Chapter 163 Rescuing a Woman on the Way
Lu Zhaoruo lifted the curtain and stepped out of the tent, the night breeze hitting her face.
Wan Wanning remained kneeling in place, her shoulders twitching slightly.
She glanced at them indifferently, without lingering, and turned straight back to her tent.
Dongrou, carrying Abao, followed them inside.
Lu Bohong glanced at it, sighed, and left.
The night was deep.
Lu Zhaoruo once again fell into that relentless nightmare.
The wind and snow howled across the sky, and the world was vast and desolate.
The general, whose face was obscured, was clad in fish-scale gold armor, his knees sinking deep into the snow. He was stubbornly and silently inching closer to her, kneeling as he took each step.
The cold armor scraped against each other, making a piercing, sharp sound.
She asked in bewilderment, "Who...who are you?"
The general remained silent, only kneeling and continuing to approach.
This time, she mustered her courage and tried to face him, wanting to see his face beneath the armor...
However, the wind and snow suddenly reversed!
She couldn't see his face at all.
Finally, I woke up suddenly.
Then, she drifted into a dream and dreamed of Greenie.
Greenie, carrying a bamboo basket of tender bamboo shoots covered in mud, looked over with a smile: "My lady, look how many bamboo shoots I've dug up... My little brother loves them the most."
Lu Zhaoruo's nose tingled, and she choked out, "Lü'er..."
But Greenie smiled and retreated step by step, her figure gradually fading away.
She woke up suddenly, sat up abruptly, her chest heaving violently, and her forehead covered in a fine, cold sweat.
Unable to fall asleep again, she got up and lifted the curtain.
Wan Wanning remained kneeling on the spot, her face pale.
Upon seeing her appear, a glint of light flashed in Wan Wanning's eyes. She stumbled on her knees and rushed to the tent, her voice hoarse: "Sister...please, for Lü'er's sake...forgive me this time...just this once...please? Sister, I beg you, please don't send me away..."
Just then, the curtain on the opposite side stirred slightly.
Xiao Yeming walked out slowly and immediately saw Wan Wanning kneeling on the ground crying and Lu Zhaoruo standing quietly to the side.
His gaze unconsciously found Lu Zhaoruo, but the moment their eyes met, he quickly looked away, his profile showing a hint of helplessness in the moonlight, his ears slightly burning.
Lu Zhaoruo took in his fleeting shyness, and a slight smile involuntarily tugged at the corner of her lips.
Wan Wanning also caught sight of Xiao Yeming.
The moonlight bathed his tall figure in a soft glow, making him appear even more handsome and dignified.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Such a man... how wonderful it would be to marry him...
The next moment, she quickly regained her composure, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed, "General Xiao! I know I was wrong! Please, General, put in a good word for me with my sister... Please, please don't send me away..."
She stammered, prostrate on the ground, her shoulders trembling violently, "It's all...it's all my fault...if I hadn't gone to the river to wash myself late at night, I wouldn't...I wouldn't have been kidnapped by the Japanese pirates, causing my sister and the general to be in danger..."
Xiao Yeming didn't know much about Wan Wanning's character, but after Lu Zhaoruo cut off his finger, the genuine care and sorrow she showed him warmed his heart.
Furthermore, this unexpected turn of events led to the mobilization of the remaining Japanese pirates, which he then seized to wipe them out in one fell swoop, eliminating any future threat.
Therefore, Wan Wanning's mistake, though dangerous, was not entirely without merit.
He said gently to Lu Zhaoruo, "Since she has realized her mistake and learned her lesson, Madam Lu might as well... give her another chance to correct it."
He remembered that this woman was Wan Miaoniang's younger sister.
Sister Lu took her in as her 'adopted sister'.
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhaoruo did not mince words, but looked directly at him with clear eyes: "My desire to expel her is not entirely due to today's calamity."
She glanced at Wan Wanning again. "This woman is wicked; keeping her around is of no benefit."
Wan Wanning suddenly looked up, her eyes instantly burning with shame, anger, and hatred.
She actually dared to belittle herself so bluntly in front of General Xiao! Without showing the slightest consideration for his feelings!
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yeming's expression suddenly turned solemn.
He didn't need to delve into the details; since Sister Lu asserted that he was wicked, she must be right.
He immediately nodded: "I am unaware of the previous events, and I leave everything to Lady Lu's discretion."
Wan Wanning panicked immediately.
We must not be abandoned under any circumstances!
She suddenly drew a short blade from her sleeve, tears streaming down her face, and resolutely said, "I know my sister is resentful that I caused the general to lose his finger! Then... I will use this to atone for my sins!"
At this moment, Ban Ling and Wang Wu, who had heard the commotion, both came out of the tent.
As more people gathered, Wan Wanning cried even more pitifully and sorrowfully.
Lu Zhaoruo frowned slightly: "Wan Wanning, are you trying to force me with this?"
Why would my elder sister think of me like that?
Wan Wanning sobbed uncontrollably, "I just... feel so guilty, I just want to atone for my sins!"
Lu Zhaoruo turned away indifferently.
The next second, a cry of pain was heard!
Wan Wanning actually ruthlessly swung the knife and slashed at her own left index finger! Blood immediately gushed out!
Wang Wu gasped in shock: "She...she actually did it!"
Ban Ling looked reluctant: "Madam Lu, I think... perhaps we should just let it go? After all, she is a frail woman, and the pain of losing her finger... she has already realized her mistake..."
Many of the alerted guards gathered around, and upon seeing the scene, they all showed compassion and whispered their pleas for mercy.
Lu Zhaoruo turned around and saw Wan Wanning clutching her blood-soaked hand, her face ashen, yet she still managed to crawl towards her on her knees, her breath weak as she pleaded, "Sister...please...let me stay...don't send me away..."
A shocking trail of blood was left behind her.
Lu Bohong came out upon hearing the sound, and Dong Rou also rushed over carrying A Bao.
Seeing this, Lu Bohong frowned and said, "Little sister, how about... we leave her here for now?"
Wan Wanning, on her deathbed, sobbed, "Sister... I can give up being your sworn sister... I'm willing to be your maid and servant, to serve you faithfully... Please, for the sake of Sister Miaoniang... for the sake of Lü'er... don't send me away..."
Before she could finish speaking, her body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious.
All eyes were on Lu Zhaoruo.
After a moment of silence, she spoke: "Never mind."
His gaze swept over the unconscious Wan Wanning on the ground, and he said, "Dongrou, take her away to stop the bleeding and treat her wounds. This matter ends here."
This is the last time I'll keep her by my side.
Hopefully, she has truly repented and started anew.
The following day, the convoy set off again, heading towards the capital.
For the past ten days, Wan Wanning has indeed become much more restrained, behaving docilely. Because of her severed finger, she has not served anyone, but she has been quite cautious in her actions.
The journey was rushed, and it would take about five days to reach the capital.
It was noon that day.
As the group rested under the trees by the roadside, Lu Bohong suddenly caught a glimpse of a figure crouching in the grass ahead.
He rushed forward to check and found that it was a woman in tattered clothes and covered in blood!
He was a kind-hearted man, and immediately picked her up and quickly returned to the camp.
The woman was as light as a feather in his arms. Her face was bloodless, yet her stunning beauty was still evident. It was not the elegant beauty of Lu Zhaoruo, like the moon reflected in snow, but rather a different kind of gentle and delicate beauty.
Her eyebrows were thin and light, like wisps of smoke rising from distant mountains. They were slightly furrowed in pain, which not only did not show her distress, but also added to her pitiful fragility.
Her nose was straight and elegant, yet not arrogant, with soft lines extending downwards.
In her hazy state of consciousness, the woman vaguely saw a heroic and concerned face.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
