"What a coincidence! I've run into you here again," Lin Yinan said with a cold laugh.

Yu Xunmei smoothed the stray hairs at her temples and swayed her hips as she walked forward.

The guard hurriedly reached out to stop her, "Miss, there are quite a few of them. Be careful, it might be a trap!"

"It's alright. I'm an old acquaintance of City Lord Lin. I'll go and catch up with her."

Yu Xunmei pulled away from the guard's hand and smiled brightly at Lin Yinan.

"Miss Yu, are you here to steal my man again?" Lin Yinan looked back with a smile.

Yu Xunmei glanced around at the guards behind Lin Yinan, then rolled her eyes and spoke with utter disdain.

"They were all dressed in pitch black, just like crows, which was a real eyesore!"

Lin Yinan exclaimed in surprise, "You didn't find anything you liked? You're really picky!"

“The one next to you looks pretty good.” Yu Xunmei pointed at Yun Mo with a provocative look in her eyes.

"That won't do, he's my man!"

Upon hearing this, Yun Mo's body trembled, and he subtly straightened his posture a little more, though his expression remained indifferent.

Yu Xunmei's face revealed a hint of sarcasm.

"Since you're reluctant to part with me, let's settle all the old and new scores together. If you obediently come back to Nanzhou Prefecture with me, I'll give you some face. Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite."

"What? You're going to fight if you can't win?"

Lin Yinan remained calm and composed, which infuriated Yu Xunmei.

She said to the head guard, "Go and capture that woman over there. There will be a generous reward!"

Dozens of guards drew their swords and charged towards Lin Yinan and his group.

Yun Mo lightly touched the ground with his toes, and the longsword in his hand transformed into a streak of silver light, slashing towards the opponent's vitals. The guard hurriedly raised his knife to block. Yun Mo's strength was several times that of him, and the guard barely managed to block the attack, but he staggered back several steps before finally regaining his footing.

Yun Mo flicked his wrist, and the tip of his sword swept downwards.

The guard felt something slice across his abdomen and saw blood dripping from the Yunmo Sword. Looking down, he saw a large gash in his stomach, with his colorful intestines spilling out.

"Ah! Ah!" the guard screamed in agony.

His legs buckled and the guard knelt on the ground. The sword in his hand fell limply to the ground. He opened his hands, trying to stuff his intestines back in, but he didn't know how.

The other guards rushed forward and began exchanging blows with the opposing guards.

Qianxia brought out a bow and arrow, which Lin Yinan took, nocked the arrow, and aimed at Yu Xunmei, who was hiding behind it.

An arrow, imbued with the full force of its limbs, is poised to be released.

When Yu Xunmei caught sight of Lin Yinan's arrow aimed at her, her heart skipped a beat. In the instant the arrow left the bowstring, she ducked and quickly hid behind a guard.

In that split second, the guard who had been standing in front of him fell to the ground with an arrow stuck in his head.

The close encounter with death terrified Yu Xunmei, and she dared not show her face again.

The head of the guards pulled her behind a large rock. Before they set off, General Yu had repeatedly told her to protect her.

Halfway through the fight, with the outcome still uncertain, two carriages approached from the nearby official road, surrounded by a group of men in black.

Yun Shiyi, who was always protecting Lin Yinan, said in a deep voice, "Madam, the carriage that hijacked the old lady and young lady has arrived."

Lin Yinan squinted and looked over. There were two men in black sitting on the carriages of both carriages, and dozens of men in black protecting them.

As the carriage approached, the fighting gradually ceased.

"Young Miss, our people are back!"

The guard leader peeked out and scanned the area, immediately spotting several of his men.

Upon hearing this, Yu Xunmei suddenly stepped out from behind the large rock, exclaiming, "This is truly a stroke of luck!"

She glanced at Lin Yinan, who looked worried, and casually brushed the stray hairs from her forehead. A bright smile appeared on her beautiful face, but her eyes were filled with sinister ruthlessness.

"Lord Lin, I've heard you have a lovely and delicate daughter. Is the one my subordinate brought here the same one?"

As she spoke, she waved to the assassin on the other side of the road.

The assassin climbed into the first carriage and carried out a sleeping child.

Fearing that Lin Yinan and the others wouldn't see him, he stood on the carriage frame, grabbed Yun Shijiu by the collar, and lifted her high up.

The child was being held up like that, his little head still drooping and not yet awake, his slightly chubby face showing a hint of paleness.

The little figure being held high is none other than Yun Shijiu!

Lin Yinan and Yun Mo stared in disbelief, their hands trembling slightly as they gripped their swords, their knuckles turning white from the excessive force.

"Young Miss!" Yun Shijiu was raised by Qianxia since she was a child, and she couldn't hold back her tears.

The other guards gritted their teeth and shifted their bodies slightly, ready to fight to the death.

"Yu Xunmei, release my daughter!" Lin Yinan stood holding a long sword, her expression icy, her eyes filled with intense killing intent.

Yu Xunmei said calmly, "My men went through all sorts of hardships to get them out of the Dragon Pool. How can you just let them go so easily?"

"I'll be your hostage."

“Lord Lin’s martial arts are superb, I dare not take a hostage like you.” Yu Xunmei patted her chest, pretending to be scared.

Yun Mo's face was grim, and his sharp gaze swept over Yu Xunmei, "What do you want in exchange for releasing them?"

Seeing the expressions on the faces of the two people and the others, Yu Xunmei was in a very good mood, and her voice unconsciously carried a hint of laziness.

She demanded an exorbitant sum, "No matter what, return the Xihe Iron Mine you seized, along with the output from the time it was taken, and the salt fields. What do you think? Do you think your families are worth all this?"

Finally, she pointed at Lin Yinan and said, "Also, sever her tendons in her hands and feet to avenge the humiliation she caused me!"

Hearing Yu Xunmei's self-righteous words, Yun Mo's face darkened even more. "Release the person first, and we can sit down and have a proper talk!"

Yu Xunmei rolled her eyes. "Do you really think I'm stupid enough to be fooled? With your tendency to start fights at the drop of a hat, I could release the person and then you could kill us the very next minute."

There was no room for negotiation. Looking at Yun Shijiu, who was still being held high in the air, Lin Yinan's mind raced as she pondered how to save him while minimizing the losses.

Just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate, Merchant Ye led a group of men from the direction of Shigong City.

"Oh! Miss Yu is here too! How lively!"

Ye Shang, riding a tall horse, looked at the child being held high in black on the carriage in the distance with a mocking expression.

Upon seeing Ye Shang, Yu Xunmei's eyes immediately lit up.

"Mr. Ye, you've come at the right time. Let's cooperate to take them down, and you'll get half of the saltworks' output in the future." She made this boastful promise to achieve her goal.

After all, the two of them had a brief, fleeting affair.

Just when she thought the Ye family would agree, he unexpectedly said, "Miss Yu, our Ye family are people of integrity. We have already agreed to cooperate with City Lord Lin. How can we break the agreement on our own?"

"What the Ye family can give to the Dragon Pool, our Yu family can give in the same way!"