The sunset was like blood, staining the tributaries of the Qinhuai River and the battered merchant ship. On the deck, the air seemed ignited; the stench of blood and the acrid smell of charred wood interlaced into a suffocating mist that clung to everyone's skin.
Yellow Seven looked at Lin Jin, who was guarding her. His already crippled left leg was now soaked in blood, and the crisscrossing blade wounds on his body were startling, yet he gritted his teeth and held on. In front of him, Lin Feng's sword remained sharp, but his heavy breathing and a strike that was a fraction of a second slow revealed that his stamina was nearly exhausted.
"If this goes on, no one leaves," Yellow Seven thought, her brain working like a precision abacus, calculating the odds of survival.
The enemies were elite assassins handpicked by the imperial family, and reinforcements were flooding toward the pier. She glanced at the bracer on her left wrist. The lights for Crimson Nine and Blue Five were like two beating hearts, flashing frantically on the dark dial. The distance was close—extremely close, so close she could feel a faint resonance in the air.
This was a massive gamble. She would trade her own surrender for a chance at life for the other three. As long as she could buy enough time for the Captain to arrive, this dead end could be completely turned around.
"Stop—!"
A clear, commanding shout cut through the fierce slaughter. Yellow Seven slowly pushed past Lin Jin's protection. Ignoring the bone-deep pain in her ankle, she stepped to the front of the deck. The residual red of the sunset fell on her pale but resolute face, reflecting a grim determination.
"Enough, stop fighting," she said calmly, scanning the panting assassins. Her tone was disturbingly level. "Your master wants me. I will go back with you, but the price is—let these three go."
The bloodshot eyes of the assassins flickered in surprise, their blades trembling. They were clearly shaken by the woman's aura.
"Miss..." Lin Jin leaned on his broken blade, his voice hoarse and anxious, trying to shield her once more.
"Princess!" Lin Feng held his sword horizontally, looking at her with disbelief and fury. "Have you lost your mind? You burned the manor and scattered your fortune precisely for this moment of freedom! Surrendering now makes all that suffering for nothing!"
"Freedom is only for the living," Yellow Seven whispered, her voice low but carrying an unquestionable power. "Teacher Lin, protect Hao'er. That is my final order."
The leading assassins exchanged suspicious glances before lowering their crossbows. Capturing the "God of Wealth" Princess alive was far better than bringing back corpses to the Emperor.
"The Princess is indeed straightforward," the leader sneered. "Deal."
Yellow Seven turned to look at Qi Hao, whose eyes were red from crying, and then at the blood-stained Lin brothers. She quietly touched her bracer, thinking: Captain, Blue Five, I leave my life in your hands.
She straightened her back and held out her hands toward the cold iron shackles.
Seeing his sister walking toward the menacing assassins, young Qi Hao broke free from Lin Jin's embrace and stumbled forward, grabbing Yellow Seven's blood-stained sleeve.
"Sister! If you go with them, I'm going too!" The child's voice cracked with a sob, sounding heartbreakingly desolate on the silent pier. "I'm not afraid to die; I just want to stay with you..."
Yellow Seven felt as if her heart had been struck by a heavy hammer. Her nose stung, but she forced herself not to let the tears fall. She knelt down, looking into her brother's eyes—filled with fear and resolve—one last time.
"Hao'er, be good." Her voice was low, soft but unyielding.
At this moment, she made her choice. Ignoring the searing pain in her ankle, her trembling fingers undid the cold, black bracer on her left wrist. It was her symbol as a special ops squad member, her only spiritual anchor in this world. She pulled Qi Hao's slender wrist toward her and solemnly fastened the bracer onto him.
"Hao'er, remember my words. You must never lose this bracer. No matter what happens, keep it on you." She looked at the faint red light pulsing on the device and prayed: Captain, if I don't come back, please protect this child for me.
"Sister will be fine, trust me." She wiped the tears from his face and turned to the Lin brothers. "Follow Teacher Lin; he will keep you safe. Once I've finished my business, I will come for you. Teacher Lin, take him! Go! Now!"
Lin Feng looked at the strange bracer and then at Yellow Seven's sacrificial silhouette. His throat moved, and he finally gave a heavy nod. He stepped forward, scooped up the struggling Qi Hao, and signaled for Lin Jin to cover the rear.
"Sister—!" Qi Hao's cries faded as the ship and the river breeze grew distant.
Yellow Seven stood at the edge of the deck, watching the three disappear into the chaotic night. She then rose slowly and looked coldly at the assassin leader, extending her wrists for the shackles.
"Let's go." Her expression was icy, without a trace of lingering attachment. She had shed all her weaknesses and reverted to the cold-blooded, formidable soldier—Yellow Seven.
Meanwhile, the carriage raced frantically across the uneven wasteland, the dust kicked up by the wheels swirling like mist in the sunset.
Crimson Nine drove with a cold face, her eyes fixed forward. Blue Five leaned out, checking the flashing frequency of her bracer. "Captain! The signal is getting stronger! Yellow Seven's light is right ahead, less than a mile!"
Crimson Nine's heart tightened; two days of anxiety seemed ready to explode. She snapped the whip hard and called out to the cabin: "A-Zhan, hold on!"
The carriage burst through the shadows of the forest path like an arrow. Soon, three battered figures appeared at the end of their sight—a man supporting a limping companion, holding a young boy's hand tightly.
Blue Five cried out, "Captain! Look at the kid's wrist—it's Yellow Seven's bracer! It's flashing red!"
Crimson Nine's heart skipped a beat. Why was Yellow Seven's bracer on a child?
However, as her gaze shifted to the man in the lead, the blood in her veins seemed to freeze.
The man stood as straight as a pine tree. Though his clothes were tattered and he was covered in blood, his upright posture and those cold, sharp eyes were identical to her memory of her second brother—Chu Fengning—the one who always guided her archery on the training grounds.
Second Brother...? Crimson Nine screamed internally, but her throat was too dry to make a sound.
Frantic thoughts raced through her mind. If Second Brother was alive, then who had fabricated the "total annihilation" report? How much of the truth had been hidden? They found Chu Yuning alive in Western Yan, and now Chu Fengning was here in Southern Tang... then was it possible that her eldest brother, Chu Yunning, or even her father, Chu Zheng, were still alive?
What kind of earth-shattering conspiracy had occurred?
The carriage came to a halt with a harsh screech just a few paces from the trio. As the dust settled, both parties stood in a deathly silence, separated by only a few steps.