Chapter 35 Chapter 35 On a dark and windy night, when the sword flashes and reflects blood...
More than ten days of heavy rain filled the air with a lingering smell of dampness and mold.
The sad news of collapsed houses kept coming from the specially set up refugee market. Homeless refugees wandered around, and the bodies that had no one to collect were abandoned in the wild.
Yuan Wangshu looked at the documents in his hand and felt quite a headache. Fortunately, the people below had already suppressed them silently.
She pressed her fingers between her eyebrows and sighed inwardly, wishing there wasn't this damn rain.
It was only three quarters past midnight, and the rain had finally stopped, leaving only a light drizzle. The sky wasn't dark yet, but instead had an ominous blue-gray hue. For some reason, I felt like tonight might be a bit turbulent.
A famous attendant stood behind the screen and said, "Madam, there's a letter from the Third Young Master."
Yuan Wangshu immediately looked up. "Give it here." He unfolded it, took a look, and stood up to put on his cloak. "Because of the rain, the letter arrived extra late. Fuxue sent the letter ten days ago, and it's been delayed until now because of this awful weather."
She strode out quickly, "Tonight is the day. Come, follow me to the outskirts of the city to pick someone up. Come on! Get the carriage ready."
Two dim lanterns swayed in the rain, illuminating the raindrops on either side of the carriage into thin golden lines. To illuminate the forest path, a glazed lantern hung on each side of the carriage, its dim glow barely illuminating the path ahead for the coachwoman.
Days of torrential rain had forced the carriages and horses to remain stranded at the post station for several days. We had hoped to continue our journey today before the rain stopped, but the official road was blocked by a landslide. Fortunately, the elderly woman driving the carriage knew the terrain well. Her aged hands firmly grasped the reins as we turned onto this secluded forest path.
There was another person sitting on one side of the car with his knees bent. He had a knife on his waist, was dressed like a guard, and had a straw hat on his head.
The interior of the car was flat and spacious, covered with brocade mats, and a candle was placed on the small table. A young man was looking down at the words on the page of a book, with fan-shaped shadows cast on his lower eyelids.
Suddenly, a voice called "Young Master" was heard from outside the car, and the car door opened. A white hand with distinct finger bones clasped the car door, and a cold voice said, "What's the matter?"
Under the shimmering moonlight, a face reminiscent of a Gushe god was revealed. A pair of clear, piercing eyes seemed to be immersed in a cold pond, their gaze carrying a distant chill. Her long, cascading black hair was held back only by a plain white headband.
The old woman lowered her head and pointed at the dark shadow ahead. "I'm afraid the rain is too heavy and some trees have fallen. We need to take a detour and may be two quarters of an hour late in getting into the city."
Yuan Fuxue glanced at him, said nothing happened, and closed the car door again.
The guard glanced ahead, then sat up straight, the sword at her waist already unsheathed. Her eyes, like a hawk's, locked onto the darkness ahead.
The old woman, completely oblivious, was shaking the reins to try and steer clear of the fallen tree. Suddenly, there were several crisp "cracks" in the forest, and seven or eight fierce women, each armed with a ring-handled sword, burst out from the bushes. The leader had a scar on her forehead that shone purple in the moonlight, and she chopped the horse's head with the sword!
"save--"
The old woman's screams abruptly stopped. A cracked hand suddenly reached out from the darkness, grabbed her ankle, and yanked her hard. The old woman fell heavily into the mud. The last thing she saw was the guard's cold back as he slashed the reins with a knife.
"drive!"
The carriage suddenly accelerated, and screams echoed from behind. As the carriage jolted violently, Yuan Fuxue held onto the table, a look of confusion in his eyes.
"What's wrong?" Yuan Fuxue was about to open the car door, but saw that the guards outside the door were holding him down.
"Sir, don't come out!" The guard's voice mixed with the whistling of the wind, "I'm afraid there's an ambush here."
When Yuan Fuxue went out to collect herbs, she had guards to protect her, and she had never encountered any crisis. But this was the first time, and a trace of panic rose in her heart.
He pressed his whole body against the wall of the car, trying to keep his body steady.
After the carriage sped through several sharp turns, a circle of flickering flames appeared in front of it.
Dozens of torches lit up the forest as bright as day, and the faces of the group of people looked particularly hideous in the interweaving of light and shadow.
The leading woman had a centipede-like scar on her chin. Her voice was hoarse, "Is this Yuan's carriage? Tell everyone inside to get out."
Yuan Fuxue's heart skipped a beat when she heard the name Yuan. These people were definitely not ordinary robbers. Most of them came from poor and remote areas and were desperate criminals. I'm afraid they were not just looking for money.
He lowered his head and tapped a few times on the wall of the car. From the far corner, he pulled out an enamel box and opened it. Inside was a red pill. This pill would kill instantly.
He is a man, and if he falls into the hands of this group of people, the consequences will be unimaginable. It would be better for him to end his life himself.
Yuan Fuxue held the pill tightly in his palm, and his wrist trembled slightly under his sleeve.
From outside the car came the dull thud of a blade piercing flesh and the dull sound of a body hitting the car wall, mixed with shrill wails. All kinds of sounds poured into his ears like a tide, as if a hand was tightly grasping his heart.
With a loud crash.
The car door was violently opened.
Instantly, a bloody corpse fell towards him. The guard's eyes were wide open, still gleaming with the final fierceness of the moment, and a bloody hole was clearly visible in his throat.
The scarred figure stood against the light, his boots crushing the body of the guard, and his bloody hand reached straight into the car like a ghost claw.
At that moment, the sound of hurried horse hooves suddenly echoed through the forest. Another carriage galloped up, its curtains whipped up. Seeing this, Yuan Wangshu's face, twisted with rage, became ferocious. "Stop! Stop! You bunch of lowlifes, what are you trying to do to my third brother?"
Several eagle-feather arrows flew through the air, striking the scarred man in the back. Without even a scream, she fell backward. The fierce woman closest to them, still determined, stabbed into the car with a torch.
Yuan Fuxue grabbed the candlestick and threw it with all his strength. Sparks flew everywhere, and a thick rope wrapped around his wrist, pulling him out of the car.
“Bang!”
A horsewhip lashed out from the air, tearing a bloody wound on the fierce woman's back. Then an arrow pierced her throat. The man swung the whip again, and it wrapped around Yuan Fuxue's waist, gently pulling him firmly onto the horse's back.
Yuan Fuxue, still in shock, instinctively wrapped her arms around the waist of the person in front of her. The person turned his head and glanced back, his face as pretty as a lotus in the moonlight. He opened his red lips and said, "These are thugs." A cold glint shone in his eyes. "Kill them all, leave no one alive."
The torches around suddenly shook violently, and more than ten riders rushed out of the woods. The people on the horses were all wearing black armor, and their swords flashed like snow. In an instant, they surrounded the remaining mobs.
The knife flashed, and in just a few breaths, all the villains were killed.
A thrilling crisis was easily resolved at this moment.
Coming back to his senses, Yuan Fuxue realized that he was holding the man's waist, and he didn't know whether to let go or not. While he was hesitating, a carriage had already arrived in front of him.
"Third brother!" Yuan Wangshu almost fell out of the carriage. She looked at Yuan Fuxue in panic. When she saw the person driving the horse, her pupils suddenly shrank, and her expression was full of disbelief: "Xie Tingyu? Why are you here?"
Xie Tingyu gently stroked the mane of the horse Ta Yue Zhui beneath his hips and slowly stepped forward, "I was returning to the city from the martial arts training ground on the outskirts of the city when I saw the fire from afar. I felt something was wrong, so I came here."
She suddenly turned her head and met Yuan Fuxue's slightly panicked eyes.
Yuan Fuxue's breath hitched. She was so close. This was the first time he had ever seen a woman from outside his family up close.
"Is there anything wrong, sir?"
"Nothing."
Xie Tingyu dismounted and reached out to Yuan Fuxue.
This was a very common courtesy for noble ladies to treat their husbands, but Yuan Wangshu stared at the folded hands and felt it was very dazzling.
She looked at the two people in front of her without saying a word.
Yuan Fuxue used the force to dismount from his horse and saluted Xie Tingyu. "Thank you," his voice was as cold as frost. After the ceremony, he retreated directly behind Yuan Wangshu.
Yuan Wangshu felt indignant when he looked at Xie Tingyu's face, and his chest heaved violently.
She still remembered the shame of being defeated in public by Xie Tingyu on the day of the Cuju game, but now her third brother really benefited from the other person's life-saving grace. If it weren't for Xie Tingyu, she simply couldn't imagine what would happen next.
Such complicated emotions made Yuan Wangshu choke on his words of thanks.
"Thank you..." Yuan Wangshu finally bowed stiffly, "Thank you for today..."
Before he could finish his words, Xie Tingyu saw something in the direction of the city. His expression changed drastically. He jumped on his horse, whipped it, and shouted, "Everyone, listen up! Return to the city at full speed!"
At that moment, Jiankang City was ablaze, and screams echoed from the bustling Zhuque Bridge. On the Qinhuai River, over a hundred thugs swarmed out of pleasure boats and small boats, their swords flashing bloody, as they hacked at anyone they saw.
The riverbank, once a scene of joyful singing and dancing, suddenly became a battlefield on earth.
Mobs continued to pour in from the city gates, their goods being overturned and trampled upon by street vendors, and even the straw huts used by night watchmen to shelter from the rain were set on fire, with tongues of flame licking the night sky.
Yuan Wangshu stared blankly at the bloody flames, feeling as if a huge rock was pressing on his chest and he couldn't breathe.
That ominous premonition finally came true. She suddenly grabbed Yuan Fuxue's wrist and gave an order: "All of you, escort the Third Young Master to Qingliang Villa at all costs. If you dare to drop even a hair, you will be beheaded!"
"As you command."
"Second sister, what's going on?" Yuan Fuxue also looked towards Jiankang City with a look of surprise.
Yuan Wangshu did not answer, but issued another order, "Pass the order! Dispatch 200 soldiers from Zhuangzi and follow me to rescue Jiankang!" After that, she stuffed Yuan Fuxue into the carriage and slammed the door shut.
At the same time, inside Xie's mansion.
Lord Xie woke up from his dream and heard the sound of swords and spears outside. He hurriedly put on a plain robe and rushed out of the bedroom.
The lights outside were bright, and the palace soldiers in the courtyard had already formed up, standing solemnly in their iron armor reflecting the firelight.
Cen Xiu stood at the front of the steps and shouted sternly, "Young Master has predicted that something unexpected might happen tonight." He suddenly drew the knife from his waist, the blade drawing a silver arc in the moonlight, "You swear to defend Xie Garden to the death. If the Master makes even the slightest mistake—" The blade suddenly plunged into the cracks between the bluestone bricks, "It will be like this brick!"
Amidst the heavy flames, everyone was excited and responded loudly: "We swear to defend Xie Garden and protect our master to the death!"
Suddenly, a silver dragon appeared in the night sky. With a loud bang, in an instant, lightning illuminated the entire city like daylight, and also illuminated the river of blood flowing in the alleys.
On a dark and windy night, the sword flashes with blood.
The riots began tonight.
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