Chapter 131
Qin Sang leaped onto his horse, wielding two flower-shaped swords to cleave through the incoming rain of arrows. Taking advantage of a gap, he looked around and saw at least fifty people looming in the dense foliage of the forest.
She sneered inwardly, thinking, "They really think highly of her, using such a skilled ambush to kill two women." Despite her anger, she was tense, instinctively knowing she couldn't win, let alone with the defenseless Wang Huiwen inside the carriage.
After the first wave of arrows subsided, the second wave was slow to arrive. Qin Sang restrained herself from glancing at the carriage; if she revealed that there were still survivors on the other side, Wang Huiwen would surely die.
The air in late autumn was bleak and chilly. She gripped the hilt of her knife tightly, waiting for the next arrow to come.
The person in the bushes resembled a wolf lying in wait. After a soft rustling sound, a cold arrow, gleaming with a cold light, once again attacked the thin, frail figure in the center.
At that moment, she suddenly leaped up onto her horse's back, and where the arrows rained down, the horse neighed in agony. She then used the branches of a tree for leverage as she nimbly leaped into the air, heading straight for the ambushers.
With a swift slash, the dead man clutched his neck and fell silently to the ground. A commotion finally broke out in the crowd; someone couldn't resist leaping forward, dagger in hand, and lunging at Qin Sang, only to be kicked away.
More men in black abandoned their bows and arrows and began close-quarters combat. The brute who had previously underestimated the young woman also became serious, his eyes flashing with ruthlessness.
Faced with absolute power, Qin Sang managed to dodge the attacks skillfully, but ultimately found herself somewhat overwhelmed.
Her longsword slid across one person's neck, and before severing their tendons, she lifted them by the chest and brought them close, demanding, "Whose people are you?"
The other party naturally did not answer and took the opportunity to fight back. However, Qin Sang twisted her wrist lightly, and warm blood gushed out and splashed onto her face. The strong metallic smell made people want to vomit.
They barely managed to hold on for half an incense stick's time. Seeing that the number of people on their side was gradually decreasing, the men in black on the other side also rushed out to join the siege.
However, Qin Sang caught a glimpse of someone walking straight towards the carriage, first kicking aside the already stiff coachman, and then pulling the swaying carriage out.
"Ah!" Wang Huiwen couldn't help but let out a suppressed gasp at the sudden turn of events, even though she covered her mouth with both hands.
In a panic, Qin Sang kicked the person beside her aside and threw the sword in her hand, accurately piercing through the black-clad man who was swinging his knife at Wang Huiwen.
She had just breathed a sigh of relief when she suddenly felt a pain in her back. After quickly ducking to avoid the second stab, she picked up another knife from the ground, and in a fit of rage, spun around and slashed.
The other party was determined to kill her, but she found it absurd. What happened to the divine protection? What happened to the safeguarding and escort? Was she really left to fend for herself, empty-handed?
There were too many people. After being stabbed in the back, her hand holding the knife became less powerful, and soon her leg was also slashed, almost causing her to lose her footing.
Wang Huiwen had already gotten off the carriage, trembling, and was preparing to flee. Unfortunately, several arrows shot out from the forest, turning him into a target.
In an instant, Qin Sang's eyes turned bloodshot! Her lips trembled as she cried out "No!"... She reversed the blade and stabbed at the person attacking from behind.
The knife the other person raised was still in mid-air when it was kicked away by the woman who quickly turned around.
Her heart was pounding wildly, and her clothes were already stained red with blood, soaking through her inner garments and sticking uncomfortably to her body.
But there was no turning back.
Unless I die here in battle.
She cursed Si Ming inwardly, and also cursed herself for being incompetent, having capsized in a ditch, which was truly shameful.
While she was struggling to resist the second wave of attacks, she suddenly heard a rumbling sound in the distance, perhaps due to the tinnitus caused by excessive blood loss.
However, when she saw the look of surprise and doubt flash in the eyes of the man in black opposite her, and his hesitation in drawing his sword, she realized it wasn't an illusion. Then, a slight tremor came from the ground, and she looked in that direction.
Seeing the situation was turning against them, the men in black tried to retreat, but Qin Sang wouldn't allow them to come and go as they pleased. She drew her knife and slashed down the nearest one, then tripped another with a flick of her foot. As if the blood flowing down her leg wasn't her own, she placed the knife against the man's neck again, her weary foot stepping on it, and asked, "Whose men are you? I told you I'd let you go."
The man looked up at his departing companion, clenched his fists, and resignedly turned his neck to the side, crashing hard into the blade.
The sound of hooves grew closer behind them—not just one, but many, many horses. Qin Sang's pupils contracted, then she reluctantly raised her knife and thrust it vertically downwards.
He thought to himself: I'll give you a quick death.
After doing all this, she turned around and looked in the direction where Wang Huiwen had fallen. Arrows pierced her body, shooting straight into the sky, and she lay motionless, a sight that sent chills down one's spine. Tears streamed down her face. This was an elder who had treated her like a daughter since she arrived in the capital. A kind woman with a sharp tongue but a soft heart, she cared deeply for everyone in the Xie family. She came from a prominent family and married into one, yet she had never looked down on her, an outsider.
Her throat felt like it was being cut by a knife; she could barely choke back a sob, only able to weep silently with a furrowed brow. Suddenly, she turned and coldly stared at the fleeing figures, a fierce killing intent flashing in her eyes. She took a step forward, ready to give chase.
The jungle branches stung her face, and her legs gave way. She stumbled and almost fell, but someone grabbed her arm from the side and pulled her into someone's arms.
The man shielded her as she landed and rolled, and seeing that she was about to get up again, he wrapped his arms around her and said, "It's alright, it's alright, I'll send someone to chase after her."
The arriving cavalry was led by Prince Ning'an, and the man in charge was none other than the usually frail Prince Ning'an. Perhaps because he had stopped taking his medicine recently, he appeared weak, but his arms were lean yet powerful.
As the other party said, many footsteps swept past the two of them, chasing after the direction in which the man in black had retreated.
After Qin Sang saw who it was, she was deflated, lowered her head, buried her face in Zhao Kun's chest, and burst into tears.
Zhao Kun didn't let her have her way. After picking her up, he carried her horizontally and walked steadily towards the edge of the jungle.
"Quickly, Ma Lai, you go back and ask Da Fu to prepare warm tents and medicine for injuries!" After giving the concise and powerful order, one of them rode away on horseback, while another chestnut horse was led to his side.
Zhao Kun helped her onto the horse, then sat down beside her. A gentle, deep voice sounded in her ear: "Bear with it, we'll be there soon."
Seeing that her gaze was still fixed on one spot, he added, "Don't worry, someone will take her back and settle her in properly."
The horse began to move slowly and steadily; he did not urge it too fast, perhaps fearing that the vibration would cause her wound to bleed too much.
The people following behind also rode silently and followed quietly.
"When do you plan to kill him?" Qin Sang asked softly after stopping her crying.
Because the two were very close, Prince Ning'an heard them. He said, "The day we are married will be the day his head rolls."
At that time, regardless of whether the other side makes a move or not, besieging the Eastern Palace will be inevitable. Whether he rebels or not, the Emperor will be "injured" that day; even if he doesn't rebel, he will be forced to!
Qin Sang: "Okay, I'll handle it myself when the time comes."
Zhao Kun: "..."
The cavalry arrived at a military camp on the outskirts of Beijing. Qin Sang, her figure obscured by a cloak, was escorted to the main tent by Zhao Kun. The curtains, hot water, and changes of clothes that had been prepared in advance were almost ready. An old man with a white beard and a turban was already standing by, presumably the army doctor.
She suppressed her many questions, such as where this was, whether the Crown Prince knew she was secretly training troops here, and when she started making these plans... She simply cooperated by untying her belt and sitting on the edge of the couch.
There was no woman here. Zhao Kun was wearing soft armor, which was slightly different from his usual image as a weak and scholarly prince, but his soft armor and sleeves were already stained with blood.
He seemed somewhat at a loss, unsure of what to do. He wanted to avoid it, but then glanced at the white-bearded male doctor... Finally, he seemed to have made up his mind, so he stepped forward and reached out to peel it open.
Qin Sang was taken aback by his treatment. Although she knew he was trying to save her, she still grabbed his collar and looked at him in surprise: "I can do it myself, no need for you to bother!"
“Why bother with these formalities at a time like this? We’re already engaged,” he said firmly, prying Qin Sang’s fingers apart. “Besides, there are no maids here, so please make do and don’t be so pretentious.”
After she finished speaking, Qin Sang's outer garment had already been half removed by the other party.
“Don’t worry about her clothes for now,” the doctor couldn’t stand it anymore. “I can just cut open the wound on her back with scissors and apply the medicine.”
The two hands that had been resisting each other stopped.
The medic added, "It's not too late to remove your clothes after I've applied the medicine and wrapped the bandage."
Qin Sang: "..."
Prince Ning'an quickly stepped back half a step to make way for the military doctor: "Then please begin."
Fortunately, Qin Sang only had knife wounds and was not hit by arrows. The strategist was very good at treating such knife wounds. However, when the back of Qin Sang's clothes was cut open, she could still hear the two people behind her breathing softly.
"Such a deep wound needs stitches," the old doctor said calmly.
Zhao Kun seemed unsure how to respond, remaining silent for a moment.
Qin Sang clenched her fist: "Sew it up. Please, doctor, sew it up carefully."
"But... a thinner needle means more acupuncture, my lady, can you bear that?"
Qin Sang turned around: "Don't you have any pain relievers or anesthetics?"
The military doctor glanced at the person next to him with a troubled expression: "Perfect timing... we've run out of them recently."
Zhao Kun turned and strode toward the main tent. Qin Sang heard him instructing someone to buy medicine. When he returned, the doctor said that if the bleeding wasn't stopped and the wound stitched up in time, his life might be in danger.
"..." Qin Sang gritted her teeth: "Then stitch it up, I can bear it." With that, she lay down on the bed and handed the wound to the person behind her.
She'd already been stabbed, so what did a few stitches matter? She buried her head in her arm, looking like she'd rather die sooner rather than later.
"No need to hesitate, just sew it up." Zhao Kun finally gave the order.
The doctor finally responded and turned to leave.
Zhao Kun squatted down in front of her and stretched out his hand: "If it hurts, you can bite me."
Qin Sang didn't even look up: "I'm not delicate. There's no need."
People shouldn't say things that would slap someone in the face lightly. Qin Sang, who just thought she could withstand the tiny needle, now had her fingernails digging almost into Zhao Kun's fair skin.
She never imagined that adding insult to injury would feel so excruciating. "This must be the worst pain a woman experiences during childbirth," she thought, before finally uttering it aloud.
Zhao Kun was taken aback: "What...did you say?"
"What? What?" Qin Sang gritted her teeth.
Zhao Kun pursed his lips: "It's nothing."
After a moment, she still said unwillingly, "If I don't have children, won't I have regrets in this life?"
Qin Sang didn't have the energy to roll her eyes at the moment, but she remained silent, thinking to herself, "Would a dignified female immortal bear a child for a mere mortal? What a pipe dream!"
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