Chapter 233 Escape
The horse stopped beyond the archer's range, whether intentionally or by coincidence. The man on the horse wore a red robe, but it was not wide-sleeved, and the cuffs were tied tightly. Rather than a red robe, it was more like a red armor. Jiang Li had never seen Ji Heng like this before. Without the frivolous and misty look, he looked like a natural general. In an instant, Jiang Li remembered the rumors about Ji Minghan. Although people said that Ji Heng looked like Yu Hongye and was not very similar to Ji Minghan, at this moment, Jiang Li saw the shadow of General Jinwu in his youth in him.

The same extraordinary arrogance, as if nothing can hurt him.

Yin Zhili stood in the snow, his black armor was cold and his eyes were even colder. He said, "Duke Su is very brave."

"Really?" Ji Heng laughed sarcastically, "This is exactly what I wanted to tell you. You even dared to take my wife away. It seems that the prince of the county is desperate."

"Your wife?" Yin Zhili was angered by the word. He said, "I'm afraid you won't have the chance to make her your wife."

These words were full of murderous intent. Jiang Li couldn't help but shout in the tent: "Ji Heng! Don't come over here. There are archers ambushing everywhere. They want your life! Don't fall into the trap. Leave quickly. Yin Zhili won't kill me, but he will kill you!"

Yin Zhili did not stop Jiang Li from speaking. Instead, he looked at Ji Heng and said with a smile, "Look, Miss Jiang knows the truth. Are you planning to come over or leave?"

If she came over, Ji Heng would surely die. If she left, in Jiang Li's heart, Ji Heng would abandon her. Neither of them was a good choice for Ji Heng. The young man on the horse smiled, and his smile was full of sarcasm. He said, "Yin Zhili, compared to your father, you are too indecisive. Even your mother is more decisive than you. If your mother was here, no matter what the price, she would not let me have a chance to live."

Yin Zhili's face suddenly darkened. His parents were his shame, and he had to bear the fate imposed on him because of Yin Zhan and the Queen Mother. He had never been without resentment since he knew his life experience. He was ashamed to talk about everything about himself, but Ji Heng said it in front of so many people, which was undoubtedly showing what he feared the most in front of everyone.

He hated Ji Heng very much.

Jiang Li was confused. Let alone Yin Zhili's father, what about Yin Zhili's mother? Isn't Yin Zhili's biological mother dead? What hatred does she have with Ji Heng? No one could answer Jiang Li's doubts. The guards with knives were still blocking her. She was the best bait. She didn't even have to do anything, and Ji Heng would step into the trap obediently.

On the other side, Yin Zhiqing was trying hard to rush out. Madam Yin grabbed her arm and advised, "Zhiqing, don't go!"

"Mom!" Yin Zhiqing's eyes turned red with anxiety.

Madam Yin's eyes were red. "Now your father is gone, and you are my only daughter. I know you like Duke Su, but he is your brother's enemy now. He wants to take your brother's life, so how can he let you go? Besides, what can you do if you go? It will be a waste of effort."

"It's precisely because I can't do anything that I have to do it!" Yin Zhiqing broke free from Madam Yin's hand and said, "Mom, you don't understand!"

Madam Yin didn't know about the past of the Ji family and the Yin family, and she didn't even know about Yin Zhan and the Queen Mother. Yin Zhiqing didn't tell her about these things. She always felt that if she told Madam Yin, she would completely collapse. It would be better to just let it go on like it is now. Maybe not knowing the truth is a relief for her.

She ran out of the tent, but was stopped by the soldiers. She could not get closer and could only look at Ji Heng from afar.

For a moment, Yin Zhiqing couldn't help but envy Jiang Li. She had such a handsome fiancé, and this ruthless and ungrateful villain in the eyes of the world was willing to risk his life for her and save her from danger regardless of the consequences. How could there be such a person in the world?
"Duke Su," Yin Zhili said, "Since you are here today, don't leave."

"That depends on whether you can keep me."

"I am a soldier of the Yin family..."

"Your Yin family soldiers in the northern border of Qingzhou are now sparring with my Jinwu Army." Ji Heng smiled faintly and said, "They may not be able to catch up with us in a few hours."

Yin Zhili's expression changed: "Jinwu Army?"

The rumored Jinwu Army had not been seen for many years. Since the disappearance of Jinwu General Ji Minghan, the Jinwu Army's tiger talisman also disappeared. The court seemed to have tacitly accepted the fact that the Jinwu Army had long since retired and there was no Jinwu Army in the world. Even Yin Zhan had investigated for a long time and was sure that the Jinwu Army would not appear again, so Yin Zhan was so relieved that he could rest assured as long as he got rid of Ji Heng. The soldiers and imperial guards in Yanjing were just in name only and could not withstand a single blow. They were not as strong as the men who had fought in the sea of ​​blood.

If Yin Zhan knew that the Jinwu Army was still there, he would definitely not make such arrangements, and would not rashly choose a path to die together with Ji Heng, but would make other plans. Now that Yin Zhan is dead, the Jinwu Army suddenly appeared, which is a huge blow to Yin Zhili. Sure enough, Yin Zhili looked at Ji Heng with surprise and anger on his face: "You deceived him!"

"All's fair in war." Ji Heng smiled faintly, "The stupidest way in the world is to exchange life for life."

He did it on purpose! People say that Duke Su is shrewd and ruthless, but it turns out that it is just a rumor. He really took his calculations to the extreme. Even in the confrontation in the Red Mansion that day, he seemed to be risking everything, but in fact he was also hiding his hand. He has seen so many plays, and his ability to act according to the situation is also unique, fooling everyone. He would not take out the biggest chip first, but just lure the enemy deep into the depths, and then devour the opponent bit by bit.

Yin Zhili suddenly burst into laughter, and it was unclear whether his laughter was self-deprecating or sarcastic. He said, "My father had planned everything, but was defeated by you. It seems that you are also a capable person and can be my opponent. Today is the day you die!" He waved his hand, and the archer suddenly aimed at Ji Heng.

Even though the Jinwu Army was holding back the Yin family soldiers, there were still hundreds of archers and soldiers in Luye at this moment, and Ji Heng was alone. He was outnumbered and could not defeat four hands with two fists. How could he fight among them and take Jiang Li away with him?

Jiang Li was extremely anxious.

Ji Heng smiled coldly, and then heard Yin Zhili say, "Shoot!" In the sky, a dense mass of arrows rushed straight towards Ji Heng. Ji Heng suddenly leaned over the horse's back and raised a shield from behind, which blocked some of the arrows, and he drew the sword from his waist.

From the first meeting to the acquaintance, and then to the friendship, Jiang Li had seen Ji Heng kill people, and he had always used that gorgeous fan. It was the first time she saw Ji Heng use a sword. The sword glowed with a green light, and when it was pulled out of the scabbard inch by inch, one could feel the chill from a long distance. He held a shield in one hand and a sword in the other, like a young, brave general, crossing the arrows and blades with an unstoppable posture, rushing through the mountains and the sea of ​​fire, and coming all the way invincible.

Yin Zhili frowned, as if he had not expected Ji Heng to be so bold as to rush forward despite the rain of arrows. On the snowy plain, the man and the horse were running from afar. At this moment, suddenly, an archer in ambush cried out, covered his neck and fell down. Beside him, a ghostly shadow appeared, and the shadow moved very quickly, and soon rushed to the side of the others.

"Death soldiers! They are death soldiers!" someone exclaimed.

Yin Zhili asked: "Did you bring someone else?"

"Not much." Ji Heng laughed loudly on horseback, "Back then, all my seventy-two flying dragon riders were wiped out. Now the number of flying dragon riders I rebuilt is less than half of the past. Fortunately, it is still more than enough to deal with you." He sneered, "How is it, Master Yin?"

His smile seemed to make the snow in the sky come alive. In his amber eyes, there was only coldness and cruelty. The flying dragon riders appeared out of nowhere and cut off the archers' necks with a knife. The archers had to concentrate on dealing with Ji Heng, so more and more people fell. But even so, Ji Heng alone could not resist so many arrows. Some arrows still hurt him, but he was undecided. When the horses were about to reach Jiang Li's tent, Yin Zhili's face became colder, and even from his voice, there was a hint of exasperation. He said: "Attack everyone!"

He wanted Ji Heng to die in front of Jiang Li's tent, to watch Jiang Li die without being able to take her away. He wanted the lovers to be separated from each other, and Ji Heng to die with her eyes open!
The arrows suddenly intensified, and Ji Heng's figure was almost invisible. It made people feel that it was white snow or black rain of arrows falling from the sky. In this situation, it was almost impossible for Ji Heng to escape alive. Jiang Li screamed, and Yin Zhiqing finally took advantage of the chaos and rushed over. She said, "Brother, please release Duke Su!"

"Yin Zhiqing!" Yin Zhili shouted angrily, "Go back!"

He had never spoken to Yin Zhiqing like this before, but Yin Zhiqing didn't care and just looked at Ji Heng in panic, "Brother, please let him go!"

"Yin Zhiqing, don't forget that your last name is Yin. You have to stand on his side too!" Yin Zhili said, "You are crazy!"

"You are the one who is crazy!" Yin Zhiqing insisted, "Do you know what you are doing? You will regret it. If you kill Jiang Li, you will regret it!"

"If she is not destined to belong to me, what's the harm in killing her? I won't regret it, because I am different from you!" His tone became completely crazy.

At this moment, Yin Zhili suddenly had a murderous intention towards Jiang Li. He liked Jiang Li. He had liked her since he had never met her and only heard about her deeds. This was the first time in his life that he admired a girl so much. Unfortunately, she looked gentle on the surface, but she had no eyes for him at all.

No matter what he did, her heart was as hard as a rock and could not be shaken. Yin Zhili thought, since he could not stop Jiang Li's feelings for Ji Heng, then he would destroy Jiang Li. At least what he couldn't get, Ji Heng couldn't get either. It was at this time that Yin Zhili suddenly realized that he did have the same blood as Queen Mother Yin Zhan. They were both selfish and ruthless, and would rather betray the world than let the world betray them.

Those dark and obscure instincts have always been hidden in his bones. His bright and clear mind and his concern for the world are actually not worth mentioning in the face of reality. When someone is destined to sacrifice, Yin Zhili will still sacrifice others first to save himself. He follows his inner intentions. Just like this fate imposed on him, in the final analysis, does he really have no power to choose? Even if Yin Zhan forced him, even if fate forced him, if Yin Zhili was willing to give up everything, he would not have ended up like this.

It was just because he was unwilling to accept it, and because of that unwillingness, he accepted this outcome. He knew that taking this path might ruin his reputation, but at the same time he might get everything, and when he got the world, he would also get her.

Jiang Li didn't care about Yin Zhili's thoughts. She just saw the man on the horse getting closer and closer to her. His three-foot sword shone brightly, as if it could kill everything. He ran towards her passionately from the vast snowfield, like a ball of fire, getting closer and closer to her. Jiang Li used all her strength to break free from the two soldiers. The next moment, she saw Ji Heng's sword graze the soldier's neck. He reached out to Jiang Li from the horse, and the horse was almost breaking into the tent. Jiang Li stretched out her hand to him with all her strength. He held Jiang Li's hand and pulled Jiang Li onto the horse. At the same time, Jiang Li heard Yin Zhiqing's scream in her ear: "No!"

Then came Madam Yin’s scream: “Zhiqing!”

The horse did not stop but turned around very quickly. Jiang Li turned his head to look and saw that the knife in Yin Zhili's hand pierced Yin Zhiqing's chest. He was stunned, as if he had not expected this to happen.

No wonder Yin Zhili did not stop Ji Heng when he rushed over just now. He originally wanted to stab him from behind, but Yin Zhiqing blocked it for Ji Heng.

Jiang Li couldn't help but look back, feeling sad. She didn't dare to say it here to avoid distracting Ji Heng, but she couldn't let go of Yin Zhiqing. She didn't know how seriously Yin Zhiqing was injured, but she really liked Ji Heng. If she died like this... Jiang Li couldn't tell how she felt.

Madam Yin howled and ran over quickly. Yin Zhili let go of her hand and took a step back. Blood kept gushing out of Yin Zhiqing's mouth. She gasped and said with difficulty: "Yin Zhili, you... let them go... and let yourself go..."

"Why?" Yin Zhili asked numbly. "I... I don't want him... to get hurt..." Yin Zhiqing spat out a large mouthful of blood. The rise and fall of her chest gradually stopped. She stopped breathing. Her eyes were still wide open, but her head tilted to the side and did not move.

This beautiful girl, who was like a ball of fire, just lay in the snow. She no longer had the vitality and beauty she once had. Snowflakes fluttered down and quickly covered her cheeks. Her body seemed to quickly become cold. From birth to death, it all happened in a single moment.

Madam Yin's grief-stricken cries echoed between heaven and earth. Yin Zhili suddenly laughed. His eyes were cold. He turned around and ordered all the living people, pointing at Ji Heng's back, and said, "Kill him!"

He himself stood on a high place, took a bow from his men, put an arrow on it, and aimed the arrow at Ji Heng from a distance. He suddenly turned his hand and aimed it at Jiang Li again.

He slowly drew the longbow.

Jiang Li was held by Ji Heng, who sat behind her. The horse was running very fast, and she could only see arrows flying around like rain. Those arrows fell into the snow, and the snow seemed to cover it. Some of the warriors Ji Heng brought died, and more of them were archers. The bodies were lying in all directions on the plain, and the snow beneath them was gradually dyed red.

This is clearly not a battlefield, but it is even more tragic than a battlefield. The disparity in strength means that this war is destined to be a fight with lives sacrificed. Ji Heng said it with a mocking attitude, and he didn't care about Yin Zhili at all. But only Jiang Li, who was beside Ji Heng, could clearly feel that at this moment, he was indeed doing his best to protect her safety.

He was actually uncertain. He couldn't be completely sure that everything would be safe, but he was trying his best to prevent Jiang Li from getting hurt.

At this moment, she suddenly felt Ji Heng behind her suddenly lean forward, as if something rushed to his back. Jiang Li's heart tightened, and she was about to turn back, when Ji Heng's voice rang in her ears. His voice was gentle, and at this moment it was also filled with a comforting smile, saying: "Don't look back."

"Ji..." Jiang Li's voice trembled.

"Hmm?" He smiled and said, "It's okay, we're out."

His horse passed over the arrows shot by the archers, and the assassins behind him also stopped fighting, as if it was a surprise attack, killing people, burning food and grass, and then leaving in style. Unfortunately, the difference is that the surprise attack takes advantage of the unprepared, while they knew that there were assassins and traps on the opposite side, but they still went for it.

How can this be done?
Behind the vast white plain was a forest dyed white by snow. Ji Heng's horse plunged into it, and it seemed that someone was following behind him. Jiang Li's heart was pounding. She couldn't say anything. At this time, distracting Ji Heng would only cause trouble for him. But at the same moment, she suddenly hated her own powerlessness. She regretted that if she had learned a little bit from Xue Zhao when he was learning martial arts, she would not be so passive and used as a bargaining chip to threaten Ji Heng.

She didn't accomplish anything good, but made the other party look miserable.

His brain was suddenly knocked, and he seemed to be able to see into Jiang Li's heart, and said with a smile: "Don't let your imagination run wild, you haven't let me down."

Jiang Li forced a smile: "Have we... gotten rid of those people?"

"Not yet." Ji Heng smiled faintly, "Yin Zhili is not as cruel as his father, but he is smarter than Yin Zhan. To be on the safe side, we should go a little further inside. By the time Wen Ji contacts me, we will be safe."

Jiang Li stopped talking.

On the other side, Yin Zhili looked in front of him. Some of the dead soldiers who didn't have time to retreat were shot by the archers. The rest rushed up and killed them. Some of them left quickly. They didn't want to fight. They were not real soldiers. They seemed to be just weapons to kill people. They were also ruthless and their methods were tricky and strange. He had also heard the rumors about the 72 Flying Dragon Riders under General Jinwu, but those 72 Flying Dragon Riders were wiped out as early as the siege of Hongshan Temple. Ji Heng actually rebuilt another one. This Flying Dragon Rider was not as brave as the one under his father, but it was more vicious and cruel than that one.

They had less than 40 men, but they caused heavy losses to these hundreds of people. The ground was littered with corpses. He could only watch Ji Heng take Jiang Li away and disappear into the jungle. Yin Zhanlin had estimated everything before his death, but he did not expect that Ji Heng had such a terrible army, and he did not expect that the Jinwu Army had not fallen, the tiger talisman had not disappeared, and Ji Heng secretly controlled the troops for today.

In this game of chess, who is more patient and who is the mantis's hidden weapon?
Yin Zhili waved his hand and asked some people to chase after them. He himself also wanted to track them down himself, but was persuaded by the confidant left to him by Yin Zhan. If they went to chase them at this time, they would fall into Ji Heng's trap. Once Yin Zhili was in trouble, the Yin family soldiers would be leaderless and would soon become a group of loose sand. Not to mention that Emperor Hong Xiao would send people to fight, the Yin family soldiers themselves would also start fighting first.

For the sake of the overall situation, he must not give up.

Yin Zhili retreated to the edge of the tent, his eyes fell on the ground. There were some hairpins and jewelry scattered there, and a large pool of blood. On the blood, it was here that Yin Zhiqing was stabbed in the heart by him. He stared at the blood on the ground in a daze, the madness in his eyes gradually faded, as if he finally understood what he had done, and staggered back two steps.

Madam Yin carried Yin Zhiqing's body back to the tent. It was too cold outside and she was afraid that her daughter would freeze. Yin Zhili stood in the tent and didn't even have the courage to go in. He killed his sister. It didn't matter whether Yin Zhiqing and he were related by blood or not. They grew up together in the Yin family and shared joys and sorrows together... Now, he killed her with his own hands, even if he didn't do it on purpose.

He stood outside the tent for a long time, and finally lifted the curtain and walked in.

The tent, despite being shielded from the wind and snow, didn't seem to be much warmer. The fire had long gone out, leaving only cold ashes. Yin Zhiqing was lying on the ground, and beside her, Madam Yin leaned over her, as if she had fainted from crying out of grief.

Yin Zhili walked over and said in a trembling voice, "Mother."

Madam Yin did not answer him. Yin Zhili squatted down. Suddenly, his hands began to tremble and a scream escaped from his throat. He reached out and turned Madam Yin off Yin Zhiqing.

There were still tears on Madam Yin's face, her body was still warm, there was a trace of blood on her neck, and the knife fell to the ground, the new blood had not yet dried. Madam Yin committed suicide in front of her daughter, using the knife that Yin Zhili used to kill Yin Zhiqing.

"No——" Yin Zhili cried out in despair.

Mrs. Yin is dead. What else can Mrs. Yin do? For her, her husband is dead. Even if he didn't care about her in the past, he was her pillar of support. She believed until her death that it was her fault that Yin Zhan ignored her. Now her daughter died tragically in front of her. She couldn't kill Yin Zhili because Yin Zhili didn't do it on purpose. Moreover, Yin Zhili was the hope of the Yin family's future, but she couldn't accept it. So she chose to commit suicide, expressing her anger and sadness with such a resolute attitude.

Yin Zhili burst into tears.

He accidentally killed his sister, it was his fault, and now Madam Yin committed suicide. Before coming to Yunzhong, he thought he was no different from all the other families, but overnight, everything changed. The people around him left one by one, as if the debts owed in the previous life had come to be repaid at the same time. Looking back, he was the only one left in the Yin family.

It seemed that he was the only one left in the world.

Ji Heng still had Jiang Li, but what did he have? He had nothing. He picked up the knife on the ground, his expression suddenly became dazed, and he held the knife shakily and placed it on his neck.

Just one moment and you will be free. All the damn fate and responsibilities that must be fulfilled will disappear!
Yin Zhili closed his eyes. The sound of the wind and snow outside was like the howling of ghosts and wolves, as if it wanted to rush in at any time. It was also like the temptation of the devil, tempting him to fall into the vortex of darkness and never see the light for the rest of his life.

With a "pop", the knife in his hand fell to his feet, and Yin Zhili opened his eyes again.

Different, different.

Since he had sacrificed so much, he would be a coward if he didn't win back a game. Ji Heng had a soft spot because of Jiang Li, but he was just the opposite. He lost everything. The death of Yin Zhiqing and Madam Yin made the last bit of tenderness in his heart disappear. From then on, his heart was as hard as iron and he became a true member of the Yin family.

Perhaps, this is what Yin Zhan hopes to see.

As he wished, Yin Zhili slowly stood up and stopped looking at the two corpses on the ground. His expression gradually became cold and twisted. He would take back everything that originally belonged to him. No matter what, he would never look back unless he died.

……

The sky gradually darkened, and the road was difficult to distinguish in the wilderness. Jiang Li and Ji Heng stopped in front of a cave.

"Let's take a break here." Jiang Li said softly, "Those people seem to have gotten away. Yunzhong is a desert. Yin Zhili must not be familiar with the jungle and dare not go deep into it easily. Let's take a break and wait for news from Wen Ji."

There was no reply from Ji Heng for a long while. Jiang Li looked back and felt Ji Heng's head resting on her shoulder. His hand was still holding hers tightly, but he was unconscious.

"Ji Heng!" Her heart tightened, and she could no longer care about anything else. She stopped her horse and tried to pry Ji Heng's hands free. She wanted to dismount and check on Ji Heng's condition first, but Ji Heng's hands were clenched very tightly. Jiang Li finally broke free from her hands, but Ji Heng fell off the horse.

Jiang Li was stunned.

There was a black arrow on Ji Heng's back. The arrow had pierced his back, and a little further down, the blood had almost coagulated. It was not halfway in, shocking, bloody. Along the way, he did not say a word, but responded to her with a smile.

It turns out that I was just holding on.

(End of this chapter)