“I have always lived with my mother in our old house on the frontier. Some of my father’s former subordinates got wind of the news in advance and wanted to take us away to hide, but my mother was unwilling to live on alone in this world, nor did she want to burden me. She… she hanged herself while I was unprepared.”

Charlotte Harris began to cry again as she spoke. Grace Miller let out a perfectly timed long sigh, gently patted Charlotte Harris’s thin shoulder, then naturally took hold of her small hand. Charlotte Harris, speaking of her grief, needed someone to lean on, so she let him hold her hand. After sobbing for a while, she continued:

“I secretly ran to the capital alone, wanting to assassinate Shi Dacheng to avenge my father. But he had many skilled guards under him. I didn’t even get to see his face before I was discovered by the agents of the Wuyi Bureau and had to flee the capital. The agents pursued me relentlessly, my horse died of exhaustion, and I ran on foot for a while. Seeing there was no way out, I drew my sword and prayed to the heavens for help, then prepared to kill myself. Who would have thought—you fell from the sky and landed… right on top of me.”

Charlotte Harris herself found this unbelievable. Tears still glistened on her cheeks, but now she smiled radiantly. Grace Miller was utterly entranced as he watched her. He didn’t really listen to what she was saying, only mechanically asked:

“And then?”

Charlotte Harris found his question abrupt. Glancing at his changing expression, she more or less guessed his thoughts. She shook off Grace Miller’s grasp and said:

“Sword God brother, you are an immortal come down to earth. You’re willing to help me avenge my family, so of course I respect you… love you, and hope you feel the same about me. If you see me as a fickle, wanton woman, I’d rather end my own life and follow my parents and brother to the underworld.”

These words were like a bucket of cold water, waking Grace Miller up. He felt both ashamed and delighted, his affection for the girl growing even deeper. He said solemnly:

“Don’t worry, Sister Ting, you haven’t misjudged me. I will not have any improper thoughts before our vengeance is fulfilled. From now on, you are the immortal, I am the mortal—everything will be as you say.”

Grace Miller thought to himself, My inner elixir is in your belly, so naturally you’re the immortal and I’m the mortal. But once we’re married, hehe, then it’ll be the other way around.

Charlotte Harris had no idea what Grace Miller was really thinking behind his serious face. She said softly:

“That’s good. You’re the immortal, so of course I’ll listen to you.”

“Mm. The Director Shi Dacheng is the chief villain—he must die. The Imperial Guard Deputy Commander Li Shelu and his son Li Huan are also culprits—they must die too. And that muddle-headed emperor should be killed as well.”

Though he said this, he felt a bit uneasy. The emperor would surely be harder to deal with than eunuchs and ministers. If it took years, it might not be worth it. Luckily, Charlotte Harris immediately said:

“The emperor may be muddle-headed, but he’s been deceived by petty men. If he knew the truth about the frontier, he would surely support the Ministry of War’s position. Besides, if my father knows in the afterlife, he wouldn’t want me to commit the grave crime of regicide.”

Grace Miller felt somewhat relieved and said resolutely:

“Then it’s Shi Dacheng, Li Shelu, and Li Huan—they must die. We can’t show mercy anymore.”

“Yes, we can’t show mercy anymore,” Charlotte Harris echoed.

As they were speaking, suddenly the sound of hooves thundered ahead. Charlotte Harris’s face changed and she said:

“The Wuyi Bureau’s experts are here.”

Grace Miller laughed and said:

“Who cares if they’re experts or not? In front of me, they’re all dead men.”

With that, he took Charlotte Harris’s small hand again. Charlotte Harris blushed with embarrassment and tried to pull away, but Grace Miller said seriously:

“No, no. If I don’t hold your hand, where will I get immortal energy to face the enemy?”

Charlotte Harris was a bit skeptical about Grace Miller’s claim that only by touching her could he have immortal energy, but she had no evidence to refute it. She could only let him hold her hand. Besides, having someone to rely on made her feel greatly comforted, even a little proud.

Chapter Five: A Kiss Decides the Outcome

The Wuyi Bureau’s experts arrived very quickly—within the blink of an eye, they were upon them. There were fifteen black-clad riders in total; fourteen wore uniforms trimmed with white fur, while the one in the center had green trim.

The riders stopped their horses about twenty paces in front of the two, reining them in. The horses neighed and pawed the ground, whips cracked through the air, and their display was quite imposing and ostentatious.

Charlotte Harris leaned close to Grace Miller’s ear and whispered:

“The leader is called David Cooper, one of the ‘Ten Fingers’ of the Wuyi Bureau, skilled in the ‘Four Symbols Wind-breaking Blade Technique.’”

Grace Miller nodded, smiling disdainfully at the other side, thinking what an unlucky name—today I’ll cut off your fingers and let you meet your fate.

The officer with green-trimmed clothes and a sallow face was indeed David Cooper. Seeing Grace Miller and Charlotte Harris, he was shocked twice over: first, that the wanted criminals of the court had not fled but returned, seemingly confident; second, that Charlotte Harris, a minister’s daughter, was holding hands with a man in broad daylight.

David Cooper was well-known in and around the capital and prided himself on his blade skills, fearing almost no one. Seeing Grace Miller dressed all in black, he grew even angrier. He leapt off his horse, advanced in a flash until he was just over ten paces from Grace Miller, and said:

“May I ask your esteemed name, sir? Why do you oppose the Wuyi Bureau and obstruct officers from arresting a wanted criminal? Do you realize this is a capital offense?”

David Cooper suppressed his anger and showed a bit of courtesy because he’d heard from two captains that the enemy could use sorcery—just a point of the finger could kill—so he wanted to try civility before force.

Grace Miller pointed with his left hand, but before he could speak, the two captains who had traveled with Old He shouted in unison:

“Sir, be careful!”