Runes • Rifles • Reincarnation

“Drop your weapons!” the hostage-taker barked, pressing his blade tighter against Sun Li’s throat. His two comrades flanked him, their cold, unyielding gazes scanning the room.

“Okay, okay.” Jin Shu’s voice was calm as he crouched and placed his weapons on the ground. His steady movements seemed unnaturally composed for the tense situation. How can he be so calm? Fan Biyu wondered. As far as I know, this is his first time dealing with something like this.

“You! Girl in the veil! Bring me his weapons,” the hostage-taker ordered, jerking his head toward her.

She froze, her gaze darting to Jin Shu for guidance.

“Do it now!” the man snapped, his voice sharp and impatient.

“Hold on.” Jin Shu’s tone was calm, almost soothing. “She’s scared. Let’s all just take a breath.” He straightened, slowly picking up his weapons again.

Fan Biyu frowned under her veil. I’m not scared. Then realization struck—he was pretending.

“Hey! I didn’t tell you to move!” the man snarled, his grip on the blade tightening.

“I’ll just hand them to her,” Jin Shu replied smoothly, taking a step toward Fan Biyu.

The hostage-taker’s sneer twisted into a darker threat. “No funny business, or the little prince gets their throat slit.”

Fan Biyu stiffened. The little prince? Her eyes narrowed. How do they know she’s a prince?

Jin Shu leaned closer as he reached her, pressing his weapons into her hands. His breath was warm against her ear as he whispered, “Remember how to use this?”

She suppressed a shiver and gave a faint nod. But as her fingers gripped the unfamiliar weapon, panic sparked. This isn’t the pellet gun I used before… It was too late to back out now.

“Enough! Quit whispering and bring them here!” the hostage-taker barked, his patience clearly fraying.

“Alright, just a second,” Jin Shu replied, his voice smooth and disarming.

Fan Biyu stepped forward hesitantly, masking her uncertainty with feigned fear. Her mind raced. He didn’t tell me what to do!

The three men’s gazes locked onto her, their eyes crawling over her body. Disgusting, she thought bitterly. All men are like this. But her gaze flicked to Jin Shu for a moment, and she softened. Except him. His gaze never feels dirty.

A faint glint flashed behind the hostage-takers, and before she could process what it was—

Bang!

The explosion behind the men made them whirl around in surprise. Fan Biyu didn’t waste the opportunity. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jin Shu rushing forward. With the weapon in her hand, she took aim at the man to the hostage-taker’s right and pulled the trigger—

Bang!

The blast left her ears ringing as the weapon jerked violently in her grip. If she hadn’t been a cultivator, it might have snapped her wrist. For a moment, she thought she’d missed entirely—until she saw the man collapse, blood pooling around the hole in his chest.

Her heart raced as she glanced toward Jin Shu. He was grappling with the hostage-taker, while Sun Li lay sprawled to the side, wide-eyed and trembling but unharmed.

Movement to her left drew her attention. The third man raised his sword, ready to strike Jin Shu’s unprotected back.

No!

She steadied the weapon, aiming at his chest. Her finger squeezed the trigger—

Bang!

The recoil jolted her wrist again, the deafening noise making her wince. When she looked, the man was falling backward, a bloodied hole where his face had been.

She winced, lowering the weapon. I aimed for his chest

A sickening crunch filled the air. Fan Biyu glanced at where Jin Shu was struggling with the last hostage-taker. The man's wrist was bent at an awkward angle. A strange dagger appeared in Jin Shu's hand, and he drove it into the man's palm with both hands. Crimson flames erupted from the blade as Jin Shu leaped away.

The man screamed, thrashing against the burning pain, but Jin Shu wasted no time. He crouched beside him and drove the still-flaming dagger into his heart. The man’s struggles ceased instantly. He was dead.

Fan Biyu observed Jin Shu’s movements with growing fascination, intrigued by how easily he fought and killed. She couldn’t help comparing him to his mother. Her master, though far stronger than him, wasn’t nearly as cold and calculating when fighting. Her master’s movements were like a graceful dance, each strike deliberate and artful. Jin Shu, on the other hand? He fought like someone who had taken hundreds of lives and grown numb to the slaughter. Calm. Efficient. Not a single mistake.

How? she wondered. This should be his first—no, second or third time taking a life. She wasn’t certain, but it couldn’t have been many.

She was still lost in thought when Sun Li’s caretaker began speaking to Jin Shu. She couldn’t make out their words, distracted and absentminded, but she noticed the tension in Jin Shu’s stance, the way his hand tightened on the dagger.

Something isn’t right…

And she was right. In the next moment, Jin Shu lunged at the older man.

She gasped. What’s he doing?

Huai Jiahou deflected Jin Shu’s strike, retreating as Sun Li cried out in alarm. The caretaker stumbled back, shouting, “Get the prince!”

Two sailors armed with daggers stepped toward Sun Li.

“Biyu!” Jin Shu shouted.

She understood instantly and moved to block the sailors, positioning herself between them and Sun Li. She raised Jin Shu’s weapon, her hands steady.

But then she glanced at the crowd still huddled in the cramped hallway. Uncertainty gnawed at her as she recalled her earlier attack—aiming for an intruder’s chest and hitting his face instead. She hesitated. She didn’t want to take any chances this time.

As Fan Biyu hesitated, unsure of what to do, a silver blur shot out of a nearby doorway. It slammed into one of the dagger-wielding sailors, sending him crashing into the other. Both men tumbled to the ground, landing in a heap.

“What happen…? Where Daddy…?” Yin’er mumbled groggily, rubbing her paw against her sleepy eyes. She blinked down at the men she had knocked over. “Why do you sleep there? Beds are more comfy!”

“Yin’er, come here!” Fan Biyu called hurriedly, her voice laced with worry. She couldn’t let the little spirit beast get hurt.

Yin’er glanced over and spotted her father behind Fan Biyu. “Daddy!” she squealed, attempting to dart toward him. But before she could get far, Fan Biyu stepped in her path, blocking her.

“Yin’er, your dad’s fighting a bad guy right now. You can’t get in the way, okay?”

Yin’er tilted her head, blinking. “Bad guy?”

“Yes,” Fan Biyu replied, pointing to the two men struggling to rise from the floor. The one Yin’er had struck sported a large lump on his head and looked dazed. “Those two are bad guys too. So please wait somewhere safe.”

Fan Biyu glanced back at Jin Shu. She noticed a brief lull in his fight and realized he might need his weapons. Without thinking, she tossed them toward him.

“Jin Shu!” she called.

The moment the words left her mouth, regret hit her like a tidal wave. She had distracted him, giving his opponent the perfect opening.

Her heart leaped as the caretaker lunged toward Jin Shu, but before she could cry out a warning, Jin Shu rolled out of the way with practiced ease. Relief flooded her. She silently vowed not to make such a mistake again.

The sound of commotion behind her snapped her attention away. Spinning around, she spotted Yin’er rushing toward the two now-standing sailors, a silver streak of determination.

“Yin’er, no!” she shouted, panic rising in her chest.

But Yin’er ignored her, continuing her charge like an unstoppable silver arrow.

Two loud bangs echoed behind her, but Fan Biyu couldn’t spare them a glance. She could only hope Jin Shu was alright. Right now, all that mattered was stopping Yin’er before she got hurt.