Four days later, Qishan.

A rumbling sound echoed in the distance along the road. Rabbits looked around everywhere before darting into the bushes with a swish, as three swift horses galloped past, startling birds into flight.

Suddenly, one horse foamed at the mouth, its limbs turned weak, and it collapsed to the ground. The girl riding it couldn’t help but scream, but luckily her companion immediately grabbed her collar, preventing a disastrous accident for both horse and rider.

"Thank you, miss." Shidong, still shaken, sat behind Pharmacist’s Wish, holding her waist tightly.

"Miss, perhaps we should take a break. We’ve already run far enough." Wuqiu said, "Salu Purple is struggling to keep going too."

"No! We can’t stop until we reach Shu Dao Mountain!" Pharmacist’s Wish said decisively, "Even if we have to run Salu Purple to death!"

Wuqiu stroked the yellow-maned horse beneath her, feeling its quivering muscles. Its eyes were reddish-purple, nostrils flaring—the horse had clearly reached its limit. She resolved, "This horse won’t last long. Shidong, take good care of the miss later, I’ll help distract the pursuers."

"No!" Pharmacist’s Wish’s eyes were red with anger as she barked, "I said we’d escape together, leaving none behind! Don’t act on your own. If I wanted to flee, I would have long ago. If you dare abandon me, I’ll never forgive you!"

"Miss..." Wuqiu’s eyes filled with tears, touched yet ashamed, "We’re only holding you back..."

"Nonsense! If there’s blame, it’s the Yao family that burdened you!" Pharmacist’s Wish snapped, then softened her tone, "Do your best, leave the rest to me!"

Just then, her ears twitched and her face changed drastically. A few seconds later, Wuqiu and Shidong also heard the sound of hooves behind them, their faces turning pale.

"Giddy up!"

"Giddy up!"

Pharmacist’s Wish and Wuqiu frantically waved their riding crops. But their horses were already at their limit, unable to squeeze out any more strength. Shidong turned back to see the black dots behind growing larger and clearer, even seeing the foremost pursuers already drawing bows with arrows!

"Watch out!"

Whizz! The bowstring snapped like thunder, the arrow like lightning breaking the sky! This was no exaggeration; the pursuers shot arrows that transformed into yellow lightning. As the distance stretched, the Thunder Arrow’s range expanded, and as it approached Pharmacist’s Wish, it was like a storm, lifting clouds of dust from the earth!

Dodging was futile; even if Pharmacist’s Wish could evade it, the aftermath would scorch Salu Purple and Shidong to ash!

Pharmacist’s Wish twisted her wrist, instantly retrieving a Fine Steel Long Spear from her Storage Ring. With a shout, she gathered Shidong into an embrace, twisted her waist, spun, and struck accurately at the Thunder Arrow’s tip. The Thunder Arrow shattered into a dazzling display of fireworks!

However, the display was so large it enveloped them all. Without defensive artifacts, Wuqiu and Shidong couldn’t help but groan, while both horses directly foamed at the mouth and collapsed, unable to rise.

"Good counterattack!" someone laughed heartily from behind, "There aren’t many in the Zhou Kingdom who can break a Thunder Fang Arrow like you!"

Pharmacist’s Wish instantly got up, took out a bottle of Blood Replenishing Pill from her chest, split it in half, and fed Wuqiu and Shidong. During this time, the pursuers had caught up, surrounding them at this fork in the road.

When the maids recovered and looked up, they saw a group of Masked Mansion Soldiers mounted on horses. They were all First-Turn Messengers, each donned in defensive Masked Helmets!

In the Central Plains, there are three elite units: Masked Mansion Soldiers, Evil Ghost Hundred Guards, and Black-clothed Martial Soldiers. Leading this group of Masked Mansion Soldiers was a genteel middle-aged man with a large bow on his back, a curved saber on his waist, a big spear on his horse, but unlike the Masked Mansion Soldiers in heavy armor, he wore only leather armor, resembling more a hunter from the wilderness.

Yet Wuqiu and Shidong, at least maids of Duke Jin’s Mansion, though of low status, had seen more of the world than most wealthy families. They immediately recognized the notable status of the middle-aged man before them, someone even Duke Jin must respect!

"Mis... Miss..." Shidong tried to clutch Pharmacist’s Wish’s sleeve, but she quickly let go, staring down at the mud, her voice trembling with a fearful cry, "Miss..."

"Miss, don’t worry about us." Wuqiu didn’t cry, but her voice shook, "You can still escape if you go alone."

"What deep bond between master and servants." The middle-aged man showed his admiration, "Aren’t you afraid?"

Of course, they were afraid. The Masked Soldiers’ gaze had no restraint, their eyes seemed to pierce through their thin clothes, stripping them bare like helpless lambs. Imagining their fate, Wuqiu and Shidong shivered; they’ve heard of the fate of women taken to the military camps... Duke Jin’s guests are often military generals, who share tales of rare camp entertainment at banquets. In excitement, they even grab nearby dancers to perform, eliciting cheers and applause.

Suddenly, Shidong clung tightly to Pharmacist’s Wish’s leg, and Wuqiu forgot her fear, shouting, "Shidong, the miss is generous to us, what are you doing!?"

Pharmacist’s Wish looked down at Shidong, whose face was blurred with tears, full of fear.

"Mis... Miss..." she sobbed, "please... kill me."

Wuqiu was stunned, and the middle-aged man’s eyes underwent a subtle change. The Pharmacist’s Wish reached out to pry Shidong’s hand open and said calmly, "Leave the next part to me."

"Miss..." Wuqiu still wanted to persuade.

"You’re foolish, but I won’t blame you." The Pharmacist’s Wish looked at the middle-aged man: "Do you think he’s not attacking out of kindness? He’s waiting for me to flee; he hopes I try to escape. By fleeing, he can slowly deal with me using the Thunderwood Bow until my Spiritual Jade is drained. It’s his favorite way, slowly bleeding the prey, step by step forcing it into desperation—safe, marvelous, and with victory assured."

"A confidant is hard to come by in life," the middle-aged man laughed. "If you inherit the token of the Ba River Pharmacist Family, you will undoubtedly become the Heaven-Supporting White Jade Pillar, Sea-Supporting Purple Gold Beam, or even Foundation Establishment and National Defense of our Great Zhou. If given a few more years to command a military town, even the Six Pillars of the Nation wouldn’t be able to deal with you... unfortunately, your father offended too many he shouldn’t have."

"Hunting Frenzy Helan Que!" The Pharmacist’s Wish clenched the Fine Steel Long Spear, magnificent Qi Blood surged forth an overwhelming battle spirit, "You think you’ve won for sure?"

"If you need to protect these two burdens, I really can’t see how you have any chance of winning." Helan Que raised his hand, and the Masked Mansion Soldiers immediately fetched a steel crossbow already strung from behind: "Rest assured, these crossbow arrows will not be fired all at once, but instead only occasionally during our battle."

Wuqiu and Shidong instantly realized the opponent’s malicious intent, couldn’t help but curse: "Too despicable!"

"If you have guts, fight the lady openly!"

The Pharmacist’s Wish could easily block the crossbow arrows for them, but at the same time, it would continue to consume her mind, making it impossible for her to fight fully. Originally, Helan Que was a seasoned Third-Turn Messenger; having rushed from the military town, his tokens were complete. Whether in strength, record, or experience, he far surpassed the Pharmacist’s Wish, now resorting to such dirty tricks, making full use of them as hostages.

"In battle, there’s nothing despicable," conversely, the Pharmacist’s Wish wasn’t the least bit angry: "If it were me, I’d do the same. Dealing with enemies requires all means necessary; victory is the sole justice."

"Submit, Princess Zhaorou." Helan Que laughed, "If you surrender, I assure your maids will be intact, promised to good families, but if you lose, I can only regretfully leave them to be dealt with by the Mansion Soldiers."

The Pharmacist’s Wish’s eyes turned crimson, a thunderous roar split the air, the spear thrust forward like a dragon!

Yet her target wasn’t Helan Que, but the Masked Mansion Soldiers riding beside him!

Clang! Helan Que grabbed the spear from the horse and intercepted the Pharmacist’s Wish’s attack. In an instant of crossed weapons, the horses of the Mansion Soldiers shrieked and retreated, the Masked Mansion Soldiers trembled all over. The clash between Third-Turn Messengers was like two monsters battling, even their weapon vibrations made one’s scalp numb!

After a few exchanges, a soldier suddenly pressed the crossbow trigger, shooting precisely at Wuqiu. The Pharmacist’s Wish immediately drew back, her spear deflected the arrow right back, hitting the soldier’s face armor! She originally wanted to seize the opportunity to take out the soldiers, but Helan Que pressed forward again, leaving her no choice but to turn and fight!

Before long, another soldier triggered the crossbow. Although the Pharmacist’s Wish timely defended again, Helan Que’s direct sweep left her no room to dodge; she had to rely on a defensive token to withstand!

Everyone knew what would happen next; the Pharmacist’s Wish would repeatedly fail due to the two maids’ mishaps, continuously draining her Spiritual Power. When her Spiritual Power was exhausted, all three of them would meet their end.

"Shidong," Wuqiu suddenly said, "you’ve always been timid since childhood, bullied by other servants, always crying to me for help."

Shidong realized something, silently nodded.

"Just like before, let me help you this time too." Wuqiu took off the silver hairpin from her bun with her right hand, and gently caressed Shidong’s face with her left: "Just close your eyes; it’ll be over soon."

"Mm!" Shidong closed her eyes with tears, put Wuqiu’s left hand on her heart, tightly holding it. It seemed effective; her body no longer trembled, she looked fearless.

Wuqiu’s lips were almost bloodied from biting; she stared at Shidong’s throat and used all her strength to stab the silver hairpin in!

Clang. The silver hairpin was knocked flying, Wuqiu seemed to lose all strength and collapsed to the ground, looking at the Pharmacist’s Wish before her, she wore a pitiful and guilty expression: "Can you—"

"No!" The Pharmacist’s Wish roared like a wild wolf, "I said leave the rest to me!"

Her mind raced, her eyes moved, searching for hope to break the deadlock. She didn’t believe such traps could stop her... she refused to think she couldn’t even protect two maids!

Helan Que was delighted as well; the deeper their bonds, the more the Pharmacist’s Wish couldn’t escape. Defeating her was easy, but keeping her was hard. Knowing she fled earlier, carrying substantial Spiritual Jade, being inherently resolute and bold, if she decided to flee, relentless pursuit day and night to exhaust her jade might yield results; solving it here was best, but even partially consuming her jade would simplify future pursuits.

If he were a Demonic Messenger or had subordinates who practiced Demon Dao, dealing with such scenes would be far easier... But Helan Que soon discarded such foolish thoughts; Demon Fighting Technique though strong, was a road to nowhere. Not only did practicing it himself unsettle, even having demon cultivators around would bring unease.

The surrounding Masked Mansion Soldiers served both as spectators and walls, forming the hunting grounds. Suddenly, a soldier noticed something, tapped his nearby companion’s shoulder: "What is that?"

The companion looked: "Seems like a... young girl?"

At the junction on the other side, a black-haired girl with large braided pigtails carrying a sword as tall as her, striding arrogantly, walked toward their hunting ground.