Chapter 17, The Seventeenth Escape
When she escaped, Jiang Linzhi was still in a daze. Chen and Qi Lingjun held off the Regent's men, while Lu Huantang led her out. She hugged Lu Huantang tightly as he rode away on horseback, and suddenly felt a warmth on the back of her hand.
Blood.
Jiang Linzhi was startled. Jiang Jinyi was definitely not here to cause her trouble this time. She quickly took out a Qi-boosting pill from her bosom, stuffed it into Lu Huantang's mouth, pressed down on his Tanzhong acupoint, and said, "Circulate your Qi three times in the Small Heavenly Cycle. Don't worry about the pursuers behind you."
Before the second week, Jiang Linzhi could barely hold off the pursuers behind him, but as the surrounding environment became increasingly deserted, the pursuers behind him became more unrestrained.
In an instant, a rain of arrows poured down from the sky. Lu Huantang wrapped his horsewhip around Jiang Linzhi's waist and forcibly channeled his inner energy to create a light blue sword energy barrier to block the arrow rain.
In this life-or-death emergency, Jiang Linzhi showed no fear whatsoever. With one hand she held Lu Huantang's waist, and with the other she untied the riding whip that was holding her down, shouting as she lashed out at the assassins behind her.
What should have been a tense escape turned into a thrilling affair, with Jiang Linzhi constantly laughing, displaying an almost enthusiastic spirit like someone hunting in autumn. He even shouted, "Is that all you've got? Bring on a few more capable ones!"
Taking advantage of the moment when Jiang Linzhi killed the master with a flurry of punches, Lu Huantang finally managed to gather his strength and barely heal his internal injuries. He immediately turned around and killed several approaching assassins, and also stole a fine horse.
He turned back to focus on fighting the enemy, leaving the rest of the journey to be watched by Jiang Linzhi.
Finally, Lu Huantang had killed most of the nearby assassins and successfully created a considerable distance between them.
But Jiang Linzhi suddenly shouted, "Damn it, there's no road!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Huantang quickly grabbed Jiang Linzhi's horse reins and looked ahead—a dark, gaping chasm in the sky.
In late winter and early spring, there is a lot of fog in the secluded places in the mountains, so it's no wonder that Jiang Linzhi couldn't see clearly.
Lu Huantang had never been to this place before, but judging from the scale of the arrow rain just now, there must be many pursuers behind them. Taking Jiang Linzhi, a burden, would only lead to their demise. He quickly recalled the markings on the map in his mind, and after a moment, he decisively asked, "Miss, do you trust me?"
"I believe you!" Jiang Linzhi shouted without hesitation.
"Jump!" Lu Huantang wrapped his whip around Jiang Linzhi's waist and jumped down with her.
Fortunately, the snow that had accumulated over the years had frozen into layers of ice, and they tumbled down the ice and finally fell into the icy water.
After finally finding the shore and swimming in, Jiang Linzhi immediately lost all strength and lay face down on the cold, wet ground.
Having survived the ordeal, Lu Huantang lay on the ground, panting heavily, but chuckled softly.
But when he turned to look at Jiang Linzhi, his smile vanished. Jiang Linzhi was sprawled on the ground like a water ghost, a large red stain on his back. An arrow had pierced Jiang Linzhi's back from below his shoulder blade, penetrating his shoulder. It seemed to have gotten deeper as he rolled down the cliff, and it definitely looked like it had damaged his liver.
She didn't say anything, and her high spirits while being chased made it seem like an autumn hunt, completely dispelling his tension.
If you calculate it carefully, she lasted for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
What a careless mistake! If Jiang Lin dies here, all his efforts over the past two weeks will have been in vain, and he will be blamed for failing to protect him.
Enraged, Lu Huantang rolled over, gently snapped the arrow feathers with his fingers, carried her on his back, and placed one hand on Jiang Linzhi's Shenque and Qihai acupoints to channel his internal energy into her, while rushing to the nearest village to find a doctor for her.
Guanshan Village is usually peaceful and tranquil, but today it is unusually lively.
Widow Li, who lived in the east of the village, was the most well-informed. Seeing that more and more people were asking her about things, she finally spoke up: "It's a brother and sister who came. Wow, you didn't see how handsome they were! If it weren't for the man carrying a sword, I would have thought they were two girls!"
Several young women of marriageable age became interested and peered through the fence, asking, "How handsome?"
Widow Li stopped talking, raised her hand and gestured with her finger. The men understood and quickly handed her a piece of brown sugar.
Widow Li received the candy, stuffed it into her sleeve, and said contentedly, "Once you're inside Master Huang's house, if you want to see anything, just go and take a look. His fence is so low."
A group of people walked noisily toward Huang Banxian's house, but before they could even climb over the fence, the door opened.
The man who emerged had a handsome face, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist; every positive adjective could be used to describe him.
Although these rural people couldn't express it verbally, their stunned reactions were the most direct expression of their admiration for Lu Huantang.
Lu Huantang had no time to pay attention to these things. He left his jade pendant, bowed solemnly, and said, "Please take care of her, sir." Then he rode out of the village according to the map.
Half an incense stick's time later, Lu Huantang found the only doctor in the village. He carefully carried Jiang Linzhi to the bed.
Most doctors wouldn't admit someone with knife or sword wounds, fearing trouble, but this doctor was very calm, so calm as to be nonchalant, as if he weren't dealing with a person but a piece of pork. He cut open Jiang Linzhi's clothes and calmly said, "Go get some water and wipe the blood off her."
Lu Huantang hurriedly went to fetch water, but before he even entered the door, he heard Jiang Linzhi let out a painful wail.
He hurried inside and saw Huang Banxian calmly applying medicine to Jiang Linzhi, with an arrowhead lying on the ground.
So fast!
Lu Huantang was a little worried, but not much blood was lost.
As if he knew what Huang Banxian was thinking, he felt her pulse and said, "Don't worry, there's no internal blood stasis. You can wrap her up with gauze later. It's inconvenient for an old man like me to do this." Huang Banxian paused and stroked his beard. "But her liver is damaged. She needs a herb called Cistanche deserticola, otherwise she won't wake up at all."
There were no other doctors available, so Lu Huantang, without suspicion, asked while wiping Jiang Linzhi's body, "Where can I buy one?"
“I have the ordinary kind right here, but this girl is weak and her meridians are all broken. She needs a hundred years to recover. How could such a thing be in the hands of us ordinary folks?” Huang Banxian said, crossing his legs as if telling a joke.
"All meridians severed?!" Lu Huantang was shocked. He diagnosed that Jiang Linzhi had no martial arts skills, but all his meridians were severed. What had he gone through?
"It's been broken for years; it couldn't have been caused by just one arrow."
Suppressing his shock and mixed feelings, Lu Huantang carefully examined Jiang Linzhi for any other minor injuries. His gaze fell on Jiang Linzhi's wrist, where he had wielded the whip. Sure enough, the bone was dislocated, hanging in an odd position.
Lu Huantang quickly set her bones, and with a "click," her slender wrist returned to its original position. "Okay, give me an hour and a half."
Master Huang turned around and went to prepare the medicine.
Jiang Linzhi was very thin, and the jagged bones on her back were clearly visible. After the bloodstains faded, Lu Huantang looked at the scars on her back.
Was she truly the winner in that great upheaval more than a decade ago? Why were all her meridians severed? What exactly did she experience?
If he figured it out, this might be a golden opportunity for him to get closer to Jiang Linzhi.
However, his immediate priority was to obtain the century-old Cistanche deserticola nearby to save Jiang Linzhi's life.
If Jiang Linzhi dies, then everything that follows is just a pipe dream.
Lu Huantang gently lifted Jiang Linzhi's upper body, letting her lean against his waist. Adhering to the principle of not looking at what is improper, he groped to wrap the bandage around Jiang Linzhi's front, but how could he not touch anything? His mind was filled with the snow-white skin of Jiang Linzhi's back, and his hands occasionally touched the warm softness of Jiang Linzhi's front.
After bandaging her and changing into dry clothes, Lu Huantang felt a layer of sweat on his body. He cursed himself for being "cowardly," carefully covered her with a quilt, and hurriedly ended this grueling bandaging process.
Leaving this village, you'll find yourself in Xuyang, a town dozens of miles from the capital. This was the last pass after the fall of the border. Lu Huantang had dealt with this man when he was escorting snuff bottles.
Xu Yang's captain, Huo Zhuo, although he held the rank of captain, had his snuff bottle prices skyrocketed two years ago because his eldest son had raised prices arbitrarily. As a result, most of the snuff bottles became unsellable and ended up stuck in his hands. The regent personally took away half of the sales rights.
The shift from having Yunnan Baiyao to not having it was not only a symbol of status and wealth, but also a matter of life and death.
After all, the common people used to fawn over him, and he certainly didn't receive any kindness in return. The former owner of the snuff bottle is now about to become like everyone else, without one. Would the people still treat him with the same deference and fawning as before?
They didn't use the power of the new owner of Baiyao to suppress the old owner; they were all incredibly kind-hearted.
Fortunately, Lu Huantang was dressed in a very luxurious manner, and since Xu Yang was located in a remote area, such a trivial matter of life and death might not reach Huo Zhuo's ears.
Lu Huantang had to take a gamble, betting that Huo Zhuo remembered his face and didn't know that he had been kicked out by the Regent.
After a moment's thought, Lu Huantang bought a black cloak and a bamboo hat, dyed the Jiang family's token black, and then knocked on the gate of the Commandant's Mansion.
The guard glanced at the token that flashed by. Although he couldn't see it clearly, he had no choice but to announce the arrival based on the person's demeanor.
While waiting outside the door, Lu Huantang noticed the crack in the door, which was still very obvious even after being painted with red lacquer many times. He pretended not to see it and followed the eager clerk into the main hall.
The advisor remembered him and tried to ingratiate himself as they walked: "His Highness has returned in triumph and should be enjoying himself in the capital. It's kind of you to remember my master. You've come on behalf of His Highness this time..."
Lu Huantang gave him a cold look. "Who are you? Does His Highness wish to report to you?"
The clerk was so frightened that he felt a chill run through him from head to toe. He immediately knelt down, but couldn't even utter a word: "I...I..."
The tables and chairs in the main hall were neatly arranged. Lu Huantang sat in the seat of honor and went straight to the point: "Does the Commandant know the purpose of this special envoy's visit?"
Huo Zhuo used all his wealth to fill the vacancy, but such a large vacancy made the Regent feel that he was unworthy of the position. He hurriedly bowed, his upper body almost touching the ground, and said, "I understand, please ask the Special Envoy to investigate thoroughly."
It seems that the past six months of anxiety have almost worn down a military general's resolve. Lu Huantang said, "Looking at your composure, it is indeed quite good." Lu Huantang took a sip of tea slowly, deliberately keeping Huo Zhuo in suspense, "But now Prefect Chen is also doing a good job. He has few relatives and manages his family well. This special envoy cannot guarantee that you can get the trading rights next year."
The light in Huo Zhuo's eyes gradually dimmed, and he suddenly ordered the steward to summon his concubine.
Lu Huantang learned that the man had many concubines and guessed that he was going to use his beauty to bribe officials, so he kept quiet and watched.
A moment later, a young nobleman arrived with two women. A glamorous concubine and a beautiful, ethereal concubine stood at a distance, looking apprehensive.
Huo Zhuo kicked the young master to the ground and slashed him with the hilt of his sword, saying, "You wretched child, you wretched child, all you ever think about is money, utterly useless."
But Lu Huantang keenly noticed that Huo Zhuo glanced at him, and sneered inwardly, "So he wants to put on an act to show his determination, then I'll play along."
Those blows looked heavy, but they didn't cause any internal damage; they were just frightening to watch. Seeing that Lu Huantang didn't try to stop the fight, Huo Zhuo reluctantly stopped after a few symbolic strikes. Lu Huantang's face was frighteningly cold; he then thrust his sword at the eldest son.
You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub.
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