Chapter 29: Su Su Comes to the Rescue
The fog was so dense that nothing could be seen in any direction.
Chasing Stars muttered, “It seems we’re lost. Do we have to wait for dawn to continue on?”
But they were all people from the Prince of War’s residence, anxious to find Zhan Lianjing. Now blocked by the mist, everyone’s heart grew impatient, hoping the fog would quickly disperse.
Bright Moon nodded, “It seems likely. Before entering this forest, it wasn’t nearly so large.”
They had walked straight ahead, and it shouldn’t have taken nearly this long.
Le Qianxue dismounted, surveying the surroundings. After a few steps forward, her gaze grew solemn.
She lowered her eyes and finally said, “Let’s wait a while. It’s good to rest for now.”
With the fog blocking their way, they had no other choice, so everyone nodded in agreement.
They all dismounted and found places to rest.
For reasons unknown, the mist only thickened.
Le Qianxue deliberately distanced herself from the group.
The night grew darker, unsettling them; Bright Moon and Chasing Stars sensed something amiss and ordered everyone to gather together, lest trouble arise.
But as they checked their numbers, they realized Le Qianxue was missing, and Bright Moon grew anxious. “Miss Le is gone! Quick, find her!”
Before anyone could scatter to search, several crossbow bolts suddenly shot out from the fog!
Bright Moon heard the whistling wind and shouted, “Careful! It’s an ambush!”
She and Chasing Stars reacted instantly, drawing their swords and sweeping down all the bolts.
Black-clad assailants surged from the shadows, chaos erupting!
Bright Moon and Chasing Stars fought side by side, their blades a seamless duet. No enemy could match them; the clang of steel rang out ceaselessly. In a rare lull, Bright Moon exclaimed, “This is bad. Miss Le is surely in danger.”
Chasing Stars couldn't break free either—the black-clad fighters were numerous, skilled, likely deathsworn.
He had just dispatched one and called out, “We can’t worry about her now. Miss Le was trained by General Le himself; she should be able to protect herself.”
Bright Moon recalled Le Qianxue’s slight figure—she might have some martial skill, but surely not enough.
Though they killed many assailants, their numbers never seemed to dwindle. The ambush was indeed extensive!
Bright Moon was drenched in sweat. If this continued, they would never escape, much less rescue Zhan Lianjing!
Meanwhile, Le Qianxue had climbed a tree, setting up her crossbow and carefully watching the scene ahead.
The fog was thick, the night dark; it was hard to distinguish friend from foe.
She squinted, grateful she had suspected an ambush earlier and dusted everyone from the Prince of War’s residence with qilin powder—allowing her to identify them.
She squeezed the trigger, sending bolts flying!
Bright Moon and Chasing Stars were momentarily stunned—someone was helping them?
Deathsworn fell one after another; Chasing Stars noticed the bolts and realized Le Qianxue was secretly aiding them.
Le Qianxue knew anatomy well, nearly every shot fatal. Combined with Bright Moon and Chasing Stars’ counterattacks, it didn’t take long to wipe out the enemy.
“Miss Le!” Bright Moon called out to her, as the mist had yet to dissipate.
Le Qianxue didn’t answer. The fog seemed peculiar, and she had no idea where it originated, so she remained silent.
***
She recalled her master’s words: this was a Five Elements Eight Trigrams formation—an array. If it couldn’t be broken, escape was impossible.
This troubled her, as her training was in medicine and alchemy, not arrays.
Bright Moon and Chasing Stars likely didn’t know either, or they would have noticed sooner.
Le Qianxue paused. For now, it seemed waiting for daylight was their only option.
As she was about to descend, a flash of silver appeared—a flourish of swordplay whipped toward her!
Startled, Le Qianxue dodged; the sword sliced through the branch, severing it instantly!
The branch fell, and at that moment, someone attacked from ahead. Though dressed in blue, his face was veiled in black cloth. He said, “My master forbade killing you, but today you’ve slain so many of us. You must die!”
Le Qianxue recognized the voice—it was Young Master Yuan!
She had been wondering why no one had attacked her; her suspicion proved correct.
She fired a bolt, but Young Master Yuan swept it aside with his sword!
Cold sweat drenched her—he was determined to kill her. She had to flee!
She leapt to the ground, shouting, “Bright Moon! Chasing Stars! Come quickly!”
But Young Master Yuan pursued relentlessly, his sword nearly at her throat!
Le Qianxue, holding her crossbow, pulled a short silver sword from its hidden compartment; with a clang, she was knocked back!
Her inner strength was too weak—not his match!
She retreated as Young Master Yuan pressed his attack. She cursed inwardly, but just then, Bright Moon and Chasing Stars arrived, blocking his way.
Young Master Yuan’s gaze flashed with annoyance; he glared at Le Qianxue, swept his sleeve, and seemed to dissolve into mist, vanishing.
Le Qianxue shook her numbed hand—she’d nearly lost her life.
Bright Moon hurried to her side. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” Le Qianxue replied, returning the silver sword to her crossbow. “He may return. We must be careful.”
“That man…” Bright Moon recalled his final move, glanced at Chasing Stars, both looking puzzled.
Le Qianxue didn’t notice, wondering instead about Young Master Yuan’s master and his own identity. If she could help Yin Susu capture him, all the better.
An hour had passed; two more to dawn. The fog only thickened.
Le Qianxue grew anxious—at this rate, Young Master Yuan would surely try something sinister.
She asked, “Does anyone know the Five Elements Eight Trigrams formation?”
Everyone exchanged uncertain glances.
Only Chasing Stars and Bright Moon hesitated before admitting, “We studied it a little, but not well.”
“Draw it for me,” Le Qianxue said.
Bright Moon picked up a branch and began sketching, recalling the details with Chasing Stars’ help.
Le Qianxue examined it—this formation was endlessly variable, and she had no idea where to begin.
Just then, an arrow flew in, killing someone instantly.
***
Bright Moon and the others drew swords—the fog left them nowhere to retreat. It was the perfect moment for the enemy to strike!
Le Qianxue frowned—just as she’d expected.
“Everyone, be careful,” she warned. “Stay alert, don’t die.”
Arrows occasionally shot in from all sides, the dense fog making each attack unpredictable.
The group moved gradually, but no one knew how long it would take to escape.
Despite their vigilance, Young Master Yuan killed three more men with arrows.
The sky remained dark, but just then, Le Qianxue heard the sound of hooves approaching.
She wondered who could be arriving. Oddly, the mist began to dissipate, and someone on horseback rode toward them.
Le Qianxue was surprised—the figure seemed familiar, but she couldn’t place her.
The woman wore vibrant red and dismounted swiftly, saying to Le Qianxue, “Miss, you nearly scared me to death! The General sent me to protect you; how could you leave without me?”
She pulled Le Qianxue aside, and, by angling her hand, wrote “Susu” on her palm.
Le Qianxue suddenly realized this was the face she’d made with a human-skin mask—Yin Susu had come in disguise!
Recognizing Yin Susu, Le Qianxue replied naturally, “Thank goodness you arrived. We were nearly trapped here.”
“This person trapped you with the Five Elements Eight Trigrams formation. Without understanding it, you couldn’t leave. But I found the living gate and broke the array—now he’s nowhere to be seen,” Yin Susu explained.
Le Qianxue nodded, as Bright Moon sent someone to retrieve their horses. Le Qianxue pulled Yin Susu aside and asked quietly, “How did you come?”
“I read the stars last night and saw a dire omen in yours,” Yin Susu said. “So I came—thankfully just in time.”
Le Qianxue was taken aback. “What? You can do that? How do I even have a star chart?”
Yin Susu’s gaze was deep. “My father gave my nurse a book called the Five Elements Technique—I learned it. As for your star chart, I only discovered it three months ago; it surprised me greatly.”
For the star chart was peculiar—Yin Susu saw it was the Phoenix Star, meaning Le Qianxue would one day be mother of a nation.
But she kept that to herself; after all, the Crown Prince and Le Qianxue had no formal connection.
“Let’s not discuss that now,” Le Qianxue said. “The one who set the array is surnamed Yuan, and he knows sorcery. He must be the one you’re seeking.”
Yin Susu nodded. “Exactly. I was never properly taught the array, but the Five Elements Technique covered it, so by chance, I managed to break it.”
They exchanged a knowing glance—this was someone they must find.
Mounting their horses once more, they continued to search for Zhan Lianjing.
Bright Moon regarded Yin Susu—she’d never seen her before, and asked, “Miss Le, what is your maid’s name?”
“My maid is called Su Bing,” Yin Susu answered, inventing a name.
“So the General’s residence has such a capable person! Miss Le, no one will ever look down on your household again,” Bright Moon said with a smile.