Gu Chaoxi also saw the arrows coming towards her. Although she was afraid and knew she should dodge, her legs went weak and wouldn't obey her commands. In that moment of hesitation, the arrows were already upon her, and it was no longer possible to dodge.
My heart was in my throat.
The next instant, a strong force pulled her to the side. At the last second, Lu Zhao pulled her to the other side, and the sharp arrow narrowly grazed Lu Zhao's arm.
Lu Zhao glanced at Gu Chaoxi, relieved to see she was unharmed. Then his fierce gaze shot straight towards the direction from which the arrow had come.
A group of masked men in black, carrying long swords, appeared in the once quiet woods. There were about forty or fifty of them.
Lu Zhao pulled Gu Chaoxi behind him and told her, "Stay close to me and don't wander off."
Lu Zhao's purpose in going out today was to use himself as bait to lure out the person behind his previous assassination attempt. However, recognizing Gu Chaoxi today and putting her in this predicament was completely unexpected.
This was the first time Gu Chaoxi had ever encountered something like this in her life, so she was inevitably scared. She followed closely behind Lu Zhao, not daring to take another step.
Lu Zhao quickly engaged the masked man in combat. Although he spent most of his time handling political affairs in the capital and rarely went to the battlefield, he was not some weak and unskilled man. On the contrary, his body was strong and well-defined, and he was physically robust. He practiced martial arts and fitness regularly, so his attacks and defenses were exceptionally clean and efficient.
He kicked a masked man aside, snatched the sword from the man's hand, and slit the man's throat with a backhand motion. Blood flowed instantly, as easily as cutting melons and vegetables.
Realizing he couldn't get away with this from Lu Zhao, and seeing that he was always protecting the woman behind him, the masked man immediately sent some men to chase after Gu Chaoxi.
While fending off those attacking him, Lu Zhao also had to protect Gu Chaoxi. Facing so many people, he gradually fell into a disadvantageous position, suffering numerous injuries to his shoulders, back, and arms. In addition, the injuries he had sustained two days prior had reopened after this battle, and his brocade robe was soaked with crimson blood.
Although he had made preparations in advance, Jin Yang was currently outside the woods and could not immediately lead his men to the scene. The road leading out of the woods was also blocked by these people, so Lu Zhao had no choice but to lead Gu Chaoxi deeper into the woods to hide.
The forest wasn't large; they ran for almost fifteen minutes before emerging from the other end. However, the forest's end didn't lead to a wide, flat path, but rather to a low cliff overlooking a rushing river.
Gu Chaoxi's voice was trembling with tears, "We're not going to die here, are we? I don't want to die."
Lu Zhao patted her back to comfort her, "Don't be afraid, I will definitely not let anything happen to you."
The remaining masked men pursued relentlessly and quickly caught up. Gu Chaoxi glanced at the river behind them and asked expectantly, "Does Your Highness know how to swim? Why don't we jump into the river and swim away? I'm a very good swimmer."
Lu Zhao said, "I am not a good swimmer."
Although Lu Zhao was not a good swimmer, when the group approached and Gu Chaoxi, hiding behind her, accidentally lost her footing and fell, he reached out and grabbed her. The masked man closest to him reacted quickly and swung his sword at him. To avoid this fatal blow, Lu Zhao had no choice but to jump into the river.
The two were swept away immediately after falling into the swift-flowing river.
Gu Chaoxi was a little worried. She hadn't forgotten that she had taken a fertility pill two days ago, and should already be carrying a baby. So she immediately summoned the system, "If I fall into the water, will I lose the baby?"
The system reassured her, "Host, you won't. Unless you take an abortion pill after taking the fertility pill, the child will definitely be born safely."
Gu Chaoxi was relieved. The river wasn't too murky. She tried to open her eyes in the water to look for Lu Zhao. Lu Zhao wasn't a good swimmer; he must have been swept ahead. Gu Chaoxi took a deep breath and swam forward with the current.
Not far away, they saw Lu Zhao sinking into the water, his eyes closed.
This isn't just poor swimming ability; it's that they can't swim at all.
Gu Chaoxi swam over, gave him a breath, and tried her best to lift him up.
Lu Zhao was already in a daze when, in his delirium, a pair of soft lips covered his, giving him a breath of fresh air. He knew it was Gu Chaoxi. Even the best swimmers couldn't guarantee their safety in such a swift river; he hadn't expected her to risk her life to save him.
It felt as if a string in my heart had been plucked, and my heart began to race uncontrollably.
He gritted his teeth and forced himself to wake up, trying to float upwards to cooperate with Gu Chaoxi's movements so that she wouldn't have to exert so much effort.
After drifting in the river for nearly an hour, Gu Chaoxi finally found a place where it was easy to get ashore and dragged Lu Zhao ashore.
It was already dark when Gu Chaoxi came ashore, soaking wet. Her clothes clung to her body, and the autumn wind made her sneeze several times. Lu Zhao's condition was even worse. He already had injuries, and after soaking in the water for an hour, his wounds had turned white from the river water, and he developed a fever as soon as he got ashore.
There was a small flat area on the shore, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only one path leading forward, where a village could be vaguely seen.
They drifted in the water for an hour, and by now they were probably far from the capital. Lu Zhao was injured and had a high fever. Gu Chaoxi didn't recognize the herbs in the mountains, so they could only go to the village ahead to ask for help.
After settling the unconscious Lu Zhao in, Gu Chaoxi headed towards the village. She knocked on the door of a house, and an old woman answered.
A flash of amazement crossed the old woman's eyes.
“Auntie, my brother and I were robbed on the road and fell into the river. We were swept here. My brother is injured and unconscious. Could you please find someone to carry my brother back and take us in for the night?” Gu Chaoxi said, taking off the jade earring from her ear and placing it in the old woman’s hand.
Almost all of her valuables were washed away by the river, leaving only a pair of earrings and a jade ornament around her neck.
Gossip can be a terrible thing, so to avoid trouble, she said that Lu Zhao was her brother.
Although the old woman didn't know how much the earrings were worth, she could tell from the girl's beautiful face, luxurious clothes, and the way she moved that she came from a wealthy family that the things she brought out must also be expensive. After hearing Gu Chaoxi's purpose, she readily agreed, and seeing that Gu Chaoxi's clothes were soaked and her curves were fully exposed, she warmly invited her into the house to change her clothes.
“My husband’s surname is Wu. These are my own clothes, please make do with them. My son just came back from work. After you change your clothes, I’ll have him go with you to carry your husband back. Your brother has a high fever and is injured. I’m going to the barefoot doctor to get some medicine.”
"Thank you, Aunt Wu."
Gu Chaoxi changed into dry clothes, and Aunt Wu went to the kitchen to call her son.
When Wu Tiancheng heard from his mother that she had taken in a brother and sister and asked him to go to the river to carry the man back, he nodded in agreement.
When Wu Tiancheng saw Gu Chaoxi come out after changing her clothes, a look of amazement flashed in his eyes.
He grew up in the village and the farthest he had ever been was to the town. He had never seen such a heavenly girl before, with skin as white as jade, eyes like stars, and red lips. Even her coarse linen clothes couldn't hide her beautiful figure, and he could only imagine the exquisite skin and bones beneath.
A fiery glint ignited in Wu Tiancheng's eyes.
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