Escape from danger [2]
"Why are you here?" Sui Zhixu asked her instead of eating first.
“I ran away secretly. My sister was right. My grandfather told me that if I wasn’t the only child in the village, he would beat me to death. He was very happy and thought that after my sister’s sacrifice, He would surely bring a new child into the village.”
Xiaohe wiped away her tears and sobbed, "I'll untie you, sister. If you know martial arts, run away and leave this place."
After untying the ropes, Sui Zhixu rubbed his numb wrists, but eventually took the dry food from Xiao He and wolfed it down.
He grabbed Xiaohe by the back of her collar and climbed out of the window.
"elder sister?"
"Don't speak." Sui Zhixu covered her mouth and whistled to summon the gyrfalcon. She knew that it would be difficult for Xiao He, a child, to avoid the villagers and He Miao who guarded her day and night.
She was now without a sword and could only summon a gyrfalcon. She didn't know where He Miao had thrown her sword.
Where is she?!
Sui Zhixu glanced back casually, tossed Xiao He onto his back, and said, "Hold on tight to my neck."
She leaped up and flew to the top of the wooden building, running continuously on the roof beams. Sure enough, He Miao's figure appeared not far away.
"Isn't this our Madam? Why aren't the sacrificial offerings staying obediently in the temple? What are they doing running out here?" He Miao laughed smugly, a sinister smile spreading across his effeminate face.
Intentionally, without asking further questions, he issued commands to the gyrfalcon soaring in the sky.
Xiaohe couldn't understand what Sui Zhixu was saying, so she could only do as she was told to hold onto her neck tightly.
The gyrfalcon, having spotted He Miao, swooped down, its feathers taut, and its sharp beak aimed at He Miao's eyes.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xu ran away, following the river. She skimmed over the roof of a wooden building, while the villagers below held crossbows but dared not fire.
The moment the village chief gave the order, arrows flew from the taut bowstrings and rained down on Sui Zhixu.
Her brows furrowed in annoyance. She held Xiaohe with one hand and forcefully flung out her shawl with the other, deflecting a barrage of arrows with a single movement.
"Damn beast!" He Miao had been entangled with the gyrfalcon, and even though his martial arts were unparalleled, the air was the gyrfalcon's domain.
The gyrfalcon flies swiftly, its sharp black beak and claws resembling iron hooks. He Miao raised his sword to block, and the two remained locked in a stalemate.
He Miao used his skill to force the gyrfalcon to retreat, then took out a handful of powder and threw it into its eyes. Hearing the gyrfalcon let out a painful howl, he curled the corners of his mouth and turned to chase after Sui Zhixu.
As for Xu Ziran, he could hear her clearly. He clenched his teeth and felt heavy-hearted.
The gyrfalcon is naturally unruly. This particular gyrfalcon was specially sent to Chang'an by the trainer of the Sui Family Immortal Clan as her coming-of-age ceremony. It is brave, strong, and incredibly intelligent, yet also unruly.
Even though it had received training at the Immortal Abode, its heart still yearned for the free sky. Sui Zhixu spent countless nights trying to build a tacit understanding with it.
The academy was too dangerous, so she spent almost every night in Luoyang with Hai Dongqing afterward.
She dodged the next volley of arrows, nocked a hidden arrow, and shot it at He Miao. She concealed the hidden arrow, so He Miao had no chance to take it.
As Xu controlled the direction of the arrow rain, they all attacked He Miao. He cleaved them with his sword and laughed, "I didn't expect that Madam's martial arts would become so bad after being reborn. Before you died, you killed too many people in the building. No wonder he wanted to kill you. If it weren't for you, his plan to seize Chang'an wouldn't have been delayed for so long."
"She did a good job in her past life," Xu added.
Beyond the village, the forest was dense. Yungang Village has relied on the entrance to the Water Curtain Cave for many years, and few traces remain in the woods. Sui Zhixu followed the river, leaping from tree to tree.
She would occasionally fire an arrow backward, and soon all six of her hidden arrows were used up.
"Sister, leave me behind, that way you can run faster." Xiaohe saw that Sui Zhixu's speed was slowing down and he was running out of energy.
"You've only got a few ounces of meat, stop talking nonsense." He knew that the man was probably hungry; a piece of dry food could only fill him up a little.
The stars in the night sky were faint, and the faint halo of the crescent moon could not illuminate Sui Zhixu's path. She was so hungry that her eyes were blurry, and she was afraid that she would fall into a hole, so she had to slow down.
During this time, He Miao caught up with Sui Zhixu and stabbed her in the abdomen. Sui Zhixu caught the tree trunk with her arm and spun around, barely dodging the next blow.
Fortunately, the injured gyrfalcon followed He Miao's scent and chased after her, giving her time to escape.
As the waterfall came into view, she held Xiaohe in her arms, told her to close her eyes, and jumped into the waterfall.
The water flowed over her wound, and as she fell, her back slammed hard against the rocks in the curtain of water, tearing her clothes in the back. The roar of the rushing river drowned out all other subtle sounds.
"Look at the waterfall! It's Sui Zhixu!"
As Xu heard this clearly, she was about to hug Xiao He and jump into the Water Curtain Cave when, halfway there, a pair of broad arms caught her.
"Young Master, please forgive me for being late."
With a high-pitched voice, sharp eyebrows, and a handsome face no less striking than his father's, time has been exceptionally kind to him, leaving only a touch of mature charm at the corners of his eyes.
Chu Feixuan, the leader of the Military Strategist's Office. A loyal retainer of her mother, one of the first people taken in by the Immortal Strategist's Office, a third-rank senior general, his arrival was beyond her expectations.
"I think I've made a huge mistake." The mermaid pearl is gone, the sword is gone, and she's even brought the general here.
"No matter how big the disaster, I'll cover for you. What are you afraid of? Go and heal your wounds first, and leave the rest to me."
"Thank you for your trouble, Uncle Chu."
A clear and pure voice came from his arms. He had seen those familiar peach blossom eyes countless times on Cong Lan's face. The young lady in his eyes now had a coldness, arrogance, and a detachment from the world.
Her temperament is more like Sui He's.
"Hahaha, Uncle will go and take down the mountain for you." Chu Feixuan was as excited as if he had been injected with chicken blood. After carefully putting Sui Zhixu down on the ground, he hurriedly picked up Sui Chuke and the others and left.
The people from both villages raised torches to illuminate the river, and in the firelight she saw He Miao's distant figure, leaving in the same hurry as last time.
They ran fast; it seems the mermaid pearl won't be found today.
She whistled, and the gyrfalcon that was spreading its wings to fly towards He Miao heard the whistle, flew up and circled in the air, and after a long time, landed steadily on her arm.
"My lady!" The man ran up and knelt beside Sui Zhixu.
"Dan Hong? What brings you here? Perfect timing, you can take a look at Hai Dong Qing, it's injured its eyes."
"Lang Ning received the news, and fearing for my wife's safety, I came with the Mo family." Dan Hong rummaged through her medicine box, looking for wound medicine. "Wife, please bandage yourself first. Hai Dongqing can be taken care of by Liu Lüguan."
"good."
Xiaohe ran to Cheng Zhijie's side early in the morning. He was bent over coughing. His time in the water prison had taken a toll on him. Sui Chuke had told him not to come, but he insisted on coming to see Sui Zhixu in person.
"Junior Sister." Cheng Zhijie bowed respectfully, "I haven't had a chance to thank you yet. I have no way to repay your life-saving grace. In my next life, I will surely carry grass and tie a ring to express my gratitude."
Sui Zhixu nodded casually, and saw Sui Chuke and Cheng Zhijie, but the little hibiscus flower still did not come to find her.
Seeing that Xiaohe was looking around absentmindedly, Cheng Zhijie patted her head and led her to stay to one side.
Dan Hong applied medicine to Sui Zhixu's wounds, muttering to herself, "Why did you leave yourself behind, my lady? It shouldn't be you who should be left to cover the retreat. How can you, with your noble status, compare to them?"
Liu Lü lowered her head, clearly agreeing with Dan Hong's words.
Sui Zhixu shook her head, "There's no need to talk about this anymore, it's in the past. What about Zirong?"
She searched for him for a long time but couldn't find him, and she got angry again.
"Look, he's behind you." Dan Hong pointed to Fan Lingzhang, who was hiding in the woods and silently watching Sui Zhixu from behind.
"Should I call Young Master Fan over?"
Sui Zhixu turned his head, and under the dim starlight, Xiao Furong's face drooped. Upon closer inspection, it seemed that her eyes were still red, and her lowered eyes made it impossible to see the emotions in her eyes.
She could probably guess a little.
Both villages have more people and resources than Yungang Village, and with Chu Feixuan and Chu Ke by her side, she has nothing to worry about.
Since I have nothing else to do, I might as well visit Little Hibiscus.
Upon learning that Xu agreed to Danhong's suggestion, Danhong's expression darkened. She walked over to Fan Lingzhang and said in a harsh tone, "Hey, our lady wants you to come over. Be careful, she just applied medicine to her."
Danhong pulled Liulv away, and Haidongqing flapped its wings and flew away as well.
Fan Lingzhang walked to Sui Zhixu's side. After leaving the village, he had tidied himself up very well, and his pear-colored Hu-style clothes were neat and elegant.
Su Zhixu's eyes flashed with surprise. He had always liked bright colors, but today he was much more subdued.
Her gentle fingertips touched the corner of his reddened eye, making the phoenix tail appear even more alluring. Sui Zhixu murmured to himself, "Little Hibiscus..."
"They say there's a very powerful Taoist priest, is it He Miao?"
Sui Zhixu tilted her head, "You know?"
"I've heard a little about him. He's a master who serves Sima Xian. He's said to be very powerful, but I've never met him. Where did your mermaid pearl go? Does your ear hurt a lot? It's bleeding a lot."
He changed the subject quickly, and Sui Zhixu didn't react in time, shaking her head blankly, "It's alright. The mermaid pearl is very light, and my earlobe wasn't torn off when I was fighting with Miao."
"What do you mean 'okay'? You always pretend to be strong, you shoulder everything by yourself, and afterwards you call me Little Hibiscus. Are you just trying to coax me this time?" Fan Lingzhang sat opposite Sui Zhixu, accusing her with tears in his eyes.
"Why are you crying again?" Sui Zhixu reached out and wiped away his tears. She swore he was the biggest crybaby she had ever seen.
"I didn't want to cry." Fan Lingzhang avoided Sui Zhixu's hand, wiped the tears from his eyes, and felt a stuffy nose.
"I'm not that prone to crying, I just couldn't hold it in."
"Good." Sui Zhixu looked at him calmly and praised him, "You did a great job and received the people very safely. The fact that the people from both departments were able to arrive so quickly is also thanks to you."
Fan Lingzhang hugged her and gently pulled her into his arms, not letting her see his uncontrollable tears.
"Let me carry you down the mountain. You're injured and should rest. They'll be up all night, and you can't stay here in the wind."
After saying that, Fan Lingzhang picked her up and Sui Zhixu leaned on his shoulder. She thought that this was probably the first time she had called him Little Hibiscus.
She sighed softly. With the actress who resembled her in the play, it was no surprise that she said Xiao Furong looked just like A Ling.
Danhong and Liulu quickly followed, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far behind the two, and occasionally they could hear them chatting.
"I've been to Hedong before, and there's a lot of delicious food there, but you can't eat most of it."
"Then shut up."
"My dear wife, I was wrong. The mutton stew and Yellow River carp from Jie County are still quite good. The clothes are also very distinctive locally. In some places, they even use a tie-dye technique to print flowers and plants on the skirts. I think you'd be interested. The greens here are more vibrant. I'll take you to see them in a couple of days when your injury has healed a bit."
"Um."
Fan Lingzhang did most of the talking along the way, while Sui Zhixu listened silently, occasionally replying to him. A crescent moon hung high in the sky, its hazy light falling into the two of them as they chattered on.
Fan Lingzhang carried the person back to the inn, to the first-class room he had booked. The bed was comfortable and soft, and as soon as Xu lay down on it, drowsiness overcame him.
"I'm sleepy." Clearly, this was a way of telling someone to leave.
Fan Lingzhang smiled, the redness at the corners of his eyes still lingering. He leaned close to her face and gently pecked her between the eyebrows.
Peach blossom eyes reflected in Fan Lingzhang's magnified eyebrows and eyes, the tactile sensation between his eyebrows amplified, soft and warm, touching and then leaving.
Sui Zhixu pushed Fan Lingzhang away, turned her body halfway, and buried her cold face in the pillow. "No kissing, get out of here."
"No, my wife, please let me stay and take care of you." Fan Lingzhang rubbed his face against her, like a little cat rubbing against her.
"If you don't get out, I'll kick you out." Sui Zhixu stopped him from rubbing his face, grabbed his cheeks with both hands, and replied coldly.
“But I have nowhere to live. My wife is staying in my room.” Fan Lingzhang held her hand, his eyes full of smiles.
Sui Zhixu found her reflection in his smiling eyes, and she pushed his face away directly, "Then you have to figure it out yourself, they may not be able to come back tonight."
"Can I sleep on the floor? Please don't kick me out."
Fan Lingzhang kept pestering her, his words implying that she should stay. Although Xu was getting a headache from his nagging, she finally agreed.
Dan Hong was furious, but to no avail; her wife rarely changed her mind once she made a decision.
As Xu slept soundly through the night, the villagers of Yungang Village were bound and thrown in front of the wordless stele by Chu Feixuan and his men while they were asleep.
They turned Yungang Village upside down right in front of them, and the village chief's curses echoed in his ears. Chu Feixuan picked at his ears, unconcerned.
"Master, I've found a sword."
Sui Chuke broke the blank stele in front of them, glanced at it, and casually said, "Sui Zhixu."
The wordless stele collapsed to the ground under their combined force. Emperor Taicheng had a special mausoleum for burial, and they should not have offered blood sacrifices to his wordless stele.
"Master! We've found the silver! Chests of it are all under the Buddha statue in the temple!"
Chu Feixuan smiled, seemingly mocking the villagers of Yungang Village, and waved his hand, "Take them all away!"
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