Ch. 236..240: The Princess of Northern Land Chapter 236-240

Chapter 236: Chapter 236 Human Debt(2)_1

The situation reversed somewhat as Hui Ming found an opening, protecting several civilians as they broke out of the encirclement.

Alhatu and his guards were in a more desperate situation. Amidst the onslaught of the assassins in black, only a few men remained by his side. Even Batu, his most trusted man, was riddled with injuries.

"Rescue them." Lin Ziyin commanded calmly.

"Master, it’s better not to meddle in this." Qiaoqiao was noticeably anxious. It wasn’t that she was indifferent to their plight, but the situation was a mess. There were presently no men in black attacking them, so they were relatively safe. Getting involved in the fight could risk Ziyin getting injured, especially given that they were also short-handed.

"Save them." Ziyin repeated his order coldly, unsheathing his sword and charging forward first.

With their master leading the charge, the rest, despite their reluctance, had no choice but to follow.

Alhatu had never imagined that Lin Ziyin and his group would lend them a hand. Relations between the Northern Lands and North Country had always been tense. It was a complex feeling to be rescued by citizens of Daqin from his own Tatar clan. He was overwhelmed with gratitude, surprise, and panic.

Batu and others were overjoyed by the unexpected help. Having the young saviors on their side significantly eased the pressure they were experiencing against their adversaries. Without their intervention, they would have nearly been defeated.

The assassins in black were equally surprised that several civilians from the Northern Land chose to help the Tatars in the face of danger.

Nonetheless, they hesitated only for a moment before one of them began to circle around to launch an offensive on Lin Ziyin and his group.

"Ensure the young master’s safety." Jue Ming voiced his concern. Ziyin’s decision had been quite rash, inadvertently plunging them into danger.

The guards had little to worry with their advanced martial arts. Still, their young master, Ziyin, lacked any Inner Strength at all, which was very concerning. A moment’s carelessness could at best result in injuries, at worst, death.

Ziyin wasn’t as weak as they presumed. She might not be capable of direct combat on horseback, but she was skilled at fighting close range on foot.

With too many assassins in black surrounding them, there was nowhere to run. She decided to get off her horse.

With a number of assassins on the ground as well, her arrival caused her to be encircled by enemies instantly.

The sight sent a jolt of alarm through Qiaoqiao, who quickly dismounted and followed Ziyin.

"Use the techniques I’ve taught you," Ziyin instructed in a low voice, before her back met Qiaoqiao’s, both standing back to back in defense.

In a battle of life and death, neither the men in black nor Lin Ziyin’s group pulled any punches.

An assassin tried to ambush Ziyin, but she rolled away from his attack on the ground. A swift counter-attack saw her sword slicing through his chest.

The assassins who had underestimated Ziyin and Qiaoqiao soon realized their mistake and found them to be tough opponents.

As a result, more assassins circled them, and the situation became severe.

"My Lord, you must escape first," Batu urged Alhatu anxiously, noticing that his arm was injured.

"No, they risked their lives to save us, and as the Golden Eagle of the North Country, I would never abandon my friends out of cowardice." Alhatu refused sternly.

"But my Lord, now isn’t the time to be obstinate," Batu pleaded anxiously.

Their voices were not loud, but Jue Ming and the others managed to hear them.

At Batu’s words, they all shot him scornful looks.

Alhatu blushed with embarrassment, immediately stopped arguing with Batu, and resumed his desperate fight against the enemy.

His regrets and ferocious fight were enough for Jue Ming and the others to withhold further criticism.

Chapter 237: Chapter 237 Human Debt(3)_1

"Young master, you should leave first." The number of men in black seemed to be increasing, and gradually, Qiaoqiao and Lin Ziyin were beginning to struggle. Qiaoqiao was also starting to worry.

At this moment, Lin Ziyin somewhat regretted her bold impulse earlier. If the people she had brought with her were injured, she would feel even worse. After all, she wasn’t particularly well-acquainted with the people she had rescued.

To let those who followed her be hurt for the sake of strangers really was a bad bargain.

"Miss, be careful." Qiaoqiao noticed a man in black sneaking up on Lin Ziyin. She wanted to rush over to help, but her enemy had her entangled. Feeling anxious, she immediately called out a warning.

Jue Ming was a little too far from Lin Ziyin to help, and it was too late by the time he realized.

Lin Ziyin wielded her sword to fend off the attack, but the enemy’s force was too strong and sent her sword flying.

"You really have bad luck." At the critical moment, Si Jinhan appeared out of nowhere.

Showing no sympathy for the fairer sex, he picked up Lin Ziyin with one hand and plunged headlong into battle.

There were also twenty guards around Si Jinhan. These well-trained soldiers joining the fight greatly relieved the pressure on the battlefield.

It wasn’t long before many of the men in blacks were lying on the ground. The few remaining blew a whistle and immediately fled on horseback as they saw the situation going south.

Batu wanted to chase after them, but Alhatu stopped him.

When a calmer Alhatu saw Si Jinhan, his eyes tightened. Then, when he looked at Lin Ziyin, his gaze became much deeper.

"You really know how to stir up trouble. Even going shopping at the market could get you tangled up with fierce bandits," Si Jinhan joked.

"If you think I’m enjoying this! Weren’t you supposed to go to the market with me? Once we were there, I couldn’t find you anywhere," Lin Ziyin retorted.

"You’re right, it’s my fault." Si Jinhan spoke a bit louder, his eyes slantingly focusing on Alhatu.

Alhatu recognized he had been identified by Si Jinhan. Batu was once again tense, fearing that Si Jinhan would start a fight with them.

"Now that we’ve done our shopping, perhaps it’s time to head back?" Si Jinhan didn’t specifically point out their identities, but he talked with Lin Ziyin.

"We are grateful for your life-saving assistance, young master, and we’ll definitely repay you in the future." Alhatu generously bowed and said in thanks.

"Oh please, you still have to see if you can even make it home," Lin Ziyin dismissed him with a wave of her hand, considering it obvious that those men had been after the Tatars who were close at hand.

"Be careful." A guard warned loudly.

Si Jinhan and others immediately got ready as they saw a row of dense arrows flying towards them.

Everyone swiftly used their weapons to deflect the incoming arrows.

Lin Ziyin, without a sword in her hand, clenched her fists in regret. She felt like she was the bearer of bad news, and the enemies were making a sudden counterattack.

"Dodge." Lin Ziyin’s horse got spooked and started to spin, kicking up its hooves.

Lin Ziyin only managed to pull the reins, forgetting to dodge the flying arrow, which was aiming straight at her heart.

Si Jinhan spotted this, immediately swung himself onto her horse, and pulled her to hang on the side of the horse as the arrow whizzed past his arm.

"Utterly useless." After escaping the danger, Si Jinhan and she settled back onto the horse. The loquacious young master didn’t forget to tease her.

"You’re injured?" Lin Ziyin was about to retort but saw his bleeding arm, immediately replacing her harsh words with concern.

"Yes, injured for your sake. How do you plan to repay me?" Si Jinhan didn’t seem particularly concerned about his wounded arm but used the opportunity to continue to tease her.

Chapter 238: Chapter 238 Human Debt(4)_1

"Third son, the enemy is coming fiercely. What should we do?" a guard asked.

Si Jinhan looked into the distance and found a large group of Tatars approaching. The Tatars were already battling with the men in black.

"Don’t worry, my people have arrived," Alhatu responded apologetically. "I have some medicine for wounds here. Would you like me to bandage it for you?"

"Leave," Si Jinhan denied him any face, barring Lin Ziyin’s slender waist and leading the way, racing away.

Jue Ming and the guards immediately followed.

"Second Prince, are we just going to let them escape ?" Batu seemed somewhat unreconciled.

Si Jinhan of the Northern Land was a strong ally of Chu Suifeng. He was cunning and they often suffered under him. It was a rare opportunity to meet him today, yet they were left to escape easily. He was indeed unwilling.

"Keep your thoughts to yourself," Alhatu’s face turned ugly. "Don’t forget they just saved me. Heroes can prove their worth on the battlefield. You want me to be an ungrateful villain. How would I stand before my subjects then?"

His tone was stern!

"Yes, the Prince’s teaching is right. It’s Batu’s greed," Batu, who had never seen Alhatu so furious, quickly apologized and stepped back.

"You’re lucky, you know, you saved several Tatars with just one move." When they reached safety, Si Jinhan slowed down.

"Who knows what kind of person he is?" Lin Ziyin replied disdainfully. "I just saw him saving our people of the Northern Land, thinking that they might be Tatars, but their conscience is still intact."

"So you saved him," Si Jinhan looked at her with a smile, "selflessly saving people, it’s totally unlike your style."

"Exactly what you said, actually the moment I faced off with the men in black, I regretted it, but I regretted it too late, I couldn’t run if I wanted to." Lin Ziyin explained half-truthfully.

"Nonsense." Si Jinhan sniffed at her explanation.

"Truth." Lin Ziyin replied with a giggling smile, "It’s safe now, can third son put me down?"

Both of them on the same horse made Lin Ziyin feel awkward.

Si Jinhan was stunned and then laughed, "I always thought you had a thick skin, but now you are shying away." Having said that, he stopped the horse.

"It seems the blood on your arm is flowing more." Lin Ziyin frowned as she looked at his arm, "It would be better to bandage it first."

Upon saying that, she also dismounted the horse.

"I have the medicine, girl. I was injured for you, you come and bandage me." Without hesitation, Si Jinhan asked Lin Ziyin to do the chore.

Lin Ziyin didn’t take his words to heart and agreed readily.

Although she was not a doctor in the army, she had learned some simple first aid from a good friend. So bandaging wounds was not very difficult for her.

Si Jinhan took off his outer shirt and rolled up the sleeves of his inner shirt, revealing the injured part of his arm.

Lin Ziyin examined it carefully and found that the arrow wound was not very serious. It just grazed his arm, there was a slightly deeper cut at the wound.

"Bear with the pain," Lin Ziyin poured the golden sore medicine into the wound, then ripped Si Jinhan’s long shirt into strips and begin bandaging him carefully.

Lin Ziyin looks very calm while working. At first, Si Jinhan started with a teasing smile, but after watching for a while, his gaze started to become a little lost.

The girl was a little confusing to him, sometimes petty, sometimes timid, other times very brave. Was today’s incident really due to her momentary righteousness? He didn’t think so.

Chapter 239: Chapter 239 Human Debt(5)_1

Knowing Lin Ziyin, she’s not the type to act impulsively.

Perhaps there was some truth in what she had said, that she rescued Alhatu solely because he had haphazardly saved the people of the Northern Land before.

Not only is the girl kind-hearted, but she also possesses a sense of righteousness that even men seldom have!

"Alright, Young Master Three, be careful not to get your wound wet." After Lin Ziyin finished bandaging him, she packed up the golden sore medicine and the like, and handed it to Si Jinhan.

"You took off my clothes in public, are you going to take responsibility for me?" As expected, Si Jinhan was an uncensored fellow who started spouting nonsense in front of everyone.

If it were any other girl, they would undoubtedly be teased until they cried, with Qiaoqiao already fuming and staring round-eyed. Unfortunately, the object of Si Jinhan’s teasing was Lin Ziyin, a quite unusual girl.

"Young Master Three was injured on his arm, not his head. Of course, no one else’s head was injured." Lin Ziyin responded indifferently, "Can we leave now?"

Si Jinhan chuckled for a while, then said, "The wound on my arm was sustained for you, don’t forget you owe me a life."

Upon hearing this, Qiaoqiao was furious beyond belief. Although Young Master Three had saved Missy, no one would ever blatantly ask for a return like him.

"While the injury was indeed caused by me, let’s forget about the life-saving favor." Lin Ziyin was always calm and collected,"I am confident that even without the interference of Young Master Three, I wouldn’t have lost my life. At most, I would have been injured."

Even as she spoke of being injured, her tone remained unruffled.

"Boring." Si Jinhan, not getting any advantages here, immediately touched his nose and muttered, "If a woman gets scarred from an injury, what will you do if your future husband despises you?"

Still and even addicted to flirting!

"If he’s that kind of man, I’d better not have him," Lin Ziyin had already climbed onto her horse. "Young Master Three, aren’t you leaving?"

Boring, really boring! Si Jinhan, seeing her without a shred of shyness, instantly felt disgruntled.

It’s better for young girls to be gentle and understanding. If all the girls in the world were as straightforward and vulgar as Lin Ziyin, what fun would there be for men?

The cattle had been sent back already, so their return journey wasn’t impacted in the slightest.

"Injured?" Returning to the residence, Chu Suifeng spotted the bandage on Si Jinhan’s arm immediately, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"We did something great, guess who we saved?" Si Jinhan said with a grin.

"Saved someone? You didn’t run into bandits?" Chu Suifeng asked, puzzled.

"Alhatu was assassinated, and I saved him." Si Jinhan explained with a faint smile, "Of course, this girl here was the one who initially attracted the trouble."

"Quite the coincidence." Chu Suifeng’s expression relaxed.

"Do you know those Tatars?" Lin Ziyin asked curiously.

"Little girl, do you know who you saved?" Si Jinhan dramatically asked.

It was Lin Ziyin’s turn to furrow her brows slightly.

"Alhatu is the second prince from the North Country, he enjoys a reputation as divine there." Si Jinhan smirked, "He’s our most formidable opponent here in the Northern Land."

Lin Ziyin was stunned for a moment. She could guess that those Tatars were either rich or noble, but she didn’t realize that she had saved a prince of the North Country, and moreover, the most formidable enemy of the Northern Land.

"I’m sorry." She gave a slight nod to Chu Suifeng, not offering any explanation as to why.

Chapter 240: Chapter 240 Human Debt(6)_1

"Saved someone and now regretting it?" Si Jinhan laughed out loud.

"Who said I regret? If I had the chance, I would save him all over again," explained Lin Ziyin lightly.

Si Jinhan’s laughter abruptly stopped, "Aren’t you scared that the prince would charge you with treason?"

"Looking at the circumstances then, if he can save our people in the Northland, then he is our hero. Lending him a helping hand was our duty. As for ending the dispute on the battlefield, that’s for you men to deal with," said Lin Ziyin calmly. "I presume the prince isn’t as shallow as you to casually label me a traitor."

"You really can’t take a loss, huh? Don’t forget who saved your life," Si Jinhan was displeased.

"Wrong, as I’ve mentioned, saving my life and all that, don’t flatter yourself, Third Prince. At most, I owe you a favor, and I will repay you as soon as we get back to Feng City," said Lin Ziyin, showing no emotion.

"In exchange for your hand in marriage?" Si Jinhan grinned widely, revealing his teeth.

"Third Prince, I personally have a strong aversion to dirt." Having spent a considerable amount of time together, Lin Ziyin wasn’t afraid of him and had become braver compared to before.

Si Jinhan shot her a menacing look, "You are growing bold, aren’t you? I’m quite innocent."

"If men’s words were trustworthy, pigs could climb trees," replied Lin Ziyin lightly, and then turned to Chu Suifeng, "Prince, may I go and check on the cattle I bought?"

"Of course," Chu Suifeng had been quietly listening to their banter all this while.

Lin Ziyin excused herself and went to check on her cattle with Qiaoqiao and Jue Ming.

"One day, I’ll see to it that pigs can climb trees," Si Jinhan, looking at her retreating figure, grumbled.

"Who do you think attacked Alhatu?" Chu Suifeng asked, standing in the courtyard.

"It must be either the Crown Prince or the Emperor of the North Country. It seems Alhatu knows exactly who the assassin was," Si Jinhan became serious, "His presence is a threat to both the Crown Prince and the Emperor. Without Lin Ziyin’s accidental intervention today, even if Alhatu wouldn’t have been killed, he would be seriously injured."

"The Crown Prince and the Emperor are both warring individuals, while Alhatu is peace-loving. The North Country has always been a belligerent clan. Without the strong support from his maternal clan, he might have been swallowed up by the aristocrats already," Chu Suifeng analyzed coldly. "I wonder how long he can hold on."

"Regardless, Alhatu’s presence at least distracts the Emperor of the North Country a little. Internal strife always consumes resources the most. It would be ideal if they would wage a civil war," Si Jinhan said. "Do you think we should stoke the fire a bit more?"

"No need," Chu Suifeng shook his head, "The time isn’t right."

Seeing Chu Suifeng’s somewhat disheartened demeanor, Si Jinhan also felt his spirits drop, "Will the food and silver promised by the Imperial Court arrive on time this year?"

"Only the first batch has arrived, and it’s 20% less than last year," Chu Suifeng replied with a sigh.

"Still reducing. The silver and food distributed last year were already insufficient. If this year is even less, how are soldiers at the border supposed to fight off enemies?" Si Jinhan grumbled.

"Upon returning to Feng City, I must instruct them to collect more food. We can’t let the people go hungry," Chu Suifeng ordered.

"Yes, my prince," Si Jinhan reluctantly complied.

The Northland’s highest crop yield is soybeans, which not only serve as people’s staple food but also horse fodder. As the leader of the Northland, Chu Suifeng would never allow horses to compete for food with his people.