Ning Dao Covered with Snow

Chapter 440 Surprise
Yan Ciwan tucked the sachet into her sleeve and hid the pipe inside her boot.

She refused the explosives, saying, "I've never used this before. If I don't handle it properly, I might hurt myself."

Li Chengge thought it made sense, so he put the explosives away.

"I'm leaving, see you later." Yan Ciwan turned and strode towards the city gate.

Chaolu called out to her retreating figure, "Take care on your journey!"

Yan Ciwan didn't turn around, she just waved her arm.

With war looming, everyone is on edge and hiding away, avoiding going out unless absolutely necessary. As a result, very few people are entering the city.

When Yan Ciwan reached the city gate, soldiers immediately stopped her. Just as they were about to search her, they suddenly recognized her and exclaimed in surprise.

"The princess!"

Yan Ciwan had expected to be recognized, and she calmly said, "I'm back."

The news of Princess Leyou's return spread like wildfire throughout the city in no time. General Xu, who was in charge of guarding the city gate, rushed over and was so moved by the sight of the princess standing right in front of him that he burst into tears.

"Little Princess, you're still alive! That's wonderful, wonderful!"

As he spoke, he knelt down on one knee.

"Your subordinate greets the Princess!"

The soldiers behind him also knelt down to pay their respects.

Yan Ci stepped forward and helped General Xu up, saying, "Uncle Xu, although you are my father's subordinate, I have always regarded you as an elder of my own family. You don't need to be so polite."

General Xu wiped away his tears and said with a smile, "You have no idea how worried we were when we heard that you had an accident in Chang'an. We wished we could fly to Chang'an immediately and bring you back."

"I know you all care about me. I often think of you after I left Xizhou. Has your old leg injury flared up again?"

"Thank you for your concern, Princess. I am perfectly fine now, nothing at all. It is the King of Xizhou who has been heartbroken because of you lately, and he looks much more haggard. He will be overjoyed if he knows that you have returned safely."

Yan Ciwan smiled and replied, "Yes."

There will definitely be surprises, but joy is another matter.

General Xu waved his hand and said, "Let's go, I'll escort the princess home right now."

Yan Ciwan mounted her horse and followed General Xu away.

The once deserted streets were now filled with people. They were all citizens of the city who, upon hearing that Princess Leyou had returned, rushed out of their homes, eager to see for themselves if it was true.
When the crowd saw Yan Ciwan's face clearly, they became restless, and shouts rang out one after another.

"Look! It really is Princess Leyou! She's not dead!"

"Now that she's back alive, does that mean we don't need to fight anymore?"

"If the war stops, will Father be able to come back? I want to tell Mother this good news!"

Seeing everyone's joyful expressions, Yan Ciwan suddenly turned to General Xu beside her and asked, "I heard that Xizhou is currently assembling troops."

"Yes, when the Prince learned that you had been murdered in Chang'an, he was filled with grief and indignation and ordered the troops to be assembled to seek justice for you. Now everything is ready, and we will set off as soon as it is dawn tomorrow."

General Xu glanced at her as he spoke, and sighed.

"But now that you're back, the plans might change."

Yan Ciwan looked at him seriously and asked, "Uncle Xu, do you want to go to war?"

“The young princess is one of us, so I won’t beat around the bush with you. I actually don’t want to fight.” “Uncle Xu is a military general. If there is a war, you will have the opportunity to make a name for yourself. This should be a good thing for you.”

General Xu gave a wry smile: "I'm already this old. If I really go to the battlefield, I might not come back alive. Besides, I have a wife, children and elderly parents to take care of. I can't bear to leave them behind."

The sound of rapid hoofbeats came from ahead, and the people, fearing they would be trampled by the hooves, hurriedly retreated to avoid them.

Yan Ciwan looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of Ulan cavalrymen galloping towards them at full speed. The leader of them was Lu Jinshu.

General Xu said, "It seems that the Prince knew that the Princess had returned and specially sent someone to pick you up."

As Yan Ciwan watched Lu Jinshu getting closer and closer, she knew he was up to no good. She pulled on the reins and stopped. Soon, Lu Jinshu was standing in front of her.

Lu Jinshu did not dismount to pay his respects, but instead said loudly, "The real Princess Leyou has already been murdered in Chang'an. Although this person looks similar to the princess, he is not the real princess. His Highness specifically ordered me to come and arrest this person!"

As soon as this statement came out, everyone in the audience was shocked.

General Xu couldn't help but say, "Are you mistaken? This person in front of me is clearly the young princess. I've watched her grow up, there's no way I could mistake her for someone else."

Lu Jinshu said coldly, "General Xu, you are old and it's normal that your eyesight is not good. This is none of your business. Please return to your post. I will handle this imposter."

More than thirty Ulan cavalrymen rode forward and surrounded Yan Ciwan.

Just as they were about to make their move, Yan Ciwan suddenly took out a sachet from her sleeve and sprinkled the medicinal powder inside.

The Ulan riders closest to her felt an unbearable itch when the powder touched their skin, and they couldn't help but scratch it vigorously.

Yan Ciwan reached her right hand into her lower back, grasped the hilt of the knife, and slowly drew out the Ning knife.

The remaining Ulan cavalry swarmed forward and charged towards Yan Ciwan.

Lu Jinshu knew that Yan Ciwan was highly skilled in martial arts and that these Ulan cavalrymen might not be her match. He took out his bow and arrow and aimed the arrow at Yan Ciwan in the crowd.

With a whoosh, the arrow shot towards Yan Ciwan!
Yan Ciwan fought ten men single-handedly without being at a disadvantage. She knocked Ulan cavalrymen off their horses one after another. Just as she was in the midst of the fierce battle, she suddenly felt a strong wind coming from behind. Without turning her head, she grabbed the arrow that was shot at her.

Not wanting to waste any more time here, she no longer held back, her Ning Blade flashing like lightning as she slashed a Ulan cavalryman off his horse.

Before anyone else could rush forward, she charged ahead, her Ning Dao imbued with powerful internal energy, sweeping away all enemies in her path.

In the end, only Lu Jinshu was left.

His face was ashen. Yan Ciwan's strength was even greater than he had expected. If he had known this, he should have brought all the Ulan Cavalry with him.

However, he had no time to think any further. In the blink of an eye, Yan Ciwan had already rushed in front of him. He swung his sword to block, and with a clang, the two swords collided.

The blade of Ning Dao was soft and thin, but it became incredibly hard in Yan Ciwan's hands.

She said expressionlessly, "You are no match for me."

Lu Jinshu exerted all his strength, the veins on the back of his hands bulged, and his cheeks quickly turned red. It was as if the other party weighed a thousand pounds, pressing him down without any power to resist.

Suddenly, the curved knife in his hand cracked and broke in two.

Ning Dao descended rapidly, about to split Lu Jinshu's head in two, when he instinctively closed his eyes.

However, after waiting for a while, the expected death did not come.

He slowly opened his eyes and saw Ning Dao stopped less than an inch away from him, the thin and sharp blade gleaming with a cold light, its chilling killing intent piercing straight to the heart.

(End of this chapter)