Huanzhu Time Travel: Yan Luo's Unbreakable Love in the Yong Dynasty

The next morning, before dawn, the streets of the capital were still shrouded in a hazy mist. Erkang, leading a team of elite guards, set off spiritedly towards the woods south of the city. The clatter of hooves broke the morning silence.

"This time we must make a gain; we absolutely cannot return empty-handed again!" Er Kang, mounted on his horse, made a firm vow in his heart.

The head guard chimed in, "Don't worry, young master, we will do our utmost!"

Meanwhile, in the palace, Xiao Yanzi and Hongli were sitting in the imperial study, anxiously awaiting news.

"Your Majesty, I wonder how Erkang is doing. I'm so worried." Xiao Yanzi paced back and forth in the room, her face full of concern.

Hongli stood up, walked to Xiaoyanzi's side, took her hand, and comforted her, "Xiaoyanzi, don't worry too much. Erkang is highly skilled in martial arts and has a meticulous mind, he will definitely be fine. All we can do now is wait patiently."

"But Princess Hejing's fate is still unknown, how can I be at ease!" Xiao Yanzi said anxiously.

Meanwhile, Er Kang and his group soon arrived at the woods south of the city. The woods were lush and verdant, sunlight filtering through the leaves to create dappled patterns. The surroundings were eerily quiet, save for the occasional bird call, which only added to the unsettling atmosphere.

"Everyone be careful, spread out and look for clues, and report immediately if anything happens!" Er Kang instructed in a low voice.

The guards nodded and cautiously walked deeper into the woods.

Er Kang walked on alone, carefully observing everything around him. Suddenly, he noticed some strange footprints on the ground, which did not look like those left by ordinary pedestrians.

"Come and take a look at these footprints!" Er Kang called to the nearby guards.

The guards gathered around, looking at the footprints on the ground, and began to discuss them.

“Young master, these footprints seem to have been left by several people together, and their steps are very synchronized, unlike those of ordinary people,” a guard said.

Er Kang nodded. "Looks like we've found the right place. Let's follow the footprints and see what we find."

Following the footprints, the group walked for a while and then came to a dilapidated wooden hut. The hut was surrounded by weeds and looked like it had been abandoned for a long time.

"Young master, are there any clues in this wooden house?" the head guard asked.

Er Kang pondered for a moment, then said, "Let's go in and take a look. Everyone be careful, there might be an ambush inside."

Erkang entered the wooden hut first. The hut exuded a worn-out atmosphere, furnished with dilapidated tables, chairs, and miscellaneous items. Just then, a guard suddenly exclaimed, "Young Master, there are some symbols here that are very similar to those we saw before!"

Erkang hurried over and saw that the walls of the wooden house were covered with various symbols. He examined them carefully, and a thought struck him: "These symbols may be the key to solving the mystery."

Just as everyone was studying the symbols, they suddenly heard shouts of battle outside. Er Kang's expression changed drastically. "Oh no! An ambush! Everyone, go out and meet the enemy!"

The group immediately rushed out of the wooden house, only to see a group of men in black surrounding them from all directions. These men in black were masked, wielding sharp blades, and had fierce eyes.

"Who are you? Why are you lying in ambush here!" Er Kang shouted.

The man in black didn't answer, but charged forward brandishing his sharp blade. Er Kang, undaunted, drew his sword and engaged the man in black in fierce combat.

The guards drew their swords and engaged the men in black in battle. For a moment, the clash of blades and shouts of battle echoed through the woods.

Er Kang was highly skilled in martial arts, moving freely among the men in black and quickly defeating several. However, the number of men in black increased, and the situation gradually turned unfavorable for Er Kang and his companions.

"Everyone stand back to back, don't get separated!" Er Kang shouted.

At this critical moment, a man in black took advantage of Er Kang's unpreparedness and attacked him from behind. Er Kang heard the sound of the wind and dodged to the side, but was still cut on the arm by a sharp blade.

"Young Master!" the guards exclaimed.

"I'm fine! Keep fighting!" Er Kang endured the pain and continued fighting the man in black.

Just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate, a loud shout suddenly rang out: "Stop!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a tall man with a long scar on his face emerge. It was the mysterious person they had been searching for!

"You've finally shown yourself! Have you been hiding Princess Hejing?" Erkang glared angrily and questioned loudly.

The mysterious man sneered, "Little brat, you're quite capable. However, you're not good enough to find out Princess Hejing's whereabouts!"

"What exactly do you want?" Er Kang gripped the sword in his hand tightly.

The mysterious man glanced at the men in black around him and said, "All of you, step back." The men in black obeyed and retreated to the side.

The mysterious man then looked at Erkang and said, "I can tell you the whereabouts of Princess Hejing, but you must agree to one condition."

"What are the conditions? Tell me!" Er Kang said.

"I want you to give up investigating the Shadow Pavilion and never interfere again!" the mysterious man said.

Erkang refused without hesitation, saying, "Impossible! Princess Hejing is the Emperor's daughter. As a subject, how can I ignore this? Moreover, the Shadow Pavilion has committed many evil deeds, and I will definitely bring them to justice!"

The mysterious man's face darkened. "Then don't blame me for being impolite!" With that, he waved his hand, and the men in black surrounded him again.

Just at this critical moment, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came. It turned out that Furen had arrived with reinforcements.

"Erkang, we're here to help you!" Furen shouted.

Seeing the situation was turning against them, the man in black panicked. Furen and his reinforcements quickly joined the battle, and the tide immediately turned.

Seeing that something was wrong, the mysterious man turned to run away. Er Kang immediately gave chase.

"Trying to run? Not so easy!" Er Kang shouted.

The mysterious man ran incredibly fast, with Er Kang in hot pursuit. The two weaved through the woods, gradually moving away from the battlefield.

After chasing for a while, the mysterious man suddenly stopped. He turned around, looked at Er Kang, and a strange light flashed in his eyes.

“You think you can catch me? You’re too naive!” the mysterious man said.

Er Kang looked at him warily. "What exactly are you plotting? Tell me!"

The mysterious man sneered, "Since you're so persistent, I'll tell you. Princess Hejing is indeed in our hands, but her fate is currently unknown. If you still want to save her, come alone to the dilapidated temple in the west of the city, otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?" Er Kang asked loudly.

"Otherwise, you can just wait to collect her corpse!" After saying this, the mysterious man turned and disappeared into the woods.

Erkang stood there, feeling both anxious and angry. He knew it was a trap, but for Princess Hejing's sake, he had no other choice.

"No matter how dangerous it is, I'm going to give it a try!" Er Kang made up his mind.

Afterwards, Erkang returned to the battlefield, where Furen and the guards had already repelled the men in black.

"Erkang, are you alright?" Furen asked with concern, looking at Erkang's injured arm.

Erkang shook his head. "Father, I'm fine. That mysterious man just appeared. He said Princess Hejing is in their hands and told me to go to the ruined temple in the west of the city alone, or he would kill Princess Hejing."

Furen frowned. "This is clearly a trap. We can't go!"

Erkang said firmly, "Father, I know it's a trap, but I can't just stand by and watch Princess Hejing be in danger. I must go!"

After a moment's thought, Furen said, "Alright, I'll go with you. Let's take more people with us and be careful."

“No, Father. They’re sending me alone, so they must be on guard. If we bring too many people, we’ll only alert them and endanger Princess Hejing’s life,” Erkang said.

“But…” Furen hesitated.

“Father, don’t worry. I will be careful. You stay nearby and lie in ambush until I give the signal, then bring your men in,” Er Kang said.

Furen nodded helplessly. "Alright, but please be careful!"

Erkang returned to the palace and told Hongli and Xiaoyanzi what had happened.

"Your Majesty, Princess, I have decided to go to the dilapidated temple in the west of the city alone. No matter how dangerous it is, I will rescue Princess Hejing!" Erkang said.

Little Swallow said worriedly, "Erkang, this is too dangerous! You can't go! What will we do if something happens to you?"

Hongli looked at Erkang with eyes full of approval. "Erkang, I am very pleased with your courage and loyalty. But this matter is indeed dangerous, so you must be careful. I will have Fulun meet you nearby."

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will be careful," Erkang said.

"When will you set off?" Hongli asked.

"There's no time to lose, I'll set off tonight," Er Kang said.

Little Swallow held Erkang's hand, "Erkang, you must come back safely! We're all waiting for you."

"Don't worry, Princess, I will definitely bring Princess Hejing back safely!" Erkang said.

However, what awaits Erkang in the dilapidated temple west of the city? Will he be able to successfully rescue Princess Hejing? What even more sinister trap will the Shadow Pavilion lay there? End of this chapter. Stay tuned for the next chapter.