The days that followed were both busy and quiet. Xiao Yan planned to take A-Lian to Ningxia for a while, as he had a good relationship with Wu Xiaohe of Ningxia. Once he had established a firm foothold with the Wu family, he would move on to Jiajing Pass. Fifteen-year-old Xiao Yan was determined to live the life he had always dreamed of.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, two days before he left Yunyang City, Xiao Yan met Yun Chuxue again at the Yanbei Palace.
Yun Chuxue looked at Xiao Yan quietly.
When Xiao Yan saw her look like this, he suddenly felt guilty and felt a little sorry for Yun Chuxue. After all, Yun Chuxue had done nothing wrong.
So Xiao Yan, with a rare friendly expression, asked Yun Chuxue with concern, "It's still cold, cousin, why don't you wear more clothes when you go out?"
Yun Chuxue looked at Xiao Yan for a while, then suddenly asked, "Is my cousin busy lately?"
Xiao Yan was startled when he heard this, wondering if Yun Chuxue had figured something out by asking this. But then he thought it was unlikely. So he said impatiently, "Well, my father gave me some instructions, but they're not something you can ask."
Yun Chuxue continued to ask, "Are you going on a long journey?"
Xiao Yan: “…”
Yun Chuxue looked at Xiao Yan, as if waiting for his answer. Xiao Yan wanted to ignore her, but still said unhappily, "Don't go out!"
Yun Chuxue nodded and said gently, "That's good. I just saw Aunt Li looking through the almanac at my aunt's place. She said this month is an unlucky month that only appears once in decades, so it's not suitable for traveling far. If you have something to go out for, please postpone it for a few days."
After saying this, Yun Chuxue walked away leisurely.
Xiao Yan looked at Yun Chuxue's back and suddenly felt a little annoyed.
On the evening of the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Xiao Yan went to the restaurant to pick up A-Lian. A-Lian had packed a bag and was waiting there. Xiao Yan knew that A-Lian had no parents and lived with her uncle and aunt. Her uncle and aunt did not care much for her, and it was unknown what she had said to her uncle and aunt. Xiao Yan had previously given A-Lian two hundred taels of silver to give to her family as a betrothal gift.
Xiao Yan walked forward and held A Lian's hand. This was the first physical contact between them. A Lian's hand was a little cold, and Xiao Yan blew his breath at her.
"Let's go, the carriage is just ahead."
A Lian did not move, just looked at Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan smiled, but he was actually a little nervous: "What's wrong? Are you regretting it? It's too late to regret it now."
A Lian shook her head and let Xiao Yan lead her away.
The carriage left Yunyang City and took the official road under the cover of night. Xiao Yan and A'lian did not speak in the carriage. Xiao Yan was thinking about what Yun Chuxue said that day. A'lian might have never been away from home before and felt a little uneasy.
So when the carriage suddenly stopped and arrows hit the wall, Xiao Yan almost lost consciousness. However, he was no ordinary weak boy. He quickly realized that he had been ambushed and immediately hugged A Lian and threw himself into the carriage to avoid the hidden arrows.
Xiao Yan was eloping this time, so he only brought eight personal guards who had always followed him. He did not expect that his whereabouts would be exposed, because he did the preparations for going out by himself without asking anyone else to do it. Now Xiao Yan was unwilling to think about why someone would be waiting here to assassinate him.
Xiao Yan lifted the curtain and looked outside. Under the moonlight, more than twenty men in black were fighting with his eight guards. His guards were all skilled fighters, but the other side was not weak either. Moreover, this place was quite far away from Yunyang City and was in a remote area. Apart from his group, no one else passed by, and there was no one to ask for help.
The Xiao family was no coward. Xiao Yan simply glanced outside before calmly taking off his sword and heading out to meet the enemy. Just as he was about to get off the carriage, someone grabbed his sleeve.
Xiao Yan looked back at A Lian who was pulling his sleeve and pursed his lips: "You hide in the carriage."
A-Lian shook her head and desperately pulled at him, tears streaming down her face. (To be continued ~^~) This chapter has been read (please click on the next chapter to continue reading!)
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