In the dead of night, under a dark and windy sky, the moon was largely obscured by clouds, leaving only a sliver of its faint light to illuminate the village. Using this dim light, Su Xiaoning and the beggar searched the area near the village's water source and actually found some clues and useful evidence.
"Great, we can go back now!"
Su Xiaoning carefully tucked the evidence she had found into her bosom and gave the beggar a bright smile. The beggar was also in a good mood and, unusually, smiled back. He nodded, and the two walked out of the village.
But no one noticed that not far from them, several pairs of eyes were watching with menacing glints in their eyes.
Su Qinghe, being shrewd and calculating, had long anticipated that Su Xiaoning would return to the village to investigate, so he had arranged for people to wait there. His orders to these men were that if they saw Su Xiaoning, they should kill her without mercy.
Those secretly observing remembered Su Qinghe's orders. After whispering among themselves, they all moved out, silently approaching the unsuspecting Su Xiaoning with their weapons in hand.
Su Xiaoning was overjoyed to have obtained the evidence and didn't notice the commotion behind her at all. It was the beggar who was always alert and sensed the uneasy atmosphere, subconsciously pulling Su Xiaoning aside.
"Get out of the way!"
As soon as she finished speaking, a series of whooshing sounds rang out as several arrows grazed the top of Su Xiaoning's head and then struck the trees in front of her with a clang.
A few strands of hair were cut off, and the fallen hairs floated leisurely in the air.
Su Xiaoning's heart sank, her pupils contracted, and her breathing became rapid. Turning her head, she saw a group of men in black suddenly leap out from all directions, brandishing their weapons and charging straight at her!
"What are you waiting for? Run!"
The beggar shouted and pulled up Su Xiaoning, who was standing there dumbfounded, and they ran off.
Although he possessed extraordinary skills, the enemy outnumbered him and Su Xiaoning was powerless to fight. If he was not careful, he might die here!
Su Xiaoning understood the seriousness of the situation and took off running, not daring to look back at the group of men in black shouting and threatening to kill her.
The two fled in all directions, but their escape routes were blocked by the men in black. There were too many men in black, and the beggar eventually fought them. Fighting and retreating, the two were eventually surrounded at the village entrance.
The men in black surrounded them, three layers deep; it seemed there was no way they could escape.
The beggar was panting heavily, his eyes bloodshot. He still wanted to fight, but he had no strength left and swayed as if he was about to fall.
Su Xiaoning helped the beggar up, and the two leaned against each other, exchanging a glance before both showing bitter smiles.
"I never thought I'd be defeated here today..."
The beggar sighed softly, his expression inexplicably calming down.
Su Xiaoning opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything. She looked at the man in black approaching her step by step, and closed her eyes in despair.
The man in black raised his longsword high, his true face, hidden behind a mask, contorted into a smile.
Just as he raised his knife to stab, at the critical moment, a loud shout suddenly rang out.
"stop!"
That voice... it's so familiar!
Su Xiaoning suddenly opened her eyes and looked out of the village in shock. She saw a figure in white robes flash by, and a black-clad man with a sword thrust at them fell to the ground with blood splattering everywhere, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Su Qingcai, wielding a long sword, walked over step by step, stepping over the corpses of the men in black.
His white robes fluttered in the wind, unstained by a single drop of blood, yet the longsword in his hand was stained crimson. He fought his way from the outer circle of men in black to the inner circle, his sinister eyes making him seem like a demon, but to Su Xiaoning, he brought an inexplicable sense of security.
He's here!
After their argument, she thought he would never care about her again, but he still found her!
Su Xiaoning's eyes reddened. Supporting the beggar, she couldn't rush into Su Qingcai's arms right now, but the two looked at each other from afar, all their longing expressed in their eyes.
Whatever had happened between them before, at this moment, all past grievances were forgotten.
Su Qingcai didn't say anything. He gave Su Xiaoning a reassuring look, raised his hand and made a gesture. The voices of Ding Yi and Bing Er came from not far away. The three of them weaved through the encirclement of men in black, and in no time they had killed all of them.
Seeing the situation was dire, the men in black were terrified and dared not remain. Some died, others fled, and soon there wasn't a single man in black left alive at the village entrance.
The moon peeked out from behind the clouds, its pale light shining on the messy village entrance and illuminating Su Qingcai's burning gaze.
Ding Yi and Bing Er helped the beggar across, and without saying a word, Su Xiaoning threw herself into Su Qingcai's arms.
Su Qingcai cupped Su Xiaoning's small face in his hands and felt a pang of heartache upon seeing the filth covering it. He sternly tried to reprimand her for acting without informing him in the future, but Su Xiaoning gave him a bright smile and pulled an oil paper package from her bosom.
"Look, I found the evidence! The water source in this village has been tampered with. This is the leftover medicine packet I found in the grass. Didn't I do a great job!"
Su Xiaoning's eyes sparkled, and her face was full of anticipation, as if she really hoped that Su Qingcai would praise her.
Su Qingcai looked at her quietly, the words of accusation suddenly stuck in his throat, and he couldn't say anything.
"You did a great job."
Su Qingcai, his voice hoarse, hugged Su Xiaoning tightly.
"But I hope there won't be a next time. You made a bet with Qin Yunyun, so you should know that Su Qinghe will definitely side with her. He's always been ruthless; getting rid of you would be a piece of cake for him. I hope you'll tell me before you do anything so I can protect you. Have you ever thought about what would happen to you if I hadn't arrived in time today?"
"I really, really don't want to lose you."
Su Qingcai buried his head deeply in Su Xiaoning's neck, expressing his worries and guilt, completely ignoring everyone else present. In his eyes, there was only room for Su Xiaoning.
Feeling the beggar's mocking gaze, Su Xiaoning blushed and closed her eyes shyly. But she still hugged Su Qingcai tightly and nodded vigorously.
"I'm sorry, I understand what you've said. Let's go back now."
"No need to go back now, I want to take you to see something."
"But……"
Su Xiaoning glanced at the heavily injured beggar with a troubled expression, but the beggar waved his hand sensibly: "Don't worry about me, I'll go back with them. You can do whatever you want."
After saying that, the beggar gave Ding Yi and Bing Er a wink, and the two understood. They then grabbed the beggar and left the village entrance.
In the quiet little village, only Su Xiaoning and Su Qingcai remained. For some reason, Su Xiaoning felt her face getting hotter and hotter.
Su Qingcai smiled indulgently, affectionately pinched Su Xiaoning's nose, and without saying where he was going, simply took her hand and led her in a certain direction.
The gentle moonlight illuminates the path ahead.
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