Starting with The Eagle Shooting Heroes: I gain a year's worth of skill every day.

Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty.

The Yang family's villa.

Amidst the sound of shattering porcelain, the girl's clear voice carried a hint of stubbornness.

"I won't marry him!"

Yang Yuhuan stood in the embroidered tower, her face pale, her eyes filled with stubbornness.

She was eighteen years old and extremely beautiful.

Her skin was like solidified cream, her eyebrows like distant mountains shrouded in mist, and her eyes like autumn waters brimming with waves.

What's most remarkable is that air of elegance and nobility, as if it were born to stand on the clouds and look down upon all living beings.

Even with her face streaked with tears and looking haggard, her stunning beauty still captivated everyone's attention.

Before her, Yang Xuangui's face was ashen.

The patriarch of the Yang family was over forty years old, his temples already streaked with gray. His every gesture exuded the authority of someone who had held a high position for many years. Yet, at this moment, his eyes held not only anger, but also a deep weariness and helplessness.

"You bastard!"

Yang Xuangui pointed at Yang Yuhuan, his voice filled with suppressed anger.

"His Highness Prince Shou is a prince; it's your good fortune that he's taken a liking to you! How dare you try to kill yourself?"

Yang Yuhuan bit her lip, a resolute glint in her beautiful eyes.

"I'd rather die from a runaway car!"

Her voice trembled, but her tone was firm. This young lady, only eighteen years old and raised in luxury since childhood, revealed for the first time the stubbornness in her bones.

Yet, an indescribable emotion welled up within me.

She herself did not understand why she was so resistant to this marriage.

Prince Li Mao, as a prince, was handsome and came from a distinguished family. He should have been the perfect match that all women dreamed of.

But whenever she thought about marrying him, Yang Yuhuan felt an indescribable sense of resistance.

That feeling was like... betrayal.

Betrayed what?

Even Yang Yuhuan herself couldn't explain it clearly.

All she knew was that whenever the night was quiet, she would involuntarily think of the person on the other side of the mirror.

The Taoist priest had a calm voice and didn't say much, but he always made her feel at ease.

That feeling was wonderful.

Before each chat ends, she always tries to stay in touch for a few more minutes.

What is this?

Yang Yuhuan dared not think too deeply about it.

All she knew was that ever since she met that Taoist priest, all other men in the world paled in comparison in her eyes.

Even if he's a prince, so what?

Yang Xuangui sneered, his tone growing increasingly cold.

"You think death is the end of it? Even if you die, I'll still send your memorial tablet to the Prince of Shou's mansion!"

He looked at Yang Yuhuan, a complex expression flashing in his eyes.

"Yu Huan".

Yang Xuangui's voice suddenly lowered, carrying a hint of weariness and desolation.

Do you know why your uncle is like this?

He walked to the window, turned his back to Yang Yuhuan, and looked out at the city of Chang'an.

"The Yang family's current situation in the court is precarious. Li Linfu is in power and is eyeing our clan covetously. Last month, your cousin Yang Guozhong was almost framed and imprisoned. Without the protection of the royal family, our Yang clan may not even survive until next year."

Yang Xuangui turned around, looked at Yang Yuhuan, and a trace of pain flashed in his eyes.

"Your marriage into the Prince Shou's mansion is the Yang family's lifeline. What is your happiness as a woman compared to the survival of the entire family? Your parents died early, and the Yang family raised you and gave you a life of luxury. Now that the Yang family is in trouble, you should sacrifice yourself for the family!"

His voice grew increasingly stern, yet it carried an indescribable sorrow.

"Uncle didn't want it to be this way either. But the world doesn't allow us a choice. Do you think Uncle wants to watch his eighteen-year-old niece be sent to the Prince's mansion like a commodity? But if Uncle doesn't do this, all three hundred members of the Yang family will be buried with her!"

Having said that, Yang Xuangui seemed unwilling to say more, turned and left, giving instructions with a flick of his sleeve.

"Guards! Keep a close eye on her! She is not to step out of her room before the wedding!"

The door slammed shut.

Yang Yuhuan collapsed to the ground, tears silently streaming down her stunning face.

She knew that what her uncle said was true.

Although she lived a secluded life, she had heard about the Yang family's situation over the years.

But she was not reconciled.

She was unwilling to be treated like merchandise and sent to the home of a man she had never met and didn't love at all.

What she found even more unbearable was... a figure vaguely lingered in her heart, a figure that haunted her dreams yet she dared not acknowledge.

It's been more than two months.

Yang Xuangui flew into a rage the day his uncle caught her staring blankly at the bronze mirror in her room, a dazed smile on her face, muttering something like "Taoist Master" or "Taoist Master Shen."

He was preoccupied with the Prince of Shou's marriage at the time, and seeing her so distraught, he assumed she had been bewitched by some sorcerer. Without a word, he snatched the mirror away, locked it deep in the storeroom, and assigned someone to guard it, forbidding anyone from approaching.

After that, she could no longer contact Shen Mo.

She didn't know where he was.

I don't even know if he knows about his current situation.

Yang Yuhuan bit her lip, and tears streamed down her face even more rapidly.

She knew these thoughts were utterly absurd.

Why would a Taoist priest she'd never met, and a conversation conducted through a mirror, cause her to be so attached?

But she just couldn't help it.

I can't help but think of his voice every night.

She couldn't help but feel a strong sense of resistance when faced with this marriage—because she knew that once she married into the Prince of Shou's mansion, she would probably never see that person again in her life.

But now, even that little bit of hope is gone.

The thought of being married off to Prince Shou as a commodity filled eighteen-year-old Yang Yuhuan with not only despair but also a deep-seated resentment.

She is not reconciled.

I'm not willing to accept my fate like this.

She was unwilling to not even have the chance to see him.

Just then—

Boom!!!

A deafening roar came from outside the courtyard!

The entire villa felt a violent shaking!

The roof tiles fell down in a rustling sound!

"What's going on?!"

"Enemies have broken in!"

Terrified screams and the clanging of weapons could be heard from outside the courtyard.

Yang Yuhuan suddenly stood up, quickly walked to the window, and cautiously looked outside.

A huge hole was blasted into the courtyard wall.

Several strangely dressed people strode in!

The leader was a blonde, blue-eyed Western woman.

She was tall and slender, wearing a tight-fitting black leather outfit that accentuated her curves. Her long golden hair fluttered in the night wind, creating a unique beauty that complemented her refined yet aloof face.

But the moment she raised her hand, that beauty instantly turned into terror.

A flickering flame appeared in his palm.

The flames had an eerie orange-red color, which was particularly dazzling in the night.

With a casual wave of his hand!

call--

A fireball the size of a human head roared out!

The servants who rushed forward were instantly burned to a crisp, without even having time to scream! The air was filled with the nauseating smell of burnt meat.

Beside the Western woman, the figure of a short, masked man appeared and disappeared intermittently.

He was dressed in all black, revealing only his narrow eyes. Those eyes were cold and ruthless, like a venomous snake eyeing its prey.

Each time it appeared, a cold glint flashed.

That was the gleam of a dagger.

More than a dozen servants collapsed, clutching their throats, blood gushing out and pooling on the ground in horrifying puddles.

What Yang Yuhuan feared most was the thing following at the very back!

It was a steel puppet that was at least two zhang tall!

It was entirely black, its surface covered with intricate patterns and runes, and its joints shimmered with an eerie red light. A huge red crystal pulsated on its chest, beating like a heart.

With each step, the earth seemed to tremble.

The heavy footsteps, like the death knell, struck Yang Yuhuan's heart again and again.

"Target confirmed."

A cold, mechanical sound, like metal scraping, emanated from the steel golem's chest.

"Yang Yuhuan, niece of Yang Xuangui. Age: 18. According to the mission prompt, the target is in that embroidered pavilion. Vital signs: Normal. Threat level: Zero. Immediate capture recommended."

Anna, the blonde woman, sneered and looked at the tightly closed embroidered tower.

"Still hiding inside pretending to be a lady?" She flexed her fingers, the flames at her fingertips dancing even more merrily. "Fine, saves us the trouble of searching for her."

She raised her right hand, and the flames in her palm suddenly expanded!

A fireball, several times larger than before, condensed in her hand, radiating terrifying heat.

"Blast it open!"

call--

A massive fireball roared out, carrying destructive power, and crashed straight towards the embroidered tower!

Boom!!!

A huge hole was blasted through the entire wall of the embroidered building in an instant!