Even though the Lantern Festival has passed, the weather in the Northwest has not warmed up at all; instead, it's getting colder day by day. A cold front is surging, and water poured on the ground freezes instantly. Pedestrians on the road are wrapped in thick cotton-padded coats, their hands tucked into their sleeves, their eyelashes covered in frost, as they trudge along against the cold wind.
A horse-drawn carriage sped north along the winding path between the two mountains, its wheels crunching over the ice chips on the ground.
The driver was Lin Qingfeng, disguised as a coachman. He cracked his whip and turned to the people behind him, saying, "Madam, Miss Meng, just past the foot of the mountain ahead is the rendezvous point the Curved Blade Guards have agreed upon. Should we slow down?"
He always felt that rushing over like this might arouse suspicion from the other party.
Hearing this from inside the carriage, Su Wan said, "No need, it has to be this urgent, that's what makes it real."
She did not remove her men's clothing and remained dressed as a doctor, while Meng Ruliu, sitting opposite her, was disguised as an ordinary maid.
Between the two lay the wounded, scimitar-wielding guard, the seventh.
Su Wan interrogated him and learned that the scimitar guards had indeed fought with the constables sent by Magistrate An, wiping out all the constables. Two of the scimitar guards also died, and the seventh brother was injured.
Seeing that their whereabouts had been exposed, everyone planned to immediately take Su Yuze north to join Chu Yi's army. Since Lao Qi was seriously injured, they had three people escort him to Suiyang County for treatment, and they would meet him at the agreed-upon location once his condition stabilized.
Having learned the enemy's hiding place, Meng Ruliu planned to lead her men directly to attack. However, Su Wan disagreed.
The Curved Blade Guards originally numbered thirty, but now only twenty-four remain. These are all highly skilled royal guards. Lin Qingfeng's side only has a dozen or so men, and even with Meng Ruliu's help, they might not be able to defeat the enemy.
Meng Ruliu's ability to take on three men single-handedly in the inn relied on surprise, aided by the pair of iron hammers she carried. The three men hadn't anticipated the seemingly frail Meng Ruliu's incredible strength; two of them were kicked away by her with a flurry of kicks as soon as the fight began. In a serious fight, it's doubtful Meng Ruliu could handle all three simultaneously.
Besides, what if the other party gets angry and hurts Su Yuze?
With Su Yuze as a hostage, a direct assault is not an option; we must outsmart them.
The seventh brother provided crucial information: Su Yuze was very ill. They had originally planned to bring Su Yuze with them to Suiyang County, but the captain refused, insisting on taking Su Yuze to join Chu Yi's army so that the army's doctors could treat him.
This information gave Su Wan an opportunity.
“We’re almost at your rendezvous point,” Su Wan said to Lao Qi. “Only I have the antidote for the poison you ingested. If you dare to give me any word, you’ll bleed from all seven orifices and die tonight. You know what to say then, right?”
The seventh brother nodded repeatedly: "I remember, I remember."
After being treated by Su Wan's silver needles, he couldn't help but tremble whenever he saw her. Especially after being forced to eat a dark, unappetizing pill, and hearing that he would die from the poison that night, he was even more terrified.
Meng Ruliu said from the other side, "Be a good girl and cooperate with my sworn sister. I'm watching you. If you dare to call for help or make any gestures or expressions, I'll pull your tongue out and then wrap it around your neck to strangle you."
As she spoke, she clasped her fists together and rotated them from side to side.
The seventh brother looked at her fist, swallowed hard, and nodded repeatedly. He believed that Meng Ruliu was not just talking; she really would do it.
These two women, one looked harmless but didn't even blink when it came to torture. The other looked frail but could lift him up and slam him to the ground. He'd truly seen something new.
Su Wan was touched and held Meng Ruliu's hand, saying, "Sister-in-law, it's fortunate that you and Qingfeng are here. Without you, I can't do anything on my own."
Meng Ruliu smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, your affairs are my affairs. Let's not talk about these things anymore, it's too formal."
Lin Qingfeng outside the carriage also said, "Mistress, it is my duty to protect you. Wherever you go, I will go."
Su Wan nodded, patted the carriage, and asked, "How far are the guards from us?"
Lin Qingfeng said, "Mistress, the guards will ride fast horses and follow the marks I left. They can't get too close to the carriage, lest they be spotted by the enemy. Mistress, you must stall for time so everyone can get into position."
Su Wan said, "I know what I'm doing. Let's proceed according to plan."
As the carriage rounded the foot of the mountain, a voice rang out in the distance: "Stop the carriage, or we will fire arrows."
Su Wan's heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't help but tighten her grip on Meng Ruliu's hand, listening intently to the sounds outside.
Then Lin Qingfeng said, "Don't shoot the arrows, there's one of your companions in the carriage."
The noise subsided, and after a while, the sound of footsteps approached the carriage. One of them asked, "Who's inside?"
The seventh brother propped himself up and said, "Is this Captain Ning? Open the door quickly."
"It's Seventh Brother!" the man outside said. "Open the door, be careful, it might be a trap."
The car door opened with a whoosh, letting in the sunlight.
Several men stood outside, all gripping curved knives and looking wary. One of them seemed to be Captain Ning, whom Lao Qi had mentioned. Seeing Lao Qi, he lowered his knife and asked suspiciously, "Why are you the only one who came back?"
The seventh brother sighed and said, "Don't even mention it. The knives on the three of them were found at the city gate, and they were thrown into jail. This Doctor Mo cured me and even hired a carriage to take me out."
Captain Ning then began to examine Su Wan and then looked at Meng Ruliu.
Su Wan pretended to raise her hand to cover her eyes and said, "Aren't you all Lao Qi's friends? Why are you all carrying knives? Are you all bandits?"
Meng Ruliu also curled up into a ball, cooperating with her in the act.
Seeing that both Su Wan and Meng Ruliu were slender and frail, Captain Ning lowered his guard. He took out a token from his pocket and showed it to Su Wan.
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