Nine deaths and one life
The mountain roads were treacherous, and Sui Zhixu grabbed Fan Lingzhang and ran wildly, seemingly straying off course.
The surrounding jungle became increasingly complex, so Xu did not look back, but listened to the faint footsteps behind him.
Taking this opportunity, Sui Zhixu pinned Fan Lingzhang down in the bushes. She covered his mouth and, as her gaze swept over his clothes, she was somewhat relieved that he wasn't wearing his usual flashy colors, but rather an official green similar to the color she was wearing.
The rustling sounds gradually drew closer.
"Boss, they've disappeared."
"She's definitely nearby. Fan Lingzhang's mistress is ruthless; all our brothers got caught last time. Be careful of her, and also the poisonous snakes around here—they're not to be trifled with."
"yes!"
Sui Zhixu lowered his body, held his breath, and dodged their sword tips.
"Hey, it looks like there's a cliff ahead."
Sui Zhixu opened her eyes and met the eyes of the person beneath her. Her fingertips landed on his palm and tapped gently.
With a glance, Fan Lingzhang understood her intention, and he nodded slightly in agreement.
As Xu Zhixu's gaze swept over them, she noticed that two people in the group were alone. She slowly rose and silently took their lives, her silver-white sword once again stained with blood.
Fan Lingzhang, hiding in the bushes, immediately dragged their bodies away, while Sui Zhixu hid behind a tree.
Someone ahead heard a muffled groan, then suddenly turned around, only to find no one there.
He scratched his head, suppressed his doubts, and walked forward.
Fan Lingzhang took the bow and arrows from the corpse and carried them on his back.
Sui Zhixu stepped forward, took his hand, and whispered, "In a moment, put your arm around my waist, and I'll take you downstairs."
"good."
"Boss! They're here!"
Not far away, the person who had sensed something was wrong turned around and immediately saw Sui Zhixu and the other person, and shouted loudly for their companion.
Fan Lingzhang nocked an arrow and drew his bow. The long arrow pierced the air and struck his heart. He didn't even utter a second word.
He took three arrows from the quiver and fired them all at once, and three more men fell.
Enraged by the successive deaths of their comrades, the enemy shouted, "Fire!"
Sui Zhixu: "Let's go quickly!"
Fan Lingzhang nodded, and as he walked, he shot arrows, while she deflected the enemy's arrows back at him.
The two groups maintained a distance that was neither too close nor too far. The other side, enraged, cursed, "These two are incredibly treacherous! Brothers, we swear we won't rest until we've killed them today!"
As Xu Zhi caught a glimpse of the cliff out of the corner of his eye, a resolute glint flashed in his eyes, and he turned to the side and called out, "Hold on tight to my waist."
An arm reached behind her, and a warm palm touched Sui Zhixu's waist. She then leaped and jumped straight off the cliff.
"Hurry up and shoot the arrow!"
Sui Zhixu braced Fan Lingzhang's arm and dodged the arrow. Above, rows of people stood along the cliff edge. At a command, they drew their bows and released their arrows.
Dark clouds loomed over the small sky in their eyes, and as Xu Zhixu desperately tried to avoid them, he braced himself against the cliff face the instant the arrow was fired from above, and sprinted downwards.
The mountains were shrouded in mist, and as they fell, their faces were covered in a cool touch. The white mist obscured their vision, and Fan Lingzhang heard her muffled groans along the way.
The next moment, Sui Zhixu hugged his waist tightly and slowly landed inside.
"Hmm—"
With a muffled groan, Xu suddenly fell to the ground, his sword clanging against the earth with a sharp sound.
"Ah Ling!"
Fan Lingzhang quickly helped her up and leaned her against the stone wall in the cave. The arrow pierced her shoulder, and blood stained her clothes, blooming like flowers on her pale green clothes.
"Let me stop the bleeding first." Fan Lingzhang tore off some clothes to stop the bleeding and applied medicine to the wound.
The moment the medicine was applied, a burning pain spread from the wound throughout my entire body.
Seeing him try to pull out the arrow, Sui Zhixu said weakly, "And my leg..."
After being shot by the arrow, she circulated her internal energy, pushing her body to its limit. Sweat poured down her forehead as she leaned against the stone wall, struggling to breathe.
"On your legs too?"
Fan Lingzhang was so focused on the wound on her shoulder that he didn't even notice that she had also been shot in the calf with an arrow.
He applied the hemostatic medicine and tried to pull out the arrow when he heard Sui Zhixu let out a muffled groan, realizing what was happening.
He said in a deep voice, "The arrow has a barb."
Sui Zhixu reached out and shakily picked up the sword from the ground, saying weakly, "Slash it open!"
"No! You just used your sword to kill poisonous snakes and other creatures, and the sword is already stained with poisonous blood."
Fan Lingzhang refused sternly, trying to comfort her, "Ah Ling, wait a moment, I remember there should be a dagger, let me look for it..."
Her eyes were glazed over as she tried to open them, catching a glimpse of the sweat on his forehead. Despite his obvious panic, he was still trying to comfort her.
She agreed, and as his vision narrowed, he hurriedly searched his body, muttering that he shouldn't have.
After an unknown amount of time, Sui Zhixu was almost fainting when he suddenly heard his own exclamation.
“I found it, it’s in your sleeve.” With that, Fan Lingzhang pulled open the clothes around her shoulders.
"Ah Ling, I just checked again, we don't have any anesthetic on us. Please bear with it, I'll try to be gentle."
He adjusted her position, and she gradually became drowsy, vaguely obeying his commands.
"Come on, open your mouth and bite."
Fan Lingzhang stuffed a cloth into her mouth and gently cut open the skin and flesh around the wound with a dagger.
The moment the cold dagger touched her skin, a chill ran through her body, and then she clearly felt how the dagger cut into her flesh.
After revealing the arrow, Fan Lingzhang gently reassured her while quickly removing it from his hands.
The barbed arrow fell to the ground, and Sui Zhixu bit the cloth, sweat beading on his forehead.
Fan Lingzhang touched her forehead and then turned to treat the injury on her calf.
As time passed, Zhixu's consciousness gradually faded, only to be pulled back to reality each time she was in excruciating pain.
She had no idea when Fan Lingzhang removed the arrow from her calf. When she opened her eyes again, he had already bandaged her wound and gently pulled her into his arms.
"Ah Ling? Ah Ling, lean against me for a while, let me check the cave and the outside."
Su Zhixu nodded slightly. The cloth in her mouth had been removed. She leaned against the stone wall, squinting her eyes and forcing herself not to fall asleep.
The sunlight outside the cave slowly faded, and dim light only appeared at the cave's exit.
A blurry figure appeared before her eyes. Just as she was about to get up, she heard a familiar voice.
"Ah Ling, it's me."
Fan Lingzhang slowly fed her water into her mouth with a bamboo tube. Her dry lips were moistened, and her eyes gradually cleared.
He had already lit a fire in the cave, with bamboo tubes used to boil water in one spot and fish being roasted in another.
The aroma of meat wafted into Sui Zhixu's nostrils, and she twitched her nose slightly. Fan Lingzhang smiled and said, "Are you hungry? I just speared some fish. It'll be ready in a little while. Wait a moment."
As the sun gradually disappeared and the night grew cold, Fan Lingzhang took off his outer robe and draped it over Sui Zhixu.
"What's the situation outside?"
"We were lucky; the cave here is well hidden, and they didn't find us. There's a small river a short distance ahead, and that's where you catch fish. I was going to catch you a rabbit, but it got dark, so I didn't manage to."
His cheeks flushed, and he seemed quite embarrassed.
A faint smile appeared on her lips. "It's alright, the fish is fine too."
"I'll go check again tomorrow morning." Fan Lingzhang brushed the stray hairs that were sticking to her forehead and gently tucked them behind her ear.
"good."
The fish on the shelf made a crackling sound, and Fan Lingzhang, afraid she would get bored, started chatting with her.
"I'm sure I'll catch that rabbit tomorrow!"
She chuckled and sighed, "You can't possibly remember what it looks like, can you?"
"Naturally, it's a mixed-breed rabbit, all white except for a tuft of black fur on its head. It's easy to spot. And let me tell you, while my archery skills aren't as good as my martial arts instructor's, they're not bad either. I'm quite good at the Six Arts of a Gentleman."
Look at him when he gets proud, his eyes slant upwards, his arrogant appearance is just like a peacock presented as tribute from the Western Regions.
The peacock's feathers are brilliantly colored and extremely precious; she had only seen them once or twice in the palace.
Then, thinking about his usual flashy, colorful clothes, it seems even more plausible.
"Yes, I remember you played the zither for Yue Nu."
"Ah, you mean that time?" Fan Lingzhang flipped the fish rack in his hand, recalling Yue Nu.
Ever since they returned from Jingzhou, Yue Nu has become unusually clingy, constantly circling around their feet.
One afternoon, they sat in the pavilion enjoying the breeze. He played the zither for Sui Zhixu, and Yue Nu nestled on the zither stand, her tail occasionally brushing against the strings.
Fan Lingzhang carefully brushed her tail aside. Halfway through playing the piano, seeing her unrestrained posture, he immediately had a wicked idea and deliberately played the wrong note.
Yuenu stood up and her tail lashed against his hand, causing the two of them to burst into laughter.
Fan Lingzhang pretended to adjust the pitch, gradually returning to the correct tone, and only then did Yue Nu feel at ease enough to lie down.
When the song ended, Fan Lingzhang burst into laughter and scratched Yue Nu's chin and head.
Xu then said, “In ancient times, if the music was wrong, Zhou Yu would notice. Now, it has come to you: if the music is wrong, Yue Nu will notice.”
Yuenu rolled over, let out a timely meow, and tilted her head toward Sui Zhixu.
She stepped forward and stroked Yue Nu's head, smoothing her fur. Yue Nu was named so because when Fan Lingzhang first captured her and brought her home as a child, the white fur on her belly looked like a crescent moon.
Therefore, A-Ling named her Yue Nu (Moon Slave).
Fan Lingzhang would occasionally use this to tease Sui Zhixu and Yue Nu, saying that she almost changed her name from Yue Nu to Ya Nu.
Under such harsh conditions, reminiscing about the past has a unique charm.
“She’s so skilled, let her try next time, that way I won’t let her down. She has four claws, who knows, she might even surpass me.”
Fan Lingzhang handed the grilled fish to Sui Zhixu, who took it with the side that was not injured.
Hearing this, he laughed and said, "You really treat her like a child."
"That's right, I'll teach her to play the zither, and you'll teach her to write. Yue Nu will definitely be the smartest cat in all of Chang'an!"
Sui Zhixu feigned regret, "I'm afraid she won't become the smartest cat in all of Chang'an. She'll just leave me with a string of little plum blossoms when I'm writing, and then leisurely swing her little black paws on the edge of the table."
Fan Lingzhang echoed her, "Alas, it seems that Yue Nu has no talent in calligraphy."
The two looked at each other, then Xu turned his head away slightly and said in a deep voice, "I'm sorry, it was my carelessness."
Fan Lingzhang hurriedly replied, "How can you blame yourself? In the end, it's my fault for not asking you to protect me. If anyone should be blamed, it's me."
"It was my arrogance that led me to believe we could land safely."
As Xu's voice fell, Fan Lingzhang cupped her face in his hands. "You're the one who got hurt! You got hurt protecting me. Now you need to let me take good care of you. You should assign me tasks now."
Their eyes met, and Sui Zhixu clearly saw the emotions in his phoenix eyes: self-blame and endless regret.
She blinked. "Okay, aren't you going to eat? It's going to get cold."
Fan Lingzhang puffed out his cheeks, took half of the fish, and said, "Oh."
He whispered, "We should have caught more."
Late at night, Sui Zhixu took out a medicine bottle from her bosom and asked Fan Lingzhang to take out a pill from it and feed it to her.
"We're trapped here. If I get hot, how will we get out?"
As Xu swallowed the pill, Fan Lingzhang wrapped his arms around her from behind and let her lean on his shoulder.
"Get some sleep, everything will be alright after tomorrow."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com