Chapter 108: Saving People Together
"You mean Sixth Sister?" Xu Minglu shook her head like a rattle. "I'm not going. What's she capable of? Not only is she a woman who has to show up in public, but she's also so... so..."
Xu Minglu felt scared when she thought of the blood covering her face when Xu Qingying cut the bandit's throat.
Xu Lezhi has a weird personality, but the current Xu Qingying... is very scary.
"Anyway, I'm not going. Xu Qingying used to live off our second wife, and she was the only one who followed me around and fawned over me. Now she's asking me to beg her with all my might. I can't do it!"
"Son, things change. I'm afraid there's no hope for our second branch in the future." Aunt Chun patted Xu Minglu on the back to help her calm down. "The situation is stronger than people, and we have no control over it. Look at the sixth girl now. Who in our Xu family is more stylish, more capable, and more popular than her?"
"What ability does she have? She's nothing more than a drug that can fool people! A young woman, surrounded by a bunch of men all day long. Now that everyone is struggling, she's still trying to save them! She's clearly the scourge of the Xu family!"
"You..." Concubine Chun poked her forehead with her slender fingers, "How could I have given birth to such a stupid daughter like you! In the past, we had to please the mistress because we had to make a living at the hands of the Lian family. It was a helpless choice. But now we are all exiled, all exiled prisoners, no one is more noble than the other, so what's the point of pleasing the Lian family? You and I are not cheap bones, so we just like to live by others' wishes. I think it's better for you to follow the sixth girl. At least the sixth girl has the best temperament and character, and she has more prospects than following the second wife!"
"Auntie, how come you've lost your mind like Mother? It's fine if Mother likes to flatter Sixth Sister, but if we also go over to her, Father will be the first one to not let us go! Don't you see how much Father hates the Third Branch right now?"
Aunt Chun looked a little panicked. Thinking of Xu Deyuan's temper, she thought about it over and over again and couldn't make up her mind for a long time.
"Aunt, Sixth Sister actually went to save people!" Xu Minglu looked at Xu Qingying's back as she rode away on horseback, and for a moment he couldn't tell what he felt in his heart.
If there is any deep hatred between her and Xu Qingying, that is impossible. After all, they are close relatives connected by blood.
The conflicts between them were nothing more than a fight over a piece of clothing or a piece of jewelry, which were common among girls.
But since when did the gap between her and Xu Qingying become so far apart that she could hardly see Xu Qingying's back?
Xu Qingying dared to risk her life to save a few unrelated people. Such a person must be better than the moody Xu Lezhi, right?
But if she was asked to bow her head and please Xu Qingying, she really couldn't do it.
She looked at Xu Qingying's back and snorted twice, "A girl actually rode with a man. How embarrassing if people get out about it! She has ruined the reputation of our Xu family girl!"
As he said this, Xu Minglu couldn't help but feel envious.
If she had Xu Qingying's ability, why would she be willing to be inferior to others and act in a humble manner all day long?
Xu Qingying doesn't know how to ride a horse, so she can only ride with Ming Xiaoshuang.
There were five of them: she and Ming Xiaoshuang rode on one horse, Li Zhaodi and Liu Dazhuang rode on another, and the remaining two rode one each. They all carried weapons, and even Li Zhaodi clutched the dagger Xu Qingying had given her.
While on horseback, she kept reciting the fighting techniques Xu Qingying had just taught her: "Poke the eyes, kick the ribs, stab the stomach!"
Liu Dazhuang felt his scalp tingling and his lower body chilling as he listened to Li Zhaodi muttering behind him. He cursed Xu Qingying in his heart for being insidious and actually targeting men at their weakest points.
Look, even such an honest Li Zhaodi has learned it.
"Miss Li, there is a pit ahead, hold on to me tight!" Liu Dazhuang shouted, scaring Li Zhaodi so much that she quickly hugged her. The horse was shaking and dizzying, and the frail Li Zhaodi almost fell off.
Liu Dazhuang noticed that his clothes on his back were wet, and said in a panic: "Hey, hey, hey, Miss Li, don't cry. I, Old Liu, am very good at riding a horse. Don't worry, you will definitely not fall."
Li Zhaodi only felt the wind blowing across her face, drying her tears. She blew her nose, and her eyes were as red as a rabbit.
"Brother Dazhuang... I'm just scared... I'm worried about my sister... You don't know, my sister has a miserable life. She's the second daughter in the family, and neither my parents like her. My mother blames her for not being a son and not making her proud. My father also thinks the family has another money-loser. When my sister was a child, she rarely drank my mother's milk. I raised her entirely with rice porridge. She knew how to take care of her younger brother from the age of four. She started helping me with housework before she was even taller than the stove. When she was six, she remembered to save half of the sesame candy given by my second master and brought it all the way back from our hometown to me. Brother Dazhuang, she is my only relative in this world... If she died, I really don't want to live anymore..."
Liu Dazhuang was a rough man and didn't know how to comfort the woman. He just remained silent and let the woman behind him sob softly.
After crying for a while, Liu Dazhuang said, "Stop crying. I'm tired of crying."
"I'm sorry...Brother Dazhuang...I...didn't mean to do that."
"Alright, I'm here to help save your sister. Don't worry, I'll kill any bandits I see and make sure to rescue your sister. Is that all right?"
"Brother Dazhuang." Li Zhaodi's eyes sparkled, and there was a mist in them, as if reflecting the beautiful moonlight. "You are so kind. You are really a hero."
Liu Dazhuang was stunned, thinking about the first half of his life when he was busy in the army, going through wind and rain, and was mostly scolded as a soldier. This was the first time he heard someone call him a hero.
He was afraid that he could only coax a country girl who had never seen the world.
Of course Xu Qingying also heard their conversation, but at the moment she was dizzy from being ridden by the horse and was unable to think or speak.
Finally, Liu Dazhuang waved his hand and everyone slowed down and stopped.
Liu Dazhuang dismounted swiftly, parted the grass, and took a closer look. He then pointed to a pile of grass that had been pushed to one side and said, "Yes, they should be nearby. Let's tie the horses here and quietly approach them."
Zhao Bantou couldn't help but frown and concentrate. During the previous fight, he discovered that Liu Dazhuang had extraordinary skills and tough behavior, and did not seem to be from an ordinary family.
Thinking of this, Zhao Bantou couldn't help but say tentatively, "You are quite observant, you fool. Could it be that you have been a scout in the army?"
Liu Dazhuang avoided answering and just scratched his head stupidly, "Our area used to be deep in the mountains. No one knows more about the things in the mountains than me, Liu Dazhuang."
Xu Qingying also said, "Brother Dazhuang, we'll see what happens. If they return to their lair and outnumber us, we'll turn back."
She looked at Li Zhaodi as she said this.
Li Zhaodi's eyes were faintly glistening with tears. She knew that several people had taken great risks for the sake of the chapter, so she was naturally grateful. "Don't worry, young lady, I understand the reason. Later... if the situation really gets bad... you just need to leave. I absolutely cannot let this matter implicate you."
From what Li Zhaodi said, she was unwilling to give up on rescuing Yin Zhang, even if it was like a moth to a flame.
Xu Qingying exchanged glances with Zhao Bantou beside her.
The two people developed a deep understanding while selling soap, and they could understand each other's thoughts with just a glance.
Xu Qingying signaled with her eyes that if it was really difficult to rescue her later, Zhao Bantou would be responsible for knocking Li Zhaodi unconscious and taking her back.
Everyone tied up their horses and followed Dazhuang. They tiptoed through the forest and soon saw a bonfire.
Dazhuang signaled everyone to lie down.
They occupied a hillside that was high up, just enough to hide their figures. Xu Qingying carefully stretched her head out to look, and then she stopped where she was.
She saw a bonfire burning on the open space in front of her. A dozen soldiers in silver armor were sitting in a circle. The bodies of the bandits who had attacked them were lying all over the ground. They had obviously been killed by a single blow and were lying limply on the ground, their bodies torn into several pieces.
And in the pot, the water is boiling.
A strange meaty aroma hit my face.
Xu Qingying had never seen such a tragedy in her life. Her heart was shocked and her whole body was cold.
She felt her stomach churning like the sea, and she almost vomited out the food she had eaten the night before.
Ming Xiaoshuang beside him was obviously scared silly.
Before she knew it, Li Zhaodi came closer and recognized Yin Zhang, who had only his head left. She was about to scream, but Zhao Bantou was quick to cover Li Zhaodi's mouth. Li Zhaodi couldn't breathe and the breath got stuck in her throat, and she fainted!
Unfortunately, these series of actions were too big and still woke up the soldiers over there.
Oh no!
"Who's there?!" There was a rustling sound of swords being drawn, and the soldiers immediately became alert. They all stood up and slowly approached.
Xu Qingying and the others all changed their expressions.
The other side has a large number of people and each of them is a strong and elite soldier. They only have three or four fighters on their side. How can they fight against them?
"Get out here!" someone else shouted.
The night was quiet. Ming Xiaoshuang was so nervous that his forehead was covered in sweat and he felt like his heart was about to jump out of his throat.
It's over.
Everyone has this idea.
I'm afraid I'm going to die here today.
Xu Qingying acted decisively and said in a low voice, "Hide well and don't expose yourself. Help me when necessary."
"Miss Xu!"
"Big sister!"
The group lowered their voices and were unable to pull her back, but Xu Qingying had already stood up.
Everyone drew their swords and aimed at the figure that rushed out of the woods.
It would be a lie to say I'm not afraid.
Xu Qingying was trembling slightly. She felt her mind was empty and all her senses were magnified countless times. She heard the sound of the wind in the mountains, the gurgling of the river in the distance, and even her own heartbeat.
She faced the dozen or so soldiers head-on, trying to sound calm, "You...you let my sister go!"
At first the soldiers were worried about facing a great enemy, but after being on alert for a long time, they found that there was only a thin figure in the jungle.
It was a woman, very young, very thin, not very white in skin, with a pair of big eyes full of fear and tears. She was so scared that her body was shaking like a sieve, but she was holding a dagger tightly in her hand and pointing it at them.
Everyone was deflated now, as if they did not take the danger seriously at all, and some even put away their knives.
One of them even asked with a smile: "Which one is your sister..."
"That...that...on the ground..."
Someone joked: "Little girl, do you know how to use a knife? Be careful not to hurt yourself."
"It's none of your business! If you know what's good for you, return my sister to me!"
"Okay. But there are so many people here, why don't you come and take it back yourself?" Someone looked Xu Qingying up and down with ill intentions, with a lewd smile on his lips.
"You..." Xu Qingying seemed to be in disbelief, "Are you really willing to return my sister to me?"
"Why not? Your sister is dead anyway. There's no point in keeping her body. Instead of being dragged away and eaten by wild dogs, it's better to return it to you. Don't you agree?" Someone shouted, and a burst of laughter rang out.
"Do you keep your word?" Xu Qingying tentatively took half a step forward, but seeing that they were just staring at her with a smile, she hesitated to move forward.
Everyone saw the girl moving very slowly, step by step, while observing their expressions. Somehow, the girl seemed to be suddenly frightened and took another step back, "I... I... I don't want it anymore..."
After saying that, the girl turned around and ran into the jungle!
"Wang Er, Li Shen, go and bring her back to me!" The leader summoned his men. One of them lazily stepped out of the formation, knife in hand. "Why would it take two people to capture a little girl? I, Wang Er, can go alone. Brothers, continue eating and drinking. I'll be back soon."
"You kid!" The leader frowned, "Don't underestimate the enemy."
"Okay."
Wang Er took the order and stepped out, holding a knife and heading in the direction where Xu Qingying was running.
Night raids are the most exhausting. Wang Er had been trapped in the mountains for several days and only saw some meat today. If he wasn't extremely hungry, who would want to kill his own kind? Now, the moment he moved, his stomach churned and he couldn't help nausea.
Thinking about pursuing a little girl, I felt very angry.
Once he catches that damn girl, let’s see how he’ll deal with her!
Wang Er chased the shadow, but he always felt something was wrong. The girl looked thin, but her body was quite agile. She jumped up and down in the forest like a monkey, and soon she had exhausted his energy.
Just when I was about to catch up, she ran away again.
Just as the person disappeared, the head appeared again.
Before I knew it, the bonfire and the sounds behind me faded away.
Wang Er went deeper and deeper, and finally realized that something was wrong.
He thought about it over and over again, and always felt that he was alone in the mountains, with only the endless sound of the wind, as if some danger was quietly approaching.
Wang Er had no special abilities except for his natural sensitivity to danger, and this sensitivity had saved his life countless times.
Just like right now.
He suddenly sensed a fatal danger!
Dodge, dodge, the grass moved!
Wang Er rolled on the ground, and the moment he rolled, he saw a pair of eyes that suddenly appeared on the tree, and the cold light that flashed in a flash!
Oh no, it’s a trap!
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