Chapter 22: Attracting the Enemy
Just then, the sound of galloping footsteps came from afar, and more officials chased after them.
Just now when Jin Sui and Gu Chang Xiao teamed up to kill the official, Grandpa Ling didn't help because he had more important things to do.
That is to find a hiding place for the few people. Grandpa Ling firmly believes that his divination is very effective and the way to survival is in the north, so they will definitely survive.
He actually found a good place. Just below the mountain road where they were fighting, there was a clump of tall wild bamboos, with various wild vines entwined around them, forming a natural cage.
Jin Sui and Jin An supported the fainted Gu Chang Xiao on the left and right. Grandpa Ling jumped down the mountain road first and reached out to catch Jin An:
"Come down quickly and hide first."
Jin Sui stretched his head to take a look and asked hurriedly: "Can it be pressed down? Will it fall down?"
There was a cliff below the vines! Grandpa Ling was also very brave. This was even more thrilling than when Sun Wukong jumped into the Water Curtain Cave.
Grandpa Ling said hurriedly: "Bamboo is tough and can be pressed down! Come down quickly, the bandits are chasing us."
Jin Sui no longer had any concerns. Those officers had no intention of arresting anyone alive; they were only there to silence him.
There's a 50% chance of dying anyway, so it's better to jump down, hide and try your luck.
She lifted the iron chain on her feet and almost hugged Gu Changxiao as they jumped down together.
Grandpa Ling hurriedly used his walking stick to disrupt the bamboo branches and vines above his head so that people passing by would not be able to see what was unusual here.
Jinsui felt like he was jumping on a trampoline. Every time he moved, his feet would make a squeaking sound and he felt like he would miss a step and fall into the abyss at any moment.
Soon, we heard footsteps on the mountain path overhead, and the police were accusing the bandits:
"Chase them quickly, they are escaping along this road."
"After we catch up with them, we won't leave any of them alive. We will kill them all on the spot!"
The sound of footsteps faded away, and Jin'an nervously covered his mouth tightly.
Grandpa Ling sat like an old clock, not daring to move at all, for fear that the bamboo branches would make noises and alert the bandits.
Gu Changxiao leaned on Jinsui's shoulder. Jinsui felt a wet spot on his back. He turned his head and saw that blood was still flowing.
She quickly reached out to cover the wound on his back, then looked at the arrow on his shoulder, which was also bleeding.
The whip wounds on this man's body had not yet healed. No, when he was found in the reed marsh that day, all his old wounds had not yet healed.
And tonight he was shot by an arrow and stabbed by a knife. With these new wounds and old ones, his blood is really thick! If it were an ordinary person, he would have died long ago.
Jin Sui took out the medicine bag from his waist and without even bothering to clean the wound, he poured the medicine directly into his palm and applied it on his back.
Gu Changxiao groaned in pain, but still did not wake up.
When the footsteps above his head faded away, Jin An asked first: "Grandpa, how long are we going to hide here?"
Then he asked Jinsui, "Brother, will he die?"
Before the two could answer, the boy actually started crying: "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have run around so willfully."
"My grandfather and brother were captured by bandits, and my elder brother Gu was injured."
Jin Sui comforted him, "You are indeed responsible for being caught by the bandits, but it is none of your business that this man was chopped."
"Those officers are here to arrest him."
Grandpa Ling said hurriedly: "You can't say that. If it weren't for the three of us, with Brother Gu's skills, I'm afraid he would have escaped long ago."
Jin'an was speechless. This grandfather and grandson couple were too kind. They took all the responsibilities on themselves.
She stretched out her foot and said, "It's not like I wanted to run away with him! Isn't there anything else I can do?"
At this time, footsteps were heard above their heads again. Several people did not dare to speak anymore and were silent as a cicada in fear. However, the bamboo branches under them kept making crisp sounds.
It was as if there was a knife hanging over my head, and the blade could chop down at any time, and every breath seemed extremely long.
Or it could be said that the four of them were like hanging on parachutes in mid-air, and there were people holding knives below, ready to take their lives as soon as they landed.
Unfortunately, the parachute was overweight and was about to kill them.
When the footsteps overhead disappeared again, Jinsui made a decision.
She first said to Grandpa Ling: "Grandpa, tell us again whether all four of us can survive this time."
Grandpa Ling did not hesitate at all. He took out three copper coins and solemnly divined. His expression instantly changed from solemn to joyful: "Auspicious divination. We will definitely be able to escape death."
Jin Sui smiled and said, "That's good, because my plan is a bit dangerous, Grandpa must allow it."
As she spoke, she took off Gu Changxiao's clothes, and when she pulled off the belt, a bronze token fell out.
Jin'an went to pick up the token to have a look, but Jinsui's attention was attracted by another thing that fell out of Gu Changxiao's chest.
It was half a sleeve, made of rough and frayed cloth, the most ordinary farm burlap.
These were also Zheng's clothes that she wore when she escaped from the Jiang family.
It was that day when she rescued Gu Changxiao in the reed marsh. He grabbed her sleeve and she couldn't get away. In a hurry, she tore half of her sleeve.
She had never expected that Gu Changxiao would actually keep the sleeve and hide it so solemnly on his chest.
Is this guy mentally ill? Grandpa Ling was looking at the bronze token. When he saw Jin Sui's expression, he asked hurriedly, "What's wrong? What is that?"
Jin Sui stuffed his hand back into Gu Changxiao's chest, his fingers even touching his hot skin.
"Nothing, did Grandpa recognize what the token was?"
Grandpa Ling shook his head: "I've never seen it before. Maybe it's a family heirloom of his Gu family!"
Jin Sui asked, "Is that proof of identity?"
Her Taoist robe was given to Jin'an, and she was still wearing the men's clothes that Grandpa Ling asked the fisherman to change for her.
She took off her coat and put on Gu Changxiao's clothes, and hung the token in a conspicuous place around her waist. It was quite heavy and almost pulled her belt off.
She tore a piece of cloth from her outer garment and used it as a veil to cover her face, then took out Gu Changxiao's short blade. The only problem was the iron chain on her feet.
She first used the short blade to pry, but it was completely useless.
Looking at Gu Changxiao's broken and bone-exposed ankle, she murmured:
"Being a cripple is better than losing your life. The situation is critical now. I will save your life and take one of your feet. Don't blame me when you wake up!"
After saying that, he gestured as if he was going to cut Gu Changxiao's foot.
Grandpa Ling was startled and hurriedly stopped him, saying, "Don't do that! He's already so injured, if he loses another leg he'll definitely die!"
"Let me try to open this lock."
Jin Sui said nothing and stretched his feet in front of Grandpa Ling.
Grandpa Ling looked around, broke off a thin bamboo stick, fiddled with the keyhole for a while, then took out the copper hairpin on his head, and the two worked together.
With a slight clang, the iron chain was actually opened! Jin Sui was delighted and praised: "I didn't expect Grandpa to have this ability!"
Grandpa Ling smiled proudly, and then heard Jin Sui ask: "Why didn't you open it for me earlier?"
Grandpa Ling glanced at the unconscious Gu Changxiao with embarrassment: "I'm just afraid that if we open it, Brother Gu will abandon us and run away!"
"If I had known he was such a gentleman, I would have opened it for you."
Well, Jinsui could no longer say that Gu Changxiao didn't treat her as a partner. The four of them had eight hundred schemes in their minds.
Jinsui felt that Grandpa Ling's evaluation of Gu Changxiao was too high:
"He knew that the officer was here to arrest him. The three of us were implicated by him, so we tried our best to rescue him."
Grandpa Ling shook his head slowly: "A gentleman is judged by deeds rather than by heart. If you look at the heart, there are few perfect people in the world. No matter what, it is a fact that Brother Gu saved Jin'an and me."
Jinsui nodded: "Grandpa is right, so it's my turn to save him."
As she spoke, she had already dressed up and tried to imitate Gu Changxiao's voice:
"Master Ji."
Grandpa Ling was suddenly startled, and then he realized what Jin Sui wanted to do, and hurriedly said:
"No, no, no, you don't know Kung Fu, how can you escape from those people!"
Jin Sui chuckled and said, "But Grandpa has already predicted it, we will all survive!"
"Although fate is determined by heaven, it is up to man to decide. If I don't act, the four of us will be trapped here and die."
"Don't worry, Grandpa. Although I don't know Kung Fu, we have been walking in the forest for so long. I still have the ability to escape."
"Wait for me to lead the enemy away, then you quietly go out and find a safe place to hide. I will definitely come back alive to find you!"
(End of this chapter)
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