Yue Yao gritted her teeth and clung tightly to the horse’s neck, trying to pull the reins to stop it, but the young steed had gone wild, refusing to obey and simply galloping madly onward.
As the horse charged ahead, plunging straight from the outskirts into the depths of the mountains, the wound on Yue Yao’s shoulder tore deeper from the violent jolts, blood spreading across her shoulder.
Her face gradually paled, her vision blurred, and the hand gripping the reins began to weaken.
With another sharp turn from the horse, she finally lost her grip and was flung from its back, tumbling down a steep slope.
The hunting grounds echoed with the warning blare of a horn.
Ling Xiao had just drawn his bow, aiming at a wild bear standing its ground in the mountains. His gaze was sharp, a sudden killing intent flashing as the arrow shot through the air, piercing the bear’s left eye.
The bear roared in agony, its deafening cry shaking the entire valley.
Ling Xiao swiftly nocked three more arrows, firing them in quick succession as the enraged beast charged toward him. Then, with a light leap from his horse, he unsheathed his sword and drove it cleanly through the bear’s forehead.
The bear let out a final whimper before collapsing lifelessly.
Jian Shuang, who had accompanied him, couldn’t help but remark, “That was swift, Marquis! Your archery is unmatched!”
Just then, the sound of the horn reached them, and Ling Xiao’s expression darkened.
Hoofbeats approached as a royal guard galloped toward them, shouting, “Marquis! Trouble! Assassins are lying in ambush within the hunting grounds!”
Ling Xiao turned sharply. “The Emperor?”
“His Majesty is unharmed. The assassins struck from multiple directions simultaneously. Both the Emperor and Princess Huaining were attacked, but the imperial guards acted swiftly. His Majesty was unharmed, though the princess narrowly avoided an arrow and was shaken.”
Ling Xiao’s gaze froze. “Anyone else injured?”
The guard hesitated, momentarily confused. After all, in an assassination attempt, the Emperor’s safety was paramount, followed by the princess. Others were of far lesser concern.
“There were casualties—guards who fought the assassins. Eunuch Wang, who serves His Majesty, was gravely wounded.” The man paused, thinking before adding, “I believe a noblewoman accompanying the princess was also injured.”
But as for who exactly, he wasn’t certain. The scene had been chaotic, and with attention fixed on the Emperor and princess, few had paid heed to others.
Ling Xiao’s face turned stormy. “A noblewoman with the princess?! Where is she now?!”
The guard paled, stammering, “S-she’s missing.”
Ling Xiao’s eyes darkened with fury as he seized the man’s collar, his killing aura flaring. “What did you say?”
“I wasn’t guarding the princess, so I don’t know the details. But when I was sent to report, I heard a noblewoman shielding the princess was struck by an arrow, and her horse bolted into the mountains. She hasn’t been found yet…”
“Where did she disappear?!”
“T-the southern edge of the hunting grounds…”
“Jian Shuang!” Ling Xiao barked.
“At your command!”
“Search every corner—now!”
“Yes!”
Without another word, Ling Xiao shoved the messenger aside and mounted his horse.
He knew perfectly well—only Jiang Yueyao had accompanied Princess Huaining as her lady-in-waiting.
He spurred his horse into a gallop.
The abandoned guard remained sprawled on the ground, stunned. He had never seen the Marquis lose his temper like this.
Ling Xiao arrived swiftly at the site of the attack, finding only traces of battle and scattered bodies.
His eyes swept the area before he turned his horse toward the mountains, scanning for signs.
The grass here was trampled, hoofprints chaotic—too many to discern a clear path. He had to check them all, one by one.
A gnawing unease settled in his chest. She had been shot, her horse gone mad—there was no telling if she was even alive. Every passing moment mattered.
But the hunting grounds spanned the entire mountainside of Dragon Roar Mountain. Finding her would be no easy task.
Two quarters of an hour later, Jian Shuang reported, “Marquis! The white mare was found near the mountain stream—collapsed, foaming at the mouth.”
“Search the entire area around the stream!”
“Understood.”
Ling Xiao gave the order and raced toward the location himself.
He had followed the path from where she was attacked, scrutinizing every inch for traces of her.
As he entered a dense thicket, his eyes caught a familiar silk ribbon on the ground.
He yanked the reins, dismounted, and picked it up—Jiang Yueyao’s hair ribbon.
Today, she had forgone hairpins, opting for a simple ribbon to keep her hair tied back for riding.
His gaze lifted, spotting faint bloodstains leading down the slope.
The slope was treacherous—easy to descend, nearly impossible to climb back up.
A thought flashed through his mind as he leaped down: Why was he so desperate to save her?
He shouldn’t care this much.
Battlefields had hardened him to death—it was routine.
Today’s assassins were only a threat if they harmed the Emperor. As long as His Majesty was safe, Great Zhou would remain stable. Beyond that, who lived or died hardly mattered.
Especially not Jiang Yueyao—a woman who grated on his nerves at every turn.
The thoughts flickered and vanished as he plunged downward.
She was the woman his elder brother had entrusted to him with his dying breath. For his brother’s peace in the afterlife, he had to ensure she lived.
Yes. That was the only reason.
Ling Xiao landed deftly, following the blood trail until he found her—unconscious in the grass.
He rushed forward, pulling her into his arms. “Jiang Yueyao!”
His hand brushed her left shoulder, coming away slick with blood. His fingers stiffened, his heart seizing.
Two fingers pressed to her neck—he didn’t even notice the faint tremor in his touch.
She was alive.
The knot in his chest unraveled.
He tore a strip from his robe, hastily binding her wound to stem the bleeding.
Her face was deathly pale, her body limp as if boneless.
Yet he found himself lingering, reluctant to let go even after securing the bandage.
“Marquis!”
Jian Shuang’s voice echoed from above.
A flicker of panic crossed Ling Xiao’s eyes—as if he’d been caught in an unguarded moment.
Even though no one could see him.
He had left markings on the slope for his men to follow. The descent had been easy alone, but carrying an unconscious Jiang Yueyao back up would be another matter.
They’d need help to haul her up.
Yet a treacherous thought slithered through his mind: Perhaps he shouldn’t have left those markings at all.
The realization startled even him.
He forced himself to calm down, pushing aside the chaotic thoughts that surged impulsively in his mind, and resolved to set the woman in his arms down.
He shouldn’t be holding her like this.
But just as he loosened his grip, her small hand clutched tightly at his clothes.
"Don’t go."
His entire body stiffened. He looked down at her—her eyes were still closed, her face pale, unconscious. Yet her delicate fingers clung desperately to his collar as she murmured in her sleep.
"Don’t leave me."
