Chapter 98: with translation of chapter title

The guards reined in their horses and halted, listening intently, and one of them said solemnly, "I heard it—it's just up ahead, not far away!"

The sharp clashing of swords came suddenly and vanished just as quickly, instantly swallowed by the forest's silence, as if it were an illusion.

Three guards had a hand on their sword hilts, all looking wary, and the leader said, "Fourth Miss, the situation in these woods is complex, the sword sounds are suspicious—we'll escort you back right away!"

Shen Shuangning remained silent for a moment, worried that Xie Lin had encountered danger.

After pondering for a while, she fixed her gaze on one of the guards and said, "Send one of you over cautiously to see what's happening—if the Jurchen princess is in danger, we can rescue her in time."

Hearing this, the three agreed it made sense; most importantly, if they managed to save someone important like a prince or the crown prince, the merit would be considerable!

Accordingly, one of them sneaked forward while Shen Shuangning and the other two stayed behind to wait.

Not long after, he returned, his face somewhat pale.

Little did they expect that Shen Shuangning's offhand remark would prove prophetic.

The guard's face was ashen, still a little out of breath as he said, "I only saw a lot of blood, but no one—besides... I found this."

The guard raised his hand, and lying in his palm was Xie Lin's personal jade pendant!

Shen Shuangning's face changed abruptly; she hastily took it in her hand, examined it closely, and could not help but accept the fact—this was indeed Xie Lin's belonging!

"Fourth Miss, do you recognize this?" the guard asked hurriedly.

There was nothing to hide, so Shen Shuangning told them.

Upon hearing it was related to Xie Lin, the guard's earlier surprise instantly turned to dread.

"Lord Xie is responsible for protecting that foreign princess; if his belongings were left there, doesn't that mean the princess too..."—though he didn't finish the sentence, a grim premonition already showed.

If something happened to the foreign princess in the Dawang hunting grounds, the consequences would be unthinkable.

"Could they have run into a blind bear or a wolf pack?" another guessed, forcing himself to stay calm.

Shen Shuangning furrowed her brows, carefully put away the blood‑stained jade pendant, then said in a low voice, "Let's go see for ourselves."

After a pause, she suddenly recalled something, turned to a guard, and said, "Go back to the main camp at once, report the situation to His Majesty, and have reinforcements sent quickly."

The guard acknowledged the order, immediately turned his horse, and galloped back.

Thus, only two usable people remained beside Shen Shuangning.

Given the urgency, the guards forgot about escorting Shen Shuangning back; they simply stayed at her sides and escorted her all the way to the scene of the incident.

Indeed, several bloodstains dotted the ground, and the air still carried a fresh scent of blood that had not yet dissipated.

Shen Shuangning covered her nose and mouth with an embroidered handkerchief, examined the area carefully, and could basically conclude that Xie Lin and his companions had not run into a wild beast; it was very likely an assassination.

In her previous life she had not taken part in the spring hunt, so she had no idea what had happened then; this life has already brought many unforeseen changes, and she dares not guarantee whether the Jurchen princess will remain unharmed.

In the deep woods not a whisper of wind stirred; only a lone eagle circled high above, occasionally issuing a sharp cry that inexplicably made one's heart tremble.

Behind a massive rock wall, in an extremely concealed spot, faint voices could be heard conversing.

"Xie Yan, do you still dare to say you have no ulterior motives?"

"Just now it was clearly a perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone—slay the foreign princess, then kill Xie Lin and frame the Yongning Marquis's mansion; the Jurchen state would surely fly into a rage, clash with Dawang, and the Yongning Marquis's house could not escape punishment and confiscation. Firstly, it would help the Holy Cult grow amid the chaos; secondly, you could avenge your blood‑deep grudge—such a double‑gain boon, why did you order your men to withdraw?!"

The speaker had a deep, resonant voice, and because he was furious to the extreme, his tone while questioning was especially sharp and harsh.

Xie Yan lowered his gaze, his long lashes casting a faint shadow beneath his eyes, and for a moment he said nothing.

This silence completely ignited the other's fury; he lunged forward, grabbed Xie Yan's dark‑blue collar with such force that the fabric nearly tore, and snarled:

"Don't tell me that over these years you've actually developed some ridiculous brotherly feeling for Xie Lin!!"

The man was wrapped in a black outer robe that concealed his inner garments completely, but when he raised his hand the pattern revealed at his cuff could not be hidden—it was clearly the attire of a palace eunuch, and judging by the insignia his rank was certainly not ordinary.

If anyone were present, they would surely recognize him—this man is none other than Kang Shouyi, the chief eunuch attendant to the Empress.

Kang Shouyi fixed his stare on Xie Yan's eyes, each word like a blade: "Have you forgotten? Back then your father, seeking to ingratiate himself with the powerful, married Princess Changyu and drove your mother to death; and how did Xie Lin gradually seize everything that rightfully belonged to you? This blood‑deep grudge—have you really tossed it behind your back?!"

Xie Yan was jerked so that his body swayed slightly, his back nearly striking the cold rock wall.

He slowly lifted his gaze; his eyes held no ripple, only a deep, unfathomable cold pool, and he suddenly snorted, "Brotherly feeling? What brothers are we to each other?"

Kang Shouyi, seeing this, eyed him suspiciously: "Then why......"

Xie Yan raised his hand, gently pushed aside the other's wrist, and said, "Your so‑called 'perfect opportunity' is nothing but a suicide mission."

Xie Yan smoothed his crumpled collar, his voice eerily calm: "Su Mu'er is the Jurchen state's cherished princess, and Xie Lin is Emperor Xuānwén's most beloved nephew. If they both die at once, do you really think His Majesty won't uncover the clues? Once the Holy Cult is implicated, all our years of groundwork in the capital will vanish in an instant."

Kang Shouyi sized him up, unable to resist judging whether his words were true, but for the moment he could not tell.

Xie Yan said, "My grudge, I have my own way to repay. Xie Lin owes me, the Yongning Marquis's mansion owes me—I will make them pay back bit by bit, with interest."

After a long while, Kang Shouyi finally said, "Just tell me straight—what exactly are you planning?"

Xie Yan replied, "For now we've already startled the snake; it's not advisable to act again."

Kang Shouyi naturally understood this, he gave a cold snort, his dissatisfaction with Xie Yan growing, and he couldn't help but jeer: "Song Zhang has been thrown into prison, the cult's manpower has been urgently withdrawn, usable hands are already few, and the Cult Leader placed great hopes in you—yet look at how you're handling things!"

"Sun Qianhu was such a fine pawn, yet he's broken; even the gunpowder hidden in the imperial mausoleum has been dug out by the Guard Bureau, and there's also Xiao Jingyuan—I just don't get why he's so hard to kill."

Upon hearing this, Xie Yan finally furrowed his brows and retorted, "You have no idea how cunning Xiao Jingyuan is."

"Don't make excuses for your incompetence!"

Kang Shouyi burst into curses, delivering a final ultimatum to Xie Yan: "The Cult Leader is very disappointed in you; this spring hunt you had better accomplish something, or else you'll wait to be buried alongside the Yongning Marquis's mansion!"

Xie Yan's pupils contracted as he stared at Kang Shouyi in disbelief.

"Give you another six months to take full control of the marquisate; otherwise, an unstable pawn is better destroyed than kept."

Half of Xie Yan's face lay in shadow, his expression shifting unpredictably.

"Xie Yan, don't forget how the Cult Leader has cultivated you!"

Kang Shouyi looked coldly at the piece before him, left a final remark, then flicked his sleeve and departed, his silhouette vanishing instantly into the dense forest.

As dusk fell, the news of the Jurchen princess's mishap reached Emperor Xuānwén's ears; the emperor immediately sealed off the information and sent people to go look.

After Kang Shouyi left, Xie Yan stood on the spot for a moment, then turned and walked off in the opposite direction.

However, just then the eagle circling in the sky suddenly let out two sharp, piercing cries!

Like some kind of warning.

Xie Yan suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Shen Shuangning, hiding in the distance, never imagined she would accidentally run into Xie Yan!

She even happened to see him secretly talking with the black-clad person.

However, she dared not get too close, could not hear what they were saying, and could not see who the black-clad person was.

She had wanted to quietly leave with the two guards, but Xie Yan suddenly stopped; in an instant, a shudder ran up her spine.

Shen Shuangning and the three of them dared not move, even their breathing grew shallow.

Those who often lurked in the palace were more keen than ordinary people; the two guards immediately thought of the several bloodstains from before, though they did not know how it related to Young Master Xie, they dared not think further.

Fortunately, Xie Yan did not notice them and walked away without looking back.

Seeing Xie Yan go far, Shen Shuangning withdrew her gaze, leaned against a big tree, her shoulders slowly relaxed, and she let out a long breath.

The shock in her heart had not yet subsided, while her thoughts raced.

She had not even noticed that Xie Yan had also come to participate in the spring hunt.

Moreover, this person was too bold, daring to make small moves right under Emperor Xuanwen's nose!

That black-clad person earlier must be Xie Yan's direct superior? If so, perhaps that person is also hiding among the spring hunt crowd?

Shen Shuangning suddenly felt danger everywhere; fortunately she had let Jingyu go back first, and her urgency to find Xie Lin grew even stronger.

She lifted her eyes to the sky; the sun had already sunk to the treetops, and the light in the woods grew gradually dim.

Shen Shuangning steadied herself, gave a glance to the guards behind her, signaling them to follow.

But the two guards seemed nailed to the spot, not moving for a long while. They had already sensed something wrong, feeling this muddy water was unfathomable, and dared not step forward.

Although following the Fourth Miss might earn some merit, compared to their own lives and property, what was that bit of merit? They naturally cherished their lives more; they even wished they were blind, seeing nothing at all.

Shen Shuangning took a few steps, saw no movement behind her, and involuntarily stopped, turning to look at them.

"Fourth Miss."

One of the guards stepped forward with a stiff expression, his tone carrying a few parts of earnest advice.

"The foreign princess and the young marquis were attacked; surely His Majesty already knows, and at this moment he must have dispatched many men to search everywhere, so you need not personally risk yourself. Moreover, the sky is about to turn completely dark, wolves roam the forest, it is unsafe; why not let us escort you back to camp first?"

Shen Shuangning also understood their concerns; after thinking calmly, she realized they had no obligation to accompany her into danger, and forcing them would be improper.

Thinking optimistically, perhaps Xie Yan had just been scolded by the black-clad person because things were not going well; in that case, Xie Lin might not be in danger after all.

Thinking thus, Shen Shuangning nodded and said, "Alright, let's go back then."

The two guards secretly sighed in relief and hurriedly followed.

Who would have thought that after they had walked back only a few steps, the surroundings fell silent except for the rustling forest wind, when a hidden arrow shot out without warning!

The arrow came swift and urgent, giving no time to react; with a "puff," it pierced straight through the throat of the guard who had just spoken!

Blood spurted out instantly; the guard did not even groan, his eyes wide open as he fell, warm blood splashing onto his companion's face.

It also splashed onto Shen Shuangning's light-blue dress.

Both were stunned by this sudden turn of events!

Shen Shuangning's whole body shuddered; the only thought left in her mind: Xie Yan had not left at all; they had already been exposed!

At that very moment, memories of her previous life surged uncontrollably—back then she had taken an arrow for Xiao Jingyuan, also in a dim forest like this.

The sky was equally dark, tree shadows swayed like ghosts, the arrowhead pierced her shoulder, the excruciating pain seemed to linger in her bones and blood; following the thread of reincarnation, it chased her from past to present, stabbing her chest with waves of tightness!

Shen Shuangning froze.

"Whoosh—"

Another sharp whistling sound rang out; a second hidden arrow shot straight at Shen Shuangning's face!

Fortunately, the remaining guard reacted quickly, lunging forward to push Shen Shuangning aside.

"Watch out!"

Shen Shuangning's side happened to be a steep slope; pushed, she lost balance at once, cried out, and rolled down the slope!