When they passed through Tongzhou, the group only stopped briefly to rest for half a day before continuing their journey back to the capital.
What was supposed to be a two-week trip took them a full month to complete and they still hadn't arrived.
Along the way, the assassins' attacks became more frequent and their methods more ruthless, as if an invisible net was gradually tightening.
Although Lu Jingze did not say it explicitly, Wang Xiuxiu could sense that his expression was becoming more and more solemn each day.
Therefore, it's no wonder that Lu Jingze and his group were in a hurry to get going.
But just two days after leaving Tongzhou, Lu Jingze suddenly pulled hard on the reins, and his horse neighed loudly, raising its front hooves high.
The carriage behind him also came to an abrupt stop.
This sudden turn of events caught Wang Xiuxiu, who was sitting in the car, off guard. Her body lurched forward, and she nearly fell to the ground.
She composed herself and couldn't resist quietly lifting a corner of the carriage curtain to see what was happening outside.
Lu Jingze's voice rang out: "Two people go over there and check carefully!"
The two guards responded in unison, "Yes!" They then quickly dismounted and strode forward, torches in hand.
Wang Xiuxiu had a keen sense of smell and could faintly detect a faint scent of blood in the chilly air.
Her heart sank, and her fingers unconsciously tightened around the carriage curtain.
Just then, the two guards reached the woods not far from them, their torches illuminating the surroundings.
By the light, the ground was littered with corpses lying haphazardly.
Blood splattered everywhere, landing on the already dark earth, appearing only slightly darker than the surrounding ground.
Upon closer inspection, those lying on the ground were dressed in the clothes of ordinary people.
Without exception, they were all covered in fatal arrow wounds.
The guards quickly returned and reported the situation to Lu Jingze.
Wang Xiuxiu was too far away to hear what they were saying.
Lu Jingze, with a solemn expression, silently accepted the torch handed to him by his personal guard and personally spurred his horse forward.
The bloodstains on the ground had not completely dried, indicating that the person had just died not long ago.
Lu Jingze frowned, and after only a moment's thought, he decisively gave the order for everyone to continue forward.
However, halfway there, a small group of people secretly split off and went down a side road.
At this moment, Wang Xiuxiu was sitting in the carriage, cold sweat pouring down her forehead, and her body trembling involuntarily.
Just now, Lu Jingze hurriedly got into the carriage and whispered some things to her.
When Wang Xiuxiu learned that the places she had just passed were all inhabited by civilians who had recently died, her face turned deathly pale.
Seeing this, Lu Jingze gently put his arm around her shoulder and softly comforted her, "Don't be afraid. This group of people are coming for me. There is a manor not far away. I will arrange for people to escort you and Zhou Yuan'an there to hide for a while. After I have taken care of things here, I will come to pick you up."
Upon hearing this, Wang Xiuxiu tried her best to maintain her composure, but her voice still trembled uncontrollably: "And what about you?"
"I'm fine. Neither you nor Zhou Yun'an are skilled, and you'd only be a burden to me. Only after I've settled you down can I deal with them without any worries!"
After saying that, he gently patted Wang Xiuxiu on the back to comfort her.
Wang Xiuxiu sat in the carriage, her heart filled with unease.
She lifted the car curtain and looked out at the dark night, her mind filled with countless thoughts.
She didn't know if Lu Jingze was safe at the moment, nor did she know how to deal with the situation next.
They've been separated for a while now, and thinking about it...
As I was pondering this, suddenly, a sharp "whoosh!" was heard.
An arrow streaked across the night sky like lightning, hurtling towards us from afar with a fierce momentum.
The arrow was extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye, it shot straight into the convoy.
The guards on the outermost edge, responsible for protecting the convoy, had no time to react before being pierced through by the sudden arrow.
He screamed and then fell heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
They didn't even dare to light torches along the way, for fear of attracting unnecessary attention.
However, even in such a dark environment with almost no light, the archer hidden in the distance was still able to hit the guard in the chest with such accuracy, which shows his amazing archery skills.
The carriage jolted violently, followed by the neighing of horses.
Wang Xiuxiu felt as if something was blocking her throat, and she couldn't even make a sound.
"Protect Miss Wang!" a soldier shouted.
Before she could react, the sounds of clashing weapons and shouts of battle filled the air outside the car.
Wang Xiuxiu gripped the handrail inside the car tightly, trying her best to remain calm. At this moment, she absolutely could not become a burden.
Realizing something was wrong, he found his body no longer under his control, so he had to use all his strength to push the coffee table in front of him to the ground and crawl to hide.
The fighting outside grew increasingly intense. Wang Xiuxiu took a deep breath, quietly lifted a corner of the carriage curtain, and peered out. She saw several men in black engaged in a fierce battle with Lu Jingze's personal guards, with blood splattering amidst the flashing blades.
She gritted her teeth and gripped the dagger Lu Jingze had left behind tightly in her hand.
After an unknown amount of time, the entire forest suddenly fell silent, a deathly stillness enveloping the surroundings.
Wang Xiuxiu pulled out a handkerchief from her bosom, stuffed it into her mouth, and bit down hard, afraid that the sound of her teeth chattering would be heard.
After doing all this, Wang Xiuxiu curled up on the carriage, not daring to make the slightest movement.
Suddenly, a series of chaotic and hurried footsteps came from around the vehicle, as if death was approaching step by step.
At this critical moment, Wang Xiuxiu felt a chill run down her spine, her eyes fixed on the carriage curtain.
The carriage curtain was suddenly pulled open, and a figure in black appeared at the carriage door.
Without hesitation, Wang Xiuxiu thrust out the dagger.
The man in black clearly hadn't expected the people inside the car to react this way, and caught off guard, he was stabbed in the shoulder with a dagger.
He grunted and took a few steps back.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Wang Xiuxiu jumped out of the carriage and ran into the woods.
You must not stop, or you will face certain death.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com