Suddenly, there were hurried footsteps and shouts outside: "Boss! A suspicious person has been spotted at the East City Gate! He might be the spy we're trying to catch!"
"What?" The leader's expression froze as he hurried out. Before leaving, he grabbed Su Muyan's bag and instructed his men, "Take them both back for interrogation!"
Most of the guards also ran away, leaving only two young-looking soldiers.
Just as the two soldiers were about to tie up the man with a rope, a dart suddenly flew out of his sleeve.
The two soldiers died silently on the spot.
Su Muyan was so frightened that she almost screamed out loud. She bit her lips tightly and looked at the man with horror in her eyes.
The man walked over quickly and helped her untie the rough hemp rope on her wrists, saying in a low voice: "Miss, run away now!"
Su Muyan glared at him angrily: "If it weren't for your nonsense, we wouldn't have ended up like this!"
"Miss, if you want to see the eldest master, just believe what I say." As he spoke, he had already squatted down, pulled out the deadly hidden weapons from the two men, wiped them casually from his sleeves, and put them away again.
Su Muyan saw the dart in his hand and recognized it as the one her brother used to hang the note.
It seems that the darts in her yard were also made by this person.
Moreover, the man's movements of using the hidden weapon to kill someone and then retrieving it were very skillful and natural, and it was obvious that he had done this many times.
Su Muyan asked again: "Who are you?"
"Now's not the time to explain." The man quietly pulled her to the drain at the back of the dungeon. "From here, there's the moat. We can swim across and reach the entrance to the secret passage."
Su Muyan hesitated for a moment, and the noise of soldiers returning came again in the distance.
In the current situation, there is no turning back for her.
Su Muyan gritted her teeth and followed the man into the narrow drain. The dirty muddy water soaked her skirt, and the stench almost suffocated her, but she could only endure it, not daring to make a sound.
After a long time, they climbed out of the drain and jumped into the moat. The cold river water made Su Muyan shiver.
The man grabbed her wrist and swam with her to the other side.
"Miss, can you swim?" the man asked loudly in the water.
Su Muyan choked on her saliva and nodded stubbornly: "Brother taught me!"
The two swam hard to the other side and climbed up a hidden river bank in the wet.
The man looked around vigilantly, and after confirming that no one was following them, he took her into a reed marsh.
"The entrance to the secret passage is just ahead." The man panted, looking at her worriedly and whispering, "Miss, can you still walk?"
Su Muyan's skirt had been torn by thorns, and there were several bloodstains on her arms.
Since she was born, Su Muyan had never encountered such a dangerous experience, nor had she ever made herself so miserable.
Her body was in pain and cold, so she gritted her teeth and said, "Lead the way."
"Miss, if you feel unwell, please tell me. The master has instructed me to take you there safely."
Su Muyan didn't say anything, just nodded silently.
The two men walked through the reeds and came to an abandoned land temple.
The man moved the altar, revealing the entrance to the secret passage below. He then took out a tinder from his pocket and lit a candle.
In the dim light, Su Muyan finally saw his face clearly. His ordinary facial features were not visible in a crowd, but his expression was firm and his eyes were as bright as a nighthawk.
"Who are you?" Su Muyan basically believed that he was the person arranged by her brother.
Asking again at this time, there is less suspicion and more curiosity.
The man was silent for a moment, then finally spoke: "My name is Su Mo, and I'm the eldest son's shadow guard. I've been trained in the dark since I was a child, and even the people in the mansion don't know of my existence."
"Shadow Guard?" Su Muyan frowned, looking at his ordinary face in surprise. "Brother never mentioned it."
"That's exactly the purpose of the Shadow Guard, young lady." Su Mo smiled bitterly. "The eldest master anticipated that his return to the Su Mansion would be difficult, so he had already made secret arrangements. The last order I received was to safely deliver you to the contact point in southern Jiangsu."
Su Muyan thought of the jewels that had been taken away by the soldiers, and her heart ached: "Now we have no money left, how are we going to go south?"
Su Mo untied an oilcloth bag from his waist and said, "The eldest master has made preparations. Here are some banknotes and travel permits, enough for us to get all the way to Jiangnan."
As he was speaking, he heard the barking of dogs and the light of torches in the distance. Su Mo's face changed: "They are chasing us! Go in quickly!"
Su Muyan no longer hesitated and followed Su Mo into the secret passage. The damp air was filled with a musty smell, and the secret passage was so narrow that one had to bend over to move forward.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, a ray of light finally appeared ahead.
"We're here." Su Mo blew out the candle and carefully pushed open the wooden board above his head.
The fresh night breeze blew against her face, and Su Muyan breathed in greedily. She crawled out of the secret passage and found herself in a forest. A simple carriage was parked not far away.
"Get in, young lady." Su Mo helped her walk towards the carriage. "We must leave the capital before dawn."
Su Muyan climbed onto the carriage tiredly and found that clean clothes and dry food had already been prepared inside.
She looked at Su Mo who was checking the horses and suddenly asked, "Why did those officers and soldiers suddenly leave? Did they really discover other spies?"
Su Mo paused for a moment, without turning back: "It's better for the lady not to know."
"I want to know." Su Muyan said stubbornly, "I have the right to know how big a risk I'm taking."
Su Mo finally turned around, his eyes complex and difficult to read under the moonlight: "Because the eldest son sent people to create a commotion at the East City Gate, diverting the pursuers."
"Brother? Isn't he being watched?"
"That's why he used his last trump card to lure the tiger away from the mountain." Su Mo's voice was low, with a hint of worry. "Miss, for you, the eldest master has risked everything. So please live well and don't let him down."
Su Muyan's heart was shocked. She said nothing more and got into the carriage silently.
At this time, the eastern sky was already beginning to turn pale, and the waning moon had not yet set, but the faint light of dawn was already impatiently shining.
The wheels rolled over the uneven little room. Su Muyan looked through the gap in the curtain at the outline of the capital city that was getting farther and farther away, but her heart was filled with worry and reluctance.
After this separation, I don’t know when I will see my brother again.
Will her father punish her brother for her leaving?
And what about the Zhao family? What would happen if they found out that he had run away from his marriage?
The fingers clinging to the carriage tightened unconsciously, and the pink nail polish nails dug deep into the thick wooden boards.
In the current situation, she can hardly take care of herself and has no other skills. What else can she do except follow her brother's arrangements and escape?
Brother, you must be safe. Your sister is waiting for you in Southern Jiangsu...
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