Brother, why are you only arriving now?
Yu Li was still unconscious.
Lin Huaiyin stayed with her for a while, then handed her over to Xie Ao and Physician Lu for care, before going to settle the snake catcher.
In the battle at Crane Cry Mountain, whether it was killing Liu Cang or fighting the White Lotus Sect, we relied on these twelve snake catchers. If it weren't for their help, we wouldn't have been able to accurately find the cave and rescue Yu Li last night.
Both publicly and privately, Lin Huaiyin was grateful to them and wanted to fight for the reward they deserved.
She summoned her three other comrades from the night of the battle—a captain and two imperial guards—and together with the snake catcher, the sixteen-man team reunited.
Despite their different backgrounds, they shared a life-or-death bond, having fought side-by-side on the battlefield and fought side-by-side. When they gathered together, they called each other brothers, and were neither shy nor reserved, naturally recounting the thrilling and dangerous night they had experienced.
Lin Huaiyin was in a terrible mood, but the snake catchers in her group had their eyes light up when they saw her. They kept praising her archery skills, with one of them gesturing as if he was shooting an arrow and the other imitating being hit by an arrow and falling to the ground. Their postures and expressions were so lifelike that the snake catchers were very excited. They all asked to hand their grandsons over to Lin Huaiyin for training, so that they would no longer be afraid of wolves and tigers when they went into the mountains in the future.
Upon hearing this, Lin Huaiyin grinned and got down to business: "I invited you all here today to discuss the future. The court's rewards and punishments will likely be given after we return to the capital. Today, we are all family, so let's speak our own minds behind closed doors."
Although it is difficult to leave our homeland, my brothers and I sincerely invite you all to move your families to the capital. Whether you choose to engage in business or take the imperial examinations, whether your children join the army or attend school, just make your requests, and we will do everything we can to accommodate you.”
Lin Huaiyin extended a sincere invitation.
The snake catcher stared wide-eyed, looking around to confirm that everyone was just as shocked, and that he wasn't deaf and had misheard.
"Does the young lady mean that we should all move to the capital?" a snake catcher asked, shaking his head. He had lived for over fifty years and had never even seen the capital once in his life. He had never heard of anyone being able to register their household there so easily, let alone move twelve households with a hundred or so people to live in, not to mention the cost of food, clothing, daily necessities, houses, shops, and schooling. How much silver would that cost?
"No, no." After calculating the costs, the snake catchers all got up and took their leave.
"Please wait, everyone!" Two imperial guards quickly stopped them.
Lin Huaiyin got up and went over to continue persuading them: "I'm not asking you to make a decision right now. There are advantages to this place, and there are also advantages to the capital. You can discuss it with your families first. Whenever you want to come, we'll come and pick you up. At that time—"
Lin Huaiyin looked at the captain, who understood immediately and replied, "I will inform the local county government. As long as you give the word, we will arrive within half a month."
“That’s exactly what I mean.” Lin Huaiyin looked around and made a promise: “You can come to learn archery on your own. I will teach you step by step and I will not hold back anything.”
"That would be great."
The snake catchers chuckled, full of anticipation, as if afraid that Lin Huaiyin would make some serious promise again. They agreed verbally, but then slipped away in a flash.
This time, Lin Huaiyin did not try to stop her. She was determined to raise all the snake catchers in the capital. Based on their fearless participation in the battle the night before and their kindness in finding Yu Li last night, Lin Huaiyin was willing to raise them for generations and be loyal to them.
But there's no rush. The capital is not peaceful right now. She needs to wait until Princess Pingyang is dead and the rebels are eradicated so that there will be no future troubles before she can seriously persuade these comrades. For now, she's just saying it casually to prepare them mentally, and at the same time, she can consider it as completing Lin Shifeng's mission.
The task is complete; I can now go and take care of other matters.
Lin Huaiyin rubbed his hands together, preparing to send the captain and the imperial guards away.
"There's no time to lose, you should go to the county government office in town." She said seriously.
"Very well." The captain and the imperial guards, without suspecting anything, immediately took their leave.
After waiting for a while and hearing no movement outside, Lin Huaiyin slowly went out. Unexpectedly, there were two people standing outside the door. As soon as they saw her, they clasped their hands and nodded: "Where does the Third Miss intend to go? The General has ordered us to protect her closely."
Having learned from Yu Li's example, the two imperial guards secretly swore a solemn oath—to protect the Third Miss even at the cost of their lives.
The two stood before Lin Huaiyin, like a living city wall, unmoving and impregnable.
Lin Huaiyin knew that Lin Shifeng had sent this person to monitor her, and without hesitation, she took out Xiao Zhian's jade talisman. "Look, what is this?"
"this--"
The two were shocked. Lin Huaiyin raised her finger and whispered, "Shh, don't say it, don't say it. I have a secret mission."
"What secret mission?" the Imperial Guard asked in a hoarse voice.
Lin Huaiyin did not answer, but took the dagger from the Imperial Guard's waist, hid it in her sleeve, and whispered, "I'll be right back, you wait here."
She took two steps, then suddenly turned around and saw that the Imperial Guards had followed her out. She glared back fiercely, took a few steps back, and then turned and ran away.
Having evaded the patrolling imperial guards, Lin Huaiyin easily found her way to Princess Pingyang's residence.
Without the jujube wood bow, she couldn't act in secret. Poisoning or arson would likely implicate the postmaster. The simplest solution for Lin Huaiyin was to use the jade talisman to directly confront Princess Pingyang.
If you act quickly enough, no one will have time to stop you.
There were no guards at the gate of Princess Pingyang's courtyard, so Lin Huaiyin boldly pushed the door open.
With a creak, the courtyard was empty.
We walked around the corridor, but didn't see a soul along the way.
There wasn't a single guard, nanny, or maidservant in sight.
The ground was covered with fallen leaves and puddles, and no one was cleaning them. The whole courtyard exuded a sense of decay and coldness, a stark contrast to when the old nanny brought Lin Huaiyin here yesterday.
Lin Huaiyin was unaware that Xiao Zhian had detained Princess Pingyang's people. The more she walked, the more uneasy she felt. She moved quickly and rushed straight into the depths of the courtyard.
Passing through the vase-shaped door, two imperial guards stood inside. Lin Huaiyin reacted quickly, raising her jade talisman.
"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince."
The two guards bowed helplessly.
Xiao Zhi'an ordered guards to be stationed here and no one to enter or leave. However, Lin Huaiyin appeared with the jade talisman, which was equivalent to Xiao Zhi'an's personal presence. Even though they knew that this was not Xiao Zhi'an's intention, they still dared not stop her.
Lin Huaiyin was very satisfied. She pointed to her lips and squinted, indicating that they were not allowed to report Xiao Zhian.
The guards had no choice but to obey.
Lin Huaiyin let out a long sigh, turned around and stood in front of the door. She raised her hand to touch the door and trembled involuntarily.
The wooden door, damp and chilly from the night rain, felt icy to the touch. The vermilion paint wasn't applied thickly, the wood grain was rough and a bit rough to the touch, and the raw smell of the wood filled my nostrils.
It had an unpleasant feel and an unpleasant smell, but Lin Huaiyin liked it, especially the blood-red hue.
In both past and present lives, her greatest enemy was right inside the gate. Lin Huaiyin's hair stood on end like banners, her heart pounded like a charging drumbeat, her right foot rose without her even lifting it, and her hands didn't need to exert any effort—"Squeak—"
The door opened, and light streamed in from behind. Lin Huaiyin saw her own silhouette, crouching like a ghost as she crawled inside.
She slowed her movements, greedily savoring this moment. Scenes flashed before her eyes, intertwining past and present lives, with a sudden chill rising between the two worlds.
The wind in the vertical shaft, the fire in the imperial prison, the light of the jujube wood bow, the stone sutra pillars of the Imperial Academy, the wind atop the Iron Buddha Temple Pagoda, the food box of Fourth Sister Lin Mianfeng, the 800,000 taels of silver at Xiangguo Temple, the tangled and twisted snakes of Heming Mountain...
Step by step, Lin Huaiyin finally arrived here, finally waited for this moment. As long as she could deal with Princess Pingyang, pay off the blood debt from her past life, let the Lin clan and the victims rest in peace, and live a peaceful life for the rest of her days, she could truly come back to life and live a stable life, just as her second brother Lin Shifeng said—practice archery and target shooting, eat well and sleep well.
"Squeak—"
Lin Huaiyin closed the door, the light on her face closing into thin lines, cutting her face in two from between her eyebrows. The dagger slid into her palm, and she slowly walked to the bed with the curtains hanging, slowly pulled out the dagger, and threw away the scabbard.
A pair of pearl-embroidered cloud-patterned shoes were placed on the low wooden steps in front of the bed.
Inside the curtain, the woman's slender silhouette was vaguely visible. Lin Huaiyin held her breath, her heart pounding wildly. She wasn't good at close combat, but she was confident she could kill a princess who was caught off guard.
Step by step, she gripped the dagger tightly and stepped onto the wooden steps.
At this moment, there was no need to conceal her presence. Lin Huaiyin stepped onto the last step, and in the blink of an eye, the curtain was suddenly lifted. Something wrapped around her waist, pulling her close to a soft mass of flesh. She heard Princess Pingyang's seductive, sticky moans in her ear—"Royal brother,"
Why did you take so long to arrive?
Princess Pingyang spoke with a delicate, reproachful tone.
Lin Huaiyin's delicate body trembled violently. She was in a daze for a moment and had no clue what to do. Then she suddenly understood that she was calling Xiao Zhi'an and heard the lewd sounds of the brother and sister's secret meeting. For a moment, she imagined herself as Xiao Zhi'an, embracing Pingyang.
Princess Pingyang, wearing only a light undergarment, trembled beneath Lin Huaiyin, her soft flesh quivering.
They, brother and sister, actually...
Lin Huaiyin's stomach and intestines convulsed violently.
"vomit!"
The physiological reaction came on incredibly quickly.
Her mind went completely blank, goosebumps rose all over her body, and Lin Huaiyin felt so nauseous that she could barely hold her dagger—"Ugh!"
She broke free from Princess Pingyang's leg, stumbled and fell down the wooden steps, and acid refluxed into her throat. She vomited mouthful after mouthful until she felt dizzy and disoriented.
On the bed, Princess Pingyang stretched out her arm, her jade-like skin porcelain white and smooth. She slowly and deliberately hung up the curtain with that arm, and then lazily lay on the edge of the bed, her fingers caressing Lin Huaiyin's dagger, her phoenix eyes playing with Lin Huaiyin's disheveled state.
What a fragile little thing! Just now she was holding a dagger, trying to assassinate like an adult, how come she's already so weak? Princess Pingyang found Lin Huaiyin somewhat interesting, but not much.
She especially wanted Xiao Zhian to see Lin Huaiyin's current state, to see how vulnerable his beloved woman was, and how she had absolutely no trust in him.
What exactly does Xiao Zhian like about this thing? Princess Pingyang fiddled with the dagger, hesitating whether to take the opportunity to kill Lin Huaiyin.
No, Princess Pingyang suppressed her murderous intent. She hadn't had enough fun yet. She had to keep Lin Huaiyin alive and wait for Xiao Zhian to arrive so they could continue watching the show.
However, Lin Huaiyin's reaction indirectly proved Xiao Zhian's innocence. Princess Pingyang slowly savored the touch, confirming that the two had not slept together, otherwise Lin Huaiyin should have known that it was Xiao Zhian's first time.
The thought of a 23-year-old crown prince who still retains his chastity made Princess Pingyang feel that Lin Huaiyin was being taken advantage of, especially since Xiao Zhian seemed to have fallen in love with her, which made her feel that Lin Huaiyin was not worthy of him.
With her thoughts turning to this point, Princess Pingyang increased the pressure on her fingers as she caressed the dagger. She sat up, a cold smile appearing in her phoenix eyes. Her ample bosom trembled beneath her undergarments, and her long, slender legs stretched off the bed, her bare feet landing on the wooden steps with a creak.
Princess Pingyang approached step by step.
Lin Huaiyin was still lying on the ground vomiting, her arms trembling, and she was exhausted from vomiting.
She kept trembling uncontrollably, and the acidic fluid severely polluted the bedroom. Princess Pingyang, thinking that there was no one to serve her now and that she would have to clean it herself, became agitated and stabbed Lin Huaiyin in the neck with a dagger.
The dagger pierced the air, its chill barely perceptible, and was half an inch from Princess Pingyang's throat when Lin Huaiyin grabbed her wrist and dragged her away—
"Pass!"
"Bang!"
Two loud bangs.
Princess Pingyang fell down.
The door suddenly opened.
"Yinyin!" Xiao Zhian rushed over in a panic.
Lin Huaiyin picked up the dagger and aimed it at Princess Pingyang's throat, but Xuan Ge's blade flew out with a whoosh!
The dagger slipped from her hand, and her hand went numb. Lin Huaiyin immediately grabbed Princess Pingyang by the neck.
"Hmm!"
With a sore throat, Pingyang's face contorted in pain as he frantically dug at Lin Huaiyin's hands, leaving her neck and fingers a bloody mess in an instant.
Lin Huaiyin was completely unaware, gritting her teeth and using her body weight to press down hard, pinching tightly, whimpering like a wild beast.
Finally, she caught it, she caught it tightly, and she could kill this menace soon. She would no longer have to live in fear or suffer torment. She would live as the former Miss Lin San and live each day in peace and contentment!
Xiao Zhian ran up to her. Lin Huaiyin didn't recognize him, but she was so happy and excited that she even took a moment to grin at Xiao Zhian, sharing her joy and inviting him to witness it—Look! Princess Pingyang is about to die, and she's about to come back to life, carefree and free! It's almost here! It's really almost here!
With the finish line just around the corner and a new life on the horizon, Lin Huaiyin firmly holds her destiny in her own hands and wants to share her joy with the world.
However, Xiao Zhian did not smile with her. With a dark face, he hugged Lin Huaiyin, pried open her fingers one by one, picked her up, and took her further and further away from Princess Pingyang, further and further away from liberation. He threw her back into the bedroom, into the cold wind blowing, into a hopeless world like hell.
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