"Nishang!" He hurriedly lifted her and id her back onto the bed, urgently calling her name.

  "Miss Nishang's health is delicate. She has already caught a cold, and the joy of reuniting with Young Master Beitang Ken has caused her to become overwhelmed, which led to her fainting. There is no need for Young Master to worry. I will prepare a bowl of ginseng soup for her, and she should wake up in a few days," the masked man said as he stepped forward to take Ye Nishang's pulse. He continued, "If Young Master insists on leaving, I will prepare an extra winter coat for Miss Nishang to protect her from the cold outside."

  Beitang Ken thought for a moment, then waved his hand and looked toward the still-silent Ding Xiaocuo. "We will stay here for the night. Once Miss Nishang recovers, we will continue our journey."

  Spending the night in the kidnapper’s territory felt terribly uncomfortable. The light in the bronze mps flickered oddly, and the thin white smoke rising from the mps seemed like little white snakes, twisting and unduting in the air, distracting Ding Xiaocuo and making her uneasy. It felt like a trap! Don't stay here! She wanted to scream it out, but when the words came out, they turned into, "Okay..."

  "This young dy, please follow me to another guest room," the masked man said, stepping in front of Ding Xiaocuo. "Please this way."

  "Ding Xiaocuo," Beitang Ken suddenly raised his head, "Stay by my side. You are not allowed to go anywhere." She turned around, somewhat surprised. Perhaps she was overthinking, but she happened to catch a glimpse of Ye Nishang lying in bed, her brow furrowed—not in pain, but in anger.

  "Ah, it's fine. You stay here and take care of her. It's not good for me to just stand here," she ughed heartily, then turned to the masked man and said, "Please lead the way."

  Beitang Ken swiftly stepped forward, grabbing her arm and whispering sternly, "Do you think this is some sort of pce for you?"

  "I'm just a bystander; I have nothing to do with your kidnapping case, so I don't think anyone will bother me," she replied nonchantly, then leaned closer to his ear. "But just a reminder, don't forget what you promised me."

  "Fine." He looked into her bright and determined eyes and released his grip. "Be careful." In the end, he couldn't stop her. Before she left the room, she turned back once more, meeting his gaze, only to realize that he was looking at her too.

  In the deep of night, heavy snow began to fall over the Endless Pins, bnketing the world in white. A troop of Khitan soldiers slowly approached from the distance...

  The fire in the hearth bzed brightly, filling the room with warmth. Beitang Ken sat in a chair by the bed, pretending to rest with his eyes closed. The unconscious Ye Nishang slowly opened her eyes, testing the waters by calling out to him. Beitang Ken's eyes flickered open, a hint of joy in his heart. He moved closer, asking, "You're awake?"

  "Beitang..." Ye Nishang's face showed signs of anxiety.

  "What's wrong?" Beitang Ken, he asked.

  She got off the bed and pulled out a rectangur, gold-painted wooden box from beneath it, pcing it in front of Beitang Ken. "Before you arrived, that masked man threatened me to make sure you stayed and handed this box to you personally. He... he forced me to swallow a pill. If I obeyed, he'd give me the antidote, but if I refused, my appearance would decay beyond recognition in three days. I..."

  "Go behind me," Beitang Ken interrupted her, then slowly opened the golden-painted wooden box. A familiar glow fshed, but it wasn't a hidden weapon or poisonous mist—inside the box was his “Spiritual Rhino” Sword! Beitang Ken was stunned, grabbing the sword with a swift motion, his fingers pressing deep into the indentations on the hilt.

  "Ah?! Is it really the “Spiritual Rhino” Sword?!" Ye Nishang, her face pale with shock, also reached out, pcing her fingers into the remaining five indentations on the hilt. The “Spiritual Rhino” Sword was held by both of them, naturally, as if it were meant to be shared.

  "Beitang Ken, let go! Ye Nishang is using you again!" The door to their room smmed open, and Ding Xiaocuo, panting heavily, shouted at the top of her lungs. Beitang Ken stared at this madly jumping, shouting girl with confusion.

  On the other side, Ye Nishang seemed to ignore Ding Xiaocuo's presence, her gaze fixed on the “Spiritual Rhino” Sword, muttering to herself, "Why... no response?" Her nails were nearly digging into the hilt, her voice shaky, "Impossible... impossible..."

  "The “Spiritual Rhino” Sword of the Bei Tang family can only be unlocked by Beitang Ken and a woman whose heart is truly connected with his!" Ding Xiaocuo angrily pointed at her. "You never understood what it means to have a heart that resonates—you've only ever used him!"

  "You..." Ye Nishang's face turned as white as a sheet. "What nonsense are you talking about?"

  Ding Xiaocuo gnced at Ye Nishang with disdain. "What you've always admired is that old man, Zhao Zhi!"

  Ye Nishang seemed struck by lightning. Her usual calm, charming demeanor vanished in an instant, and she lost control, shouting, "What did you say?"

  Ding Xiaocuo's tone was firm, cutting through the tension like a knife. "Zhao Zhi, the fourth son of the True Emperor, Prince of Xian, and the elder brother of the current emperor."

  "Many years ago, he failed in his bid to usurp the throne and was exiled to the outskirts. But his ambition to become emperor never died. While secretly colborating with the Khitan, he's been searching for the underground treasure left by Emperor Zhao Kuangyin in the frontier. Once he gets it, with the Khitan's forces and the treasure to fund his army, conquering the imperial capital will be only a matter of time. And the key to the treasure is hidden within the “Spiritual Rhino” Sword!"

  Ye Nishang, mad with rage, charged toward Ding Xiaocuo but was stopped by Beitang Ken, who grabbed her firmly.

  "Continue," he said coldly, his voice ced with an unspoken command.

  North Hall Ken remained eerily calm, his expression unreadable. Ding Xiaocuo, with a determined and fearless aura, stood beside him and continued:

  "Your family has been the royal swordsmiths for generations. When Emperor Taizu ordered the creation of the “Spiritual Rhino” Sword, it was meant to conceal the key to a hidden treasure. After Taizu's death, the Beitang family was entrusted with guarding the sword and ensuring that the treasure would not fall into the hands of traitors. Nishang's father was originally a spy from the Khitan, secretly infiltrating the Song Empire. Zhao Zhi, who had ties with the Ye family, discovered that the key to the treasure was hidden within the “Spiritual Rhino” Sword. However, knowing the strength of the Jade-faced Ghost King, he feared that a direct confrontation would be too difficult, so he began to devise a perfect kidnapping scheme. Of course, this required full cooperation from Ye Nishang."

  Ye Nishang's breathing was erratic, and even the tip of her nose was covered in cold sweat. Ding Xiaocuo sneered and said, "You've never liked Beitang Ken. In your eyes, he's just a tool to fetch countless treasures for you!" The more she spoke, the angrier she became. "But even if he retrieves all the treasures in the world for you, you still wouldn't be satisfied. What you really want is to become the queen of a nation and hold power over the world!"

  "I..." Ye Nishang’s body began to tremble as she looked fearfully at Beitang Ken, who was frozen like a statue. "No... don't listen to her nonsense! It's not like that!"

  "Isn't this exactly what Zhao Zhi promised you? Once he ascends the throne, you'll be the empress, the mother of the world. A man like this is the one you 'love,'" Ding Xiaocuo pressed on relentlessly. "You all think that just because you know the treasure is hidden beneath this stone house and you have the “Spiritual Rhino” sword, everything will fall into pce, but you didn't realize that this sword can't be opened by force! The ten indentations on the sword's hilt weren't designed for looks; they were meant for the heirs of the Beitang family and their true destined ones. Only when both of them pce their fingers in the indentations can it be unlocked. You've always been confident in Beitang Ken's feelings for you, thinking you're irrepceable in his life, so you keep pying the act, 'waiting patiently' for Beitang Ken to rescue you. Once he enters the stone house, you pn to trick him into opening the sword with you, taking the key!" She paused, took a deep breath, and said, "What if there are obstacles? Have you even considered that, if necessary, you would cut off his arm to fulfill your dream of becoming empress?"