of arrows. Hearing the whistle of the arrows, Gu Yan turned to deflect them, but caught off guard, he took an arrow to the shoulder.

"General!" Axiao arrived with reinforcements and caught the stumbling Gu Yan. "General, let me take you back for medical treatment."

Gu Yan snapped the shaft of the arrow. "No. Finish them off. I am going to find Shen Qiuning."

Shen San and General Shen had also been searching, but news arrived that refugees were rioting at the distribution site. Shen Munian had to return to handle the situation, leaving Shen San to continue the search.

Zhao Xingzhou had played a cunning hand, ensuring everyone was spread too thin.

In the cellar, the men in black returned to find Shen Qiuning staring at them with open eyes. "Haha, this little lady is quite pretty. She’ll be a lot of fun."

Seeing them approach, Shen Qiuning’s lips curled into a cold smile. She suddenly raised the jade hairpin and triggered the mechanism. Poison needles pierced their hearts, and the two men collapsed instantly. Shen Qiuning stood up and dusted off her hands. "Hmph, you think you can kidnap me with such petty tricks?"

She headed for the exit, but after a few steps, she heard someone calling for a big sister. Turning back, she saw the same child from before. To think they wouldn't even spare a child—these people were truly despicable!

Softening, Shen Qiuning turned back to untie the boy. As she led him toward the exit, she felt a sharp, heavy pain in her back. She had been stabbed. Turning around, she saw another one of their gang. Her return to save the child had exposed her. With a deep wound in her back, she had no time to waste; she used the hairpin to finish him off.

Emerging from the cellar, Shen Qiuning was drenched in sweat, her clothes soaked in blood.

"Miss!" Shen San, having just arrived at the area, spotted her and rushed over.

Hearing his voice, Shen Qiuning turned toward him, but after a few steps, her strength failed. Shen San caught her securely, and with a faint smile, she lost consciousness.

Shen San immediately carried her away.

On the other side of the river, seeing Shen Qiuning was safe, Gu Yan collapsed from exhaustion, vomiting a mouthful of dark blood. The arrow had been poisoned.

Zhao Xingzhou clearly never intended for any of them to survive.