Chapter 61 Run!
Yu Wanyin's thoughts paused for a moment.
In a daze, I thought I had misheard.
The neighboring prefect was also astonished, repeating incredulously, "Nanlong?"
"When did they..." The prefect began, but then hurriedly went out, "Never mind, I'll go and see."
Another person ran in, saying, "The lord's men are outside."
The prefect rushed out in a flurry, saying, "I know they're outside."
“It’s outside the gate of our mansion.”
Another blow to the head.
It wasn't just the prefect.
Yu Wanyin also froze on the spot.
Chu Yu had heard this name quite a bit these days, so he was quite familiar with it.
They also knew that the bandit who had once lurked in their home was now much more powerful and could not be compared to before.
The prefect paced back and forth outside for a while before knocking on the door of their room.
Yu Wanyin was still unable to move. She was extremely anxious, but she couldn't show it. She held onto Chu Yu's shoulder and said, "Someone's here."
Chu Yu remained calm and collected, gently taking her hand that was resting on his shoulder. "Wait for me in the back room later."
"Let's continue."
Chu Yu stepped back a few paces, still maintaining a composed and gentle demeanor as he opened the door.
The door was wide open, and sunlight streamed in.
The prefect observed that the two inside the house maintained a polite distance, but the atmosphere between them was still somewhat sticky and difficult to define.
The prefect had no time to care about such things at the moment, and said to Chu Yu with an apologetic look, "Lord Chu, we have a new guest."
"Look at us here..."
Chu Yu didn't take it seriously. "Since everyone's here, let's all come together."
Yu Wanyin, standing to the side, paused for a moment upon hearing "Let's go together."
A very strange feeling welled up from the bottom of my heart.
How did we end up together?
The Prefect of Ganning was apprehensive upon hearing that both Buddhas had gathered here, but he nodded repeatedly, "Alright."
Yu Wanyin quickly stopped him, "Then, I'll excuse myself."
The Prefect of Ganning sent someone to escort Yu Wanyin to the back of the flower hall.
They are separated by only one screen.
Once Yu Wanyin was behind the screen, she couldn't suppress her increasingly rapid heartbeat.
A wave of palpitations surged through her fragile chest, leaving her in a state of mental confusion.
The servants of the mansion have already gone to fetch someone.
Yu Wanyin sat down, leaning on the table, feeling completely dazed.
The Rong Si have arrived?
How did he get here?
Yu Wanyin hadn't paid attention to the battle situation outside for a while, but she never imagined that she would hear the news that the Rong Si had attacked this place.
The enemy forces came with overwhelming force, giving no one a chance to catch their breath.
Including her.
How could he know Gan Ning?
Yu Wanyin racked her brains but couldn't recall ever mentioning the Gan Ning region.
How did Rong Si know?
This strange feeling, thoroughly dissected, permeated every part of my body.
Before Yu Wanyin could figure out what had happened, someone had already entered the front hall.
The heavy footsteps pounded on the bricks, and Yu Wanyin knew who it was in an instant.
She gripped the armrest of the seat beside her tightly.
At the same time, as soon as Rong Si stepped into the room, his gaze fell on Chu Yu.
Almost instantly, he spotted the little snow lion hanging from Chu Yu's waist!
Rong Si paused slightly, his pupils slowly contracting as he stared intently at the two small, white objects.
An object that is too familiar.
The familiar Rong Si almost instantly exuded a fierce aura.
Rong Si chuckled silently, his gaze slowly sweeping over Chu Yu. "Long time no see."
He was initially just taking a gamble to see if Yu Wanyin was abandoning him in order to find Chu Yu.
Unexpectedly, she actually came.
Rong Si could even smell a faint scent of lily of the valley in the air.
The intensity was particularly strong in the direction of Chu Yu.
How did she manage to make Chu Yu smell like her?
This wasn't the first time Chu Yu had sensed Rong Si's hostility towards him, but he didn't take it to heart at all. "It has been a long time."
He scrutinized the man opposite him from a distance, saying, "You've changed quite a bit."
“You haven’t changed at all.” Rong Si walked towards him without any politeness.
Rong Si's sudden approach caused Wu Zhou to instinctively tighten his grip on the hilt of his knife and look at Rong Si warily.
The sound of Zong Cheng's blade scraping against the scabbard rang out in response.
The sharp clash of weapons created a tense atmosphere in the flower hall.
Although it was the residence of the prefect, the prefect of Ganning was speechless, unsure of which one to pull first. Upon seeing the knife being drawn, he immediately retreated somewhat in a subservient manner.
Chu Yu remained completely still.
Rong Si leaned over Chu Yu, one hand resting on the armrest of the chair beside him. He narrowed his eyes and hooked the snow lion hanging from Chu Yu's waist. "This snow lion is exquisite and looks quite nice. Where did Marquis Chu get such a good thing?"
Behind the screen, Yu Wanyin sensed something amiss in the tone of the conversation.
Sure enough, the next moment, Chu Yu followed his finger and put the snow lion back into his palm, saying, "My wife gave it to me."
Yu Wanyin's heart sank suddenly.
I instantly understood what they were talking about.
Yu Wanyin bit her knuckles in a panic.
Rong Si slowly savored the words, "Given by your wife."
Chu Yu still remembers the ambiguous and complicated relationship between the bandit in front of him and Yu Wanyin.
He provoked me, seemingly unintentionally, "My wife said to leave this for me to ward off evil spirits and bad luck. What, didn't your wife give you one?"
Rong Si forced a smile and took a deep breath. "How is your wife now?"
"I'm fine." Chu Yu raised an eyebrow. "No need for you to worry."
Chu Yu asked, seemingly casually, "Are you married now?"
"I'll marry him." Rong Si sat down opposite Chu Yu with an air of authority, staring at him intently.
All that's missing is for Chu Yu to ask whose daughter he's marrying.
When it rains, it pours.
Yu Wanyin felt a chill run down her spine; she was no longer thinking about hiding for a while.
All she could think about was how to run away as quickly as possible.
She could handle even a rabid dog.
If both come together... how could she possibly handle it?
Yu Wanyin looked around and saw the back door and window.
Chu Yu was relieved to hear that he had gotten married. He didn't care who it was. "Now that you're married, you should worry less about other people's wives."
Rong Si laughed, his words carrying a deeper meaning, "I'm not concerned about your wife."
"As far as I know, the Marquis of Chu and his former wife no longer have a marriage contract, so they can hardly be considered husband and wife anymore."
Chu Yu retorted, "So, according to that logic, marriages in your mountain villages can't be considered proper marriages either."
"If your wife heard this, would she be happy?"
Rong Si may not know others, but he certainly knows Yu Wanyin.
She's so willing to come looking for her ex-husband.
Prefect Gan Ning couldn't understand it anyway, and the conversation kept getting back to the two men's wives. He quickly tried to smooth things over, "Haha, if you really think about it, then none of us have any official titles."
After those words were spoken, the atmosphere became increasingly tense.
Prefect Gan Ning awkwardly touched the bridge of his nose. "Well, these two distinguished guests must have something important to say to you on your visit today."
Rong Si spoke first, "There is something that has been troubling me for a long time, and I must ask the Marquis of Chu for advice."
"If my wife abandons me and goes to find someone else, and I can't bear to do anything to her, shouldn't I get rid of that man first?"
"It's because your own marriage isn't going well that you're putting me down," Chu Yu said sarcastically, taking a sip of tea. "Now that your wife has run away, you should think more about your own reasons."
"It must be because you didn't do well enough that your wife abandoned you and took a fancy to someone else."
Just then, a faint sound of a window closing came unexpectedly from the back room of the flower hall!
The two men inside the room reacted immediately and looked towards the back room.
The two men's swift and aggressive probing and lurking left the others in the room looking at each other in bewilderment.
The prefect, unconcerned with this, couldn't help but speak up, quickly pulling them back to reality, "Right now, I, Gan Ning, am isolated and helpless, not knowing where to go. Fortunately, you two heroes have shown me concern. Look at me, Gan Ning..."
The prefect was convinced that these two should fight rather than argue.
That way he can raise the price arbitrarily.
But his words did not attract the attention of the two of them.
Rong Si first stared intently at the location of the back room, then slowly got up and walked towards it.
Soon, Chu Yu listened carefully to the sounds coming from the back room and gradually realized that something was wrong.
Upon seeing this, the prefect had no choice but to say, "That young lady is still in the back room, you two don't need to be so nervous."
“Young lady…” Rong Si glanced at the Prefect of Ganning County, but upon hearing this, he did not stop and strode towards the back room.
He walked around the screen and saw only an empty house!
The air was filled with the lingering scent of lily of the valley.
One of the tightly closed doors and windows showed signs of loosening, indicating it had been opened before.
A spring breeze swept by outside, causing the window frame to thud.
Rong Si slowly examined the objects for a while, then strode forward.
Whether she is or not, we'll know once we catch her.
Rong Si broke open the back door of the house and strode out to chase after him.
Chu Yu also got up, and at that moment he saw the empty room behind the screen painting.
He narrowed his eyes dangerously.
Yao Yao ran off before he could even wait; she's so disobedient.
Yu Wanyin walked through the artificial rockery in the backyard. Qin Yuan had already lured away the guards of the prefectural governor's mansion. After checking that no one was around, she turned around to meet Yu Wanyin.
Yu Wanyin took her hand, came down from the artificial hill, and ran to a side gate of the mansion.
Qin Yuan's sword cleaved open the lock on the side door.
As soon as he stepped outside, he was confronted by two guards at the gate. "What are you doing here!"
Yu Wanyin was startled and hid behind Qin Yuan.
The guard stepped forward and was punched in the face!
Qin Yuan knocked one of them down with a single punch and then closed the side door again.
He pulled Yu Wanyin and ran outside.
Qin Yuan shoved Yu Wanyin into the carriage and rode off on horseback.
At that moment, the backyard gate was pushed open with a "whoosh".
The long street was deserted. Although there were no carriages or horses, the faint sound of carriages rolling could still be heard.
The sound of whistles rang out, and horses galloped in from somewhere in the street.
They chased after him.
Yu Wanyin reminded Qin Yuan, "Gan Ning can't stay here any longer, let's leave the city."
"Young lady, are you that afraid of Chu Yu?"
Yu Wanyin, holding onto the carriage frame, looked back and said, "It's Rong Si who's caught up with us."
Qin Yuan was initially shocked by Rong Si's speed.
Then he pondered, "Even if he caught up, there's no need for him to be in such a hurry."
Qin Yuan still remembered how Yu Wanyin had so skillfully trained him to be incredibly obedient in the bandit stronghold, so that she was never in such a hurry.
Yu Wanyin paused for a moment, then said, "He ran into Chu Yu."
Yu Wanyin couldn't explain the reason in a few words, so she whispered, "Chu Yu... was actually my first husband."
Qin Yuan's eyes widened. "What?"
Yu Wanyin pursed her lips, looking at her with utter helplessness, "I went to see him today, but Rong Si caught up with me."
Qin Yuan withdrew her gaze and silently gave the horse a sharp tug!
"Then we need to run faster."
Yu Wanyin didn't know how things had developed to this point.
Soon, their carriages and horses mingled into the streets and alleys, blending in with other carriages and horses preparing to leave the city.
Rong Si chased after them, only to be blocked by the crowded carriages and horses.
His gaze swept over the carriages and horses preparing to leave the city not far away. Just as he was about to step forward, someone called out to him.
Chu Yu's carriage stopped behind him. "Why are you in such a hurry? What are you looking for?"
Rong Si had no choice but to look away from the carriages and horses in the distance and said perfunctorily, "Someone overheard our conversation and ran away. We have to catch them and question them."
Chu Yu pondered for a moment, "I know that person. I'll just take him back for questioning."
"Don't worry about it."
Rong Si listened to his tone and looked over.
Chu Yu noticed his gaze and casually asked, "You want this Gan Ning?"
“Gan Ning can also be given to you.” Rong Si looked at Chu Yu. “In that case, shall I sit in your tent for a while?”
He chased after Gan Ning to try his luck, to see if she had come looking for Chu Yu.
There has only ever been one thing he wanted.
The Rongsi area needs to be investigated to see if Yu Wanyin has run away and is staying in Chu Yu's camp.
If so, then he only needs to steal a wife, and it wouldn't matter if Gan Ning was given to Chu Yu.
Chu Yu found this request novel, but he didn't mind. "You can stay for a few days if you want."
In addition, Chu Yu also looked at the procession leaving the city.
Silently, he pondered how to find the person.
Yu Wanyin joined the queue to leave the city and luckily made it out.
To the east and south of the city, on one side were the troops of Chu Yu, and on the other side were the troops of Rong Si.
To avoid them, she could only say, "Let's go from the west side of the city."
Yu Wanyin pondered, since her elder sister and the others had not yet arrived in Ganning.
They could go to the previous city to meet them, which would allow them to meet them sooner.
To the west of Ganning lies a mountain range with layers upon layers of peaks.
It was once one of the most famous scenic wonders in the world, but it has been ravaged by war and looks somewhat desolate.
There are some inconspicuous small villages and post stations in the mountains.
Only Qin Yuan could find these places to rest.
After resting for one night, we set off again the next day.
Early in the morning, around breakfast time, the innkeeper leaned against the door, looking at the western sky.
Yu Wanyin suddenly remembered and asked, "Do you have a map of the present day?"
"Yes." The shopkeeper turned back upon hearing this and took out a portion from a nearby cabinet. "However, we bought this half a month ago when we went down the mountain."
"I wonder what new developments have occurred in the past two weeks."
Yu Wanyin took it and spread it on the edge of the table.
Chu Yu's territory stopped at Gan Ning without any action.
Both the Northern Chi and Southern Long tribes expanded to varying degrees, moving towards Gan Ning and encircling Jinzhou in the middle.
The next city they were going to belonged to the territory of Jinzhou.
Jinzhou was a tough nut to crack. Taking advantage of the chaos, it swallowed up the surrounding small places, thinking it had gained an advantage.
Before long, Yanzhou took a piece from the east and Beichi swallowed another piece from the west.
The shopkeeper, watching from the side, asked idly, "Are you two going to Jinzhou?"
Yu Wanyin and the others did not answer.
“Jinzhou is not a good place, it’s not as good as Yanzhou. You should go to Ganning instead.”
Yu Wanyin and Qin Yuan looked at each other and forced down a mouthful of tea.
Yu Wanyin asked dismissively, "How so?"
“The government in Jinzhou is incompetent, but I reckon it’s about to collapse,” the shopkeeper shook his head. “I’ve heard that Yanzhou and Nanlong seem to be doing well. You should choose one of those two places.”
But these are precisely the two places she can't easily go to.
After chatting for a while, they set off again.
In just three to five days, they arrived at the next city.
The survey in Jinzhou was much more rigorous than that in Ganning.
The procession entering the city was blocked at the gate. After the search, the guards on duty reached out to Qin Yuan.
Qin Yuan didn't understand at first, thinking they were going to check her personal weapons, so she slammed her sword into the guard's palm.
The guard shoved him aside, saying, "You can only leave after you pay the toll."
Qin Yuan raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "I've been traveling for so many years, and this is the first time I've ever heard of having to pay a toll to enter a city." The guard scolded, "If you're not going to pay, get out of the way and don't get in my way."
Qin Yuan stepped forward with a cold face, but was stopped by Yu Wanyin, who said, "Never mind."
When you're out and about, it's better to avoid trouble.
Upon hearing Yu Wanyin's voice, Qin Yuan suppressed her temper and tossed some loose silver coins to the guard.
After walking some distance into the city, Qin Yuan couldn't help but say, "No wonder the shopkeeper said this place was no good; it really is no good."
The scene in the city was also quite shocking.
There were many beggars along the street.
The town's layout could hardly be described as prosperous; the land was covered in yellow earth and dust.
It was during the spring season when sandstorms were frequent. After a strong wind blew, the sky was covered with a hazy, yellowish fog.
The houses were low and dilapidated in many places.
After they settled down, they went to the post station as usual to ask if anyone from Shanshan had come.
There was still no news.
Yu Wanyin felt that she had heard far too many negative messages along the way.
It seems like we rarely get any news about things going smoothly for my older sister and her family.
I don't know if it's really not going smoothly, or if there's some other reason.
As night fell, they tidied themselves up briefly and were just about to go to bed.
Suddenly, the sound of armor clanging echoed through the city streets, followed by someone knocking on their door. It was a stern military voice: "Come down, check the room!"
Yu Wanyin and Qin Yuan had no choice but to get up, get dressed again, and go downstairs.
As Qin Yuan went downstairs, she asked her roommate, "What building are you checking so late at night?"
The man immediately recognized them. "Are you new to the city today? You've been like this every day before."
He sighed, "We can't sleep until the investigation is complete."
Qin Yuan frowned.
Yu Wanyin could tell from listening that the atmosphere here was more tense than in other places.
They went downstairs, and the guards went up to investigate.
Everyone waited in the lobby.
Qin Yuan muttered, "What's the use of checking people entering the city, checking inns, and checking ordinary people? Can you stop someone who really wants to attack the city by checking them?"
No sooner had Qin Yuan finished speaking than a commotion suddenly erupted from the street.
From a distance, it sounded like panicked shouts.
The sound rang out in the dead of night, sending chills down your spine!
The night was lonely, and then the military guards who had just gone on patrol turned around and ran back.
Mixed with the people being searched on the street, the comings and goings created a mysterious scene of escape in the dead of night.
The drowsy people inside immediately perked up and looked towards the door.
Hearing the commotion, the military guards on the inspection team went out and grabbed one of the men, asking, "What's going on?"
The man's words were incoherent, and it took him a long time to finally utter the sentence, "Outside the city, they've broken in from outside the city!"
After he finished speaking, he shoved the guard's hand away and scrambled away in another direction.
Upon hearing this, everyone in the room panicked.
The guards, instead of patrolling the building, came down one after another and ran out to check the situation.
Yu Wanyin followed her out.
From afar, one could see the city walls ablaze with the light of war, illuminating all around.
On one side outside the city walls, flames reached the sky.
For half a day, the sky was as bright as day.
Just by looking at the weapons that have arrived, you can tell that this must be a huge military force.
Yu Wanyin had never seen such a scene before when she accompanied the army.
This would be more than enough to flatten the entire city.
People on the street were carrying their luggage and packages, trying to escape. The guards didn't care about stopping the fleeing people.
Many soldiers and guards took the opportunity to amass wealth and abandon the city to flee.
Before the enemy could even attack, the entire city was thrown into chaos and disarray.
Qin Yuan stepped forward and pulled Yu Wanyin aside, "Your Majesty, shall we leave?"
Yu Wanyin was still hesitating whether to hide in the city for a while.
But it was only a brief moment of hesitation before the army outside made its move and began to advance into the city.
The approaching footsteps sent chills down one's spine and made the hairs on one's body stand on end!
The unrest in the city is getting worse.
More and more people are leaving the city.
Upon hearing the sound that could flatten everything, Yu Wanyin quickly said, "Forget it, let's go."
After she finished speaking, she and Qin Yuan packed their things and prepared to leave the city.
Unfortunately, the procession leaving the city was quickly blocked by a large number of civilians, but the sounds of attack from outside the city grew louder and louder.
They were stuck in traffic for a moment, and soon they heard the increasingly loud sounds of the attack.
The thunderous roar carried an earth-shaking, awe-inspiring power.
Yu Wanyin made a quick decision and abandoned the carriage.
She and Qin Yuan, each on a horse, rode out along the mountain road through the city.
The mountains here are not very high; they are mostly low hills.
They rode their horses up the mountain, and halfway up, a casual glance revealed a terrifying sight: the dense, tidal wave of troops attacking outside the city.
In contrast, the city was practically theirs for the taking.
Yu Wanyin's heart tightened, and she quickly followed Qin Yuan out of the city.
Some people did escape through the mountain roads, but relatively few did.
The journey wasn't too congested.
The horse beneath them seemed to sense the urgency of the situation, and unconsciously quickened its pace down the mountain.
The sound of horses' hooves, mixed with the dust-filled wind, echoed in my ears.
At first, Qin Yuan was worried that Yu Wanyin was not good at riding and would not be able to keep up, but now it seems that Yu Wanyin can even keep up with her.
They ran through the ravages of war, all the way through the city walls and fortifications to reach the foot of the mountain.
Unfortunately, soldiers were already stationed at the foot of the mountain.
Not only at the foot of this mountain, but also not far away, torches dotted the landscape like beans, forming a dense net that slowly sealed off the entire city.
Yu Wanyin paused for a moment and saw an area below that had not yet been surrounded.
Without saying a word, he rushed over.
However, the army below attacked faster than she had imagined.
Yu Wanyin rushed down and ran outside for a short while before she heard the sounds of soldiers and horses not far away.
Someone spotted her and shouted, "Over there!"
Then, soldiers and generals rushed toward them like mushrooms after rain.
An extremely powerful pressure swept over from behind, engulfing everything in its path.
Yu Wanyin had never experienced such a powerful sense of oppression.
The dust and sand in the wind made the air dry and scorching, stimulating every nerve in her body.
The footsteps behind him grew heavier and closer.
Yu Wanyin turned through a dense forest in the mountains and quickly changed her course under the cover of the forest. The soldiers behind her could not catch up and were led astray.
Just when Yu Wanyin thought she had shaken off her pursuers, almost blinding light suddenly shone down on her escape route.
The torches converged, forming a towering wall of fire that stretched across the sky, carrying a scorching heat.
Just as Yu Wanyin was about to turn around, the troops behind her pressed forward.
The torches gradually tightened the encirclement.
They surrounded her in the center of the encirclement.
The sound of an approaching army made her heart pound.
Yu Wanyin turned around and was shocked to see a tall figure directly in front of the vast army formed by stacks of crimson torches!
She missed a beat of breathing.
Rong Si sat on horseback with his back to the light, like the leader of a pack of wolves. Even in the blazing fire, his cold and hard face was still illuminated in darkness.
His gaze reflected the endless, dark fire, in which her shadow burned.
The sound of horses' hooves was particularly clear yet also particularly eerie amidst such a magnificent formation.
She personally raised an ambitious wolf.
It grew into a vast and imposing force that she could hardly imagine.
His sharp, deep eyes were fixed on her as he approached her step by step, saying, "Run, Yao Yao."
"Wherever you run, I'll fight you."
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