Shuo Ling didn't answer Yang Zijin. He rose his hand to make a gesture of "stop". He turned his horse around and asked the soldiers behind, "Alert!"

"Is there anything wrong, My Lord?" Xiao Mu asked Shuo Ling.

Shuo Ling nodded and asked Xiao Mu, "Get some people to remove the tree stake in the front."

Xiao Mu ordered several soldiers, "You, you, you, and you. Come with me!"

Then Xiao Mu walked towards the tree stake first. At that time, with a swishing sound, an arrow shot straight at him.

The arrow was about to hit Xiao Mu in the next second when Xiao Mu leaned aside and dodged it.

Seeing this, Yang Zijin tensed up.

Shuo Ling snorted. As he had expected there was an ambush!

He jumped off the horse and pulled Yang Zijin down.

The enemies had arrows, so they would be the targets if they kept staying on the horse.

Another arrow flew out from the shadow, heading straight to Shuo Ling.

Xiao Mu shouted, "Watch out, My Lord!"

Shuo Ling drew his sword to cut the arrow in two without even a look at it.

"Outstanding martial skills, Marquis Shuo!" A rich voice came from the shadow.

The soldiers behind them guarded at once.

Shuo Ling answered coldly, "Since you know my name, why are you hiding in the shadows?"

"I have long wanted to fight with Marquis Shuo. How about taking this opportunity to slug it out?" A man in black flew out from the shadow and went for Shuo Ling with a sword.

Shuo Ling pushed Yang Zijin aside and asked Xiao Mu, "Protect Her Highness!"

Then he rushed up to the man in black.

After a few blows, Shuo Ling found that this man was neck and neck with him in martial arts. However, the man in black didn't take active attacks but retreated in order to advance.

Shuo Ling said to him, "You said you want to slug it out, but I only see your overcaution."

"Then I'll give it my best shot." The man in black rushed up to Shuo Ling.

During the fight, the man tried to lure Shuo Ling away from his original position.

When Yang Zijin heard the sound of fighting getting weaker, she wanted to have a look.

Xiao Mu stopped her, "Please stay here, Your Highness. Judging from the circumstance, My Lord will be alright."

Yang Zijin was about to say something when a gust of wind passed by and more than a dozen men in black rushed out. The soldiers alarmed immediately, holding their breaths and looking at the men around them.

One of those men walked over.

Xiao Mu drew this sword to defend against this man.

This man in black sneered. He spoke to Yang Zijin behind Xiao Mu, "Your Highness, will you go with us now? Or go with us after we killed them all?"

"No way!" Xiao Mu pointed at that man with his sword.

The man snorted, "Then you can't blame us for mercilessness. Come on, bros!"

And he drew his sword to fight against Xiao Mu.

The rest also started their attacks against the soldiers.

When Xiao Mu found it wrong, he couldn't get away from the fight.

Other men in black knocked the soldiers out. Yang Zijin could see that the soldiers were no match for these people.

They outflanked Yang Zijin. Knowing that she was no match for these people, Yang Zijin stalled them for Shuo Ling.

She asked before they spoke, "What do you want me to do?"

"Not a big deal. We just want something you have." That man replied.

Yang Zijin was puzzled, "What is that?"

"Don't play dumb. The card is useless to you, Your Highness. You'd better give it to us to get rid of the state of anxiety." He added.

Yang Zijin understood. They came for the card, exactly.

She looked at Xiao Mu who was still trapped by the enemies and then the place Shuo Ling disappeared.

Another man in black smiled, "You don't have to wait. Marquis Shuo won't be back soon."

"Who sent you here? Why do you think I, an infant, have the card?" Yang Zijin went on stalling.

The man in black took two steps forward and smiled, "You don't have to know that."

"If you don't tell me, you can't have the card." Yang Zijin snorted.

The man in black changed his tone, "It's not up to you. As you don't cooperate with us, we will use force."

"What do you want to do?" Yang Zijin fixed her eyes on him.

The man in black laughed, "What do I want to do? I'm sorry we have to make you go with us because you are not obedient, do you understand?"

"Bind her up and take her away!" He ordered others behind him as Yang Zijin didn't speak.

Two of the men in black went to Yang Zijin with a rope.

Yang Zijin knew that she had to run away by herself, so she kicked the man who was going to bind her. That man was off guard and cried out with pain. Yang Zijin caught this opportunity when he was distracted. She turned around and ran to the wood.

She heard the men behind said, "Go and catch her!"

Xiao Mu was distracted by them who were chasing Yang Zijin. His opponent seized this chance and knocked him out with a blow to the back of his head.

Yang Zijin speeded up as she saw those men were on her heels, however, she didn't notice a root protruding from the ground and was tripped over it. There was a gnawing pain on her feet.

She let out a curse. Would she be defeated here today?

The men in black caught Yang Zijin on the ground and bound her with the rope.

One of them went over and bent down, "Be gentle, don't hurt Her Highness. After all, she has very delicate skin."

Yang Zijin turned her face aside.

That man stood up and spoke to his companions, "Give big brother a signal and withdraw."

"Yes, second brother!" Another man took out a signal flare and shot it into the sky.

He was Luoxue, the fourth secret guard of the Emperor.

Luofeng, who was fighting with Shuo Ling, saw the signal in the sky and smiled to Shuo Ling, "Let's call it a day. See you!"

Then he threw something on the ground which spewed out smoke.

When the smoke dispersed, the man in black had already disappeared.

Shuo Ling thought it over and found that he was lured away from where he should be. Those men's target was not him, but Yang Zijin!

Shuo Ling kicked the ground and flew to the troop.

He reached the troop and found the soldiers lying here and there, unconscious. There was no blood. So those people did target Yang Zijin, or more precisely, the card.

The soldiers were knocked out instead of being killed. It was easy to infer that the plotter was Chushi Youtian.

He saw Xiao Mu lying on the ground, too. So he went over to rouse him.

Xiao Mu slowly opened his eyes. He saw Shuo Ling and struggled to sit up, "Lord, I failed to protect Her Highness. She was..."

"Which way did she go?" Shuo Ling interrupted him.

Xiao Mu pointed to the direction Yang Zijin went.

"Wake them up and keep alert!" Shuo Ling enjoined Xiao Mu and then went after those people.

...

"Go and take her package!" Luoyu asked someone aside.

Then he came up to Yang Zijin, "Since you don't hand it to us, we have to look for it by ourselves."

Then he unfolded Yang Zijin's package and rummaged around. He found clothes, silver, and a blank parchment scroll. No cards.

Yang Zijin tensed up immediately. She hadn't discovered the use of this scroll.

Now that these people knew the use of this card, they must know something about the scroll!

Sure enough, Luoyu paid extra attention to this parchment scroll and put it in his pockets. He came up to Yang Zijin.

"It's not in the package, so it must be with you." He said, standing in her front.

Yang Zijin snorted, "So what? What can you do to me?"

"Anything." Luoyu laughed and ordered his men, "Frisk."

Yang Zijin got panic. These people were serious. She hadn't found out the cause of Princess Royal's death, neither was the use of the card, but now, the card and the parchment scroll were in her enemy's hand.

Why was Shuo Ling still away! Yang Zijin prayed for Shuo Ling's arrival.

The man in black lay his hand on Yang Zijin's clothes when he heard the sound from above the trees.

"Stop!"

Luoyu and others looked up.

A man in white slowly landed on the ground. His landing led to the dance of the dead leaves!

The man in white stood in the wind, having his back to them, "Let go of Her Highness and I will spare your lives."

"What an arrogant statement! Who are you? Why should I listen to you?" Luoyu said.

The man in white turned around. Looking from a distance, he had a handsome face, but his facial expression was cold. He drew his sword. The aura of the blade wreathed him and his white coat fluttered with it, filling the surrounding air with desolation.

He brandished his sword and several men in black fell, covering their chests.

Dead leaves were drifted aside by the aura of the blade.

Luoyu and Luoxue were forced to step back.

Luoxue spoke to Luoyu, "Second brother, his blade aura is powerful!"