Chapter 16 She not only planned to leave Xianyun Tower, ...
Ji Ran didn't come alone.
Accompanying him was the waiter from the Five Flavors Shop. The waiter was pale, and his fingertips trembled involuntarily as he carried the basket. Although it was Ji Ran who was almost stabbed, the waiter seemed to be even more frightened than Ji Ran.
It took Xiao Er a while to come to his senses. He remembered what Bie Zhi had asked: "The shopkeeper told us to go to the village to find a butcher and set a time to slaughter the pig."
Biezhi nodded knowingly and put away the sword in his hand.
"It's not much, I can probably get there faster by myself." The waiter spoke quickly, seemingly worried about being refused. "I'll also trouble you to keep an eye on Jiran, young lady. I'll be right back." Without waiting for her reply, he took the basket from Jiran's hands and ran off.
Biezhi glanced at the rapidly running figure, then at Jiran standing in front of her, his gaze fixed on her. She sat back down cross-legged, patted the spot next to her, and looked up at him, saying, "Come on, let's stare at each other."
Fu Huaiqing's gaze fell on Bie Zhi's smiling face, which was white with a hint of pink. He could not see any trace of the cold face she had shown when she stabbed him with a sword not long ago. He sat cross-legged beside her.
Biezhi turned slightly, changed her posture, wrapped her arms around her knees and faced Jiran. Her chin rested on her knees, and she stared intently at his handsome face, which seemed to be smiling but not smiling. The tension in her heart quietly dissipated.
She grasped Ji Ran's hand and placed it on the sword hilt, then made an apologetic gesture, "I'm sorry, I just pointed the sword at you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Biezhi blinked at him, unsure if he could understand.
Fu Huaiqing didn't understand what he saw, but he did understand what he heard.
After a moment, he nodded and shook his head slightly to indicate that he didn't take it to heart.
Biezhi, who had been staring at him with slightly wide eyes, breathed a sigh of relief and began to silently reflect on herself: "I wasn't in the right state of mind today. I was momentarily distracted and mistook the footsteps for mine."
She would often sit in the Five Flavors Shop all day long, and she could clearly hear the footsteps of Ji Ran and the waiters. However, the sound that had just reached her ears was one she had never heard before, and it had a steady quality that only comes from training.
“He must have been frightened by Prince Su,” Biezhi asserted.
Fu Huaiqing: "..."
Can everything be attributed to him?
It's all his fault?
Biezhi thought about it more and more and felt that she was right. "I will take back the title of 'King of Hell' that I gave to my master. From now on, I will give this title to Prince Su. You have no idea that he had such a stern face today, as if I owed him tens of millions of taels of silver. What a waste of that face."
Just thinking about Prince Su's expression, compared to him, my master's occasional cold words seemed like a gentle breeze, making me feel as if I were bathed in spring sunshine.
"I'll be staying at the Qin family's house for another three months. I hope he disappears from my sight within those three months." Biezhi couldn't help but pray. "If I see him a few more times, I really will die young."
The girl's expression grew increasingly sincere, as she earnestly hoped that heaven would hear her wish.
Fu Huaiqing shifted his gaze expressionlessly, pondering whether he should also attend the calligraphy gathering tomorrow.
Even the most frightening things will become less frightening after you encounter them a few times.
Thinking of this, Fu Huaiqing glanced thoughtfully at Biezhi, whose eyes still held a hint of anticipation, and suddenly wondered what her expression would be if she saw him every day in the future.
Biezhi was unaware that he had already thought about the future. Her thoughts were still focused on the hope that she would never see Prince Su again. However, she knew that her hopes would most likely be dashed. Given the relationship between the Qin family's children and Prince Su, she could only pray that they could see each other once every two weeks at most.
"Why does three months feel so long? Tomorrow is only the first day..." For the first time, Bie Zhi felt that the mission was not difficult because of the target itself, but because of the man who kept appearing beside her. He was a man whose appearance perfectly matched her aesthetic. She sighed, "Oh well, it's only three months. It will be over in the blink of an eye."
Fu Huaiqing looked down at her; the girl's delicate face puffed up and down with her breath, making her look very lively.
She is like the sun that never sets; occasionally, it may peek through a few clouds and obscure the light and shadow, but it will soon be dispersed by the breeze that follows, revealing the sky once again with its radiant glow and vitality.
"Remember who your target is, and don't let others distract you." Biezhi muttered to herself, reminding herself that she had already put too much unnecessary thought into Prince Su. "So what if he doesn't like me? In three months, we'll never have anything to do with each other again. Why bother with all that?"
The more Biezhi thought about it, the more convinced she was that her idea was right, and her thoughts, which had been shrouded in mist, suddenly cleared up.
She didn't understand what she was agonizing over that morning. Her target wasn't Prince Su, so why was she focusing all her attention on him?
Her thoughts suddenly flowed smoothly, and Biezhi felt much more relaxed. She stretched lazily and casually, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw a hint of surprise flash across the man's deep and clear eyes. He seemed unaware of what she was rambling about, but she didn't take it to heart and said, "I was planning before you came that I would settle down in Huishui Town after the mission is over."
Huishui Town? Settling down?
Fu Huaiqing frowned slightly.
Is she not only planning to leave Xianyun Tower, but also to leave the capital?
After pondering for a moment, Biezhi turned to face Jiran and said, "Why don't you come with me?"
The babbling brook flowed by, and there was no other sound.
Biezhi wasn't teasing him; she genuinely wanted to take him away with her.
She just didn't know if he was willing.
She stared intently at Ji Ran, but saw no reaction from him for a long time. Then, a look of doubt gradually appeared in his eyes, and he sighed deeply, "Let's talk about it after it's all over."
After the mission is completed, there is still one month before the deadline.
Biezhi glanced at the setting sun and knew it was time to continue her journey. She stood up, her palm pressed against the smooth stone, and walked to the tethered horse, taking off the mask hanging from the reins.
She didn't rush to put it on. She looked around but didn't see Xiao Er anywhere.
Fu Huaiqing stood up and walked to her side, his gaze calmly sweeping over the mask in her hand and the reins she was holding. His fingertips moved back and forth slightly, silently asking a question.
Biezhi looked up at him, nodded, and said, "It's getting late, I should go."
Fu Huaiqing nodded slowly.
It was getting late, and Biezhi couldn't wait for the waiter to return before leaving. She quickly put on her mask and stepped into the stirrups. A sharp glint flashed in her eyes, and she instantly focused her attention, drawing her sword to block the arrow that pierced the tranquil sky. Her gaze quickly locked onto the woods across the stream.
Suddenly, the tranquil forest stirred, and three dark figures darted out!
Biezhi's gaze swept quickly over the person who had come over. She turned around, grabbed Jiran's arm, and pulled him to the treetop. Without caring whether he could hear her or not, she took out a small knife and handed it to him, sternly instructing, "Stand here and don't move. I'll handle this."
Jiang Yuecheng and Jin, who had come with Fu Huaiqing, were about to lend a helping hand when they suddenly saw the prince slightly raise his palm to stop them. The two stopped halfway up, looked at each other, and their eyes revealed worry.
The sharp clash of swords shattered the tranquility of the stream and forest.
The newcomers were highly skilled, and every strike was deadly; they clearly had no intention of leaving any survivors. Biezhi exchanged dozens of blows with the three, but still couldn't figure out which sect they belonged to.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one of the men suddenly turn his toes and run towards Ji Ran's direction. Her eyelids tightened instantly, and she pushed back against the other man's sword, stepping aside to block Ji Ran.
Fu Huaiqing frowned, his expression growing increasingly cold and stern.
He could tell they were after him.
Looking at the girl who was firmly blocking his way, Fu Huaiqing's eyes trembled slightly. He glanced at Jiang Yue behind the assassin, and as he slightly raised his palm, he suddenly saw a cold light piercing straight towards the girl's right side. However, she was completely focused on the other two and could not pay any attention to them.
He spun slightly, quickly moved to the right side of another branch, and kicked away the approaching dark figure.
Upon hearing the muffled sound, Biezhi suddenly turned around and saw the assassin lying on the ground clutching his stomach. She looked at Jiran, who seemed slightly bewildered, with surprise.
Even at this moment, Fu Huaiqing did not forget that in the girl's memory, he was completely ignorant of martial arts. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw two other sharp blades coming at the same time. Facing her gaze, he swiftly grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind him, letting the blades pierce past his chest.
A pungent, rusty smell suddenly rushed into Biezhi's nostrils, and bright red blood gushed out as the man pulled the sword from his hand, staining her eyes red.
She glanced at the blood flowing straight down, soaking through the cloth robe on Ji Ran's chest.
Bie Zhi's eyes turned cold. She stepped forward with her sword and engaged the remaining two men in combat, leaving no room for retreat. The moment her sword pierced the man's heart, she swiftly withdrew it, cleanly finishing off the other man.
The remaining man frowned slightly, glanced at his fallen colleague, and without hesitation turned and ran towards the village.
Seeing that his pace quickened, Biezhi didn't linger to chase after him. Instead, she returned to Jiran's side, placed her palm on the man's chest, and within a breath, the overflowing blood had soaked her palm. She quickly glanced around at the surroundings and asked, "Can you still hold on?"
Her question naturally went unanswered.
Seeing the undisguised worry in the girl's eyes, Fu Huaiqing shook his head slightly to indicate that he was alright.
Biezhi understood his actions, but how could she be alright!
"Get on the horse!" She patted the horse's back, ignoring the two people still lying on the ground, and decisively lifted his body onto the horse. Ji Ran was much taller than her, so if she sat behind him, she naturally couldn't see the road ahead, so she had to flip over and get on the horse.
Biezhi lowered her eyes slightly, grabbed his hands and wrapped them around her waist, then spurred her horse and galloped towards the stronghold she had chosen outside the city a few days earlier.
Seeing the galloping horses, Jiang Yue and Cheng Jin exchanged a glance and then resolutely split up. Cheng Jin led his men to deal with the two people lying on the ground, as well as those on the other side of the stream, while Jiang Yue quickly headed towards the city gate, took the reins handed to him by a guard, and chased after them.
Fortunately, the stronghold was not far from the stream, and it would only take about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to ride a horse at full speed.
Biezhi dismounted and helped Jiran down, then hurriedly led him into the bamboo house, saying, "Sit here, I'll find you some medicine to stop the bleeding."
She doesn't have much else, but she uses a lot of hemostatic drugs.
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