Zhao Wu and the big man rolled to the ground, then stood up and continued running. They dodged the barrage of arrows from behind.
In the far northwest outside the city are rolling mountains, and in the southeast is a boundless desert, which appears even more vast and desolate under the pale moonlight.
They kept running southeast, crossing this desolate desert, and arrived at the territory of the Daimyo...
They ran for a long time, but there were no more pursuers behind them, and the high city wall became a continuous black line. The big man stopped, and the last bit of strength in his body seemed to be drained away, and he fell to the ground.
Zhao Wu quickly helped the big man sit up, and tore off a piece of cloth from his clothes to bandage his shoulder.
The big man laughed and said, "My dear brother, you are very capable. I thought that this information could not be delivered and the situation in Daming would change... Haha, because of you, I can be considered to have fulfilled my mission. I am injured, and the weather is terrible, which will hinder you. Don't let the enemy catch up. You should leave quickly and give the information to Old Master Zhou. Don't let either of those two people get it. I will slowly crawl to the territory of Daming. Even if I can't die in my hometown, my head will be facing that direction. It's worth it."
Zhao Wu looked at the empty surroundings. Under the cold moonlight, there were only a few dead trees in the distance. Behind him was the enemy's city, to the west were faint mountains, and in front of him was a boundless expanse. The wind blew up the sky full of yellow sand. It was freezing cold, and his breath turned into frost... The man in front of him was pale, his lips were dry and chapped, and the blood oozing from his shoulder had dyed the bandage red again.
Intellectually, Zhao Wu knew he should abandon the big man and conserve his energy to return to Daimyo and deliver the crucial intelligence. But when he looked at the big man again, he felt a sense of familiarity, and he couldn't bear to leave him behind.
Zhao Wu said, "Uncle, hold on a little longer and keep going forward. Maybe we'll meet someone who can pick us up."
The big man shook his head and said, "No, I'm a burden. You can go on your own. Uncle has a personal favor to ask of you. When you return, please visit my home and take little girl to my wife. She has a kind heart and will treat the child well." His voice choked, and tears welled up in his eyes. "Tell her again that I broke my promise, that I'm sorry, and that I owe her a debt of gratitude and repayment. My home is..."
On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, the people sent by the Min government to pick up Qin and Xu Lanzhou came back and said that they had sent the mother and son to the Xu family in the north of the city.
Knowing Xu Lanzhou was safe, Xu Lanyin felt more relieved. It was just a dream, the opposite of what happened. She was also more grateful that she had brought Xu Lanzhou to the provincial capital, otherwise she would have to worry about him every day.
Xu Lanting and Zhao Xingchen didn't want to have dinner here anymore, so they took Xu Lanyin back to their home.
"I miss grandma." Zhao Xingchen said.
"Yeah, I still miss my elder brother." Xu Lanting said again.
Min Jia's face turned sad, and she blushed as she uttered three words, "I, too, will go."
The little girl's expression these days was all smiles, and it's heartbreaking to see her suddenly become like this.
Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "My house hasn't been occupied for a long time. It's very cold, so I need to light more charcoal braziers inside. I'd like to invite you to my house tomorrow to play for a few days and stay a few more nights. Is that okay?"
It is rare for Fujian people to return home, and the little girl would feel lonely living at home alone, so it would be better to take her to live in your own home.
Min Jia laughed again, nodded repeatedly, and said, "After dinner, we will leave."
This request was not excessive, so Xu Lanyin and others stayed with her for dinner before leaving.
When they returned to the Xu family's home, not only were Qin and Xu Lanzhou there, but Li, Wang Sanni, and Wang Jincai were also there. Only Lu and her son were left to look after the house, and Old Man Xu and his wife were also allowed to stay and help look after the yard.
The Qin family had just finished dinner and all looked unhappy. Wang Sanni and Wang Jincai had clearly been crying, and the Qin family seemed to have lost weight.
Even little Xu Lanting and Zhao Xingchen felt that something big might have happened at home.
Xu Lanyin asked, "Mom, what's wrong with you?"
Xu Lanzhou looked at Xu Lanyin and the others and said, "Didn't Lord Min tell you about Zhao Wu's murder?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Lanting burst into tears and shouted, "Brother Zhao is so powerful, he won't die..."
At home, apart from Xu Lanyin, Xu Lanting is the closest to Zhao Wu.
Zhao Xingchen didn't understand what being murdered meant at first, but after Xu Lanting explained it, he understood and started howling at the top of his lungs. He hadn't had much contact with Zhao Wu, but he had never forgotten that Zhao Wu had saved him. Furthermore, he often heard his aunt and family talk about his father, so he remembered him very clearly.
Wang Jincai started crying again. He had just heard that Zhao Wu had died, and he seemed to have lost the direction of his life.
Qin, Xu Lanzhou, Wang Sanni, and Li looked at Xu Lanyin fearfully. They knew Xu Lanyin had the best relationship with Zhao Wu and were worried she would be overwhelmed by the news. Qin had so readily agreed to come to the provincial capital again just to comfort her daughter.
Xu Lanyin knew it was fake news, but she couldn't help crying in front of so many people. However, she couldn't cry. She could only put on a gloomy face and quickly walked to her room and closed the door.
A group of people followed her into the west room and tried to persuade her through the door.
Xu Lanyin could only say with tears in her eyes, "Let me be quiet. I don't want to hear anything now."
The noise outside suddenly stopped, the footsteps went to the living room, and even the crying of Xu Lanting and Zhao Xingchen became much quieter.
Xu Lanyin could only lie on the bed like a corpse.
She didn't go out until Li, Wang Sanni and Wang Jincai left.
Xu Lanting and Zhao Xingchen were still sobbing. Qin and Xu Lanzhou stared at her blankly, wondering if she had been so grief-stricken that she couldn't even cry.
"Yin'er, if you want to cry, just cry. Don't be stubborn and don't scare your mother." Qin said with red eyes.
Xu Lanzhou also said, "Sister, cry if you want to. Don't hold it in until you're exhausted."
Xu Lanyin said, "Lord Min has already told me that Zhao Wu was murdered. But since his body has not been found, he is considered missing." After a pause, he continued, "Only I know how powerful Zhao Wu's martial arts are. Only my family knows how lucky he was. He didn't die after falling from such a high mountain, right?"
Xu Lanzhou's eyes lit up and he said, "Yes, he was hanging on a tree, and my sister saved him. Those who survive a great disaster will surely have good fortune in the future. Maybe this time he can meet a noble person and turn disaster into blessing."
Xu Lanyin nodded and said, "That's right. He won't die so easily. We just need to keep this a secret among ourselves and wait for his return..."
Qin Shi thought about it and realized that Zhao Wu was a skilled martial artist and had a good life. It was possible that someone had rescued him after he was injured and that he would return someday. Furthermore, she was now particularly superstitious about what her daughter said. If her daughter said he was not dead, then he must not be dead.
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