Nan jumped up, and the man in blue, who had severely injured her, managed to escape. She was truly unwilling to accept this; in her twenty-one years of life, she had never suffered such a great loss.
Sigh... Well, there's no point in thinking about it anymore. The important thing is to get things done right now. "Tell them to prepare more rations. We'll set off immediately. I need to see the Emperor as soon as possible, or things might change."
"Your Highness, you..." Something's not right. Judging from this, Your Highness is not only unafraid of the Emperor, but also wants to pay her respects. She didn't look like this just now.
Having roughly guessed what he was thinking, Nan Yi curled the corners of her lips and thought to herself, "Who am I, this heroine? I've come prepared."
She pointed and said, "Take that box with you. It's something that some people have been trying to get their hands on. I was ambushed and chased by unknown people because of it."
Zheng Yong was startled, his gaze instantly turning serious. He and his three companions had been lying in wait in Taiyuan Prefecture, and he had already noticed the unusual movements among the Shanxi officials, but he had no evidence to prove it.
However, a large number of martial arts figures have appeared in Shanxi and Anhui. Tong Master happened to be there, and she was seriously injured. Could this be related to this matter?
Zheng Yong thought of many things in an instant. The thoughts flashed through his mind. He quickly went outside, whispered a few words to the others, and returned to the room. He stuffed the box into his bundle, tied the bundle tightly to his body, and bowed with both hands. "Master Tong, I'm afraid your body is not fit to travel. This servant will take you to another safe place. We can return to the capital after your injuries have stabilized. Is that alright?"
Nan glanced at the horses outside the door, and his forehead twitched. Walking was already difficult enough; riding a horse... His wound seemed to hurt even more.
Why is the wound on the side of the waist? It would be better if it were on the arm or leg.
After a moment's thought, Nan Yi said, "Let's do as you say. We'll abandon the horse. Guard Zheng will have to carry me, though."
Nan Yi did not make this request casually; she had doubts in her heart when she first met Zheng Yong.
What man could be so handsome and beardless, with skin more delicate than a woman's, a gentle and feminine demeanor, and a soft, gentle voice?
Because he has an Adam's apple, he is confirmed to be a man.
When he said he was one of Kangxi's men, Nan thought to himself that this person was probably a former eunuch.
Returning to the capital, Nan Yi had to accept her other identity once again: the Fourth Prince's concubine, a princess's relative... well... she still had to be mindful of her reputation.
Without saying a word, Zheng Yong turned the bundle to his chest, turned his back to Nan Yi, and squatted down. Nan Yi leaned over him, put one hand on Zheng Yong's neck, and pressed the other hand against his wound. "Let's go."
Outside the hunter's cabin, three plainclothes guards were on guard. When they saw the two men come out, one of them slipped into the cabin and wiped away the traces left by Nan Yi, while the other two took the items off the horse and patted the horse away.
One person led the way, Zheng Yong carried Nan Yi in the middle, and the other two brought up the rear.
Zheng Yong was walking downhill. The group of five had been gone from the hunter's hut for less than a hundred meters when a long howl suddenly came from the forest.
Nan Yi's expression changed in surprise, and he exclaimed in a low voice, "Oh no, someone is chasing us."
Zheng Yong remained calm and composed. "Don't worry, Master Tong. Judging from the sound of that howling, it should be more than ten miles away, enough for us to leave this place." After saying that, he used his lightness skill, carried Nan Yi on his back, and quickly ran through the forest.
The other three were no slouch either, staying close behind Zheng Yong.
Nan Yi dared not make a sound, for fear of disturbing him.
After nearly half an hour, before they entered a farmhouse in a village, the guards knocked on the door and, after saying something to the person in charge, the honest-looking middle-aged man who opened the door quickly stepped aside and invited them in.
The three-room farmhouse courtyard was very clean, and there was an unfinished watermelon on the small table by the kitchen door.
After Zheng Yong entered the house, he put Nan Yi down and carried her on his back for half an hour. He was only slightly out of breath, which made Nan Yi look at him with new respect.
Just as he was about to speak, the farmer came in carrying tea and poured tea for everyone. Zheng Yong gave a wink to someone next to him, who snatched the teapot from the farmer's hand, poured himself a bowl first, gulped it down, wiped his mouth, and walked outside.
"Ada, go and prepare some fine food. Chengyu, fetch a basin of water," Zheng Yong instructed.
With outsiders present, he even carefully changed how he addressed Nan Yi, saying, "Fourth Madam, please rest here in peace. I'll go outside and keep watch. I'll call you when the food is ready."
Nan nodded.
Cheng Yu brought in water, and Nan Yi thanked him. After Cheng Yu left, she closed the doors and windows, took out a set of women's clothes from her bundle, and busied herself washing her face and body. Nan Yi was quite exhausted.
After changing back into women's clothing, she threw the two sets of men's clothes under the bed, let her hair down, covered her face with a veil, and called Zheng Yong back into the room.
"Guard Zheng, do you know how to comb hair?" Nan Yi asked, holding up a wooden comb.
Zheng Yong paused slightly, lowered his head, stepped forward, stood behind Nan Yi, and handed her his hair to tie up.
This guy is skillful; in no time at all, he easily combed her hair.
Nan Yi yawned, feeling drowsy. Sniffling, she whispered, "Guard Zheng, I'm very sleepy. I won't eat. We'll talk about it after I fall asleep." With that, she climbed into bed.
Zheng Yong knew that although Master Tong's high fever had subsided after the injury, he was still very weak. He went over to help tuck the blankets in, then turned around, left the room, and closed the door.
Wan Liu'er, who had gone to investigate, came forward. "Sir, a group of about eight people have arrived outside the village. I wonder if they are..." He omitted the rest of his words and gestured towards the inner room.
"No problem, treat it as usual. If necessary, we can reveal our identities. They won't dare to confront us directly."
People in the martial arts world are carefree and unrestrained, often acting solely on loyalty and righteousness. They are always armed with swords and knives, and the law is meaningless to them. They are stained with blood and have murder on their hands, so most people in the martial arts world do not like to deal with the government and will even go out of their way to avoid it.
The court officials also disliked martial arts practitioners. These people disregarded the law and were highly skilled in martial arts, appearing and disappearing without a trace, making them very difficult to deal with. It could be said that they disliked each other.
Zheng Yong and Wan Liu'er sat down at the small table in the courtyard. Cheng Yu started a fire in the kitchen. Ada exchanged silver with a farmer for a chicken, a dozen eggs, and some vegetables, and helped Cheng Yu wash the vegetables and cook.
The man took the money and sat down beside them, chatting idly.
Wan Liu'er said, "Sanzi, you're living a carefree life. We brothers are quite envious."
"It's all thanks to the kindness of our master that he gave me a place to retire. I'll spend the rest of my life tending this little courtyard, and maybe even marry a young wife. I'll have no regrets for the rest of my life," the man sighed.
"Tch, look how pleased you are with yourself." Wan Liu rolled his eyes at him, a hint of envy rising in his heart. He sighed softly, "I wonder if I, brother, am fortunate enough to have such good fortune."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Yong and the man exchanged a glance, then lowered their eyes and remained silent. The courtyard fell silent for a moment, with only the occasional clanging of pots and pans coming from the kitchen.
Nan Yi was unaware that during her recovery, more than three groups of people came to the village looking for her, but they were all frightened away by the identities of Zheng Yong and the others.
She slept so much that she did nothing but eat and sleep for three days. On the fourth day, before dawn, Nan woke up Zheng Yong and the others, urging them to get up and continue their journey.
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