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On that day, an unexpected guest arrived at Barbarian City.
"Please, Princess, do not make things difficult for me. I am under orders to bring the Imperial Criminal Xu Cangyuan back to the capital. The Emperor has decreed that as long as the Princess hands over the Imperial Criminal, the matter of the abduction will be forgiven."
Standing in the center of the hall, the Envoy appeared calm and collected, arms crossed, his gaze arrogant, as if he were certain that Jiang Ruoshui would not dare to anger The Emperor any further.
He then glanced at Xu Cangyuan, who stood just two steps away, wearing an expression of indifference, a flicker of disdain flashing in his eyes.
"Forgiven?"
As if she had heard something incredibly amusing, Jiang Ruoshui let out a light laugh, though there was a chill in her voice. "How hard it must be for the Emperor to maintain his facade and speak such lies. Xu Cangyuan is mine; you might as well give up on that idea."
Jiang Ruoshui's gaze sharpened, slicing through the air like a blade aimed at the Envoy.
The Envoy was taken aback; he hadn't expected Jiang Ruoshui to cling to Xu Cangyuan so fiercely. His expression shifted slightly.
"The Princess is being obstinate; then I have no choice but to take action!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he dashed toward Xu Cangyuan with lightning speed. The distance between them was short, and before Xu Cangyuan could react, the Envoy had seized his forearm with such force that it made him wince in pain, his brows furrowing tightly together.
Seeing this scene unfold, a cold light flashed in Jiang Ruoshui's eyes. Her expression darkened as she strode forward with several quick steps to confront the two entangled figures. Swiftly drawing her Curved Blade from her waist, her gaze icy and resolute, she swung it toward the Envoy without hesitation.
Blood splattered like a blooming flower of crimson. Xu Cangyuan felt a rush of red before everything faded to black as he collapsed backward, unconscious.
"Cangyuan!" Jiang Ruoshui exclaimed, hurriedly dropping the Curved Blade to support Xu Cangyuan.
By the time Xu Cangyuan slowly regained consciousness, it was already deep into the night, and the candlelight in the room flickered.
Jiang Ruoshui had been sitting by the bedside, her delicate face showing signs of exhaustion, her eyes bloodshot and filled with worry.
As soon as she saw Xu Cangyuan wake up, she couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. Tears shimmered in her eyes as she gently asked him, "Is there anywhere else that hurts?"
"Why did you kill that man? He was just following orders." Xu Cangyuan's voice was weak, disbelief written all over his expression.
He had killed before, but he couldn't fathom that someone as seemingly fragile as Jiang Ruoshui could also take a life.
Her clothes were still stained with dark red blood, which appeared particularly shocking under the candlelight, like blooming flowers from the depths of hell.
Jiang Ruoshui fell silent for a moment before slowly rolling up Xu Cangyuan's sleeve with gentle movements. His forearm still bore faint black and purple marks, resembling the mark of death.
"He called himself an Envoy, but he was actually an assassin sent by the court. His method is to use poisoned needles to strike at the body, killing targets without anyone noticing." Jiang Ruoshui's voice was somewhat low, hatred evident in her eyes.
Perhaps due to his weakened state, Xu Cangyuan detected a hint of hatred in her words, a hatred that burned like flames.
"How do you know all this?" Xu Cangyuan asked weakly, confusion evident in his gaze.
"Three years ago, my father was poisoned in this very way. By the time we discovered it, it was already too late." Jiang Ruoshui bit her lip, a flicker of pain crossing her eyes.
There was no need for Jiang Ruoshui to spell it out; Xu Cangyuan could guess the reason behind it. General Jiang had spent his life on the battlefield, commanding nearly seventy percent of the Dragon Ridge Dynasty's military forces.
In the army, orders were always followed, and if the emperor's commands were disregarded, how could the throne remain secure? No matter how illustrious a general's achievements, once peace was restored, it was often the case that the rabbit is cooked after the dog is killed—this was the nature of imperial power plays.
"If the ruler demands the death of his subjects, must they die without question? Cangyuan, if it were you, would you turn against your former comrades?" Jiang Ruoshui looked at Xu Cangyuan, her eyes filled with a hint of expectation.
Upon hearing her words, Xu Cangyuan narrowed his eyes slightly, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth, though a complex expression flickered in his gaze. "Ruoshui, I am not an emperor; such matters cannot be hypothesized."
He avoided Jiang Ruoshui's gaze and looked elsewhere.
Jiang Ruoshui's eyes dimmed instantly. She could never be completely honest with him, and her heart was filled with disappointment.
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