poaching people

Yue Xiao stood silently atop the mountain, looking down at the insignificant Jin family below. Only when he heard hurried footsteps behind him did he turn and carefully take the unconscious Jin Yuanyuan from his subordinate's arms, whispering, "Kill them all." With that, dozens of men in black rushed down the mountain.

Hearing the noisy footsteps, Ji Yun glanced to the side during a break from fighting the enemy and saw countless men in black rushing over from the foot of the mountain. Ji Yun's face darkened, and a resolute glint flashed in his eyes.

As the dense black dots ahead became clearer, Jin Xiaoxiao felt increasingly regretful. She knew that Yue Xiao was a ruthless person, so why did she forget to bring her highly paid bodyguard?

Jin Minzhi clenched his fist and then relaxed it. He turned back to look at Jin Xiaoxiao one last time and said silently, "Don't be afraid, your brother is here."

His gaze towards Jin Xiaoxiao was warm, a mixture of blessings for her and a lingering attachment to the world. This look left Jin Xiaoxiao frozen in place, at a loss for words.

Jin Minzhi turned around and immediately shouted to Ji Yun, "Ji Yun, take Xiaoxiao and go."

Ji Jun held back no longer; his silver sword slashed through the air, and he successfully dispatched three enemies before reinforcements arrived. Blood dripped from Ji Jun's fingers onto the snow, staining it red. He didn't care at all, and ran towards Jin Xiaoxiao.

Jin Xiaoxiao felt her eyes fill with tears. She only managed to touch a small part of Jin Minzhi's sleeve before Ji Yun grabbed her and rushed her away in the opposite direction.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, and Kim Min-ji's figure gradually blurred. The pure white snowflakes pelted her face, chilling her to the bone; their rapid movement caused her eyes a stinging pain, like being pricked by needles, yet she refused to close them.

Jin Minzhi picked up the scattered bow and arrows, thinking to herself how fortunate it was that her teacher had urged her to study the Six Arts of a Gentleman, which at least bought some time for Xiaoxiao.

Jin Minzhi's eyes were like knives. He drew his bow and shot an arrow, felling an enemy with each shot. But Yue Xiao had sent only experts, and he only had to fire less than ten arrows before the enemy was upon him.

A cold glint flashed as Jin Minzhi used his bowstring to stop an enemy's broadsword from slashing at his neck. However, there were too many enemies, and he was a weak scholar. Even if he fought to the death, he could only stop one enemy. So when he caught a glimpse of three broadswords piercing his abdomen, he could only watch helplessly.

The knife tip sliced ​​through Kim Min-ji's clothes, and Kim Min-ji cried out in pain.

"Get out of the way." At the critical moment, a familiar voice roared from behind, and then two of the knives aimed at his abdomen disappeared.

The last knife that pierced Kim Min-ji's abdomen advanced three-tenths of an inch before falling to the ground as its master died.

Jin Yuantang repelled the men who were attacking Jin Minzhi and stood protectively in front of him, asking breathlessly, "Minzhi, how are you? Can you still hold on?"

Jin Minzhi quickly tore off his sleeve, ripped it into strips, and used the strips to tightly bind the wound on his abdomen. Hearing his uncle's question, he tried his best to regulate his breathing and answer in a normal voice, "Uncle, I'm fine."

Jin Minzhi's voice was weak and feeble, and Jin Yuantang could easily tell. But the situation was critical, and he couldn't turn around to look at Jin Minzhi again. He could only use all his strength to swing his longsword, not giving the man in black another chance to harm his nephew.

As time passed, Jin Yuantang's parrying motion slowed by a beat, and the man in black seized the opportunity to slash his left shoulder. Intense pain instantly swept through his body, and Jin Yuantang couldn't help but scream in agony.

"Uncle!"

Upon hearing this, Jin Minzhi, who was using arrows to distract the enemy, anxiously said, "Uncle, don't worry about me, you go first."

Jin Yuantang's lips trembled as he shouted angrily, "Shut up! If we're going to die, we'll die together. I will never abandon you."

Red plum blossoms bloomed on the snow. Jin Minzhi's bow and arrow were knocked away by the man in black, and she was stabbed in the leg. Unable to stand, Jin Minzhi knelt on the ground.

Upon hearing the sound, Jin Yuantang turned around to check the situation, his back completely exposed to the enemy.

Meanwhile, Ji Jun carried Jin Xiaoxiao and ran for more than twenty miles until they arrived at a secluded valley.

Jin Xiaoxiao composed herself, leaned close to Ji Jun's ear, and said in a choked voice, "Ji Jun, stop."

Ji Jun seemed not to hear, and continued running against the wind and snow.

Jin Xiaoxiao closed her eyes, her tone becoming stern, "Ji Jun, I don't want to say it a third time."

Ji Jun reluctantly stopped, and said with a serious expression, "Danger."

Jin Xiaoxiao patted his shoulder, her tone softening, "Put me down, it's safe here."

Not wanting to upset her, Ji Jun squatted down and put her on the ground.

After regaining her footing, Jin Xiaoxiao looked around and said, "Ji Jun, can you help me find a good place to hide?"

She wanted to hide away by herself and let him go back to rescue the people. Ji Jun instantly understood her plan, his brows furrowed, and he squatted motionless.

Jin Xiaoxiao cupped his cheeks, her voice pleading, "If they're all dead, what's the point of me living? Ji Jun, please."

In Ji Jun's heart, Jin Xiaoxiao had always been an omnipotent being. This was the first time Jin Xiaoxiao had shown her vulnerability and helplessness in front of Ji Jun.

She still looks better when she smiles. That was Ji Jun's first thought, but then a surge of anger welled up in his heart. He had never dared to make her angry, yet they dared to make her cry! Ji Jun reached out and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, promising, "Don't cry, I will bring him back."

He picked up Jin Xiaoxiao and hid her in a secluded little hole. He took out a dagger and put it in her palm, telling her, "Take care of yourself."

Without waiting for her to speak, Ji Jun retreated straight outside the cave, disguised the entrance, and then quickly went back inside.

The cave entrance was covered by withered grass and branches, and the last glimmer of light disappeared, leaving it pitch black. Jin Xiaoxiao clutched the dagger, still warm from Ji Jun's body, curled up in a ball. All around was silent; Jin Xiaoxiao could clearly hear her heart pounding rapidly. Time moved so slowly, so very slowly. She could do nothing but silently count her heartbeats, feeling an unprecedented loneliness.

After an unknown amount of time, hurried footsteps finally came from outside the cave.

Jin Xiaoxiao suddenly raised her head to look at the cave entrance and gently pulled out the dagger.

Five meters outside the cave, Jin Minzhi, dressed in white with mottled bloodstains, anxiously searched for the forked tree branch that Ji Yun had mentioned before fainting, but almost all the branches he could see were forked.

Helpless, Kim Min-ji could only whisper, "Xiao Xiao, Xiao Xiao?"

It was her brother's voice. Jin Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up with boundless joy, and she quickly stood up and ran towards the cave entrance.

"Brother, I'm here."

Jin Xiaoxiao's voice came from inside the cave. Jin Minzhi focused his attention and found her location. He strode to the covered cave entrance, swept away the branches and leaves, and as the entrance was revealed, he saw Jin Xiaoxiao covering her eyes with her hands. Jin Minzhi breathed a sigh of relief, took a step forward, and hugged Jin Xiaoxiao tightly.

"Smile." Jin Minzhi's voice was low and hoarse, with a hint of pain in it.

Jin Xiaoxiao's smile froze, a sense of foreboding washing over her. She tried her best to suppress her fear and asked softly, "Brother, is Ji Jun outside?"

Jin Minzhi's body stiffened, and she slowly released Jin Xiaoxiao, kneeling helplessly on the ground, head bowed and silent.

Jin Xiaoxiao's mind went blank, and her eyes were already filled with tears. Through her blurred vision, she grabbed Jin Minzhi's shoulder, her nails digging deep into his flesh. "Brother, where is Ji Jun? Where is he?" The last three words were piercingly sharp.

Jin Minzhi raised her head, her face full of sorrow, "Ji Yun and my uncle stayed on the official road so that I could break through."

Jin Xiaoxiao wiped away her tears and ran back. Jin Minzhi's cries for her to stop were left unsaid by the wind.

Jin Xiaoxiao's last memory was of running back with all her might; she remembered nothing after that. She didn't remember how she found Ji Jun. When she regained consciousness, she saw Xu Ce forcefully pulling Ji Jun's hand from hers while cursing Yue Xiao without any regard for decorum.

Xu Ce pulled Ji Jun's hand away, and unintentionally looked up to meet Jin Xiaoxiao's eyes. He was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed with delight, "Hey, Xiaoxiao, you've snapped out of it!"

Jin Xiaoxiao nodded blankly and replied, "Yeah, I'm snapping out of it."

Xu Ce affectionately patted her head, his tone carrying a hint of praise, "Our Xiaoxiao is really amazing, she was the first to find Ji Jun."

Guessing that Jin Xiaoxiao had forgotten some things in her grief, Xu Ce took the initiative to recount what had happened.

After returning, Ji Yun risked his life to rescue the Jin family uncle and nephew from their desperate situation. Then, despite being severely injured, Ji Yun and Jin Yuantang fought their way out for Jin Minzhi. As they passed each other, Ji Yun, distracted, told Jin Minzhi about Jin Xiaoxiao's hiding place, and was unfortunately stabbed in the chest by a man in black, but thankfully, the stab didn't hit his heart or lungs. After Jin Minzhi escaped, Ji Yun and Jin Yuantang were forced to the edge of a cliff by the men in black.

Just at this critical moment, Xu Ce, who had made great contributions in suppressing the bandits and was returning to the capital with the army to be rewarded for his merits, passed by at the foot of the mountain. The flashing swords on the mountain caught his attention.

“In broad daylight, such a remote place is filled with the glint of swords; there must be something fishy going on.” Xu Ce patted his chest in lingering fear. “I was fortunate to have General Wei with me this time; otherwise, even if I had seen the glint of swords, I would never have had the courage to come and investigate.”

Jin Xiaoxiao then noticed a neatly arranged line of armored soldiers around her, with a young and handsome man standing at the very front.

Noticing someone watching him, Wei Ran slowly lowered his head, his dark eyes meeting Jin Xiaoxiao's gaze precisely.

Xu Ce suddenly stood up and stood in front of Jin Xiaoxiao, blocking their eye contact, and announced loudly, "Xiaoxiao, this is General Wei Ran. Don't let General Wei's handsome and refined appearance fool you; he may look like a scholar, but his martial arts skills are truly—"

Wei Ran interrupted Xu Ce's praise with a blank expression, pointing to the setting sun and saying, "Lord Xu, it's getting late. If we delay any longer, we may not be able to enter the city today."