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Yun Ran lowered her eyes and said softly, "You can leave now. I need to rest."

Seeing that her face looked extremely pale, Wanwan didn't dare to ask any more questions and walked out with a pout.

Yun Ran sat down at the table, staring blankly at the flickering flame in the oil lamp before her. Today had brought her a series of setbacks; not only had she injured her right arm, but she had also lost her Purple Thorn Sword. Although she knew who had captured Sima Liuyun, with her current strength, rescuing him from Wen Huaifeng was an impossible task. Yun Ran lowered her eyelashes, feeling a dull ache throughout her body, and a sense of dejection washed over her.

Suddenly, the door creaked open, and Wanwan came back into the room carrying a basin of water.

Yun Ran didn't look up, and said softly, "Didn't I tell you to leave?"

Seeing that Yun Ran looked dejected and didn't lash out at her, Wanwan was quite surprised. She chuckled and said, "Let me help you apply medicine and bandage your wound." As she spoke, she placed the basin on the table and noticed that blood was faintly seeping from Yun Ran's right arm wound through her clothes. She then took the medicine bag and used scissors to cut open the sleeve of Yun Ran's right arm, exposing the wound.

Yun Ran knew that she meant well, so she said no more and let her bandage her wound.

Seeing the wound was so deep, almost exposing the bone, Wanwan clicked her tongue and sighed. She quickly changed the dressing, carefully bandaged the wound, and blinked, asking, "Who originally applied this medicine for you? This medicine is very precious; applying so much at once, this person is quite generous." She glanced at Yun Ran and suddenly laughed, "Could it be... Chief Qi?"

Yun Ran's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she said in a deep voice, "Don't mention this person in front of me again."

Seeing Yun Ran's face flushed red and her eyes filled with hatred, Wanwan was surprised and murmured, "Strange, she was fine when she went out this morning, but she seems like a different person when she comes back tonight."

She glanced down and saw a red mark on Yun Ran's neck. A thought struck her, and recalling Yun Ran's appearance and behavior when he returned to the room, she exclaimed, "Could it be that he has already..."

Yun Ran's face suddenly turned pale. She turned her head to the side and whispered, "If you dare to talk nonsense again, I will kill you."

Wanwan glanced at her and saw what appeared to be tears in her eyes. She immediately understood, frowned, and sneered, "I never expected the dignified leader of the Absolute Killing Sect to do something like this, taking advantage of someone in distress. Men are all the same." She paced back and forth in the room, as if making a decision, then suddenly turned to Yunran and said, "Don't worry, even without the Absolute Killing Sect's help, we will definitely be able to rescue Young Master Sima!"

Yun Ran had lost her composure for a moment, and now her mood was slightly subdued. She looked up at Wanwan and saw that she was full of energy and eager to try. After a moment's thought, she guessed what was going on and asked indifferently, "What benefits did the Sima family promise you?"

Wanwan paused for a moment, glanced at Yunran with a hint of reproach, and said with an embarrassed smile, "Ten thousand gold coins. That's more than the bounty I got for assassinating Young Master Sima. Now you don't have to worry about me turning against you at the last minute, right?"

Seeing her smiling mischievously with her eyes crinkled, Yun Ran was speechless for a moment, and her original resentment and frustration subsided somewhat.

For several days, the spies planted by the Sima family in the government office failed to gather any information, and Wen Huaifeng and his group remained nowhere to be found. Wanwan grew increasingly anxious and considered leading a group to storm the government office, but was dissuaded by the Sima family. Although the Sima family was renowned in the martial arts world, they were also a prominent local clan in Lezhou, and naturally, they were unwilling to openly antagonize the government unless absolutely necessary.

Yun Ran wanted to ask Wanhe Mountain Villa for help, but the distance between Sichuan and Yanzhou was too far and it was no longer within the sphere of influence of Wanhe Mountain Villa. Even if Luo Qi sent people, it would probably be too late to help them in the short term.

The crowd gathered in the hall, discussing amongst themselves, but no one paid any attention to them. Suddenly, a servant rushed in and reported to the steward of the Sima family, "There is a wandering swordsman outside who wants to see you. He says he has received news from the master and has come to deliver the message."

The butler's expression shifted, and he hurriedly said, "Quickly, go and invite them in."

The servant responded and left, and soon returned with a man in blue robes into the hall.

The man appeared to be around thirty years old, with a fierce and imposing air about him. His eyes held a sharp, restrained glint, and he seemed to possess an extraordinary presence.

Everyone was taken aback when they saw the man with a blue cloth wrapped around his head and his rather strange attire. Suddenly, someone nearby exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't that Chief Sang of the Azure Phoenix Gang?"

The man who spoke was Sima Liuyun's personal attendant. He had accompanied Sima Liuyun back to Sichuan that day, when they were ambushed and intercepted by the Qingluan Gang. He had a deep impression of this man in blue and recognized him at a glance.

The man in blue blushed slightly and clasped his hands in greeting to the crowd, saying, "That's right, I am Sang Feihe, the leader of the Qingluan Gang."

Seeing that he looked travel-worn and his voice was slightly hoarse, Yun Ran guessed that he had traveled all night to get here, so she quickly asked, "Chief Sang, I heard that you came here because you had news from Young Master Sima?"

Sang Feihe's expression was solemn. He nodded slightly. He saw that although Yun Ran was a young girl, the Sima family treated her with great respect, as if they followed her every word. He dared not underestimate her and said in a deep voice, "I have learned that Young Master Sima has been captured by the Imperial Guard and is being secretly sent to the capital."

Everyone was taken aback, and someone asked suspiciously, "But we have spies both inside and outside the Lezhou government office. If the young master was sent away from the government office, why didn't the spies notice?"

Yun Ran pondered for a moment, then asked Sang Feihe, "Chief Sang, this matter is of great importance. Please forgive my impertinence, but where did you obtain this information?"

Sang Feihe said, "I have received kindness from Young Master Sima and respect his character. I had already decided to restrain my gang members and never set foot in Sichuan again..."

Everyone knew that the Qingluan Gang was involved in banditry, and the Sima family were wealthy merchants in Sichuan, frequently transporting goods throughout the region. Sang Feihe's actions were clearly a gesture of respect to Sima Liuyun, indicating he didn't want to commit a crime there. Sichuan was a prosperous region, always fiercely contested by various underworld figures; Sang Feihe's willingness to forgo this area demonstrated exceptional loyalty.

He continued, "However, one of my brothers was recently captured by the authorities and imprisoned in the Lezhou Prefecture prison. I thought I had to rescue him first, so I secretly ordered a tunnel to be dug outside the prefectural government. The night before last, I sent several brothers through that tunnel to infiltrate the prefectural government. But the direction was wrong, and they ended up in the prefectural dungeon, where they found Young Master Sima being imprisoned. The dungeon was heavily guarded, and all the men I sent were killed by the Dragon Guards stationed there. Only one man managed to escape and told me about it."

Yun Ran and the others then realized that none of the spies they sent could find any information about Sima Liuyun. It turned out that Wen Huaifeng had imprisoned him in an underground dungeon, and there must have been a secret passage leading directly to the dungeon, which allowed him to keep it a secret from everyone.

Sang Feihe said, "When I learned that Young Master Sima had been captured, I wanted to lead my men to rescue him, but the Dragon Guard moved so fast that they escorted him out of the city overnight and took him to the capital. I chased after him all the way out of the city and led my men to ambush him several times, but I was repelled by the Dragon Guard every time and lost a lot of men. I had no choice but to return to Lezhou overnight and come to your residence to report the news."

The steward of the Sima family was deeply grateful and clasped his hands in thanks to Sang Feihe, saying, "Chief Sang has gone to such great lengths to save my young master. The entire Sima family will forever be grateful for your kindness!"

Sang Feihe frowned and said, "It is my duty to do my part for Young Master Sima. I only regret that my skills are too low to accomplish anything. The most urgent task now is to rescue Young Master Sima before the Dragon Guard returns to the capital."

Yun Ran and Wan Wan exchanged a glance, knowing that the Dragon Guard Army wielded immense power in the capital. If Sima Liuyun were taken back to the capital, rescuing him would be even more difficult.

Yun Ran pondered for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Now that we know the whereabouts of Young Master Sima, we should go to rescue him immediately. But we must plan carefully before we act, and strike while the Dragon Guards are still in Sichuan, aiming for a decisive victory."

☆、A chance encounter

Three days later, on the ancient road in Sichuan, dozens of riders were silently escorting a horse-drawn carriage.

These people were all dressed in tight-fitting clothes, with solemn expressions. Although they were hurrying along the way, they did not miss the slightest movement by the roadside, and their eyes occasionally flashed with vigilance.

Commander Zheng, who was walking at the front, looked up at the sky and knew that in a few hours he would be able to meet up with the next group of Dragon Guard experts who were coming from the capital. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

They haven't been attacked by the Qingluan Gang in the past few days. Those people are like a persistent ghost, always harassing them. But recently they've suddenly stopped making a move, which has made Commander Zheng quite uneasy.

He glanced back into the carriage, thinking that with Lord Wen personally overseeing things, the rabble of the Qingluan Gang was no threat. Once they successfully escorted Sima Liuyun back to the capital, it would be a great achievement, and then…

Just then, a clear, gentle voice came from inside the carriage: "Commander Zheng."

Commander Zheng quickly gathered his thoughts and turned his horse to the front of the carriage. Wen Huaifeng lifted the carriage curtain and asked him, "Is this the Sheep Intestine Valley ahead?"

Commander Zheng replied respectfully, "Indeed, a few miles beyond Yangchang Valley lies Wupen Ridge. The reinforcements from the capital should be able to reach there and join us before tonight."

Seeing the joy on his face, Wen Huaifeng said calmly, "Yes, but the terrain of Yangchang Valley is treacherous, so we must be extra careful when we pass through it later."

Commander Zheng's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly said, "Your Excellency is wise. I will go and instruct everyone to be on guard immediately."

Seeing Commander Zheng leave, Wen Huaifeng casually put down the carriage tent, turned to look at the other person in the carriage, and said with a smile, "Young Master Sima, this Sichuan region is quite unsettled. I'll have to ask you to stay for two more days. Once we've passed Wupen Ridge, I will immediately remove my shackles and apologize to you properly."

Sima Liuyun, whose hands and feet were shackled and whose chest was wrapped in thick bandages, was leaning against the wall of the room with his eyes closed, resting. Upon hearing this, he opened his eyes and said indifferently, "Lord Wen, there is no need to be so polite. However, I am quite puzzled. Although my Sima family has a slight reputation in the martial arts world, we have always followed the rules and kept a low profile. How could we have attracted the court's suspicion?"

Wen Huaifeng smiled slightly and said, "Young Master Sima, you are overthinking it. This matter is not as you think, and the court has no intention of dealing with your Sima family."

Sima Liuyun frowned and said, "Then I understand even less. If you covet my Sima family's property, you could have simply killed me with one sword and made my elder brother the head of the family. Why go through all this trouble and send a large number of people to escort me back to the capital?"

Wen Huaifeng's eyes flickered slightly, but he simply smiled and said, "Once Young Master Sima returns to the capital with me, he will understand the reason."

Sima Liuyun lowered his eyes in thought, but he really couldn't figure out what Lord Wen was up to.

Both men, lost in their own thoughts, remained silent. After traveling for a while, the carriage suddenly lurched violently and came to a screeching halt. Commander Zheng shouted urgently, "Everyone, beware of hidden weapons!" Before he finished speaking, several screams of pain came from outside, indicating that some people had already been injured by hidden weapons.

Sima Liuyun's expression shifted, and he saw Wen Huaifeng with a half-smile on his face, raising his eyes and saying, "As expected, someone has set up an ambush in this Yangchang Valley."

Seeing his composed expression, as if he had expected this, Sima Liuyun's heart sank slightly. Suddenly, the carriage curtain was lifted, and Commander Zheng, looking panicked, reported to Wen Huaifeng, "Sir, we've been ambushed! There are quite a few of them, and it seems it's not just the Qingluan Gang..."

Wen Huaifeng raised an eyebrow slightly and ordered, "Send more men to guard the carriage and keep a close eye on Young Master Sima." With that, he lifted the curtain, stepped out of the carriage, and jumped down.

As its name suggests, the valley was a narrow mountain path with steep cliffs on both sides. The enemy had been lying in ambush on the cliffs. As the Dragon Guards entered the valley, they suddenly attacked. Taking advantage of the terrain, they first injured several people with poisoned hidden weapons, and then blocked the Dragon Guards in the mountain path, charging towards the carriage.

Wen Huaifeng stared intently and saw that half of the opposing group had their heads wrapped in blue cloth and wore strange clothes, so they were members of the Qingluan Gang. The rest of them were all dressed in black, holding sharp swords. Their movements were quite disciplined, and their martial arts skills were not weak either. For a time, they fought to a standstill with the experts of the Dragon Guard.

He frowned slightly, but his gaze was drawn to a black figure in the crowd. The person had long hair tied up, with beautiful features, and his clear eyes now held a murderous aura. He was holding a sword in his left hand and fighting alongside a woman in the crowd, trying his best to get closer to the carriage.

Wen Huaifeng's lips curled slightly, and he leaped straight toward where the person was.

The group that laid an ambush in Yangchang Valley were naturally Yun Ran and his companions. After discussing the matter that day, everyone agreed that Yangchang Valley's terrain was treacherous, making it a highly advantageous location for a sneak attack. Although Yun Ran knew that Wen Huaifeng's martial arts were superb and his Dragon Guards were all highly skilled, and that even with the combined strength of the Sima family and the Qingluan Gang, victory was not guaranteed, the situation forced them to give it their all.

With her right arm injured, she was wielding the sword with her left hand, which inevitably diminished her skill. However, with Wanwan protecting her with her black silk hand, she still held her own against her opponent.

As the two approached the carriage, their spirits lifted, they suddenly saw a gray shadow fly towards them. Then, a flash of blue light appeared before them, and Wen Huaifeng drew his sword and thrust it at them.

Yun Ran's expression changed slightly, and she flicked out her soft sword with her left hand, aiming at the Taiyuan acupoint on his wrist.

Wen Huaifeng knew her sword style well and preemptively pressed her sword down with his own. Looking at her, he said softly, "Ran'er, do you really want to oppose me?"

Yun Ran felt a pang of pain in her heart. She bit her lip and withdrew her sword. With a slight flick of her wrist, she launched another attack at Wen Huaifeng's chest.

Wen Huaifeng laughed, "You're so disobedient, it seems I have to take you back and teach you a lesson." As he spoke, his long sword flashed repeatedly, and in an instant, he thrust several swords at Yun Ran like a storm.

Yun Ran's skill and swordsmanship were already slightly inferior to his, and now that he had unleashed a fast sword strike, Yun Ran's left-handed sword was caught off guard and unable to keep up.

Seeing that things were not going well, Wanwan quickly leaped out and reached for Wen Huaifeng's longsword. She wore black silk gloves on both hands, so she was not afraid of sharp blades. She wanted to imitate Sima Liuyun's method, grab Wen Huaifeng's longsword and then break it with force.

Wen Huaifeng's face turned cold, his long sword trembled slightly, and he dodged Wanwan's palm, swiftly thrusting it towards her shoulder.

Before Wanwan could react, a flash of blue light was already at her shoulder. She screamed in fright and jumped back in a panic. Yunran quickly swung her sword to parry, blocking the sword for her, but an opening was already exposed under her arm.

Wen Huaifeng laughed loudly, took a step forward, and with his left hand as swift as lightning, struck her vital point under her arm.

Seeing that Yun Ran couldn't dodge in time, Wen Huaifeng's fingers had just touched her clothes under her arm when he heard a whooshing sound behind his head. Startled, he quickly turned and swung his sword, slashing backward. With a clang, the hidden weapon was deflected by his sword and fell to the ground beside him.

Yun Ran, who was standing nearby, could see clearly that the hidden weapon that had saved her was the iron caltrop that Qi Mo was used to, and her expression changed.

Several figures darted through the crowd like lightning, rushing up from behind Wen Huaifeng. Qi Moren, several feet away, already called out with a laugh, "Lord Wen, we didn't settle our score in our last brief encounter. How about we have another match today?" As he spoke, he had already reached the front, and with a casual glance at Yun Ran, he immediately drew his sword and began fighting with Wen Huaifeng.

Yun Ran was momentarily bewildered when she heard Wanwan exclaim in surprise, "Why did Chief Qi suddenly come... Huh? Why is he here too?"

Yun Ran snapped out of her thoughts and looked up. Among the people who came with Qi Mo, Xie Feng, Shen Ye, and A Luo were obvious choices, but there was another person who looked refined and thin, who turned out to be "Horse King" Zhu Hong.

During the battle at the Zhu residence that day, in the midst of the chaos, Yun Ran and Wan Wan naturally had no time to pay attention to where Zhu Hong had gone. When they saw him suddenly appear, they were both extremely surprised.

At this moment, Xie Feng and the others had joined the battle. Zhu Hongyue approached Yun Ran and Wan Wan, his face filled with shame. He nodded slightly to the two of them and said in a low voice, "Ladies, Wen Huaifeng has secretly dispatched hundreds of elite soldiers from the government. They are currently marching from several miles away, intending to surround and annihilate you in this valley. Quickly lead your people out of this valley."

Yun Ran and Wan Wan were secretly alarmed. They exchanged a glance, unsure whether what Zhu Hong said was true.

Zhu Hong said urgently, "If you stay in the valley any longer, not only will you fail to save Young Master Sima, but you will also lose the lives of many people! Please trust me one more time!"

Yun Ran recalled the events at the Zhu residence that day and knew that Zhu Hong still had feelings for Sima Liuyun, so she said to Wanwan, "Tell everyone to leave Yangchang Valley."

Wen Huaifeng and Qi Mo fought several moves, but neither could gain the upper hand. When he saw Yun Ran leading the others to retreat, his eyes darkened, and he suddenly reached for his waist. A flash of purple light appeared as he took the Zijing Soft Sword in his hand and swung it at Qi Mo.

Qi Mo didn't want to clash with his sword head-on, so he dodged to the side. Wen Huaifeng seized the opportunity to dart past him, thrusting his sword at Yun Ran's chest, and laughed, "You can't leave!"

Seeing his swift advance, Yun Ran decided to use a feint, thrusting her soft sword towards his throat with her left hand. Wen Huaifeng suddenly changed his move, his purple thorn soft sword flashing out and aiming for her right shoulder. Before Yun Ran could dodge, Qi Mo had already leaped forward, delivering a move to Wen Huaifeng and rescuing Yun Ran from her predicament.

Seeing Qi Mo's protective actions towards Yun Ran, Wen Huaifeng recalled that it was he who had rescued Yun Ran from Qin Luo's clutches. A thought struck him, and he suddenly tightened his swordplay, launching a rapid attack on the two. Most of his attacks were aimed at Yun Ran's vital points. His swordsmanship was already superb, and with the aid of the Purple Thorn Soft Sword, its power was amplified.

Qi Mo was unaware that he knew Yun Ran. Fearing that Yun Ran would be unable to wield her sword properly due to her injury, and that she might be seriously injured by the Zijing Soft Sword if he was not careful, he swung his sword and deflected each of the attacks that Qi Mo made towards Yun Ran.

Wen Huaifeng sneered and, taking advantage of Qi Mo's distraction, swung his sword backhand, slicing off a section of Qi Mo's longsword. Then, he thrust the sword towards Qi Mo's abdomen.

Yun Ran watched from the side, hesitating for a moment. In a flash, a long sword suddenly shot out from the side, clashing with Wen Huaifeng's soft sword and instantly breaking in two. A Luo threw down the broken sword, flicked her wrist, and shot several Soul-Destroying Pearls at Wen Huaifeng. Turning to Yun Ran, she angrily shouted, "Why didn't you help him!"

Qi Mo frowned slightly, snatched a weapon from someone beside him, and said to Yun Ran and A Luo, "Let's retreat for now." Several iron caltrops shot out from his sleeves. Taking advantage of Wen Huaifeng's dodge, the three used their lightness skills to pass through the crowd, catch up with Wanwan and the others, and fought their way out of the valley.

Seeing that reinforcements had not arrived, Wen Huaifeng dared not pursue them rashly. He simply stared coldly in the direction the group had gone, gave a soft snort, and murmured slowly, "Qi Mo."

☆ Escape from Death