Chapter 49 The Night of Slaughter In a daze, he saw that same creature from ten years ago again...
Gu Xi stayed in the darkness for a long time. Her hands and feet were cold from being bound, and she felt like she couldn't breathe.
Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching, and she instinctively tensed up.
The tent flap was opened, and the light from the campfire outside shone in. She saw two men walk in, and she kicked her legs back, her fear reaching its peak.
They lit the lamps inside the tent, which stung her eyes, but she still struggled to open them and see who was coming.
"Young lady, you're awake?" The man who spoke looked to be in his thirties or forties, with a burly face and a scar near his eye, exuding a sinister aura.
Standing next to him was a tall, thin man who looked younger and had some scars on his forehead, but his features were much gentler.
"Who are you people? Why are you arresting me?" Gu Xi looked at them warily and asked the question that was on her mind.
The burly man ignored her question and continued, "Who is your husband? Is he one of those lackeys in the imperial court?"
As he spoke, he bent down, grabbed her hand, and squeezed and stroked it. The thick calluses on his palm rubbed against her delicate skin. He said, "Those from the capital are indeed different. This skin is so delicate and tender. It's just that her face isn't very pretty."
Gu Xi froze in fright. She dodged left and right, trembling as she said, "Don't touch me!" Her voice was already tinged with tears.
The tall, thin man stepped forward and blocked his restless hands: "Brother, is this young lady from the imperial court? What are you doing bringing her here?"
The burly man replied unhappily, "I have my reasons for doing this."
"No, brother, offending the court like this won't do us any good. Most of the brothers in the camp are sick now. If they lead troops, we have no chance of winning." Not only will we have no chance of winning, but we might even be wiped out.
“What do you know? I got word that that bastard and his sworn brother have been recruited by the imperial court, and they’re probably plotting how to wipe us out right now.” He said with a hint of smugness, “Luckily, we recently changed camps, so they won’t be able to find us for a while. We’ll kidnap them and use them as hostages.”
“Someone told me that this young lady is very valuable. If you capture her, the other party will agree to any conditions. They found that grandson surnamed Sun because of her.”
Gu Xi looked up upon hearing this, not understanding what they meant. They were talking about Chief Sun, but why did they say that she was the one who found him?
He looked at Gu Xi with ill intent and said, "Even if you can't be a hostage, you can stay and be a bandit's wife."
"But elder brother..."
"You talk too much nonsense. Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You're still too green to think you can climb all over me!"
Suddenly, a man rushed into the tent, shouting anxiously, "Boss, Second Boss, something terrible has happened! A lot of people have come outside! The brothers can't hold them off any longer!"
"Stay here and guard her. I'll be right back. Don't let her get away!" The burly man said before running off.
Gu Xi remained huddled in the corner, watching the man in front of her warily.
"Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you," the tall, thin man said.
"Can you let me out? I haven't heard that my husband is going to punish you. Maybe you've made a mistake." Actually, she wasn't sure either; Xiao Heng wouldn't tell her these things.
Seeing that the other party was still hesitant, Gu Xi continued, "Whatever you want, I will do my best to persuade you..."
Before Gu Xi could finish speaking, another person rushed in from outside the tent: "Second Master! Something terrible has happened! Run! The enemy has broken in!"
Upon hearing this, the tall, thin man ran out. Reaching the tent flap, he suddenly stopped, threw down a dagger, and said, "Good luck, young lady!"
The fighting outside grew increasingly intense, and Gu Xi tried her best to calm herself down.
With her back arched, she crawled forward little by little, using the strength of her legs and waist. The hemp rope rubbed her joints until they turned red, but she didn't care about the pain. She adjusted her breathing again and again, and finally reached the dagger.
She was already drenched in sweat and panting heavily.
She gripped the dagger with her other hand, wedging the blade into the knot of the rope binding her back, and repeatedly cut with twisting her arm until the rope broke.
Her hands had been tied for too long and were trembling. It was only after she finally managed to cut the ropes off her feet that she realized her legs were numb, and her wrists and ankles were bruised and swollen, with no part of them looking unharmed.
At that moment, she almost burst into tears.
Ah Heng, where are you? Why haven't you come looking for me yet?
She trembled as she got up. She dared not stay in the tent for too long, fearing that the burly man, their leader, would return.
She slowly moved out of the tent, supporting herself on the tent flap. After only a few steps outside the tent, she saw several corpses lying haphazardly on the ground. She screamed in fear and quickly covered her mouth.
Her blood seemed to freeze, her teeth chattered uncontrollably, and she curled up in a corner.
She tried to hide back in her tent, but suddenly a bandit spotted her, his eyes flashing with malice, and raised his knife to strike her.
Her leg was in excruciating pain. She tried to dodge, but couldn't even hold onto the dagger. The bandit turned and slashed down at her. She had no strength left and could only close her eyes in despair.
The expected pain did not materialize.
She heard a crisp "clang" in her ear, followed by a muffled thud as something heavy fell to the ground. Gu Xi opened her eyes shakily and saw the bandit fall to the ground.
She looked up and saw a figure in pure white blocking her way. He held a sword in his right hand, and a dark red stain was spreading on his left shoulder, the wound he had sustained while shielding her from a knife.
The person who saved her was Bai Xingzhi.
“Don’t be afraid,” he said, still appearing calm and collected, though his voice trembled slightly. He turned to look at her and said, “I’ll take you away.”
His eyes were filled with shock, anger, and tenderness.
But Gu Xi didn't see it. She said worriedly, "Young Master Bai, you're injured..."
"It's alright." Bai Xingzhi reached out to help her up when suddenly a familiar, deep voice rang out from not far away.
"Gu Xi!"
Gu Xi looked in the direction of the sound and saw Xiao Heng standing not far away in the night, dressed in black, his eyes filled with fear and anxiety.
The moment she saw him, her eyes filled with tears. All her fear and grievances erupted at that moment. She opened her mouth, but found that she couldn't utter a single word.
Xiao Heng looked at the figure huddled in the corner, looking at him helplessly, and felt as if his heart had shattered at that moment.
He strode toward her, his eyes fixed on her, nothing else mattered.
He knelt down in front of her, holding her tightly in his arms, his strength as if trying to embed her into his own body. He soothed her in a hoarse voice, "It's me, I've come." He was filled with the joy of having her back and the fear of almost losing her.
Gu Xi gripped his shirt tightly with both hands, choking back tears as she said, "Aheng, I was so scared, why did it take you so long to come..." Her voice trembled and broke.
Xiao Heng lowered his head and kissed the top of her head, his eyes bloodshot: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Bai Xingzhi's outstretched hand was still suspended in mid-air. He slowly withdrew it and gave a self-deprecating smile.
"Can you still stand up?" Xiao Heng asked softly.
Gu Xi hid her hands in her sleeves and nodded.
"Be good, don't look..." Xiao Heng wrapped Gu Xi in his arms. His personal guards surrounded them, and he and Bai Xingzhi protected her as they went out.
Gu Xi buried her face in Xiao Heng's chest, the sounds of fighting echoing in her ears, the heavy smell of blood filling her nostrils, and she trembled with fear.
Suddenly, she felt a sticky, warm sensation on her chin. She looked up slightly and instinctively reached out to touch it, only to find her hand covered in blood, which was slowly dripping down her palm.
Her fingertips trembled slightly as she stiffly looked around, her eyes instantly filled with blood and corpses.
She saw his personal guards fighting the bandits, who were powerless to resist. Corpses were scattered all around, and blood stained the ground.
Her pupils contracted violently, and the suppressed fear burst forth from her throat, causing her to scream uncontrollably.
At this moment, Xiao Heng was already bloodthirsty, his heart filled with violence, and all he could hear was the clashing of weapons and the dying gasps of his enemies.
Every swing of his sword was filled with a devastating killing intent. How dare they touch her? He wanted them all dead!
In a daze, he saw the tiger with piercing eyes and a white forehead from ten years ago again. The stench from its gaping maw, the excruciating pain of its claws tearing through flesh, and the roar he let out when he was pushed down the mountain—all of these became clear at this moment.
His sword tip pierced the enemy's throat, and warm blood splattered onto his face, but he didn't even blink.
He also wanted them to experience what it's like to suffocate in a glacier.
"Aheng, stop, please stop..." Gu Xi grabbed Xiao Heng's collar and said in a trembling voice.
She didn't want him to kill anymore; these bandits couldn't stop them at all.
"Aheng, Aheng..."
Xiao Heng finally snapped out of his daze at the calls. He looked down and saw that her pale face was stained with crimson.
His hand holding the sword paused, and he suddenly stopped.
He suddenly raised his sleeve to wipe the blood off her face, but the blood just wouldn't come off. He unconsciously increased the pressure and wiped it off repeatedly, with an almost obsessive urgency.
Gu Xi cried out in pain, but he ignored it and continued until there was no trace of the mark on his face before he stopped.
His precious things shouldn't be tainted by these dirty things.
Xiao Heng continued to swing his sword forward, and the ferocity in his eyes terrified Gu Xi.
She hugged him tightly, her voice trembling with tears, and said, "Aheng, let's go back, let's not fight anymore."
She didn't want him to be like that.
But Xiao Heng seemed not to hear her, and continued forward with her in his arms, thrusting his sword at those people.
Gu Xi hugged him tighter, crying, "Aheng, I'm scared. I don't want to stay here. Please take me back." Her voice was panicked and urgent.
Her cries seemed to awaken him. He looked down at her for a long time, the fierceness in his eyes gradually fading. He wiped away her tears and said, "Okay, let's go back."
He sheathed his sword, picked her up in his arms, and strode out of the camp.
Seeing this, the guards also stopped and escorted them back.
Gu Xi wrapped her arms around his neck, glanced back at the corpses and remains behind her, closed her eyes, and felt deeply ashamed of her sins.
*
In front of the villa.
Xiao Heng carried Gu Xi off the horse. As he stepped over the threshold, he glanced up and noticed the wound on Bai Xingzhi's shoulder.
He suddenly stopped, frowned, and asked, "How did you get this shoulder injury?"
Gu Xi was about to express her gratitude when Bai Xingzhi replied calmly, "I was ambushed when I was alone, it's nothing."
Gu Xi looked at him in confusion, not understanding why he wouldn't tell the truth. He was clearly injured while saving her.
Bai Xingzhi avoided her gaze.
Xiao Heng hummed in agreement and said, "Find a doctor to treat it."
Bai Xingzhi agreed.
Back in the room, Gu Xi clung to Xiao Heng, unwilling to let go, still unable to shake off the panic she had just experienced.
Xiao Heng held her as they lay down, gently patting her back to comfort her. Gu Xi gradually relaxed and finally fell asleep from exhaustion.
He looked at her still-furrowed brows and uneasy expression in her sleep, his eyes filled with a chilling malice.
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Author's Note: These last few chapters weren't handled very well, thank you to everyone still reading [laughing and crying emoji]. I'll at least build up 200,000 words before starting the next book [laughing and crying emoji].
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