Chapter 63: A Sword of Frost Reflects the Crimson Moon

“Master, what should we do?” Xiao Bai cried.

Lu Jin no longer cared about what to do; he only wanted to know why—why on earth was this happening?

“Gentlemen, I bear no grudge against you. Are you sure you haven’t mistaken me for someone else?” Forced into a corner, Lu Jin gradually calmed down.

“The son-in-law of the Shen family is worth half a million taels. How could we mistake you?” The masked man at the head of the group grinned.

“So you want the fifty thousand taels?” Lu Jin exclaimed in shock.

Were these people out of their minds? He had already returned, and now they wanted to kidnap him again to demand fifty thousand taels from the Shen family? Wouldn’t that make him a walking ransom? Was the Shen family really so foolish?

“We want the fifty thousand taels—and your life, too. Shen’s son-in-law wiped out our water fortress, leaving no survivors. Ruthless, indeed!”

Damn, so they were the remnants of the water bandits! He hadn’t seen clearly earlier and hadn’t dared to confirm. He never expected to fall into their hands again today.

“Brothers, you’re mistaken. I didn’t destroy your fortress…” Lu Jin could hardly believe so many bandits survived.

“The son-in-law can explain to our boss himself!” With that, the masked leader lunged forward.

No mercy, no honor at all!

Lu Jin grabbed Xiao Bai and rushed toward the bridge. At least it was open, and their only option for escape.

But Lu Jin was just an ordinary man; there was no way he could outrun these bandits. He had barely taken a few steps before he felt a gust of wind sweep up behind him.

Just as he’d begun to glimpse the beauty of this world, it was about to end!

“Master, look out!”

In a flash, a long sword flew from the side, pinning the bandit behind Lu Jin to a nearby tree.

Yuan Fang had returned!

But Lu Jin dared not stop, dragging Xiao Bai toward the bridge. If he stayed, he’d only cause more chaos, so he ran without hesitation.

Only when they reached the bridge did he stop, gasping for breath and glancing back toward Yuan Fang. Swords clashed, blood sprayed, and several bandits died instantly. It was Lu Jin’s first time witnessing Yuan Fang's true strength.

Thank goodness this fool had returned in time, or else it would have been over!

“Master, run!” Yuan Fang’s voice echoed, shrill and desperate. Lu Jin saw more bandits emerge from the darkness, fighting Yuan Fang fiercely, evenly matched for the moment.

“Run!” Lu Jin tugged Xiao Bai to flee, but as he looked up, he saw a tall, masked man with a long knife approaching from beneath the bridge.

Behind him was Yuan Fang locked in battle, ahead their path blocked by the knife-wielding man. Lu Jin was trapped once again.

He had no time to think, nor could he consider what Xiao Bai felt. In the instant he turned, he shoved Xiao Bai off the stone bridge.

A heavy splash and Xiao Bai’s scream rang out together.

Let’s hope children from Jiangnan know how to swim!

Without pausing, Lu Jin ran down the bridge and along the riverbank in the opposite direction from where he had pushed Xiao Bai. He ran as far as he could, his mind fixed on a single thought: run, run, until he could run no more. That was all he could do; the rest was left to fate.

He didn’t stop until exhaustion forced him to brace himself against a tree, gasping for breath. In the corner of his eye, he saw several bandits following, unhurriedly.

It seemed they were laughing—laughing at how far he could run, laughing at him as a clown.

The sounds of battle still echoed in the distance. Apparently, Yuan Fang was completely entangled.

The nearby households seemed either frightened into silence or oblivious; not a soul was around.

He was about to die, but he wanted to die on his own terms!

Farewell, Shen Yanxi. Perhaps in another life, we might be true husband and wife.

Lu Jin glanced at the river just a few meters away, realizing this was to be his final resting place. Without hesitation, he ran toward the water.

But the bandits would never let him succeed. With a flick of a long knife, a streak of golden light shot toward him.

“To bully the few with the many—shameful!”

In his peripheral vision, Lu Jin saw a streak of gold descending like a celestial being, red robes billowing—a fairy come to earth, painting the moonlit night with crimson clouds. The flying sword was deflected just as it neared him.

Yet Lu Jin could no longer control his body and plunged headfirst into the river.

A loud crash erupted. His head felt as if it were splitting apart, pain flooding through him.

Endless suffocation overwhelmed him; soon everything blurred and faded.

He was a child of Jiangnan, but he couldn’t swim!

-----------------

Shen Residence, Stream Garden.

Shen Yanxi paced anxiously before the doors of the Pavilion of Clouds, worry surging like a tide.

Could her husband have run away again? No, impossible! If he had returned once, he wouldn’t leave her again. Shen Yanxi comforted herself repeatedly, perhaps he was simply talking with the teacher for a long while. Yet, after the recent bandit kidnapping, how could she be at ease?

Though she had sent people to meet him, there was still no word. Her anxiety grew.

“Miss, Miss!” A guard rushed in.

“What is it? Where is your master?” Shen Yanxi’s heart tightened, a sense of foreboding pressing on her chest.

“Miss, we haven’t seen the master yet.”

“Sunan, fetch the horses, Shuqing, come with me!” Without waiting for her words to fall, Shen Yanxi strode outside. She couldn’t wait any longer; she needed to bring her husband home to feel at ease.

Shuqing knew better than to try to stop her, quickly returning inside to grab Shen Yanxi’s cloak before following with Sunan.

At the east gate, Shen Yanxi saw Sunan arriving on horseback, followed by over a dozen house guards. Without hesitation, she mounted her horse and rode out, startling the gate guards.

For the children of the noble families of Liang, riding was nothing unusual—a required skill.

Shen Yanxi searched along the route toward the education office for any sign of Lu Jin, but found only scattered pedestrians.

“What’s the matter?” Sunan stopped two people running frantically.

“There was fighting near Smoke-water Bridge. Miss, don’t go over there…”

Before the words were finished, Shen Yanxi urged her horse forward, her heart in her throat.

Near Smoke-water Bridge, she heard no sounds of fighting. Just as she wondered, a piercing cry of “Master!” broke through the night. Shen Yanxi’s heart froze, her mind blank, nearly falling from her horse.

After a moment, she whipped her steed onward, galloping onto the arched bridge, where she saw figures kneeling in the distance, wailing.

Thinking no more, she spurred her horse toward them.

“Master, wake up!”

Xiao Bai, soaked to the skin, shouted in panic. Yuan Fang, bloodied and dazed, knelt nearby.

“Husband!” Shen Yanxi rushed forward, stumbling off her horse to reach Lu Jin.

Why must their marriage be so fraught with disaster? Why must he suffer, and she as well?

All the people, all the voices faded away; Shen Yanxi saw only the pale-faced man lying on the ground.

“Husband! Wake up, what’s happened to you?” Crawling to Lu Jin’s side, Shen Yanxi sobbed uncontrollably.

“Miss, the master drowned! We’ve already drained the water, but he won’t wake up,” Yuan Fang whispered.

Only then did Shen Yanxi notice the bloodied Yuan Fang and the soaked Xiao Bai, recalling the carnage she’d seen on the way.

She couldn’t cry; she had to stay calm. Her husband was waiting for her to save him.

Forcing herself to be calm, she wiped her eyes and asked, “How long has he been underwater?”

“I don’t know, Miss. The bandits kept me occupied. When I finished them off and came over, all the bandits here were dead. I saw a woman in red rescuing the master. When she saw me, she left…” Yuan Fang briefly explained.

“Bandits?” Shen Yanxi exclaimed.

“Miss, it was the same water bandits who kidnapped me and the master last time. They thought the master destroyed their fortress and came for revenge,” Xiao Bai explained.

“And where are they?”

“All dead—not a single survivor!” Yuan Fang sighed. At the time, he couldn’t spare anyone. The bandits here were killed by the woman in red.

“Hurry and carry your master home—standing here won’t help!” Shen Yanxi couldn’t spare any more questions.

“Miss, if we try to move him home, it might be too late. I remember the master mentioning a method: mouth-to-mouth breathing can save a drowned person,” Xiao Bai said quietly.

What? She’d never heard of such a thing! Shen Yanxi glanced at Xiao Bai in confusion.

But Shen Yanxi didn’t dwell on it; she would try anything if there was the slightest possibility. The man lying there was her husband—she would do anything to save him.

“Miss, let me do it—I have strong breath!” A guard stepped forward.

“Yes, yes, try quickly…” Shen Yanxi never imagined her husband could be so wretched, yet still scheming.

“No—master—” Xiao Bai protested anxiously.

“Cough, cough… where am I?” Half dead and soaked to the bone, Lu Jin was forced to wake up—if he didn’t, his dignity would be lost.

“Husband…”

Seeing Lu Jin awaken, Shen Yanxi was overjoyed, throwing herself into his arms without a second thought.

Just as Lu Jin sat up, she crashed into him, soft and warm.

How comforting!