Soon, four jeeps appeared out of nowhere and stopped by the side of the road.
Six men in uniforms and masks quickly exited the vehicles, brandishing firearms and aiming at the car, which had barely stabilized in the farmland.
Su Ding, protected by Jin Ye, stepped out of the car.
The two men in black escorting them also looked grave, drew their pistols, and got out of the car.
The two parties confronted each other, the atmosphere tense.
"Who are you?" the men in black asked.
"On our master's orders, we are here to take these two."
The masked men said in a deep voice, "If you don't cooperate, I can also choose to kill all of you."
The men in black stared intently at the opposing group.
Both sides had deliberately concealed their true identities, making it impossible to distinguish who was who.
As for their respective masters, they likely had some guesses.
Jin Ye and Su Ding, the objects of their contention, were completely bewildered. Everything about the southern territories was unfamiliar to them, especially since they encountered two groups right after escaping the dungeon.
"Fine, you can take them."
The men in black fell silent for a moment before giving the order.
However, one of his companions' expressions shifted drastically as he looked at him and anxiously asked, "Are you crazy?"
The man in black shook his head at him.
Su Ding felt extremely anxious, but the current situation was beyond her control. She instinctively looked at Jin Ye.
Jin Ye squeezed her hand and said to the masked men, "We'll go with you."
Saying this, he led Su Ding by the hand and slowly walked towards the masked men. Two subordinates of the masked men menacingly stepped forward to apprehend them.
The moment the two groups met, Jin Ye produced a dagger from who knows where and plunged it directly into one of the men's arms.
A piercing scream was heard!
The two men in black simultaneously raised their guns. Seizing the moment of shock from the masked men due to the sudden turn of events, they each shot and killed one of the masked men.
The remaining two masked men reacted and immediately opened fire, spraying bullets at the two men in black.
The men in black were professionally trained. They sprang and dodged, reaching the cover behind the cars in the farmland and unleashed a barrage of fire at the masked men.
Meanwhile, Jin Ye used the injured masked man as a shield, protecting Su Ding as they retreated to safety.
Another masked man on the scene was about to fire at them but was hit by the men in black from inside the car the moment he raised his hand, collapsing to the ground.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Jin Ye had long since found a hiding spot and stayed behind Su Ding the entire time, bullets whizzing past his feet.
The masked men wanted to kill them outright, but the men in black relentlessly pursued them.
They were too preoccupied with attacking the men in black to pay attention to Jin Ye. As they exchanged gunfire, the men in black's superior skill and technique ultimately prevailed.
The masked men were driven back repeatedly, attempting to escape in their jeeps.
The men in black seized the opportunity and took them down, completely reversing the passive situation.
Meanwhile.
Su Ding, panting, leaned against a large tree, nervously observing the battle. Seeing the men in black emerge victorious, she finally felt a wave of relief.
However, in an instant, she suddenly noticed something amiss with Jin Ye.
Jin Ye's face was pale, and he sat on the ground, his expression contorted in suppressed pain. Su Ding rushed forward to look and discovered he had been shot in the shoulder.
Blood flowed profusely, his flesh torn and exposed, a horrifying sight.
"Jin Ye!" Su Ding cried out anxiously, then shouted loudly to the men in black, "Do you have any medicine? He's injured!"
The men in black quickly retrieved a medical kit from the car.
After extracting the bullet and dressing Jin Ye's wound, he fell into a brief unconsciousness.
Su Ding wiped away her tears, striving to compose herself. Together, they carried Jin Ye to the jeep. "Who exactly are they? Do you know?"
The men in black remained silent for a few seconds. "They are people of Ouyang Donghe. Those are his subordinates."
"Who is Ouyang Donghe?" Su Ding asked.
In truth, she knew absolutely nothing about the Ouyang family genealogy; perhaps her mother didn't even know.
The men in black did not conceal anything from her. Instead, they said, "Miss, since things have come to this, we will no longer hide anything. We are the Fort Master's people, and we came to rescue you."
Upon hearing this, Su Ding's face showed surprise. Could it be that her maternal grandfather did not reject her?
"Does Grandpa know we came to the island?" Su Ding asked.
"There are too many involved matters, and it's not convenient for me to say too much. You just need to know that the Ouyang family is vast. Currently, the Fort Master is in power, but many people are secretly trying to usurp the throne. You must be extremely careful."
After saying this, the men in black said nothing further.
Seeing that she could not elicit any more information, Su Ding went to tend to Jin Ye. Although Jin Ye was injured in the shoulder, his wound was not minor. If not properly treated, it could lead to lasting ailments.
About half an hour later, the car stopped at a small manor filled with a pastoral atmosphere.
"You will stay here for now."
The men in black spoke to the manor's steward before driving away.
Su Ding, knowing she could not get any more answers, went to the room arranged for them by the manor steward. The moment she entered, she felt an urge to weep.
Inside, there were photographs of her mother from her youth.
Her mother's appearance and demeanor in her youth, her innocence and liveliness, bore a great resemblance to Su Ding herself...
"Grandpa must miss Mother very much."
Su Ding felt deeply touched, a mix of wanting to cry and laugh.
Her mother had always believed that her grandfather and uncle would not forgive her, so she had abided by her promise not to disturb them. Little did she know that blood is thicker than water.
A servant laid Jin Ye on the bed and then withdrew.
Su Ding surveyed everything in the room and gently opened a drawer, discovering a document.