Sun Yijin stared at the chaotic hoofprints to her left, a flash of sorrow passing through her eyes. Her gaze, calm and clear as water, felt as lifeless as a dried-up well.
Looking in the direction Serena Feng had disappeared, she spoke in a low voice: "County Princess Winton, let's not kid ourselves. Even for us—no, even for the seasoned cavalry officers—getting through that mountain tunnel is nearly impossible."
To Sun Yijin, Serena Feng represented a kind of hope—a hope that a woman could live well without relying on her clan or being bound by ritual and tradition.
Now, that person was about to die. And with her, that hope would be extinguished.
"Yijin, since you understand, then you should know—no matter what we do, we can't help her now." County Princess Winton let out a soft sigh.
When it came to Serena Feng, they had already done all they could.
At least, they hadn’t helped Princess Serenity. They hadn’t thrown stones at Serena Feng while she was down. All they’d done was stand aside and watch.
"But still..."
Are they really just going to stand by and watch her die?
Were they just going to watch this woman—who dared challenge imperial power and defy suffocating tradition—die inside that mountain tunnel?
"No, but... let’s just go. Let’s pretend we never saw any of this. It’s better for both of us." County Princess Winton flicked her whip and rode off.
Sun Yijin’s heart was full of pain, but she forced it down with a sigh and followed after County Princess Winton.
Serena Feng, may you walk a safe road ahead.
Aside from Sun Yijin and County Princess Winton, no one else knew that Serena Feng had been driven toward the deadly mountain tunnel.
......
When Serena Feng was driven down this remote little path, she knew trouble was coming. But her horse, pumped full of stimulant, was now out of control—she couldn’t dismount, she could only let it run.
She had considered jumping off, but the horse was moving far too fast. With her abilities, if she tried to leap down now, she’d either die or end up crippled. Since things had reached this point, she might as well gamble—she wanted to see exactly what kind of path Princess Serenity had built for her.
This was the Royal Country Villa, after all. If bandits or grave robbers showed up, the entire Eastlyn Empire would become a laughingstock.
It didn’t take long for Serena Feng to realize Princess Serenity was forcing her onto a death route. Ahead lay a dense forest, and the only passage was a mountain tunnel—about one and a half meters high, just tall enough for a horse.
No rider could pass through on horseback. To get through, you’d have to ride sideways, lie flat on the saddle, or else hide under the horse’s belly—there was no other way.
As the horse charged into the cave, Serena Feng had already made her decision. She threw her arms around the horse’s neck and slid down its side. At some point, a white flexible tube appeared in her hand, just in time to loop around the horse’s neck.
Clinging to the horse’s neck, Serena slid beneath its belly, gripping the tube with all her strength and keeping her feet locked in the stirrups.
The pain from the makeshift halter only made the horse more frenzied. In the pitch-dark cave, it crashed wildly against the walls, and Serena could already smell blood in the air.
She knew: once the drug wore off, this horse would surely die.
But right now, she couldn’t even guarantee her own survival—there was no time to worry about the horse’s fate.
Thump, thump—the horse jolted again. Serena slipped lower, her feet hitting the ground as she was dragged by the racing animal. A searing pain shot up from her ankles, twisting her face in agony.
She knew the skin at every point of contact with the ground had been scraped raw. Serena tried several times to pull her legs up and clamp the horse’s belly, but found herself too weak.
The breakneck speed made her breath catch, and the cave’s darkness rendered every movement clumsy and difficult.
If she didn’t desperately need this horse to carry her out, she’d have shot it dead already.
Since she couldn’t see anyway, Serena just closed her eyes and kept hypnotizing herself, forcing herself to ignore the pain in her feet. Stay calm, stay calm.
Once she felt her emotions had steadied, Serena abruptly let go, letting herself drop. In that split second, she hesitated: Should she land on her back or on her hands?
Gritting her teeth, Serena raised her arms high, sacrificing her back to the impact.
Hiss—she hit the ground, dragged forward by the horse.
"Ah—!" Serena screamed in pain, eyes squeezed shut, a single tear slipping from the corner in the darkness.
Luckily, it lasted only a moment. As she hit the ground, Serena slid the tube along the horse’s belly.
With a swift hiss, the tube tightened, yanking her upward again so she swung securely beneath the horse.
Serena gasped in pain, but her lips curled into a faint smile.
The rest of the tunnel was much easier. Hidden beneath the horse’s belly, Serena suffered no further injuries and barreled straight through.
Bursting out of the narrow, gloomy tunnel and into sunlight, both horse and rider were instantly exhilarated.
Serena hated the dark—inside it, she felt everything slip beyond her control.