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Translated by : Irisu

Edited by : Anks & Ely

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Jiang Xin Zhi was one versus five opponents. However, not even by the slightest margin did he lag behind those who exchanged blows with him in such a short period. At this, each of his opponents had a hint of amazement in their eyes. It was because they were initially asked to observe Jiang Xin Zhi who, when all was said and done, had been someone who had been on the battlefield. However, he was someone who was starkly different from hearsay- a young master of the Jiang family who was described as scholarly and weak.

During this period, this handful of fighters found it somewhat strenuous after exchanging blows with him and by now had expended much of their physical strength. Then, one of them gave a meaningful signal to another and in the split-second, these two fighters showed a renewed grit of determination. Step by step as if their life depended on it, one pressed harder whilst the other circled round to Jiang Xin Zhi's back to strike at his horse's leg.

"Neigh!" Hei Feng gave a long whinny as its front legs were severely slashed by a sword. With that, both of its forelegs buckled as it knelt down. Jiang Xin Zhi flipped himself over to get off the horse. As he did so, two other guards seized the opportunity to attack him. Jiang Xin Zhi leaned his body to the side but when he touched the soil underfoot, he felt that his body was suddenly sinking in. He was startled as he lowered his head to look. As expected, it was because his calves dipped into, and mud as he struggled, he sunk even deeper into it.

The several fighters then sheathed their swords as Jiang Xin Zhi looked at his lower body. In just a short period of time, the mud had alarmingly pulled him down to waist level.

Unexpectedly, he was surrounded by a large marsh area. Above this swamp layer, they had actually used dried, withered branches and twigs to completely conceal this fact and thus, he had not discovered it prior to this battle. So, these few people, who had fought with him, had actually planned to trap him here. The more one struggled in a swamp, the more one would be engulfed in its midst. After figuring this out, Jiang Xin Zhi stopped struggling as he coldly stared at the people before him, "Who sent you?"

One of the guards laughed, "Eldest Young Master Jiang, you can only blame yourself for blocking someone else's path. If you must ask, then when you arrive on the roads of the Yellow Springs[1], go ask Yama[2] about it!" After saying that, with a wave of his hand, Jiang Xin Zhi heard a rustling sound coming from the woods and then saw countless numbers of people appear. All of them had a bow in their hands as they knocked an arrow seemingly in preparation to kill him.

[1] Huáng quán ( 黄泉 ) - the underworld of Chinese mythology which is the equivalent of Hades or Hell

[2] Yán wáng yé ( 阎王爷 ) - the King of Hell

Jiang Xin Zhi had a sudden epiphany; as it turned out, this was actually the real checkmate right here. From the very beginning, these people had wanted to trap him in the marshy swamp and then in the confusion, they would have him shot dead through the heart with arrows. Such conniving, vicious and sinister intentions! However, after all was said and done, who would have such a deep hatred towards him?

But no one was there to help resolve his dilemma as he then merely saw a wave of someone's hand. At that moment, numerous arrows were simultaneously targeted at him and as the whooshing sounds pierced the air, the arrows darted like a shower of raindrops towards him!

Jiang Xin Zhi still had a blade in his hands and naturally, could not just await his death. With a swift brandish of his sword, he obstructed the first wave of arrows. One after another, they fell into the mud. Jiang Xin Zhi knitted his brows tightly; in a short time, with that vigorous sword move, his body had sunk even deeper into the marsh. If this continued on, even if he was not simply shot to his death by the flurry of arrows, he would still submerge and drown in the swamp pit- in the end, disappearing from the realm of living.

To be caught in such a damnably inescapable circumstance, he was trapped with no room to advance or retreat. What an extremely malicious scheme!

With another wave of the fighter's hand, a new wave of arrows shot forth; this wave of the attack was even more concentrated with a constant flurry of arrows flying successively towards him. Jiang Xin Zhi unhurriedly lifted his sword but before he could even parry the attack, the arrows that were still in air seemed to be struck with something strange. In midair, they suddenly plunged to the ground and from far away, there was a sound of swords clashing. The hurried canter of hoof-steps came closer and with his narrowed stare, he actually saw a squadron of horsemen rushing from the depths of the ebony forest. Wherever they went, they were completely hacking down the men, who were stringing arrows to bows, to the ground.

The arrival of this group of horsemen was too sudden and not only was Jiang Xin Zhi astonished, even the fighters were gobsmacked. One by one, they turned around to deal with these people. Distanced too far away, Jiang Xin Zhi could not see clearly but the appearance of the two men in the lead was foreign to him. Between them was a lone horse whose pace was somewhat slower; the person mounted on it was dressed in red from head to toe. With a douli on their head, one could not clearly see their features. Yet, Jiang Xin Zhi could not help but feel an odd sensation in his heart.

Jiang Ruan tightly clenched her fists on horseback; even though she had experienced a lifetime's worth of painful torment, she had thought that her temperament had been tempered into a tenaciously cold nature. Yet, when she clearly saw the situation right before her eyes, a rush of uncontrollable rage still burst from the depths of her heart.

So it turned out that this was actually how Jiang Xin Zhi had died in her former life!

One would have thought it to be true that Eldest Young Master Jiang would be able to return flushed with his success, in gorgeous and resplendent clothes, to the capital. Yet in the midst of this eerie, ebony forest, like a trapped beast, he had been captured in a slurry pit and pierced to his death by a thousand arrows! In such a place not far off from the capital, he had soundlessly vanished from this world!

The Xia family, the Jiang family, the Li family; this debt that she had from them, if she did not pay back in full, she would be beside herself[3]!

[3] Bú wéi rén (不为人) - What Jiang Ruan meant here was a saying: if she was unable to recompense them for this enmity and hatred that she held for them, she was unable to behave with integrity or conduct oneself. In a way, this concerns her pride: wherein she would have no way to meet anyone in the eyes for sparing them. This saying describes her tenacious determination to get even or more with these fiends.

These archers that had been lying low to ambush him in the depths of the forest realized that something was amiss. As they began to cross hands with the people that Zhao Yuan Feng had brought with him, all at once, one could not differentiate the opposing forces from each other.

Seeing Jiang Xin Zhi's body still gradually sinking into the swamp, Jiang Ruan's heart was austerely cold. Without thinking any further, she steered her horse as she made a beeline towards him.

Previously the fighters had assumed that matters had already reached the point wherein their success should have naturally followed. Yet who knew that midway through their plan, suddenly, the cavalry would come rushing in. Naturally, they were extremely resentful. Whilst some of the men had crossed swords with Zhao Yuan Feng and Zhao Yi, one person had noticed Jiang Ruan. In the midst of this ill-timed arrival of the cavalry, Jiang Ruan's appearance was naturally rather unusual. With her dainty body, it was difficult for anyone to not notice her. That fighter had then leapt quickly into action. With a swish of his sword, he had immediately struck towards Jiang Ruan. Zhao Yi and the others were slightly further away from her. Moreover, at that moment, they were also busily entangled in battle with the other opponents around them and were too occupied to attend to her. With a narrowed stare of her eyes, Jiang Ruan's gaze met with the flash of that sword strike. Abruptly, she bowed and drew her body flat against the horse's back as she narrowly avoided that slash.

With that failed strike, the blade in that person's hand changed its direction as it suddenly chopped down towards Jiang Ruan once more. However, her horse had been frightened by the whip of wind that the sword had caused. Instantly, it had stopped in its steps and Jiang Ruan was left with no way to retreat. She could only raise her hands to block the attack. With a grit of her teeth and a squeeze of her eyes, she supposed that it was just the loss of an arm.

However, that strike did not land down on her and Jiang Ruan only heard the echo of a clang and the muffled grunt of a man's voice. As her eyes flared, the man before her had used his left hand to cover his wrist whilst his right hand was somewhat trembling. His hand was trembling so much that he could barely hold the sword in his hand as a trickle of blood dripped from his fingertips.

Jiang Ruan had lowered her head when she saw a distorted and deformed bronze plaque[4] hanging on his waist just as the fighter before her began to raise his sword once more. Suddenly, as if there was a gust of wind, a person's figure leapt into the fray to cross blades with him.

[4] T/N - This bronze plaque is used as an identification of one's status in an army.

Jiang Ruan was slightly startled, however, it was no more than a moment before the fighter suffered a gash to his neck with one slash of a sword. Covering his neck, the fighter fell and rolled on the ground.

Since Jiang Xin Zhi had been dealing with the assassins for quite some time on his own, with this new fighter's participation, he quickly dealt with one of the assassins. When the other assassins saw the change in dynamics, collectively they began to surround and close in on this new fighter.

Jiang Ruan was still on her horse. As this person inclined his head over to give her a glance, it was unexpectedly Xiao Shao before her. As his elegant and heroically handsome face turned towards her, he indifferently remarked, "Get behind me." With his eyes coldly staring at the two fighters that had surrounded him, he seemed to not have even the slightest regard for the danger posed to him.

As the fighters around him had all rushed towards Xiao Shao to eliminate him, Zhao Yi caught a break to steer his steed at a breakneck speed towards her. Worriedly, he asked with concern, "Biaomei, are you alright?"

Jiang Ruan shook her head and as Zhao Yi looked towards Xiao Shao, he was at once stunned. "Xiao Wangye?"

Jiang Ruan responded to Zhao Yi, "There's no time to lose, hurry, please save my dage."

There was an endless stream of the clanging sounds of sword fighting at close quarters in the midst of the ebony forest. Without another word, Zhao Yi dashed towards Jiang Xin Zhi's location. Yet, the archers that laid in ambush in the forest were a thornier problem than they had expected. First, there were a huge number of them that might even be more than double the size of the Zhao family's troops. Second, these people, in all likeliness, did not seem like a disorderly bunch of layabouts. Contrarily, they seemed like people that one would see in the military troops, organized and disciplined. The remaining fighters were launching an attack directed towards the two people, Zhao Yuan Feng and Xiao Shao. Thankfully, the skill between these two people were not to be underestimated either and contrary to their opponent's expectations, they did not fall to a disadvantageous position.

After exerting a great amount of strength, Zhao Yi had managed to pull Jiang Xin Zhi out of the swampy marsh. Right at this moment, they heard a loud, mocking shout, "Xin Zhi- you, how have you been toyed into such a state?"

To go so far as to tail behind them, the one who appeared before them close to the very end of the battle was Guan Liang Han. Just as he spoke, the Guan's family troops, who had remained in place waiting for Jiang Xin Zhi's return, had finally realised after a long time that something was amiss. Once they set off in search of him and followed the sounds of sword fighting, they had also rushed over to the scene. Upon seeing the situation, Guan Liang Han then simply and bluntly laid an order, "D*mn[5], where did these youngsters come from, for them to have schemed onto this grandfather's person. Go and exterminate all those archers for me!"

[5] Gé lǎo zi de (格老子的) - Rather than a derogative swear, this expression is simply a Sichuan slang that the people from the Sichuan province commonly use to mock or heckle someone good-naturedly like an self deprecatory interjection. It is often used to express the feeling of gloominess or surprise. It is a rather difficult word to place due to its multi-contextual meaning. Guan Liang Han uses this phrase in a very self-arrogant way in surprise, since he then refers to himself as their 'grandfather'.

Trigger warning: Animal cruelty, gory descriptions of violence (torture) and cruel handling of livestock.

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In comparison to the people that Zhao Yuan Feng had brought, the Guan family's troops were greater in number and with their might, subduing these few archers was even more of a cinch. With Guan Liang Han's help, the archers were quickly brought in check. As the remaining fighters were also pressed under the blows of Zhao Yuan Feng and Xiao Shao's swords, several of the enemy fighters were all turning pale with fright. The situation in which they were confident of its success had suddenly turned on its head; who knew why, that at this moment, against all reason, how such a slip-up had occurred.

Guan Liang Han stepped forward and kicked one of the fighters, who had been in the forefront of the attack, in the jaw, "Hey, tell me clearly, who sent you here?"

The fighter stared at them and jerked his throat. Seeing this, Jiang Ruan immediately called out, "It's no good, they are about to kill themselves." To her surprise, these people were actually suicide soldiers. Once their mission had failed and they were unable to return with their mission completed, once they fell into the hands of their enemies, they would naturally ingest poison and commit suicide. However, what sort of person was Xiao Shao - ever since he had joined the Jin Yi Guards at the age of ten, he was deeply knowledgeable of these sort of tricks. Such a move displayed right before his eyes was like one trying to display their slight skill before an expert, thus, in a blink of an eye, he had dislocated several of their jaws. This made it impossible to swallow the poison that was hidden under their tongues and in pain, a few of the fighters began rolling on the ground.

With Xiao Shao's sudden slight of hand, it had saved them much effort on many affairs. Everyone present heaved a sigh of relief. Jiang Xin Zhi who had just escaped from a calamity, cupped his hands in salute, "This day, it is many thanks to the gentlemen present (that I was saved). However, I* (T/N: he is currently humbling himself in gratitude) have a question that I would like to seek for your wise guidance... ..." His question had yet to reach its end when he heard a gentle voice, "Dage."

Jiang Xin Zhi was startled- Jiang Ruan had already begun to lift up the douli on her head and then threw it aside. As she revealed the face underneath the hat, seeing Jiang Xin Zhi's blank and distracted look, she then lightly laughed, and again uttered, "Dage." In the depths of her eyes, there was a concealed, minute trace of watery glimmer.

Jiang Xin Zhi motionlessly stared at the young girl before his eyes. Ever since he had left the capital five years ago, he had never heard any news of Jiang Ruan ever again. The young girl before him was extremely foreign, yet in that appearance of hers, there was still a familiar feeling. Who was this, in the depths of his memories, the soft, immature and adorable little girl that would tug on his clothes and shyly call him 'Dage' had already disappeared. The young lady before him still had the facial features of that young girl in the past. Shedding off her former childish nature, it was as if a flower was currently in bloom and already had traces of a youthful and inexperienced bearing of gracefulness.

His meimei, ah, she had already grown up. As the hoods of his eyes welled up in warmth, Jiang Xin Zhi called out, "Ah Ruan!"

Whilst Jiang Xin Zhi had been sizing Jiang Ruan up, she too had quietly taken a measure of him. The Jiang family had always preferred the pen to the sword, thus, the sons and grandsons of the Jiang family were not allowed to enter the military ranks and could only enter through the official ranks. Jiang Xin Zhi had always given the bearing of a cultured and refined young master; however, whilst his facial features remained handsome, he had lost his natural charm as a refined youth. His skin was now somewhat more tanned than before and he had gained the hardened grit that one had after experiencing a baptism of war and blood. It was a stalwartness that was characteristic to a soldier. This man and the Jiang Xin Zhi that was in her memories were entirely different. Moreover, meeting him thus once more, it had already been a separation of a whole lifetime.

As she slowly walked forward, Jiang Xin Zhi lowered his head to gaze at her. Gently widening her arms without a care about the looks of everyone present, Jiang Ruan hugged Jiang Xin Zhi. She greeted, "Welcome back, Dage."

As the two brother and sister finally met, Zhao Yuan Feng rubbed away the stinging tears that began to develop in his eyes. He then asked Xiao Shao and Guan Liang Han, who were standing to the side, "Xiao Wangye, General Guan, why are the both of you at this place?"

Xiao Shao had yet to answer when Guan Liang Han responded, "Someone was putting their hands on my Deputy General, how could I still watch with folded arms? Rather, I would like to see, who would have such great courage to conspire to murder me?"

Also, Guan Liang Han and Xiao Shao had suddenly turned up and lent a hand, and with that, Zhao Yuan Feng frowned whilst Zhao Yi was somewhat at a loss. Jiang Ruan smiled slightly, "Then, many thanks to Wangye and General. With those people preparing this many archers, one could suppose that this is unlikely to be the work of any normal person. Perhaps, they might even be spies of another country or perhaps, they might have been rebelling troops; one might find it hard to ascertain. This situation is no small matter and could even concern the safety of the current political climate in the Great Jin Dynasty. Would you two daren please investigate until you reach the bottom of this matter?"

With just a comment of hers, she had redirected the current situation towards the possibility of it being a rebel's conspiracy. Whilst she had spoken rather exaggeratedly, the people on the ground had all, without exception, looked upon Jiang Ruan with a sharp glower. Whilst both Zhao Yuan Feng and Zhao Yi were choked between laughter and tears, Xiao Shao looked at her profoundly and Guan Liang Han furrowed his brows. Jiang Xin Zhi patted Jiang Ruan's head, "Ah Ruan, what you said, what did you mean?"

Jiang Ruan smiled at him, "I was thinking that Dage was merely making his first ever return to the capital. How could Dage have suddenly provoked someone to create an ambush to murder you or perhaps, amidst this chaos, it is not clear if that person might even have other plots behind this affair?"

"These people are all suicides soldiers, their mouths are sealed tight, how can it be so easy for them to confess." Guan Liang Han sneered.

**** Scenes of of graphic torture/animal violence ahead. Skip until ****

"Naturally, the normal criminal sentences that one would usually utilize are useless in this situation . One, they are unafraid of pain; two, they are unafraid of death so to pry open their mouths would be even harder than reaching the sky." Jiang Ruan faintly continued, "However, I once heard of a method of slowly cutting one's skull open, then scalding hot oil would be poured inside. The person would not be dead therefore they would be able to feel the sensation of their brains being slowly burned. Even if this person was the most unyielding type, they would be unable to bear being subjected to this."

In a daze, everyone stared at her in shock and fear. As they all listened to the method that Jiang Ruan described, they all felt terrified. When the fighters on the ground heard this, their bodies trembled slightly and Zhao Yi gulped, "Biaomei, wherever did you hear this method from?"

Jiang Ruan smiled lightly, "I heard this from a person who had travelled widely. This sort of method was not used to deal with people, it was used to deal with monkeys." In their region, the locals are fond of eating one delicacy and that was eating uncooked monkey brains. Once the monkey had been set on the table and had their cranium sliced open, hot oil would be poured inside and while it was piping hot, one would eat. Eating in this manner would be extremely fresh. Ruan niang had thought this act was too excessively cruel as those monkeys would be chattering incessantly; until the brain had been completely partaken." Seeing those people on the ground, her tone was as gentle as always, "I am unsure how these people would think of the taste of eating their own brains, thinking about it; this truly is cruel."

**** Violence ends****

Zhao Yuan Feng chuckled as well, "Certainly, that is too ruthless, however, this is all for the sake of conducting affairs for the people. For the Great Jin Dynasty's safety, who allowed these people to harbour such evil intentions. Ah, General Guan, you certainly have to interrogate them carefully"

This pair of uncle and niece were both echoing one another and those on the ground were close to passing out in aggrievance. Jiang Xin Zhi was somewhat astonished. The Jiang Ruan in his memories was kind-hearted and pure. If it was only an ant, she too would be unable to bear squishing it. Yet at present, these words of hers- if he did not hear the underlying hints in them, then he had lived these few years in vain. Only, as he gazed upon Jiang Ruan's ruthlessness before him, he did not feel the slightest shred of unhappiness. Instead, what was present was a deep distress on her behalf; to make such a young girl who had been ill-versed in worldly affairs and was wholly innocent reach this point, Jiang Ruan had most definitely suffered much pain.

As Guan Liang Han listened to Jaing Ruan's words he thoughtfully looked at Jiang Xin Zhi. Then, he glanced at Xiao Shao as he questioned, "You are......" Those few words that Mo Cong had referred to her as, 'that malicious woman,' were stuck in his throat. Guan Liang Han lightly coughed, "Xin Zhi's younger sister?"

Jiang Ruan nodded her head.

Zhao Yi patted Jiang Xin Zhi's shoulder, "Biaodi[1] Xin Zhi, I'm your biaoge[2]." He pointed to Zhao Yuan Feng, "He is my third uncle, your maternal uncle."

[1] Biǎodì (表弟 ) - younger male cousin via female line

[2] Biǎogē (表哥 ) - older male cousin via female line.

Although Jiang Xin Zhi was astonished, seeing as these people had just saved his life and upon seeing how they had seemed to have interacted with Jiang Ruan with no malicious intentions, he then smiled, "Biaoge, Third Maternal Uncle."

Zhao Yuan Feng replied, "Ah Ruan, now that Xin Zhi has returned, both of you siblings should just stay in the General futhen."

Jiang Ruan shook her head, "No, that's fine. Dage, let's return to the Jiang fu." With Jiang Xin Zhi returning in the flush of his success, how would it be okay if they didn't add some blockades for that mother - daughter pair? One would fear that just at the sight of Jiang Xin Zhi's healthy and intact state, they would also puke up blood. If they had instead returned to the General fu, then, how would one still be able to stir up the dramatic play awaiting them?

Jiang Xin Zhi had always willingly and obediently gone along with Jiang Ruan's requests, so naturally, he agreed. Zhao Yuan Feng frowned but then felt relieved so he acceded to her wants, "Fine. With your elder brother by your side, it is unlikely that you would get bullied by others there. If there truly is anything amiss, the General fu will always be your perch to rely on for support."

Over the last few years, the General fu and the Jiang fu had lost any and all connection to each other. Thus, in this moment, with the appearance of having good relations between this sibling pair from the Jiang family, this held another layer of meaning in the eyes of Xiao Shao and Guan Liang Han.

Jiang Ruan walked before Xiao Shao. As Xiao Shao lowered his head to look down at her, Jiang Ruan smiled lightly, "Usually, these people would be handed over to Biaoge and Third Maternal Uncle to investigate clearly, however, since General Guan and Xiao Wangye have interfered in matters, then we too will just have to do you a favor at little cost and hand these men to these two daren. If something truly comes out of this, then it would certainly be of great merit and service, and His Majesty would bestow something to General and Wangye. When such a matter arises, please do not forget the efforts that the Zhao family has expended in this matter."

Xiao lifted his eyebrows as his beautiful eyes fixed on her. Today, a chance encounter inevitably helped out the Zhao family. Yet according to Jiang Ruan's account, the situation was changed and they were the ones who ought to be offering their thanks to the Zhao family? She was definitely not one who was going to suffer a loss under any circumstances, so much so that even verbally she was a master at gaining the upper hand. However, as Xiao Shao looked upon those who were lying on the ground, he had to admit that what Jiag Ruan had done was not without its uses. Take for example, these men. They would most definitely be of good use.

On the other hand, Zhao Yuan Feng and Zhao Yi were somewhat surprised. Until this moment, Jiang Ruan had not forgotten to speak up for the Zhao family. Rather, if they were to go with what she had once said, she would not harm the Zhao family. Moreover, at least, for this matter, perhaps the Zhao family would still receive a lot of benefit.

Jiang Xin Zhi gently gazed at Jiang Ruan. Now, it seemed that Jiang Ruan would handle matters suitable for the occasion as she clearly had her own definite opinions. With every manner, every move she made, nowhere was there any remaining semblance of the bearing of a little girl anymore. As he noted this, he was doubly sad yet gratified. What the cost was behind such a lightning-quick growth in maturity, the youth that he was - who had once left home, no one was more clearer than he of what this sacrifice meant. Inwardly, Jiang Xin Zhi had decided, now that he had returned to the capital, he would definitely protect Jiang Ruan and not allow her to be taken advantage of by anyone in the Jiang family. His meimei would naturally be cusped in his both hands, just like any other young lady of an influential family, to have her fill of doting and pampering.

Jiang Ruan seemed to have some insight into what he was thinking and lightly patted his hands, "Dage, over the past few years I have lived well and being able to see you again has made it all the more better. With you back in the capital now, and knowing that you've attained meritorious military commendations, if you do not ride on your horse and be paraded through the capital, then that would simply fail to live up to all of your numerous efforts on the battlefield. I want everyone from the Great Jin's capital to see your heroic appearance and I want you to become the capital's youngest hero."

She wanted everyone who had ever looked down, everyone who had trampled all over them in the dust to see and be absolutely sure that even though this had been how it had been in the past; they had crossed paths once more. And how the tables have turned! For those who had once thought that they would see a mockery of these siblings once more, they would now find themselves brought beneath their very soles by this pair of siblings; a pair of brother and sister who would rise above them all!