"lady……"
While keeping an eye on potential enemies, they also urged her to make a decision with a calm and urgent mindset.
If, in the end, the lady remains hesitant or insists on delaying her departure, they will have no choice but to knock her unconscious and then forcibly take her away.
The general had given a strict order: no matter what the lady thought, their first priority and primary task was to bring her back to Ye safely; everything else could be disregarded.
However, this seemingly petite and delicate lady ultimately did not give them the opportunity to use force.
"Let's get on the boat."
Her tone was soft, but firm.
For a moment they thought they had misheard, and they stared at her in disbelief.
Zheng Quchi said again, "We'll board the ship as soon as it arrives."
She didn't panic or cry, nor did she insist on waiting for the general to arrive before boarding the ship. No matter how turbulent her heart was, she was always Zheng Quchi, the Zheng Quchi whose rationality always prevailed over her emotions.
She looked up at the sky, and the weather was just like her mood. The sun was obscured by dark clouds, and the sky was gray and gloomy, just like her heart was filled with gloom.
What can she do if she goes back? What can she do if she turns back?
She asked herself.
She couldn't actually do anything; even accompanying him through hardship would only be a burden.
A deep, piercing sense of frustration and helplessness weighed on her shoulders. In this chaotic world, she had left Yuwen Sheng and could protect nothing, whether back in Fu County or elsewhere now.
She...can't protect anything.
She lowered her head with a self-deprecating laugh, and the surroundings fell into a deathly silence. The atmosphere instantly turned icy. The guards stood there, looking as cold as ice, and were momentarily surprised by the general's wife's "calm and pragmatic" demeanor.
But the fact that everything went smoothly made them feel much more at ease.
As soon as the small boat approached, he immediately took the general's wife and left.
The boat was rowed aboard by a guard, and just as they stepped aboard, a hidden arrow was suddenly shot towards them—
The guard noticed something amiss, drew his longsword to block the arrow, and it immediately veered off course and fell into the water.
However, the next moment, a huge fire suddenly broke out on the calm, dark blue river surface.
It turned out that the arrow was actually burning with oil.
The guards looked around and saw that the fire was spreading around the ship. The fire was burning fiercely on the water, and the sudden increase in temperature and the intense flames made their eyes bloodshot.
Damn it! The Julu Kingdom was also prepared. They looked towards the lush water plants and reed wetlands on the riverbank, where a dozen Julu Kingdom soldiers were scattered and pouring oil into the river.
The flowing water was heading their way, which meant the fire would only intensify rather than subside. Their small, light wooden boats were no match for the intense heat and would surely succumb to the flames in time.
The guard realized the situation was dire and said, "Madam, someone has poured kerosene on the water, and the fire is engulfing the area. Our boat probably won't hold out for long. We have to jump into the water immediately!"
Zheng Quchi also observed the situation before turning back. She saw the guards jumping into the water. Although their bodies were inevitably covered with some oil and flames, they would be safe once they sank into the water and swam out of the oil and water.
She bit her lower lip, her eyes fixed intently on the water.
"Madam, dive!"
Zheng Quchi understood this principle, but her swimming skills weren't great, just passable, and she didn't know how long she could hold her breath underwater...
Forget it, drowning or burning to death—these two terrible choices, she had to risk trying one. Just as she was about to follow the example of the bodyguards and jump headfirst into the water to escape—
Just then, a sharp whistling sound came close to her face. Relying on her keen intuition, she turned her head slightly and managed to dodge it.
She suddenly looked in the direction of the arrow and saw a black horse leading a group of people to the ferry. The person sitting on the black horse was Mo Ye, his red cloak fluttering and his iron armor cold and sharp. Behind him, the archers were a crowd of heads, drawing their bows and aiming their arrows directly in her direction.
He saw Zheng Quchi on the bow of the ship in the distance. In the flames, she was like a jade tree, her dress fluttering, which made her hair look graceful.
"Zheng Quchi, I'm giving you this last chance. The choice is yours. If you flee, I'll shoot you dead on the spot. If you surrender, your life might be spared for a few more days..."
His roar rolled over like a thunderclap, echoing in the ripples of the ferry crossing.
Zheng Quchi's route forward and backward was locked, and if she attempted to jump off the ship, she would be shot dead in public.
Zheng Quchi froze on the spot: "..." He only hesitated for a few seconds. They really picked the right time to come.
The underwater guards were so anxious that they thrashed about like black fish, at a loss for what to do.
Zheng Quchi glanced down at the bottom of the boat, then looked up at Mo Ye, who had already reached the ferry.
How did Mo Ye end up at the ferry crossing? And what about Yuwen Sheng? Is he alive or... dead?
Zheng Quchi's head was buzzing. She told herself she had to calm down and stop overthinking.
"You dared to kill Yuwen Sheng, so naturally you don't care about the life or death of a small woman like me. But in the end, you still want our Zheng family's map of mountains and rivers, or rather, the map of the Nine Provinces and Eight Desolations, right?"
This time, she went straight to the point. Mo Ye reined in his horse and stopped at the shore. He stretched his neck back, his imposing aura as strong as fireworks, and his battle robe, which was fluttering in the wind, was stained with a lot of blood.
Whose blood is this?
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