Beijing Eight
An inexplicable chill washed over Aruo, and she suddenly opened her eyes. All around her was silence, the only sound being the crackling of burning branches. The fire before her was the only source of light, still burning brightly. She blinked, her mind still a little dazed, and for a moment she didn't know where she was.
"Awake?" A clear voice came from beside me.
Aruo suddenly froze, slowly turned his head, looked at Su Zirui's face which softened slightly in the flickering firelight, and instantly regained his senses.
"How long have I slept?" She only remembered that the two of them were chatting about irrelevant topics. He was pestered and couldn't answer them incoherently. Then her eyelids became heavier and she didn't remember when she fell asleep.
"Less than two hours." She didn't sleep well, Su Zirui thought to himself as he threw the branch that was stirring the fire into the fire and took the sword.
Aruo stared blankly at his movements. A chill ran down her spine, as if something was quietly approaching. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and a sense of unease and emptiness settled in her heart. It was pitch black all around, with only the faint shadows of trees visible. In the still, windless night, the branches were as quiet as a landscape painting.
"Lord Su, do you feel that something is wrong?" Aruo stared at him, suddenly stood up and walked towards him.
"Miss Qi, if you don't want to take responsibility, don't do anything wrong on this dark and windy night." Su Zirui slowly stood up, gripped the hilt of the sword, and spoke with his usual sarcasm.
"Stop joking. Don't you feel that it suddenly becomes gloomy?" Aruo consciously retreated behind him, leaned against him, and looked around vigilantly.
Su Zirui's eyes flashed with contempt. This group of people could even sense a little girl, which made him speechless with frustration.
"Didn't you say you weren't afraid of ghosts?" Su Zirui sneered.
"But I'm afraid of people." As soon as Aruo finished speaking, four or five people in black clothes fell silently from the sky, with the tips of their swords pointing directly at the two of them.
"They're chasing us so closely, it seems like there's something wrong with this village." Su Zirui had originally come here to investigate alone out of suspicion, but now it seems he has found the key.
"Village? Are you talking about Niujiazhuang Village at the foot of Lingshan Mountain?" Arola pulled his sleeve and asked quietly, "Is there anything suspicious there?"
Su Zirui glanced at her unhappily and put his arm around her waist, "Behave yourself!"
The curve of the circle was so thin that Su Zirui was distracted for no apparent reason. The girl in his arms had always been full of life, and he subconsciously thought she would be healthy and round. However, the curve of the circle made him realize that she was not round at all, but rather too thin.
Before they could discuss it, the man in black had already quickly attacked. Su Zirui quickly recovered, slashed the fire with his sword, grabbed the man by the waist, and leaped onto a tree branch, using the momentum to fly into the woods.
After a few ups and downs, he found a relatively safe and secluded place and placed the person on a tree. Su Zirui stuffed the compass and token from his waist into her hands and said, "Wait here, don't move. If I can get rid of those people, I will come back to find you. If I am not back by daybreak, take this and go back to find Beili and Xu Tian."
"Eh? Su Zirui?" Before Aruo could react, he had already flown down and disappeared into the darkness. Aruo subconsciously covered her mouth and tried to slow her breathing. The sound of cold weapons clashing could be heard not far away, then gradually faded away.
Holding the thing in his hand, Aruo couldn't help but curse, "This bastard, why didn't he take out the compass earlier? He's looking for death!"
The forest soon returned to silence, and boundless darkness quickly surrounded her. Aruo sat on a tree branch with her head down, which was a relatively stable three-pronged position. She looked down in the faint moonlight. It was not very high, and an ordinary person would not get hurt if he jumped down.
Even in such an urgent situation, Su Zirui tried his best to consider her.
Do you want to go?
Actually, even if he died here, it had nothing to do with her... Aruo silently counted Su Zirui's shortcomings on her fingers.
She was imprisoned, her hand was injured, and Sister Xian's case was hastily closed. Simply put, there was nothing else about her that could impress her except her face. Don't let her guess, this person stayed in the mountains simply because he was too lazy to come back. He planned to send her away tomorrow morning and continue investigating the case.
Such a disgusting person... No matter what happens to him, as long as she is alive, it's good enough.
She was just an ordinary woman, without any background or golden fingers. If she really provoked those men in black, she would probably die without knowing how. And since she hadn't returned home so late, Cai Xin didn't know how anxious she was.
The reasons are all clear...what is she still hesitating about?
Aruo didn't think she was a person with a strong sense of justice, and there weren't many people in this world who treated her well, but why was she getting restless?
She gripped the token tightly in her hand, her fingertips vaguely making out his name, as well as the pointer that had been thrust into her along with it. This item belonged only to the government, just like his waist badge. After daybreak, she could go directly to the official road to find help. This token was enough for her to find someone to take her back, so now she just had to hide quietly.
As she thought this, her mind kept replaying his serene face in the soft firelight. He disdained yet tolerated her constant chatter, even letting her dig up some past incidents to vex him. He… wasn't a bad person. Aside from his slightly sour expression, his upbringing was decent. Among the many officials' sons in the capital who looked down on others and disregarded human life, he was a rare man whose moral values were as upright as his features. Even towards a commoner like her who had troubled him, he never looked down on her for no reason.
The old man in the Ministry of Justice's prison also said that he had handled many cases, redressed many people's grievances, dealt with many corrupt officials and bad guys, and that he was a good boy.
He was injured and hadn't eaten much. What if he died like this... If he died like this...
"So annoying!" Aruo said suddenly, reached into his waist bag and took out a small package. He gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, his black eyes were calm and clear.
He stood up carefully, jumped lightly, and leaped up using the momentum of a lower branch.
Su Zirui hadn't expected these people to be so difficult to deal with. It seemed the person behind this was determined to kill him. He felt a chill in his heart. How much of a conspiracy was going on here? Even the slightest possibility of exposure had to be nipped in the bud.
Three people surrounded him, but Su Zirui was not panicked. His eyes became colder. Two people fell behind him, and the siege was half complete.
"For murdering an imperial official, I guess you three don't mind a trip to the Ministry of Justice." His left hand began to feel numb. It seemed they had learned their lesson and poisoned their weapons.
Su Zirui secretly controlled his breathing, staying awake, and evaluating his chances of escaping unscathed. The other side originally had six men, and two had been killed. He must have left one to go find the person he had hidden. He just hoped that the girl would behave herself and not be discovered.
"Even when death is imminent, Lord Su can still remain so calm. He is indeed worthy of being the King of Hell in the world." The leader could hardly hide his pride and spoke with contempt.
Su Zirui narrowed his black eyes, raised the corners of his lips, and sneered, "Master Bai is quite skilled, it's surprising that he fled in panic that day."
"You!" Unexpectedly, the secret was exposed with just one sentence. The masked man in black choked on his words and took a step forward to come forward with a knife, but was quickly stopped by his companions.
"It is said that Lord Su has a good memory. I didn't expect it to be true. Then don't blame us for being rude!" The three of them looked at each other and stabbed forward in unison.
Su Zirui arced his sword and launched himself into a flying kick. After just a few moves, his internal energy was already blocked, and his offensive power declined. He simply stopped exerting his energy and responded with punches and kicks. The three opponents were surprised that he still had such strength. His punches were full of power, and they immediately took turns to attack in a planned manner, trying to wear down his physical strength.
Soon, noticing that his movements had slowed down, the three men's attack intensified, with three sword beams heading straight for the man who was holding the ground with his sword to block the kick.
Suddenly, a cloud of powder came silently with the night wind and sprinkled on the four people's heads.
"There's a conspiracy!" The three of them turned around and jumped away.
A slender figure leaped in between the three people and Su Zirui, turned around and moved closer to him, dragging the person back a few steps.
"Oh my god, Su is crazy! How come you got tricked too?" Aruo covered half of his face, and the exposed black eyes couldn't help but glare at him.
"It was you?" Su Zirui frowned and asked through gritted teeth, "What did you spill?"
"A little bit of self-defense for women when going out. Be careful!" Aruo lowered her voice, quickly grabbed his hand and crossed it across her shoulder, letting him use the force to kick the person who was attacking him away.
"Knockout drug!" Su Zirui found himself a little dizzy, and saw that one of the three opponents had fallen down.
"I told you you're just a little thing. Stop fighting and let's go!" Aruo put his arms around his waist and took a deep breath before leaping away.
"You know martial arts?" Su Zirui's black eyes widened rarely, and he did not hide his shock. When had he been so careless that he didn't even realize that she knew martial arts?
"No, have you ever seen someone skilled in martial arts only hide? Hurry and move!" What was this person hesitating about at this moment? Aruo was dragging a large man, and although he looked quite thin, he was still a burden, so she didn't dare to relax. As soon as she spoke, her breathing became unstable, her steps became weak, and she almost fell down with him.
"Be careful!" Su Zirui reacted extremely quickly and turned around, sweeping away the sharp blade with the wind of his palm. He couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood and almost fell down.
"Su Zirui!" Aruo screamed, hugging his waist and trying to support himself, "What's wrong with you?"
"Their knives are poisonous, and it will backfire if I fail." Su Zirui's sword-holding hand began to feel numb, and black blood flowed down his arm and the back of his hand. Coupled with the knockout drug he accidentally inhaled just now, he was just struggling to stay conscious.
At this moment, a sharp whistle suddenly rang out in the darkness, attracting the attention of the two men.
"Then stop messing around and hold me tight!" Aruo gritted her teeth.
Su Zirui opened his eyes slightly in surprise again, "You... have other little things?"
"Have you ever seen a woman carrying so many little things when she goes out?" Aruo rolled his eyes rudely, helped the person and used his lightness skills to go in one direction.
"You still say you don't know how to fight?" He was very concerned about this. The two of them had a lot of interactions, but he didn't notice it at all. If this was an enemy or a spy, he would die a hundred times!
"I only know Qinggong. Let's talk about this problem later. Escaping is the most important thing." Aruo didn't want to explain these boring things at this juncture. He just picked a direction and ran.
Su Zirui covered his chest as he followed her steps. He was keenly aware that the person next to him seemed very scared. His body was shaking. "Are you scared?"
"No, I'm worried..." Aruo began to have a bad feeling again.
"What are you worried about?" The number of people chasing behind seemed to have increased. Was the whistle just now a call to his companions?
Aruo didn't care what the whistle was about. She was just recalling... the wounded nobleman, the swarming enemies, the mountains and forests... She was worried that what lay ahead was...
"Oh my God, it really is..." The two men stopped suddenly. The chaotic footsteps behind them gradually approached, slowly covering the sound of flowing water under their feet. Apart from the cliff behind them, there was no way to retreat.
Whenever you escape, you will see a cliff.
Aruo covered his face. Should he be glad that there was a river instead of a cliff below?
"Hurry, they're there!" The man's voice was hoarse, he had already discovered them.
"What should I do?" Aruo regretted running back to save people just now. She was indeed not a righteous person. Living a miserable life was the main theme of her life!
If I abandon him now and run away… Lord Su probably won't mind. He was an official, so it's reasonable for him to die in the line of duty. She's a good citizen, and she deserves protection. At most, she can burn a few more incense sticks and paper money in the future, and visit his grave every Qingming Festival.
The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. Aruo couldn't help but shiver and suggested, "Master Su, how about I..."
"Don't be afraid." Su Zirui tightened his arms around her, his voice as calm and steady as ever.
Aruo was stunned and couldn't help rolling his eyes. Did he think it was cool to say this at this time? It wasn't convincing at all, okay?
Aruo, who didn't feel safe at all, clearly noticed that the person supporting her was ready to attack. Her cold eyes were thinking about something, and she couldn't say the words "why didn't she go first?"
"I remember you're a good swimmer," Su Zirui suddenly said, pulling the person he was hugging into his arms. He lowered his head and asked, "Do you believe me?"
His aura filled the surroundings. Aruo was slightly startled, the corners of his mouth twitched, and he said honestly, "I don't..."
Before she could finish, Su Zirui had already fallen backwards while holding her.
"Su Feng——"
The next moment, several people arrived, and the river below had returned to calm, with no sign of anyone.
I believe you, you big devil!
After a lot of effort, he pulled the man ashore. Aruo could hardly catch his breath and collapsed on the river bank with his limbs spread out. He could hardly breathe and kicked the unconscious man out of anger.
"You're such a good swimmer, and you still dare people to trust you... It's a good thing I'm a good diver."
Damn, it turns out that men are just good at pretending to be cool and deceiving people! In the end, you have to rely on yourself!
After panting for a long time, Aruo finally found the strength to turn over and half-crawl over, looking at the man she had finally snatched from the River God. His handsome face was pale, his eyes closed, his hair messy and plastered to his face, and he looked unusually... weak.
The thought of leaving him alone began to grow stronger again. After all... there were no witnesses. It would be better if she was alive. Who has the time to be a savior? Aruo curled her lips and tugged at her wet braids in annoyance. Some things become clearer the more you try to ignore them...
It was as if, just now, when she entered the water, this man had protected her tightly, blocking all the impact. At that moment, she actually had a long-lost illusion of being well protected.
"Sure enough, men are trouble!"
Aruo brushed aside his messy hair and turned him over to examine the wound on his back. Perhaps because of the medicine applied, there was no bleeding or festering, just a white blistered appearance. He tossed the man back, and the wound on his arm had turned black. His breath was so weak it was almost gone.
He dug out a few leaves from his wet waist bag, crushed them, and covered the wound with them. Aruo spat twice, his mouth numb and bitter. "I can only try my best. I hope Auntie's medicine can detoxify it."
Well... although the lady is a gynecologist.
He dug out the cardiopulmonary resuscitation knowledge that had been lost deep in his memory, and pressed his chest and abdomen regularly with both hands. After a long time, there was no response from his men. Aruo wiped his face and felt melancholy for a while.
The night breeze was cool, and she was dripping with water. However, sweat broke out on her back, and she was afraid that the heartbeat under her palm would also stop quietly.
After thinking for a while, Aruo patted his chest and muttered, "If you wake up later, don't say that I have damaged your reputation. I will not be responsible. I have made a great sacrifice. If you can't die, you must repay me well."
After muttering, Aruo took a deep breath, pinched his nose and chin, and pressed his lips against his pale lips, passing the air to him. Over and over again, coordinating with cardiopulmonary resuscitation, after a while, the man finally coughed out the water in his chest and gradually recovered his breath.
"Su Feng, Su Feng, wake up!" Seeing this, Aruo hurriedly half-hugged his head, let him rest his head on her legs, patted his face hard, and called out anxiously.
After a while, his long, thick black eyelashes trembled several times before he managed to half-open his eyes. Aruo breathed a sigh of relief, only to realize that his eyes were sore and hot. "I'm glad you're not dead... You scared me to death."
I haven't done anything heroic in years. It would be such a waste if I died. Aruo shrugged his stiff shoulders, feeling like crying, but he quickly took a deep breath and forced a smile.
Su Zirui squinted his eyes and tried hard to see her clearly. She looked extremely embarrassed, but she looked relieved and at ease. Her curved eyebrows seemed to hide infinite starlight.
He twitched his lips and tried several times before he managed to make a sound. "It seems... Su... owes you a life."
I lowered my head slightly to hear what he said. Aruo made a rare joke, "Isn't it? How about, in consideration of saving my life, can you return the ten taels of silver you cheated me of before, double?"
Is his life worth twenty taels of silver? Su Zirui snorted faintly, his voice hoarse, "Ten taels, take it or leave it."
Her dark eyes suddenly lit up. Aruo grabbed his hand, fearing that he would regret it, and high-fived him, "Deal!"
What a pleasant surprise! She was just being mean, but she didn't expect this person to suddenly be so easy to talk to.
Aruo laughed and patted his shoulder as if it was a matter of course. "Don't be unwilling. A drop of water should be repaid with a spring. Lord Su, remember to repay my life-saving grace with the sincerity of a mighty river or sea. Also, I don't accept credit. Those ten taels are for paying me back, not repaying me. Hey, what else are you young masters good for besides your face? You almost drowned when you jumped off a cliff. What's the point of having great martial arts skills? You're not cautious at all. You just rushed here and provoked a bunch of assassins. Look, a knockout drug or a poison will do you no good..."
Su Zirui's lips opened and closed incessantly, and he almost wanted to roll his eyes without any manners. He was injured carelessly but was not in a desperate situation. If she hadn't suddenly drugged him, why would he choose this way just to give her a chance to survive?
He wanted to tell her to shut up, but unfortunately his hands were unable to move, and his throat seemed to be stuck so he couldn't speak. He could only close his eyes and try to pretend he didn't see it.
At this moment, he actually felt an urgency that it would be better for him to continue being unconscious.
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