Female General (Six)
Liuxiangju is still bustling even in the hot summer.
The copper kettle in the teahouse was bubbling with water, the setting sun shone through the bamboo curtains, and tea stains were scattered all over the elm wood table.
The iron fence on the eaves of the backyard jingled in the hot wind, and the noisy sound of cicadas came sticking around again.
In addition to the three people, there were several waiters in the shop who were scooping crushed ice into ice jars with celadon teacups. The cool air splashed when the tea foam hit the ice chips made the summer heat in Liu Xiangju shake.
"I saw with my own eyes that he pushed a man in a wheelchair into the backyard!"
"What?" Xiao Lin shouted faster than Mu You and hurried forward. "Brother Wang, are you sure you're not seeing things? Was it Boss Chu who pushed it himself?"
"It's absolutely true! He was the one who pushed it in! But he didn't tell anyone about it. I guess he didn't want anyone to know."
This is strange. Although Chu Mo has always acted mysteriously, why is he so deliberate this time?
They had just left when he went to pick someone up?
Could it be that he was deliberately trying to avoid them?
Why avoid them?
Who are the people they can't stand seeing?
When the wind blows, a green leaf is blown off the branch, fluttering and swaying.
Just as it was about to fall on Xiao Lin's head, she suddenly jumped up in excitement, and Mu Youyi had an idea.
Their eyes met, and they called out a name at the same time: "Qian Li!"
"Who?" Brother Wang clearly didn't understand the meaning of this, his eyebrows almost raised to the top of his head. "What... Qian Li?"
Xiao Lin knew that this matter really shouldn't be known to others, so he quickly made a joke to coax Brother Wang back to the shop: "It's okay, it's okay. I just want to eat pears, and I want Mu You to bring some money to buy me two pears, haha..."
I don’t know if it’s because he’s been with Mu You for too long, and gradually “birds of a feather flock together” or what, but Xiao Lin’s lying skills have become much more sophisticated.
Even though the two of them had the same explanation, Brother Wang was still confused. But after asking around, he couldn't get to the bottom of it, so he had to give up, threw the sweat towel over his shoulder, and stepped over the threshold half-believingly and half-doubtingly.
Xiao Lin and Mu You forced a smile and stood in front of the shop for a while. When Brother Wang was busy greeting the customers, they put away their smiles and walked into the alley in small steps.
"You also think that the person is very likely Qian Li, right?" Xiao Lin lowered his voice without authorization, fearing that there might be ears on the other side of the wall and someone with ulterior motives might hear him.
Mu You also became more cautious: "I have a slight hunch, but to know for sure whether it is that person or not, I still need to take a sneak peek and then ask."
"But how are we going to find him?" Xiao Lin straightened up, crossing his arms across his chest. "I have a feeling Chu Mo is hiding him very well. After all, didn't Tong Huan say that the Wang family wants to kill him?"
"Since the Wang family wants to kill him, why did Boss Chu hide him here? Isn't the risk of exposure greater here?"
"Hmm..." Mu You scratched his chin, "Maybe he has his own way to hide him? Doesn't he know immortal magic?"
There is some truth to it, but...
I always feel like something is wrong.
Just as Xiao Lin was about to ponder it, Mu You waved his arm and said casually, "Who cares? Now that we're here, we'll know if it's a mule or a horse after a stroll!"
The words may be a little blunt, but the truth is there. Now that they are here, and they are familiar with the layout of the backyard of Liuxiangju, they might as well be bold and sneak in to take a closer look!
By the way, let me ask clearly.
Deciding to go all out, Xiao Lin and Mu You immediately put the matter of selling wine behind their minds, crouched down against the wall, swatted the insects that accidentally appeared behind their ears, and furtively revisited the old place.
However, after walking for a day and returning, an inexplicable feeling suddenly occupied their minds.
"Tell me, are we considered thieves? We sneaked into other people's yards." Mu You followed behind Xiao Lin and suddenly complained.
Xiao Lin was very unhappy when he heard this and murmured, "We are not stealing anything, we are just looking for someone..."
"It's okay," Mu You suddenly laughed, "At worst, I can be a thief with you."
"You...you know what the male and female thieves mean? You're just talking nonsense..." Xiao Lin's cheeks turned red with shame when he heard this, and he wanted to turn around and slap him right away.
Mu You didn't take it seriously: "What's wrong? You are female and I am male, is there any problem?"
"You... never mind, I can't reason with you..."
The atmosphere gradually became tense. Mu You looked bewildered, but still followed Xiao Lin obediently.
Fortunately, the alley was not long, and after walking a few steps, the two successfully arrived at the small gate in the backyard of Liu Xiangju.
It was clearly a small door that I had entered and exited countless times on a daily basis, but now it seemed unfamiliar.
I thought Chu Mo would lock the door, but Xiao Lin just pushed it lightly and a creaking sound was heard immediately.
"The door wasn't closed?"
"Isn't this good? Let's go in directly! Keep your voice down, don't let Chu Mo find out..."
The further he walked in, the faster Xiao Lin's heart beat.
Plop, plop, plop.
In the backyard of Liu Xiangju, the stone steps in front of the corridor were covered with a thin layer of moss. The hot summer air made the corridor slightly damp, and the well fence was left with dark brown marks due to the water splashes.
As the breeze passed by, the copper bell on the eaves suddenly trembled, awakening the half bucket of clear water hanging by the wheel of the well, causing ripples.
"Strange, there's no one here..." Xiao Lin walked carefully into the courtyard through the small door. He looked around but couldn't find any signs of life.
Mu You was a little late, but after a casual glance, he could not find any trace of Qian Li's life.
"Yeah, why is there no one here?"
He had just finished speaking when he was about to turn around and look to the other side.
In a moment, the sound of a sharp arrow cutting through the fog suddenly rang in their ears from the right rear, which the two men had not noticed.
By the time the two men reacted, Mu You's right shoulder had been pierced by the iron arrow, and the strong thrust immediately knocked him down.
Even though he supported himself on the ground with his right hand before falling, his shoulder blade became numb and he did not feel any pain at all. Only blood gushed out, and the strong smell of blood instantly hit Xiao Lin's nose.
"Mu You!"
Subconsciously, Xiao Lin cried out in shock, tears bursting out.
She had never realized she would be so panicked. Loss of mind was like a fire that ignited her and spread to every strand of her hair.
Soon, the pain in his shoulder spread along his collarbone to his entire arm. Mu You lost his strength and rolled to the ground.
Without saying a word, Xiao Lin stepped forward, grabbed his neck, and pulled him into his arms before he hit the stone slab.
But at this moment, Mu You was in so much pain that he couldn't utter a word. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, and he didn't know if it was because of the sun or the pain of the wound.
What's going on? I've been living in Liuxiang for quite a while, but I haven't seen Chu Mo set up any traps in the backyard. How come a sharp arrow suddenly appeared this time?
Also, where did this arrow come from?
For a moment, panic and suspicion flooded into Xiao Lin's mind, and when she caught a glimpse of Mu You's hideous face, a feeling of collapse rose in her throat.
"Mu You, don't be afraid... don't be afraid... I won't let anything happen to you... You must not get hurt..."
Her trembling voice revealed her inner helplessness, but the collar of Mu You's clothes was stained with blood, and Xiao Lin really didn't have time to say anything else.
So without any hesitation, she broke free from his thin arms, struggled to hook her hands under his armpits, and limped along with him as he returned through the small door.
"Xiao...Xiao Lin..." Mu You was so exhausted that he couldn't even straighten his neck. His head was shaking and bumping against Xiao Lin from time to time. "I...I'm fine..."
"Don't talk anymore..." Xiao Lin tried to hold back her tears, but the bitterness still couldn't stop it from invading her nose, making her voice even more choked. "If you keep talking, I'm going to hit you!"
"Huh? You're quite arrogant..."
"I told you to stop talking!"
The cuffs of Xiao Lin's coarse linen sleeves had long been soaked by the blood from Mu You's wound, but he still used half of his body to hold up his shaking waist.
The further she walked, the more she could smell and even hear the dripping of his blood as he stumbled.
After walking out of the alley on the side of Liuxiangju, Xiao Lin's steps were still a little slow - after all, Mu You was much taller than her. Once he was injured, most of his weight was on her, causing her to move for a long time before she could only move to the entrance of the alley.
As luck would have it, Xiao Lin was helping Mu You out with tears and snot, and Brother Wang also walked out of the shop to see the guest off.
The three people who had just separated looked at each other again.
"Oh my God! What happened?" Brother Wang glanced sideways and immediately saw that half of Mu You's linen shirt was stained ochre with blood. He immediately trotted forward and took Xiao Lin's heavy body from him. "How did it get like this?"
Xiao Lin cried, trying to calm down: "We...we were just about to go into the backyard...but...but as soon as we entered...a sharp arrow flew out from nowhere...and...Mu You was accidentally hit...wuwuwu..."
The more he spoke, the more anxious he became. The tears that Xiao Lin had managed to force back were now difficult to hold back and burst out like a wave.
Brother Wang glanced casually at Mu You's injuries, then turned to comfort Xiao Lin, "Don't worry, don't worry. Let him go to the backyard first. He's too badly injured to move around. Let him rest in the backyard for a while. I'll go get a doctor for you."
"No... No!" Xiao Lin suddenly jumped up and down anxiously, tears streaming down his face. "He was injured in the backyard! I don't know what will happen if I go back!"
"Oh, you just entered through the small door?"
"right."
"This time I'll take you in through the main gate and find a room closest to the outside to lie down. Even if there are hidden weapons in the backyard, they wouldn't be placed in such an obvious place."
Although she said this, Xiao Lin still had doubts in her heart, but seeing that Mu You had lost too much blood and his lips had turned pale, she didn't care about anything else and simply gritted her teeth and agreed.
"Mu You, hold on, you can't die, you can't leave me alone, you said, you said I am important, how could you leave me..."
Then, Brother Wang supported Mu You, and Xiao Lin stood on his right shoulder. They tried their best to avoid the sight of the customers in the shop. They moved quickly and finally dragged Mu You to the backyard.
Brother Wang was quick and nimble. He found the room closest to the door and kicked the wooden door open.
Fortunately, although the compartment was small, there was a recliner so Mu You could lie down and rest.
“It hurts…it hurts…”
The pain overtook the numbness and took over his entire body in an instant. Before he knew it, the pain that seemed to tear him apart spread throughout his body in the blink of an eye.
Brother Wang found a shawl for Mu You and stuffed it into Xiao Lin's hands, repeatedly admonishing him: "Please take good care of him. He's lost so much blood, he might get cold. So keep an eye on him and don't let him faint from the cold. I'll go find a doctor right away."
Xiao Lin had no experience, so he could only nod vigorously in agreement with Brother Wang's words.
When the door closed again, the blazing sunlight outside was mostly filtered out by the window paper, and Xiao Lin's whole heart and soul was focused on the childhood sweetheart in front of him.
Veins popped out on his forehead, his lips lost their color, and his cheeks lost their rosy color.
Xiao Lin reached out and pinched his fingertips. A chill penetrated her arms, making her feel uneasy.
According to Brother Wang, she couldn't let him get hypothermia, so as soon as she touched his fingertips, she immediately tucked the shawl under him.
"Mu You, you can't get into trouble. I won't allow you to get into trouble..."
"Ahem..." Mu You coughed twice and jokingly said in a very hoarse voice, "If I really died here, would you be sad?"
"Pooh, pooh, pooh! What nonsense are you talking about! As long as I am in this world, you can't die!" Xiao Lin's face showed anger, but it quickly disappeared.
She covered Mu You's left palm with her hands, gently pulled it in front of her, and placed it under his brow.
At this moment, Mu You clearly noticed her wet eyelashes, and a slight touch left a puddle of water on the back of his hand.
"Silly boy, stop crying..." Mu You's eyes were clearly tired, and his fingers were powerless, but he still insisted on rubbing Xiao Lin's eyebrows, "I promise you, I will hold on, I will be fine..."
But the more indifferent he was, the more helpless she became.
Xiao Lin cried again. She was still the same as before, with no improvement at all.
The moments of more than ten years of getting along with Mu You suddenly came to mind, especially the adventures of life and death they had experienced together during this period of time. The two of them had long become inseparable parts of each other's world.
Whenever she encountered danger, he was the first to protect her. She seemed to take his protection for granted, and thus developed an appearance of being useless.
The tears are still falling, like the morning mist on the spider web.
Xiao Lin had never thought that waiting could be so long.
But it seemed as if God was setting a trap for her. When she was crying so hard that she was almost dehydrated, the door behind her began to shine brightly again.
She looked back immediately, but the dark figure at the door made her lose her mind.
The green bamboo wheelchair made a rough sound as it rolled over the stone slabs, and the front wheels got stuck in the dent of the ebony door sill, making a muffled "click" sound.
As Xiao Lin looked over, he saw a man in a moon-white summer robe, the front of which had been soaked with sweat and turned into a translucent mica color. He held the copper-clad armrest tightly with one hand and looked inside with disdain.
The swaying shadows of the trees under the corridor passed over his tense jaw, his back teeth grinding together, a pair of swaying jade fish pendants tied around his waist, his eyes sharp, piercing Xiao Lin.
But what frightened her even more was the crossbow in his hand, which was fully drawn.
Then, he spoke rashly, each word cold and indifferent: "Who are you..."
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