You're really not going to run away?
Wearing a linen shirt for early autumn, she felt the chill as soon as she stepped outside. She hunched her neck and squinted at him. He was dressed in an expensive fur coat, half of which blocked the view of countless mottled mold stains hanging from the walls.
The plaster on the wall had long since peeled off, and in the gaps between the bricks, the lush wild grass that flourished in spring had been reduced to just roots, stuck in the mud cracks, and after being washed by the rain, thin strips hung on the wall.
A man and a horse, completely out of place. Wen Ruoleng shivered, subconsciously biting her lip, and lowered her eyes in deep thought.
"Young master, would you like to change your clothes too?"
Qi Guanlan was clearly unhappy. Wen Ruo looked like a completely different person after changing her clothes. Originally, she had big eyes and decent features, which were passable, but now she was covered in black makeup and her eyes were deliberately squinted. If he saw her on the street, he wouldn't recognize her.
Wen Ruo noticed his disdain, thought for a moment, and said, "Young Master, there are bandits in Zhuxi Village. I'm going to investigate. I'll have to trouble you to find the General."
Little Whitey neighed and snorted. Qi Guanlan stroked its head soothingly, then suddenly understood her implication and laughed angrily: "You want to make me a laughingstock in the world?"
Wen Ruo smiled and said, "Since the young master can ride a horse, could you please ask General Gu to lead a team to suppress the bandits? Otherwise, these two villages may not be able to survive."
Qi Guanlan chuckled, seemingly mocking her naivety, "By the time General Gu arrived with his troops, everyone was already far away. You usually seem quite clever, so where have you been?"
Wen Ruo pointed to the expensive fox fur coat on his collar, "They outnumber you and might even be armed. If you don't change your clothes, young master, you might be taken hostage, and even Xiao Bai might be in danger."
"If the young man dresses in coarse clothes and cloth shoes and pretends to be a villager, he might be able to find a traveling doctor."
"So all you want is for me to change my clothes, huh?" Qi Guanlan tied Xiaobai to the tree and strode into the house, untying her fox fur coat as she scolded her, "You're just not sincere, and you're too cunning."
I don’t know who just refused. It would be foolish to argue with a young master. Wen Ruo nodded directly, “I can’t bear the responsibility if something happens to the young master. I must take the doctor back. I’ll just have to trouble the young master.”
Wen Ruo borrowed a powder box from her sister-in-law, secretly slipped behind her back to Qi Guanlan's side, pointed at the top of his head and exclaimed in surprise, "Young Master, there's something on your face."
Qi Guanlan simply closed his eyes, waiting for someone to serve him. It was truly a case of a spoiled young master's illness. Wen Ruo, having achieved her goal, naturally agreed and used her lipstick to lightly apply some face powder to his face.
Half an hour later, as they got closer to Zhuxi Village, the footprints became more and more disordered. Without even asking, they knew the robbers had arrived. Wen Ruo's left eyelid twitched. She stared intently at the direction of the toes on the ground, her heart growing increasingly panicked. "The robbers are still in the village, young master. You should go and invite General Gu."
"Do you know what General Gu, whom you trust most, said when he killed the first Qi person?"
Wen Ruo was stunned for a moment, then shook her head, "Why are you saying this?"
"Deserter! What a despicable thing to do!" The muscles in her hands tensed instantly, her back straightened, and her head suddenly bumped against his spine, causing a slight pain. At this moment, Qi Guanlan was cold and unfamiliar.
Fortunately, it was only for a moment. Wen Ruomeng vaguely raised his head, a familiar aura enveloped him, his arm relaxed, and a slightly disdainful word reached his ears.
"I've heard this so many times I'm sick of it after a few days. Now you're telling me to abandon this young woman and go back to Gu Yu alone for help? Do you want me to die or do you want me to die?"
As he finished speaking, his voice suddenly became chilling, causing Wen Ruo's scalp to tingle. She hugged his waist tightly again, speechless.
I can tell the difference between deserting and tipping someone off, and this isn't the kind of thing I do to bluff. But he seems determined not to leave. Aside from his words, his cooperation along the way has impressed her.
Qi Guanlan coughed and removed her hand. "You're trying to murder me. Be careful, or I'll arrest you and bring you back to face the consequences."
She was almost at the village entrance when she found herself in a dilemma. She shouldn't have hesitated, but she heard crying and screaming inside. Was it just her panic and her ears playing tricks on her?
Wen Ruo shook her head. There must be too many vicious robbers, and Qi Guanlan only had rudimentary skills, so he couldn't handle them. "Are you really not going back?"
Qi Guanlan dismounted directly, pulling her down with him. Wen Ruo was caught off guard, and he grabbed her by the collar. She pulled hard, looking at him with pleading eyes.
“Besides, it’s not that simple,” he loosened his collar and gestured casually, “Look, even if you’re dressed as a man, how can you possibly hide your true appearance?”
Wen Ruo breathed a sigh of relief, but then looked at his face and deflated. Qi Guanlan's carefree and nonchalant attitude was really annoying. "Young Master, men can be short too, and I can still grow taller."
The chill seeped into his shoes and socks, and Qi Guanlan frowned uncomfortably. Wen Ruo glanced down at him and asked one last time, "Really not going back?"
Qi Guanlan glanced at the quiet Xiaobai, sneered, broke free from her grasp, patted Xiaobai's bottom, and Xiaobai immediately ran in the opposite direction.
Upon entering the village, as expected, the demand was exorbitant, and in the blink of an eye, the money was gone. Wen Ruoxin was heartbroken, but she still spent money to buy the information without batting an eye.
Before even reaching the bride's house, they spotted a man being kidnapped by bandits. He had a copper bell hanging from his waist, a long black beard reaching his chest, and wore a tattered Taoist robe, exuding an air of otherworldly elegance.
"The itinerant doctor!"
There were more than ten robbers, all looking fierce and menacing. Each of them carried a cloth bag on their back. Wen Ruo was furious at the sight. If General Gu were here, he would not have allowed these scoundrels to cause trouble. Right now, the two of them were completely helpless.
The group of robbers walked further and further away, clearly intending to leave. Wen Ruo got up to chase after them, but Qi Guanlan stopped her, saying, "Don't be impulsive. Going there now would be suicide!"
"The loss of the itinerant doctor is tantamount to killing me!"
Wen Ruo slapped his hand away and whispered a shout. Qi Guanlan was taken aback at first, then her face quickly showed displeasure. She reacted quickly and explained:
“I’m not stupid. The itinerant doctor is useful to them. Our lives are temporarily safe. We just need to be careful, leave some marks along the way, and quietly follow him to find their lair. Then we can wait for General Gu to come and rescue us.”
The pain in his hand hadn't subsided when Qi Guanlan looked her over again. Her earlier roar was just a fleeting moment; now she was back to her familiar errand-running ways. Her clear eyes held a sly glint. He had never seen anyone so filial before, and his heart softened a little, which made him seem somewhat unfilial in comparison.
"Don't get too close. Even if the Thousand Feather Army doesn't rest day and night, it will still take them a whole day to get to Yan'an Temple. Don't have too high hopes. It's very likely that only Gu Yu will come." He paused for a moment, and perhaps she wouldn't like to hear the second half of his sentence. He was only here to take us back.
Wen Ruo nodded hurriedly, then secretly glanced over like a thief. When the figure was almost out of sight, she immediately pulled Qi Guanlan along. They walked and stopped, seemingly heading up the mountain.
Most of the wildflowers and grasses have withered, and on rainy days, moss covers the ground, making it easy to slip and fall if you're not careful. Without the cover of grass and shrubs, finding a place to hide is extremely difficult.
The two lay prone in the ravine, the damp, cold earth radiating a chill. Their wet clothes clung to their bodies, and Wen Ruodong's lips were pale. She had no choice but to look away, and with trembling lips, she suddenly asked, "General Gu, are you injured?"
“He’s as stiff as a rock, what illness could he possibly have?” Qi Guanlan was dressed better than her inside, but her head, which had been exposed to the cold wind, seemed to be frozen stiff. She answered without hesitation, her lips moving swiftly.
After he finished speaking, a trace of nostalgia flashed in his eyes. Although the training in the Thousand Feather Camp was tough, at least there was something to look forward to. Tracking was a tiring and dirty job. He sighed, comforting Wen Ruo as if he were comforting himself.
"Don't worry, he'll come. Otherwise, my mother would tear him apart."
Wen Ruo lowered her eyes, her mind a little confused, not knowing what to say. It turned out that she really had come with her.
"Quick, keep up."
Qi Guanlan shook her, stood up first, grabbed the dry grass and started climbing. The slope was steep and slippery, and he lost his footing and fell down.
Wen Ruo quickly tried to stop him, but still couldn't save Qi Guanlan's face. He shook his ears and couldn't help but curse, "What kind of weather is this? I hate rainy days."
Wen Ruo laughed. Yun Jin Lou was still waiting for the rain to fall, so why was she talking about drinking warm wine and listening to the rain while sleeping?
Once the two had climbed up, Wen Ruo looked up and saw several robbers standing high up, their knives held across their shoulders, waiting for them with great interest. The tall, thin man with a black cloth covering his left eye stood at the front and laughed loudly, "Gentlemen, do you need any help?"
Several robbers surrounded the two, making escape impossible. Wen Ruo suddenly stomped on Qi Guanlan's foot, wiped the mud off her face, and grabbed his collar with a furious expression, cursing:
"You've been lazy and idle, and you even dared to desert. Now look what happened, you've finally been caught."
In order not to arouse Qi Guanlan's suspicion, she could only lower her voice. Her somewhat weak and boyish voice made Qi Guanlan's face go blank, and he looked at her with a strange expression.
The two faced each other, their eyes locked. Wen Ruo blinked, and Qi Guanlan realized that he was being asked to play the deserter.
But isn't her mind working a little too fast? What makes her so sure I'll listen to her?
"It's easy for you to talk when you're not the one suffering. I envy your short and weak appearance. If you hadn't died young, Father wouldn't have let you go. Thousand Feather Camp is no place for humans. If Gu Yu wanted to beat me, I would have died there if I hadn't run away."
Speaking of the Thousand Feather Camp, Qi Guanlan's expression was one of deep hatred, and his tone was filled with unspeakable bitterness. It was clear that he had suffered greatly inside, and his feelings were genuine without any pretense.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone nodding to themselves, seemingly empathizing. Could this group all be deserters? Wen Ruo released him irritably, "You're blaming me now? It's all because you squandered the family fortune, leaving me homeless. If it weren't for Father's repeated requests, I would have cut ties with you long ago."
With a sudden burst of strength, Qi Guanlan was thrown off his feet and slipped, falling to the ground. Looking at his hands stuck in the mud, his face immediately darkened.
He had never suffered like this before. It was just that things happened so fast that Qi Guanlan reacted immediately, got up and cursed, "Are you looking for death?! How dare you push me!"
He truly lives up to his reputation as a playboy; his natural performance is so captivating that it's hard to believe he's 80% convincing.
Wen Ruo's heart skipped a beat. She went with the flow and retreated to the side of the road, one foot in mid-air, and shouted defiantly, "So be it! Rather than serving you for the rest of my life, I'd rather die!"
Qi Guanlan seemed startled, and after a moment of stunned silence, he swallowed his pride and weakly raised his hands, saying, "Okay, I apologize, I misspoke."
After he finished speaking, he wiped his wet hands on Wen Ruo's sleeve. Wen Ruo was both amused and annoyed, but her face remained expressionless, as if his apology was commonplace.
Seeing that she didn't speak, Qi Guanlan had a sudden idea and said, "My younger brother can cook. He can take care of cooking and cleaning from now on. How about you let me go, my friend?"
It's truly amazing that Young Master Qi could come up with such a thing. Wen Ruo's breathing became rapid, her slightly dry lips moved, her brows furrowed into a deep frown, and despair overflowed from her eyes. It seemed that she never expected that her elder brother would have no sense of shame or brotherly love and would betray her so easily.
The silence seemed to speak volumes. Qi Guanlan glanced down and wondered what she had grown up on. She could sing opera better than the famous actresses in the troupe. No wonder she squinted her eyes; otherwise, all her cunning and treacherous traits would have been revealed.
"Taking in your brother is an option."
Three whistles rang out from the distant hillside. One-Eyed responded, then turned to Qi Guanlan, revealing a set of yellow teeth and a cruel smile. "Letting you go? No way."
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