After the favored concubine remarried, the aloof and powerful minister forcibly took her away.

Chapter 216 Falling for Me
Pei Yanzhi suddenly flipped the longsword in his wrist, the blade drawing a silver arc in the moonlight, barely blocking the longsword coming straight at him.

In the instant sparks flew, he saw the bronze mask with blue faces and fangs on the other side—it was the Twelve Wolf Guards of the Northern Territory!

Suddenly, outside the cave, the leader crossed his two swords, the wolf fangs on the back of the blades gleaming with a ghostly blue in the lightning, clearly indicating that they were coated with deadly poison.

Pei Yanzhi's pupils contracted slightly. He picked up a piece of saltpeter from the ground with his toe and channeled his inner force into it, aiming it directly at the wolf guard holding a torch on his left.

"boom!"

The moment the saltpeter struck the spark, it exploded in a dazzling white light, and dust immediately filled the cave.

Pei Yanzhi held his breath and leaned back, sweeping his sword across the ground, snapping the three torches in two.

A series of coughs echoed from the darkness. Using the directions he remembered, he darted forward, his sword tip piercing precisely into a warm body.

"After the fifth pillar!"

Someone roared in the Northern language, and Pei Yanzhi spun into the air, three bone-piercing nails grazing his hair and embedding themselves into the rock wall.

He stood suspended in mid-air on the stalactites, when suddenly he felt a chill on his waist.

The double-swordsman, who had somehow circled around behind him, had cut off half of his belt.

The cave was filled with the smell of saltpeter mixed with the stench of blood.

Pei Yanzhi threw his sword sheath backhand to repel the pursuers, and the moment he leaped out of the cave, a deafening roar came from behind him.

The entire mountain was trembling, and the ignited saltpeter turned the cave into a towering pillar of fire, the heat wave causing him to stumble and fall into the mud.

He's on the cliff edge!

Pei Yanzhi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and pressed his palm against the bleeding wound on his waist.

Only five of the Twelve Wolf Guards remain, but each one is a trained assassin kept by the Northern Royal Court.

The rain from the past few days had washed over the bottomless abyss of Eagle's Beak Cliff when he suddenly caught sight of the bronze key dangling from the waist of the leading wolf guard.

In a flash, all the clues came together, and this key was the key to Mohe.

With the key, getting into Mohe is a piece of cake.

Lu Yongkang was driven to the brink of despair, and his only thought at that moment was to perish together with others.

Since we're all going to die anyway, we might as well all die together.

Pei Yanzhi suddenly laughed, his blood-stained white clothes fluttering in the wind. He suddenly understood why Lu Yongkang had taken Lu Jiamin with him when he fled.

A woman, especially a beautiful woman, can do many things for him.

The double-swordsman hesitated slightly, creating an opening in an instant. Pei Yanzhi's soft sword emerged from his sleeve like a serpent, splattering blood wherever it passed.

As the last wolf guard collapsed, clutching his throat, he ripped off the blood-stained bronze key.

The faint neighing of warhorses could be heard from below the cliff—and in the direction of Mohe, a continuous stream of torches lit up, like a fire dragon spitting out death.

Without further hesitation, he quickly treated his wounds and left.

The Lu family trading company on the border waited for Pei Yanzhi late at night.

When he took out the token in his hand, the steward's expression immediately changed, and he respectfully invited the man inside.

"My second daughter sent word a long time ago. Please come this way, sir."

After inviting Pei Yanzhi inside, the steward hurriedly ordered someone to close the door.

"Is it Xiang... Miss Chaoguang's order?"

The name Xiang Ning was about to utter suddenly changed to another name.

The steward nodded: "The second young lady sent word a while ago, almost delaying our distinguished guest's business."

For them, the token in Pei Yanzhi's hand was no different from seeing Lu Weimin and Lu Jiang.

Hearing these words, Pei Yanzhi felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

He knew that Xiang Ning had feelings for him, even though she said hurtful things.

But how could two people forget something they've been through so much together?

How could I not be tempted at all?
The steward led Pei Yanzhi to a room: "Sir, please rest here. I will prepare hot water and food for you."

Just as the steward was about to leave, Pei Yanzhi called out to him, "Do you have paper and pen?"

Upon hearing this, the steward nodded: "I'll have someone send it to the master."

Pei Yanzhi hummed in agreement, and soon the paper and pen he had requested were brought over.

Then came food and hot water.

He didn't eat first, but went to his desk and reached out to grasp the pen.

Pei Yanzhi wanted to write a letter to Xiang Ning. He didn't know if she would worry, but he always didn't want her to have any concerns.

After explaining the situation and writing in the letter that everything was fine, he put the letter into the envelope.

The wound on his arm throbbed with pain. Only after taking off his clothes did he realize that, without him noticing, a dark blue blood was seeping from the wound.

This color is exactly like the blade of the Northern Wolf Guards' swords.

Pei Yanzhi frowned slightly, first applying the wound medicine prepared by the steward to his arm, and then taking out an antidote pill from his waist and swallowing it.

This poison looks like the kind commonly used in the North during wars; it can paralyze the nerves, causing weakness and fatigue.

It wasn't a deadly poison; they probably didn't expect anyone to break in.

After treating his wounds, Pei Yanzhi picked up his pen and wrote another letter to General Lin.

The gist of it is to tell him about his discovery and then have him prepare a large amount of water.

If Lu Yongkang wants to use fire, then he'll give him a good rainstorm.

After writing the letter, Pei Yanzhi asked the steward to help send it out.

Lin Jianjun was the first to receive the letter. While breathing a sigh of relief, General Lin immediately began to prepare for the response.

Xiang Ning received the letter three days later.

Without news of Pei Yanzhi, there was nothing she could do, and the unease in her heart gradually subsided over the past two days.

However, Shang Yan's letter arrived faster than Pei Yanzhi's.

Pei Yanzhi assigned someone to lead Shang Yan, who successfully rescued his father.

Moreover, he said he met the "Brother Xiao Ming" she mentioned at the border.

When Xiao Ming heard Shang Yan say that Xiang Ning had sent him to find him, he generously offered to help him.

It was thanks to Xiao Ming that Shang Yan's matter was handled so smoothly.

Although the barbarian princess had some connections with the northern border, she hesitated, fearing that she might really anger Daqing.

If Daqing were to mobilize its entire army, they and the northern border would only face annihilation.

Furthermore, the people Pei Yanzhi sent were government officials, which made the barbarian princess even more uneasy when she saw the government officials.

Even though they were unwilling, they could only demand some money before letting the person go.

Shang Yan and his father will be back in a few days.

After Xiang Ning received the letter, she sent someone to the Shang residence to deliver a message to Madam Shang. Upon hearing this, Madam Shang was overjoyed to learn that the two were safe and sound and wept with joy.

“Miss, miss, it’s a letter from the steward.”

Chunxi rushed in, holding a letter in her hand. Upon hearing this, Xiangning was stunned.

"The steward?"

"That's our trading company's head manager on the border. Didn't you say you'd reply to me as soon as you heard news of Lord Pei? Have you forgotten?"

Upon hearing this, Xiang Ning realized what was happening, and Chun Xi handed her the letter.

Pei Yanzhi spoke very little, and his letter-writing was as consistent as ever.

This time, however, he wrote two pages.

One page is about home and country, the other is about longing.

(End of this chapter)