"Splash—"

The torrential rain poured down like a celestial river, enveloping the entire mountain range in a dense curtain of water.

Shen Jintang galloped wildly on her horse, the mud splashed up by its hooves already staining the hem of her robes a murky brown. Cold rain streamed down her hair, forming a fine curtain of water on her eyelashes, blurring her vision with mist.

"drive!"

Shen Jintang gritted his teeth and cracked the whip, the tip of the whip piercing through the rain and striking the horse's back with a crisp "snap".

The horse neighed, its breath condensing into white mist in the cold rain, its hooves splashing mud and water as it charged forward with all its might.

The rain grew heavier, with large raindrops pounding on the stone steps and splashing up fine droplets.

The mountain path was steep and slippery, and the horse's hooves kept slipping on the moss-covered stone surface. The iron hooves scraped against the rocks, making a harsh scraping sound. The horse was soaked to the bone, its mane clinging to its neck, and each hoofbeat seemed particularly strenuous, its muscles taut and trembling beneath its skin.

As it rounded a near-vertical bend, its forelegs suddenly slipped, the horse lurched forward, and its knees slammed heavily onto the stone steps.

Shen Jintang's body tilted, and half of her shoulder was almost hanging over the edge of the cliff. The cold wind, carrying rain and mist, howled upwards, making it impossible for her to open her eyes.

She gripped the reins tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force, her palms aching from the rough hemp rope, and streaks of blood seeping into the reins along with the rainwater.

The horse was panting heavily, struggling to stand up. Its hind hooves dug several deep furrows in the mud, but it couldn't find any foothold because of the slippery surface. Its front knees trembled, and it couldn't lift itself up.

It raised its head and neighed, its voice sounding particularly mournful amidst the rain.

"Never mind."

Shen Jintang sighed softly, dismounted, and his boots sank deep into the mud the moment they touched the ground.

The cold mud washed over her ankles, like countless slippery hands gripping her tightly. Rainwater rushed down the mountainside, forming a turbid torrent at her feet, carrying withered branches and pebbles, splashing and scouring the mountain path.

Looking up at the mountain road blurred by the rain, she clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms.

She gritted her teeth, pulled her foot out suddenly, and mud splashed onto her clothes, creating a filthy mess.

Every step was difficult.

Her soaked clothes clung to her body, heavy as iron, and the mountain wind, carrying cold rain, lashed her face, stinging painfully. But none of this could compare to the fear surging in her heart—she feared she had arrived too late.

As she rounded a steep ridge, the sight before her made her blood freeze instantly.

Dozens of corpses lay scattered on both sides of the mountain road, all dressed in coarse linen clothes, like bandits, yet uniformly equipped with standard long knives.

The rain relentlessly washed over their pale faces, and dark red blood gushed from their wounds, only to be diluted by the rain and meander through the cracks in the rocks into countless scarlet streams.

The strong stench of blood mixed with the earthy smell of rainwater hit me, making me want to vomit.

Shen Jintang staggered back half a step, her throat tightening.

These are not bandits at all—they are assassins carefully trained by Gu Yanqing.

Now that their entire army has been wiped out and their bodies are still warm... it shows that the Crown Prince had long ago laid a trap, just waiting for them to walk right into it.

Her fingertips trembled uncontrollably, and rainwater slid down her cheeks, icy cold.

"Gu Zhixing, you'd better wait for me."

Shen Jintang bit her tongue, the taste of rust spreading between her lips and teeth. She walked around the corpses blocking her way, the splashed blood staining the hem of her skirt, but she was completely unaware.

The mountain path was blurred into a chaotic mess in the torrential rain. She stumbled and staggered uphill, the wind at the cliff top carrying raindrops that pelted her face like tiny shards of ice.

The noise around her grew louder and louder, and the strong smell of blood hit her. Her stomach churned, but she forced down the bitter taste in her throat.

Rounding a sharp bend, she saw two figures standing back to back on the edge of a cliff deep in the rain, like two broken swords.

Dozens of the bodies of guards clad in black armor lay scattered in the mud, rain washing over their angry, wide-open eyes.

The swords and halberds of the Crown Prince's personal guards, reflecting a ghastly white flash of lightning, were slowly approaching from all directions. Archers crouched behind rocks, their poisoned arrows gleaming with a cold, eerie blue light, firmly locked onto the two brothers on the cliff edge.

Gu Zhixing's left arm hung limply, blood mixed with rain dripping from his fingertips, accumulating into a small, scarlet puddle at his feet.

The jade crown was already shattered, and the scattered black hair clung to her deathly pale face, making her lips appear even more ashen.

His sword was stuck in the corpse three steps away, and the dagger in his left hand was also dulled, but he still used his body to desperately block the dying Gu Yanqing behind him.

"Why does Your Highness resist so stubbornly?" The commander of the personal guards' sword slashed across the ground, splattering a string of blood droplets, and his iron boots crushed over the still-warm corpse of the personal guard.

"Boom!"

A thunderclap rang out, illuminating the bloodstained, cold smile on Gu Zhixing's lips.

Shen Jintang did not hesitate for a moment.

She drew her longsword from her waist with a backhand motion. In the instant the blade flashed, it sliced ​​through the rain, leaving a trail of silvery arc. Raindrops struck the sword and splashed out, producing a clear, resonant sound, like a dragon's roar.

"stop!"

This sharp shout, carrying with it internal force, pierced through the air like a thunderclap in everyone's ears.

The soldiers who were encircling the enemy suddenly stopped moving, and even the rain seemed to pause.

The prince turned around abruptly, his golden-embroidered python robe fluttering in the rain.

A look of surprise flashed across his face, and his pupils suddenly contracted. Shen Jintang actually appeared here?

The rain was torrential.

Gu Zhixing was wielding his sword to parry the attack from two black-clad assassins, their blades clashing and sparks flying.

Suddenly, his heart clenched as if gripped by an invisible hand.

He turned his head as if possessed—

In the rain, that familiar figure seemed to cleave through the chaos like a sharp sword.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!