Chapter 4: Enrage one, stab one

Huyan Ji tucked away the secret letter, slung his pack over his shoulder, and descended into the secret passage. Holding a fire starter, he moved quickly through the tunnel, guided by its faint glow.

After traveling two or three *li*, he suddenly heard a faint, rustling sound behind him.

Huyan Ji became instantly alert.

*Oh no, there’s someone in the passage!*

Huyan Ji gripped his saber tightly and quickened his pace.

Immediately after, the sound of a child’s giggling echoed through the tunnel.

"Hee hee~"

Under normal circumstances, a child’s laughter would be enough to bring a smile to anyone’s face, but here, in the pitch-black, narrow confines of the tunnel, it felt indescribably hair-raising.

Even Huyan Ji, who was accustomed to a life of licking blood off the edge of a blade, couldn't help but swallow hard. He glanced back repeatedly and began to run.

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

The sound of stones striking the walls echoed from afar, drawing closer with an irregular rhythm.

Huyan Ji’s expression turned cold. He held the fire starter high, trying to see who was following him, but the light’s reach was too small; he could see nothing.

Just then, with a "whoosh," a stone flew through the air and knocked the fire starter right out of his hand.

In an instant, Huyan Ji’s vision was swallowed by darkness.

"Who?! Who’s playing tricks? Come out!"

Realizing the situation was dire, Huyan Ji shouted while sprinting forward.

But now, the "thud, thud, thud" of the stones hitting the walls grew denser and closer.

The person behind him was accelerating too!

"Whoosh!"

A stone struck Huyan Ji’s ankle, causing him to stumble and nearly fall.

In the pitch-black, enclosed tunnel, facing an unknown danger, Huyan Ji panicked for a moment, but he quickly forced himself to calm down. Enduring the sharp pain in his foot, he ran for his life without a word.

However, in the absolute darkness, Huyan Ji was blind, stumbling as he ran, unable to pick up any real speed.

Behind him, the sound of the stones grew closer still.

"Whoosh!"

A second stone struck his other ankle.

This time, Huyan Ji inevitably crashed to the ground.

Huyan Ji’s reflexes were lightning-fast; he braced his hands on the ground to stand, but the stones came even faster. With two "whoosh" sounds, they struck him squarely on the wrists.

The intense pain in his hands left him unable to rise, and in an instant, he became a target.

The stones seemed to have eyes, raining down directly onto Huyan Ji’s head. Even as he struggled to dodge, he was soon battered and bleeding.

"Who are you? Come out!"

At this moment, Huyan Ji felt truly humiliated. As a seventh-rank expert of Northern Yan, he didn't even know who was ambushing him, and he was being suppressed without any chance to fight back.

From the day he became an assassin, he had been prepared to die by an enemy’s blade, but he had never imagined he would one day be stoned to death.

"Thud!"

This stone was larger, slamming into Huyan Ji and knocking him onto his back.

The barrage of stones continued. Huyan Ji could clearly feel his lifeblood draining away, but he no longer had the strength to struggle.

*To die like this... I’m so unwilling!*

Huyan Ji stared into the darkness with desperate eyes, as if trying to pierce through it to see his assailant.

To be able to hit him with such accuracy in total darkness, and with stones he couldn't dodge—the attacker must be an expert above the seventh rank, right?

To die at the hands of someone stronger than him... perhaps this was a fitting end.

Huyan Ji suddenly felt a sense of resignation. For an assassin, it was either kill or be killed; this day was bound to come sooner or later.

Time ticked away, and Huyan Ji’s eyelids grew heavy. Just as he was about to close his eyes for good, the sound of the stones stopped. Then, a faint light suddenly flickered to life in the tunnel.

Huyan Ji’s spirit stirred, and he struggled to open his eyes wide.

He wanted to see who had killed him.

Then, he saw a blurry figure.

A small, short child, less than three feet tall, held a fire starter in their left hand and tossed a stone with their right, walking toward him at a leisurely pace.

It was a little child.

A little child...

"Pfft~"

Huyan Ji’s heart felt as if it had been struck by a heavy blow. A mouthful of blood sprayed from his mouth, his neck went limp, and he breathed his last.

A few minutes later, Li Wuya stood before Huyan Ji. Only after confirming he was truly dead did she crouch down to take the pack from his body and open it on the spot.

Seeing the four blood ginsengs, five blood ganodermas, and a small bag of cordyceps inside, Li Wuya’s eyes crinkled with joy.

*Finally, I can upgrade my healing ability!*

Li Wuya grabbed a blood ginseng almost impatiently. In an instant, the plump ginseng withered at a visible rate until it turned into dry grass.

Leaving one blood ginseng, one blood ganoderma, and a handful of cordyceps, Li Wuya absorbed the rest.

Her healing ability could save others and strengthen herself.

As she absorbed the medicinal herbs, Li Wuya could clearly feel a warm current flowing through her body, as comfortable as soaking in a hot spring.

In just a few minutes, the herbs were completely absorbed.

Li Wuya felt a bit unsatisfied. Looking at the faint green light emerging from her hands, she felt surprisingly good. "Finally, I don't have to live in fear of getting sick or injured anymore."

The medical standards here were too poor; a simple cold could cost someone their life.

Although she hadn't obtained many herbs this time, their potency was high. After absorbing them, she could now treat some minor injuries and illnesses.

Thinking of Li Qilang, who was still waiting for her, Li Wuya quickly stood up, wrapped the remaining herbs, and searched Huyan Ji’s body.

Soon, Li Wuya found a secret letter and a pouch on him.

She had no interest in secret letters, so she quickly opened the pouch. Seeing a few pieces of broken silver inside, she beamed with joy.

"Not a wasted trip!"

With the secret letter, the herbs, and the silver, Li Wuya was very happy. She hoisted Huyan Ji’s saber and ran quickly toward the exit of the secret passage.

"Qilang!"

Li Qilang was hiding obediently in the dirt pit. Seeing Li Wuya return, his face lit up. "Fifth Sister, you’re finally back!"

"Look at what this is?"

Li Wuya smiled and handed the pouch to Li Qilang. She watched as he opened it and took out the broken silver. "This is silver. We can buy lots of food. Once the people outside leave, Fifth Sister will take you to town for steamed buns."

Li Qilang’s face was full of joy. "Really? We can eat steamed buns?" He paused, then added, "Buns are too expensive. Let’s just get dry flatbreads. We can buy more and share them with Mother and the others."

Li Wuya smiled and ruffled Li Qilang’s hair. Just as she was about to say something, her expression changed abruptly.

*Third Brother isn't supposed to be back at the military farm with Mother?*

*When did he come to the post station?*

'Watching' the main hall of the post station, Li Wuya saw Li Sanlang being shoved to the ground by a burly man. She felt both anxious and worried.

In the five years since she had transmigrated, although living conditions were poor, her parents and siblings had cared for her deeply. She had long since regarded them as her own family.

Seeing her own brother being bullied, Li Wuya’s heart felt as if it had been stabbed.

"Qilang, you keep hiding here. I’m going away for a moment, but I’ll be back soon."

Li Qilang, who was clutching the silver lovingly, had bright eyes. Fifth Sister had just left for a moment and brought back silver, could it be...

"Fifth Sister, are you going to pick up more silver? Then pick up a lot!"

Li Wuya: "..." She patted Li Qilang’s head, told him to stay hidden, and then hurried away.

Arriving at the entrance of the secret passage, Li Wuya didn't go out immediately, but instead thought about how to save Li Sanlang.

Just then, Li Sanlang was held hostage by the burly man as they exited the main hall, heading straight toward the kitchen.

As soon as the two stepped out of the hall, the archers outside the post station raised their bows. "Swish, swish, swish!" Several sharp arrows rained down upon them.

The burly man deflected a few arrows with his blade and quickly grabbed Li Sanlang to shield himself.

"Sss~"

An arrow pierced directly into Li Sanlang’s left shoulder.

"Ah!"

Li Sanlang screamed in pain.

Using Li Sanlang as a meat shield, the burly man glared coldly at the people outside the post station and continued to approach the kitchen.

Li Wuya 'watched' this scene, her face terrifyingly grim. She quickly opened the latch, exited the secret passage, and, holding the saber she had just obtained, hid behind the kitchen’s back door.

"Get in there!"

Li Sanlang was shoved into the kitchen. He tripped over a bump on the floor and fell flat on his face. The arrow wound was tugged, and the pain twisted his features.

Hiding at the door, Li Wuya 'watched' silently. Her grip on the long saber tightened, her expression tense, her eyes indifferent, like a hunter poised to strike.

Li Sanlang endured the pain, bracing his hands to crawl up, but just as he pushed himself up, his peripheral vision caught Li Wuya hiding behind the door. His pupils constricted, and he froze.

"I'm starving! Where's the food?"

The burly man stepped into the kitchen right behind him. Seeing Li Sanlang lying on the ground motionless, he stepped forward, raised his fist, and prepared to strike.

Just before the fist could land, with a "ssst," a long saber pierced through his back, fast and ruthless.

Looking at the tip of the blade protruding from his abdomen, the burly man was still in a daze.

"Drip!"

"Drip!"

Blood dripped onto the floor along the blade. Hearing the sound, the burly man seemed to realize what had happened, and his face filled with shock and rage.

Just as the burly man tried to turn around to see who had ambushed him, Li Sanlang, who was lying on the ground, suddenly leaped up. He grabbed a kitchen rag and lunged at the burly man, tackling him to the ground and pressing the rag firmly over his nose and mouth.