Chapter 55: The Act of Plucking the Heart:

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Li Yunli stood in front of the main seat, her expression cold.

Outside the tent, noise filled the air, but inside, it was eerily silent.

She looked at Yun Chu, who had his head lowered. The doubt in her heart flickered for just a moment before transforming into anger.

“Stand up! Why would I tie you up?”

“Your Highness.” Yun Chu remained kneeling, raising his head to look at her. “If they came for me, then I am the one dragging you down.”

There was another sentence he dared not say.

If Li Yunli suspected that the people outside were not Wurong warriors but Wei soldiers, she could bind him and send him out as proof that this was not his doing.

But there was no need to say it—Li Yunli understood it clearly.

She stepped down from the main seat, drawing the long sword from behind it with a swift and almost rough motion before yanking him up.

“If they are not here for you, then prove it to me yourself!”

With that, she shoved the long sword into his hands.

Yun Chu instinctively caught it. The hilt was slightly cool, yet it had a reassuring weight.

It was her sword.

“Alright. Thank you, Your Highness!”

With that, he turned around, lifted the tent flap, and strode out, sword in hand!

Li Yunli’s mind was in turmoil tonight. The sudden ambush had caught her off guard, and in the heat of the moment, she was acting on impulse.

“Come back here!”

She called out sharply.

Yun Chu’s steps faltered. He tilted his head slightly but did not turn back.

“If those outside are truly Wei soldiers, and you, as a prince, raise your blade against them, you will be killing your own comrades and old acquaintances. Have you thought this through?”

Yun Chu suddenly grinned, revealing a flash of white teeth before the smile disappeared just as quickly.

“If they are indeed Zheng Siyin’s men, then they are the death soldiers he has been nurturing all along. They have lived in the shadows, hovering between life and death, licking blood off the blade’s edge. If tonight they find release at my hands, then I shall chant prayers for their souls.”

He lifted the sword slightly, his expression solemn.

“Your Highness, thank you for giving me a new choice. This time, I do not wish to follow his path. Please grant me my freedom, so I may reassure the hearts of all.”

With that, he used his sword to lift the tent flap. His foot touched the ground lightly as he gathered his strength, and his figure shot out!

“Yun Chu!”

Li Yunli reached out to stop him, but she noticed her voice was trembling. It was as if her heart had suddenly skipped a beat.

She was the only one left inside the tent.

Li Yunli quickly turned back, retrieving the bow hanging in the tent.

It was originally made for her body’s previous owner, perfectly suited to her size and grip.

She glanced at the billowing tent flaps.

Outside, the sounds of battle were deafening. If she stepped out now, she would be fully immersed in the bloodshed.

This was not the first time she had seen people die in front of her. But if she stepped out of this tent tonight, she would be part of this battle.

She knew her own archery skills well.

Taking a deep breath, she slung the quiver over her shoulder and ripped open the tent flap!

The wind outside howled.

The number of attackers was greater than Li Yunli had expected. The shadow guards and soldiers were locked in fierce combat, though it was evident that no reinforcements had arrived for the enemy.

Li Yunli quickly drew her bow. A shadow guard beside her slashed down an enemy with his blade and shouted, “Your Highness, over here!”

There was a stack of hay. During an attack, hiding in places like a carriage or inside a tent would only make her a bigger target, creating more trouble for those protecting her.

A secure hiding spot was crucial. Li Yunli swiftly moved toward it!

Yun Chu, wielding her sword, guarded her just three steps ahead.

His swordplay was exquisite.

In the chaos, there was no time to speak to him. She only saw him glance sideways at her before swiftly spinning to slay an approaching enemy.

Seeing Yun Chu enter the fray seemed to enrage the enemy further.

Li Yunli noticed that every strike they made against him was with deadly force.

Yet Yun Chu, with his elegant features and graceful form, turned into a strikingly beautiful god of death when wielding a blade. Every move, every stroke, was executed with lethal precision—every attack striking the throat!

A warning to all—do not approach!

Li Yunli nearly forgot that Yun Chu had once been a general. The novel’s descriptions of his swordsmanship had been full of praise, but even they could not compare to the sheer ruthless beauty of witnessing it in person.

She tore her gaze away, drew back her bowstring, and aimed at the source of the enemy’s arrows.

There was only one archer on the other side, hiding in the shadows and picking off their soldiers one by one, making it difficult for them to defend against the sneak attacks.

He had to be dealt with.

In a battle of snipers, even amid chaos, the world seemed to quiet around her.

Li Yunli drew her bow, closing one eye slightly.

“Whoosh—”

As the arrow left the string, Yun Chu, in the middle of a fight, spared half a second to track its flight. He watched as the figure in the shadows fell from a high tower.

Then, he swiftly cut down an assassin trying to approach Li Yunli, positioning himself in front of her and turning his head slightly in praise. “Your Highness, your archery is exceptional.”

Li Yunli’s fingers still trembled slightly.

This was the first time she had used an arrow against a human—and it was a kill shot.

The battle gradually subsided.

The soldiers attempted to capture the remaining few assassins alive, but before they could, the attackers bit down on the poison hidden under their tongues.

Yun Chu watched this grim scene, lowering his gaze. His sword was already drenched in blood.

A guard came to report the situation. Li Yunli nodded, stepping forward.

She didn’t need the report—she could already see the devastation.

Thirty-one attackers in total, including assassins and archers, clearly using a suicidal attack strategy.

“What was their goal?” Li Yunli murmured to herself, taking a few steps forward. “Was it merely to intimidate us?”

Her gaze swept over the battlefield—until she suddenly realized that Haler, the one who had pretended to be a Wurong warrior, was missing!

Turning back to Yun Chu, she was about to voice her suspicion when she saw his expression change drastically. His lips formed her name, and he was already rushing toward her.

“Your Highness, watch out!!!”

It happened too fast.

Li Yunli had no time to react—only the sudden sound of galloping hooves filled her ears.

For a brief second, the world went silent.

Yun Chu, having served in the Wei army, immediately recognized the formation—this was the Wei army’s elite capture tactic, known as the Heart-Plucking Formation.

As the name suggested, it was designed to strike through enemy lines and directly seize the commanding general, robbing the opposition of their leader.

He was all too familiar with it. He had used it many times in battle.

This was the first time he was facing it.

When he saw the iron net and chains, every drop of blood in his body seemed to freeze.

His instincts moved faster than his thoughts—his body lunged forward!

“Protect Her Highness!!”

“Your Highness!!”

“Hyah!!”

The sound of hooves, shouts, and the startled cries of soldiers rang out all at once. Weary from the recent battle, the soldiers had not yet recovered—who could have foreseen this treacherous move?

Li Yunli felt a searing pain in her shoulder as she hit the ground and rolled several times. Her left shoulder felt as if the bone had been shattered, the agony excruciating.

“Your Highness!!”

Shi Liu rushed to help her up, relieved to see she was still alive, before shouting anxiously, “The consort—!!”

Li Yunli jerked her head up—

Yun Chu, in that split second, had shoved her away, but in doing so, he had been ensnared by the iron chains. The horse-riding captors moved with terrifying speed—it was clear they had come to seize him.

They had already taken him!

She gritted her teeth. “After them!”

The silent wilderness was suddenly covered in falling snow.

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