Chapter 85 Falling in Love
Chu Zhuoan remained noncommittal; the flickering firelight scorched them together, making his cheeks feel tight and dry.
The person in front of me opened their mouth, their bright eyes sparkling, and whispered something.
He was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening.
She said she liked him.
Something seemed to explode in his head, severing his connection and leaving him at a loss.
Chu Zhuo'an: "We are still young. I haven't had my coming-of-age ceremony yet, and you haven't reached the age of marriageable age either..."
Duoluo: "I know, I know everything."
"Chu Zhuoan, as long as you say you like me too, I will wait for you. When you come of age and I come of age, I will beg my father to marry me to you."
Being young, I witnessed others' deep affection and lifelong vows, and I learned to do the same.
Chu Zhuoan nodded, equally solemnly.
"I like you too, and I will always wait for you."
She waited for her father to agree to marry her to him.
Duoluo was overjoyed to hear him say that. The joy and satisfaction in her heart were indescribable. She only knew that this was even more joyful and exhilarating than winning first place.
The two snuggled together through the night, and before dawn, Chu Zhuo'an heard some noises.
He didn't know if they were people who came to rescue them, or if the group from yesterday was still unwilling to give up.
If it's the former, then everything is fine; if it's the latter...
He decided to solve the problem on the spot.
The fact that they went to such great lengths to hunt them down means that they are not ordinary people behind them. Only by finding out who is behind them can we thoroughly eliminate them.
...
The Chu residence.
Just as Yu An was anxiously sending people everywhere to search for the person, news came from the doorway again.
It was recently delivered by Xu Jingshu.
Yu An hurriedly opened it and saw that it was a complete letter. She glanced at it and her heart clenched.
Something happened...
She hurriedly sent someone to deliver a message to Wang Jie, the newly appointed Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies. As soon as Yunxiu stepped out of the courtyard, she saw the Qiang people filing in.
Wang Jie, standing beside him, first bowed to the Qiang envoy, and then inquired about the whereabouts of Chu Yu'an.
Chu Yu'an hurriedly stepped forward to greet him, intending to first entertain the envoy in the hall. Unexpectedly, the envoy was furious and shouted, "Yesterday, our Princess Sijia went missing. We asked the stable people, and they said she went out riding with the young master of the Chu family. You are a member of the Chu family, and I have come to ask you to return our princess."
Wang Jie looked at her, "Does Your Highness know the whereabouts of your son and the princess?"
Yu An shook her head. "Chu Zhuo'an has been missing since yesterday afternoon. I sent people to search all night, but there was no trace of him. I don't know where they went either."
Enraged, the envoy immediately drew his sword. "That's your brother! Don't you know where he is? He dared to abduct our princess! Does he want his head chopped off?!"
Wang Jie told him to calm down, and then explained to her and asked about her whereabouts.
But Yu'an was also completely bewildered and knew nothing when asked.
I just received the news, but how do I even begin to speak?
Chu Zhuo'an wasn't impulsive. He knew how serious it was to stay out all night, so he wouldn't knowingly break the rules without saying a word, especially when he was with the Qiang princess.
Since saving lives was the priority, they disregarded everything else.
"I just received word that the two of them have probably gone to Fengcaoba. I would be grateful if Lord Wang could send someone to search for them immediately. They spent the night away from home, and I'm afraid their situation is worrying..."
Yu An curtsied, but her gaze remained fixed on Wang Jie.
There was a message in her eyes, and Wang Jie understood it clearly.
Knowing that there were outsiders present and that there were certain things he couldn't say, he temporarily listened to her and sent most of his men to Fengcaoba.
Because of their relationship with Ji Jinghe, the two trusted each other.
Time passed slowly, and Chu Zhuo'an and Duo Luo were unaware of the panic in the capital, but they had their own troubles to face.
Half an hour later, the sound of horses' hooves still hadn't stopped, and they were certain that it was the same group of people from yesterday.
"They were convinced we hadn't gone out, but they still wouldn't give up."
Duoluo: "They're searching in circles, and given enough time, they'll surely find this place."
“So we can’t just sit here and wait to die. Rather than waiting to die, we should fight our way out.” Chu Zhuo’an said in a deep voice, “I want to capture them and find the person behind them.”
"I'll listen to you."
The situation was dangerous, and Chu Zhuo'an didn't want her to get involved, but Duoluo begged him several times.
She also possesses martial arts skills; she is proficient in using whips, swords, and bows and arrows, and is not a burden.
After yesterday's preparations, she had gotten used to it, and now she was no longer afraid to face the real challenges head-on.
After the two roughly agreed on what to do, they began to get nervous as they heard the sounds nearby becoming clearer.
Judging from the sound of horses' hooves, there were probably two people.
Duo Luo sat openly in the house, deliberately making noise with the firewood sticks. Those who heard the commotion outside immediately rushed forward to investigate. As soon as they stepped into the house, a dagger was plunged into the neck of one of them.
Blood splattered, and before the other man could even raise his knife, another sharp blade pierced his neck.
"One person, one horse, I'll go first."
Chu Zhuoan picked up the knife from the ground, wiped the blood off her face, and then turned and left.
Duoluo watched his retreating figure, thoroughly examined both corpses, took everything usable, and then rode off in the opposite direction.
The woods mentioned yesterday have a pocket-shaped terrain, making them an ideal place for fighting against overwhelming odds.
Chu Zhuo'an led the way, luring the enemy into the woods. She used the traps left by hunters in the woods to trap the enemy, while she flanked them from behind.
At the sound of a whistle, she immediately spurred her horse toward the sound, nocked an arrow, and accurately shot it into the enemy's abdomen.
One by one, by the time the people in front realized what was happening, one arrow was not enough. Seeing the beehive on the tree branch not far away, they had a flash of inspiration and shot it, which hit the thief running towards them.
The wasps swarmed in the hive, instantly throwing the enemy into disarray.
One arrow after another... and the problem was solved cleanly.
He bent down to pick up the enemy's arrows scattered on the ground and immediately spurred his horse to give chase.
Chu Zhuo'an only carried a knife, and she couldn't guarantee that he would be alright.
In close combat, how can one person defeat a group of people?
She quickened her pace and immediately nocked an arrow, following Chu Zhuo'an's lead. The two worked together and killed most of the enemy in just a few moves.
"Duo Luo, get out of the way!"
Her agility and archery skills were so precise that they had already attracted the enemy's attention, and an arrow was already nocked in a corner.
Duo Luo was caught off guard and was wondering why he shouted like that when she saw Chu Zhuo'an throw the knife in his hand. The tip of the knife broke through the enemy's skin and hit him squarely in the chest.
Immediately afterwards, a white light flashed and was about to be slashed at Chu Zhuo'an's head. Chu Zhuo'an dodged to the side, and the dagger in his other hand had already plunged into the other's heart.
"Chu Zhuoan, catch!" Duo Luo picked up the knife from the ground and threw it at him.
Chu Zhuo caught it steadily and immediately threw himself back into the fight.
In the end, only three or four people remained. Duoluo had a bow and arrow on her back, but she still couldn't tell which one was the leader they needed to keep alive.
She wanted to ask a question, but she was afraid of distracting Chu Zhuoan who was fighting, so she could only try to figure it out from his moves.
The two of them, outnumbered and outgunned, had killed so many people. If it were an ordinary person, they would have run away, gone back to get reinforcements, and then figured out another way. But these people in front of them seemed to have been given a military order; they didn't move an inch and had no intention of escaping.
Chu Zhuo'an's strength was waning, and his every move in response revealed his exhaustion.
With no other option, Duoluo steeled her heart and shot at the arms and legs of these men. The last remaining man saw his companions falling off their horses one after another, seemingly ready to fight to the death. Duoluo happened to be out of arrows, so she could only watch from the sidelines.
The man suddenly flew over and knocked Chu Zhuo'an off his horse. The swords in their hands flew out of their hands, and they could only wrestle together, punching each other again and again.
Seeing this, Duoluo got anxious, dismounted, picked up the knife next to her, and, seizing the opportunity, called out Chu Zhuoan's name.
In the blink of an eye, a knife was placed against the enemy's neck.
To prevent him from biting his tongue and committing suicide, Chu Zhuo'an tore off the black cloth from his face and stuffed it into his mouth.
When it was all over, all that remained were the painful groans from the ground and their heavy breathing.
Exhausted, the two looked at each other and their eyes spontaneously filled with smiles.
"I never imagined they were here to kill you..."
The way he was entangled with her just now, without any regard for her presence, shows who this assassination attempt was for.
Just as Chu Zhuo'an was about to answer, the sound of horses' hooves, sometimes loud and sometimes soft, came from the side, and his heart, which had just landed, jumped again.
"They've sent people again?" Duoluo became wary.
Chu Zhuo'an looked up and gripped the knife in his hand tighter, but upon closer inspection, he realized that the men on horseback did not appear to be from the same group.
"It's my uncle!"
Duo Luo was excited and waved happily in the direction she was, shouting, "Uncle, I'm here!"
It was a false alarm; reinforcements have arrived.
Sensing his men were being disobedient, Chu Zhuoan kicked them hard, saying, "If you want to save your life, you'd better behave."
The Qiang envoy and Wang Jie were both present. They led the remaining surviving bandits to an open area in the dam area before they could have a proper talk.
Duoluo explained the situation in detail. The Qiang envoy in charge said something in the Qiang language, which no one could understand. They only saw Duoluo hang her head dejectedly and stop talking.
Wang Jie glanced at Chu Zhuo'an, who was covered in blood, and smiled slightly. "Like father, like son. Young master is even more impressive than Grand Secretary Chu was in the past."
Chu Zhuo'an clasped his hands in a salute: "I would like to trouble Lord Wang to report the truth to His Majesty and to investigate thoroughly."
Wang Jie: "Don't worry, my lord. Your sister is still worried at home. You should go back quickly."
Chu Zhuo'an then remembered Yu'an at home, and was about to leave with the reins when he heard his name called from behind.
It was a flower that fell and called to him.
He turned around and saw those moist eyes staring intently at him.
She rode closer, and everyone who saw her fell silent and moved away, leaving the two of them to talk.
Duo Luo lowered her eyelids, and when she looked up at him again, her eyes held a different emotion.
"I'm leaving. I'll be leaving tomorrow morning..."
Chu Zhuoan was taken aback.
Duoluo: "Now that we've parted, it's probably time to see each other again. You must remember what you said and do it. Don't forget."
"If I find out that you have married behind my back, I will beat you to death with my whip."
Chu Zhuoan: ...
"Which city gate will you leave through tomorrow? I'll see you off."
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