Chapter 336 The Chase, I Think I Heard Ah Chu's Voice
The night was pitch black, and the rain poured down like a waterfall, making it impossible to open one's eyes.
The rapid hoofbeats behind them grew closer, and the whistling of arrows broke through the rain as they drew nearer.
Sun Yan lay prone on his horse, dodging a volley of arrows, and turned his head to look at Pei Yuan, who was also lying prone on his horse beside him.
"Your Highness, are you alright?"
Pei Yuan pursed his lips, pulled out an arrow stuck in his shoulder, and threw it behind him.
A scream came from not far behind.
The two took the opportunity to spur their horses to create some distance and hide in the nearby woods.
Pei Yuan stumbled slightly when he dismounted.
Sun Yan quickly helped him up, "Your Highness."
Pei Yuan waved his hand, "I'm fine."
The voice of a man in black could be heard from outside the woods.
"There are no more hoofprints ahead, they must have gone into the woods."
"Go in and search."
Pei Yuan frowned slightly.
He and Sun Yan secretly left the capital, and in theory, no one knew their whereabouts.
But the truth is that he and Sun Yan had been assassinated several times since leaving the capital.
These men in black followed them all the way from the capital to Yangzhou, and their numbers suddenly doubled, especially outside Yangzhou.
First, they drugged his and Sun Yan's food with sleeping pills, then they shot them with arrows, and then they led their men in hot pursuit.
Sun Yan lowered his voice, "They're clearly trying to kill us outside Yangzhou."
Could it be that the case in Yangzhou is too complicated, and the mastermind behind it knows we're in Yangzhou and doesn't want us to enter the city?
Pei Yuan pursed his lips, remaining noncommittal, his back drenched in cold sweat, his vision gradually blurring.
He had been assassinated ever since leaving Beijing, and the wound on his chest had reopened several times.
Now that he has also been shot in the shoulder, he can clearly feel his whole body getting cold, his strength is draining away, and the dizziness is getting worse.
Sun Yan waited for a moment but did not hear his prince's voice.
He reached out and touched Pei Yuan's shoulder, his hand covered in blood. The color was indistinguishable in the darkness, but a strange, foul odor could be faintly detected.
"The arrow was poisoned."
Sun Yan's expression changed drastically.
"There are hoof prints here, so they must have run this way."
The rustling footsteps of the men in black grew closer and closer.
Sun Yan clenched his fist, placed Pei Yuan under a clump of vines, and whispered, "Your Highness, go and distract them. I'll wait for you to return."
Having said that, he untied Pei Yuan's horse and lashed the whip hard.
The horse neighed and took off running.
Sun Yan mounted his horse and rode off in another direction.
The man in black then spoke.
"Let's split up and chase them."
After an unknown amount of time, the torrential rain finally stopped, and the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn.
Pei Yuan slowly opened his eyes and found that he was soaked to the bone. The chill that rose from his bones made him shiver involuntarily.
Looking around, everything was muddy and the air was filled with damp moisture.
He stumbled out of the woods, determined his direction, and headed towards Yangzhou City.
He didn't know how long he had walked, but his legs felt like they were tied with sandbags, getting heavier and heavier, and he felt colder and colder.
Finally, everything went black before his eyes, and he collapsed in front of a shop.
He couldn't collapse here; he still had to find Achu.
Pei Yuan looked up somewhat unwillingly, and the three characters on the plaque came into view: Sanyuan Hall.
A strong will to survive made him weakly raise his hand and pat the door.
*Smack, smack...*
There was no response from inside the door, and Pei Yuan's hand gradually fell limply to his side.
After a moment, a series of yawns were heard from inside the door, accompanied by an unhappy question.
"Who is it? What are you knocking on so early in the morning? Don't you know that Sanyuantang doesn't open until after Chenshi (7-9 AM)?"
The door opened.
One of the waiters saw Pei Yuan lying by the door and was so startled that he choked on his yawn and almost fell to the ground.
"Shopkeeper, something terrible has happened! There's a dead man lying at our door!"
The shopkeeper hurriedly put on his clothes and got up, running towards the door while scolding the innkeeper unhappily.
"Since it's a dead person, why don't you throw him out right away? It's such bad luck for him to die in front of our Sanyuantang. How are we supposed to do business after this?"
The waiter quickly responded and prepared to bend down to drag the person away.
Upon encountering someone, he hesitated again, "The shopkeeper seems to still be breathing, but he has a high fever."
"If you're still breathing, you shouldn't be lying at the door. Get rid of it..." The shopkeeper walked over, glanced at her impatiently, and then changed his mind about to say something else.
"Wait a minute."
The waiter looked at him, puzzled.
The shopkeeper squinted at Pei Yuan, scrutinizing him from the jade crown that bound his hair to the purse at his waist, finally settling on the jade fan clipped to his waist.
Bending down to pull out the jade-bone fan, a hint of amazement flashed in the shopkeeper's eyes.
The fan ribs are made of mutton fat jade, and the fan surface is made of an unknown material. Despite the heavy rain last night, the fan surface was completely undamaged.
Just based on this jade-bone fan, this person must be either rich or noble.
The shopkeeper closed his jade-bone fan and instructed his assistant, "It looks like they've been chased by enemies. Alright, carry them inside first."
"Huh? Weren't we supposed to kick them out?"
The shopkeeper's face darkened. "Since the person collapsed at the entrance of our Sanyuantang, it means we are destined to meet."
Saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda; how can we stand by and watch someone die?
The waiter curled his lip and carried the person inside.
The shopkeeper instructed, "Go out and find some fever reducer for him."
After the waiter left, the shopkeeper looked at Pei Yuan, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes.
"Since I'm going to save your life, I have to get some reward. Let's see what valuable things you have on you."
He tucked the jade fan into his waistband and began to search Pei Yuan's body.
Suddenly, he felt something bulging on Pei Yuan's chest, which looked like a purse.
What you keep close to your body must be something more precious.
The shopkeeper reached out to take the purse.
A cold hand gripped his wrist tightly.
"hiss....."
The shopkeeper winced in pain and turned to meet Pei Yuan's icy, knife-like gaze.
What are you looking for?
The shopkeeper winced in pain. "Young master, please don't misunderstand. I just wanted you to check my injuries."
Pei Yuan didn't speak, but stared at him intently.
The shopkeeper felt a chill run down his spine from his cold gaze.
It's unbelievable, his face was as pale as a ghost, and his lips were bluish-purple.
The shopkeeper was still startled, and a wicked thought arose in his mind.
He's just a dying man, what's there to be afraid of?
A wicked thought rose from the bottom of his heart, and the shopkeeper took out the dagger he always carried and stabbed it fiercely at Pei Yuan.
"Go to hell!"
Pei Yuan raised his hand and grabbed the dagger.
One presses down, the other pushes up.
The sharp dagger cut his hand, and blood dripped down.
The pain brought him to his senses somewhat, but he was poisoned and had a high fever, so he couldn't exert any strength.
The dagger slowly approached his throat, almost touching his skin.
Just then, a clear, crisp sound rang out from outside.
"Is the shopkeeper here? We've come to buy some medicine."
"The shopkeeper?"
The sound gradually approached, seemingly coming from the inner room.
The shopkeeper was startled, and the strength in his hand immediately loosened.
Pei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, but then gradually succumbed to dizziness.
The shopkeeper hurriedly put away his dagger and glared fiercely at Pei Yuan.
"You're lucky."
The shopkeeper turned to leave, and just as he stepped outside, he bumped into a group of two people walking towards him.
They were two women wearing veils.
"Please wait a moment, gentlemen. The inner room is our lounge, and it is not convenient for us to invite guests in."
One of the women nodded, "We've come to buy some medicine, shopkeeper. Let's talk in private for a moment."
Pei Yuan, who was almost fainting inside, suddenly opened his eyes.
He thought he heard A-Chu's voice.
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