Chase
The rain grew heavier and heavier, gradually threatening to pour down. The sky was a hazy gray, with huge, continuous dark clouds. Those clouds that were lucky enough to escape the clouds looked like tiny holes poked in the sky, through which glimpses of the dark white light above could be seen.
There weren't many people at the inn, only a few scattered individuals. Most of them weren't staying at the inn but had come to seek shelter from the rain. They ordered a pot of hot wine and two small dishes, and eating, drinking, chatting, and laughing became the only sounds besides the rain.
The waiter was still busy, spinning back and forth between the tables like a top. The manager seemed worried about the leaky roof, sighing and muttering to himself from time to time, wondering when the rain would stop...
He Lin and Jiang Yi were dining in this atmosphere when neither of them realized that danger was quietly approaching the inn on the outskirts of the city.
A group of men in black, like phantoms at midnight, pierced the straw roof with their swords, tearing open a gaping hole, and then fell straight down from the sky, much like evil spirits reaping souls. At the same time, hurried and heavy footsteps burst into the inn.
Each of them held gleaming swords, their reflections illuminating the panicked figures fleeing and screaming inside the inn.
The man in black rushed straight towards He Lin and Jiang Yi, clearly there to find them.
He Lin reacted extremely quickly, immediately pulling Jiang Yi behind him, kicking the black-clad man who was slashing at them in the chest, turning around to snatch another man's sword, and then engaging in a fierce battle with the enemy.
Although Jiang Yi had experienced a robbery once, times had changed. After all, she hadn't witnessed the bloodshed firsthand back then. Now, seeing blood splattering everywhere and severed limbs lying on the ground, she was terrified and stood frozen in place, only able to escape thanks to He Lin's quick reflexes and pulling her away...
"ah--"
Hearing Jiang Yi's shout behind him, He Lin acted ruthlessly, quickly dealing with the two men in black who were attacking him. He then turned around and blocked a sword strike aimed at her, performing a beautiful sword flourish before kicking the man away.
Jiang Yi was sweating profusely as He Lin gripped her wrist tightly and made her dodge back and forth. In order not to distract him, she forced herself to suppress her screams and didn't utter a sound. However, her subconscious reaction didn't lie, and the uncontrollable trembling of her whole body still revealed her inner fear.
During the fight, He Lin did not retreat but attacked instead, locking his gaze on the leader of the men in black, and fought his way out, pointing his sword at the one who stood firmly in the crowd.
In the blink of an eye, the two had already exchanged dozens, even hundreds of moves, with He Lin holding his own and becoming increasingly fierce.
His body had been subjected to Old Ghost's terrifying training since he was a few years old. If he hadn't been poisoned and had to be distracted by protecting Jiang Yi, even twice the number of people wouldn't have been a match for him.
It seems that Ma Zhang's abilities are limited to this.
"Young Master He! Be careful!"
As soon as Jiang Yi spoke, the man in black's eyes sharpened, and he charged straight at her, clearly realizing that He Lin was protecting her.
court death!
He Lin's eyes seemed to be covered with frost. He stretched out his long arm and put his arm around Jiang Yi's shoulder, bending her shoulders to avoid the sword thrusting in front of her.
Raising his hand to block the attack, the man in black was forced back two steps by the sword's force. Taking advantage of his unpreparedness, the sharp sword slashed his arm, and blood immediately gushed out, gradually seeping into his clothes...
Seeing this, his men were about to attack him en masse, but the man in black who had just fought with He Lin raised his hand to stop them.
He Lin sheathed his sword and pointed it at the ground. His whole body was sharp and murderous, and his face was splattered with dark red spots, making him look like a deadly king of hell, making people dare not approach him easily.
"Manager Liu, why don't you show your true colors?"
The man in black opposite paused slightly, clutching the sword wound on his arm. "Hahaha... Lord Zhaobai."
After he tore off the black cloth covering his face, he was indeed the steward of the Prince of Hannan's mansion whom he had met not long ago.
"It seems that Manager Liu has become even more successful in the past few days, even engaging in such shady dealings."
"Not at all, Lord Zhao Bai flatters me. You truly live up to your reputation as a member of Yu Ling Pavilion. Today's sparring has been an eye-opener for me. You are no less impressive than the former Pavilion Master!"
The two exchanged greetings, their words dripping with sarcasm that was obvious to anyone with eyes to see.
He Lin raised his eyes to look at the other person, his tone icy, and uttered two words in a low voice: "Get out of the way."
Manager Liu pulled out a stool from under the table next to him and sat down, showing no sign of backing down in his every move.
"Lord Zhaobai, please forgive me. I'm getting old, and even a little exercise makes me exhausted. Haha, sit down and rest for a while. Please sit down too, my lord. How about we make a deal?"
"There's nothing to say."
"Hey, you can't be too absolute. My lord, do you know that a net has been laid across this area for miles around, with the aim of capturing you alive? The military map is lost, but that was the prince's order, and I had no choice."
He Lin sneered: "Capture alive? Your prince thinks too highly of himself."
Manager Liu placed his hands on the sword hilt and smiled slightly, making him appear to be a kind old man to those who didn't know him.
Jiang Yi stood quietly to one side behind He Lin, listening to their conversation.
"Lord Zhaobai is highly skilled in martial arts, and I am indeed no match for you. But is it not a bit too despicable of you to break into our palace and steal?"
Hearing this, Jiang Yi couldn't hold back any longer: "Hey, who are you calling despicable? Who stole anything from your palace? Where's the evidence? Without any evidence, who are you trying to frame with just empty words?"
Manager Liu looked at her and narrowed his eyes.
Jiang Yi then realized that she had spoken in a female voice, but so what? Since she had already torn off all pretenses and resorted to violence, why bother with saving face and hiding her true feelings?
He didn't take Jiang Yi seriously at all, and said to He Lin, "How about I discuss this with Lord Zhao Bai? You return the military map, and I will plead with the Prince to release you and allow you to return to the capital?"
"How do you know the military map is in my hands? It might already be in Yu Ling Pavilion."
He Lin showed no fear, his words filled with contempt.
Steward Liu's expression immediately changed. He stood up and let out a long sigh: "I value talent and originally intended to spare Lord Zhaobai's life, but now it seems..."
Before he could finish speaking, he shook his head, turned his back, and waved his hand.
The next moment, the sound of clashing swords echoed throughout the inn...
In the rain, Jiang Yi could barely see the road ahead. The muddy ground splashed up murky water, wetting her trouser legs and making them feel cold and uncomfortable against her skin.
I can't even run as fast as I can now when I ran the 800-meter test in school. This is a life-or-death matter, and I can't afford to delay it! Anyone who comes will run away in a panic!
Following He Lin has truly made me suffer more hardships than I've ever experienced in my life. I must have owed him something in my past life, so I specially traveled through time to repay that debt in this life.
They had a life-or-death bond, so He Lin had to acknowledge it whether he wanted to or not!
He Lin fought his way out for her at the inn, staying behind to cover their retreat while she ran north.
It's the north again! Whenever someone says that, it's never anything good.
But this time was different. Halfway there, when she could barely lift her legs, she heard the sound of hurried hooves ahead.
Unable to see the person's face clearly, Jiang Yi immediately stopped and drew her dagger to defend herself.
"Miss Jiang! Where is the young master?"
Gu Ziyu led a group of people on horseback and soon saw Jiang Yi standing in the rain, looking disheveled.
Jiang Yi's eyes were slammed by the rain, making it hard to open them, but she could barely make out Gu Ziyu.
"He's still at the inn. We're being chased by men in black. You need to go save him!"
Gu Ziyu frowned, his heart tightening. He turned to the man beside him and said, "Yanzhi, save the young master first!"
The man named Yanzhi rode a tall horse with deep-set eyes. He glanced at Jiang Yi with his eyes lowered, then spurred the horse without saying a word, leading the group through the rain towards the inn.
Gu Ziyu jumped off his horse and took off his rain hat and raincoat, handing them to Jiang Yi.
"Please make do with this for now, Miss Jiang. We're going back."
"Um."
Without the shelter of his rain hat and raincoat, the fine rain immediately soaked Gu Ziyu's face, but he didn't care at all. He turned around and nimbly mounted his horse.
After Jiang Yi finished dressing, he extended a hand and said, "Excuse me, Miss Jiang, please."
After such a deadly event, who cares about these formalities? Besides, He Lin is still fighting with those people and doesn't know what the situation is. Jiang Yi grabbed Gu Ziyu's hand, and he pulled her up forcefully before speeding away.
Jiang Yi thought she had run far, but Gu Ziyu brought her back to the inn in no time. The two sides were fighting fiercely. Inside and outside the inn, the horses were frightened and neighed, but He Lin was nowhere to be seen.
After dismounting, she was about to rush in to find He Lin when Gu Ziyu grabbed her.
"Miss Jiang, it's dangerous inside, you wait here!"
"Eh..."
Before Jiang Yi could respond, Gu Ziyu drew his sword and charged straight at the man in black.
She can't be of any help, so it's better for her to stay here and wait. Just avoiding being a burden to others is already a huge help...
Jiang Yi stood next to a horse, trying her best to appear inconspicuous, lest she attract the attention of the men in black.
However, as the saying goes, when you're down on your luck, even drinking cold water can cause problems. As it turns out, the more you don't want something to happen, the faster it comes. A man in black outside the inn spotted Jiang Yi, fought off the people harassing him, and tried to take her hostage.
After all, everyone witnessed He Lin risking his life to protect her and get her out.
When Jiang Yi saw the man charging towards her with a murderous aura, she felt as if her whole body was filled with lead, unable to lift her legs to run. She took two small steps back, dropped the dagger in her hand, closed her eyes and screamed. Her body reacted instinctively, raising her hands to protect her face and head.
Contrary to her expectations of a gruesome death with his body severed from his body, a muffled "thud" was heard as a long sword pierced the black-clad man's chest from behind. He collapsed to his knees, eyes wide open, dying with his eyes still open...
Jiang Yi clutched her heart and gasped for breath. When she looked up, she saw He Lin standing at the entrance of the inn, throwing his sword to kill her. Jiang Yi's legs went weak, and she slowly squatted down, letting the heavy rain pound down on her.
The sounds of fighting gradually subsided.
A pair of black boots appeared before her, and looking up, He Lin stretched out a hand towards her.
It was his right hand. The gauze wrapped around it was now soaked in blood, turning a dark red color, even on his well-defined fingers. Without even looking, it was clear that the scar on his palm had reopened...
Jiang Yi pursed her lips, hesitated for two or three seconds, and then placed her hand in his.
He Lin pulled her up...
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