Chapter 10
Dozens of cold arrows came one after another. Jiang Mian had never seen such a scene before. Her hands and feet were ice-cold, and she lowered her head, not daring to look around.
The delicate fragrance at the tip of his nose seemed to soothe his heart, but only for a moment. Countless people had appeared from the shadows, and Yun Qing alone was no match for them.
"Turn left and abandon the carriage."
An order came from above, and Yun Qing reacted quickly. In no time, the carriage sped forward at an unprecedented speed. Jiang Mian held her breath. What was happening? Who wanted to kill him?
Hold on to me.
At a sudden command, Jiang Mian felt a gust of cold wind, and then she was grabbed by the waist and quickly fell.
It was about to roll down the cliff.
"Cousin!"
She was terrified and blurted out.
However, there was no response, but during the fall, a muffled groan was vaguely heard.
...
The cliff was especially cold after the snowfall, and the only sound was the howling wind. Jiang Mian carefully raised her head, and what she saw startled her.
"Cousin..."
The person before me, I don't know when, was hit by an arrow.
Large patches of her robe were stained with blood. Her once pristine white robe was now crumpled and wrinkled, and even the clean collar was now an eyesore from the blood.
"Cousin, you're bleeding..." Jiang Mian's voice trembled slightly. She had never experienced such a scene before and was now terrified.
Shen Ji's face remained cold and stern, but his lips were pale. If it weren't for the blood flowing from his chest, Jiang Mian would have almost thought that he was not injured.
She pursed her lips and, with great effort, helped him to a large rock in the mountains.
Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask.
Jiang Mian felt as if she were standing in a very dangerous place. Shen Ji was injured and could not kill her now, but if he recovered and she saw this scene, would he kill her?
Remembering the sword hanging over her neck in the Buddhist temple, she gasped and instinctively took a step back.
Immediately, an even more terrifying thought suddenly surfaced: if she didn't save Shen Ji, then... that wouldn't do either!
If she were to stand by and watch someone die, she probably wouldn't survive even if she returned to the Shen family mansion!
Now, all we can do is gamble.
I'm betting he's not a cold-blooded, heartless person, and that he won't indiscriminately kill innocent people.
As Jiang Mian was pondering, she didn't notice that the person in front of her had already reached for the arrow fletching, executing a swift and precise move.
He actually pulled the arrow out himself!
"Rip—" He tore off the corner of his outer robe, and with a few quick and decisive movements, he temporarily stopped the blood from flowing out.
Throughout the entire process, Jiang Mian was like a wooden doll, stunned and at a loss. Fortunately, she did not retreat. Not only would he not die, but he would actually have the ability to kill her.
Jiang Mian is a person who is very afraid of death.
At the same time, she is also a very adaptable person.
After seeing that Shen Ji had treated her wounds himself, she sobbed and covered her face, saying, "Cousin, I was so scared."
"..."
"Can we get out of here alive?"
She glanced up discreetly, deliberately emphasizing "us".
Both she and Shen Ji must live!
Shen Ji lifted his eyelids and glanced at her. For a moment, Jiang Mian felt that her little thoughts could not be hidden from him at all.
"Jiang Mian, why did you come to the Shen residence?"
The unexpected question instantly dispelled the tense atmosphere.
Jiang Mian glanced at him subconsciously.
Everyone knows that her parents died and her grandmother passed away. If it weren't for the Shen family's charity, she would have been homeless long ago.
"I have no home, my life is as worthless as grass, I will go wherever I can survive."
Upon hearing this, the man looked at her again.
How similar their eyes are.
Twelve years ago, on the night he fled the capital, he also met someone who looked a lot like her, except that the girl was dead, she died in his arms.
He lowered his eyes in a deep silence.
He sneered inwardly.
He felt like he was going crazy, that Jiang Mian was the little girl from ten years ago.
Jiang Mian sensed a strange sadness emanating from him. She pursed her lips, trying to find another topic: "Cousin, you are a lucky man, you will surely be safe and sound."
There was no response. She awkwardly touched her nose and simply leaned to the side, waiting for help.
Perhaps it was because of the extreme cold, but as she leaned against the stone wall, she felt somewhat tired and weary.
Everything before my eyes seemed unreal.
A vast expanse of white snow.
"Tick-tock, tick-tock."
Somewhere had water leaked, and a few drops of water fell onto the snow, turning the pure white frost and snow into the color of blood.
A sudden chill ran down my back.
The snow melted, and suddenly several houses appeared all around. The faint sound of temple bells could be heard, rippling out all the chaos.
...
"Girl, girl."
It sounded like someone was calling her.
Jiang Mian frowned, feeling that the voice sounded very familiar.
She struggled to open her eyes, and what she saw were several worried faces.
When Shen Yan saw that she had woken up, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank God, you've finally woken up."
"How did I get here?" Jiang Mian stood up. She clearly remembered that she and Shen Ji had fallen off a cliff and were waiting for rescue. How did she end up in Birou Courtyard when she opened her eyes?
"My lady, I thought I would never see you again."
Yunji hugged her and started crying.
Shen Yan added from the side, "Xiao Wu, you were so careless. How could you go to give Grandmother Song knee pads all by yourself and not take care of your own health? You caught a cold. If your cousin hadn't carried you back, you might never have seen us again because of the high fever."
Yunji couldn't help but look at Chenyan: "Fourth Miss, how could you curse my wife?"
"I didn't curse her. I just wanted to say that you shouldn't try to be brave by yourself in the future. If your cousin hadn't been there for you, the consequences would have been unimaginable."
Jiang Mian frowned; this was completely different from what she had expected.
It was clearly Shen Ji who was injured, so how did it become that she caught a cold? Besides, according to Shen Yan, he carried her into the mansion, so everyone must have seen it.
"I...I..." She bit her lip, suddenly unsure of what to ask.
"What's wrong? Could it be that she's developed a stutter after getting sick? That won't do, Dr. Chen. Didn't you say my sister was fine? Why is she having trouble speaking?"
"Fourth sister, I'm fine."
Jiang Mian sighed.
Seeing this, Shen Yan finally dismissed the doctor. Then, she eagerly sat down in front of her, her face full of curiosity: "Xiao Wu, why are you with your cousin? What is he doing at Jing'an Temple?"
"I don't know, I met them on the way."
"Oh, I see. I knew it. My cousin never hangs out with us. Why is he suddenly treating you differently? It turns out you two met by chance."
Jiang Mian quickly explained, concealing the fact that Shen Ji had been shot with an arrow. Shen Yan was still shocked after hearing it: "So, it was your cousin who took you up the mountain."
"Mm." Jiang Mian nodded.
After hearing this, Shen Yan didn't dwell on it any longer. Instead, she suddenly leaned closer to her and said mysteriously, "Let's not talk about this for now. There's something else. Do you want to hear it?"
"What?"
"Mother has been looking for a marriage partner for my third sister recently. She has taken her to several banquets these past few days. Not only that, there is a very important poetry gathering next month. I heard that the esteemed person from the capital will also be attending. Mother may want to marry my third sister off to the capital."
Jiang Mian was somewhat surprised. After thinking about it carefully, she realized that Jiang Shi seemed to be going out frequently recently, and that she was taking Shen Tang with her.
The two sisters didn't seem too concerned about it. After exchanging a few words, Chen Yan left.
Jiang Mian watched her leave, then turned to look at Yun Ji and whispered, "How did I get back?"
"It was the eldest young master who carried you back."
hug?
How to hug?
In front of so many people, he brazenly carried her into the mansion?
Jiang Mian found it hard to accept at first.
"Young lady, what's wrong with you? You have such a high fever. Also, didn't you say you'd be back the next day? Why did you only come down the mountain three days later?"
Three days later?
She only stayed at Jing'an Temple for one night!
She was unconscious for three days and didn't know what had happened. That day, Shen Ji was clearly shot with an arrow. Thinking of this, she asked, "Where is my eldest cousin? How is he?"
"The eldest young master seems fine, young lady, why are you suddenly asking about him?"
"It's nothing, just...curiosity."
Jiang Mian told a lie, but her mind was still foggy, so she decided not to think about Shen Ji.
In the following days, Jiang Mian stayed at home to recuperate, while Shen Yan was sent by Madam Jiang to Lady Wang's residence to learn etiquette from her. After a period of peace and quiet for Jiang Mian, Madam Jiang suddenly appeared at Birou Courtyard.
"Mian'er, are you feeling better?"
After exchanging a few words of concern, Madam Jiang got straight to the point: "In a few days, Tingzhuxuan will be holding a poetry gathering. You should go with your aunt."
"Where are my third and fourth sisters?"
"Tang'er will also go. Yan'er's temperament still needs to be tempered. You are more mature than Yan'er, so your aunt will feel more at ease taking you along."
Jiang Mian lowered her eyes and obediently replied, "I will listen to my aunt."
Madam Jiang nodded in satisfaction, put down the fine medicinal herbs she had brought, and took off a silver bracelet from her wrist: "Mian'er is a young lady now, dress up nicely, your aunt will also care about your marriage."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Mian gave a gentle smile. Regardless of whether Madam Jiang was genuinely looking out for her, as someone living under someone else's roof, she still had to consider her own well-being.
She can't stay in the Shen family forever.
If possible, finding a reliable person to rely on for life is a backup plan.
Three days before the poetry gathering, Jiang sent her a dress, exquisite and luxurious, almost the most beautiful dress she had ever seen.
She lowered her head and silently accepted it.
Yunji looked at her with a complicated expression and said with displeasure, "Wife, are you really going to look at someone else?"
"It's good to go out and see the world. We can't stay in the room all day. I heard there are many talented men at the poetry gathering. Your aunt's arrangement is well-intentioned."
Yunji remained silent. She understood the reasoning, but in her heart, she felt that the person worthy of the girl was definitely not one of those scholars who could only spout a few pretentious words. However, she would support Jiang Mian's decision.
The three days passed quickly, and before we knew it, it was time for the poetry gathering.
Early in the morning, Madam Jiang sent someone to invite her. When she saw Jiang Mian dressed up, she smiled with satisfaction.
"The Fifth Miss is a beauty of unparalleled grace; with just a touch of adornment, she can amaze everyone."
A string of unthinking compliments came out without hesitation, and even Jiang Mian, with her thick skin, blushed a little upon hearing it.
When they arrived at the gate, Jiang and Shen Tang were already there.
The mother and daughter rode in one carriage, while Jiang Mian rode in another carriage alone.
Shen Tang glanced at her again, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes. After getting into the carriage, she couldn't wait to ask, "Mother, are you really going to send Jiang Mian away? What if she catches the eye of that noble person and surpasses me?"
Madam Jiang smiled and comforted Shen Tang: "Don't worry, I've already inquired about it. That nobleman has a strange temper and a violent nature. Even if Jiang Mian is lucky enough to be chosen by him, she won't live for long. It's just a pity for my Tang'er. If that nobleman were normal, with your talent and appearance, you would definitely catch his eye. At that time, you would be the most honored person in the Shen family."
The mother and daughter sighed. In another carriage, Jiang Mian suddenly felt dizzy.
She hadn't felt anything unusual while riding in the carriage earlier, but now she felt dizzy, as if she were about to vomit up everything she had eaten yesterday.
Fortunately, the carriage stopped shortly afterward.
As soon as she got out of the car, Jiang Mian looked uncomfortable. After quickly explaining the situation to Madam Jiang, she found a place to rest.
Jiang watched her retreating figure with some displeasure, and secretly gave a wink to the person beside her: "Follow her, don't let her slip away."
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