Runaway Bride (Part 2)

Blood red spread along the water flow, and the unconscious fish, its eyes dry, was disemboweled and sent to the fire to be roasted.

Jiang Qin picked up a grilled fish to shield himself from the light filtering through the veins of the leaves. A series of rustling sounds came from the nearby forest, startling a flock of birds into flight.

"Is that the direction Mingyu is heading?" Jiang Qin squinted.

A few hours ago, the procession of the inspector was preparing to depart for the capital.

The return journey would take them through Shu County, a place rumored to be in turmoil due to collusion between officials and traitors. The group had intended to travel day and night to pass through this unsettled region as soon as possible, but they unexpectedly received a secret letter instructing them to stay temporarily in Shu County. Coincidentally, Zhu Mingyu was also about to leave the battlefield, saying he had important business to attend to and would meet up with the others in Shu County.

He didn't explain the specific reasons, and even took a fine horse with him.

Jiang Qin, confused, opened her mouth to bite into the fish and asked Zhu Liji, who was resting with his eyes closed beside her, "So, are we going to wait for him?"

He was a little worried.

Zhu Mingyu was nearly ten years younger than Zhu Liji and Jiang Qin, and in Jiang Qin's memory, he was still a little kid who hadn't grown up.

He thought it wouldn't hurt to wait a while, but Zhu Liji had no such intention. He said, "Reporting back is the most important thing," and ordered the troops to proceed as usual. Only after they had traveled quite a distance did he order them to rest.

“He has a horse, and if all else fails, he has legs.” Zhu Liji ignored Jiang Qin’s worried words and focused his attention on the burning flames. He took the fish that his subordinate had just grilled and forced himself to eat a couple of bites.

"Tsk." Zhu Liji frowned slightly.

The fish was poorly prepared; the innards weren't even properly removed, and even with a sprinkle of cumin, the fishy and bitter taste was still undeniable. Zhu Liji licked his teeth and put down the grilled fish.

Jiang Qin also took a bite, then shook his head and said, "This fish is too dry."

It's better to eat cold dry food.

"If only we had a good cook..." Jiang Qin murmured, staring at the fish meat, which was mixed with blood.

——

It felt like being roasted on a stove, a sharp pain shooting through my back. The icy water from the musket grazed my skin, seeping into the wound and bringing even greater unbearable pain.

Yan Zhiwei gritted her teeth, feeling the approach of death more clearly than ever before.

"Broken Eyebrow" was a very accurate marksman; even when Yan Zhiwei jumped into the water, she was still seriously injured. Yan Zhiwei endured the pain and opened her wound. Fabric fibers and shrapnel fragments intertwined, trembling with her breath.

If it weren't for Zhu Mingyu, I'm afraid I would have died long ago.

Yan Zhiwei leaned against the tree, her chest heaving.

A stick of incense had burned before Yan Zhiwei was driven to desperation and jumped into the river. She thrashed about in the water like a wild dog, clinging to life. She dared not look back, but instead stretched her legs, spread her arms wide, and used all her strength to dog paddle forward.

Only when the voice of "Broken Eyebrows" behind her faded did Yan Zhiwei struggle to turn around.

The icy water flowed over Yan Zhiwei's head; this turn of her head had exhausted all her strength.

Before losing consciousness, or perhaps it was an illusion, Yan Zhiwei actually saw Zhu Mingyu covered in crimson.

Yan Zhiwei blinked, unwilling to recall the calamities she had suffered.

She shifted her gaze, and Zhu Mingyu sat a few steps away from her, starting a fire to boil water.

Seeing that Yan Zhiwei had regained consciousness, Zhu Mingyu stepped forward to support her, trying to give her some support to help her relax.

"It's alright, it's all over now. I've already chased the bandits away..." Zhu Mingyu nestled half of Yan Zhiwei's body into his arms, pointing to the porcelain jar he had found among the dowry at the crime scene to comfort her. "I'll treat your wounds after the water boils."

"Why are you here?" Having finally regained her strength, Yan Zhiwei's lips were still pale. "Didn't you say that my plan was too violent, and... cough cough... not tolerant enough, and unjust?"

"I didn't expect you'd still end up getting involved, haha..."

"However, the bloodlust was indeed intense, and a lot of blood was shed."

Even though Yan Zhiwei had just escaped danger, she still smiled: "Actually, my plan was pretty good, but who knew that a bunch of bandits would suddenly appear halfway through, and they even happened to be carrying muskets, otherwise I could have escaped smoothly..."

The wound on her back still throbbed, but Yan Zhiwei tried her best to stay composed, jokingly raising her moral standards as she tried to save face: "But life is just so unpredictable. As long as the final outcome is what we want, it doesn't really matter, right... cough cough..."

Zhu Mingyu lowered his head, refusing to respond to Yan Zhiwei's words.

The water had already boiled, bubbling and steaming. Zhu Mingyu soaked a cloth in the water, then looked away and began to wipe Yan Zhiwei's lower body.

Yan Zhiwei was still rambling on.

"To be honest, if I were to die here today, even if I were reduced to bones, I would become a spirit and devour and wipe away that thief with the furrowed brows at midnight."

"If all else fails, turning into stone wouldn't be bad either. I'd be emotionless, feeling nothing, and indifferent to pain. Not only could I use that to trip up 'Severed Eyebrow,' but I wouldn't have to worry about retaliation..."

Yan Zhiwei's idea was indeed becoming increasingly far-fetched. Zhu Mingyu smiled, his gaze sweeping over Yan Zhiwei's blood-soaked back before returning to his own.

They don't take good care of themselves.

Zhu Mingyu disliked Yan Zhiwei's nonchalant and casual attitude even at this point.

Despite having spoken so much to her, Yan Zhiwei remained deaf to his words.

Zhu Mingyu's hand, which was wiping the wound, suddenly stopped. The hot water from the towel dripped precisely onto Yan Zhiwei's lower back, scalding her so much that she jumped up with a cry of pain: "Zhu Mingyu! Are you getting revenge on me?!"

"My hand slipped." Zhu Mingyu grabbed Yan Zhiwei's fidgeting hand.

"You should take some medicine." He lifted Chao Yanzhiwei's chin again and stuffed a few pills into her cheek.

Yan Zhiwei leaned against Zhu Mingyu, who, fearing she would catch a cold, draped a shawl over her shoulders. The pills took effect quickly, and the pain in her back wound gradually lessened.

Yan Zhiwei's eyelids slowly grew heavy. She closed her eyes and dreamed that a kitten was pressing down on her, kneading her back while licking her cheek with its tongue.

A damp, warm environment.

Like a sultry summer day after rain in her past life, she rested in her mother's arms, with a palm-leaf fan bringing a breeze.

Yan Zhiwei awoke, not knowing how long she had slept, to find the sky turning yellow, with distant mountains supporting the enormous setting sun. After a yawn, the mountains seemed to swallow a tear.

Yan Zhiwei wiped her eyes and found that a few drops of liquid had unexpectedly dried on her sleeve. She sniffed it and found it tasted salty.

Zhu Mingyu held her the whole time.

Yan Zhiwei stared at Zhu Zhumingyu, who seemed to be taking a nap as well, his eyelashes trembling slightly.

Yan Zhiwei stirred in his arms, causing Zhu Mingyu to open his eyes as well.

The two of them looked at each other and saw themselves reflected in each other's eyes.

After a long while, Yan Zhiwei raised her hand and said, "I had a very good dream."

“How good it is.” Zhu Mingyu brushed away the stray hairs from Yan Zhiwei’s forehead.

"So good...so good that I don't want to wake up." So good that she didn't want to leave, she just wanted to stay in the dream.

Zhu Mingyu nodded and said, "But I hope you wake up, and I hope you recover faster."

Zhu Mingyu decided he wouldn't try to change Yan Zhiwei anymore. There was no need to persuade her or force her.

He tried to understand and do things for Yan Zhiwei that she didn't want to do.

Zhiwei is a free swift.

He also liked seeing Yan Zhiwei like this—Yan Zhiwei who could run faster than a wild rabbit and whose eyes could be covered when she smiled.

He wanted Yan Zhiwei to always be able to pout and raise her eyebrows with high spirits, doing whatever she liked as she pleased.

He also wanted to protect Yan Zhiwei's fiery temper, her eccentricities, and her carefree nature.

Zhu Mingyu avoided the wound and gently patted Yan Zhiwei's forearm one pat at a time.

"Zhiwei, why don't you come with me?"

Once we returned to the capital, he stayed by my side.

But Zhu Mingyu knew that Yan Zhiwei was not a woman who wanted to be tied down, so he changed the subject: "What I mean is, after what happened today, we won't be able to go back to Lingnan anytime soon. It's not safe there. Why don't you go somewhere else to lay low for a while?"

Yan Zhiwei blinked.

Indeed, she had only set off in a bridal sedan chair early in the morning when she was ambushed and killed by bandits. None of the people traveling together survived, and only she, a weak woman, was able to return home.

This behavior seems suspicious no matter how you look at it. Regardless of whether Qin Yuzhi believes it or not, even if she does, it only delays her wedding day.

Going back means we won't be able to overcome the difficulties either way.

Yan Zhiwei shifted her body upwards, breaking free from Zhu Mingyu's embrace, and lowered her head to carefully consider his words.

Leaving seems to be the best option right now.

Firstly, Yan Zhiwei was injured, and although she received emergency treatment, she still needed to see a professional doctor for diagnosis and treatment.

Secondly, going to other cities and living in anonymity is a good way to wait and observe. Perhaps in a few days, news of Yan Zhiwei's danger will reach Lingnan. If there is no news for another year or two, Yan's family will probably assume that he is dead.

But then again, why is it that I, as the victim, am embroiled in this mess, while the Yan family, the culprits, are left unscathed?

Was her carefully devised revenge plan just going to end like this? Yan Zhiwei frowned in thought, a nameless fire gradually burning in her lower abdomen.

Zhu Mingyu was still waiting for Yan Zhiwei's reply. He glanced at Yan Zhiwei's thoughtful profile, and his fingers unconsciously clenched into fists.

If Yan Zhiwei is unwilling to return to the capital with him, Zhu Mingyu will be happy as long as she is safe and happy. However, if only…

Zhu Mingyu was a little disappointed, so he simply lay down on the ground and unconsciously started pulling up weeds. But even just pulling up these weeds still made him feel hot, so Zhu Mingyu casually broke off a foxtail and put it in his mouth.

The dry, thin stem had no flavor. Zhu Mingyu chewed on it listlessly, but then felt a warmth in his palm.

Yan Zhiwei covered his hand, and Zhu Mingyu naturally turned his palm upward.

One carried too many kitchen knives, and the other carried too many weapons.

Two palms, both calloused, touched, rubbed, and clasped together, neither noticing the other's roughness.

Zhu Mingyu's ears turned red again.

"Zhu Mingyu." Yan Zhiwei's voice was like a tickle, making one feel weak.

“Let’s go together,” Yan Zhiwei said. “Let’s go to Shu County and hide there for a while.”

Shu County was where Yan's residence was located. Since he was going to seek refuge, perhaps it would be safest to stay in the darkest place.

Moreover… Yan Zhiwei blinked. Regardless of how the Yan family reacted to the news of her danger, she still hoped to see it with her own eyes.

Yan Zhiwei thought that if the Wang family did not react, she could still fight for herself.

Even with just a small torch or a tiny spark, she could always find a way to speak up for herself.

She deserves it.

After all, she had long ago made a secret decision—she wanted to witness the retribution of the Yan family with her own eyes.