Chapter 4: Shocking Changes Haha, here comes another desperate guy! ...
Zheng Ba leaned against the door, frail and weak, pleading in a hoarse voice, "Sir, you are truly humiliating me. I'm just an ordinary farmer, and I have a brother at home who has a leg disease and needs care. How dare you harbor such evil intentions?"
The dark eyes on the thief's mask flickered, and he caught a glimpse of a piece of his blue shirt that was damaged by the wheelchair pedal through the crack in the door. He thought for a moment and said gloomily:
"I don't think you'd be so bold!"
Then he lowered his voice and gave orders: "Master, we can't wait any longer. Retreat first. Clear this area tonight to avoid any more trouble!"
Zheng Ba was filled with gratitude upon hearing this and knelt on the ground to kowtow: "Thank you very much, sir. Goodbye, sir."
The thief leader turned his horse's head, and the gloomy last line was still swaying in the wind:
"Don't think everything is fine. If I find out what you're up to, I'll make sure you're neither alive nor dead!"
The thieves went away, and now the three of them were still looking at each other.
In silence, Qi Xin always felt that his identity might have been exposed. Now he had Zheng Qi, a sick and weak guy, as a hostage. Even if Zheng Ba seemed to know some martial arts, he would probably not dare to act rashly.
But her lightness skill had just been crippled, and she didn't know how good Zheng Ba's skills were. In addition, there was Zheng Qi, who was quite good at archery, in front of her. She felt like a thorn in her back.
It would be better for me to take advantage of this opportunity, hold Zheng Qi, get close to Zheng Ba, wait for the opportunity to stab him in the chest with a hairpin, and then use the hemp rope to kill Zheng Qi.
After a long stalemate, Zheng Qi's neck was already covered with blood marks. Qi Xin looked at Zheng Ba's worried expression and felt that his chances of winning were much higher.
It was pitch black and silent, with clouds concealing the moonlight.
I don't know if it was the night wind or the birds or animals, but it made a rustling sound somewhere in the courtyard.
The knuckles of Zheng Qikuo's sleeves moved imperceptibly, and the sound seemed to have never occurred and could no longer be felt.
Qi Xin was stunned. She was already extremely nervous. Although she seemed to notice some unusual movements around her, she only felt that it was a panic.
"Xiaojiu, what do you mean by this?"
In the end, it was Zheng Qi's gentle and deep voice with a tea-like flavor that broke the deadlock.
Qi Xin remained silent, waiting for his next words.
"Hey, Xiaojiu, Xiaojiu, that's enough. It's such a bad sky today that not even a bit of moonlight can seep through. You can't see clearly who is on that broken painting. Could it be that Xiaojiu has seen it clearly and thinks that it is your enemy who has come to find you?" Zheng Ba took the initiative to speak and secretly approached Qi Xin and Zheng Qi.
"Didn't you see clearly? Brother Zheng Ba is good at bluffing people. How do I know you didn't lie to me?" Qi Xin didn't dare to relax at all and retorted Zheng Ba's words.
"You——" Zheng Ba was slightly angry, but before he could react, he was interrupted by Zheng Qi:
"Xiao Ba!"
Zheng Ba ignored him and continued:
"That's right! The ungrateful wolf has possessed me again. His train of thought is just like the winding Sheng River. I don't know what he's thinking. If we really wanted to harm you, we would have done it while you were unconscious. We finally managed to rescue you. Even if that person was really looking for you, we would still protect you. Why are you being so pretentious?"
"Xiao Ba, that's enough!" Zheng Qi's tone was originally a stern shout, but perhaps due to insufficient energy and blood, when it reached Qi Xin's ears, it sounded soft, as if being gently brushed by a soft feather.
Qi Xin suddenly realized that she had indeed been carrying too much murderous intent lately. When she was fleeing, the female customer had spotted the red pupil patterns from the effects of the blood pill. If she continued to harbor murderous intent like this, even if no one bothered to search for her, her identity would be exposed sooner or later.
At that time, even the royal family of Da Sheng would not be able to accommodate him.
The reason why I need Chen Yu so much is not just to find out the truth of that year?
She needed Shen Yu's national defense army, although she didn't know whether Shen Yu was still willing to do so—for the sake of Shengguo...
Even if even her mother couldn't protect her, even if she was just an unfavored princess who was imprisoned in the cold palace every day because of some minor mistakes.
Even if my father and clan members abandoned me without hesitation.
But Shengguo is his hometown after all.
How could he possibly get involved in the Yue Kingdom?
Zheng Qi and Zheng Ba were, after all, Da Sheng citizens. Their repeated rescue of him from danger proved that this place was temporarily safe. The individuals pursuing him were unidentified and came with such force that if he wandered outside, he might only cause trouble.
Zheng Qi - it seems that he became his archery master just a few days ago. Even if he is now trying to get the skin of a tiger, he should at least get some benefits.
Qi Xin thought it over, then suddenly withdrew his hand and said in a tearful voice, "It was Xiao Jiubei's trick. I'm sorry, both of you. Please forgive me!"
Hearing this, Zheng Qi raised his hand and smoothed his brows. With a hint of weariness, he spoke, "Xiaojiu, I'm glad you understand. Don't be so impulsive again, like you were at the market and tonight. I'm afraid I didn't have time to choose a bow after the recent incident. I do have some materials in my room, so I can make you a good one at home these days. Okay?"
"Then Xiaojiu would like to thank Master first."
These days, Zheng Qi's house was really noisy and dusty. In just a few days, he actually made a bow.
Its shape is gorgeous but not extravagant, tough but not soft.
Qi Xin looked at its shape and felt that it seemed familiar, but he could not remember where he had seen it.
Although Zheng Qi was too weak to take on such a heavy responsibility and could not teach his disciples himself, he was aware of his duty as a master and urged Qi Xin to practice every morning and evening.
"Shoulder, shoulder, shoulder—it's tilted."
"Your sight is level with the arrow tip."
"Xiaojiu, the point of force is wrong again!"
…
Although Qi Xin was suffering terribly, his archery skills were improving day by day.
These days, things seemed to be much calmer, but Qi Xin still didn't dare to be content with the illusion of being a free and easy person. She tossed and turned all night, unable to fall asleep.
That day, the setting sun was fading and the sunset glow was dispersing. Zheng Qi said that he and Zheng Ba were going out to do some shopping and would probably stay at an inn in the town at night. He asked her to bolt the gate and the door of the house and let them rest.
She had already received a lot of favors from the two men, and gradually came to regard this farmhouse as her temporary home.
The Ningbei border was already fraught with hidden dangers. Although Zheng Ba was there to protect her, her master was still unable to walk, and she couldn't stop thinking about him. If she had just asked her master to take her with him, it would have been better than waiting in this unknown situation.
As the night deepened, the two of them still had not returned home.
Outside the house, the cries of birds were extremely shrill, and Qi Xin felt a little uneasy.
At the same time, a commotion suddenly broke out not far away - cries, shouts, sounds of weapons, the sound of horses' hooves... mixed with the heavy rain, it was shocking and disturbed the illusory peace of recent days.
The sound was about to spread over.
Qi Xin lay on his side, clutching the front of his clothes.
At this time, the winery that Zheng Qichang had brought Qi Xin to before was brightly lit.
In the innermost wing, there were two figures, one standing and one sitting.
"He Lianzhu from Yue Country can't help it?" Zheng Ba whispered.
"It doesn't look like it. There are probably more than one group of people. Someone wants to find out about us. We brothers may not be able to hide anymore!" Zheng Qi responded while nimbly getting up from the wooden mechanical wheelchair.
Although he looked like he had just recovered from a serious illness and his steps were light, his movements were not hesitant at all.
He took two steps at a time and moved towards the painting hanging on the wall.
Behind this decorative painting, which is not a masterpiece at all, there is a secret compartment embedded in the wall. If it is not pushed in, it can blend into the surrounding walls. Who would have thought that there is a mechanism here.
Zheng Qi gathered strength in his palm and pushed the palm-sized square wall part back a few inches, forming a "concave" shape, and a bronze mechanism came into view.
This mechanism is somewhat similar to the legendary "turtle". I wonder which slot Zheng Qi matched after turning it left and right several times.
“Click—”
A long-sealed secret door opened.
What stood before him was a sandalwood bow that was almost as tall as an adult man and had a powerful aura.
The bow itself wasn't particularly well-decorated, except for its polished surface, which shone brightly in the moonlight. In an inconspicuous corner of the bow's tail were two small characters, "Po Feng," engraved, but worn to the point of being barely legible.
Zheng Qi kicked open the coffin board on the wooden coffin in the center, took out the cloud-thunder pattern wart armor, and pried open the secret compartment on the side panel, taking out a gold-plated token.
There is a seal-script character "靖" engraved on it.
The sudden west wind outside the window rushed into the inner room, lifting his outer robe embroidered with rolling clouds. He grabbed the back of the collar and took off the troublesome thing, threw it away, and buttoned up his armor in a few seconds, looking very solemn and murderous.
Zheng Ba, holding the double-edged sword upside down, saw this situation and bowed slightly, gripping the hilts and tilting his head to confirm:
"Seventh Master, are we going according to the original plan? Or?"
Zheng Qi's amber eyes moved, and he said in a low voice: "Divert the trouble to the east and catch the turtle in the jar."
Zheng Ba: "I understand."
"As for Her Highness Jialing—" Zheng Qiwei paused for a moment, "she must be sent back to the palace safely. Protect her and wait for me."
Zheng Ba responded respectfully, "I obey your orders."
Zheng Qi turned around, put on his quiver, picked up the broken beacon bow, led Red Hare over, and left in the wind.
In a farmer's yard.
Qi Xin quietly stood up, picked up the bow that Zheng Qi gave her, put on her quiver, and looked out through the window.
Before she could stand still, the gate was violently smashed open by an external force.
A group of assassins dressed in night clothes rushed in, their cheeks covered with black veils.
The leader spoke calmly, with a hint of teasing in his tone:
"Long time no see, Her Royal Highness Princess Jialing."
Qi Xin's palms were sweating as he gripped the bow handle:
Does this person recognize me?
The voice was not He Lianzhu's, and the tone didn't sound like his.
Who is this?
"I'm afraid that this princess and you don't have a relationship where we can reminisce about the past." Qi Xin snorted coldly.
The man didn't seem to intend to get close, and was pretending to be submissive. Qi Xin was thinking about finding an opportunity to kill him with a single arrow.
"It doesn't matter if you don't recognize me, Princess. It's enough that I recognize you. Just hand over Shen Yu, and we'll evacuate immediately. We won't make things difficult for you."
Qi Xin was very surprised that the negotiator's tone was joking but also a little respectful.
Not even looking for myself.
This group of people is probably not the same as the Iron-faced Army from a few days ago.
Oh? They are also looking for Shenyu?
Is Chenyu in this area?
Is he still so feared that he is sent to assassinate?
It's so close, yet I've been searching in vain. Could it be that—
Darkness under the lamp?
Qi Xin remained calm and composed: "Your Excellency knows that I am here, yet you come here to look for a dead surrendered general. How interesting!"
At the same time, she secretly pulled out an arrow with her fingers, hid in the dark, and put it on the bow.
Before he finished speaking, the arrow flew out after leaving the bowstring, but unfortunately it only scratched the side of the man's neck, slightly scratching the skin.
"Throwing an egg against a rock!" The man flew over and approached Qi Xin's side.
Qi Xin wanted to shoot another arrow, but the man slashed down with his palm, knocking the feathered arrow out of her right hand. Then, she ruthlessly drew the bowstring towards his throat with her left hand.
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ps——
Zheng Qi: Stupid Xiaojiu hasn’t guessed who I am yet?
Qi Xin: Shut up!
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