Ch 60: The Regent’s Farmer Husband

Jiang Ji said he would be careful, and the next day Jiang Yan noticed that he really was talking to him normally again—just like before.

Like before… and yet not quite.

In the past, Jiang Ji’s eyes would light up when he spoke to him. No matter where he was going, he’d always ask, “Do you want to come too?”
But now, Jiang Ji would glance at him only briefly before quickly looking away. Wherever he went, he no longer asked whether Jiang Yan wanted to join.

Before, Jiang Ji would often pat his shoulder or brush against his arm in passing.
Since they’d started sleeping separately, even those small, casual touches were gone.

Jiang Ji was deliberately keeping his distance.

Jiang Yan had never been talkative, but now he spoke even less. For several days in a row, he hadn’t slept well; faint dark circles shadowed his eyes.

Zhao Ru noticed and grew concerned. Over breakfast, she said, “Xiao Ji, maybe you should switch back and sleep with Jiang Yan again? Look at him—those dark circles are terrible. He must not be sleeping well. Jiang Bei moves around too much at night. Let him sleep with Jiang Nan instead—Jiang Nan sleeps deeply and won’t notice.”

Jiang Bei looked at Jiang Yan’s eyes and asked guiltily, “Brother Jiang Yan, did I kick you last night?”

Jiang Yan paused, then shook his head. “No.”

“Really?” Jiang Bei clearly had no idea whether he kicked people in his sleep, but since both his big brother and mother said so, it must have happened. “I can sleep with Third Brother instead.”

“It’s my own problem,” Jiang Yan said after a moment. “The weather’s hot. There were mosquitoes. I didn’t sleep well.”

It wasn’t yet midsummer—the daytime temperature was about thirty degrees, hot indeed, but the nights were cool, around twenty-three or twenty-four degrees, perfect for sleeping. Certainly not so hot that one couldn’t rest.

Jiang Ji knew full well that the heat was just an excuse. He looked at the dark circles under Jiang Yan’s eyes and said, “Then tonight let’s change the mosquito net.”

Jiang Yan: “…”

Zhao Ru thought about it and said, “Jiang Yan, maybe you just aren’t used to having someone else beside you. That’s why you can’t sleep?”

Jiang Yan froze for a second. “…Maybe.”

Jiang Ji gave him a quick glance but said nothing.

“Exactly,” Zhao Ru nodded. “Some people can’t sleep unless it’s a certain bed, and some can’t sleep with someone new next to them. Xiao Ji, switch back tonight. He finally got used to sleeping beside you, and then suddenly you switched to Jiang Bei—it’s no wonder he’s not used to it.”

“Mother, I’m hot,” Jiang Ji said.

Zhao Ru lightly smacked him. “How could it be hot at night this time of year?”

Jiang Ji lifted his chin. “Even Jiang Yan said it was hot.”

Jiang Yan: “…”

Jiang Ji continued, “Mother, we’re both grown men, and body temperature runs high. Put two furnaces side by side and tell me it’s not hot.”

Jiang Yan: “…” He never complained about heat before—back when he used to hold Jiang Ji while they slept every night.

Zhao Ru gave Jiang Ji a suspicious look, then turned to Jiang Yan. “You’re hot too?”

Jiang Yan glanced at Jiang Ji, pressed his lips together, and nodded. “…A little.”

Zhao Ru sighed. “Alright then, just bear with it for a few more days. You’ll be moving into the new house soon.”

That afternoon, Jiang Ji still went ahead and redeemed three modern mosquito nets. Translated on hololonovels. The fine, soft gauze was woven so tightly that the mosquito protection was obviously excellent, yet it breathed well and didn’t block the breeze.

“Oh my, this mosquito net is wonderful!” Zhao Ru said in delight. “How do they make this kind of thing?”

Nowadays, whenever Zhao Ru saw something new, she always wanted to study it and see if they could reproduce it themselves.

Their current “mosquito nets” were really more like sheets of cloth—stuffy and airless. They did block mosquitoes, but also blocked airflow, making them hotter. Even the gauze canopies used by rich families didn’t let much air through.

Jiang Ji thought for a moment. “They make these with machines. We could try to make our own, but it won’t come out quite the same.”

“Ah, the things immortals use are always better,” Zhao Ru said wistfully.

After switching to the new nets, the nights were indeed cooler.

The next day at noon, when Zhao Ru and the others came back from the fields, they happened to run into the matchmaker auntie from Mushan Village.

As soon as she saw Zhao Ru, the matchmaker hurried over and grabbed her arm. “Sister, has Jiang Ji thought about getting married yet? Have you talked him into it?”

Jiang Yan glanced her way, his steps slowing as he entered the courtyard.

Zhao Ru shook her head. “There’s nothing to be done about that this year.”

The matchmaker slapped her thigh and sighed. “Ah, such a fine young man—how can he not want to marry?”

Zhao Ru shared the same worry, but since Xiao Ji had been clear about it, she couldn’t force him. Seeing which direction the woman had come from, Zhao Ru asked, “So who are you matchmaking for this time?”

The matchmaker smiled. “Li Dagu’s eldest boy, from down the road.”

“Did it work out?” Zhao Ru asked.

“It did, it did!” The woman’s eyes curved into crescents as she grinned. “You see, their eldest is seventeen—two years younger than your Jiang Ji—and already engaged. The wedding will be in six months. You’d better hurry up.”

Zhao Ru nodded, a bit envious.

The matchmaker left, and not long after, Li Dagu’s wife came by with a piece of meat and a basket of eggs to thank them.

“Take it back, take it back,” Zhao Ru laughed. “You’re the ones getting your son engaged—why are you thanking us? We weren’t the matchmakers.”

Talking about her son’s marriage brought a proud smile to Li Dagu’s wife. “We plan to hold the wedding before the end of the year. Honestly, we have to thank you. We made some money from selling sweet potatoes before, and after helping you sell those rice seeds and getting that silver, once the harvest sells, we’ll have enough saved for the dowry. We’re even planning to build a brick house for them to live in.”

“That’ll be double happiness! Congratulations,” Zhao Ru said with a smile.

“Thank you.” Li Dagu’s wife was truly happy. Then she asked, “And how’s your Jiang Ji doing?”

Zhao Ru smiled and shook her head.

Everyone in the village knew Jiang Ji had turned down the matchmaker before. Li Dagu’s wife tried to comfort her. “Don’t worry. Maybe next year he’ll bring home a pretty bride from the city.”

Now that Jiang Ji’s family was doing well, the villagers all guessed he must be turning up his nose at local girls, planning to marry someone from town.

Zhao Ru said with a small smile, “Let him decide for himself.”

At lunch, Zhao Ru kept stealing glances at her son—one look after another, clearly wanting to say something.

Jiang Ji pretended not to notice and kept eating.

She couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Baoshan’s boy just got engaged,” she said. “They’re planning the wedding before the end of the year.”

Jiang Xia looked up at her brother. Jiang Ji kept eating silently, offering no response.

Jiang Yan also gave him a brief glance.

Jiang Nan asked curiously, “He’s getting married already? Isn’t he younger than you, brother?”

“Mm, two years younger,” Zhao Ru said. Seeing her eldest unmoved, she held back a sigh and added, “Xiao Ji…”

“Mother, we agreed,” Jiang Ji interrupted her. “Let’s not talk about this, alright?”

Zhao Ru paused, then sighed. “Alright.”

Jiang Nan blinked and asked, “Brother, why don’t you want to get married?”

Jiang Ji looked at him, deadpan. “You want a sister-in-law to move in and have one more person making you do your homework?”

Jiang Nan shuddered. “Then maybe don’t get married yet, brother.”

Zhao Ru swatted Jiang Nan’s arm. “What are you talking about? If your brother wants to get married, that’s his business! You just focus on your studies.”

Jiang Nan sneaked a glance at his brother and muttered under his breath, “He’s the one who said he doesn’t want to.”

Zhao Ru picked up a piece of meat and dropped it into his bowl. “Eat your food.”

“Oh.” Jiang Nan immediately started eating, and the moment he tasted the meat, all his childish sulking vanished. He happily munched away.

Watching him, Jiang Ji sighed inwardly. Kids really were lucky—carefree and without a single worry.

…

A couple of days after sowing the new rice seeds, Magistrate Xu sent men to deliver the items Jiang Ji had ordered from the carpenters. They also brought a message: a county messenger had arrived at the office.

Jiang Ji’s eyes lit up. After lunch, he told Zhao Ru he was heading to town—to collect the money and buy some cotton to test his machines.

By now, payments from the counties had been arriving one after another. He had already received silver from thirteen counties, with only two still outstanding.

Jiang Ji went to the county office and collected the silver notes—more than eight thousand taels in total. He stopped by the restaurant on his way out, found everything running smoothly, left a large sack of dried chili peppers, then went to the street to buy two bundles of cotton and began dragging them home.

Halfway along the road, seven or eight men on horseback came charging toward him. They rode fast as the wind, raising a thick cloud of dust in their wake.

Jiang Ji turned his face away, covering his nose with one hand as he kept walking forward.

Horseback riders might look impressive, but they kicked up too much dust.

He hadn’t gone far when the sound of hooves suddenly grew louder again.

Jiang Ji turned his head—those same horsemen had circled back. They stopped right beside him, surrounding him in an instant.

The leader, a burly man with a long scar across his forehead, demanded, “You’re Jiang Ji?”

Jiang Ji glanced at them. Each one had a blade hanging from his belt, and all of them were watching him with sharp eyes. Their clothing and bearing didn’t look like commoners at all—they looked more like bandits.

Not good.

Jiang Ji’s grip on the cart tightened. He blinked and shook his head. “No, I’m Wang Daniu.”

The scarred man frowned and looked back. “Didn’t you say this was Jiang Ji?” he barked.

From behind the last horse poked a skinny man’s head, all bones and no meat. “Boss, he’s lying. That’s him! I’ve been following him for days. I saw him go to the county office and then to Jiang Ji Dining Hall. The waiters there all call him ‘Owner.’”

Jiang Ji’s heart skipped hard. Sensing trouble, he dropped the cart and bolted—darting between two horses and straight into the woods beside the road, sprinting for all he was worth toward the city.

If he could just reach the city gates, there were soldiers stationed there. He’d be safe.

“Get him!”

A shout rang out behind him, followed by pounding hooves and the sound of men giving chase.

Jiang Ji’s heart thudded wildly as he ran, glancing back—those men had dismounted and were now pursuing him on foot.

Damn it, he’d actually run into robbers!

His chest burned, his pulse pounded in his ears. Sure enough, safety in this era was terrible!

Luckily, the forest was dense with trees, too narrow for horses to maneuver. His body, used to fieldwork, was strong—if not, he’d already have been caught.

Drawing on every ounce of strength, Jiang Ji ran for his life, weaving through the forest, circling around a low hill, keeping off the main road entirely.

“He’s heading toward the city!”

“The brat’s clever!”

They were close behind—so close he could hear their footsteps just a few paces away.

After a while, hoofbeats sounded ahead of him.

Jiang Ji looked up—the scar-faced leader had ridden around by the road and cut him off from the front!

The three others behind him were nearly on him. Jiang Ji turned sharply and ran toward the main road, sweat pouring down his face, his legs heavy and trembling, ready to give out.

“Help! Somebody help!” he yelled as he ran, desperate for anyone to hear.

“Help—!”

He stumbled over a tree root and went down hard. Before he could scramble up, one of the men lunged and pinned him to the ground.

Jiang Ji struggled to throw him off, but couldn’t. He grabbed a thick branch about the size of his thumb, swung it backward, and jabbed blindly. The man behind him let out a cry of pain, giving Jiang Ji a chance to twist free and scramble up.

But before he could run, another pursuer leapt onto him, knocking him down again. A second man came up and pressed his shoulders and back to the dirt.

Jiang Ji: “…”

Done for. Caught after all.

“Brothers, you’ve got the wrong man,” Jiang Ji said between ragged breaths. “I’m not the one you’re looking for.”

“Then why’d you run?!” one of them shouted, cuffing him hard on the head. “Lying to us, are you?!”

“…” Jiang Ji hissed in pain. “I—I panicked! Just instinct, that’s all!”

“Looks to me like you’ve got plenty of nerve!” another snapped. “Tie him up!”

“Hey, wait—wait! Brothers, we’ve got no feud between us. Why are you tying me up?”

The men grabbed him, twisting his arms behind his back, binding his wrists and ankles with rope, then tying his arms to his body as well.

Sitting on the ground, Jiang Ji looked at them, his mind racing. Were they after money?

The scarred leader crouched in front of him and gave his face a few mocking pats. “Run again, go on. Why aren’t you running now?”

Jiang Ji quickly shook his head. “Not running. Not running.”

The man sneered. “Heard you’ve made a fortune lately. We’re a little short on cash ourselves, so we thought we’d borrow some silver from you.”

So it was about money. Jiang Ji looked at their uncovered faces—bold as anything. Not wearing masks meant trouble. If he’d seen their faces, would they really let him live?

His fists clenched tight. His voice shook slightly. “B-big brother, I’ll give you money. I have silver notes in my bag. Let me go, alright?”

The scar-faced man tilted his head toward one of his men. The man beside Jiang Ji reached into his robe to search.

“…No, not there,” Jiang Ji said, tilting his chin toward the right. “It’s under my belt.”

The man lifted his tunic and saw a square bundle.

He tugged at it but couldn’t pull it free, only jerking Jiang Ji forward.

Jiang Ji said, “Brother, why don’t you untie me and I’ll help you?”

The man gave him a look, then drew a dagger from his boot and sliced the strap clean through.

Jiang Ji: “…”

The bag was leather, fastened with a zipper. The man stared at it for a while before figuring out how to open it. Inside were the silver notes Jiang Ji had just collected—over eight thousand taels in all.

“There’s more than eight thousand taels, Boss.”

The scarred man gave the bundle a glance, stood up, and said, “Bag him and move out. Lao San, after we’re gone, find someone to deliver the message. Be careful.”

“Yes, Boss!”

Hearing that, Jiang Ji panicked. “Hey, big brother, you can take the silver—just let me go!”

“Only this much? You think we’re beggars?” The scarred man patted Jiang Ji’s face with mock gentleness. “Didn’t you sell seeds to more than ten counties? Tell your family to bring the ransom.”

Jiang Ji shouted desperately, “I’ll take you there! I’ll give you everything! Just let me live!”

“What, go to your village so they can surround us? You think I’m stupid?”

The scar-faced man snatched a strip of rag from one of his men and shoved it into Jiang Ji’s mouth. Another man pulled out a burlap sack and threw it over Jiang Ji’s head.

Jiang Ji: “!” This was it—he was done for.

“Move!”

One of the men slung Jiang Ji over his shoulder. After walking a short distance, he threw him across a horse’s back.

A moment later, the group rode out of the forest at full gallop.

*

The sun was setting, its glow fading behind the fields. Jiang Xia had driven the ox home to start cooking, while Zhao Ru and Jiang Yan were still watering the vegetables—almost finished.

Suddenly, a man came running from the country road, panting as he reached the village entrance. “Is—is this the village where Jiang Ji’s family lives? He’s in trouble!”

At once, people stopped what they were doing. “What happened to him?” someone shouted.

“He’s been kidnapped! Someone told me to bring a letter to his family! Hurry, take me to his house!”

“What? Kidnapped?!” A villager dropped his hoe and ran from the field. “Come with me!”

As they ran, the man shouted, “Zhao Ru! Jiang Yan! Jiang Ji’s in trouble—come quick!”

Everyone in the fields turned to look.

Zhao Ru froze for an instant, but Jiang Yan dropped his ladle and bolted.

“What happened to him?!” Jiang Yan sprinted up the road. “What’s going on?!”

The messenger, gasping for breath, held out a letter. “I was just walking down the road when a man on horseback held a knife to my neck and told me to deliver this.”

Jiang Yan snatched the letter, unfolded it, and his expression darkened instantly.

Zhao Ru ran up, panic flooding her voice. “What happened to Xiao Ji? Jiang Yan, what does it say?”

“Jiang Ji’s been kidnapped,” Jiang Yan said in a low, hard voice. “They want us to bring silver to ransom him.”

At those words, Zhao Ru’s vision went black. Her knees gave out and she nearly collapsed.

“Auntie!” Jiang Yan caught her quickly, hoisted her onto his back, and ran toward the house. “Uncle Tugen! Go call the village chief and the elders! And you, the messenger—come with me!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll go right now!” Uncle Tugen, who had been working in the neighboring field, dropped everything and dashed off to find the chief.

Other villagers, hearing the commotion, came running from all directions toward Jiang Ji’s home, including the messenger.

“Jiang Yan, put me down,” Zhao Ru said weakly once she’d caught her breath.

“Auntie, don’t worry yet,” Jiang Yan said, carrying her into the house and setting her down.

Jiang Xia and the younger brothers, Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei, saw him carrying their mother and panicked.

“Brother Jiang Yan, what’s wrong with Mother?” Jiang Nan cried.

“I’m fine—it’s your brother who’s in trouble,” Zhao Ru said, clutching Jiang Yan’s arm, tears welling up in her eyes. “Jiang Yan, where have they taken Xiao Ji? Is he hurt? How much do they want? We have money—I’ll pay it!”

Villagers were crowding in now.

Jiang Xia and the younger boys stared blankly. “What happened to our brother?”

“Your brother’s been kidnapped. They’re demanding ransom,” one villager explained.

The three siblings froze. Jiang Nan burst into tears. “Brother…”

The house erupted into chaos—villagers talking over one another, Jiang Nan sobbing uncontrollably, the noise overwhelming.

“Quiet!” Jiang Yan barked.

Everyone fell silent at once. Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei clung to Jiang Xia’s arms, frightened into stillness.

“Auntie, please calm down first,” Jiang Yan said, steadying Zhao Ru. Then he turned to the messenger. “Uncle, did the man who gave you the letter say anything else?”

The man shook his head. “Only that if you report to the authorities, they’ll cut off one of Jiang Ji’s arms. That’s all. Then he rode off.”

Zhao Ru trembled violently. “No, no reporting. We won’t report it.”

A cold edge crept across Jiang Yan’s face, his eyes flashing with a dangerous glint.

“How many of them were there?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” the man said. “I only saw the one who gave me the message. He was masked—I could only see his eyes.”

Soon, the village chief and the clan elders arrived, all equally alarmed after hearing the news.

“Village chief, please wait a moment,” Jiang Yan said.

He led Zhao Ru into a room, closed the door, and said in a low voice, “Auntie, they’re asking for a hundred thousand taels. Give me the silver. I’ll go pay the ransom.”

“I’ll go too,” Zhao Ru said, frantic. She only wanted to get her son back as soon as possible.

Jiang Yan had calmed down now, his tone firm and steady. “No, Auntie. You have to stay home. Jiang Xia and the boys need you here. I’ll go find Lord Xu and ask for help. I can ride.”

“No! We can’t tell the officials!” Zhao Ru shook her head wildly. “They’ll hurt Xiao Ji!”

Jiang Yan gripped her arm, speaking quickly but rationally. “Auntie, listen to me. The letter says the meeting place is sixty or seventy li away, near the border between Changping and Huawen counties—only twenty or thirty li from Skull Mountain. They have horses, and they already took Jiang Ji ahead of time, which means there are at least two of them. If I’m right, the ones who took him are probably the bandits from Skull Ridge.”

“Skull Mountain… bandits?!”

The moment Zhao Ru heard the name, her face went pale. Those were the very outlaws who terrorized both Huawen and Changping counties—the ones even the county office couldn’t handle.

Jiang Yan nodded. “So, if there were only one or two of them, I’m confident I could bring Jiang Ji back myself. But if they really are bandits from Skull Ridge, there’s no way it’s just a couple of men—it must be an entire gang. If we don’t report it, neither Jiang Ji nor I might come back alive.”

Zhao Ru was still anxious. “But what if they see the soldiers…”

“I’ll work it out with the magistrate. They won’t see the soldiers coming,” Jiang Yan said firmly, his hands gripping Zhao Ru’s shoulders. “Auntie, trust me. I’ll bring Jiang Ji back alive.”

Zhao Ru’s mind was in chaos, but when she saw the calm determination in his eyes, she couldn’t help but believe him. She had no choice but to.

“Auntie, give me the silver first.”

“Alright… it’s—it’s under your bed.”

Zhao Ru bent down and dragged out a black cloth bundle. Because all the funds hadn’t been collected yet, Jiang Ji had told her not to bury them until everything was gathered. She’d planned to dig a pit beneath their bed for a lockbox once it was complete.

She went to her room to fetch the key, her hands trembling as she entered the code and turned the lock. Inside was a wooden chest.

Jiang Yan opened his own pack, took out the jade pendant Jiang Ji had given him, and placed it under his pillow. “How much is in here?” he asked.

“One hundred and five thousand taels.”

Jiang Yan took out five thousand and packed the rest into his bag.

After Zhao Ru put the lockbox back in place, Jiang Yan opened the door.

Everyone in the house looked toward them.

“Mother,” Jiang Xia called, leading Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei forward. “Brother Jiang Yan.”

Jiang Yan patted the younger boys’ heads. “Don’t be afraid.”

Then he turned to the village chief. “Village Chief, uncles—please help look after the house while I go ransom Jiang Ji.”

The chief nodded. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of things here.”

Jiang Yan nodded again. “Chief, please gather the strong men from the village to patrol tonight. Tomorrow, Jiang Nan and Jiang Bei shouldn’t go to school. Everyone should stay in the village until we return.”

The chief hesitated. “You think they might come here?”

“Just in case.”

“Alright. I’ll take care of it.” The chief then asked, “Are you going to report this to the officials?”

“I’ll speak to Magistrate Xu and have him send men to the village. Please cooperate with them when they arrive,” Jiang Yan said.

Hearing that officials would be involved, everyone breathed a little easier. The village chief said, “Go, then.”

Jiang Yan nodded and turned to the messenger. “Uncle, where did you meet that man?”

“About three li down the main road outside your village. I’m from Lishu Village, that way.”

Jiang Yan nodded, then looked at Zhao Ru. “I’ll bring him back alive.”

He turned and ran out.

Zhao Ru’s tears spilled over. “Jiang Yan, you all come back safely!” she cried after him.

On the main road, Jiang Yan quickly spotted the trail of hoofprints—passing from west to east, then back west again. Judging from the prints, there had been seven or eight horses.

He followed them to the spot the messenger had mentioned and found a cluster of chaotic hoof marks—the man hadn’t lied.

Jiang Yan kept running, examining the ground as he went. A mile or two ahead, he came across a broken handcart by the roadside—the same one Jiang Ji had dragged out that morning. The grass nearby was trampled flat. It seemed Jiang Ji had run into the woods from here and been caught shortly after.

Two miles from the city, the hoofprints veered off and disappeared into the forest ahead.

Jiang Yan immediately deduced that the kidnappers had split up—some circling ahead to cut him off.

Jiang Ji hadn’t tried to run home; he’d been heading for the city to find the guards.

Realizing this, Jiang Yan stopped tracking and sprinted straight into town toward the county office.

After hearing what happened, Magistrate Xu’s face drained of color.

“Kidnapped?”

“Yes, this is the note they left,” Jiang Yan said, handing it over.

Magistrate Xu read it, his expression hardening. “Do you know who did it?”

“I suspect it’s the Skull Mountain bandits,” Jiang Yan replied, watching the magistrate’s face carefully.

“What?” Magistrate Xu’s eyes widened. “Why do you think that?”

Jiang Yan explained everything—the messenger’s account and the traces he’d found on the road.

“My lord, I’d like to request soldiers to help me rescue Jiang Ji.”

“Of course.” Magistrate Xu called out, “Fetch Captain Zhou at once.”

Before long, County Captain Zhou Lin arrived.

Magistrate Xu briefed him, and Jiang Yan went over the clues again.

Zhou Lin nodded. “Your reasoning makes sense, Jiang Yan. I’ll gather the men and set out immediately.”

“Wait, Captain Zhou.” Jiang Yan stopped him, his tone firm. “You can’t approach them openly. I don’t want Jiang Ji hurt.”

Zhou looked at him seriously. “If they really are Skull Mountain bandits, we’ll be lucky to bring him back alive at all.”

“I know,” Jiang Yan said solemnly. “But I want to minimize the risk as much as possible.”

“How do you propose we do that?”

“Do you have a map?”

“Yes.”

They spread one out. Zhou pointed to the spot mentioned in the ransom note. “This is Turtle Ridge—named for its shape. It’s not high, but there are roads on three sides, easy for escape. About four li west from here is Huawen County, and another twenty li beyond that is Skull Mountain. That’s probably why they chose it for the exchange.”

Jiang Yan studied the map, thinking for a moment. Then he traced a line across it with his finger. “Captain Zhou, how long would it take your men to circle around this way?”

“There’s no proper road there—horses can’t get through. At night, it’ll take at least half an hour.”

Jiang Yan nodded. “Alright. Here’s what we’ll do…”

They discussed the plan for a while. Zhou gathered the county soldiers, sending five men to Shanquan Village while the rest prepared to move out together.

Jiang Yan took a horse and rode ahead.

The mountain wind howled past his face, sharp and cold. His brows and lashes seemed carved from frost, his eyes like blades—clear, focused, and deadly calm.

Jiang Ji, don’t be afraid. Wait for me.

🌾🌾🌾🌾🌾

Thandar: Huh the usual damsel in distress trope.