21 Ambush

◎Chen Zhan's intimacy with her went a bit too far◎

Qi Gu smiled bitterly, "Am I going to die?"

Chen Zhan laughed loudly, "Hahaha!" He stepped forward, raised his hand and touched Qi Gu's cheek, "Qi Gu, I told you I would be good to you, how could you die?"

A pair of hands covered in calluses gently caressed Qi Gu's face, and goosebumps instantly rose on the back of Qi Gu's hands.

She clutched her sleeve tightly, cursing Sima Hong in her heart, "Useless! Two days have passed and he still hasn't found her. Weren't you quite capable in your past life?"

Chen Zhan said he wouldn't hurt her, but his eyes revealed a twisted crimson. You never knew when he might go crazy. Who knew what a person with such unfathomable thoughts would do?

Song Shi watched as his master gazed affectionately at the peasant girl, his hand lingering on her cheek.

She knew that her master was just suffering too much. He carried too much on his shoulders. Having emerged from a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, he needed something to cling to. Otherwise, the things that had been suppressed in his heart for so long would cause him to break down.

Although this woman would bring some trouble, looking at her master, who was previously lifeless and indifferent to everything and everyone, there was finally a hint of life in his eyes.

The current master is a bit crazy, but at least he wants to keep living.

She stepped forward, interrupting the romantic atmosphere between the two, "Master, we should go."

After Qi Gu lowered her hand, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Where are we going?"

Chen Zhan, holding Qi Gu's hand, said cheerfully, "Let's go treasure hunting."

Ten kilometers away from Peng County, at the foot of a mountain, Sima Hong met Qi Le, the strategist of the King of Yan.

Qi Le's hands were tied behind her back. When she saw Sima Hong, her piercing eyes, beneath her drooping eyelids, blazed with resentment.

"Bah! The lackeys of the Chu family! Back then, when His Majesty condescended to invite the Sima family to come out of seclusion and lend His Majesty a helping hand, the Sima family cowered in a corner and refused to serve a monarch of such noble blood as His Majesty. Now, however, they are willing to be driven by lowly people like the Chu family. They have truly lowered themselves to the lowest level. The Sima family has become a clan of the lowest class. Hahaha!"

Sima Hong was not angered by Qi Le's words, but there were not many people in the world who dared to speak to him like that.

He said indifferently, "Oh, who do we have here? It turns out to be someone who doesn't even rank in the Prince of Yan's inner circle. Back when Zheng Hui devoted himself to assisting the Prince of Yan, you, Qi Le, were not given important positions. When the Prince of Yan was defeated and committed suicide, Zheng Hui also committed suicide to follow his master. Didn't you claim to be loyal? How come the Prince of Yan has turned to dust and you are still alive and well?"

"You, you, I know that loyalty to one master is essential. But your Sima family is all about currying favor with everyone. You're nothing but cowards waiting to emerge after the world is at peace. The Sima family are all spineless!"

Sima Hong disdained to say more to such a hypocrite who was all talk about loyalty to the emperor and patriotism but was actually a sanctimonious person. "Qi Le, do you know why your plan, which you have been painstakingly preparing for three years, was so easily cracked?"

"Hmph! Tang Qiao, this traitor who betrayed the King and the Great Yan, will never be let go when the Great Yan is destroyed!"

Sima Hong looked at Qi Le, who was still completely unaware of the situation. He thought, "No wonder his beloved master would abandon such a foolish and narrow-minded person."

"Qi Le, do you remember how Zhao Ji died?"

Qi Le prided himself on his integrity, believing that he would only serve one master in his life. He had devoted himself to the King of Yan and the Great Yan, and he felt he had done right by everyone. However, his eyes trembled when he heard Sima Hong's words.

"You! I don't know what you're talking about."

"You think no one really knows what you did back then? Fine, I have no interest in the past of the Great Yan. I just want to tell you that your plan wasn't told to me by Tang Qiao." After saying that, Sima Hong refused to look at Qi Le again.

He turned around and said again, "It was your young lord, the son of the King of Yan and Zhao Ji, who told me this. By the way, one of the conditions of his deal with me was that you must die."

"No, no, this can't be true, how could the young master..."

Pfft! Qi Le spat out a mouthful of blood, "Sima brat, don't even think about sowing discord between us, the ruler and his subject."

Behind him, Qi Le's curses came, but Sima Hong didn't turn his head. In his eyes, Qi Le was already a dead man.

Thanks to the information provided by Chen Zhan, the remaining forces of the Prince of Yan have been wiped out today, and Peng County will be safe and sound.

As for Chen Zhan, who had made a deal with him long ago, his abduction of Qi Gu was unexpected. Did he already know Qi Gu's identity?

He asked Ah Feng behind him, "Where are Chen Zhan and Qi Gu now?"

"Reporting to Master, according to Qi Le's group, they are currently at Baibuchuan."

"Go to Baibuchuan."

Qi Gu was being held tightly by Chen Zhan's hand. She felt that Chen Zhan's intimacy with her was going too far. She struggled with all her might, but Chen Zhan was very strong, and no matter how she tried to break free, she could not break free from his hand.

"Where are we going?" They had been walking along the river for an hour.

Chen Zhan stopped in his tracks. "We're here."

He turned around and looked at Qi Gu. Qi Gu looked at the smile that tugged at the corner of his mouth. It was beautiful, but like a gorgeous datura flower, it was full of a dangerous aura.

"Aunt Qi, get some sleep. When you wake up, we'll start a new life."

A sharp pain shot through the back of her neck. It hurt so much! Qi Gu's vision went black. "Chen Zhan, you son of a bitch! Bah! You're not my sister, and you're not my brother!"

When Qi Gu woke up again, it had turned from daytime to nighttime, and her hands were bound with rope and her mouth was stuffed with cotton cloth.

"You're awake?" Chen Zhan's gaze shifted from the path at the foot of the mountain to Qi Gu.

Qi Gu then realized that she was leaning against a large rock, and that they were on the hillside of Baibuchuan, from where the road that crossed Baibuchuan was clearly visible.

In her past life, she had passed through this place when she returned to the capital. The road was flanked by hillsides on both sides, making it an ideal spot to ambush passersby.

Therefore, due to its excellent terrain, this place is often frequented by mountain bandits.

In her past life, she met Sima Hong here. At that time, they happened to encounter bandits here, and Sima Hong descended from the sky and saved her. She thought that it was from that moment that she fell in love with Sima Hong.

I never expected that after being reborn, I would come to Baibuchuan again under such circumstances. It seems that some things are ultimately unavoidable.

No, even if some things are unavoidable, so what? She is no longer the same person she was in her previous life.

"Waaah!" Qi Gu gestured to Chen Zhan to remove the handkerchief from her mouth.

This time, Chen Zhan didn't go along with Aunt Qi as before. He squatted down and said patiently, "Aunt Qi, please bear with it for now. We can leave without any worries once things are cleared up. Now you need to be good and quiet."

Qi Gu shook her head, "Waaaaah!"

Chen Zhan hesitated for a moment, then removed the handkerchief from her mouth. "I need to use the restroom!"

Chen Zhan blushed and called over Song Shi, who had been standing in front observing the situation below, "Take Aunt Qi to the restroom."

Song Shi hesitated and looked at Qi Gu. Qi Gu tilted her head back and said, "Hurry up, I'm suffocating."

Song Shi lifted her up. Qi Gu, who prided herself on her strength as she worked in the fields all day, was easily carried around by these people. It wouldn't be easy for her to escape.

Song Shi pulled her a dozen meters away from Chen Zhan, not wanting to offend her master's ears. She pointed to a clump of trees and said, "Hurry up, don't try anything funny."

Qi Gu handed her bound hands to Song Shi, "I can't exactly do *that* with my pants on, can I?"

Song Shi frowned, but still untied her ropes. "You'd better not try anything funny, otherwise, swords and spears have no eyes and if you get hurt, you'll have no choice but to accept it."

Qi Gu was untied and silently walked towards the bushes.

Judging from Song Shi's words, they must have some kind of plan for tonight that they don't know about. Otherwise, why would they knock her unconscious beforehand and then tie her hands and gag her?

They must be targeting someone she knows. Could it be Sima Hong?

Qi Gu walked towards the bushes and pretended to squat down. If that was the case, they must have ambushed people on both sides of Baibu River.

Qi Gu observed her surroundings in the darkness; there were dark shadows in the trees!

She guessed correctly; the dark figure in the tree to her left was a person. How many people were lying in ambush here? How could she escape?

Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves came from afar, and Song Shi immediately became alert. "Lady Qi! Come out!"

No one answered from behind the bushes. Song Shi sensed something was wrong. "Qi Gu, young lady?"

Song Shi walked into the bushes, but there was no one there. Damn it, Song Shi immediately searched the surroundings, but the sound of horses' hooves behind her was getting closer and closer. She had to get back to her master's side; protecting her master was her top priority!

Song Shi returned to Chen Zhan's side. Chen Zhan saw that only she had returned. In the darkness of the night, Song Shi could not see her master's expression, but his voice was full of hostility, "Where is my Qi Gu?"

"Your subordinate deserves to die! Lady Qi has escaped!"

"Slap!" Chen Zhan slapped Song Shi across the face with his backhand.

Song Shi knelt on one knee, her face burning, but her tone was firm: "Our people are all around us. The young lady can't run far. My mission is to protect you, my master. Once everything is over, I will accept whatever punishment you give me."

"Make sure someone finds her."

"Yes." After giving instructions to the person in the tree, Song Shi stood behind Chen Zhan again.

Chen Zhan stopped talking and turned his gaze to the road below. Tonight, the moon was obscured by thick clouds and the dense forests on both sides concealed the danger. No one would discover how many were lying in ambush on the mountain.

Sima Hong, humph, do you think I would do business with someone like you? Wouldn't I be just as stupid as Qi Le!

"They're here." His gaze was fixed on the dark figures of the group on the road, the clatter of hooves growing louder and louder!

100 meters, 50 meters, 10 meters—in the mountains and forests, someone shouted, "Release the arrow!"

Arrows rained down on the seven or eight dark figures on the road below. Soon, the horses collapsed, and the riders fell straight off.

A masked man dressed in black came to report, "Young Master Chen, our master requests that you go down to examine Sima Hong's body."

"How dare you! We are partners with you. When did it become your place to order our master around?" Song Shi rebuked angrily.

"Go back and tell your master that since we're cooperating, we should share the fruits of victory!" Chen Zhan said coldly. He sighed inwardly, thinking that it would be better to cooperate with someone as trustworthy as Sima Hong than with this person.

Unfortunately, their paths diverged, and now Sima Hong has died under a hail of arrows.

[Author's Note]

Bug catching