Chapter 18 Between Life and Death

I reached for the crossbody bag I'd kept on my body even during the fire, and pulled out a knife.

"We probably don't know each other," I forced a laugh, cold sweat pouring down my back. Who was their target? Was it Liu Bei trying to silence me because of that blood-written letter, or... had they already learned of Cao Cao's identity and come to eliminate me completely?

Regardless of the reason, the situation is extremely dangerous. Facing dozens of men in black, we are clearly at a disadvantage. One wrong move, and we're doomed. I cannot afford to show the slightest fear in front of these true killers. If I show weakness, I have lost, and the consequence of losing is certain death.

"We'll split up and run, and whoever runs the longest will be the longest," I said in a low voice.

"Where shall we meet?" Goat asked.

"Never mind, let's run first." I glanced back at Gou'er. Whether those assassins were targeting me or Aman, it had nothing to do with Gou'er. He had no reason to die with us.

Ah Man secretly slipped something into my hand. I took it and was slightly taken aback. It was the silver hairpin, the silver hairpin he had given me. So, he hadn't come out of the sea of ​​fire earlier because he had gone to find this for me.

"Enough with the nonsense, kill them!" the leader shouted, and the men in black rushed forward.

"Run!" I shouted, and the three of us ran off in three different directions.

After running for a while, I looked back, but there wasn't a single pursuer behind me. Everyone was rushing towards Cao Cao; their target was Cao Cao!

My heart tightened, and I clenched my fists. The silver hairpin in my hand pricked my palms painfully. I turned back to chase after Cao Cao. He was clearly in dire straits, yet he was still courting death.

From afar, they could see Cao Cao surrounded in the middle, attacked from both sides.

Just as he was about to step forward, someone grabbed him.

I turned around warily, only to find it was a dog.

"Why are you still here? Let's go!" I called out, frowning.

"I knew you'd come back," Gou'er said, biting her lip as she looked at me. "You just wanted to trick me into leaving, didn't you?"

I sighed, "Sweetie, let's go."

“Come with me,” he said, his voice cold. “You said you wouldn’t abandon me.”

Just then, a sword came flying at me, and the men in black noticed me! I raised my hand and used my knife to deflect the sword, took a step back, and kicked him hard in the stomach. Before he could react, I stabbed him with my knife, and the sweet, metallic blood splattered all over my face.

I stood there stunned for a long time, staring blankly at the blood-stained Swiss Army knife in my hand. I didn't have time to express any feelings about my first murder. The assassins had already rushed up. I gritted my teeth, dodged, and killed again.

The first time I killed someone, my hands were trembling. I grew up on the streets, and I was pretty good at fighting. I didn't know kendo, judo, or taekwondo, but I could still beat those boys black and blue and they respected me. I had no martial arts skills; my only way of fighting was to save my own life.

The dog snatched a sword from somewhere and started wildly slashing at things with wide eyes, which terrified me.

Not far away, Aman looked bewildered and was also surrounded.

"Sister!" Gou'er suddenly shouted.

When I came to my senses, I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder and back. Looking down, I saw that an arrow had pierced through my left shoulder.

Aman seemed startled by the dog's barking. He turned to look at me, his narrow eyes narrowing slightly and turning cold. The blank look vanished instantly. He drew his sword and, in the blink of an eye, was beside me. His thin lips were pressed tightly together. He swung his sword and danced, and in an instant, blood flew everywhere.

Carrying an arrow made me feel like a hedgehog, which made movement extremely difficult. I gritted my teeth and broke the arrow off my shoulder, leaving the part that was already deeply embedded in my flesh. It really hurt.

Cao Cao fought his way through the enemy ranks, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

I couldn't help but recall the day I escorted him back to the Prime Minister's residence, and the blood-covered man I saw, without a single wound, leaving only a corpse on the ground.

"Shoot the arrows!" came a command from someone high above.

A dense rain of arrows came from the sky. I was terrified. If I didn't dodge, I would really turn into a hedgehog!

He grabbed Aman, but then his foot twisted and he found himself on a slope. The two of them tumbled straight down the slope.

"Sister!" Gou'er exclaimed.

"Run! Don't look back! Run, dog!" I yelled, tumbling down the slope, feeling as if my internal organs had shifted.

The man in black relentlessly pursued them, eventually catching up with them all.

I felt a little relieved; the dog should be safe now.

"You said you wouldn't abandon me! You said it!" came the dog's shrill cry from above.

We both tumbled down the ravine and fell into the water. I choked on several mouthfuls of water before I finally got up and suddenly fell into the arms of someone who was also soaking wet.

"Aman?" I winced and looked up at him, feeling a sharp pain in my shoulder.

He was also in a sorry state. "So much blood..." He looked at me with a face full of anxiety. His cold expression disappeared and he returned to that bewildered and helpless look.

I looked down and saw blood seeping from the wound on my shoulder, staining my robes. "I'm not afraid," I thought, shivering slightly, feeling a bit cold.

This place seemed to be at the bottom of a valley, where the weather was unusually cold in the sweltering summer heat.

Ah Man carried me to a cave, carefully placed me on the ground covered with dry grass, and then gathered some dry branches to start a fire with a flint and steel.

I was shivering from the cold, probably from losing too much blood, and my consciousness was becoming somewhat hazy.

"Xiaoxiao, don't fall asleep." Aman's voice rang out urgently as he reached out to take off my soaking wet outer robe.

I opened my eyes and saw that he had stripped me completely naked. I was filled with shame and anger and struggled slightly, but I accidentally aggravated the wound on my shoulder, which made me break out in a cold sweat.

Ah Man wrapped me in his dried robe, "Shh, don't be afraid, don't be afraid," he seemed to be coaxing me softly, his face flushed an unusually red.

That's when I noticed that he was shirtless, and all the dried clothes were wrapped around me.

If this continues, he'll be the one to freeze to death. With a sigh, I finally spoke, "Hold me, I'm cold."

Upon hearing this, he quickly and obediently stepped forward and hugged me tightly.

Anyway, I'd already seen everything I should and shouldn't have seen since I fainted in the rain last time, and besides, he's not mentally sound right now, so he shouldn't be in any danger. Holding him tightly in my arms, I reassured myself.

I was pressed tightly against his chest when I suddenly felt a pain in my shoulder. I couldn't help but move slightly. Suddenly, I felt something poking my lower back.

Feeling his increasingly burning body temperature, my body stiffened instantly, and I dared not move. Had I... misjudged something...?

"Smile," Aman said, his voice low and hoarse.

"What are you doing?" I said irritably.

"I'm hot."

"That's because you fell into the water and caught a chill, and now you have a fever," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Oh," he obediently replied, and moved his hand slightly.

I immediately felt a chill run down my spine. "Don't move!"

He froze, "Wha...what's wrong?"

"Every time you move, the wound on my shoulder hurts," I said through gritted teeth.

"Oh." He nodded hurriedly and nervously, not daring to move an inch.

Outside the cave, the howling of wolves echoed. I was utterly speechless; it was truly excellent sound effects…