Chapter 31 Turks 2 "Xiao Qiyu, save me!"

The bright red bloodstains on the ground mingled with the dust, and a strong sense of impending doom filled the once peaceful and bustling streets and alleys.

Hundreds of soldiers, armed with long swords, searched house to house for any Turks hiding there. A tense atmosphere hung over everyone. One soldier raised his crossbow, his eyes fixed on the half-open window of a shop, his sharp short arrow poised to fire, seemingly ready to kill with a single blow.

A long, slender hand with distinct knuckles suddenly reached out, its five fingers firmly gripping the crossbow arm and pressing it down without any resistance.

"Capture them alive."

Xiao Qiyu's voice was steady and left no room for doubt.

...

The kitchen.

The crude chewing sounds were particularly jarring in the deathly silence; the rich aroma of roast goose fat mingled with the heavy stench of human blood, creating a nauseatingly sweet and cloying flavor.

Cui Ying held his breath, his heart pounding, watching as the bald-headed Turkic man pounced on his prey like a wild beast. In just a few bites, he tore the once whole roast goose into a jumbled skeleton, seemingly ready to chew and swallow even the bones.

At this moment, she was hanging from the roof beam, unable to even breathe, and even had to control the sweat on her face to prevent it from dripping onto the Turk's head and arousing his suspicion, so that he would look up and find her.

Time seemed to drag on endlessly.

Cui Ying hoped that the bald barbarian would finish eating the roast goose and leave as soon as possible.

But this guy was like an insatiable glutton. After finishing the one she brought for Xiao Shu, he was not satisfied. He then roughly pulled out the remaining dozen or so half-cooked roast geese from the clay oven. Ignoring the heat, he held them to his face and began to tear and bite them wildly. The raw meat made a tooth-grinding "crunch" sound between his teeth, and blood and grease covered his mouth and face.

Cui Ying felt a churning in her stomach and bit her lower lip hard to keep from vomiting. She felt she never wanted to touch roast goose again in her life, and at the same time, she felt extremely scared.

Given the way she ate, it was fortunate that she was agile and managed to climb onto the roof beam and hang there the moment he burst into the kitchen. Otherwise, she was not sure if she would have been eaten like a roast goose by this bloodthirsty monster.

My arms felt sore, numb, and heavy; my muscles trembled from prolonged tension; and my body felt like it was about to collapse.

Cui Ying felt utterly helpless, and deeply regretted not checking the almanac before leaving home. How could she have gotten herself into such a mess for no reason?

Good heavens, please let him eat his fill and get out of here!

Cui Ying prayed from the Jade Emperor to the Buddha, and finally the bald man let out a satisfied burp.

The Turk wiped his mouth haphazardly with the back of his hand, which was covered in oil and blood, then grabbed a plump goose leg and stuffed it into his mouth, tearing at it. Only then did he stand up unsteadily and drag his heavy steps toward the front hall.

Cui Ying finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, Da Huang appeared, wagging its tail, and leisurely began to gnaw on the goose bones on the ground. It didn't forget to look up at Cui Ying and let out a "woof," as if inviting her to join in.

Cui Ying's heart, which had just settled down, jumped again in an instant, and she made a "shh" gesture at the dog.

Big Yellow clearly didn't understand what she was being coy about. Seeing that she didn't move, it simply raised its neck and barked happily at the roof beam.

Cui Ying:!

This! Stupid! Dog!

Cui Ying was so frightened that her soul almost left her body. She held her breath and focused intently on the sounds around her, but the front hall was quiet, with neither footsteps nor chewing sounds.

Have they already left?

Cui Ying blinked, her gaze sweeping through the window to the front hall, only to find it empty; there was no sign of that sinister and terrifying figure.

It seems they really have left.

Cui Ying breathed a long sigh of relief, her tense body almost collapsing from exhaustion.

However, in the instant she relaxed her guard, she heard a "whoosh!" and the curtain separating the inside from the outside was suddenly ripped open by a large, blood-stained hand, instantly filling the kitchen with the strong smell of blood again.

Cui Ying's pupils contracted sharply, and the moment she looked up, her gaze met those murky, red, yet terrifyingly bright eyes behind the curtain.

The Turks returned, staring intently at her, a half-eaten goose leg dangling from their mouths, making a crunching sound between their teeth.

Time stood still at this moment.

A deathly silence descended.

Cui Ying felt her blood run cold instantly. The kind smiles of her parents and grandmother flashed before her eyes. Her fingers, which were clinging to the roof beam, suddenly lost their grip, and she fell heavily to the ground.

The dull pain of bones hitting the ground spread throughout her body, but Cui Ying couldn't care less about the pain. Her strong will to survive forced her to force a smile, her voice trembling uncontrollably: "Um, big brother, well, I'll pretend I didn't see you, and you can pretend you didn't see me, okay?"

...

"ah!"

A girl's scream shattered the silence of the street and instantly caught Xiao Qiyu's attention.

But more than his vigilance in confirming the whereabouts of the Turks, a deeper, more unsettling question suddenly exploded in his mind—why did that voice sound so much like Cui Ying's?

Before the thought had even finished, his body had already rushed out, with soldiers close behind him.

The kitchen of the roast goose shop was filled with dust, and pots and pans were broken all over the floor.

Cui Ying raised the slender knife he used to slice goose meat and took the brunt of a heavy blow from the Turk's blade aimed at his head. The knife shattered instantly, the impact causing Cui Ying's hand to split open and bleed profusely. Before Cui Ying could catch his breath, the second blow had already fallen.

The rudimentary skills he had secretly learned over the years finally came in handy. Cui Ying dodged the second blow by sidestepping, and said angrily, "Why are you so stubborn! I already told you to just pretend you didn't see me! Can't we both take a step back!"

But the Turk was already bloodthirsty, spitting as he cursed incoherently, his blood-stained blade never leaving Cui Ying's face.

Tables, chairs, and cabinets were overturned all over the floor, and the two fought their way from the back kitchen to the front.

It was less a fight and more a one-sided beating of Cui Ying. Her opponent was clearly far more skilled than her, and she had no way to save her life except to dodge. All she could do was scream for help.

The next moment, a tremendous force burst through the door, a long sword piercing the air, aiming straight for the Turk's nape.

Although the Turk appeared to be insane, his intuition for danger was exceptionally sharp. He suddenly twisted and retreated, raising his butcher knife in a backhand motion to parry the attack in a hurry.

"clang!"

A piercing metallic clang erupted.

Xiao Qiyu's seemingly inevitable strike was forcefully parried, but he quickly changed his move, flipping his wrist and slashing down with his longsword, aiming for his opponent's lower body.

The Turks were overwhelmed by Xiao Qiyu's fierce offensive, suffering several bloody gashes on their bodies. They were panting heavily, their eyes filled with even more ferocity.

Soldiers swarmed in, and Xiao Qiyu swiftly moved to shield Cui Ying, who was already pale with fright and exhausted, behind him.

He didn't even glance at her men's clothing, nor did he ask how she ended up there. His gaze was fixed on the Turk, and his voice was low and urgent: "Are you alright?"

Cui Ying shook his head vigorously, his whole body trembling, but he still forced himself to remind him: "This guy is extremely strong, and his swordsmanship is all brute force. Don't underestimate him."

As soon as he finished speaking, a sword came slashing down.

The blade grazed the outside of Xiao Qiyu's left arm, leaving a trail of blood—the Turk had broken through the encirclement in a short time and was heading straight for Xiao Qiyu's life.

Xiao Qiyu merely frowned slightly, his movements without the slightest hesitation. His long sword, like a silver snake emerging from its sheath, pierced towards the Turk's chest.

The Turk dodged in time, but he did not expect that this was just a feint by Xiao Qiyu. A sudden, excruciating pain shot through his ankle. Looking down, he saw that the tip of the long sword had precisely severed his Achilles tendon.

The Turks then realized that the other party had no intention of taking their lives.

Indeed, if you suddenly discover enemy people on your own territory and kill them without questioning them thoroughly, how can you possibly report back to your superiors?

Realizing this, a cunning ruthlessness flashed in the Turk's cloudy eyes. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Cui Ying hiding behind Xiao Qiyu—he could tell that the boy seemed to care a lot about this androgynous pretty boy.

With hostages in hand, there's no fear of not being able to escape!

He applied what he had just learned, using the same feint attack tactic. He raised his knife and roared, seemingly attacking Xiao Qiyu, but his mind was actually on Cui Ying.

Taking advantage of the moment when Xiao Qiyu changed his moves, he endured the pain in his foot, swiftly flashed to Xiao Qiyu's side, and stretched out his foul-smelling hand to grab Cui Ying—with a crisp "rip," half of Cui Ying's sleeve was torn, revealing glimpses of his snow-white skin.

"Xiao Qiyu, save me!"

As Cui Ying cried for help, Xiao Qiyu's mind seemed to be consumed by a raging fire. His long sword transformed into a cold light, and with a sharp sound of cutting through the air, he plunged it into the chest and abdomen of the Turk without hesitation.

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Author's note: Writing fight scenes made me cringe [lemon emoji]