Lin Chaoying did not wish to change her attire, nor did she want to interact with Song people, attract attention, or reveal her whereabouts. Thus, she traveled east, hiding by day in caves and wilderness, sending Gou’er to procure necessities and gather intelligence, and coming out at night for further investigation. Initially, her sole aim was to locate Wang Shixiong. Gradually, she grew disgusted with the rampant activities of Jin spies and even more so with the traitorous Song officials, merchants, and sects who fawned over the enemy, and she could not help but punish them. She often wondered, “What would he think if he knew? Why has he remained motionless until now? Could it be that he was…?”
One day, Gou’er returned with a mask. Lin Chaoying remarked dismissively, "Interesting." She thought that after all, she was just a child. "With this, your movements will be less hindered." Lin Chaoying was surprised. Perhaps the girl didn't know that she herself was hesitant to show her face for fear of implicating her grandmother, yet she had sensed her apprehension. Lin Chaoying couldn't help but stroke her face. "Now, only you care about me and worry about me."
In July of the twenty-fifth year of Shaoxing, Lin Chaoying returned to Yuezhou to prevent the local Jing Tian Sect from colluding with the Jin, attacking Xiangyang from both north and south, and clearing the obstacles to advancing into the Central Plains. Upon arrival, she learned that Qin Hui, hating Yue Fei, had renamed this place Chunzhou. She dispatched Gou’er to deliver a letter to Guan Zumei in Nanyang, urging him to take precautions. She discovered that Mao Ya, leading elite troops and Dark Swordsmen, had joined forces with the Jing Tian Sect in Jingnan Prefecture, preparing for battle. "How can I make him aware of this important matter? Will he already know and rush to stop it?" Eavesdropping on Mao Ya and others deliberating, she learned that the Jing Tian Sect was causing trouble in Jingnan Prefecture, luring the Xiangyang garrison into a rescue. Wu Nanyong was tasked with setting up a thunder-fire array between the two prefectures to bombard the reinforcement troops as they passed, while Mao Ya simultaneously led his army to occupy the city during the ensuing chaos.
Lin Chaoying followed Wu Nanyong's group to the banks of the Han River. Seeing them loading dozens of wooden crates onto a boat, she was puzzled. "Why set up an array on the opposite bank, making such a fuss?" She then noticed how strained they looked while carrying the crates, yet the planks connecting the dock and the boat showed minimal stress. Slipping onto the boat, she opened one of the crates and found it filled with straw.
"Why trouble us? What you've done this past year has already annoyed my senior brother immensely," Wu Nanyong sighed from behind. Lin Chaoying was surprised by her improved lightness skill and asked, "You tricked me here, all for this…?" While Wu Nanyong was distracted, Lin Chaoying lightly retreated, intending to return to the shore, but several sharp swords appeared instantly behind her, blocking her path. Wu Nanyong inquired from the side, "How is the new sword formation rehearsal?"
This didn't seem like her brother's style. Who had helped her arrange it? Lin Chaoying applied the techniques from her You Xu Swordplay, "Ten Thousand Points of Sorrow" to disrupt their formation and "Faded Red Green Apricot" to strike each person's weak points. Just as she broke free, Wu Nanyong approached with her sword, whispering, "Strictly prevent anyone from sabotaging the thunder-fire array, exposing the incident, alerting the outside world, hindering this matter, and protecting the Wei Wu Alliance's Xiangyang stronghold, to resist the lord's southern invasion and unification." Someone… Wei Wu Alliance? Lin Chaoying pondered. Wu Nanyong continued, "If the plan fails, the repercussions will be widespread, and many will be held responsible."
Lin Chaoying stared intently and asked, "Is Brother protecting that person?" Wu Nanyong's gaze flickered. "I don't know. Attack!" The sword formation surged again, like ravens swooping in to prey, but it could not trap Lin Chaoying. She vanished like dispersing black smoke.
Wu Nanyong’s mood was not filled with the expected joy; rather, she felt a touch of envy. As she slowly returned to the temporary base, Liu Shaoqin, the captain of the Dark Swordsmen, rushed over and reported, "Commander Mao Ya, leading the personal guards, has arrived at the thunder-fire array!"
She wants to disrupt Brother's plans and make us reunite? Although her mind was full of questions, Lin Chaoying did not want to speculate. She believed only what her eyes saw, and not even a "one-in-a-million" chance could be missed. "Grab him and give him a good scolding, let him know how I've lived these past two years!" Lin Chaoying thought as she charged into the thunder-fire array.
"How could he become so foolish? For that Song pig, he abandoned a bright future and his family, acting like a madman, constantly on the move, and now he doesn't even care about his own life! Will he know? Will he cherish or value what you're doing?" The followers glared at each other. Mao Ya dismounted and, without issuing any orders, strode directly into the formation.
By the time Wu Nanyong arrived, continuous roars were emanating from the formation, and flames lit up the night sky in crimson.
The arrangement of this formation was irregular, dependent on the whims of each bomber. Lin Chaoying could only use the "Sky Full of Flowers" technique to create a path by throwing stones from the air. However, the debris ejected by the explosions would trigger other hidden gunpowder charges, igniting explosions from all directions – this was the terrifying nature of this array. The moment Lin Chaoying landed, before her stance was stable, several tongues of flame lunged at her from different directions. Despite several evasions, she couldn't escape. Her sash was set ablaze.
A figure lunged forward, embracing her fearlessly, and then doused the flames. Hatred! He wasn't him. Lin Chaoying pushed Mao Ya away, the surging sadness in her heart not due to physical injury or being tricked here. It was not this… it was only because she couldn't…
"Ying…" Mao Ya’s sudden anger was instantly dissolved by Lin Chaoying’s gaze. He softly called her name and said, "The nearest escape route is that way. Let's go together." To prevent unforeseen circumstances, six escape routes were always reserved for their own side during the formation setup.
"I know, I can manage on my own. You should go back," Lin Chaoying replied, grateful but unmoved.
"We'll be better off together, just like when we charged into battle side by side," Mao Ya said, doing his best to soften his tone.
But it's not you I want to lean on! Forget it… Lin Chaoying said, "I am unreliable."
Ignoring the dissuasion of others, Wu Nanyong rushed into the formation. From afar, she saw Mao Ya agitatedly grasping Lin Chaoying's arms, as if intending to embrace her and throw themselves into the sea of fire. Wu Nanyong froze, letting the flames form circles around her body – encircling her, and also the two of them. When she saw Mao Ya lower his hands, Lin Chaoying leaped out of the fire circle, escaping far away before finally exhaling with relief. She jumped into the fire circle, suppressing the urge to embrace him from behind, and gently placed her hands on his shoulders. Facing him, who was kneeling on the ground in a daze, she said, "That traitor should be hiding in the Liang Zhe East Circuit. Don't you want to be the first to sever his head?"
Mao Ya's eyes immediately regained their sharp brilliance.
"Whatever Ying is willing to do, I can too!" Wu Nanyong's heart grew firmer.
After Lin Chaoying escaped, suffering from the shock and exhaustion, she staggered through the mountains and wilderness. Vaguely, she saw a tall, graceful figure in the distance. You truly came! The figure approached her suddenly. Lin Chaoying initially wanted to draw her sword and stab him a few times, but then she thought of giving him a few hard slaps and denouncing the grievances she had suffered. However, her arms froze mid-air, unable to move… Dazed, she felt the roughness and warmth of his robes. She wanted to caress his cheek, but her hands refused to obey. With great effort, she managed to slightly open her eyes, and his gaze upon her filled her with strength… When Lin Chaoying regained consciousness, she realized she was lying prostrate on a sun-drenched lawn.
On October 22nd of that year, Qin Hui passed away. The Emperor bestowed upon him the title of Prince Shen, with the posthumous name Zhong Xian. His adopted son, Qin Xi, wished to inherit the position of Prime Minister but was refused by the Emperor. The common people learned of this news, and celebrations were held privately in various places, as if it were a festival. Lin Chaoying and Gou’er, who had been lurking in Xiangyang for over three months, watching for any connection between Wang Shixiong and the Wei Wu Alliance, gazed at the brightly lit city from the wilderness. "Do you see it? Are you happy? You've been missing for two full years, are you still holding a grudge?" Lin Chaoying asked herself repeatedly in her mind.