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

With a wave of his hand, the leader of the men in black sent a tidal wave of men rushing towards Xiao Yanzi and Hongli. Hongli shielded Xiao Yanzi behind him and whispered, "Xiao Yanzi, be careful."

Little Swallow drew a soft whip from her waist and cracked it in the air: "Fourth Prince, don't worry about me, you take care of yourself too!"

Having said that, Little Swallow darted into the enemy ranks like a nimble swallow, her soft whip striking wherever it touched, causing the men in black to scatter. But these men in black were well-trained and quickly surrounded her again.

Hongli also drew his sword, its blade gleaming coldly in the sunlight. His swordsmanship was fierce, each strike aimed at the black-clad man's vital points. "Hmph, you cowards of the Shadow Pavilion, how dare you be so insolent before me!"

During the battle, Xiao Yanzi caught sight of a man in black about to ambush Hongli from behind. She was frantic and shouted, "Fourth Prince, behind you!" At the same time, she forcefully lashed her soft whip at the man in black, which wrapped around his ankle. With a strong pull, the man in black fell to the ground.

Hongli turned around and stabbed the man in black to death with his sword: "Little Swallow, thank you."

“There’s no need for thanks between us!” Little Swallow replied.

However, there were too many men in black, and they gradually became overwhelmed.

“This can’t go on; we need to find a way to break through,” Hongli said.

Little Swallow looked around and spotted a weak spot in the courtyard wall. "Fourth Prince, over there! Let's break through that way!"

They fought and retreated, approaching the wall. At that moment, General Zhaohui arrived with a troop of soldiers. "Fourth Prince, Princess Consort, I'm late!"

It turned out that after they left, General Zhao Hui became increasingly uneasy, so he led his soldiers to check and just then heard the sounds of fighting.

With General Zhao Hui's support, the men in black were quickly repelled.

Little Swallow said breathlessly, "General, thank goodness you came, otherwise we would have been in danger."

General Zhao Hui bowed and said, "You are too kind, Madam. It is my duty to protect the Fourth Prince and Madam."

Hongli said, "General, we owe you a great debt this time. These men in black must be from the Shadow Pavilion. It seems we are getting closer and closer to the truth, which is why they are so eager to eliminate us."

Back at their lodgings, Xiao Yanzi and Hongli began to carefully examine the paper covered with symbols that they had brought back from the man in black's courtyard.

“Fourth Prince, look at this symbol. It seems a little different from the symbols on the ancient books we saw in the library before,” Little Swallow said, pointing to a symbol on the paper.

Hongli examined it carefully: "Indeed, there must be a deeper meaning behind this. Could it be that our previous understanding was wrong?"

As they were discussing this, Lin Yuhang came to visit.

"Sister, I heard you were attacked. Are you alright?" Lin Yuhang asked with a worried expression.

Little Swallow laughed and said, "Brother, I'm fine, thanks to Fourth Prince and General Zhaohui."

Lin Yuhang looked at Hongli: "Fourth Prince, thank you for protecting my sister this time."

Hongli said, "Brother Lin, you are too kind. Xiao Yanzi is an extremely important person to me, and I will certainly protect her."

Hearing this, Xiao Yanzi felt a warmth in her heart, and a blush rose to her face.

Lin Yuhang also sensed the affection between the two and smiled slightly: "That's good. I've come today to discuss something else with the Fourth Prince. I've heard some news in court about the border tribes, which may be related to your investigation of the Shadow Pavilion."

Hongli became interested: "Brother Lin, please tell me."

Lin Yuhang said, "I heard that a border tribe has recently been in close contact with some mysterious people. These mysterious people are very generous and seem to be planning something big. Moreover, some people have seen that they have markings similar to those of the Shadow Pavilion."

Little Swallow's eyes lit up: "Brother, this is an important clue!"

Hongli nodded: "Brother Lin, thank you for informing me of this matter. I will send people to investigate further."

After Lin Yuhang left, Xiao Yanzi said to Hongli, "Fourth Prince, I think we should go to the frontier ourselves. Maybe we can find more clues."

Hongli hesitated for a moment: "The border is fraught with danger, and you are a woman..."

Little Swallow said with dissatisfaction, "Fourth Prince, don't underestimate me! I have martial arts skills and I can definitely protect myself. Moreover, the matter of the Shadow Pavilion is of great importance, and we cannot miss any clues."

Hongli pondered for a moment: "Alright, but we need to be fully prepared."

They began preparations for their journey to the frontier. During these preparations, Niohuru Zhixi came to visit them.

"Fourth Prince, Princess Consort, I heard you are going to the frontier, so I came to see you off," Zhixi said.

Little Swallow looked at her: "Zhixi, are you feeling any better?"

Zhixi smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Madam. I'm much better now. I know you're going to find out the truth, and I hope everything goes smoothly for you. But... the border is far away, so please be careful on your journey."

Hongli said, "Zhixi, you're so kind. We'll be careful."

Zhixi looked at Xiaoyanzi again: "Fujin, you and the Fourth Prince have a deep affection for each other, you must support each other."

Little Swallow nodded: "Zhixi, don't worry."

After Zhixi left, Xiaoyanzi felt that Zhixi's behavior today was a bit strange. "Fourth Prince, don't you think Zhixi is acting strangely today?"

Hongli said, "Perhaps she cares about us. However, we cannot let our guard down."

Finally, they embarked on their journey to the frontier. Along the way, they endured hardships and slept in the open, but also encountered many interesting people and events.

One day, they met an old man on their journey. The old man saw them and smiled, saying, "Young men, where are you headed?"

Little Swallow said, "Grandpa, we're going to the frontier."

The old man nodded slightly: "The frontier is not a peaceful place. Why do you want to go there?"

Hongli said, "Grandpa, we are going to find something of great importance."

The old man seemed to be deep in thought: "I have lived on the frontier for most of my life, so perhaps I can give you some advice. When you arrive on the frontier, you should first visit the local tribal chiefs and gain their trust. Only in this way can you better understand the local situation."

Little Swallow said gratefully, "Thank you, Grandpa."

After saying goodbye to the old man, they continued on their way.

"Fourth Prince, the common people are indeed full of hidden talents. Even an old man can give us such good advice," Xiao Yanzi exclaimed.

Hongli smiled and said, "Yes, we must not underestimate anyone."

After many days of trekking, they finally arrived at the frontier. The scenery there was completely different from that of the capital; the vast grasslands and galloping horses were breathtaking.

"Wow, Fourth Prince, look, it's so beautiful here!" Little Swallow exclaimed excitedly.

Seeing Xiao Yanzi's happy expression, Hongli smiled as well: "Yes, she is indeed very beautiful. However, let's not forget the purpose of our trip."

They arrived at a large local tribe and requested an audience with its chief. The chief, hearing that they had come from the capital, granted them an audience.

"You've come all the way from the capital, what business do you have with me?" the tribal chief asked.

Hongli said, "Chief, we have heard that some mysterious people have been in close contact with your tribe recently. These mysterious people may be related to some conspiracy in our capital. We would like to know more about the situation."

The tribal chief frowned: "Indeed, some strangers have come. They brought a lot of wealth and wanted to exchange it for something from us. But we felt that their intentions were not pure, so we did not cooperate with them further."

Little Swallow asked, "Chief, do you know what they want in exchange?"

The tribal chief looked at Little Swallow: "They want an ancient jade pendant that has been passed down in our tribe. They say that the jade pendant is of great use to them."

Hongli and Xiaoyanzi exchanged a glance, both feeling that there was something fishy about this jade pendant.

"Chief, may we take a look at that jade pendant?" Hongli asked.

The tribal chief hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded: "Alright, since you've come all this way, I'll let you see."

The tribal chief ordered his men to bring the jade pendant. When Hongli and Xiaoyanzi looked at it, they found that the symbols engraved on the jade pendant were very similar to the symbols they had seen before in the ancient paintings in the calligraphy and painting shop and on the paper in the courtyard of the man in black.

“Chief, we can buy this jade pendant for a large sum of money; it is very important to us in uncovering a conspiracy,” Hongli said.

The tribal chief pondered for a moment: "This jade pendant is a heirloom of our tribe and should not be sold lightly. But since it can help you unravel the conspiracy, I will sell it to you."

Hongli said gratefully, "Thank you, Chief."

After obtaining the jade pendant, they settled down in the tribe and continued to inquire about the mysterious person from the tribe members.

One day, while Little Swallow was strolling around the tribe, she overheard two tribesmen talking.

"Have you heard? Those mysterious people seem to have a base in a valley, and they're doing some kind of bad thing there."

"Really? Should we tell the chief?"

"No, we don't know the situation either."

Upon hearing this news, Xiao Yanzi hurriedly ran to tell Hongli.

"Fourth Prince, I heard someone say that the mysterious people have a stronghold in a valley. Let's go take a look!" Little Swallow said eagerly.

Hongli said, "Alright, let's proceed with caution."

They quietly set off towards the valley, a new adventure about to unfold, and the secrets of the Shadow Pavilion seemed to be slowly surfacing...