Chapter 15: Cold Pond

"It's a dark, windy night, with soldiers roaming the wilderness. It's so dangerous, and you're going to find a doctor?" The prince looked back at the dark forest where the sound of pine trees rustled, a hint of fear in his eyes. "Lingling, how can a girl like you venture through the mountains in the middle of the night? Why don't you wait for reinforcements to arrive and clear out the rebels?"

"Who knows when reinforcements will arrive? And my mother's condition... we can't wait any longer." Qian Deng's voice trembled, but with unshakable determination, "No matter what, I must find Doctor Liao as soon as possible!"

"Okay, in that case, I'll go with you." A clear voice came from outside the door.

Qiandeng turned around and saw Cui Fufeng's tall figure walking in. The hem of his round-necked shirt made of smoky purple silk was splattered with blood and mud, but it did not detract from his clear and bright temperament, but only made him look more aloof and independent.

He bowed to the Crown Prince and said, "Nan Yu has been captured and is currently tied up in the woodshed. I have assigned people from the manor to keep him under guard. Also, I have met up with the Prince of Linhuai's scouts on the outskirts of the city. The Shuofang army's vanguard is only a hundred miles away."

The prince was overwhelmed with joy and stood up excitedly: "Really? So, the Prince of Linhuai is coming soon?"

"Yes, with his arrival, the overall situation has been settled. Your Highness can rest assured."

Hearing that Prince Linhuai was coming, it was like the dawn of a long night breaking through the darkness, and everyone in the hall was extremely excited.

Even someone like Qian Deng, who had a prejudice against King Linhuai, felt that this trip should be safer.

Cui Fufeng said to her, "However, the enemy is still outside, and it's late at night in the mountains. It's not appropriate for the county lady to risk her life on this journey. I will escort you there."

Qian Deng was surprised and grateful for his unexpected proposal: "Mr. Cui... are you willing to take this risk with me?"

"Most of the people on the farm are old and weak. The guards have to protect Your Highness, and we can't trust those candidates right now." Cui Fufeng lowered his voice and looked at her with clear and bright eyes. "Don't worry, I will do my best."

Qiandeng lowered his eyes, nodded, then called Uncle Fu over and told him to take good care of his wife.

Accompanied by Cui Fufeng, Qiandeng brought Kang Shu, who was most familiar with the surrounding terrain. The prince also assigned two outstanding guards to her. The five riders rushed out of the manor on fast horses and galloped up the dark mountain road.

At midnight, the night was as dark as ink.

Qiandeng relied on his memory to find the way forward. In his anxiety, he didn't care about the dangers ahead and only focused on finding the way into the mountains.

Uncle Kang helped her identify the direction, and she tried her best to recall the path her mother took her into the mountains, walking along the winding mountain stream.

Until a valley appeared before us, where the stream converged into a small pool. The road ahead was completely lost, with rocks and jagged rocks making it difficult for horses to move forward.

She jumped off her horse and identified the path before her.

Running through the night, her mother in critical condition, Qiandeng stood in the sweltering summer night, her body drenched in cold sweat. The intertwining heat and cold left her in a trance, and for a moment she couldn't recall the mountain path she had taken.

"Don't panic. The mountain is here, the road is here, it won't change." Cui Fufeng looked around the surrounding mountains and said, "Let's rest for a while, you can think carefully."

Qiandeng nodded, walked weakly to the edge of the pond, scooped up some water and splashed it on her face. The cool water made her consciousness slightly clearer.

Hearing the sound of her splashing water, Cui Fufeng, who was standing behind her, suddenly turned his head, alertly identifying the chaotic sounds in the forest.

Qiandeng stared at the water waves for a while, then turned her hand over. In the dim light, she could vaguely see traces of her mother's blood on the edge of her palm.

Sadness and panic welled up in her heart as she thought of her mother lying on the bed dying. She looked up at the vast rolling hills in front of her, trying hard to search for the walking route in her mind.

"I'm afraid we can't ride horses on the road ahead, so let's go up the mountain path first..."

"Let's go!" Before she could finish her words, Cui Fufeng, who was standing behind her, suddenly reached out, grabbed her wet hand, and pulled her up.

Before Qiandeng could react, he was dragged towards the horse.

"County Lady, I'm sorry." At this critical moment, he did not forget to apologize for holding her hand.

"Where are you going?"

She stumbled forward after him, and before she understood what was happening, she heard a strange laugh from the side.

More than a dozen figures rushed out from behind the bushes by the pond, all wearing tattered armor. They were a group of chaotic soldiers.

The leading man held a sharp knife in his hand and cut off their horse reins with one stroke.

The horse neighed and suddenly ran into the grass, leaving behind the five people who were surrounded.

The chaotic soldiers approached them step by step with knives in hand, surrounding them. They looked at Qian Deng, who was protected by Cui Fufeng, with a sinister smile on their faces: "Brothers, we knew it was a fat sheep when we heard the sound of horse hooves, but we didn't expect it to be so fat. It's worth our hard pursuit in this mountain valley!"

Although the dim skylight obscured Qiandeng's face, it cast a thin halo over her figure, making her look even more graceful and charming, like a flower in the wind.

Seeing this group of chaotic soldiers approaching step by step, Qiandeng and his five companions were facing the pond with their backs to it and had nowhere to escape.

Uncle Kang and his guards were surrounded and separated. The leading bandit soldier was already impatient and rushed towards Qiandeng.

The knife in Cui Fufeng's hand flashed, and he struck directly at the opponent's face. Blood spurted out of his face immediately. The knife cut from the left corner of his forehead to the right lower jaw, even cutting off half of his nose. He screamed and fell to the ground.

Since Qian Deng met him, she had only seen him as an elegant and noble young man from aristocratic family. She never expected that he would be so cruel and decisive. Shocked, she finally understood - at this moment, life and death were at stake. If she hesitated for a moment, not only herself, but also her seriously injured mother would be in dire straits.

Seeing that the chaotic soldiers behind her had avoided Cui Fufeng's protection and were approaching her, Qiandeng's heart was cold and clear at this moment. She stabbed the dagger in her hand quickly and hard, piercing the opponent's shoulder.

The man clutched his shoulder and retreated quickly, roaring, "Kill her! Kill that man, and I'll eat this woman alive!"

The bandits in the rear rushed up together. Although they were a chaotic army, they were well trained after all. They stabbed at them with more than ten machetes and spears, and their attack was impenetrable.

Even though Cui Fufeng was an outstanding fighter, facing such an attack he could only retreat quickly with Qiandeng.

As soon as their heels were empty, they found themselves at the edge of the pool of water.

The guard and Kang Shu broke free from the soldiers who were harassing them and rushed to rescue them, but two fists were no match for four hands. The guard was stabbed in the left rib first and fell to the ground immediately.

Kang Shu was knocked down by a knife and fell into the grass without a sound.

Looking at the advancing soldiers, Cui Fufeng held the knife in both hands and blocked Qiandeng behind him.

At the critical moment of life and death, Qiandeng leaned on his back and barely stood by the pond, tightly grasping the small dagger in his hand, alert to any unusual movements of the soldiers and bandits in front of him.

Cui Fufeng also stared at the person opposite him, and with only a slight movement of his lips, he said, "I have a whistling arrow on my waist."

Qian Deng was stunned for a moment, knowing that the flare arrow was used to send messages in the army. Seeing that he was holding a knife and on guard, he reached out to his waist.

Sure enough, she immediately grasped a thumb-thick, half a foot long whistle. But the whistle needed to be set off by incense, so she immediately felt along his waist and took out the sachet, goldfish, jade pendant... and the fire starter.

The moment she pulled down the fire stick, the opposing soldiers rushed over.

Cui Fufeng blocked her behind him and fought back with a knife. He accurately cut the throat of a man in front of him amidst the swords and knives. He pulled the knife back and slashed the ribs of another man on the left, causing blood to gush out immediately.

Taking advantage of the momentary gap that Cui Fufeng seized, Qiandeng immediately blew out the fire stick and lit the fuse of the whistle arrow.

In the darkness, a bright light shot straight into the night sky and suddenly exploded in the sky. The dazzling orange-red light illuminated the surrounding mountains and fields.

Orange-red, this is the signal arrow used by the Shuofang Army to send a message.

Qian Deng immediately understood. Cui Fufeng had said before that he met a scout sent by King Linhuai when he went to capture Nan Yu. This must have been obtained at that time, and it should have been used to convey the location of the prince to protect his safety.

But he brought it over and used it on her.

Before she could think about it, warm blood had already splashed on her cheek.

Although Cui Fufeng killed several people who attacked first, the following soldiers and bandits took advantage of the opportunity when he was about to draw his sword and sneak in, and a spear pierced his chest quickly.

A sharp object pierced Cui Fufeng's heart. In just a breath, blood gushed out of his chest and he staggered backward.

"Mr. Cui!" Qiandeng raised his hand to pull him, but he was tall and strong. With a loud splash, not only did he fail to pull him, but he also fell into the icy pool with him.

Although Qiandeng could swim, he wasn't very proficient and could only paddle. Cui Fufeng, severely injured, fell into the water and was already unconscious.

Jingyuan is located in the northwest, with more sand and less water. Therefore, although the rebel army is brave, they do not know how to swim. They can only stand by the pool and curse loudly and stab them with spears.

Qiandeng was half-sinking and half-floating in the water, dragging Cui Fufeng and swimming hard towards the middle of the pool to avoid the spear tip.

Although it was late summer, the water in the mountain pool was deep and freezing cold. Her hands and feet were stiff and she could only barely keep her head above water, but she was determined not to leave Cui Fufeng behind, lest he sink into the pool.

He was unconscious, the wound on his chest was soaked in water, and blood was constantly oozing out.

Qiandeng first supported him with his hands, but when his hands became stiff, he used his shoulders to support him.

Her whole body was immersed in the cold water. Because she was carrying his weight, even her neck and chin were submerged in water, but she still tried her best to support him so that his wound would not be submerged in water.

However, just like when she was thirteen years old and tried in vain to save her grandfather's life, now she was still powerless in this pool.

She gradually lost her strength, and as she breathed rapidly, water waves flooded into her mouth and nose, causing her to choke and cough painfully, and her body trembled violently and sank.

"County...Mistress..."

Cui Fufeng regained some consciousness in the cold water and turned to look at her with difficulty.

She could no longer hear his low calls, and her mind was dizzy, but her body kept stubbornly pushing against him, trying her best to get herself and him to the surface.