HBWMA -Chapter 390 Keeping One’s Promise

How was this “abandoning her”? They were breaking the situation together.

Jiang Huashan froze for a moment, then suddenly realized something. Shen Guiling didn’t share her perspective. In his eyes, Shen Lanxi and Shen Qingyu were both capable of taking care of themselves—but she wasn’t. In his mind, he was like a 99-rated “fish” (strong and dependable); there was no way he would just leave her behind.

But those assassins were coming for her. If she and Shen Guiling went to the stone bridge together, and the assassins teamed up with the sea bandits, their chances would only get worse.

She had to find a way to convince Shen Guiling.

“Shen—”

Just as she opened her mouth, Shen Guiling cut her off directly. “No need to say it. Even if Grandpa were here right now, he would support my decision.”

“……”

Now he even brought Grandpa into it.

“Staying in the water the whole time isn’t a solution. I’ll lure them away later—you find a chance to hide. That room earlier isn’t safe, don’t go back.”

Shen Guiling looked up at the sky and prepared to stand.

“Shen Guiling!”

Jiang Huashan grabbed his arm and pushed his shoulder, pressing him against a tree.

“……”

A vein jumped at Shen Guiling’s brow. He said coldly, “Get down.”

Jiang Huashan casually pulled a blade of grass from the ground and handed it to him. “I didn’t bring the last page bookmark from home. Use this instead for now.”

Shen Guiling frowned, anger flashing in his eyes. “Jiang Huashan.”

She ignored him completely. Not only was she pressing him down, she was also pressing down his voice—leaving no room for objection.

“Go to the stone bridge and find Shen Qingyu.”

Boom—

A bolt of violet lightning slashed across the sky from the heavens. The dim, desolate manor was instantly illuminated like daylight. In that flash, they saw each other’s eyes clearly.

When hearts are at odds, how can they truly face each other like stars meeting?

Shen Guiling was the first to look away. The anger that had just risen in him strangely extinguished. He sighed faintly, his tone softening.

“Why are you willing to risk your life just to make me go back?”

Jiang Huashan hesitated for a moment, then determination flickered in her eyes.

“Because this is more important to me than my life.”

After five years of being together day and night, she was willing to bet that Shen Lanxi, Shen Guiling, and Shen Qingyu were not the ones who killed Grandpa. In her previous life, their separation and internal conflict had allowed enemies to exploit the gaps. But if in this life they had no suspicion, no infighting, then just like her, they would protect Grandpa with their lives.

Shen Guiling lowered his gaze, lips tightly pressed, saying nothing.

Jiang Huashan added, “There’s something I haven’t told you yet—Fu’er has been abducted.”

Shen Guiling froze. A dark glint flashed through his eyes.

“Shen Guiling, do you trust me?”

He looked up at her, his expression complicated. He knew she was about to try to convince him again.

Jiang Huashan said, “I won’t be in danger. Because in this world, no one except myself can kill me.”

Shen Guiling just looked at her without answering.

She raised a brow. “Don’t believe it? Then I’ll prove it to you.”

Before he could react, she turned and darted out from behind the tree, standing in the open clearing with no cover. She waved toward the lakeshore and shouted, “Come hit me, you idiot!”

Bang—

A gunshot rang out.

Jiang Huashan stood motionless as a bullet tore through the heavy rain, brushing past her ear.

“!”

Shen Guiling completely couldn’t read her intentions. By the time he reacted, his hands and feet had gone cold, his heart thrown into chaos.

Jiang Huashan immediately darted back beside him again, raising an eyebrow.

“You saw it. Even if I just stand still, they can’t hit me. But if it were you, that might not be the case.”

Shen Guiling’s expression darkened.

“If you don’t believe me, I’ll try again.”

With that, she was about to dart off again.

Shen Guiling closed his eyes briefly and grabbed her wrist tightly, his throat tight and bitter.

“I believe you.”

He was so intelligent that from the very first time Jiang Huashan told him to go back, he had already realized someone had set up a scheme to sow discord between them.

But they were already inside the trap, with no way out.

Just like now—he knew it was a setup, yet could only continue down the wrong path, because he didn’t dare gamble. If he went back to meet Shen Qingyu and Shen Qingyu wasn’t at the stone bridge, then what would he do?

In the end, he didn’t trust that Shen Qingyu and Shen Lanxi would truly keep their promise—especially if the price was leaving Jiang Huashan behind.

He had already made his choice long ago, but he never expected Jiang Huashan to completely defy logic, forcing him into a position where he couldn’t say he didn’t believe her.

Jiang Huashan shook the blade of grass in her hand.

“Shen Guiling, let’s break this situation together. Try my method—maybe the rain will stop soon.”

Shen Guiling gave a low “mm,” then reached out to gather her loose hair. With a flick of his fingers, he pulled out the little bear hair tie hidden on her wrist and casually tied her hair into a ponytail.

Before Jiang Huashan even reacted, he expressionlessly took the grass from her hand.

“Don’t break your promise.”

Two thousand meters away, in a tower.

“Damn it! Missed again! Who the hell is that woman?! We’ve been chasing her all night and every shot has been a blank. If this gets out, how am I supposed to survive in this line of work?”

The man hiding in the shadows frowned, standing up to wipe the rain off his scope.

Xia Xingchen raised a telescope and scanned the lakeshore.

“She was standing still just now? Weren’t you the one who claims you never miss within three thousand meters?”

Hearing this, the man grew even more irritated. He raised his rifle toward the shore—just then, a frog leapt out of the rising water.

He pulled the trigger.

The frog was blown apart mid-air.

“See? My aim is fine. That woman is just weird. Forget it—should we switch targets?”

Xia Xingchen said coldly, “The boss specifically ordered her death. If you switch targets, who’s going to pay you?”

The man looked annoyed. If he had known tonight would be such a career humiliation, he would’ve charged more from the start.

“Ah-Chen.”

At that moment, two more people climbed onto the tower. One of them was completely soaked, even his mask had been removed.

“That little girl is ruthless—A-Sheng almost fell for her trap.”

Xia Xingchen glanced at the man called A-Sheng.

“Where’s your mask?”

The man looked embarrassed. He had thought a little girl was no threat, but underwater she nearly trapped him and drowned him. In the chaos, she even snatched his mask.

Xia Xingchen asked, “She saw your face?”

A-Sheng shook his head.

“It was too dark underwater. She probably didn’t see clearly.”

Their companion quickly cut in.

“She’s heading toward the North Garden. Let’s chase her quickly.”

The sniper clicked his tongue and began packing up his rifle. Xia Xingchen said nothing either. The two exchanged a subtle look and moved ahead, heading down the bamboo tower first.

Then Xia Xingchen pulled a silenced pistol from his pocket and shot A-Sheng in the head.

“A-Chen! What are you doing?”

The remaining man froze in shock, staring in terror at what had just happened.

Xia Xingchen stepped over A-Sheng’s corpse as if nothing had happened.

“If he dies now, we can still claim the payout. But if the boss finds out he leaked information, not only will he die, we all will.”

The sniper remained cold.

“Let’s go. If that ‘big fish’ escapes, tonight’s work will be for nothing.”