As he said this, several eunuchs stepped forward and pulled the two children apart.
Xu Nian dismounted again, bowed to the emperor and Jiang Yuanqing and Fukang who had rushed over, and said, "Farewell, everyone."
Before the others could react, he mounted his horse. Pretending not to hear the children's cries, he left the city gate without looking back, until he could no longer hear the sounds behind him.
She pulled on the reins, and the horse stopped, turning back to look at the place where she had lived for quite some time.
She has stayed here ever since she fled the famine. She has experienced far more than in the first half of her life, and has come to understand what composure and love truly mean.
It would be a lie to say I'm not saddened by his sudden departure.
But I was going to leave eventually. Now I've said goodbye properly. Anyway, once I leave, the battlefield is a place where swords and spears have no eyes. They'll just think that Princess Fu'an became a hero and will stay on this battlefield forever.
"drive!"
The galloping hooves kicked up clouds of dust on the official road, indicating that Gu Zhan and his army were not moving very fast.
But if you want to get ahead of them before then, you'd better hurry or you'll miss them.
For this reason, she deliberately took a detour via a side road, which was more difficult to walk, but the end of this road was the only way Gu Zhan and the others could take that day.
We might have to spend another night there, and we're already quite a distance from the capital, so there's no need to go back.
She had anticipated this, which is why she slowed her pace, riding her horse leisurely along the road. The speed appeared slow, but she was constantly aware of her surroundings.
[Host, don't you think this area is too quiet?]
I can't seem to hear even a bird chirping. Is there any danger?
Not only in the comments section, but even Xu Nian herself felt the same way: "Don't worry, everyone. If someone really comes later, it'll be time for us to perform traditional pieces."
She was joking, but her eyes didn't stop scanning the surroundings warily.
As they said, there were hardly any birdsong or even insect chirps in the surrounding mountains and forests, which was really strange!
"Boss, they're here!"
Just out of Xu Nian's sight, on a hillside, a person dressed in green who blended almost into the forest patted the leader on the shoulder.
Pointing at Xu Nian, who was swaying in the distance, he said, "She's a woman. This time, we brothers are going to have some fun."
Upon hearing this, the people nearby all wore lewd expressions.
Only the one at the head of the group, who seemed to be the leader, narrowed his eyes as the figure drew closer. He felt that this woman seemed somewhat familiar.
"Don't you guys feel like we've seen this woman before?"
"How could that be? How could I not remember someone so beautiful if I'd seen her before?"
"No, we really have met. Boss, isn't this..."
"Shut up!"
Li Hongan hissed angrily in a low voice, his eyes filled with an unusually sinister look.
He recognized her, of course, and could never forget her. He had fallen in love with this woman at first sight and sincerely wanted her to be his wife.
Unexpectedly, this man, who appeared compliant, colluded with government troops to destroy his entire mountain stronghold.
This resulted in most of his brothers losing their lives at the hands of government soldiers. He was lucky enough to escape with his men, but he could never get over it!
Later, he found out that the woman had gone to the capital and had been granted the title of county princess.
At that time, he thought he would never be able to avenge himself in this lifetime. Unexpectedly, God had a change of heart and he met Xu Nian here again!
He had originally heard that a caravan was coming to rob them, but he changed his mind the moment he recognized Xu Nian.
Robbing a caravan can happen anytime; caravans pass through here almost every ten days to two weeks. As for Xu Nian, no one knows where she's going. If they miss this opportunity, who knows when they'll get another!
"Get ready." Li Hong'an made up his mind, raising his hand. "Just wait for my command. I'll give the signal, and we'll all go out. Today, no matter what, we must avenge our fallen brothers!"
A gentle breeze stirred, and Xu Nian's ears twitched a few times.
His eyes slowly shifted from casual to deep and dangerous, glancing almost imperceptibly at the bandits' location. Their bodies tensed involuntarily; both were waiting for an opportunity.
"superior!"
"Walk!"
With a furious shout, Xu Nian leaped off his horse and whipped its back fiercely!
The horse, startled, neighed and galloped away. Li Hong'an's men, caught off guard, forgot they were carrying knives and scrambled to make way for it.
They breathed a sigh of relief when they were finally out of danger of being trampled by horses.
Suddenly, a burst of laughter came from behind. Looking up, they saw Xu Nian's mocking gaze and contemptuous eyes.
"I thought you guys had gotten quite a bit of skill after all this time, but I never expected you to be so afraid of even a horse. It's laughable!"
Her gaze locked onto Li Hong'an, and in no time she found his image in her mind.
Judging from his eyes, it was clear that today was bound to be a fierce battle to the death! So he didn't hold back and his words were aimed at provoking people.
After all, outnumbered, they still need to find their dawn.
"you!"
Already harboring grudges, and now being mocked like this by a woman, how could a group of burly men tolerate it? They drew their knives and were about to step forward when they shouted, "Wait! Xu Nian, no matter what you say, with so many of us here today, unless you're a god descended from heaven, you won't be able to escape!"
Li Hong'an stopped the crowd and said coldly, "Why don't you kneel down now, kowtow to me in public, and say 'I was wrong'? I might let you off the hook and take you in as a foot-washing maid without holding a grudge!"
"Yes, yes, beautiful lady, I advise you to be sensible. Otherwise, if a fight breaks out later and your face gets scratched, we'll be heartbroken."
A group of bandits laughed loudly, their lewd gazes roaming over Xu Nian.
Inch by inch, the sight made Xu Nian feel nauseous. "You want the current princess to be your foot-washing maid? Li Hong'an, aren't you afraid of shortening your lifespan? Or do you want to experience the feeling of being surrounded by a large army again?"
"Xu Nian!" Having his deepest wound pierced, Li Hong'an's face contorted in a terrifying grimace. The day he least wanted to recall, the biggest stain on his life, was that wedding day. Now, the culprit was using it to mock him; he couldn't bear it any longer. "You won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences! Brothers, charge! Whoever can cut off Xu Nian's head today, I'll take you to a brothel!"
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