The carriage moved slowly, with Su Cuirong and Yao Shiyu sharing one carriage and leading the way.
Jiang Luoluo and Dingdang followed leisurely behind.
Before long, the procession had left the city gate. Ahead, the mountains were shrouded in mist, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of earth and grass.
The mountain spring water gurgled and was crystal clear. Below the official road was the Huimin River, which flowed directly into the city. The river water murmured and reflected the blue sky and white clouds.
Jiang Luoluo lifted the car curtain, poked her head out, took a deep breath of the refreshing air, and her gaze swept over the tranquil and ethereal mountain scenery, causing the corners of her mouth to involuntarily turn up.
Suddenly, the tranquility of the Huimin River was broken, and the flock of birds took flight into the sky.
Jiang Luoluo's gaze sharpened, her expression turning cold, and she shouted sharply, "Dingdang, watch out!"
Before the words were finished, the river surface was splashed with waves, and a group of masked men in black leaped out of the river, each holding a gleaming curved knife, and rushed straight at Jiang Luoluo's carriage.
Dingdang suddenly reined in her horse, kicking up dust. With her sword in hand, her voice was firm as iron, "Miss, don't be afraid!"
The longsword shot out, its sharp wind slashing towards the oncoming man in black.
In an instant, swords flashed and shadows danced, but Dingdang calmly faced the attack without the slightest sign of panic.
However, the men in black seemed to have been prepared. They worked in perfect unison and attacked Dingdang together, clearly having come prepared.
Jiang Luoluo watched the battle from inside the carriage, her brows furrowed. Only then did she realize that the men in black were not targeting her, but Dingdang.
Her heart sank, and she quickly made a decision.
Although Ding Dang was highly skilled in martial arts, he was outnumbered and gradually began to show signs of fatigue. Seeing this, Jiang Luoluo immediately gripped the bottles of chili powder and lime powder in her hand, uncapped them, pushed open the car door, and jumped out.
"Ding-dong, hold your breath!" she shouted.
Upon hearing this, Dingdang turned and leaped into the air to avoid the men in black. At the same time, Jiang Luoluo decisively raised her hand and sprinkled chili powder and lime powder at the men in black.
White and red powder scattered instantly, carried by the wind into the enemy's eyes.
"Ah..." A series of shrill screams rang out, and the men in black covered their eyes, writhing on the ground in pain, completely losing their fighting ability.
Holding the last bottle of powder, Jiang Luoluo coldly swept her eyes over the enemies who were struggling on the ground. Although she was still a little scared, she was more calm and decisive.
She turned to look at Dingdang and asked in a low voice, "Are you alright?"
Dingdang sheathed her sword, cupped her hands, and said, "Miss, I'm fine."
Suddenly, a shrill female voice pierced the air, and Jiang Luoluo and Dingdang turned their heads at the same time.
Yao Shiyu clutched her bleeding arm, her face pale, and cried out in pain, "Something's wrong! Something's wrong! Grandma has fainted!"
In that instant, a sense of unease rose in Jiang Luoluo's heart.
However, in the instant she was distracted, a man in black suddenly flew out from the nearby woods, his curved knife pointing directly at Jiang Luoluo, the blade gleaming coldly.
At the same time, more men in black emerged from the surrounding forest and quickly surrounded the two carriages.
"Leave your toll, or we'll spare your lives!" one of the men, wearing a yellow turban and dressed in black, shouted, his tone ruthless.
Dingdang reacted quickly, immediately stepping forward and shielding Jiang Luoluo behind her.
She moved swiftly, as fast as lightning. Unfortunately, she still couldn't dodge the attack from the man in black.
The curved blade slashed and pierced Dingdang's arm, blood instantly flowing down her arm and staining her clothes red.
Jiang Luoluo's heart skipped a beat as she looked at Dingdang's bleeding arm with a heavy heart.
Jiang Luoluo instinctively gripped the dagger in her hand, her fingers trembling slightly, her heart feeling icy cold.
Dingdang did not back down. Despite the excruciating pain, she swung her longsword out horizontally.
She leaped into the air, her sword flashing like lightning as it slashed towards the man in black, aiming straight for his crown.
However, the man in black moved nimbly and leaped up skillfully, perfectly avoiding the sword strike.
Jiang Luoluo kept her eyes glued to the fight between Dingdang and the man in black, not daring to relax for even a moment.
Suddenly, an idea struck her. She grabbed the dagger Xie Yizhi had given her and threw it away violently.
The dagger flashed through the air, its cold light aimed straight at the man in black's neck.
"Hiss..." The dagger pierced the man in black's neck with perfect accuracy, and blood gushed out like a fountain. The man in black cried out and fell straight to the ground.
The man wearing the yellow turban saw another man in black fall, and a flicker of panic crossed his eyes. He quickly regained his composure and continued to shout, "Leave your toll money, and we'll spare your lives!"
Blood kept flowing down Dingdang's arm, and Dingdang's face turned deathly pale. Jiang Luoluo hurriedly stepped forward and supported Dingdang, "Dingdang, bear with it, wait for me a moment."
If Dingdang continued to hit her, blood would keep flowing and her life would be in danger. Jiang Luoluo immediately made a decision.
Dingdang, however, shook her head and said, "I'm fine, Miss. These few bastards can't do anything to me."
Jiang Luoluo pressed Dingdang down, making her sit half-reclined against the carriage wall.
Dingdang obediently sat down, but dared not loosen his grip on the long sword in his hand even slightly.
Jiang Luoluo untied a purse from her waist and took out a seal from it. Her voice was clear and cold, yet carried an air of authority, "I am Jiang Luoluo, the legitimate daughter of General Weiyuan's mansion."
This is my seal. With this seal, you can withdraw 100,000 taels of silver from major banks in Beijing.
We are nothing but the elderly, the weak, women, and children; please, sir, have mercy and spare our lives.
The man wearing a yellow turban chuckled dryly, "You claim to be the legitimate daughter of General Weiyuan's mansion, but what proof do you have?"
Jiang Luoluo took the seal in her hand, turned it over and showed it to everyone, "My name is Jiang Luoluo, and this seal has my name on it. This chivalrous person may wish to come over and take a closer look."
The man wearing the yellow turban tilted his head and gestured for one of the men in black to step forward and take it.
Jiang Luoluo held the seal tightly in her hand and said coldly, "Tell your men to lay down their weapons and retreat back into the forest."
Jiang Luoluo pointed to the person wearing a yellow turban, "Only you can come forward and take it."
The man clearly hesitated, so Jiang Luoluo pressed her advantage, taunting, "You're strong and wield a long sword, while I'm just a weak woman who can't even kill a chicken. Are you afraid of me?"
The man was clearly enraged. "A little girl like you dares to negotiate with me?"
He cursed and swore, but still ordered the men in black to lay down their weapons and retreat into the forest.
With 100,000 taels of silver, these brothers would be set for life, free from want. Why would they need to do anything risky?
They only needed five thousand taels for this job. The man only instructed that Dingdang or Jiang Luoluo be seriously injured, not that they should be killed. Since the goal had been achieved, he might as well take the profits from both sides.
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