Chapter 50 Humiliated by Mountain Bandits

She instinctively curled up to protect her vitals, but the branches and thorns in the bushes still tore through her clothes and pierced her flesh.

A subtle, sharp pain surged forth like a tide.

Jiang Zhi gritted her teeth and didn't make a sound. Her weight was cushioned for a moment by the bushes, and she rolled down the slope until she hit a tree and stopped.

Her internal organs felt like they were turning inside out, and another sharp pain shot through her left arm, finally causing her to groan out loud.

Fortunately, she had already strayed some distance from the group, and with the clatter of horses' hooves, she went unnoticed.

But Jiang Zhi still didn't dare to stop. Without having time to check her injuries, she ran in the opposite direction as fast as she could, her steps uneven.

However, the surrounding area was a dense forest, and Jiang Zhi was already dizzy from the fall, so she couldn't immediately discern her exact location.

Suddenly, she lost her footing and fell into a pit that was two people deep!

Jiang Zhi was utterly desperate.

She tried to climb up, but twisted her ankle when she fell, and with her body covered in injuries, she had no extra strength.

what to do?

Having finally escaped from the bandits, are we really going to be trapped and die in a place like this?

Jiang Zhi was extremely anxious, but she really couldn't think of a way to escape.

Just as she was feeling restless, a faint sound of footsteps suddenly came from the hole above her head.

Jiang Zhi's heart tightened suddenly.

Did those bandits find her after discovering she had escaped and followed her trail?

She felt a chill run down her spine. She looked up and, against the light, could only see a blurry, tall figure peering into the cave entrance. Soon, he lightly touched the ground with his toes, grabbed a vine, and leaped into the cave.

Once he landed in front of her, Jiang Zhi finally saw his face clearly and froze on the spot.

"Lord Lu? What are you doing here?"

Lu Yuan was still wearing his flying fish robe, but his expression was not good. His brows were furrowed as if carved by a knife, and his lips were stretched into a cold, hard line, making him look intimidating.

When he saw Jiang Zhi at the bottom of the cave, his brows relaxed slightly. He looked her up and down and asked, "How did you get yourself into this state?"

The girl in front of me had messy hair, her moon-white dress was torn to shreds by tree branches, revealing large patches of bruises and cuts. Blood was still flowing from her forehead, and strands of her hair clung to her pale cheeks. She looked utterly wretched.

Jiang Zhi was like a drowning person seeing a lifeline. Forgetting all about her manners, she grabbed his sleeve, her face filled with the joy and fear of surviving a disaster. "I barely escaped from the bandits. I thought I was going to be trapped in this cave and die today. I never expected to meet Lord Lu."

Lu Yuan was clearly uncomfortable with such close contact with someone, and his brows furrowed even more. But seeing her still shaken appearance, he didn't want to argue with her and could only let her pull him along.

“I was ordered to go to Puzhao Temple to investigate some matters. On my way down the mountain, I encountered the Jiang family's carriage and your personal maid. After I woke her up, she told me that you had been kidnapped by bandits and begged me to come and rescue you. So I followed the trail and found this place.”

"Is my maid alright?" Jiang Zhi asked him.

Qingxing was kicked quite hard; it's unknown whether she will suffer any internal injuries.

"It's nothing serious. I've already sent her down the mountain to inform them."

Lu Yuan's voice unconsciously softened, "Are you injured anywhere?"

God knows the shock and fleeting panic he felt when he learned that Jiang Zhi had been kidnapped by bandits.

He forced himself to calm down and, relying on his years of experience in solving cases, chased after the bandits in the direction they had fled. There, in the dense forest, he discovered the body of one of the bandits, along with fragments of a woman's clothing in the bushes.

His heart sank, fearing that Jiang Zhi had really met with some misfortune, and he almost broke the hilt of the knife in his hand.

His tense nerves only relaxed when he finally saw Jiang Zhi at the cave entrance.

But then Jiang Zhi said, "These are just minor injuries, nothing serious. Lord Lu, could you please take me out first?"

Lu Yuan nodded.

This place is indeed not suitable for staying any longer. Mountain bandits could come at any time. Although I can fight against many of them by myself, it is still inconvenient to bring Jiang Zhi with me.

"Excuse me." Lu Yuan wrapped his long arm around her waist and, using the vines, quickly carried her out of the cave.

When she finally regained her footing, Jiang Zhi couldn't help but let out a cry of pain.

Lu Yuan stopped abruptly as he was about to release her from her waist, and pulled her closer to him.

"You hurt your foot?"

"Yeah, I twisted my ankle when I fell into the cave." Jiang Zhi hissed, afraid that he would find it troublesome and just leave her in the wilderness, so she quickly added, "But I can bear it."

After all, she had experienced all kinds of suffering back in the Earl of Loyalty's mansion.

The injury is nothing to worry about now.

Lu Yuan then examined her body more closely.

When he saw a section of her calf peeking out from under her torn skirt, his eyes flickered, and he immediately looked away. "It will be inconvenient for you to go back to the manor like this. I'll take you to Puzhao Temple first to treat your injuries before we go back."

Jiang Zhi naturally couldn't ask for it more.

If Wang Yuru were to see her in this state, she would surely try to smear her for being insulted by the bandits. In that case, public opinion would be overwhelming, and she would have no way to prove her innocence.

Seeing that Jiang Zhi was unable to walk, Lu Yuan put two fingers to his lips and whistled. Wu Li, who was not far away, ran over happily and snorted beside Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan gently lifted Jiang Zhi onto the horse's back, and then he himself climbed up as well.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the two men and their horse arrived at the gate of Puzhao Temple.

Lu Yuan told Jiang Zhi to stay outside while he went in to find someone.

The guest master was startled to see Lu Yuan, whom he had just met, return. "Lord Lu, is there anything else you wish to ask? This humble monk will go and fetch the abbot immediately."

Puzhao Temple has suffered many misfortunes during this period.

The appearance of an assassin caused widespread panic throughout the temple, and monks involved were frequently thrown into the imperial prison for interrogation. Later, in order to find the person behind the assassin, Puzhao Temple was never at peace.

Seeing Lu Yuan was like seeing the King of Hell; everyone's hearts were in their throats.

Lu Yuan stopped him, saying, "No need. Just fetch me a cloak, prepare a room, a change of clothes, and medicine for sprains and bruises."

Although the clerk didn't know what Lu Yuan intended to do with it, it was better than being interrogated and arrested again, so he dared not delay and immediately went to carry it out.

Lu Yuan covered Jiang Zhi with his cloak, lifted her horizontally off the horse, and led her to the private room with the hostess.

As luck would have it, this room was the very room where he first met Jiang Zhi during his search.

Lu Yuan touched his nose somewhat awkwardly.

Jiang Zhi was puzzled. "What's wrong, Lord Lu?"

"This temple is full of monks. Do you want me to apply the medicine for you, or would you like to find a junior monk to come over?"

Jiang Zhi thought for a moment, "If Lord Lu doesn't mind, then I'll have to trouble you."