Yan Shang hadn't figured out why Mu Wanyao was leaving the city, wasn't she going out to play with Pei Qing? Obviously, as long as they didn't leave the city, his defense in the city would not allow the bandits to gain any advantage.
But this is obviously not what we should be concerned about now.
When the Jiedushi used both the real and fake princesses as bait, and when Yunshu told him in a trembling voice that the person captured by the bandits was Mu Wanyao, Yan Shang immediately understood what the situation was.
If Pei Qing had not betrayed Mu Wanyao!
So the current situation is to kill three birds with one stone: get rid of Mu Wanyao, get rid of Pei Qing, and get rid of Yan Shang.
Although Yan Shang had lived in harmony with the Nanyang Jiang family for three years with his ability to maneuver, and there seemed to be no conflicts, he knew very well in private that his natural position with the family could not be without conflicts.
What's more, the poor family forces behind Mu Wanyao and the aristocratic family forces behind the third prince Qin Wang are fighting each other to the death in Chang'an. As the maternal family of Qin Wang, Nanyang Jiang Clan can't find any opportunities at ordinary times... Once Mu Wanyao falls into the hands of bandits, Nanyang Jiang Clan will not deserve their current status unless they add insult to injury.
If Mu Wanyao was killed by arrows, it was the bandits who did it, and the Jiedushi would at most be guilty of "failure to rescue in time", which was not punishable by death. The pillars of the poor family represented by Pei Qing behind Mu Wanyao must also be held responsible for his death. Finally, the plan to suppress the bandits was proposed by Yan Shang himself... It would be best if the famous minister Yan Suchen died early for this matter, and it would be best if Nanyang returned to the era when the Jiang family had the final say.
...Yan Shang saw through Jiang's intention of taking advantage of the situation, so he naturally couldn't let Mu Wanyao get hurt here.
However, the Jiedushi was commanding the battle here, and Yan Shang, the county magistrate, was naturally one level lower than him. In a battle, it was most taboo for two commanders to give orders at the same time. So if Yan Shang told everyone not to fight at this time, not only would it disrupt the battle situation, but it was also very likely that the more orders he gave, the more chaotic the situation would become.
So Yan Shang, a blind man, put on a bow and arrow and a long sword, led his followers, and rushed to the battlefield himself.
The people around Yan Shang shouted: "The Lord of the Mansion is here in person! How dare you not try your best!"
Those officials have always admired Yan Shang's character. They have nothing to say about Yan Shang's work as the county magistrate for three years. Now that Yan Shang, who is disabled, has left the field, the heroic spirit of these men has been ignited, and they fight more fiercely. When Yan Shang leaves the field, due to his natural status as an official, both soldiers and bandits will gather in his direction.
Mu Wanyao was held by two or three bandits. The bandits who tied her got off their horses and grabbed her and screamed. The officials would not hesitate to kill the rats after hearing the roar of the governor, and those who should be killed would still be killed. The bandits who wanted to use her to make the officials stop the war got nothing in return, and they responded to the soldiers and arrows from all directions in a rather embarrassed manner.
Mu Wanyao felt very uncomfortable being held captive by them, but she remained expressionless and never said a word. Her fearlessness made the bandits think she was a real princess - only a real princess would remain calm in the face of such a chaotic battlefield.
Mu Wan shook his eyes and stared at Yan Shang, who had become their leader. He saw how inconvenient it was for a blind man like him, how his hands were turning pale from the effort he put on the bow and arrow, and how he was disturbed by the noisy sounds from all directions when he tried to shoot. The bow in his hand and the arrow on his back seemed to be completely useless.
Arrows flew like locusts, and the ground was covered with dead and wounded. Yan Shang stood in the middle of it, his eyes covered with white gauze, standing among a circle of people with good eyesight. He could only rely on the protection of Han Shuxing and others. This became his biggest weakness.
His face was as white as jade, clear and beautiful, and he wore a long gown embroidered with green bamboo, which showed his elegant and graceful temperament. However, this was a battlefield, not a place for scholars to meet. He looked so panicked and miserable among the strong men who were bloodthirsty, and he was out of tune with the people around him.
Mu Wan frowned and thought: What's the point of a blind man standing so conspicuously?
The Jiedushi himself did not die. He saw Yan Shang personally commanding the battle. His subordinates asked him for instructions. The Jiedushi's eyes were gloomy and he smiled faintly: "Yan Erlang wants to be a hero, so we will help him. The most important thing now is to suppress the bandits. It doesn't matter if one or two people are sacrificed."
He shouted loudly: "Charge! The bandits are causing trouble to the people. We must not let them escape today—"
Hearing the officials yelling "The county magistrate is here", and hearing the soldiers rushing forward desperately under the urging of the Jiedushi, the bandits panicked for a moment, and those who tied up Mu Wanyao were breathing heavily: Should they take the county magistrate as a hostage? Because now that they have captured the princess...the soldiers on the other side did not stop.
On Yan Shang's side, the more the fighting sound was directed towards him, the more he knew what was going on. His whole body was tense, his hand holding the bow, and he instinctively wanted to draw the arrow several times when murderous intent came to his face, but he held back. He had to act in an unbearable manner to make himself a target for the bandits.
He had to get in close contact with the other party in order to save Mu Wanyao.
Han Shuxing was wandering around Yan Shang, killing enemies. He came and went freely, and with his excellent martial arts, he was able to move among the bandits with ease. No one could stop him. He was also looking for an opportunity to approach the princess who was being held by the bandits, but the bandits were wary of him, a man with great martial arts skills, and he could not get close.
Han Shuxing kept telling Yan Shang about the changes in the enemy's position.
Yunshu held a sword behind Yanshang. After killing two people tremblingly, Yunshu's face turned pale and he felt that he was about to die.
So many dead bodies... Yun Shu called out "Er Lang" tremblingly, and Yan Shang whispered, "Just act like you can't stand the sight of killing, and don't look back after you run out. Go to the mansion to ask for help, and look for Fang Tong and other princess guards... Don't look for Pei Qing's, and don't look for the county government's guards! Only the princess's guards are truly reliable!"
Yun Shu: "Then Sir, this side..."
Han Shuxing once again wandered to Yan Shang's side and said in a hurried voice: "Erlang, the bandits are out of control. Someone is sneaking towards us..."
Yan Shang immediately pushed Yun Shu backwards with all his strength and said sternly, "Go!"
At the same time, a knife slashed towards Yan Shang. Han Shuxing shouted loudly and rushed forward like lightning. Yan Shang staggered back two steps, seeming a little panicked. The guards around him had all left, and he hurriedly called for someone to come and protect him. A bandit in the crowd lit up his eyes, and rushed towards Yan Shang with a ferocious look, and detained this county magistrate who was born a scholar...
-----
The bandits caught Yan Shang, and several of them shouted, "We have your county magistrate in our hands, why don't you stop!"
They really didn't know about the officials' little quarrels. After shouting twice, they saw that no one paid attention and were at a loss for a moment. But they also knew the importance of Yan Shang and would never let him go. Gritting their teeth, one of the bandits who had captured people shouted loudly: "Brother, we have the real princess in our hands, and the Lord of the Mansion is also in our hands! Those officials will definitely want to exchange with us! Why don't we retreat today!"
The bandit leader who was fighting fiercely on the battlefield laughed when he heard this: "Good! Well done!"
Bandits like them, who are not registered as residents, occupy the mountains and act as kings. They do not engage in production, but burn, kill and rob, which is equivalent to betraying the court. When the officials of the Wei Dynasty ignore them, they can barely survive. If the officials of the Wei Dynasty really want to punish them, they are thieves!
No matter how many bandits there are, they cannot stop the large number of troops from the imperial court.
These bandits in Nanyang have only been fighting with the soldiers for more than two months, and they have already lost a lot of people and suffered heavy losses. It is only a matter of time before they are completely wiped out. However, now that the princess and the lord are in our hands, why should we be afraid of the soldiers!
The bandit leader's eyes were red, and he said sternly: "Take the hostages away first! I will cover you!"
The bandits who had captured the hostages called out to "Big Brother" emotionally, and refused to leave. But after being yelled at twice by the Big Brother, they realized that the current situation was not favorable for them, so they gritted their teeth, grabbed the two hostages, mounted their horses one after another, and rushed up the mountain road under the cover of the bandits behind them!
The Jiedushi in the rear sent someone: "Chase!"
Han Shuxing called out to Yan Erlang's personal guards: "Follow me——"
-----
There was a whistling sound in my ears and several horses were galloping on the mountain road.
Yan Shang was held on horseback by a bandit, and there were pursuers chasing him from behind, shooting arrows continuously. He was anxious, relying on his hearing to judge the current situation. He knew in his heart that Mu Wanyao would definitely be captured with him, but the girl was too stubborn and didn't say a word, so he couldn't tell where she was...
Yan Shang closed his eyes, trying hard to calm himself down and judge the timing.
Han Shuxing and others were chasing closely behind him: "Let go of the Lord and the Princess, and I will spare your lives——"
The bandits were shocked by the relentless pursuit, and several of them fought against the pursuers. In the chaos, the bandit who was holding Mu Wanyao suddenly screamed, because when he turned around in confusion, Mu Wanyao, who had been silent, bit his wrist. When he struggled to let go of the reins, Mu Wanyao leaned over and took the opportunity to control the reins, kicking the horse's belly with his foot, causing the horse to shake...
Yan Shang's heart was in a mess, and then he heard a crisp slapping sound coming from the angle in front of him in the chaos: "You bitch! How dare you bite me!"
Then came the long neigh of a horse mixed with the sound of slapping on skin.
The girl made no sound.
Yan Shang felt like his heart was bleeding, he could no longer remain calm and wait for the opportunity!
The bandit who captured Yan Shang thought that the county magistrate he captured was just pretending to hold a bow and arrow, because he had never seen him shoot an arrow. The bandit tied Yan Shang with a rope in one hand, rode on his horse, and looked back at the battle behind him, watching how the bandits on this side tried to stop Han Shuxing and others and how they fought against the other side...
Then a dagger flashed coldly from below, and when the bandit turned his head again to look in the direction of the broken mountain road ahead, his throat was cut from bottom to top.
In less than a breath, the weak scholar-like man who was being held by him had broken free from the rope and kicked him off the horse. With a loud thump, a man fell off the horse, attracting everyone's attention.
Some bandits in the rear discovered that Yan Shang had controlled the horse, and they were immediately startled, and jumped off their horses to subdue Yan Shang. However, Han Shuxing and others also caught up, and used their light skills to fight, and one person killed Yan Shang with a sword!
But I still can't control the horse!
He held the reins with sweaty palms. He couldn't tell the direction because he couldn't see. He listened to the chaotic hooves and tried desperately to tell the direction of Mu Wan Yao. He couldn't help but say, "Your Highness... Yao Yao!"
Give him a voice—so he can tell where she is!
Mu Wanyao was pressed on the horse's back by the bandit, and the horse was shaking violently because of her previous actions. Thanks to the horsemanship she had learned in Wuman, she was at least not physically uncomfortable when being pressed on the horse by a man. Unfortunately, she was a weak woman, and her resistance to the man was just to bite him and confuse his mind... She wanted to kick the bandit off when he was distracted, but she didn't have enough strength.
Instead, she was slapped several times by the man and pressed down on the horse!
Mu Wanyao was sweating profusely, but he remained silent with his strong spirit.
At this moment of unconsciousness, she heard Yan Shang's trembling "shaking" behind her. She gritted her teeth and looked back reluctantly. The bandit found her struggling, and slapped her again, cursing: "What are you looking at? Is that your lover——"
Mu Wanyao suddenly leaped up and thrust her back at the man. She bent her knees and kicked the horse hard on the side. The horse under her was so ruthlessly teased by her that it neighed sharply and crashed into the mountain wall. Yan Shang behind her heard the sound and identified the position. He shot an arrow from his hand and shot it directly at the horse.
The bandit cursed: "Stinking bitch!"
The horse hit the rocks, and the whole body of the horse shook violently, and the stone and dirt flew from above. But Mu Wanyao in the bandit's arms was still not calm, her vision was blurred, but she bit anything she could bite... So the bandit and she fell off the horse together, rolling on the mountain road with a thud.
Yan Shang's arrows followed closely behind, following the sound and gradually stabbing into the ground.
He stopped his horse, but it was dark again and there were noisy sounds all around... He hated the fact that he couldn't see. His arms felt like they weighed a thousand pounds, and he raised and put them down again. He couldn't hear any sound, so he didn't dare shoot his arrows.
I was afraid that I would shoot in the wrong direction and hurt her!
Until he finally heard a very low and hoarse female voice, which seemed to be trying her best, trembling from a corner: "Yan Shang——"
The arrow in Yan Shang's hand pointed in that direction, and it flew out with a "whoosh", flying out like a locust!
-----
The bandit pinned Mu Wanyao down on the cliff beside the mountain trail. He had seen how dishonest this woman was, so he decided to kill her. When he was about to strangle her to death, his body froze, and the arrow behind him pierced his chest. He opened his eyes blankly and fell on Mu Wanyao.
Mu Wan was shaking and gasping for breath, and his vision went dark.
Her upper body was thrown down the cliff, and she was supported by the bandit's body. She couldn't push him away, and when she was shaking, she heard Yan Shang's trembling voice: "Yaoyao..."
Mu Wan shook his head and spat out the blood in his mouth, grabbing the bandit's shoulder with difficulty: "I'm here..."
The next moment, Yan Shang stumbled over after getting off his horse. He was covered in mud and had fallen many times on the winding mountain road full of stones and bushes. But he rushed over and pulled the man who was pressing on Mu Wanyao away. He knelt on the ground, his long hair slightly scattered on his cheeks, and bent over to hold Mu Wanyao in his arms.
His cold and sweaty hand stroked her cheek. His face was tense and his voice was trembling: "Did he beat you..."
Mu Wan leaned on his shoulder, panting. Her cheeks were swollen and her mouth was bleeding. But she closed her eyes: "What does it matter? Didn't I slap you too..."
No matter how many words I use, I cannot express it clearly.
Yan Shang was stunned, and suddenly leaned over and hugged her tightly without saying a word.
His body was shaking just like hers. He was not the kind of strong man who could fight ten people alone... Mu Wanyao felt sad. Although she was not out of trouble yet, she felt relieved.
She was held in his arms, and still felt the sense of security that she had lost for a long time.
The crisis was not resolved. Seeing the two hostages reunited, the bandits would not give up. Yan Shang did not have time to say more to Mu Wanyao. He could not see her current appearance, so he could only grab her hand and pull her up. He gave up the bow and arrow, and at Mu Wanyao's suggestion, he touched a sword used by bandits from the ground.
He held her hand with one hand and protected her behind him; with the other hand he held the sword and pointed it at the bandits who wanted to come over.
Han Shuxing and other guards also dismounted and fought with the bandits. Several waves of bandits rushed towards Yan Shang, but were slashed and driven back by Yan Shang's sword. These bandits were not of the same quality, but Yan Shang could still barely handle them.
But Mu Wanyao's hand was always held tightly by him.
Tired, Mu Wanyao felt the sweat on Yan Shang's hand as he held hers. Even with so much sweat, he still held on to her.
Han Shuxing shouted, "Erlang, not only are the bandits chasing us, but the soldiers are chasing us too!"
Yan Shang said: "Stop everyone——"
Han Shuxing gritted his teeth: "Why not let His Highness escape first..."
After Yan Shang chopped down a bandit who rushed over with a sword, he panted slightly: "No, she has to be with me, she has to be by my side."
In this case, they can only fight desperately... But the enemy here is much worse than us, and there is no way out. Yan Shang can only hold Mu Wan's hand and think of a way to return to the city from here. Their entire circle is spread out on the mountain road, with a cliff on one side and a stone wall on the other. It is really difficult to rush out.
Can’t go deep into the mountains and forests!
The forest is full of bandits.
Can't retreat!
The officers and soldiers don’t know who is the enemy or who is the enemy!
The battle became tense as they were caught in a dilemma. Suddenly, Mu Wan, who had been held behind Yan Shang, whispered, "Do you feel the ground shaking?"
Yan Shang was stunned for a moment: "What?"
He doesn't have to think about it!
The whole ground began to shake, and the mountain wall began to tremble. Yan Shang was blind and didn't know what was going on around him, but Mu Wanyao's hand, which was holding his, was shaking violently. There were overwhelming wails and pleas for mercy from all directions. When Yan Shang was at a loss and nervous, he heard Mu Wanyao's trembling voice: "It's the earth dragon - the earth dragon has woken up!"
The earth dragon woke up.
Perhaps he was awakened by the fighting on the mountain.
Whatever the reason, Mu Wanyao watched the cracked ground rushing towards her and Yan Shang's feet, and all the rocks and trees above her head fell down. Han Shuxing's eyes were bloodshot, and he rushed over, shouting "Erlang". Even Yan Shang, who was blind, felt the violent shaking.
For a moment, there was no other way, so Yan Shang turned around and hugged Mu Wanyao in his arms.
The next moment, the ground beneath their feet finally cracked, and the two were swept away and buried in the rolling dust.
Han Shuxing was constantly hit by flying stones and trees, but he followed Yan Shang with his eyes fixed on him. When Yan Shang's clothes were swept under the cliff by the flying sand, Han Shuxing rushed over and jumped down with the two men without hesitation...
-----
It was unknown how long the awakening of the earth dragon lasted, but the sky and earth were always dark, and dust and smoke were rolling. The entire mountain forest submerged the officers, soldiers and bandits in it. Everyone fled under the terrifying power of nature, and life and death became out of their control under the power of nature.
Yan Shang no longer cared about how those officers, soldiers and bandits escaped or died.
After he woke up from his coma, he found himself and Mu Wanyao buried in a hole. He felt pain all over his body, probably with many wounds, but he didn't care about that. Then he endured the pain and woke up the unconscious Mu Wanyao in his arms. The two worked together to get out of the hole buried in the earth.
This took about half an hour.
After they got out, they were lucky enough to meet Han Shuxing who came to look for them. With Han Shuxing, who had superb martial arts skills, accompanying them, they were finally able to find their target in this changed mountain.
Han Shuxing told Yan Shang that they should be in the flat land under the valley. But after the earth dragon, all the mountains have changed, and it is unknown whether the earth dragon will wake up for the second time. Han Shuxing can't judge where they are now.
Yan Shang asked Han Shuxing to tell him roughly what he saw. He made a judgment and said the name of a mountain while enduring the pain. He said, "We were washed to the direction of the stream under that mountain. There should be a stream here, but after the earth dragon passed, I don't know if the stream is still there, so don't worry about it for now.
"If I remember correctly, there is a wooden house for hunters to rest in about a mile to the east. There are always clothes and food in it... Let's go look for it."
Han Shuxing hesitated: "Erlang, are you sure? Now the terrain has changed, will the wooden house still be there..."
Mu Wanyao interrupted mercilessly: "No matter if it's right or not, let's go find him first. He's already like this, those people might still be chasing us, we have to find a place to rest and spend the night."
Han Shuxing went to see Yan Shang.
Seeing Yan Shang being supported by Mu Wanyao's arm, his face and body were covered with dust. Because of the previous battle, Yan Shang's body was already stained with blood, and now, there were large patches of bright red on his back... Mu Wanyao's face turned pale, and he supported Yan Shang, and the two of them limped.
Han Shuxing judged that the bright red color on Yan Shang's back was caused by the Earth Dragon's injury while protecting the princess.
-----
Yan Shang was really well prepared.
He was so focused on suppressing the bandits that he memorized all the mountain roads and terrains in all directions of Rang County. Even though the terrain had changed, the general direction was correct. Yan Shang and the other two walked in the dark night without encountering any enemies along the way. They only walked an extra mile before they were exhausted and found the wooden house that Yan Shang had mentioned for the tiger hunters to rest.
The roof of the wooden house was half collapsed, crushed by the fallen beech tree. But perhaps because the terrain was flat, the wooden house itself was not damaged too much. After the three of them went in, they found that the tiger hunter had left behind not only food and clothes, but also some basic healing medicines.
Only at this point did the three of them breathe a sigh of relief.
-----
Yan Shang was supported by Han Shuxing to a corner of the room to change clothes and treat his wounds. Yan Shang sat against the wall. After being highly nervous, he was just exhausted both physically and mentally.
When Mu Wanyao came over with a candle in hand, she saw Yan Shang sitting with his clothes unbuttoned. He bent his knees, resting his forehead on them, and the moonlight shone in through the small window. His skin was as white as snow, and the mountains and rivers were majestic and winding.
Han Shuxing was not there, and the blood-stained strips of cloth that Yan Shang had taken off were thrown on the ground, and some clean clothes were torn into strips and placed on the other side.
Mu Wan walked over and put the candle on the ground. She knelt beside him, picked up a piece of torn cloth, and bent her head to bandage him.
When her hand touched his chest, he seemed to wake up suddenly and said, "Did you find water?"
Mu Wan shook: "What water?"
Yan Shang was startled and grabbed her fingers that were pressing on his heart.
Then he whispered, "It's you."
Mu Wan shook his face indifferently and said, "Did you send Han Shuxing out to find water? Let me bandage your wound."
Yan Shang didn't say anything.
Neither of them spoke.
Then after a while, Yan Shang suddenly asked: "Is there a wound on your face? Can I touch it?"
Mu Wanyao spoke at the same time: "Don't you need to change the gauze on your eyes? Don't you need to apply medicine?"
They spoke at the same time, and both of them were stunned.
Yan Shang pursed his lips slightly and whispered: "It's okay. My eyes... I'll treat them after I get out. It won't have much impact."
Then he was held by her hand.
She rested her cold forehead against his shoulder, pulled his hand over, and let him touch her face. Mu Wanyao was a little absent-minded: "When I slapped you that day, did it hurt a lot?"
Yan Shang was quiet, his fingertips tremblingly touching her slightly swollen cheek.
His heart felt like it was bleeding again.
How he wanted to see what she looked like.
And when thousands of words came to his lips, Yan Shang just said: "...You are so weak, it doesn't hurt at all."
Mu Wan raised her head and stared at him for a moment, then asked softly, "Doesn't your face hurt, and your heart hurt too?"
He opened his mouth. Mu Wan looked at him and saw that he tried to speak several times, but his Adam's apple rolled and he couldn't say anything.
After a long time, he said in a hoarse voice: "It doesn't hurt."
Mu Wan shook her head and said, "You're lying."
He asked her again: "Does your face hurt?"
Mu Wan shook her head coldly: "It doesn't hurt."
Yan Shang: “You’re lying.”
He lowered his head and she said nothing.
Suddenly, Yan Shang reached out and held her in his arms. Mu Wanyao said nothing, but put her arms around his waist and buried her face in his arms.
The cold light shone on the young man's skinny back, like a butterfly spreading its wings to fly. The girl's long skirt spread on the ground, he leaned over, and his long hair fell on her face.
The two just hugged each other without saying anything. How could they express the bitterness and grievance in their hearts with thousands of words and the cold light of the bright moon?
Just hugs.
It was unknown when Han Shuxing came back. He coughed heavily, causing Yan Shang, who was sitting with his coat unbuttoned, and Mu Wanyao, who had her face buried in his chest, to freeze.
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