Blue Five, in her usual boisterous manner, stepped forward. She rested her hands on her knees, bending down to eye level with Qi Hao. Her gaze landed on the oversized bracer on his wrist, her tone a mix of urgency and tenderness: "Hey, kid! Who gave you this?"
Qi Hao shuddered violently, shrinking back like a startled young animal. He covered the black metal ring with his other hand, his lips turning white as he remained silent, staring at Blue Five with wide eyes full of suspicion and fear. To him, these people appearing suddenly in the wilderness were just as dangerous as the murderous assassins he had just encountered.
"Oh, don't be scared!" Seeing his reaction, Blue Five quickly raised her left hand and rolled up her sleeve, revealing an identical black bracer. "Look! I have one too. They're like twins."
She lightly pressed the side of the bracer, and a soft amber glow lit up the night, echoing the pulsing red light on Qi Hao's wrist.
"This bracer is the symbol of our squad. Only those who have shared a life-and-death bond can own one," Blue Five softened her voice, looking at him sincerely. "The person who gave this to you is our sister. So, we are friends, not enemies."
Looking at the amber glow and the crimson light on his own wrist, Qi Hao's tense shoulders finally slumped. This bracer was the last memento his sister had left him, and this woman actually possessed the same object. The suppressed fear and grief came crashing down; Qi Hao's nose stung, and tears began to fall like broken strings. He lunged forward and grabbed Blue Five's hem as if it were his last lifeline.
"Please, sister... save my Elder Sister!" the child's broken sobs scattered in the wilderness. "She was taken by those bad men to protect us... please save her!"
Lin Feng's hand, which had been gripping his sword hilt, slowly relaxed. His deep eyes were fixed on the woman on the carriage, waves of shock and even a trace of unbelievable pain surging in their depths.
"Chu... Zhaoning?" he ventured, his voice raspy and unfamiliar after years of separation, yet unable to hide the bond etched into his very blood.
As the name "Zhaoning" fell, Crimson Nine's upright body trembled imperceptibly. There was no need for further testing or verification of identity—in this world, the only person who would call her name with such authority yet hidden heartache was Chu Fengning.
"Second Brother..." Crimson Nine gazed at him, her calm special ops mask completely shattering in that moment.
From behind a crack in the carriage curtain, Xiao Zhan took in the entire scene, a profound thoughtfulness crossing his eyes. The members of the Chu family, who had been declared dead in battle, were appearing one by one in Western Yan and Southern Tang. This game was deeper and wider than he had anticipated.
The carriage curtain was suddenly flung open. Ignoring the rash on his face, Xiao Zhan strode down from the carriage. His gaze was like a torch, locked onto the man who was covered in dust but possessed an aura of restrained power.
"Chu Fengning, you are truly still alive!" Xiao Zhan's voice was steady but carried an irrepressible agitation. "What exactly happened during that battle at the Eastern Border? Why did the reports claim the Chu Army was annihilated with no survivors?"
Lin Feng—or rather, the Second Young Master of the Chu family, Chu Fengning—looked at the noble yet strangely marked man before him, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. In his fragmented memories, there was a handsome youth who used to practice martial arts under the pear trees of the General's Manor with his father, Chu Zheng, and spar fiercely with the three brothers. They had shared beds and stolen wine; they were as close as brothers.
"Third Prince... Your Highness? Is it you?" Chu Fengning asked tentatively, his voice incredibly hoarse. The man's stature remained the same, but his face was covered in a rash, no longer the jade-like visage of the past. Instead, it radiated the coldness and authority of one who had held power for years.
"It is I, Xiao Zhan," Xiao Zhan looked at his former elder brother, a complex pang of grief flashing in his eyes. He stepped forward, his tone calm yet carrying an inherent majesty: "However, the Emperor has granted me the fief of Zhanchuan—I am now Prince Zhan of Qi."
The title "Prince Zhan" fell like an iron seal, his identity now unshakeable. Chu Fengning's body stiffened slightly, and he then gave a bitter laugh, sheathing his sword.
"Prince Zhan..." he murmured, his gaze sweeping over Crimson Nine (Chu Zhaoning) and then Xiao Zhan. A young general declared dead by the court, a prince who should be at his fief after exile, and a young miss of the Chu family who should have been a "sheltered daughter." The fact that these three had met in the wilderness of the Southern Tang border was the greatest irony to the Qi Imperial Court.
"It's a long story," Chu Fengning glanced toward where Yellow Seven had been taken, his eyes darkening. "But now is not the time for reunions. Qi Xuan—the Princess of Qi—was taken by the Southern Tang Emperor's men to protect us."
Crimson Nine's gaze sharpened. Her movements were clean and efficient. She flipped off the carriage and, with a flick of her fingers, unhitched the horse from the shaft in an instant.
"A-Zhan, Second Brother, wait here," Crimson Nine's voice was cold as a blade, carrying an unquestionable authority. "Blue Five and I will bring Yellow Seven back. We'll be right back."
She leaned into the carriage, her fingers closing around the heavy, familiar Chu Family Sword. The blade slid out half an inch, reflecting the murderous intent swirling in her eyes.
"Hya!"
Crimson Nine gave a sharp cry, bracing herself on the horse's back and leaping onto it as light as a swallow. Before the wind even rose, her aura had already shifted—the familiarity of being one with the horse instantly ignited the arrogant fire of a Chu family commander in her blood.
"Blue Five, mount up!"
Blue Five, already prepared, gave a cheeky grin and drew her custom compound bow from her back. She took two agile steps and, using the strong pull from Crimson Nine's arm, vaulted into the air and settled firmly behind her.
"Hold on tight!"
Crimson Nine clamped her legs against the horse's flanks. The steed gave a long neigh, rearing its front hooves high before turning into a bolt of black lightning, thundering toward the direction where the red light of the bracer had vanished.
Blue Five remained perfectly steady on the galloping horse, her fingers sliding over the string of her compound bow, making it hum softly. On the wasteland, only the fading sound of iron hooves and clouds of dust remained.
Xiao Zhan and Chu Fengning stood side by side, watching the two heroic figures disappear into the twilight. Chu Fengning watched his sister's expert horsemanship and the Chu Family Sword she carried, waves of shock surging within him. In the years he hadn't seen her, what kind of baptism had his sister undergone to possess such a world-defying edge that treated an army as nothing?
And Xiao Zhan, looking at that red silhouette, felt both pride and a faint tug of worry in his heart. He knew that this rescue mission would be the first battle to make this "miracle squad" famous on Southern Tang soil.