The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

Whether it was because he was too tired from not getting proper rest these past few days, or because of mental tension, Wang Zhen felt as if his forehead was about to explode as he ran towards the backyard.

Right in the center of his forehead, between his eyebrows, it felt as if it were about to split open. The pain made him furrow his brow, almost unable to control his expression. This had never happened before.

Despite enduring excruciating pain, Wang Zhenhuan carried Lin Qingyan to the backyard. The farm's backyard was small, with only a narrow back door. This back door was currently tightly closed, secured with a brass lock.

He reached the door, and without a word, drew his curved sword and slashed fiercely at the brass lock. With a clang, the lock snapped in two. The short, plump woman rushed forward and pushed open the back door.

Beyond the back door lay a field of crops. It should have been harvest time, but due to the war, the entire field had been burned to the ground, leaving only black embers.

Wang Huanzhen took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. The pain in his forehead lessened slightly. He put Lin Qingyan down and spoke to the short, plump woman.

"Madam, there is nothing left in this field now. If we all leave through here, the Jurchens will surely find our trail when they catch up to us, and then none of us will be able to escape."

"Brother, let's go together." Lin Qingyan immediately understood what Wang Zhenhuan was thinking when she heard his words. Ever since her encounter with the Golden Princess, she had become particularly sensitive to such matters.

"Madam, my wife is seriously injured and I entrust her to you. I will go ahead and lure those Jin soldiers away; we will meet in the mountains! Qingyan, live on!"

Having said that, Wang Zhenhuan turned and went back into the courtyard. The short, plump woman seemed to understand his meaning. She nodded to him, then carried Lin Qingyan on her back and ran into the depths of the farmland without looking back.

Lin Qingyan lay on the woman's back, tears streaming silently down her face, but she didn't utter a single word. The cold autumn wind blew against her pale face, making her heart as cold as it was.

Wang Zhenhuan closed the back door and looked around the yard. He ran to the eaves, knocked over an empty water vat, rolled it to the door, and then picked it up. He then took some farm tools and placed them around the yard.

After some tidying up, the back door was piled with clutter, looking as if it hadn't been opened for a long time. He nodded, then climbed onto the roof and peered out from the eaves at the front yard.

The sound of horses' hooves had stopped at the farm gate, followed by the sound of dismounting. Six or seven golden figures walked in from outside the gate, looking around. Wang Huanzhen was so frightened that he quickly knelt down.

The pain in his forehead intensified again, making it almost impossible for him to think. When he looked up again, he saw that the golden figures were preparing to leave. However, the excruciating pain in his forehead did not lessen.

Just then, a golden man seemed to notice the anomaly in the woodshed. He drew his scimitar and walked towards the woodshed, causing Wang Zhenhuan's heart to tighten. He immediately felt a pang of regret; despite all his calculations, he had overlooked one crucial detail.

Before he left, he extinguished the fire but closed the door. The steam from extinguishing the fire was trapped inside. If the golden man had opened the door, he would have noticed this anomaly.

When they see the fire that has just been extinguished, they'll know someone was here. They can't wait any longer! After thinking for a while, Wang Zhen climbed down from the roof and stood in the yard, surveying the area.

He arrived at a pile of firewood and took out a tinderbox from his waist. After lighting the firewood, he took the burning dry wood and threw it around. Soon, the backyard was ablaze with flames.

The golden man was standing in front of the woodshed, about to open the door. Suddenly, he heard a sound coming from the backyard. He turned his head and nodded to the remaining golden men. They understood and drew their scimitars, walking towards the backyard.

To their surprise, just as they reached the main hall, flames erupted in the backyard. The group quickened their pace and ran to the backyard, just as Wang Huanzhen climbed over the wall. They were all drawn to the flames and didn't see the hand clinging to the wall.

They were shouting something at each other, but Wang Zhenhuan ignored them, spat lightly, slid down the wall, and ran towards the path leading to the door.

He had already planned it out when he started the fire. He absolutely couldn't run through the fields; he had to avoid Lin Qingyan and the others to buy them time to escape. So he lured all the Jin people to the backyard.

He then climbed out of the backyard, hugged the wall to the front gate, and peeked inside. He saw seven horses standing at the gate, but no one else was around. A surge of joy filled him, and he crouched down, ready to emerge.

Suddenly, a golden figure emerged from the reeds not far away, pulling up his trousers. Wang Huanzhen was so frightened that he quickly shrank back, pressing himself against the corner of the wall, suppressing his breathing, and trying his best to hide himself.

Fortunately, the Jurchens weren't paying attention, and at that moment, loud shouts came from the backyard. Wang Huanzhen was extremely anxious; the fire in the backyard wouldn't last them long.

Once the Jurchens discover that no one is hiding in the backyard, they will surely return to the gate. As the Jurchen turned to take water from his horse, Wang Zhenhuan's heart hardened.

Holding a scimitar, under the cover of night and amidst the shouts of the golden man, he crept up behind him. At that moment, the golden man was drinking from the water bag he had just taken from his horse.

Wang Zhenhuan gritted his teeth and slashed fiercely at the golden man's neck. He used all his strength in this strike, fearing he might not kill the golden man.

This was his only chance. If he failed to kill them in one blow, the Jurchens would surely realize what was happening. At that point, he, a mere teenager, wouldn't be able to handle them. Fortunately, everything was going according to plan.

This scimitar truly lived up to its reputation as a princess's possession; it could easily cut a hair in two. The golden man was beheaded without any reaction, blood gushing more than two feet high and splattering all over Wang Zhenhuan.

After hitting his target, he didn't even look back and galloped straight into the mountains. Whether it was good luck or the horses were used to this kind of scene, they all kept quiet and grazed with their heads down.

Wang Zhen was breathing heavily; the warm blood and strong stench made him gag repeatedly. A gust of autumn wind seemed to invigorate him. Although this was his first time killing someone.

But he didn't regret it; in fact, he was somewhat excited, so much so that his hand holding the knife was trembling uncontrollably. Watching others kill and doing it himself were two completely different experiences.

As he tried to find his way, he kept looking back. Once he was sure no one was chasing him, he sat down against a large tree, wiped his face, and licked his lips.

He planned to rest for a while, but unexpectedly, just when he thought he was safe for the time being, whoosh—!

A whooshing sound rang out, and an arrow was embedded in a tree trunk not far from him, trembling incessantly!