Chapter 73: Too Big a Step

Shen Yuexi never expected to meet the Western Rong people in this mountain.

The close encounter between the two sides frightened her so much that she pulled Yang Cong and ran away.

Once someone chased her, she found that her feet and legs no longer hurt. If she were to participate in a 100-meter race, this speed would definitely allow her to make it to the finals.

Yang Cong was beside her, running and shouting, "Madam Pei, they're catching up!"

Shen Yuexi looked back and saw the two Xirong people chasing after them, one in front and one behind.

However, they were both empty-handed, with neither swords nor bows and crossbows. Big Bear must have collected all the swords from them as raw materials.

This is really unexpected. Who knew there were two people hiding behind the boulder?

These two people seemed to frequently cross mountains and rivers, and were clearly faster than Yang Cong and I. If this continued, they would be caught up sooner or later.

Just as he was getting anxious, Yang Cong suddenly stopped.

Shen Yuexi almost bumped into her and looked forward.

Suddenly, like magic, several Western Rong soldiers appeared from behind the rocks, pits, and trees in front of them, all holding strong bows and aiming arrows at them.

Shen Yuexi had seen the power of a bow and arrow since she first crossed over and stayed in the dilapidated temple. The sound of this thing had long been deeply imprinted in her mind.

"Get down!"

She pressed Yang Cong's neck and pushed him to the ground, and then she also fell to the ground.

Overhead, they heard the whirring sound of arrows piercing the air, but the target wasn't them, but the two Xirong soldiers who were chasing them. The two Xirong soldiers were struck by several arrows and fell to the ground.

Internal strife among the Western Rong?

Even if it was an internal conflict, these Western Rong people would still capture them both and take them back.

While she was still dazed, a white, strong hand reached out to her. Xiao Zhuo's voice came from above: "My lady is frightened."

Hearing this familiar and gentle voice, Shen Yuexi breathed a sigh of relief, jumped up and punched Xiao Zhuo in the chest.

Show up earlier.

Xiao Zhuo smiled slightly and put his arms around her.

Yang Cong also stood up in a daze, rubbing the back of his head and looking at the several Western Rong soldiers behind Xiao Zhuo, and suddenly shouted:

"Master Pei, you...you joined the Xirong?"

Shen Yuexi rolled her eyes at her. This girl was really slow to react and still hadn't figured it out.

Several Western Rong soldiers gathered behind Xiao Zhuo. One of them, a middle-aged man with a burly figure and a bronze face, first ordered his men to check on the two Western Rong people, then stepped forward and bowed to Shen Yuexi, saying:

"I, Qiu Liming, am sorry for not being able to protect you and frightening you."

Shen Yuexi felt a little embarrassed and quickly broke free from Xiao Zhuo's arms. She nodded to the man and said, "General Qiu, there's no need to blame yourself."

These people were obviously the subordinates that Xiao Zhuo had mentioned to her, but why did they appear here and wear Western Rong military uniforms?

"Husband, what's going on?" She looked at Xiao Zhuo.

Xiao Zhuo smiled slightly and said, "The Western Rong people and I have the same idea. It seems they are ready to make a move. Fortunately, my subordinates have arrived."

Xiao Zhuo's men had already arrived at Xiaogang Village last night. There were about a hundred soldiers, led by General Qiu Liming, stationed in the mountains east of the village.

These soldiers were wounded during Xiao Zhuo's battles with the Northern Di. Xiao Zhuo ordered them to recuperate in the rear. However, before they could return to their units, they learned of the Crown Prince's dethronement. Despite their admiration for Xiao Zhuo, they were furious but helpless. The newly appointed commander ordered these wounded soldiers to withdraw, aiming to eliminate the Crown Prince's influence within the army.

These soldiers had fought for their country and been wounded, only to be dismissed from their posts in the end. They received no salary at all. The imperial court, aware of the unpopularity of this move, dispersed thousands of veterans to various prefectures, preventing them from gathering together.

At this time, Qiu Liming learned that the exile group with the Crown Prince had been attacked in Shengzhou, and the Crown Prince's life or death was uncertain. He immediately went to Shengzhou to find Xiao Zhuo. Along the way, he tried every means to gather his former subordinates, gathering over a hundred people, all of whom were loyal soldiers willing to fight for the Crown Prince.

Then he received a message from Xiao Zhuo, ordering him to gather people and go to Xiaogang Village outside the border to meet up.

The first thing Xiao Zhuo did when he arrived here was to order him to form this team, put on the clothes of the dead Xirong people, and go to Xirong to scout the enemy's movements.

There was an additional mission: to secretly protect Shen Yuexi. After Shen Yuexi and Yang Cong returned to the village, they would cross the mountains and continue their reconnaissance of the Xirong people.

Qiu Liming was afraid that Shen Yuexi would find out, so he kept a little distance. Unexpectedly, two Xirong people suddenly appeared, frightening him to the point of breaking out in a cold sweat.

If something goes wrong, he will have to commit suicide to apologize before he can serve the prince.

Fortunately, Xiao Zhuo, who had arrived on horseback, did not show any sign of blaming him. To avoid embarrassment, he took the initiative to say, "Commander, these two should be scouts from the Western Rong. It seems that the Western Rong intend to attack here."

Although Xiao Zhuo was deposed, he still did not change his previous tone.

"That's right," Xiao Zhuo led a horse over and said to Qiu Liming, "You are new here and not familiar with the terrain. You can ask Yang Cong to be your guide and go explore."

Yang Cong had already realized that the Master Pei before her was actually a commander, and these people were his former subordinates. She had always hated the Western Rong, and now she could serve as a guide to scout out the Western Rong, and she couldn't help but feel overjoyed.

With real soldiers, Xiaogang Village no longer has to worry about provocations from the Western Rong.

"General Qiu, I am familiar with this place, let me lead the way!" As he said that, Yang Cong took the lead and walked north.

Xiao Zhuo nodded to Yang Cong, turned around and led a horse over. The horse was tall and strong, and it was a war horse from the Western Rong.

These Western Rong military uniforms and war horses were all captured previously.

Xiao Zhuo jumped up and stretched out his hand to Shen Yuexi: "Come up."

Shen Yuexi put her hand into Xiao Zhuo's and stepped into the stirrup. Xiao Zhuo looked at the hand that was as white as jade and as soft as boneless, and with a little effort, he pulled her onto the horse.

Shen Yuexi couldn't help but feel excited when she saw herself riding on the same horse with Xiao Zhuo again.

The first time they'd shared a ride was when they'd escaped from the ruined temple. Back then, they'd been so focused on escaping that they hadn't had time to think about him. Now, her back was pressed against Xiao Zhuo's chest, and the faint, refreshing scent from his body lingered in her nose, intoxicating her.

Before they knew it, they had arrived at Xiaogang Village.

A group of women were drawing water from the well. When they saw Xiao Zhuo and Shen Yuexi, they immediately greeted them with a smile.

"Hey, Mr. Pei, you're back." This was a fairly serious greeting.

"When will Madam Pei be pregnant? We are all waiting." The tone of the conversation began to distort.

"That's right, that's right, we are all looking forward to having a drink." Some even added fuel to the fire.

Shen Yuexi covered her face and patted the horse's neck, saying, "Go, go."

She kept her head down along the way, not daring to look at Xiao Zhuo behind her.

Although she and Xiao Zhuo are husband and wife, they are different from ordinary couples. She was forced to be given to Xiao Zhuo by the Duke's Mansion instead of the eldest daughter Chen Lan.

I don’t know what Xiao Zhuo’s attitude is.

"My dear," Xiao Zhuo glanced at the absent-minded Shen Yuexi, "the world is about to be in turmoil, it's not suitable to have children, wait..."

Before he could finish his words, Shen Yuexi turned around and looked at him in surprise.

Is this to tell her that he acknowledges the marriage?

But she had never thought about having a child. She was only sixteen years old, and having a child would be too dangerous for her.

"I...I know," Shen Yuexi hurriedly avoided Xiao Zhuo's burning gaze, "There's no rush."

She still had a good impression of Xiao Zhuo.

But isn’t it a bit too big a step to take to have a baby all at once?