"Hya! Hya!"

The night was ink-black, and urgent hoofbeats echoed along the official road. Two swift horses galloped under the moonlight, their riders gripping the reins tightly amid the jolting motion, not daring to relax for an instant.

Su Ying had never ridden such a fast horse before. She felt like she might fall from the saddle at any moment. Wind howled in her ears, the horse's mane flew wildly, and the entire world rushed backward before her eyes.

"Hold on tight!" Lu Zhao shouted from beside her, his horsemanship surprisingly skilled, as if man and horse were one. "There's a hillside ahead where we can rest briefly!"

Su Ying nodded, gritting her teeth and persevering. She could feel the pursuing soldiers drawing closer behind them, their thundering hoofbeats echoing through the night sky like death knells.

Finally, both riders charged up a small hill. Lu Zhao immediately dismounted and helped Su Ying down. Her legs were weak and she nearly couldn't stand; Lu Zhao quickly caught her with his swift reflexes.

"Are you alright?" he asked with concern.

"I... I'm fine." Su Ying forced herself to say, but her pale face clearly showed she'd been severely shaken by the bumpy ride.

Lu Zhao saw her condition and felt deeply distressed. He had Su Ying sit on a rock to rest while he alertly observed their surroundings.

The elevated terrain here provided a clear view of the official road. Sure enough, a line of torches was rapidly approaching in the distance.

"They're coming after us." Lu Zhao's voice was calm, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

Su Ying followed his gaze to see that string of torches particularly conspicuous in the night, like a fire dragon charging toward them.

"What do we do?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"Don't be afraid." Lu Zhao crouched down and looked at her seriously. "I won't let them hurt you."

"But there are so many of them..."

"So what if there are many?" A rebellious gleam flashed in Lu Zhao's eyes—an expression Su Ying had never seen before, as if she were seeing another person entirely. "If they dare hurt you, I'll make them know what regret means."

Su Ying stared at him in a daze, strange feelings surging in her heart. Why did this gentle senior apprentice brother have such a domineering side?

"But now isn't the time for a direct confrontation." Lu Zhao quickly regained his composure. "We need to find a way to shake them off."

He looked around and his eyes suddenly lit up. "There's a small path over there—it should lead into the mountains. We'll take that route; their cavalry won't easily follow."

"But mountain paths are dangerous, and we're not familiar with them..."

"Trust me." Lu Zhao extended his hand. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Seeing his determined gaze, Su Ying inexplicably grasped his hand. In that instant, she actually felt that as long as she was with him, she could face even mountains of knives and seas of fire without fear.

Both led their horses, carefully making their way toward the mountain path. Just as they entered the forest, shouts from the pursuing soldiers erupted behind them.

"They went into the mountains! Split up and chase them!"

"Damn it, this mountain path is too difficult!"

"Can't worry about that—Young Master Zhao said to bring them back alive or dead!"

Hearing the words "Young Master Zhao," Su Ying's body visibly stiffened. Lu Zhao noticed her reaction and asked softly, "Su Lin, who is this Young Master Zhao?"

Su Ying bit her lip and finally revealed part of the truth. "He is... my former fiancé. This arranged marriage was set up by both our parents. I really didn't want it, so I escaped."

"Fiancé?" Lu Zhao's expression instantly darkened. "What has he done to you?"

"He... he's a very dangerous person." Su Ying didn't dare reveal Young Master Zhao's true nature, afraid of frightening Lu Zhao. "In any case, I'd rather die than marry him."

Lu Zhao stopped walking and looked at her seriously. "Su Lin, I promise you—as long as I'm here, no one can force you to do anything against your will."

This statement was so solemn, so firm, like a sovereign's promise to his subjects. Su Ying felt warmth in her heart, yet was also somewhat puzzled—how could a carpenter possess such bearing?

The mountain path grew increasingly rugged, forcing both to proceed on foot. Fortunately, Lu Zhao had an excellent sense of direction and could find the correct path even in the darkness.

"How are you so familiar with mountain paths?" Su Ying asked curiously.

Lu Zhao paused, then shook his head. "I don't know either. I just feel... feel like I used to walk paths like this often."

Another vague feeling from before his memory loss. Su Ying became increasingly certain that this Lu Zhao's background was far from simple.

As they walked, rustling sounds suddenly came from ahead. Lu Zhao immediately became alert and motioned for Su Ying to hide behind a large tree.

"Who's there?" he called out in a low voice.

"Don't be nervous, young man." An aged voice responded. "This old man is just a traveling merchant passing through."

In the moonlight, a white-haired elder emerged, carrying a large bundle on his back, indeed looking like a merchant.

"Why is an elder still traveling through the mountains so late?" Lu Zhao didn't relax his vigilance.

"Sigh, it's all to avoid those soldiers." The elder sighed. "They say they're catching some fugitive and have blocked the entire official road, so I had to take the mountain path."

Hearing this, Su Ying's heart sank. It seemed the Zhao family's influence was even greater than she'd imagined.

"Elder, do you know how to proceed from here?" Lu Zhao asked.

"Oh? Are you young men also trying to avoid the official road?" The elder looked at them, a glint flashing in his eyes. "How convenient—this old man is very familiar with this area. Why don't we travel together?"

Lu Zhao hesitated. This elder seemed harmless, but something felt off to him.

"We'll continue on our own," he politely declined.

"Young man, you might not know, but there's a place ahead called 'Wolf Fang Valley' with complex terrain where it's easy to get lost. Without a guide, you could easily get trapped inside." The elder tried to persuade them.

Just then, torchlight and voices came from behind. The pursuers had caught up!

"Let's go!" Lu Zhao grabbed Su Ying to run.

"Follow me!" The elder suddenly shouted, his movements surprisingly agile. "I know a secret passage!"

In the emergency, Lu Zhao could only choose to trust this mysterious elder. The three quickly passed through a thicket and came to a hidden cave.

"Get inside!" the elder urged.

The cave was very deep, pitch-black inside. The elder lit a torch and led the way.

"Elder, who exactly are you?" Lu Zhao asked as they walked. "Ordinary merchants don't have such skills."

The elder glanced back at him and smiled. "Young man has good eyes. But now isn't the time to discuss this—we'll talk when we're safe."

After walking for about a quarter-hour, light appeared ahead. The three emerged from the cave to find themselves on the slope of another mountain. From here, the pursuers' torches were far behind them.

"This secret passage is truly wonderful!" Su Ying couldn't help but admire.

"This old man discovered it in his youth—not many people know about it." The elder smiled, then carefully studied both of them. "Now we can talk. Who exactly are you two? Why are you being pursued by soldiers?"

Lu Zhao and Su Ying exchanged glances, both hesitating.

"How about the elder introduces himself first?" Lu Zhao countered.

The elder laughed heartily. "What a clever boy! Very well, this old man's surname is Lin, people call me Old Man Lin. I am indeed a traveling merchant, but..." he paused, "I also do other business."

"What business?"

"The business of information." A gleam flashed in Old Man Lin's eyes. "There's no news in this world that this old man doesn't know."

Su Ying's heart stirred. Could this Old Man Lin be someone from the legendary "Heavenly Secrets Pavilion"? She'd heard her father mention that there was a mysterious intelligence organization in the martial world that specialized in collecting and selling various information.

"Then you should know what the Zhao family of Suzhou has been looking for recently?" she asked tentatively.

Old Man Lin glanced at her and smiled meaningfully. "Of course I know. The Zhao family is looking for their young master's fiancée, a girl named Su Ying. It's said this Miss Su fled her marriage, and Young Master Zhao was so angry he nearly turned half of Suzhou City upside down."

Su Ying's face instantly flushed red, while Lu Zhao frowned.

"Since you know so much, you must have guessed our identities?" Lu Zhao asked directly.

"Clever!" Old Man Lin nodded approvingly. "This should be Miss Su, right? Though your male disguise is quite convincing—almost fooled this old man."

Su Ying was shocked and instinctively stepped back. Her disguise had been seen through at a glance!

"Don't be nervous, young lady." Old Man Lin waved his hand. "If this old man wanted to harm you, I wouldn't have saved you just now."

"Then what do you want?" Lu Zhao asked warily.

"An interesting question." Old Man Lin looked at Lu Zhao, a strange gleam in his eyes. "What I want might be the secrets this young master carries."

"Secrets I carry?" Lu Zhao was startled.

"That's right." Old Man Lin said slowly. "A young man who's lost his memory, possesses extraordinary martial skills, carries himself with royal bearing, and has items that might be imperial... How could such a person not arouse curiosity?"

Both Lu Zhao and Su Ying were shocked. This mysterious elder even knew about Lu Zhao's amnesia!

"Who exactly are you?" Lu Zhao's voice turned dangerous.

"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is..." Old Man Lin suddenly became serious, "Young man, do you know the current situation in the capital?"

"What situation?"

"A storm is brewing." Old Man Lin sighed deeply. "Inside and outside the court, undercurrents are surging. Someone is looking for a person who disappeared five years ago, someone is investigating a bloody case from five years past. And you two happen to be heading to the capital at this time..."

"Is this coincidence, or fate's arrangement?"

Old Man Lin's words struck their hearts like heavy hammers. Lu Zhao felt dizzy, and blurry images flashed before his eyes—palace halls, blood and carnage, flight...

"Who... who am I really?" he murmured.

Su Ying saw Lu Zhao's pained expression and felt her heart pierce like needles. She grasped his hand and said softly, "No matter who you are, you're my Lu Zhao."

These words warmed Lu Zhao's heart, and his pained expression softened considerably.

Old Man Lin watched from the side, complex emotions flashing in his eyes. "It seems this journey to the capital will be even more exciting than you imagine..."