Chapter 21
Xie Qinghong was thrown against the carriage wall by the shock, but fortunately she reacted quickly and protected her head. Her elbow hit the carriage wall, bringing a sharp pain followed by a numbness.
She suppressed the cry of pain that was about to escape her lips, gripped the small table leg firmly with one hand, and asked in a raised voice, "Is this how much trouble you need, Young Master Sun?"
The young man surnamed Sun, who had seemed perfectly normal before, was now almost insane. Ignoring the pedestrians on the street, he kept whipping his horse and heading straight for the city gate. Hearing Xie Qinghong's question, he did not slow down at all, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, muttering to himself.
Xie Qinghong calmed herself down and thought that with such a commotion, the city guards would catch up soon. Moreover, this was still within Wangjing City, not some desolate wilderness. As long as she didn't panic and protected herself, it was only a matter of time before the young man was caught.
To avoid angering the prisoner, she kept silent. Unexpectedly, the young man spoke up. Although it was somewhat drowned out by the sound of the wheels rolling on the ground, Xie Qinghong still heard his intermittent muttering to himself.
"I... I'll take you away! We'll escape to... far away, and never... be forced into marriage again!"
Xie Qinghong's eyes widened in shock, then she sighed deeply. She thought the stories of lovers eloping in books were nonsense, but she never imagined there could be something even more absurd in reality. "Do we even know each other? Just take me with you..."
Just as she was pondering this, she heard the heavy sound of horses' hooves behind the carriage. It seemed her savior had arrived. She sat up straight, gripping the handrails fixed to the carriage with both hands, wondering if it was her brother chasing after her.
She clearly heard the sound of hooves catching up, parallel to the carriage she was riding in. She quickly opened the side window and saw Pei Du riding a black horse, holding the reins with one hand, his upper body slightly leaning on the horse's back. When he saw her open the window, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
Xie Qinghong was taken aback. She thought the man had already gone far away, but then she remembered that Pei Shizi's riding skills were not exactly proficient. She pursed her lips slightly, about to advise him not to push himself too hard.
In a flash, Pei Du turned halfway to the side on his horse, stretched out his long leg and kicked Sun Langjun off the carriage. He then quickly jumped back onto the carriage, grabbed the reins and controlled the speed.
Xie Qinghong was amazed. Taking advantage of the moment when he slowed down, she slowly reached the car door, pushed it open to the left, and poked her head out halfway, exclaiming without any hesitation, "You're amazing!"
Pei Du held the reins expressionlessly, feeling her soft hair fall on his shoulder, a few strands brushing against his face in the breeze.
He gripped even tighter, and Xie Qinghong turned his head and exclaimed in surprise, "Is that your horse? It's following you!"
Pei Du felt her head peek out a little more, her soft breaths almost touching the back of his ear, and his ears turned slightly red without him realizing it.
He reached behind him with his right hand, his fingers precisely touching the forehead of the person behind him, and with a slight push, he pushed her back into the car seat, his voice cold and indifferent: "Sit still."
The carriage finally stopped at a quiet street corner. Xie Qinghong got out and looked back at the road they had come from. Fortunately, there were few people on the street, so they hadn't disturbed the pedestrians much. Sun Langjun, who had been kicked down earlier, was still lying unconscious on the roadside.
She was startled; this was the second time Prince Pei had "committed violence" in front of her, truly treating her like a family member.
She hesitated and turned to look at him. Pei Du, with his narrow waist and long legs, sat sideways on the carriage, holding a riding whip in his hand and a long sword at his waist. She asked softly, "He shouldn't be dead yet, right? Should we take him to the hospital?"
Pei Du approached, his eyes lowered, and he whispered like a demon, "If he's not dead yet, I'll just finish him off with one more sword."
Xie Qinghong was startled and instinctively placed his hand on the sword sheath. He realized his mistake and withdrew his hand, fearing that the sword would be drawn to silence him.
"No." She steeled herself, her delicate white fingers resting on the black scabbard. The extreme contrast of black and white, strength and gentleness collided in silence, silently revealing something.
Pei Du glanced at her, seemingly convinced, and walked over, glancing at her briefly before concluding, "It's nothing serious, just superficial injuries."
Xie Qinghong couldn't see the injury, and she was still half-believing and half-doubting his confident words. After observing him for a few moments, she suddenly recognized him as the fiancé of Princess Yuxiu, who was going to the Hu region for a political marriage.
Just as she was reminiscing, the city guards had already followed the carriage tracks and arrived. They were initially startled to see a person lying on the ground, but breathed a sigh of relief when they identified the person as the prisoner who had taken Xie's daughter hostage. They immediately ordered someone to take Sun Langjun away.
Xie Qinghong interjected, "I'm fine. Please take this young man to the clinic. I think he may have fallen ill suddenly and was confused just now, not knowing what he did. I won't pursue the matter. Thank you for your help."
The beautiful young woman was so delicate and kind, and the city guards were all young men. They readily agreed and immediately ordered someone to take Young Master Sun to the clinic, while the rest of the guards escorted Xie Qinghong's carriage back to his residence.
Just as the young men were struck by the beauty of the Xie family's young lady, they turned around and saw the gloomy-looking Prince Nan. They were immediately shocked. How come they hadn't seen the demon king standing here?
Pei Du ignored them, turning his gaze away from Sun Langjun and saying casually, "Since there's nothing else, let's go back. This place is too remote to stay long."
Xie Qinghong turned to him, her eyebrows curving slightly, her tone light as if nothing had just happened: "You were really amazing just now, your riding skills are so good!"
Pei Du's ears burned, and he coughed lightly, making a fist in front of his lips, calmly saying, "It's nothing to worry about."
"Could you please take me back to Shumo Street?" Xie Qinghong asked, her eyes sparkling, as she slowly lifted her skirt and boarded the carriage. "This place is indeed quite remote."
Pei Du turned around and glanced at the city guards who had been trying to curry favor with him. He stepped forward and half-stretched his hand to protect her behind him. Seeing her elaborate skirt hidden behind the carriage door, he sat in the driver's seat and, with a slight wave of his hand, the horse began to move slowly.
After much deliberation, Xie Qinghong decided that he should inform Pei Du about Sun Langjun's matter. After all, in the eyes of others, they would be considered to be on the same side in the future, and it would be normal for accomplices to share information.
She then moved to the front and, through the car door, asked, "Guess who that was just now?"
Pei Du said calmly, "Sun Ziyan, a... coward who can't get what he wants."
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