Spring arrives and the land smiles

The old boatman's boatmanship was considered excellent by everyone, but Qingyan still didn't appreciate it and vomited so badly she felt dizzy and disoriented.

Ning Yuan looked at Qing Yan lying weakly in his arms, her eyes half-closed and her face almost pale, and felt quite distressed.

"What time is it now?" Qingyan asked in a voice barely audible.

"It's already midnight, are you hungry?" Ning Yuan touched her little face.

Qingyan shook her head. Had they been sailing for a whole day? Qingyan was so drowsy that she had no idea how much time had passed. In her previous life, she was extremely prone to motion sickness, but she never expected that in this new body, seasickness would be even worse than motion sickness.

It takes a day and a half to travel by water from Shaoliang to the inn. It's midnight now, which means there's still half a day's journey by water to reach the inn. Qingyan sighed softly; there were still several hours to endure.

"Then I'll just have to endure it," Qingyan said, closing her eyes again.

When I woke up again, I was starving, but my stomach was screaming that I didn't want to eat anything.

Qingyan sat up and found that Ningyuan was no longer beside her. It was pitch black all around, with only a sliver of moonlight shining through. Qingyan carefully looked around in the dim light. It was still the cabin compartment where she had fallen asleep, but now it felt much more spacious with one less person.

Where would Ning Yuan go in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?

Qingyan straightened her clothes, pushed open the partition and stepped out of the compartment. She found everyone sleeping quietly in their cabins, but she didn't see Ningyuan. After thinking for a moment, she tiptoed through the cabins and onto the deck.

Sure enough, Ning Yuan was deep in thought, gazing at the moon. However, the vigilance characteristic of martial artists was very strong.

"The wind is strong on the river, why didn't you bring a cloak?" Ning Yuan turned around, walked closer, and hugged Qing Yan to warm her up.

"It's not cold." Qingyan smiled, clearly pleased. "What are you thinking about, so lost in thought?"

Just as Ning Yuan was about to tell her, Qing Yan mischievously asked and answered her own question:

"Let me guess, she's thinking about Sister Xue."

Ning Yuan nodded: "Sister Yanran has been living away from home for many years, she has really suffered."

"Once we finish handling Qiu Rongguo's matter, we'll go and bring her back to the capital." Qingyan grasped Ningyuan's hand.

Ning Yuan nodded happily.

"Go get some sleep. We still have to travel when we reach the inn tomorrow." Qingyan led Ningyuan into the cabin. The boatman who came to relieve them saw the two being so affectionate and covered his mouth to chuckle. Qingyan didn't blush and continued to hold Ningyuan's hand, while Ningyuan seemed a little awkward.

Inside the cabin compartment, Qingyan leaned against Ningyuan's chest.

"Father said you joined the army when you were five years old, and that's when you met Sister Xue?" Qingyan asked casually.

"Yes, Sister Yanran is five years older than me. General Mingyi only has one daughter. Because she loves martial arts, the general has always kept her by his side."

“You two are childhood sweethearts.” Qingyan winked at Ning Yuan and grinned. “Ning Yuan, do you think you two would have grown old together in the army if it weren’t for the Battle of Qingxia Pass?”

"What nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly have such an improper thought?" Ning Yuan replied hastily.

Seeing Ning Yuan's expression, which I had never even considered, Qing Yan chuckled, but her thoughts turned a little deeper.

The next morning, Qingyan woke up in Ningyuan's arms. Everyone was no longer in the cabin, presumably going about their duties.

Today was a cloudy and overcast day, and without sunshine, Qingyan's mood was not as bright as yesterday.

"We'll be at the inn in two hours. Would you like some food?" Ning Yuan asked gently.

Qingyan shook her head. Although she was already very hungry last night, her stomach, which had been severely ravaged, still had no desire for food.

Ning Yuan sighed, knowing that Qingyan was not a willful princess, and that she must really have no appetite, so he gave up.

Si Cheng went from the deck into the cabin: "Princess, there are suspicious vessels approaching us on the river."

"Let's go take a look." Ning Yuan wanted to go out with Si Cheng.

"I'm going too." Qingyan followed closely behind them.

Looking out onto the river from the deck, they indeed saw a ship twice their size, its sails billowing, speeding towards them. There were no signal flags on board, making it impossible to determine their identity; however, the men on the deck, all dressed in swordsman's attire, forced Qingyan and the others to immediately prepare for battle.

"Yan'er, go inside the cabin." Ning Yuan shielded Qing Yan behind him, and he and the others had already formed a fighting formation in perfect harmony.

"Mm." Qingyan obediently hid in the cabin's inner compartment, knowing full well that her mediocre skills would only be a burden to Ning Yuan and the others.

"Sicheng, guard the cabin and protect the princess."

"Yes." Si Cheng immediately retreated to the front of the cabin.

“Your Highness Prince Zhao, you—” Ning Yuan hesitated for a moment before Lan Zhen interrupted him.

"I'm not a woman."

"You should be careful." Ning Yuan said no more.

"Old boatman, can we avoid the oncoming ship if we steer full speed to left?" asked Lan Zhen.

"Young master, the Ying River is not wide to begin with, and the width of the river here is less than half of what it was before. In particular, there are many hidden reefs on both banks, and the boats are coming at such a fast speed. I really have no confidence." The old boatman said with a bitter face, regretting that he had been greedy for the expensive fare and had taken on this group of powerful enemies and nobles. He hoped that he would not lose his life.

"Old boatman, please do your best." After Lan Zhen finished speaking, he cupped his hands in a salute. The old boatman was at a loss for what to do, and immediately followed Lan Zhen's instructions, turning the rudder to left at full speed.

The approaching ship seemed not to have expected that the other party would risk running aground and steer to left at full speed to avoid it, so it rushed toward Qingyan's ship at an even faster speed, with the intention of ramming and destroying it.

"Old boatman, furl the sails and have the crew back as far as they can." Seeing the ship about to collide with them, Lan Zhen suddenly gave the order.

The boat barely stopped on the river, narrowly missing the approaching ship. The approaching ship was clearly not prepared for this sudden move and, unable to dodge in time, came into close contact with the reef. Fortunately, the ship was very large and did not suffer serious damage. However, the swordsmen on the deck were hit by the sudden collision, some staggered, some fell on the deck, and some were even knocked into the water.

"Full speed to right rudder, turn into the channel and hoist the sails immediately," Lan Zhen ordered again.

Perhaps because the two ships were already close enough, or perhaps because the swordsmen on the approaching ship were highly skilled, several agile individuals had recovered from the accident and landed directly in front of Lan Zhen, who was still giving orders to adjust the course. Everyone was shocked and immediately took up positions to fight him.

The swordsmen were equally decisive, immediately engaging in a fierce one-on-one battle with remarkable coordination. Fortunately, all seven were highly skilled, and Si Cheng even gained the upper hand, making it difficult to determine a winner for the time being.

"Don't linger in battle, kill King Zhao." Suddenly, another person appeared on the ship, issuing orders; clearly the leader of the swordsmen.

It turns out the ship came specifically to target Lan Zhen.

Upon hearing the order, the swordsmen, disregarding their own lives, turned and attacked Lan Zhen; it was clear at a glance that they were trained assassins trained for close combat.

Attacked by multiple people at the same time, Lan Zhen was unable to dodge in time and was injured in the left shoulder by the sword.

Everyone immediately surrounded Lan Zhen to protect her.

It was her left shoulder again. Lan Zhen covered the wound with her hand to stop the bleeding, her brows furrowing slightly. A thought suddenly flashed through her mind: she had given that sharp-tongued little girl another opportunity to criticize her. She couldn't help but smile to herself.

Before they could think, the black-clad swordsmen who had fallen into the water had already climbed back onto the boat, and the battle intensified. Clearly, the leader's objective was clear: to kill Lan Zhen. Therefore, his orders were brutal and simple: launch all attacks at Lan Zhen, regardless of casualties. The swordsmen, even when surrounded by others, abandoned any opportunity to engage him directly, attacking Lan Zhen without regard for the consequences.

Under such an onslaught, Lan Zhen was already covered in wounds.

"Get inside the cabin!" Ning Yuan shouted to Lan Zhen while blocking the attack, then turned to Si Cheng, who was guarding the cabin door, "Protect His Highness Prince Zhao."

Already severely injured and not yet fully recovered, Lan Zhen had exhausted her mental and physical strength from the long journey. In addition, she had just been surrounded and attacked by a group of experts and was covered in wounds. Due to excessive blood loss, her vision was already blurred. Upon hearing Ning Yuan's shout, she immediately reacted and, without thinking, hid in the cabin under Si Cheng's protection.

With their only target now heavily protected, the swordsmen immediately regrouped for battle.

Inside the cabin, Qingyan heard a noise outside the partition. She nervously looked out through the gap in the partition and saw Lan Zhen covered in blood, kneeling on one knee, barely supporting his body with the sword in his hand.

Qingyan quickly pushed aside the partition and came out, supporting the swaying Lan Zhen: "Can you still hold on?"

Lan Zhen glanced at Qing Yan and nodded with difficulty. Qing Yan used all her strength to help him into the small room behind the cabin partition.

Lan Zhen's complexion grew increasingly worse, and bright red blood continued to flow from his wounds, gradually turning the deck beneath him crimson. Qing Yan gritted her teeth and forcefully tore open his blood-soaked clothes, revealing the gruesome wounds. Qing Yan's hands trembled.

"Don't be afraid, you won't die." Lan Zhen forced a smile, which even had a hint of arrogance about it.

"Bear with it." Qingyan focused her mind and steadied her hand, quickly bandaging him to stop the bleeding.

Lan Zhen cooperated perfectly. Even when the Imperial Physician Wang sprinkled the excruciatingly painful powder on his wound, he didn't utter a sound. He just pursed his lips tightly and furrowed his brows into a deep frown.

"How's the situation outside?" Qingyan asked while bandaging the wound.

“They’re here to kill me.” Lan Zhen bit her lip.

Qingyan was not surprised. The assassins along the way were either trying to kill her or him, so it didn't matter which group of people came. What mattered was whether she could escape this calamity.

"How many of them are there?" Qingyan had barely finished speaking when a loud bang was heard inside the cabin, as if someone had violently broken in. Qingyan quickly held her breath, and Lanzhen also tensed up, raising her sword with one hand, ready for battle.

"I'll go take a look," Qingyan mouthed to Lanzhen.

Lan Zhen nodded and mouthed back, "Be careful."

Qingyan peeked out through the gap in the partition and saw a black-clad swordsman violently breaking in. Sicheng followed closely behind with his sword and they soon engaged in battle.

After a dozen or so rounds, the black-clad swordsman became a victim of Si Cheng's sword, but Si Cheng was also severely stabbed in the arm.

"How is the princess?" Si Cheng asked anxiously.

Qingyan pushed open the partition: "I'm fine. How's it outside?"

“Most of the assassins have been killed, only one remains,” Si Cheng replied, then immediately turned to prepare to rejoin the battle outside the cabin.

"Wait." Qingyan called out to him, and Sicheng paused, obediently standing in front of Qingyan. "Bear with it," Qingyan tore open his injured sleeve, quickly sprinkled on the medicine powder, and bandaged it up. Sicheng didn't utter a sound throughout the whole process.

"Go take care of King Zhao, I'll go out and check on things," Qingyan commanded after finishing bandaging the wound.

"Princess, it's dangerous outside!" Si Cheng said anxiously.

"This is an order." Qingyan picked up Sicheng's sword and rushed out.

The outer deck was littered with the corpses of the black-clad swordsmen, with only one heavily wounded man still putting up a desperate fight. However, Ning Yuan and the others were in no better shape. Apart from Ning Yuan, who was still able to stand, the other four were covered in blood, either leaning against the ship's side or lying on the deck, their fates unknown.

"Go in." Ning Yuan's voice was weak, but his tone was still authoritative.

Seeing this, Qingyan completely ignored Ningyuan's words and thrust her sword at the black-clad swordsman.

Given the disparity in strength, Qingyan's fierce attacks only managed to slash the black-clad swordsman before he could dodge. Soon, the black-clad swordsman mastered Qingyan's sword techniques, and Qingyan's attacks posed little threat to him, resulting in a stalemate.

Suddenly, Ning Yuan leaped out from behind Qing Yan and plunged his sword into the throat of the black-clad swordsman. Before the swordsman could utter a sound, he fell to the ground dead.