He remarried after his mother's death, seized power over the world, and slept on the emperor�

The voice was lazy, with a hint of playful teasing, like a cat playing with a mouse.

Jiang Bingning's heart sank to the bottom in an instant.

She instinctively reached into her sleeve.

There was a gold hairpin hidden there, the sharpest thing she owned.

"Who?"

Inside the carriage, Liu's trembling voice could be heard.

Jiang Bingning did not answer.

Her eyes were fixed on the rock that was half a person tall.

The sound of horses' hooves rang out.

Unhurried and composed, with an air of complete control.

A warhorse, entirely black, strode out from behind the rock.

A man sat on horseback.

He was not wearing the leather armor of ordinary Northern Di soldiers, but a set of finely crafted black armor.

The edges of the armor were inlaid with intricate silver patterns, and the breastplate even had a roaring wolf's head carved out of wolf fangs.

This attire was not something an ordinary centurion or chiliarch could possess.

Jiang Bingning gripped the gold hairpin hidden in her sleeve.

The man wore a ferocious wolf-head helmet on his face, revealing only a pair of smiling eyes and thin lips.

"Are you alone?"

He looked at Jiang Bingning with great interest, as if admiring an interesting trophy.

"You've got guts."

Jiang Bingning remained silent, her mind racing.

He was the only one.

The distance is less than ten steps.

He seemed relaxed, even somewhat carefree, a pampered playboy.

Although my body is still very weak, the killing skills from my previous life are etched into my bones.

Three rounds.

No, one round is enough.

The first step is to use words to draw him closer.

The second step was to strike with the golden hairpin, aiming straight for his throat, which was not covered by his helmet.

The third step is to seize the horse and rush out with your mother!

She was 90% confident that she could kill him before he could react!

A murderous intent flashed across her calm eyes.

However, just as she was about to speak, ten figures silently emerged from the shadows of the rocks.

Like a ghost emerging from the ground.

Ten people.

There weren't many, but each one walked with a steady gait and a restrained aura, wearing the same style of black armor as the leader.

In their hands, they carried identical curved swords, gleaming with a bloodthirsty coldness.

They came out without making a sound—no footsteps, no rustling of armor, not even a whisper of their breathing.

The elite of the Northern Barbarians, the Wolf Guard!

The glimmer of hope that Jiang Bingning had just ignited was instantly extinguished by these ten silent figures.

Her heart was ice-cold.

She was confident she could kill one.

Killing eleven people... with their mothers in tow, that's a pipe dream.

The man in the lead seemed quite pleased with the instantaneous stiffness on Jiang Bingning's face.

He chuckled, raised his right hand, and snapped his fingers crisply in the air.

"Smack."

The sound echoed through the empty pass.

The next moment, right above the pass that Jiang Bingning had just rushed through, a "rock" that blended almost seamlessly with the color of the mountain wall suddenly stood up.

It was a scout whose body was covered in yellowish-brown mud.

If he doesn't move, no one can detect his presence.

The scout knelt on one knee and reported to the man below in a hoarse voice.

"There is only this one carriage."

"No one followed."

Jiang Bingning's heart sank even further.

"understood."

The man casually waved his hand, and the scout lay down again, transforming once more into an inconspicuous "rock".

Only then did he turn his gaze back to Jiang Bingning, his eyes even carrying a hint of...appreciation?

"good."

He spoke, his voice still languid.

"They understood the principle of 'putting oneself in a desperate situation to survive,' and didn't follow those fools eastward."

"You're quite an interesting woman."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and, with a soft "click," unfastened the helmet buckle.

He removed the menacing wolf-head helmet.

A young, handsome face, yet with a hint of wickedness, was exposed to the air.

He had sword-like eyebrows that reached his temples, long and narrow phoenix eyes, and a high, straight nose.

His lips naturally held a faint smile, but his eyes were like a bottomless, icy pool.

The moment Jiang Bingning saw that face clearly, although she remained calm, her heart was in turmoil!

It's him!

How could it be him?!

Ji Ling, the King of Yue of the Northern Di!

That man was hailed as the most brilliant military genius of the Northern Barbarians in a century!

He was also her most frequent, most troublesome, and most troublesome nemesis on the battlefield in her previous life!

In her previous life, she led the Great Zhou cavalry in a fierce battle against him at Yanshan Pass.

She suffered 30,000 casualties before she could barely keep his 100,000 wolf cavalry outside the pass.

If it weren't for the deep suspicion the Northern Di emperor had harbored towards him and his reluctance to send reinforcements, it would have taken her much longer to capture the Northern Di capital!

But he...

Why is he here?

Countless thoughts flashed through Jiang Bingning's mind, but she knew that this was not the time to think about them.

In front of Ji Ling, any sliver of hope is tantamount to courting death.

She suppressed the turmoil in her heart and got out of the car.

She imitated the martial artist, cupping her hands in a fist and bowing deeply to Ji Ling.

"Greetings, General."

Her voice was neither humble nor arrogant.

"My mother is in the car; she is a woman and has nothing to do with the war."

"I am willing to be a prisoner and submit to the general's will."

"Please, General, show mercy and spare her."

Ji Ling was taken aback upon hearing this.

He seemed to have never expected that this girl, who looked no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, would not only not cry out for mercy when facing eleven elite Northern Di soldiers, but would instead begin to negotiate in a clear and organized manner.

The admiration in his eyes deepened.

Then he burst into laughter.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Laughter echoed through the valley, startling a few birds into flight.

He laughed so hard he was bent over, as if he was about to fall off his horse.

It took Ji Ling a long time to stop laughing.

He pointed his whip at the carriage behind Jiang Bingning, a playful smile curving his lips.

"Let her go?"

"Little girl, are you sure you're not mistaken about something?"

"She's the one I've been waiting for here."