Feigning death to escape

After the wolf died, Wu Qi hurriedly helped Li Xi up.

From a distance, no one could tell, but upon closer inspection, it was discovered that Li Xi not only had injuries on her face, but also large and small wounds on her abdomen and thighs. However, due to the cover-up of her black clothing, no one noticed them in time.

Even so, she killed a wolf all by herself.

Seeing Wu Qi's worry, Li Xi reassured him in a few words, "I'm fine."

Wu Qi asked, "Why is Lord Li here in the back mountain?"

“I’ve been hunted down ever since I left Qingcui City,” Li Xi said. “Strangely enough, it’s as if someone in the dark is deliberately trying to drive me up this mountain.”

She knew the mountain was a trap, but she was no match for the army and was chased here by them.

She originally thought those people wanted to lure her into the mountains and forests to interrogate her and then kill her, since killing someone in the mountains and wilderness is more discreet.

No, there isn't.

Li Xi said, "They stopped chasing me after they saw me go into the mountains."

After listening to Li Xi's words, Wu Qi thought for a moment and understood. It was nothing more than a conspiracy between the people in the court and Zhao Lang. Both of them knew there were wolves in the mountains. One chased the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review to this place, while the other used a trick to lure the two of them here, just waiting for the wolves in the mountains to tear them apart.

“Because this mountain is the back mountain of Lord Zhao Lang,” she said.

Wu Qi briefly explained to Li Xi what he had found out over the past few days, and Li Xi frowned more and more as he listened.

What kind of "many children, many blessings" line is the woman from Pingwu City drawing?

This is unheard of...

Now let's talk about Zhao Lang.

Random killings, impersonation in the Dragon Gate Examination, official collusion, forgery of the gilded weapons, and the perpetrators of the murder of the head of the Gilded Gold Department—any one of these acts would be a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family, not to mention the unknown whereabouts of the remaining gilded weapons...

Li Xi said solemnly, "Thank you for your hard work on this matter. I will report the truth to His Majesty."

Her words not only told them that she was truthfully reporting Zhao Lang's crimes, but also that she would truthfully report the merits of these two scions of noble families.

In investigating Zhou Lang's tragic death, these two individuals made greater contributions than she did.

“That’s all for later.” Wu Qi glanced at the wolf on the ground and said, “The important thing now is to get out of this mountain. But I wonder how many wolves are in this mountain…”

Fame and fortune are secondary; whether they can survive and leave this mountain is still unknown. If a dozen wolves attack from the back mountain, their group might not be able to win and would probably die in the mountains.

After a long silence, Pianpian said, "There are ten wolves in the back mountain. He told me that himself."

It goes without saying who the "he" she was referring to was.

Pianpian was in very bad condition at the moment. The "run" that Li Xi shouted was directed at her, because the girl sat still and didn't move after seeing the wolf.

It wasn't that they were scared out of their wits, but that they didn't want to live anymore.

He was so desperate that he wanted to die.

Everyone listened quietly as she continued.

“I told him I was most afraid of wolves, and he scared me by saying there were ten wolves in the back mountain that would come down and kill someone every now and then. I had just arrived at the Zhao family home then, and I was so scared that I couldn't sleep at night. Every night he would hold me in his arms and comfort me, apologizing that he shouldn't have scared me, that he was wrong, and that he wouldn't scare me anymore…”

One was scared and the other was comforting, so neither of them could sleep well at night. But she usually had nothing to do during the day and could stay in bed to catch up on sleep, while Zhao Lang couldn't. He was busy on weekdays and had to deal with official business while yawning every day.

Once, Zhao Lang yawned and pushed open the door. He saw her lying on the couch sleeping and immediately laughed in exasperation. He pinched her face and kissed her awake. Then he dressed her in her half-asleep state and coaxed her, "Pianpian, come with me to handle official business."

She woke up groggily, her mind still foggy. He carried her to the study, and she realized something was wrong. How could she watch Zhao Lang's official duties? She immediately tried to get off Zhao Lang's lap.

Zhao Lang stopped her, saying, "Are you annoyed that I'm bothering you? You kept me up all night."

"No." She closed her eyes tightly, afraid of seeing something she shouldn't.

At that time, Zhao Lang said, "There's nothing you can't see. If Pianpian is still sleepy, take a nap in my arms."

Zhao Lang didn't try to hide it from her, and carried her while he handled official business. She still didn't look at him, and as she waited, she actually fell asleep in Zhao Lang's arms.

It is no exaggeration to say that among all the women in the manor, only Pianpian was allowed into Zhao Lang's study, yet she was also the only one who was thrown into the back mountain by Zhao Lang to be fed to the wolves.

When Pianpian talked about these things, regret and pain were intertwined.

Those days were carefree and genuinely happy, but looking back now, it feels like that carefree happiness was veiled, and you don't know if it was real happiness or just her entertaining herself.

Zhao Lang had no heart, yet she had hoped countless times in the quiet of the night that he would put some of his extra sincerity into her.

Things didn't go as planned.

Pianpian said to the three of them, "Zhao Lang did indeed ask me to impersonate Li Shuying and write a letter to Lord Zhou Lang. Sun Fang was also involved in the forgery of Liuge. In addition, Zhao Lang has a secret room, but I don't know where it is. Sun Fang does."

"As for the rest, I don't know much."

"Oh, by the way, Li Shuying was indeed killed by Zhao Lang. He ordered his servants to slash Li Shuying thirty-two times and ordered me to lead men to throw her into a mass grave. If murder is punishable by death, I think I am guilty as well."

"So, you can leave now."

All three of them were skilled in martial arts, and even if they couldn't kill a wolf, they could escape. But if they brought her along, it would be a completely different story; the three of them would be evenly matched in terms of life and death.

If the three of them really died because of her, she would have no face to live on.

“Beautiful lady, I’ve been looking for you for a long time!” Wu Qi said. “Are you aware of the legend of the woman in human skin?”

She nodded gracefully.

The rumors about the woman in human skin were rampant. Even though she lived in the Zhao family and rarely went out, she had heard her maids talking about it with a smile. Therefore, she knew about this rumor.

It's just unclear why Zhao Lang allowed this rumor to fester.

Moreover, Wu Qi had just told Li Xi that she had overheard it and that the so-called woman in human skin was just Li Shuying's corpse, and that there were only a few women behind her.

“Actually, there are no women in human skin in this world. They are all very good women, and I admire them very much.” Wu Qi squatted down and brushed the dirt off Pianpian’s body. He didn’t say much to Pianpian, but instead said to her, “You are the same. You are a brave and good woman.”

"So even if your loved one asks you to die, don't give in."

She knelt down beside Pianpian, straightened her folded cuffs, and then looked directly at Pianpian and said, "Because life is everyone's right."

"Regardless of gender or wealth."

What kind of eyes were those?

Wu Qi clearly has a pair of smiling eyes, but Pianpian finds it difficult to describe them. She can only use the gentle moonlight and the smiling flowers and plants as a comparison. If you look closely, you will find that Wu Qi's eyes contain rolling waves, surging and turbulent.

Wu Qi said, "You were not born for anyone, nor should you die for anyone."

No one in this world can decide your life or death except yourself.

Or rather, life and death are entirely in one's own hands.

At that moment, Pianpian even forgot to cry. She didn't even care who Wu Qi's "beloved" was; all she could think about was life and death.

The three waited quietly, without urging or complaining.

Pianpian took a deep breath and said, "I'm willing to be your witness."

She wanted to let go of Zhao Lang and treat him as someone she had only met by chance.

Wu Qi smiled and said, "Then let's go."

Li Xi was injured, and Pianpian didn't know any light-body skills.

Wu Qi, supporting Li Xi, said thoughtfully, "Yi Shen, why don't you carry Miss Pianpian on your back? That way we can walk faster, okay?"

“Okay,” Yi Shen said.

Pianpian was completely taken aback. She thought Yi Shen was going to refuse and say something like "men and women shouldn't touch each other" or "I'll only carry you." But Yi Shen said to her, "I'm sorry for the offense."

How could someone like him actually stoop to carrying her on his back?!

"No, it's me who troubled Young Master Yi," she said.

Wu Qi laughed from the side, "Let's go, let's go. If the wolf comes, that'll be trouble."

Yi Shen carried Pian Pian on his back, and Wu Qi supported Li Xi. The four of them traversed through the jungle until they saw the group of people guarding the back mountain, but they did not encounter a second wolf.

Zhao Lang's schemes were so elaborate that he even included the wolves in the back mountains, but who can truly predict the secrets of fate?

The four stood there, staring at the group of people, pondering their next move.

Zhao Lang was the most arrogant person in Pingwu City. He had officials in the court protecting him. Even if the four of them really left the back mountain, it was possible that Zhao Lang would kill them.

Wu Qi said, "Although Lord Li has the token, Zhao Lang is not to be underestimated. I have made up my mind. I will fake my death to escape, and you can use my death to deal with Zhao Lang."

Yi Shen said, "I'll go with you."

“No,” Wu Qi refused.

Yi Shenwei asked unhappily, "Why not?"

“If we both die, wouldn’t we be a pair of star-crossed lovers?” Wu Qi poked Yi Shen’s arm, and seeing that he was still unhappy, she stood on tiptoe and rubbed his face, coaxing him in a serious tone, “Our Yi Shen can’t die, you have to cause trouble for Zhao Lang.”

"Think about it, if I die, won't you go crazy? So, you need to act a little crazy and cause trouble for Zhao Lang, just don't kill him. That way, Zhao Lang will believe you."

She had already made up her mind.

Zhao Lang was naturally suspicious. If she really died, he estimated that he could only trust Yi Shen among this group.

“Therefore, our Third Young Master Yi must act well,” Wu Qi said. “If you really can’t act it out, just pretend I’m really dead.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Yi Shen patted her on the back and said with even greater displeasure, "Nonsense."

"Mmm, I'm talking nonsense, ptooey, ptooey, how could I die?"

Suddenly, Yi Shen pulled her into his arms and whispered, "Wu Qi, be careful."

I want you to stay with me for a long time.

So be careful.

“I know, I’ll wait for you to go find Sun Fang together,” Wu Qi said.

“Okay, wait for me,” Yi Shen replied.

Wu Qi smiled and waved to them before leaping into the jungle.

Li Xi stood still and asked Yi Shen, "Is Young Master Yi at ease?"

Yi Shen said, "I'm not at ease, but she can."

He stared at the woods for a long time, as if a witch could emerge from them, but there was no witch. If she were to change her mind and peek out from the woods now, she would not be a witch.

She can do it.

She could escape from this desolate mountain on her own.

Let's go.

Yi Shen turned around, without glancing back at the woods.