Transmigrated as the Short-Lived White Moonlight, I Ended Up Happily Ever After With the Female Lead - Chapter 28

Le Yan’s face was streaked with tears, her nerves shattered by the sight of the fierce bandits, yet Ji Yan’an still vowed to protect her.

“My Ji Manor’s people, even the maidservants, cannot remain with the likes of you! Today, we fight to the bitter end, and we shall see who lives and who dies!” Ji Yan’an’s declaration was not born of recklessness. While the dozen or so guards from the Ji Manor couldn’t turn the tide of the battle, they could certainly buy some time. Ji Yan’an was gambling on being able to hold out until the City Guard arrived.

With that, she retreated into the carriage with Le Yan. No sooner had they settled inside than the sounds of fighting erupted outside. The bandits surging toward the carriage were intercepted one by one by the guards, and for a time, neither side gained a clear advantage.

Inside the carriage, Ji Yan’an was stripped of the calm composure she had displayed outside. The tassels above her head swayed violently, and she tightly clenched the handkerchief in her hand. A short dagger, prepared as a precaution before leaving the manor, was subtly hidden within her sleeve.

The Ji Manor guards began to fall, one after another. The carriage jolted as a body was flung against it. Pang Zhi and Le Yan screamed in terror, and Ji Yan’an’s brow furrowed. She could not afford to lose her nerve; she had insisted on leaving the manor today, and she was the only mistress present.

The bandits, now enraged and worried about the City Guard arriving, decided to end the conflict quickly. One group continued to fight the remaining guards, while another hurled fire torches at the carriage. Decorated with luxurious silk, the carriage caught fire instantly. Smelling the smoke, Ji Yan’an cried out in alarm. She grabbed Le Yan and Pang Zhi, intending to jump out, but the door had been jammed shut with a log, and the windows were too small to escape through. The curtains were already burning.

The flames were quickly eroding Ji Yan’an’s composure.

“Miss! Are we truly going to die here?” Le Yan tugged at Ji Yan’an’s clothes, her eyes filled with despair.

Ji Yan’an was equally frightened but refused to give up. She gripped the short dagger, attempting to widen the window opening. However, before she could even raise the knife, several hands reached in from outside, snatching up her gold, silver, jewelry, hairpins, and clothes—anything of value that she had brought.

By the time Ji Yan’an reacted and tried to get closer to the window, the frame had become searing hot, making it impossible to approach. The small brazier inside the carriage was also crackling—whether from burning wood or the carriage fire, the sound was unnervingly intense.

As the temperature rapidly rose, snowflakes suddenly began to fall from the sky, seemingly trying to extinguish the blaze.

The bandits had already secured the valuables and were preparing to flee when an unexpected situation arose.

“You’ve harmed my people, and you think you can escape?” A cold voice, laced with fury, echoed through the air. The voice was so familiar that the tears Ji Yan’an had been holding back finally streamed down her face. Was she here?

Immediately, cries of agony erupted outside the carriage. The clashes of blades were no match for the newcomer’s wrath. Over a dozen men in white robes moved like specters through the snowy night, quickly cutting down the bandits one by one.

After furiously striking down several men, Song Yi immediately rushed to the carriage, raising her long sword to hack apart the log and the door. A blast of cold wind rushed into the carriage, bringing a sense of clarity to the slightly dazed Ji Yan’an. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Song Yi, covered in wind and snow, step through the raging fire, scoop her up in a horizontal embrace, her brow etched with worry.

Ji Yan’an was barely breathing and coughed repeatedly from the smoke. Song Yi quickly carried her out of the carriage, and a few subordinates immediately followed, hoisting Le Yan and Pang Zhi out as well.

Ji Yan’an felt slightly better once out of the carriage, but she was still terribly weak. Seeing Song Yi’s continued distress, she gently raised her hand and smoothed Song Yi’s beautiful brow. “Don’t frown, I’m fine…”

With that, the small, icy hand fell away, and Ji Yan’an passed out.

Song Yi grew desperate. When she saw her subordinates had also rescued the two maidservants, she shouted, “Where is the clinic!”

“Miss…”

“I asked you, where is the clinic!”

“There’s a town not far past the forest, and there is a clinic there,” the subordinate quickly replied, daring not to waste any more words.

Upon hearing this, Song Yi held Ji Yan’an and walked forward without a backward glance. The dozen men cleaned up the scene and, taking the two maidservants with them, followed Song Yi out of the forest.

In the forest, bodies lay everywhere, and the carriage was reduced to a charred frame. The thick night snow covered the corpses, including the horses’, and concealed the blood on the ground. By daybreak, it was virtually impossible to tell what had transpired there the night before; only a faint corner of clothing barely visible in a snowdrift and the blackened carriage frame hinted at the tragedy.

“Don’t worry, Miss Song. Miss Ji is merely suffering from excessive shock and smoke inhalation. A good rest and a few doses of medicine will be enough,” the kindly doctor said. Having just finished checking the pulse of Ji Yan’an, who lay in Song Yi’s arms, and knowing Song Yi’s concern, he quickly assured her that there was no danger, urging her to relax.

Song Yi, covered in snow, had burst into the clinic the night before, terrifying the doctor and his wife. After a night of consultations, decocting medicine, and treating injuries, she learned early in the morning that the situation was not critical. Still, Song Yi couldn’t completely put her mind at ease, and she questioned the doctor again in front of her subordinates. “Are you absolutely certain, Doctor? Why has she been unconscious since last night?”

The doctor stroked his beard, considering his words for a moment before replying, “To say there is absolutely no issue would not be entirely accurate…”

This sentence caused Song Yi’s heart to leap into her throat again. She unconsciously tightened her embrace on Ji Yan’an, listening intently to the doctor’s explanation.

“Miss Ji has an injury on her back, and enduring the freezing cold of the snow-covered ground is detrimental to its healing. This is why she has remained unconscious for a little longer. I expect she will wake up in about an hour or so. The young lady should not worry.” Seeing Song Yi’s evident distress and noting that the two young women shared a seven or eight-tenths similarity in beauty, the doctor assumed they were blood sisters.

“Forgive this old man for speaking frankly, but you, too, have a mix of new and old injuries that require careful rest. Otherwise, what good will it do if your sister hasn’t even woken up and you, the older sister, collapse first!”

The doctor’s words were earnest, but Song Yi was somewhat perplexed. As she accepted the packets of medicine and left the clinic, she still couldn’t quite understand. Her subordinates nearby tried to suppress their laughter, having discovered a different side to their master today.

Song Yi found an inn in the town and requested a superior room. She carried Ji Yan’an upstairs and gently placed her on the soft, large bed in the room, then handed the medicine to the innkeeper to be boiled. Once everything was settled, Song Yi instructed her subordinates to wait outside the door. The more sensible and diligent ones went with the innkeeper to oversee the boiling of the medicine, ensuring no one tampered with it.

When everyone had left or stepped outside, only Song Yi and the still-unconscious Ji Yan’an remained in the room…

“She came for me through the fire, clearing all obstacles to save me.” Angels who comment on this chapter will receive a red envelope drop~