As expected, Chen Han's troops discovered a group of bandits fleeing in disarray deep in the mountains. They shouted, "Your stronghold has been completely wiped out! Surrender now! If you confess, you might be spared!"
However, this band of bandits had committed countless evils and had long since lost all fear and conscience, so they naturally wouldn't listen to these words. Seeing that they wouldn't listen to advice, Chen Han raised his hand and shouted an order: "Fire the arrows!"
In an instant, arrows flew out like raindrops. Several bandits had no time to dodge and were immediately hit by the arrows, screaming as they fell to the ground and died.
One of the arrows was aimed straight at Wei Jinglan's face. She instinctively closed her eyes, awaiting death. However, the expected pain did not occur. She slowly opened her eyes and saw that tall figure standing in front of her, the deadly arrow almost piercing through his arm.
His face was covered in cold sweat. He gritted his teeth, swung his knife to cut off the tail of the arrow, grabbed Wei Jinglan's wrist, and as if using all his strength, pulled her forward desperately.
The two stumbled and ran for an unknown amount of time before suddenly slipping and tumbling down the hillside. By the time they finally reached flat ground, Wei Jinglan was completely exhausted and could barely stand up.
Now that the sounds of the officials and other bandits had ceased, Wei Jinglan was finally able to calm down. The scene of the man shielding her from the arrow, pulling her to escape, and protecting her with his own body as they tumbled down the cliff flashed through her mind. She finally realized one thing.
Wei Jinglan raised her head and looked at Lu Ming, her voice filled with certainty: "Lu Ming, you like me."
Lu Ming, covered in injuries, was taken aback upon hearing this, then sneered, "Heh, I don't know how many times I've told you this, and you're only realizing it now?" His gaze fell on her face, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, "But it's alright, it's not too late to know now. Once we escape, everything will be over, and I'll live a peaceful life as an ordinary person. From now on, the two of us can be a happy couple."
Wei Jinglan asked, "What makes you think I will be a happy couple with you?"
A hint of sadness flickered in Lu Ming's eyes. "Jinglan, I know I hurt you before, but don't worry, my feelings for you are real. From the first day I saw you, I fell in love with you. We even had a wedding ceremony in the mountain village. We are husband and wife, aren't we? I don't believe you were faking those sweet words and intimate moments."
His tone carried an almost stubborn tenderness, as if this was his last hope. However, Wei Jinglan revealed a smile that was more like a grimace, her voice hoarse and cold: "You really are ridiculous."
After saying that, she took out the arrow she had been hiding in her sleeve and thrust it straight into Lu Ming's chest without hesitation. Lu Ming's pupils dilated suddenly, his face filled with disbelief. Wei Jinglan, who was always soft-hearted, actually dared to do such a thing. His lips trembled, and his voice was weak and hoarse: "Why...why?"
Wei Jinglan's eyes were devoid of any emotion, as if she were recounting a predetermined ending: "From the first time you forced yourself on me, I wanted to die with you. If it weren't for wanting to live and see my family again, do you think you would still be alive today? I don't dare to kill anyone, but I can kill you."
After saying that, she closed her eyes and thrust the arrow in her hand two more inches deeper. Only when she could hear no more sounds did she dare to open her eyes.
At this moment, Lu Ming's body had collapsed limply to the ground, his eyes still open, bloodshot, staring intently at her, unable to close them in death.
Wei Jinglan's body trembled slightly, her stomach churned, and she staggered to her feet. She leaned against a nearby tree trunk, bent over, and began to dry heave. Slowly, her vision began to blur, and tears welled up uncontrollably, mingling with the blood on her face and dripping onto the ground.
The barking of dogs could be heard in the distance, and the shouts of officials could be faintly heard. Wei Jinglan took a deep breath and, with her last bit of strength, shouted, "I...I'm here!"
Wei Jinglan sat on the bed, her gaze somewhat vacant: "Zhaozhao, I used to always think about killing him, but now that he's dead, I don't feel so at ease..."
She paused, her eyes growing even dimmer, as if trapped in some inescapable nightmare. "I feel his ghost still haunting me, just like the eyes that stared at me when he died. As soon as I close my eyes, I feel him watching me, and if I let my guard down, he'll drag me down to hell..."
Meng Zhao looked at Wei Jinglan with heartache. She hadn't expected so many things to have happened during this time. No wonder she was pale and thin, with dark circles under her eyes. She was sleep-deprived all day long. That's why she looked like this.
Meng Zhao's eyes darted around, and she said with surprise, "Jinglan, how are you so amazing?"
Wei Jinglan, who was deeply immersed in her grief, froze when she heard Meng Zhao say this. Meng Zhao continued, "You know, the heart is inside the chest cavity, protected by many bones and muscles. To hit it with one blow, you need a lot of strength! If you ask me, with your strength, you should learn to cook with me. You could easily make fifty or sixty boxed meals in one pot."
Wei Jinglan didn't quite understand what Meng Zhao was saying, but she knew that Meng Zhao was praising her strength, but that didn't seem to be the point.
Seeing that Wei Jinglan was still immersed in the shadow of fear, Meng Zhao sighed and continued, "Jinglan, that person is already dead. There is no such thing as ghosts or gods in this world. It's just that you haven't let go of this matter yet."
Wei Jinglan raised her head, a hint of confusion in her eyes: "Then how can I let go?" She felt that the pain was deeply engraved in her heart and could not be erased no matter what.
"It's very simple, just leave it to time. Time will heal all the wounds in your heart. What you need to do now is to let go of yourself and give yourself a chance to start over. You can chat with us more often, go out for a walk, or find something to do. It's better than staying at home alone and thinking aimlessly."
Meng Zhao continued, "By the way, after talking for so long, I haven't seen Xiao Chuan. Wasn't he with you in the bandit suppression?"
Speaking of Xiao Chuan, Wei Jinglan smiled and said, "He probably went to the prison to see those bandits who were arrested again. This time, a lot of people were arrested during the bandit suppression. Many of them are crying out for justice. The government knows that some of them were indeed forced to come to the mountains. Xiao Chuan had stayed in a bandit's den, so he went to help identify the people. After he finished identifying the people, he always liked to go to the prison to see the bandits who had bullied him. He said that seeing the bandits living a miserable life made him happy."
Meng Zhao covered her mouth and laughed, "Look how carefree Xiao Chuan is, he takes revenge whenever he has a grudge."
Wei Jinglan thought about it and realized that it was true. She was older than Xiao Chuan, but she didn't know as much about life as he did. So she said, "You're right. It just so happens that I also have something to do."
Meng Zhao asked, "What is it?"
“The women who fled with me from the bandit's den asked the officials to let me see them after we were rescued. I was upset at the time, so I didn’t agree. Now I feel better. We went through hardships together, and I want to see them.”
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