Zhong Li, accustomed to her dissection knife, found wielding a longsword on horseback to fight enemies somewhat awkward. Fortunately, many of the hidden guards were injured, and she only needed to deliver the final blows to incapacitate them.
Just as she grew more comfortable with the sword, a whistling sound cut through the air near her ear.
Zhong Li reacted swiftly, prostrating herself on the horse's back to evade the attack.
When she looked up, she saw a man in black directly in front of her, astride his horse, idly twirling a judge's brush.
She glanced back in the direction of the projectile. Another judge's brush was firmly embedded in the main gate of the Prince Xian's estate.
"Lord Zhong, this is our first meeting, isn't it?" the man asked, a smile curving his lips. Half of his wooden mask lent him a particularly eerie appearance in the darkness.
Zhong Li looked at him, her weapon trembling in her hand.
She had been searching for so long, and now she had finally found him.
"N-no, it's not our first meeting. It's our second," Zhong Li replied.
"Oh?" The man frowned, he had no memory of ever having a direct confrontation with her.
"You may have forgotten, but I remember... You killed someone in the southern suburbs of Anding County that year. Do you remember?" Zhong Li questioned.
The man's expression shifted to one of realization. "Ge Meng? No... I killed Ge..."
He trailed off, a look of sudden understanding crossing his face. He recalled that after killing Ge Meng, he had found women's clothing in the man's room. He had assumed Ge Meng was married and had searched the entire Anding County for Ge Meng's paramour. He never expected that Ge Meng had taken in a young girl.
At that time, he had disguised himself and inquired all over Anding County, perhaps even asking this young girl questions, but he hadn't paid attention.
"Today..." Zhong Li tightened the reins, gripping her longsword. "I will avenge my adoptive father and take your life!"
Upon hearing this, the man in black let out a disdainful, eerie chuckle. He spurred his horse forward.
Snow continued to fall.
Fighting raged both inside and outside the Prince Xian's estate.
Hot blood splashed onto the snow, seeping into the ice, and soon, as the temperature dropped, it turned into ice.
Some fought with a bloodlust, while in others' eyes, the light had completely vanished.
Zhong Li had never felt so desperate. She was like a roaring lioness, filled with rage, extending her claws and tangling with her enemies.
When a sharp crack split the sky, she felt a pang in her fingertip. Her palm was cut, her longsword fell to the ground, and she was thrown unceremoniously from her horse to evade an attack.
"Pfft... Haha!" The man in black looked down at the defeated Zhong Li, a mocking smile on his face. "You are Ge Meng's adopted daughter, and this is all he taught you? I saw you fighting bravely earlier, I thought you were quite capable..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Zhong Li had already flipped up from the ground. A silver glint flashed in her hand. Before he could even see her weapon clearly, he felt his horse cry out in pain. Losing its balance, he too tumbled unceremoniously from his mount.
"You..." he sputtered, stunned.
Zhong Li gestured with her dissection knife. "This is a coroner's weapon. Don't underestimate it."
With that, she charged at him again.
Her footsteps crunched on the snow, kicking up snowflakes.
The clash of weapons was swift and fierce.
Only the sound of clashing metal could be heard; their movements were too quick to discern.
The next moment, the man in black seized an opportunity and roared.
Zhong Li grunted, falling heavily to the ground. Moments later, she felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. By the time she realized what had happened, her palm was covered in blood.
She... her abdomen had been pierced.
Although the man in black had gained the upper hand, he hadn't emerged unscathed. His clothes were torn, his skin ripped open, and he was covered in wounds.
"Such impressive skills!" the man in black exclaimed sincerely. He truly hadn't expected a woman to possess such rich combat experience.
Zhong Li remained silent, clutching her injured abdomen and glaring at him intently.
"However!" the man in black sneered. "You probably won't be able to avenge your father. But... I can send you to meet him."
As he spoke, he walked up to Zhong Li, waved his judge's brush, and lightly lifted her chin.
"They say that Shaoqing Zhong is quite beautiful, and seeing you now, you are indeed captivating. What a pity that you must perish so soon!"
With that, the man in black chuckled coldly, raised his judge's brush, and aimed it at Zhong Li's neck.
Zhong Li closed her eyes, awaiting the moment blood would stain the white snow.
Suddenly, a whistling sound pierced the air.
Zhong Li felt a warmth on her cheek and a smell of blood. When she opened her eyes, an arrow was embedded in the man in black's neck. He fell to the ground, his eyes wide with confusion.
Zhong Li looked in the direction of the arrow. Lu Yuanfeng was riding a fine horse, holding a crossbow, with over a dozen elite guards following him.
"Then it's up to me to kill them!" he roared, and the guards behind him surged into the Prince Xian's estate.
Zhong Li watched the man walk gracefully towards her, then glanced back at the situation within the estate. Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.
A gentle smoke rose from the incense burner. Outside the window, the dripping sound was that of melting snow.
Zhong Li opened her eyes, looking at the unfamiliar room's furnishings.
Gauzy curtains, a purple burner emitting a faint fragrance, and occasional wafts of perfume, but it all felt alien.
"You're awake?" a voice interrupted her thoughts.
Zhong Li turned her head and saw Nangong Xiaodie's face.
"I..." she began to sit up, but a slight pain in her abdomen made cold sweat trickle down her forehead.
"Your injuries haven't healed yet, you shouldn't make any large movements." Nangong Xiaodie picked up a bowl of medicinal soup from the table and approached her.
"Your Highness, where is this?" Zhong Li asked.
"My inner chambers," Nangong Xiaodie replied.
Zhong Li lowered her gaze to the medicinal soup in her hand, but did not take it. She asked, "How long was I unconscious?"
"Five days."
"Five days? That long?" She mused for a moment, then asked, "Where is Mo Cang?"
Nangong Xiaodie hadn't expected her to ask about Lu Wuxie immediately upon waking, and the bowl in her hand nearly slipped.
Zhong Li caught her movement and a bad premonition crossed her mind. She asked again, "Where is Mo Cang?"
"The young lord is on his way from the front lines," a voice chimed in.
Zhong Li looked up and saw Lu Yuanfeng.
"You're not lying to me?" she stared at him intently.
Lu Yuanfeng knew Zhong Li's gaze was sharp and that she was skilled at discerning the truth. He understood that the more he said, the more likely he was to make a mistake, so he simply replied, "No."
Seeing that Lu Yuanfeng said no more, Zhong Li pursed her lips and remained silent.
Nangong Xiaodie seized the opportunity to urge, "Li'er, drink your medicine quickly. In a few more days, the Hua Family Army from Jinzhou will return victorious. You wouldn't want to welcome them with such an unhealthy body, would you?"
Zhong Li nodded, took the soup, and endured its bitterness as she drank it down.
Seeing her comply, Nangong Xiaodie's worried expression eased slightly.
"Your Highness, after I fainted, what happened? How is Linzhou? How is Jinzhou?
And the Emperor's body... what about it?"