Chapter 28
◎The master also...prefers more intense and exciting play.◎
Xie Yutang's words enlightened the two guards.
This is Princess Ning'an, who enjoys the greatest favor from the Emperor of Da Yan. If they offend her too much, they will be the first to suffer.
Anyway, after so many days of muscle weakness, even the most skilled expert would become an ordinary person, and might not even be able to lift heavy things. Why not go out and find a cat?
It would be better to take this opportunity to make the princess remember you.
The guard weighed the silver in his hand and silently stepped aside.
A group of people were looking for the cat in the yard.
As dusk fell, the eaves and tree shadows gradually became just outlines. But the cat seemed to be deliberately playing tricks on him. Just as he caught a glimpse of a tail, it disappeared again as soon as he pounced on it. Then, he turned his head and saw it again a few steps away.
The group of people were unknowingly lured far away.
Xie Yutang walked around a rockery and finally saw a round, fluffy ball under the rock.
Having received the bribe and eager to curry favor, the two men crouched down and stepped forward before Xie Yutang could speak, completely unaware that their backs were wide open.
Just as the cat was right in front of them and the guards were about to pounce, they suddenly felt a gust of wind sweep past them from behind. They realized something was wrong and were about to turn around to fight back when they felt a pain in their necks and shoulders. Before they could even utter a sound, they had already fainted to the ground.
Xie Yutang and Su Lu dragged the two to a secluded spot behind the artificial hill, changed into guard clothes, scooped the cat into their arms, and headed straight for the stables.
She and Su Lu had already familiarized themselves with the layout of the mansion on the first day. Although they encountered several patrolling soldiers on the way, they were dressed in guard uniforms and their faces were not clearly visible as it got dark, so they managed to get away with it.
Diagonally opposite the stable was a side courtyard with an inconspicuous little door. Many soldiers in the camp drank and caroused, and as long as it wasn't too outrageous, Wei Xianxi turned a blind eye.
The soldiers used this small door, which was unlocked and only secured by a crossbar. Xie Yutang easily pulled the crossbar out, took two horses, and hurried north with Su Lu.
Taking a boat north is the fastest way back to the capital. Xie Yutang had already come by boat, and now the Northern Rong delegation was entering the capital, with a large number of merchant ships heading north. If he wanted to escape, blending into the ships was indeed the fastest option.
The two rode swiftly under the shade of the trees when they suddenly heard a gust of wind approaching from behind. Xie Yutang knew something was wrong and tightened his grip on the reins. Just as he was about to spur his horse to avoid it, he heard the horse neigh and its front hooves suddenly buckled to its knees without warning.
Xie Yutang was thrown off his horse by the recoil, flipped over in mid-air, and rolled into the woods beside him.
Before she could even land, several more gusts of wind rushed past her ears. Xie Yutang used her sword to block them, but the lingering poison in her body meant she could only unleash half of her inner strength. She managed to barely deflect one of them, but the remaining ones were too much for her to dodge.
Several short knives were aimed straight at Xie Yutang's vital points; her opponent intended to kill her with a single blow!
Suddenly, her wrist was pulled with great force, and before she could react, she was already in an embrace filled with the scent of snow. Su Lu held her protectively in his arms, spun around, and at the same time channeled his inner strength into his sword to deflect the oncoming blade.
"Where do you think you're going!"
Seeing that his attack had missed, the opponent drew his sword and gave chase.
This man, dressed in a blue robe and wearing a mask, had casually thrown out a hidden weapon, yet the aura it carried was already beyond the reach of ordinary people. In the martial arts world, he was already among the top masters.
"The bearded guest."
Xie Yutang said coldly, "How dare you!"
Princess Ning'an was so favored that even Wei Xianxi and Cui Hu only dared to place her under house arrest and had to serve her with utmost care. Yet this bearded man made a killing move right from the start.
The man spoke, his low, harsh voice like sandpaper, radiating coldness: "I don't care about princesses or anything like that. Anyone who ruins my plans will die."
"Do you think you can stop me all by yourself?"
The two men acted with extreme caution, not alerting anyone. Even the bearded man, who was only on his way back from coordinating the transport of military equipment with the merchant ship, noticed the two guards acting suspiciously and only then discovered them. However, he preferred to act alone and never liked to be accompanied by anyone, and he didn't have time to inform Wei Xianxi and his gang of useless people, so he chased after them alone.
Princess Ning'an is indeed quite something. The little guard beside her was clearly drugged, yet he was still able to block the hidden weapon that was infused with his true energy. With such skill, he really wasn't confident he could hold her back if she were at her peak.
But now—
The longsword was wielded by the bearded man and charged towards Xie Yutang with the force of thunder.
"You go first."
Su Lu whispered in her ear, and with a push, sent Xie Yutang out of the sword's attack range.
He was planning to pave the way for her with his own life.
Su Lu used this palm strike to rise and form a formation. His internal energy was limited, so he did not confront the bearded man head-on. He simply relied on his exquisite sword intent to neutralize the opponent's killing move.
The bearded man snorted coldly, and with a flick of his longsword, the sky had already darkened. As he did so, the menacing sword reflected the moonlight, illuminating the young man's features.
The bearded man trembled violently, his pupils contracted sharply, as if a treasure he had been searching for for most of his life had suddenly appeared before him. His lips parted, but he could not utter a single word. He stared intently at the boy's face, so shocked that he was speechless.
With a clang, the longsword in the hand sensed its master's disordered emotions, and the killing intent within the sword suddenly froze, letting out a low clang.
The bearded man suddenly came to his senses, twisted his wrist, and forcefully turned the tip of his sword.
But the sharp sword intent cannot be turned around so easily. The bearded man was backfired from within, and his face turned pale for a moment. At that moment, Su Lu drew his sword and attacked, forcing the bearded man to withdraw his sword and defend. Then, he threw white powder in his hand, and the bearded man subconsciously covered his mouth and nose and took several steps back. When he looked up again, there was no one in front of him.
When did you hide the poison?
Xie Yutang's horse was injured by Qiu Ran Ke, and at this moment he rode with Su Lu on the same horse, galloping on the mountain road.
She had thought she was in grave danger, but to her surprise, the two of them escaped unscathed.
The cat in Xie Yutang's arms was completely unaware that it had just walked in front of the Yama's palace. It poked half its head out of his arms and meowed softly.
Su Lu: "I caught it while I was looking for the cat."
There is a pond in front of the artificial hill, surrounded by a fine layer of white sand. Just from the appearance, it really looks like some kind of poison powder that will kill you if you inhale it.
Xie Yutang: "..."
Now that their whereabouts have been discovered, it's only a matter of time before a large number of pursuers arrive.
The two walked along the main road to the foot of the mountain and drove their only horse onto the main road to the east.
This main road leads to the port, and taking a ship north from the port is the fastest way back to the capital. At this time, the Northern Rong delegation has just entered the capital, and a large number of merchant ships are heading north. If one wants to escape, it would be most convenient to blend in on the ships.
However, Xie Yutang's actual chosen route was the mountain road to the west, taking a land route back to the capital. They had taken this route when they pretended to escape. Now that her and Su Lu's internal strength was limited, they could still have a better chance of success by relying on their past memories.
Furthermore, their deliberate misleading will ensure that Wei Xianxi allocates most of his forces to search the port, thus buying them more time.
The two went up the mountain. Xie Yutang found a secluded spot, put the calico cat in his arms down, and took out some beef jerky: "After you finish eating these, you'll have to fend for yourself. Don't go back to where you were before; it's not safe."
"There's water and food in this forest. You haven't forgotten your hunting skills, have you? Don't starve to death."
After the cat finished licking the beef jerky from her hand, it puffed out its cheeks and meowed, though it was unclear whether it understood or not.
The woods in front of them were vast, much better than the cramped courtyard in Yingkou. The cat glanced at the two of them, wagged its tail, nimbly jumped onto a rock, and disappeared into the depths of the woods.
Although most of the pursuers were led to the ferry, it did not mean that no one was searching the back mountain. About half an hour later, the movements of the pursuers could be heard in the mountains and forests.
Despite concealing their whereabouts, Xie Yutang and Su Lu still encountered several groups of soldiers searching the mountains.
They resolved the situation quickly and quietly, but no matter how cleanly they cleaned up the mess, some traces could not be completely erased. Wei Xianxi would eventually discover that they had gone through the back mountain, and it was not impossible for him to surround the entire mountain forest with a large force.
This was troublesome enough in itself, but now they have to add the unpredictable and powerful Qiu Ran Ke to the mix.
After clearing out several more waves of pursuers, the two found an abandoned wood hut halfway up the mountain. Their internal energy had not fully recovered, and they had all sustained some injuries from fighting their way up, so they decided to go into the wood hut to rest for a while.
The room contained simple tables, chairs, and beds, and the teacups and bowls were fairly complete, suggesting it was a temporary dwelling built by the Yingkou garrison during their patrols in the mountains.
Xie Yutang sat down on a wooden chair, and Su Lu handed him a water pouch. "Have some water first."
Xie Yutang took it, but the movement aggravated her lower abdominal injury, causing her to frown slightly.
The two had just discovered a water vat under the eaves behind the house. It had been dry, but due to the rain over the past few days, some clean rainwater had accumulated in the vat.
Su Lu's left hand was injured by the sword energy of the bearded man. The wound was not deep, but it was extremely long, running through the entire back of his hand. He casually wrapped it with a strip of cloth.
His slender fingers tore the strip of cloth apart, but with just this one movement, the wound that had just clotted began to bleed again. Without even looking at it, he directly immersed his entire hand into the water vat... After a short while, the young man expressionlessly used a silk handkerchief he had prepared beforehand to carefully wipe clean between each of his fingers.
After drinking half a cup of water, Xie Yutang felt a little better, but the injury in her lower abdomen continued to ache. Just as she was about to go to the couch to rest for a while, she saw Su Lu return from the back door, holding a white bone china bottle in his hand.
She recognized the porcelain bottle; it was the jade skin cream she had given her.
A few days ago, Wei Xianxi ordered his men to search him. Besides Xuanjian, they also took away a lot of other things. I don't know how he left this bottle of ointment behind.
This ointment was undoubtedly what they needed most at that moment.
The boy was applying medicine to her.
The wound was carefully cleaned, and the cool ointment felt very comfortable, which also reduced the pain considerably.
Xie Yutang was about to speak when she paused, her eyes meeting his hand.
Those were hands as clean as white jade, without a trace of blood.
Some bushes in the forest had sharp thorns, and Xie Yutang's clothes were torn when they were scratched by them. He parted the bushes to clear the way for her, so it was impossible for him not to get hurt.
Moreover... while she was clearing out the pursuers, someone threw a hidden weapon at her from the shadows. Su Lu shielded her, leaving a long gash on the back of his hand, and blood immediately soaked his entire palm.
Xie Yutang stared intently at the screen, his fingertips trembling slightly.
The wounds were indeed still there, but they had been thoroughly cleaned, so clean that no blood seeped out, leaving only the pink, tender flesh beneath the wounds.
How painful must it be?
Xie Yutang grabbed his wrist and frowned: "Is it really necessary to go this far?"
The question made the boy chuckle: "Even if I apply medicine to myself later, I'll still wash my hands first."
The two stared at each other for a moment, and Xie Yutang silently released his wrist, but felt a little uneasy.
Su Lu is incredibly shrewd. If he wants to be kind to someone, he can make that person willingly accept it without feeling any guilt.
“Wei Xianxi is usually very cautious. How could he have agreed to let you leave this thing behind during that body search?”
Xie Yutang's question was just a casual attempt to change the subject, but Su Lu's fingertips trembled slightly. He looked up at her, his tone somewhat subtle: "Does Master want me to tell the truth or a lie?"
"Are you asking this because you're afraid that telling the truth will displease me?"
Su Lu's lowered eyelashes trembled slightly, and the faint shadows on his eyelids conveyed a clear innocence: "This subordinate dares not presume to guess Your Majesty's intentions."
Tsk.
She's even started pretending to be innocent.
Xie Yutang scoffed, "Go ahead and say it."
This is what it means to hear the truth.
Su Lu maintained a respectful posture with his eyelashes lowered: "I told Commander Wei that I serve my master every day, but my master... prefers some intense and exciting activities, so I'm afraid I'll inevitably get injured... With this ointment, life will be a little easier."
Xie Yutang: "..."
He even got hooked on acting in this script.
After treating their injuries and taking a short break to recover, Xie Yutang pondered for a moment before returning to the main topic: "How long will it take you to recover your internal strength to the point where you can fight Qiu Ran Ke?"
Su Lu held a yellow wildflower in her hand, picking off the petals one by one and placing them in a porcelain bowl. They would pick and collect any useful herbs or wild fruits they encountered along the way. However, Su Lu also collected some flowers and plants that Xie Yutang did not recognize, and this yellow wildflower was one of them.
Her slender, jade-colored fingers pinched the flower stem and gently twisted it: "Two hours."
Xie Yutang quickly calculated in his mind that Zhuang Hongfei and Zong Zhen, with the general's troops, would take at least three hours to arrive. They now had two options.
One option is to gamble and hide in the mountains until reinforcements arrive, but if they encounter the Bearded Stranger, they will surely not survive.
Second, they could have Su Lu meditate and regulate his breathing. If they could hold out for a while, they would have the confidence to protect themselves. However, the risk was that they might be discovered in advance and surrounded.
Which one would you like to choose, Master?
Xie Yutang looked up: "Which one do you want?"
Su Lu said, "I will listen to you."
His tone was so relaxed, as if he were talking about today's weather.
Xie Yutang knew that if they made the wrong choice, their lives would probably be over.
If they choose option one and are lucky, they will both be safe and sound, but that's only if they are lucky.
Xie Yutang hated the feeling of entrusting her life and death to luck. Even if she had to walk down a dead end, it would be her own choice.
A single candlelight in the room illuminated her clear eyes as she said, clearly and deliberately, "I choose number two."
Su Lu nodded, seemingly having anticipated her response, and continued fiddling with the contents of the porcelain bowl with his slender fingers: "Master, may I borrow your sword?"
Xie Yutang's sword, like Su Lu's Xuanjian, was taken away. He was now using one that he had casually snatched from the pursuers.
Su Lu smeared something on the blade, and Xie Yutang looked closely and saw that the blade reflected a faint blue light from certain angles.
She glanced at the empty calming sachet on the table and said knowingly, "Is this why you and the doctor asked for this sachet?"
"This medicine pouch contains mimosa flowers and lavender. Combined with wild herbs, strychnine seeds, and euphorbia kansui picked from the mountains, it can be used to make poison. Although this poison will not kill immediately, it will enter the heart meridian of the poisoned person through the blood, preventing them from gathering internal energy." Su Lu carefully sheathed the sword and handed it to Xie Yutang with both hands. "It should be of some help to the master."
Xie Yutang silently took his sword.
A few days ago, she and Su Lu pretended to run away. It turned out that he had already memorized the mountain herbs at that time, and was able to take advantage of the situation to get the sachet right under Wei Xianxi's nose.
No matter how much she had heard people say about how brilliant and resourceful this young Prince Muqing was in her past life, it was nothing compared to the shock she felt from this strangely poisonous blade.
The traces in the forest and the bodies of the pursuers could not be hidden for long. Wei Xianxi should have already discovered that they had taken the land route instead of the waterway, and it was only a matter of time before they found their way here. Since he had decided to buy time for Su Lu, Xie Yutang would guard these two hours no matter what and not let anyone step into the forest.
Su Lu glanced at her, walked over and picked up his unpoisoned sword from the table.
Xie Yutang asked cautiously, "What are you doing?"
Shouldn't he be meditating and healing his injuries to recover his internal energy as soon as possible? What does he mean by this? Is he afraid she can't handle it alone?
Su Lu flicked the sword lightly on the spine, and the oppressive aura that permeated his very being, along with the sound of their clash, emanated from it: "If Cui Hu comes, are you confident that you can stop him, Master?"
Xie Yutang: "..."
Although Cui Hu's skills were not as good as Qiu Ran Ke's, he was once a famous master in the martial arts world, especially his signature move "Three Soul-Severing Blades", which always drew blood, leaving the opponent either dead or seriously injured.
Even though she is exceptionally talented and has never neglected her cultivation since her rebirth, her inner strength has not yet fully recovered. She dares not say that she has complete confidence in facing Cui Hu.
"You want to give me pointers?"
Xie Yutang glanced at the sword in Su Lu's hand, raised her eyebrows, and exuded a bright and lively aura. Despite being in a humble room, she was more dazzling and captivating than the Empress in her crimson robes sitting in the main hall.
Su Lu tightened his grip on the sword hilt for a moment, then turned his head and slowly exhaled a small breath.
Xie Yutang saw the boy flip his wrist, and the sword twirled in his palm like a nimble snake.
She still remembered that during the Ghost Festival that year, Lin Tan, who had already ascended the throne, hosted a banquet for his ministers at Luoming Mountain. After a few rounds of drinks, Lin Tan suddenly wanted to see Su Lu perform a sword dance. In order not to let anyone refuse, he even specially ordered the palace servants to bring pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and wrote an edict on the spot, which he then ordered the eunuch to read aloud in public.
She couldn't remember many details of that night, only that the elegant and refined young Prince Muqing in white danced with his sword.
The moonlight shone like snow, and all was silent in the world.
The sword intent and moonlight of that night were thus etched into her heart, becoming a rare bright spot in her dark and repressive past life.
Xie Yutang finished the last move, gently closed her eyes, and mentally reviewed his instructions again, pondering and pondering some parts repeatedly. When she finally opened her eyes, she saw that Su Lu had already sat down cross-legged, looking like he was about to start meditating.
Xie Yutang weighed the sword in his hand, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Young Master Su only instructed me on how to deal with Cui Hu, but what if it's Qiu Ran Ke who comes?"
"Then we're probably going to die here."
Xie Yutang choked for a moment.
This little Prince Muqing calls her "master" obediently, but he's actually quite scheming. He's probably just pretending to "confess" to protect her with his life.
Xie Yutang used the tip of her sword to lift his chin, scrutinizing the quiet, meditating boy from above: "Don't try to be a good person, I won't accept your kindness."
Su Lu knew that Xie Yutang had guessed his thoughts, but he remained calm. He quietly raised his eyes to meet her gaze, then smiled suddenly, a ripple appearing in his peach blossom eyes: "Could it be that Master intends to commit suicide with me?"
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