The night is foggy and misty, the future is unpredictable, and the rocks are jagged. Li Ce followed the girl carefully. Prince Bian Tang, who had never suffered any hardship, frowned depressedly, "Will Emperor Xia send someone to rescue us?"
The woman didn't say anything, and Li Ce didn't expect her to chat with him. After a while, she continued to mutter that the weather on the Hongchuan Plateau was too cold and it was not a place for people to stay.
"meeting."
A low but affirmative voice suddenly sounded. Li Ce was stunned, raised his head and asked in confusion: "What did you say?"
Those people didn't recognize him and were not from Datong, so Yan Xun must be on his way to rescue him at this moment.
"I definitely will." Chu Qiao said in a deep voice, her eyes firm and flashing with bright light.
"Li Ce!" The girl's clear voice echoed by the pond.
"Qiao Qiao, I'm still here."
The man stood up, shaking his arms happily, and watched Chu Qiao quickly jump to his side. He glanced behind her and said, "Did you kill them all?"
Chu Qiao said nothing, walked to the pool, scooped up a handful of water and drank it.
"Qiao Qiao, that's amazing!" Li Ce happily squatted beside Chu Qiao, "Qiao Qiao, should we go find them now?"
Chu Qiao frowned. Li Ce was stunned and suddenly a little embarrassed. He explained: "I think we can kill them all, so it will be easier for us to escape."
The girl raised a finger, shook it slowly, and said in a deep voice: "First, it's me, not us. Second, there are thousands of enemies. How many do you think I can kill? If you still scream and yell when you see a mouse like you did just now, I will be killed by you sooner or later. Don't blame me for not notifying you in advance. When there is no way out, I am willing to hand you over to save my life."
Li Ce frowned, looking sad, and tugged at the corner of Chu Qiao's clothes, "Qiao Qiao, don't be so heartless."
The girl suddenly groaned, and Li Ce was so scared that he quickly retracted his hand. He saw a large amount of blood oozing out from the place where he had just pulled, obviously a new injury.
Chu Qiao frowned and checked, only to see an arrow wound under her left rib. The wound was not big, but it was bleeding rapidly and the pain was unbearable. She hadn't noticed this wound just now.
"Qiao Qiao, you're injured again." Li Ce frowned and said worriedly, "How is it? Is it serious? You have to hold on."
Chu Qiao put her hand on the wound, closed her eyes and leaned against the tree, and said in a deep voice: "Help me bandage it."
"ah?"
"Bandage me up!"
The girl's voice suddenly became sharp. Li Ce nodded rapidly, clumsily tore off a piece of clothing, lifted up the girl's clothes, revealing her delicate skin stained with blood.
An arrow was deeply inserted under the left rib, and both sides were swollen and red. Li Ce grabbed the broken arrow and frowned as he said, "Qiao Qiao, if it hurts, just scream, or bite me."
Chu Qiao closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and remained silent.
Li Ce's face showed a rare seriousness. He held the arrow, suddenly frowned, and pulled it out!
Blood splattered and Li Ce covered the wound tightly with a cloth. Chu Qiao groaned in pain and fell forward. Li Ce opened his other arm and hugged the girl in his arms.
"Qiao Qiao?" Li Ce's voice was a little panicked. "How are you?"
"I'm not dead yet." A low and hoarse voice sounded slowly. The girl took a deep breath and rested her chin on Li Ce's shoulder.
Li Ce breathed a sigh of relief and quickly bandaged her wound to stop the bleeding. It was dark at night and the girl's body was as cold as ice. Li Ce suddenly realized that she could not withstand another fight.
However, at this critical moment, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded in the distance, and the two of them immediately sat up straight like nervous rabbits, with frowned brows and sharp eyes.
“What should I do?” Chu Qiao frowned. She no longer had the strength to fight. The smell of blood here was so strong that if she continued to wait, she would die. The only way out is to capture Li Ce and use his outfit to create a chaotic situation so that he can escape safely.
She slowly glanced at the man sitting next to her, only to see that the man had a frown on his face, his expression unusually solemn and serious.
She is not a savior, and saving people must be within her ability. When being brave and righteous threatens her own life, a smart person will immediately know what to choose.
Moreover, Li Ce's death would bring huge benefits to Yan Xun. She should know what to do, must know what to do, and should do so. She has heavier burdens on her shoulders, there are people waiting for her, and her life is still very precious and she cannot give it up easily.
Her fingers moved heavily toward the dagger strapped to her calf, ready to strike.
"Qiao Qiao!" Li Ce suddenly turned around, his face serious, and said in a deep voice, "I will lead them away, you take the opportunity to escape, be careful!"
Chu Qiao was stunned and her eyes widened.
Li Ce took off his coat and put it on Chu Qiao. He then took out a long metal tube from his waist and handed it to her, saying, "I don't know martial arts, but this is a self-defense weapon my father made for me. Once you pull the fuse, fifty flying needles will shoot out. They contain a strong poison that will kill anyone who touches them. It can shoot three times in a row. Keep it carefully. It can save your life at a critical moment."
Chu Qiao held the metal cylinder in a daze, her brows furrowed, and looked at Li Ce in confusion, as if she wanted to see through this man.
"Haha, did you suddenly find yourself falling in love with me?"
Li Ce suddenly smiled, revealing his white teeth, and patted Chu Qiao's shoulder, "It's okay, you still have a chance when you return to Zhenhuang."
"Li Ce!" Chu Qiao suddenly grabbed the man who was about to leave and said in a deep voice, "I give this thing to you. I don't need it."
"I don't need it either. In fact, I don't know how to use it. I heard them talk about it in a scary way. I'm afraid that if I'm not careful, the needle will get into my body. Wouldn't that be the end of me? Try it on me first. If it works, I'll go back and make a batch more."
Chu Qiao frowned, bit her lower lip, finally let go of her palm, and said in a deep voice: "Be careful."
Li Ce smiled, "You too, I will come to you to learn Kung Fu after I go back."
Chu Qiao nodded.
The man stood up, staggered away the thorns on the ground, and walked towards the direction of the noisy footsteps.
"Hey! Bring your knife!"
Li Ce didn't even look back, but just waved his hand casually. Under the cold moonlight, the man was seen holding a rugged and uneven stone with blood stains on it. His clothes were tattered and his steps were staggering. There was no trace of the demeanor of Prince Bian Tang at all. He looked like a down-and-out beggar.
Chu Qiao looked at his back and gradually let go of the hand holding the dagger. At the moment before dawn, darkness enveloped the earth, and the rippling lake surface reflected the faint light, cold and pale. It had been more than three hours since Li Ce left. The footsteps on both sides of the river were like ghosts chasing after their lives, and they finally caught up at this moment. Chu Qiao's shoulders were stained with blood and her lips were blue and white. The continuous battles and fleeing with injuries had already exhausted her physical strength to the maximum. But when the smell of the enemy spread in her nostrils, she still stood up with great willpower, her eyes narrowed like an agile leopard.
In the darkness, the girl's figure was like a ghost, moving rapidly through the dense forest, and she ran for a full hour before stopping. The hilltops in the distance were ablaze with red, and the crimson torches were winding like a deadly sickle, rapidly approaching this side. Chu Qiaomo calculated the distance and speed between the two sides, then examined the wound on his shoulder, gently rubbed his forehead which was dizzy due to excessive blood loss, and finally sat down, leaned against a big tree, and rested quietly.
Suddenly, the clear sound of a bird chirping was heard. Chu Qiao opened her eyes abruptly, her body lightened, and she jumped up.
The morning sun shines through the leaves onto my eyelids, with a warm temperature, and the cool dew condenses on the tip of my nose, as crystal clear as crystal. A few skylarks flew through the clouds and perched on the treetops, looking at her curiously, and from time to time they made clear chirping sounds that were as pleasant as if played by the most skilled musicians in the Shengjin Palace.
Chu Qiao was stunned. She didn't expect that she had slept for so long. She reached out to touch her forehead and it was indeed burning hot, like a burning charcoal. Her throat ached and her breathing was difficult, as if something was blocking her throat. There is no doubt that she was ill at this critical moment.
Fortunately, those people did not come over.
Just when Chu Qiao was about to breathe a sigh of relief, footsteps suddenly sounded. As soon as she looked up, she heard a voice ask faintly, "Awake?"
Zhuge Yue walked out from the depths of the dense forest in the winter morning light. He was wearing a dark purple brocade robe, the most fashionable style among the rich young men in Zhenhuang City. The robe had wide sleeves and layers of golden brocade. The purple brocade was painted with intricate patterns, and inside, the colorful brocade was finely painted into tiny roses, which looked colorful in the sun. His long jet-black hair was tied behind his back, his eyebrows were slanted, his eyes were like autumn water, deep as a cold lake, his neck was as white as a woman's, his chin was slightly raised, his lips were bright red, he stood in the woods against the light, looking at her indifferently, as if he was looking at a lifeless stone.
Although they were both wearing gorgeous clothes, he gave a completely different feeling from Li Ce. This man had a kind of beauty that was almost demonic, but the cold and murderous aura in his eyes prevented people from having the slightest desire to play with him.
Chu Qiao looked up at this uninvited guest and asked solemnly, "Why are you here?"
"Where is Prince Li? Did he escape? Die? Or," he raised his eyebrows slightly and asked in a lighter tone, "was he killed by you?"
Chu Qiao ignored his question and asked directly: "How long have you been here?"
“I’ve been here since you fell asleep like a dead pig. Would you like some water?” Zhuge Yue shook the kettle at his waist, and seeing Chu Qiao staring at him in silence, he put the kettle down.
"Why are you helping me?"
Zhuge Yue smiled coldly and squinted his eyes at her, "Do you think I'm here to help you?"
He crossed his arms over his chest, leaning lazily against the tree trunk, looking at her leisurely, and said with a smile: "Xing'er, who do you think I am? Zhao Song? Yan Xun? I was locked up in that little room for more than ten years and I was blinded to think that you are the only woman in the world? Or..." He leaned forward slightly, looking directly at her, and said faintly, "Do you think I am the biggest fool in the world who can be fooled by you again and again?"
He sneered, looked up at the sky, and said calmly, "I just wanted to see what Li Ce was doing, and see how you and Yan Xun got into trouble. I didn't expect that God would help you, but a stumbling block appeared halfway and ruined this good show."