CLIP-CLOP-CLIP-CLOP...
Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves echoed in the courtyard.
Yin Huan struggled to raise her head and saw the person seated on a tall horse.
The man was dressed all in black. He was tall, with handso features and a cold, indifferent air.
Compared to him, the man she had killed earlier seed like a re lackey.
He rode his horse, slowly approaching Yin Huan. "You’re one of Zhou Junlin’s people?"
’He actually knows this is one of Zhou Junlin’s hidden outposts!’
Yin Huan raised a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of her mouth, then propped herself up on her arms. She raised an eyebrow and her lips curled into a provocative smile. "Heh, why don’t you guess?"
The man’s eyebrows twitched. With a soft "Courting death," he suddenly yanked the reins tight. The horse neighed and reared, its front hooves about to stomp down on Yin Huan’s chest—
Yin Huan gritted her teeth and leaped backward. Though she dodged the horse’s hooves, the effort took all her remaining strength. She collapsed to the ground, unable to move.
CLIP-CLOP-CLIP-CLOP...
The man rode his horse over, looking down on her imperiously. In his eyes, Yin Huan was nothing more than a puny ant.
"Zhou Junlin’s people actually care about the lives of the common folk in Sishui City? How interesting! He should know this city was always ant to be a sacrifice..." His tone shifted as he sneered, "Heh, to think he actually sees himself as the lord of this chaotic age. Such foolish compassion!" The man spoke nonchalantly, his words dripping with contempt for Zhou Junlin.
He turned his horse around without a second glance at the person on the ground and rode out through the back gate. The few n behind him followed. From a distance, his lazy command drifted back, "Kill her."
"Yes."
One of the n walked up to Yin Huan, drew the dagger from his waist, and grabbed her by the hair bun, forcing her head up.
Yin Huan had no strength left. She was so broken it seed she might be torn apart at any mont. Her eyes were so red they looked as if they would bleed.
Her lips parted in a silent smile.
The dagger aid for her neck and suddenly plunged down...
In a flash, Yin Huan bit down hard on the man’s wrist—
"AH—"
With a bloodcurdling scream, the man cursed and stabbed down violently with the dagger...
"Little Nine! Little Nine!"
E Jintang’s shouts ca from the main gate.
Yin Huan used her last ounce of strength to drag the corpse outside, then slowly closed the back gate and slid down to sit against it.
’She rembered a dog from her childhood. It had been a stray her adoptive father brought ho to be her companion.’
’She loved it very much, but later it got sick and just lay in its bed, completely still.’
’One day, it suddenly stood up and went out the door by itself.’
’She was so happy and wanted to go play with it, but her adoptive father stopped her.’
’Her adoptive father said it was going to die.’
’She didn’t understand then, but she did now.’
’She was just like that stray dog. After a lifeti of struggle, she had finally t friends who treated her with genuine kindness.’
’But now she was dying. She didn’t want to make them sad, and she especially didn’t want them to see her like this...’
"Little Nine?"
"Where’s Yin Huan?" It was Song Lianhe’s voice.
"There are arrows here!"
Xuan i noticed sothing was wrong, and her voice grew tense.
"Little Nine!"
E Jintang was clearly on edge. "I’m going to find her!"
Yin Huan leaned back, half her face covered in blood and gri. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly as her vision began to blur.
She was born an orphan. Thankfully, she had adoptive parents, or she would have frozen to death on the streets.
But she was also unlucky. To survive, she beca a pawn in soone else’s ga. So she sched and acted selfishly, willing to do anything just to stay alive!
The one and only ti she didn’t sche, didn’t plot, and simply followed her heart, she lost her life.
But strangely, she didn’t regret it.
Not one bit.
"Little Nine? Little Nine!"
Footsteps were getting closer.
’It’s Jintang...’
Yin Huan’s eyes slowly closed. She saw the little dog from her childhood.
It was standing not far away, wagging its tail at her.
She smiled and walked over, reaching out to pat its head. Then she followed it, walking toward the setting sun, on and on...
"Little Nine!"
The gate was thrown open. When E Jintang saw the person sitting there, he froze completely.
Hearing the noise, Song Lianhe and Xuan i ca running over as well.
Outside the back gate, Yin Huan was leaning against the door, her body covered in blood, her mouth a sar of vivid red.
At her feet lay the corpse of a man in black, his throat torn out by a bite...
"Yin Huan... Yin Huan..."
Song Lianhe’s voice trembled. As she ran over, she tripped on the threshold and was caught just in ti by Xuan i.
She reached Yin Huan’s side and imdiately checked for her breath and pulse. With trembling hands, she took a needle pouch from her satchel, opened it, and drew out a silver needle. "Sister i, help hold her up!"
"Alright!"
Xuan i held her steady while Song Lianhe placed a needle in one vital point, then a second, then a third. She followed with six more in rapid succession.
In a half-scroll of miscellaneous texts given to her by that old blind man, she had read about a technique called the "Ghost Nine Needles." Each needle targeted a "ghost point," and it was said the technique could pull a person back from the Ghost Gate itself!
The technique was far too dangerous; who would dare test it on ghost points for no reason? But now, Song Lianhe had no other choice.
The sounds of weeping and screaming from all around grew louder. The houses across the street were burning in a line, flas soaring into the sky, mixed with the cries of adults and children.
Song Lianhe removed all the needles, but Yin Huan still didn’t respond.
"Yin Huan? Yin Huan..."
Song Lianhe’s voice trembled like a leaf. She fumbled in her bag, trying to find so Life-saving Pills or sothing similar. A porcelain vial clattered out and rolled far away, and she scrambled to retrieve it.
Xuan i checked for Yin Huan’s breath, then slowly shook her head at her.
"It’s no use."
"No, I can still save her, I can..."
Song Lianhe suddenly rembered sothing and pulled a pill from her bag. "A Daoist gave this to ! He said it could save a life in a critical mont!"
She was about to shove it into Yin Huan’s mouth without hesitation, but Xuan i stopped her hand.
Xuan i gritted her teeth. It was difficult, but she said, word by word, "She’s already dead."
She was already dead. Even if Bian Que himself were here, it would be useless.
"AH!!"
E Jintang suddenly let out a roar: "I’m going to kill them all!!"
He charged into the blaze of fire across the street.
"Sister i! Quick, stop him!"
Xuan i glanced at her. Song Lianhe, eyes red, was staring at Yin Huan’s body. "None of you... can get hurt again..."
"...Mm."
Xuan i imdiately gave chase.
Song Lianhe lowered her head, tears streaming down her face.
"I’m sorry... Yin Huan, I’m sorry..."
’She was the one who insisted on saving people, but Yin Huan was the one who died!’
"The one who should have died is , it should have been ..."
Song Lianhe clasped Yin Huan’s hands. At this mont, they were no longer just simple paper-thin characters to her; they were all flesh and blood!
CLIP-CLOP-CLIP-CLOP...
The sound of hooves ca from behind her.
A chill went down Song Lianhe’s spine. She imdiately looked up and saw the man on the tall horse, with dozens of black-clad n behind him.
The man leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowing. "You are... Zhou Cangyan’s Princess Consort?"
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