Chapter 40 The rival was so angry at being made to serve him that he gritted his teeth…

Those assassins were after her; staying would only be a burden. It would be better to leave first so that Xu Congjing could focus on dealing with them.

Lou Yanxu ran forward as fast as she could.

Little did she know which hunter had set the trap. She was only looking back and accidentally stepped into it. Her ankles were bound by ropes, and she was hoisted high into the air.

Unable to break free, she felt a sense of despair.

The world was instantly turned upside down. Looking down, two dark heads leaped out from the dense forest ahead, immediately noticed her, and then trapped her together, while a knife flew towards her.

The blade was sharp and its surface was dazzling. Lou Yanxu's body tensed up, and she closed her eyes tightly in fear.

"Don't die, I can't die! Someone save me!" She kept repeating this in her heart, hoping for a hero to save her from her predicament, and unexpectedly, her wish actually came true!

The expected pain did not come. With a clang, the two swords collided and landed one after the other. Immediately afterward, another sword flew towards the rope. Taking advantage of Lou Yanxu's fall, Lu Hengzhi leaped up, drew his sword and killed the two assassins, then caught her steadily in his arms.

"Young Master Lu, what brings you here?"

Lou Yanxu jumped down from his arms. The two didn't bother with pleasantries. Seeing the assassins emerging from the dense forest one after another, Lu Hengzhi grabbed her wrist and said, "Let's go."

Several assassins were in hot pursuit. Lu Hengzhi gripped his long sword, his sharp eyes filled with murderous intent.

Masked men surrounded her, each one a skilled fighter, and they all slashed at Lou Yanxu. She dodged and hid, biting her lip involuntarily out of fear.

The enemy outnumbered them and quickly swarmed in. Lu Hengzhi was protecting Lou Yanxu when his leg was slashed, and the wound looked quite deep, quickly staining his clothes red.

"Young Master Lu!" Lou Yanxu exclaimed in surprise. Seeing that he was entangled and had no time to dodge the broadsword, she had no choice but to step forward and use her body to block him.

Just then, a loud neighing of a fat horse rang out from nowhere. Xu Congjing, holding a long sword, spurred his horse and galloped away. The sharp blade sliced ​​through a row of necks, leaving a bright white mark, and blood spurted out.

"Give me your hand!" He bent down and reached out his hand to Lou Yanxu, intending to pull her onto the horse and leave, but she did not move. Lu Hengzhi had come to save her, how could she abandon him and let something happen to him?

Left with no other choice, Xu Congjing dismounted and swung her long sword at the assassins who approached her. But wave after wave of assassins surged forth, relentlessly attacking and eliminating them. The three of them were forced to retreat step by step, until they reached the edge of a cliff.

A long sword flew from his hand and stabbed straight at Lou Yanxu. Lu Hengzhi dodged in front of her to block it, but before one wave subsided, another rose. At this moment, two or three masked men in black jumped high and pressed down on him with their swords from above. He had no choice but to raise his knife to block, and at that moment he was kicked off the cliff by a sword through the abdomen.

In a moment of desperation, Lou Yanxu lunged forward and shouted. Xu Congjing acted decisively, grabbed her and jumped with all his might. His long sword pierced the mountain, leaving a long mark. After several twists and turns, they finally landed.

Ignoring her fear and pain, Lou Yanxu rushed to find Lu Hengzhi. Seeing him lying unconscious on the ground, his palms dripping with blood, she ran towards him. Thorns caught her skirt, almost causing her to fall, so she had to tear it open, leaving the white fabric hanging on the thorns.

Xu Congjing followed behind, frowning and looking around, afraid of leaving any traces that might attract assassins, so he put the strip of cloth into his pocket.

Seeing Lou Yanxu drape her arm around Lu Hengzhi's neck and struggle to prop him up, she quickly strode over and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'll do it." He reluctantly took her heavy body from his shoulders and draped it over his shoulders. Lou Yanxu gasped for breath, but then she saw that his arm was bruised and bleeding. The tattered sleeve was stuffed into the wound to barely stop the bleeding.

She went over to him and offered to do the work, saying, "You're injured, let me do it."

Xu Congjing didn't let her take it, and snorted coldly, "You still know I'm injured!"

"..." Lou Yanxu ignored him, but suddenly stopped, slapped her forehead, and ran back to the thicket of thorns to search for a while.

Xu Congjing realized what she was looking for and coldly reminded her, "It's in my pocket."

Did he put the strip of cloth she dropped into his pocket? Given the current special circumstances, she didn't say much, only uttered an "Oh," and her face felt a little hot.

To avoid the assassins coming again, the two found a secluded place to hide. While Xu Congjing was settling in, Lou Yanxu planned to go and find some medicinal herbs.

As night fell, a cool breeze swept through the air. She quickly picked out some herbs to stop bleeding and prevent heatstroke, but when she returned, she found only Lu Hengzhi, pale-faced and slumped against a boulder. Her expression changed drastically as she frantically searched for Xu Congjing.

Has the assassin arrived? Or has he left?

"Xu Congjing?" she called out softly twice.

No one responded.

The night was dark and quiet, with only the occasional roar of a wild beast. A chilling wind seeped into her back, penetrating her flesh and bones. She felt that Xu Congjing had abandoned her.

After a moment of sighing, his voice came from behind, "I'm here."

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the beads of cold sweat from her forehead, before seeing Xu Congjing rushing towards her angrily, "Where did you go just now? Do you know how dangerous it was in the dark!"

Caught off guard by the sudden scolding, her initial panic vanished, and she snapped, "It's none of your business."

She took out the herbs she had just picked, smashed them with a clean stone to extract the juice, and only then did he realize that she had gone to find herbs. He immediately looked embarrassed, wiped the sweat from his run while looking for her, and then calmed himself down and said softly, "I didn't mean to yell at you, I was just worried about you."

"No need." Lou Yanxu was annoyed and didn't appreciate his kindness. She held the damp and sticky herbs in her left hand and deftly unbuttoned Lu Hengzhi's clothes with her right.

Xu Congjing's alarm went off, and he rushed over to cover Lu Hengzhi tightly, asking, "What are you doing?"

"Apply the medicine to him." She glanced at him impatiently and tried to pry his hand away. Lu Hengzhi was injured because of her; could she just ignore it?

He loosened his grip, gritted his teeth reluctantly, and said resolutely, "I'll do it!"

Lou Yanxu paused for a moment, then handed the person over to him. This was for the best; after all, she and Lu Hengzhi were not related, and it was inappropriate for them to act too intimately.

Serving his rival in love, Xu Congjing gritted his teeth. He roughly applied the herbs to his abdominal wound, haphazardly tied his belt, and took advantage of Lou Yanxu's inattention to lightly kick her calf.

Turning around and seeing that he had finished, Lou Yanxu tossed him the remaining herbs. He opened his hand, staring at the greenish-blue liquid, and sighed inwardly. Oh well, leftovers are fine; at least she still remembers his injury.

He turned to face her, "You help me."

Lou Yanxu didn't want to look at him, so she turned her back and said in a muffled voice, "If it's not enough, then forget it."

"Why can you help him but not me?"

His voice was filled with grievance, mixed with a strong sense of jealousy. She turned her back, her knuckles tightening. "I don't owe you anything."

Suddenly, Xu Congjing felt a tightness in his throat, and he lowered his head in shame, not daring to utter another word.

Yes, he deserves it all.

He silently wandered around the neighborhood and found a secluded, dilapidated thatched hut. It had been uninhabited for a long time and was covered in dust, but it could at least provide some shelter from the wind and rain.

The house was small, with a few dilapidated tables and chairs scattered around, and the only useful bed made of wooden planks.

After carrying Lu Hengzhi onto the wooden bed, Xu Congjing patted the dust off his hands, glanced around, and said, "I'll go find some dry grass to smother the mosquitoes."

But she turned back as soon as she stepped out the door, and Lou Yanxu asked in confusion, "Weren't you going to find hay?"

"How can I leave you alone in a room with him? If there are any mosquitoes, I'll get rid of them for you."

He stood by the wall and refused to move. Lou Yanxu rolled her eyes and said helplessly, "Whatever."

In the dark, unfamiliar room, she rested against the bed, while Xu Congjing sat guarding the door. Both were exhausted and remained silent. She dozed off until dawn, then checked Lu Hengzhi's forehead temperature. Thankfully, he didn't have a fever.

Just then, Lu Hengzhi twitched his fingers, slowly lifted his eyelids, his dry, thin lips parted slightly, and he couldn't speak for a moment.

Lou Yanxu smiled with delight upon seeing him, "You're awake!"

That smile touched his heart, and Lu Hengzhi couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Where is this?"

"How do you feel, we're in a thatched hut at the foot of the mountain?"

"I am fine."

She was so anxious and worried that she could endure even the most painful injuries. Overwhelmed with emotion, Lu Heng couldn't help but reach out to touch her face, but was interrupted by a cough. He looked up and met Xu Congjing's gaze.

"..."

Lu Hengzhi's lips twitched, his smile freezing on his lips, and he said with a hint of disappointment, "Xu Situ is here too."

Xu Congjing snorted coldly, wishing he could stab him with his eyes, "If there's nothing else, then leave."

It was time to leave, lest those people come looking for him. However, seeing Xu Congjing's discomfiture, Lu Hengzhi suddenly had a wicked idea and leaned towards Lou Yanxu's side, saying, "My leg still hurts a bit, could you help me up, Madam Lou?"

But Xu Congjing gave him no chance, and in a flash, he blocked the two of them with his left arm, saying, "If she can't lift her up, I will."

Lou Yanxu noticed the long, gaping wound on his left arm and said helplessly, "I'll do it..."

However, Xu Congjing didn't give her a chance. He gritted his teeth, picked Lu Hengzhi up, and ran away. The latter was extremely embarrassed, her face turning red, but because of her abdominal injury, she couldn't exert any strength and could only mutter...

"What are you doing! Xu Congjing!"

"Xu Congjing, put me down!"

Xu Congjing ignored him, inwardly scoffing. Wasn't Lu Hengzhi just deliberately trying to provoke him? Then he'd disgust him, disgust him to death!

Lou Yanxu followed behind, shaking her head helplessly.

They cautiously made their way out of the mountains, occasionally spotting signs of searching, but fortunately, they did not encounter the assassins.

On their way back to the city, as soon as the city gates opened, Wan Qing'an and Qingrui waited anxiously at the gates.

"Yanxu! Are you injured?"

"I am fine, but Prince Lu is injured."

Looking back, Lu Hengzhi had been put down, stubbornly refusing Xu Congjing's help, and limped over, clutching his abdomen.

Wan Qing'an glanced at him, saw that he was alive and alright, and didn't say anything more.

Lou Yanxu patted Qingrui's shoulder to comfort her, then whispered in Wan Qing'an's ear, "Don't let Yunbing know about this."

"Don't worry, I've kept it from him. That silly boy doesn't know anything."

The two laughed as they talked.

A fragrant aroma wafted through the air, and a young woman gracefully approached, rushing straight towards Xu Congjing. "I heard you were injured. How are you now?"

Lou Yanxu recognized her as the second daughter of Grand Tutor Meng.

When did they become so close that they could embrace? Xu Congjing's face darkened, and he glanced at Lou Yanxu again, whose attention was entirely focused on Lu Hengzhi's wound. He looked at the knife wound on his left arm, his face darkening even more. He forcefully pushed Meng Lingchang, causing her to stumble, and coldly turned away.

Lou Yan glanced over and her gaze fell on the black mud on the tip of Meng Lingshang's shoes. Such dark and shiny black soil was usually found outside the city, but Meng Lingshang came from inside the city, so how could she have such mud on her?

Occasionally, someone would transport this soil back to the city to grow vegetables and flowers, and perhaps that's how she unintentionally got involved. Her mind was too muddled to think about it anymore.

A few days later, the group returned to Chang'an in a grand procession.

Crossing the waters of Jingzhou and passing through the mountains of Xiangzhou, the journey was smooth as we approached Chang'an.

Inside the carriage, Qingrui opened the window, a wide smile on her face. Lou Yanxu laughed at her, "So happy?"

"Once we return to Chang'an, Second Madam, you'll be granted an official position, and you'll be enjoying boundless glory!"

She became more and more excited as she spoke, but Lou Yanxu's heart sank in an instant.

It's not that simple.

Chang'an City was truly a den of wolves and tigers.