Chapter 11: Hypocrisy
After rolling all the way, Shen Yuexi felt like she was about to fall apart.
Especially, it seemed like a stone hit her waist on the way, and the pain was so severe.
I remember watching TV dramas where people would get up right away after rolling down a slope, like nothing had happened. But when it came to her, it felt like she was being crushed under a flour millstone.
It hurts so much.
She raised her head from Xiao Zhuo's chest and realized that Xiao Zhuo had been using his arms to protect her head all the way.
"Are you okay?" Xiao Zhuo moved his arm away from behind her head.
When she was rolling down just now, Shen Yuexi didn't think so much. Now that she stopped, she noticed that she was holding the other person's waist tightly...
Her face felt a little hot, and she coughed quickly, then climbed up with her hands on both sides of Xiao Zhuo's body.
After calming herself down, she stretched out her hands and pulled Xiao Zhuo up. She frowned slightly and examined him from head to toe. She saw that the wound on his right shoulder had split open and the back of his clothes was stained red.
"The arrow wound has split open and is bleeding." She reminded Xiao Zhuo.
Xiao Zhuo shook his head, pressed his left hand on the spot under his ribs, and replied: "As long as the arrow is not in the body, it will be fine. I can press here to slowly stop the bleeding, don't worry."
Shen Yuexi nodded in understanding.
But this wasn't a solution. She stretched her aching limbs and looked around for herbs nearby.
The two of them were now at the edge of a small forest. The forest was not large, and they could walk out after crossing a distance of about a hundred meters.
At this time, there was a noisy sound from the top of the steep slope, and several heads appeared.
Xiao Zhuo put his left hand under his ribs and pulled her up with his right hand: "They will catch up, let's go quickly."
As Shen Yuexi ran, she thought to herself, "Big Bear, make some hemostatic powder."
Although Xiao Zhuo said that there was no problem, human blood is limited and it cannot continue to flow. The bleeding must be stopped as soon as possible.
"Dear Master, collecting the raw materials needed for the hemostatic powder... progress 10%."
“…30%”
“…50%”
Shen Yuexi was secretly delighted. While she was running away, the medicine powder was made at the same time. Her efficiency was extremely high.
“…70%”
“…99%”
She had her palms open, waiting.
"99%...99%...Dear Master, insufficient raw materials, production interrupted."
Shen Yuexi was speechless. What was going on? There was only 1% left and she couldn't do it.
"Dear Master, please change your position as soon as possible. Big Bear will continue to collect the raw materials needed for the hemostatic powder and will notify you when the collection is completed."
At this point, the two had already run out of the woods, but Shen Yuexi felt it necessary to go back inside. After all, medicinal herbs grow in places with lush vegetation, such as forests.
But when she looked back, she immediately gave up the idea.
The pursuers were sliding down the steep slope. Two of them had already reached the bottom and were getting up.
"Look." Xiao Zhuo pointed to the front and said to her.
Ahead of them lay a vast river, several dozen feet wide, with a gentle current and no end in sight on either side. They looked left to right, but saw no bridge.
There are pursuers behind and a big river in front. What should I do?
Shen Yuexi looked at Xiao Zhuo nervously: "Husband, what should I do? I...I can't swim."
She is a landlubber and sinks as soon as she enters the water, only making two bubbles at most.
"It's okay," Xiao Zhuo squinted his eyes and pointed to the river bank, "Let's go there. There's a small boat there."
Shen Yuexi looked in the direction he pointed, and sure enough, she saw a small covered boat parked all by itself on the riverbank. There was a frame on the shore with a tattered fishing net on it. It was a fisherman's boat.
The two men ran to the boat, jumped into the water together, untied the rope that tied the boat, and then pushed the boat into the waist-deep water together.
After a lot of effort, the two climbed onto the boat one after another.
Shen Yuexi stood on the boat, wringing out the water from her wet clothes. Xiao Zhuo, holding his pole, thrust it into the water, and the boat immediately left the bank and drifted towards the center of the river.
When the boat was more than ten meters away from the shore, the pursuers also arrived at the shore.
The first to arrive were three guards, one of whom was a middle-aged man who looked quite dignified and stood in the middle, while the other two stood behind him with knives in their hands.
He first looked around, then raised his hand and shouted, "Xiao Zhuo, please sail back. His Majesty, by grace, will forgive you."
Shen Yuexi sat at the bow of the boat, listening to the man's shouting, and felt very familiar.
Thinking more carefully, it was the leader they heard in the cave.
They said that the emperor pardoned Xiao Zhuo?
He was innocent but someone shot him with an arrow and he wouldn't even panic.
As far as the eye could see on the riverbank, there was only their small boat. Unless the pursuers could float on the water, there was no way they would be caught up.
She turned her head to look at Xiao Zhuo who was holding the oar at the stern, and said sarcastically: "Husband, the commander said that the emperor has pardoned you."
Xiao Zhuo's face darkened as he shouted coldly to the man on the other side, "I, Xiao Zhuo, will always remember your kindness in hunting me down and will repay you one day."
"Xiao Zhuo!" the guard leader raised his voice. "You only think about taking your woman and escaping, but don't you think about your mother?"
When Xiao Zhuo heard the man mention the queen, his face suddenly became gloomy.
His eyes were red with anger, and he stood still, looking at the man opposite him against the wind, with veins bulging on his hand that was holding the pole.
"After all, you are His Majesty's son. From ancient times to the present, it is unjust for a son to rebel against his father." The chief guard followed the boat closely along the riverbank. "If you return obediently and surrender, His Majesty, in recognition of your past merits, may pardon your grave sin and allow you to reunite with your mother."
Seeing the conflict on Xiao Zhuo's face, Shen Yuexi became anxious and grabbed his sleeve, saying, "Husband, don't listen to him. As soon as we return to the shore, we will be killed immediately. Your mother, your mother has already..."
After Xiao Zhuo set out, the queen was sentenced to death. The man thought Xiao Zhuo was unaware of this and used the queen to lure him.
"I know." Xiao Zhuo interrupted her, his voice hoarse and sad, "He tempted me with words, just to buy time and wait for the archer."
She saw that Xiao Zhuo had a sad face, which showed his dissatisfaction and resentment towards the emperor.
She stood beside him silently.
At this time, the boat had reached the center of the river, a hundred meters away from the shore.
The pursuers from the shore arrived one after another, including more than ten archers armed with strong bows.
Seeing that Xiao Zhuo was not fooled, the leader of the guards stopped pretending and waved his hand to give orders.
"Shoot!"
Xiao Zhuo steadied the boat with one hand, bent down, picked up a wooden stick covered in fish scales and blood from the deck, and shouted to Shen Yuexi, "Hide under the awning!"
Shen Yuexi immediately crouched down and went into the boat awning, picked up the mattresses and other things inside and blocked the direction of the enemy.
There were a series of muffled "puff" sounds, and several arrows came out from the awning. They only penetrated the awning and were unable to go any further, so they could not hurt her.
She was worried about Xiao Zhuo's safety outside, so she stuck her head out from the awning and shouted, "Come in quickly too."
Xiao Zhuo remained calm, holding the oar in one hand and wielding a wooden stick in the other, deflecting the incoming arrows. He said, "No need. We are already out of the arrows' range. The arrows have already lost their power by the time they reach us. I can withstand them."
Shen Yuexi looked at Xiao Zhuo in surprise.
This man is incredible. He is still so strong even after being injured.
On the shore, an archer said to the leader of the guards, "Sir, the target is too far away. The arrow can no longer reach it."
The chief guard waved his hand, indicating that he understood.
He looked up at the boat drifting downstream, a look of fear in his eyes, and muttered to himself:
"No one has ever escaped the fate of his majesty. They will be no exception."
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