I slaughtered my way through the border at the start, I am the Great Ming's Night Raider!

Chen Yuan didn't run away; instead, he went to meet him.

With the dagger in hand, he moved like a black lightning bolt through the crowd.

With every swing, someone falls.

He no longer held back—to hold back now would be tantamount to suicide.

Five, ten, fifteen...

Many of the barbarians fell, but even more people flocked in.

Chen Yuan fought and retreated, moving towards the back gate of the Eastern Depot.

He needed to buy Uncle Zhao time, and also find a way out for himself.

Just then, a familiar voice rang out: "Release the arrows!"

It's Wang Zhen!

He stood on the steps, waving with a cold smile.

Arrows rained down.

With nowhere to hide, Chen Yuan could only roll behind the artificial hill next to him.

The arrow struck the artificial hill, scattering sparks everywhere.

"Chen Yuan, you can't escape!" Wang Zhen shouted. "Surrender obediently, and I'll leave you a whole corpse!"

Chen Yuan ignored him and quickly surveyed his surroundings.

Behind the artificial hill is a pond, which is now frozen over.

Across from the pool is the back wall of the East Factory.

If I could get there...

He took a deep breath, rushed out from behind the artificial hill, and plunged straight into the pool.

Arrows chased after him, but he was faster, gliding across the ice and reaching the other side in a few leaps.

The wall was three zhang high and smooth as a mirror.

But Chen Yuan was prepared – he threw out a grappling hook, grabbed the top of the wall, and climbed up the rope.

When he reached the top of the wall, he looked back.

The Eastern Depot's office was brightly lit and bustling with noise.

Uncle Zhao should have escaped in the chaos... I hope so.

He jumped down.

Outside the wall was a dark alley.

As soon as he landed, a carriage emerged from the darkness and stopped in front of him.

The carriage curtain was lifted, revealing Qin Xiang.

"Hurry up and get on!"

Chen Yuan got into the carriage, and it sped away immediately.

Chen Jin was also in the carriage, her face pale, but she was unharmed.

"Where is Uncle Zhao?" Qin Xiang asked anxiously.

"I hid him behind the artificial hill in the front yard of the Eastern Depot," Chen Yuan said, panting. "Now that the Eastern Depot is in chaos, he should have a chance to escape."

"I'll go meet them," Qin Xiang said.

"No need." Chen Yuan pressed her down. "Going now would be suicide. Wait until dawn, when the Eastern Depot's vigilance has weakened, and then we'll think of a way."

Qin Xiang looked at the arrow wound on his shoulder: "You're injured."

"Minor injury."

Chen Yuan gritted his teeth and pulled out the arrow, blood gushing out.

He wrapped the wound tightly with strips of cloth. "Let's go back to the palace first. Cao Jixiang has lost face and will definitely go crazy. We need to be prepared."

The carriage sped through the night.

Chen Yuan leaned against the carriage and closed his eyes.

He won tonight's battle, but it was a fierce victory.

Uncle Zhao's fate is unknown, and I have exposed my identity and been injured.

But an even bigger storm is on its way.

But he doesn't regret it.

Some things, even knowing they are risky, must be done.

Because that is morality.

Outside the window, the sky was beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn.

The long night has finally come to an end.

The fourteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, at the hour of Chen (7-9 AM).

The side hall of Yongshou Palace was filled with the smell of blood and herbs.

Chen Yuan sat shirtless on the couch, while Qin Xiang treated the arrow wound on his shoulder.

The arrowhead has been removed, but the wound is deep and needs to be stitched up.

"Bear with it."

Qin Xiang picked up the needle and thread and heated it over the fire.

"Um."

Chen Yuan bit down on a piece of cloth, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

The needle pierced the skin and flesh, and the thread moved back and forth across the wound.

It hurt a lot, but Chen Yuan didn't make a sound—he had suffered even worse injuries at the border.

Once, I was shot in the chest with an arrow, and the army doctor used a red-hot iron to cauterize the wound to stop the bleeding. That was real pain.

Chen Jin stood to the side, holding hot water and gauze, her face pale.

He watched the needle and thread weave through his flesh, his stomach churning, but he forced himself not to vomit.

"Yesterday..." Chen Jin said softly, "Yesterday I almost got recognized. A guard was staring at me and said I looked unfamiliar..."

"That's normal." Chen Yuan spat out the cloth. "The agents of the Eastern Depot are all shrewd. You're already doing well to have escaped unscathed."

After finishing the last stitch, Qin Xiang cut the thread, applied ointment, and bandaged it with clean gauze.

After doing all that, she finally breathed a sigh of relief: "The wound can't get wet, and the dressing needs to be changed every three days. Luckily, the bone wasn't broken, otherwise this arm would be useless."

Chen Yuan flexed his shoulder, a sharp pain shooting through him, but he remained expressionless: "Any news from Uncle Zhao?"

Qin Xiang shook her head: "Not yet. But I had Ma Liu inquire, and he said that a serious criminal escaped from the Eastern Depot yesterday, and Cao Jixiang was furious and killed three guards."

"That means Uncle Zhao escaped." Chen Yuan felt relieved. "With his abilities, as long as he can leave the Eastern Depot, he can find a way to hide."

"I hope so." Qin Xiang packed her medicine kit. "But Cao Jixiang won't let this go easily. He lost such an important prisoner, and then you got away. He's bound to make a big move."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Eunuch Li rushed in, his face grave: "His Highness requests the three of you to come over."

In the rear hall, the Grand Princess was reading a memorial.

Seeing the three men enter, she threw the memorial onto the table: "Cao Jixiang has made his move."

Chen Yuan picked up the memorial.

It was a joint petition from several censors of the Censorate, impeaching the Grand Princess for "abusing her power, interfering in politics, indulging her cronies, and harboring deserters."

Although the memorial did not name names, every word pointed to Chen Yuan.

"So fast..." Qin Xiang frowned. "What happened yesterday is already in the memorial today."

"It's normal for the Eastern Depot to have spies in the Censorate," the Grand Princess said, rubbing her temples. "The troublesome thing is that this memorial has already been submitted to the Directorate of Ceremonial. According to regulations, it should be delivered to the Emperor this afternoon."

"Your Majesty now..." Chen Yuan asked.

"Sometimes he's good, sometimes he's bad," the Grand Princess said. "When he's lucid, he can still approve a few memorials, but when he's confused, he can't even recognize people. Cao Jixiang knows this, which is why he dares to be so blatant."

Chen Jin panicked: "What should we do? What if the Emperor believes us..."

"Whether His Majesty believes it or not is not important," the Grand Princess interrupted him. "What is important is that once this memorial is made public, the entire court and the public will know about it. At that time, it will be hard to say whether I can protect you."

A moment of silence fell over the hall.

Chen Yuan put down the memorial and said slowly, "Therefore, I must leave Yongshou Palace before the memorial is made public."

"No!" Chen Jin blurted out, "Going out now is suicide!"

"Staying here is tantamount to waiting to die," Chen Yuan said. "If I stay in the palace, Cao Jixiang will have a reason to attack His Highness. If I leave, at least he will have one less handle against me."

The Grand Princess looked at him, her eyes filled with complex emotions: "Where do you want to go?"

"The Azure Dragon Society," Chen Yuan said. "Didn't Miss Qin say that the leader of the Azure Dragon Society wanted to see me? Now is the time."

"The world of martial arts is treacherous; you don't understand the Azure Dragon Society..."

"It is precisely because we do not understand that we need to understand," Chen Yuan said. "Cao Jixiang's power in the imperial court is too great, and our chances of winning in a direct confrontation are slim. If we can borrow the power of the martial arts world, we might have a better chance of winning."

Qin Xiang pondered for a moment and said, "That makes sense. The Green Dragon Society has been deeply rooted in the capital for many years and has connections in both the legitimate and underworld circles. If they are willing to help, they can at least provide a hiding place and gather information."

The Grand Princess remained silent for a long time.

Finally, she sighed, "I'm old, and I've become timid. If only I were younger..."

She didn't finish speaking, then waved her hand, "Go. But remember, people in the martial world value both profit and loyalty. If you treat him with sincerity, he may not treat you with sincerity; if you treat him with deceit, he will definitely treat you with deceit."

"I understand." Chen Yuan bowed. "Thank you, Your Highness."

"And another thing," the Grand Princess said, taking out a token from her bosom. "This is my private decree; seeing this decree is like seeing me. If necessary, it might save your life."

Chen Yuan took the token; it felt heavy in his hand. It was made of pure gold, with "Eternal Life" engraved on the front and "Bright Moon" on the back.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"Go."

The Grand Princess turned around, her voice choked with emotion, "You came back alive."