Chapter 34 Almost Scared to Death
The boat entered the water smoothly and circled around on the sea. After Zhao Yancheng and Wang Hu carefully checked it, they found no problems.
This matter came to an end for the time being, and Gu Xiyue asked everyone to go back and rest for half a day.
Xiao Heng took Gu Xiyue directly to the east entrance. They were going out in broad daylight. Gu Xiyue began to get excited. She didn't know how Xiao Heng would take her out. She secretly thought that maybe he would take her out by flying.
Walking all the way to the entrance, Gu Xiyue didn't notice anything different about Xiao Heng. He even chatted with Jun Ye for a few words and then went straight out the door.
Gu Xiyue hurried to catch up, thinking that he might tell her soon about his unique skills to escape. She kept looking at him with eager eyes full of anticipation.
After walking for a while, Xiao Heng couldn't stand her eager gaze any longer and said with a smile, "Why are you always looking at me?"
Gu Xiyue approached mysteriously, "Didn't you just say you had a way to get out? What's that?"
Xiao Heng smiled mysteriously, "Do you really want to know?"
Gu Xiyue nodded quickly, ready to be taken away by him. "Yes, I will cooperate with you no matter how you want to get out."
Xiao Heng looked at her, his eyes moving around her body. He pursed his lips and moved closer to her, whispering, "We're already out. Just follow me."
Gu Xiyue was stunned. He looked at the door not far behind him, then at Xiao Heng. Seeing that he was not joking, he immediately looked towards the mountainside with dense branches next to him in panic.
As long as someone goes out of the east gate, they can see it from the mountainside, but they cannot see the scene inside the gate. The isolated place on the east side of the Southern Wilderness has steep cliffs and it is impossible to see inside from the outside.
"Are you sure...we're just going to walk out like this?"
Xiao Heng nodded and reached out to pull a dogtail grass from the roadside. "I'm sure."
Gu Xiyue felt that he was being fooled and raised his hand to hit him, but Xiao Heng quickly dodged and laughed.
She became even more angry and chased after him to fight, but she was always one step behind and could not catch up with him. While they were fighting, they had already run far away.
Xiao Heng teased her with dogtail grass while retreating. Gu Xiyue simply stopped chasing him and walked slowly. She also pulled a handful of dogtail grass and began to weave it in her hands, making it into a thick caterpillar. When Xiao Heng came closer again, she stretched out her hand and scratched his neck.
As a result, Xiao Heng pulled her over, and she was pulled over with him. He half-hugged her and continued to walk forward in a very ambiguous posture.
Gu Xiyue was about to shout when Xiao Heng whispered in her ear, "Don't move, someone is watching us!"
Gu Xiyue shuddered and wanted to look up and around, but Xiao Heng held her head against his and sprayed his hot breath into her ears.
"Just walk carefully. The man is in the tree above and to the left of us. Just pretend nothing happened."
Gu Xiyue's heart was in her throat. If there was really someone nearby, would they be killed? Weren't ancient people very good at archery? What if she was shot into a sieve?
She immediately took the initiative to stick to Xiao Heng, letting him cover her completely. He was skilled in martial arts, and if an arrow was shot at him, he would definitely be able to block it. If she didn't stick well and was hit by an arrow that was missed, it would be too unfair.
Seeing her coming closer to him, Xiao Heng couldn't help laughing. When he lowered his head to talk to her, he found that her collar was not tight. His eyes flickered and he quickly looked away from the beautiful scenery, raised his head to look at the road ahead, with an intimate expression on his face.
He smoothed her collar and smoothed her clothes.
"She looks quite like my wife at this moment!"
Gu Xiyue was teased by him, so she reached out and pinched his waist hard. However, when he exerted force, his waist became hard and she couldn't pinch the soft flesh at all, so she just scratched his waist.
Xiao Heng laughed heartily, twisted his body to avoid her hand, and whispered, "Just walk properly, it will be fine in a while."
For a moment, Gu Xiyue even felt that Xiao Heng was lying to her, but she was afraid that it might be true.
Just for this eventuality, she had to cooperate.
Xiao Heng was not lying. At this moment, there were indeed three masked men standing on several large trees on the left side of the mountain. They looked like martial artists at first glance.
At this moment, the three men were staring motionlessly at the two men below, seeing how they were swaggering. One of them said to the other two, "Go find someone to pass the news back to the capital. I'll stay here for now."
The other two immediately turned around and quickly disappeared into the woods.
Xiao Heng and Gu Xiyue walked for a while, and after she repeatedly asked, he finally let go of her hand and said, "Okay, it's okay now."
Gu Xiyue became worried. She had just been seen and didn't know if there would be any danger.
Seeing her worry, Xiao Heng also became serious, "Let's hurry up and don't stop. Let's go directly to Xifeng Town to do things. When we come back, drive the carriage back."
He came back in a carriage. Did he think he wasn't a big enough target? He drove a carriage past in a flashy way so that those people could see him more clearly.
Moreover, Wei Lin and Mei Xiang did not come out today. If anything happens, Xiao Heng will go to deal with it, leaving her alone and unable to defeat those people.
Gu Xiyue regretted going out with Xiao Heng today. She felt that he was a very reliable person, but today he turned out to be so unreliable.
But things have come to this point, I've already come out, it's too late to go back, they have already discovered me, going back will not help, I can only go and do my business first, and then come back to find a way to solve this matter.
After walking for a while, Xiao Heng looked back to normal and resumed his usual humble and gentle demeanor.
It took the two of them almost an hour to reach Xifeng Town. They did not encounter the same situation as before on the way, but when they entered Xifeng Town, they heard another story.
Now that the price of salt has returned to normal, and the government has borrowed grain to sell at a low price, everyone's life has basically returned to normal. After the rotten wheat straw in the fields has been cleaned up, rice has been planted, and various seasonal vegetables have also been planted. People walking on the road have put aside their previous anxiety and will joke with each other and talk about recent news.
When Gu Xiyue and Xiao Heng were shopping, they heard a lot of people talking about something along the way. Everyone was reminding each other to lock their doors at night. They said that the Li family in the west of the town had been robbed by bandits the day before, and their house was almost completely looted...
After hearing the final words, Gu Xiyue had a rough idea in his mind. This group of bandits had suddenly appeared in the past few days. The government had not yet figured out their background and did not know where they came from. They only knew that they came with great force and targeted the rich families as soon as they arrived. They did not even look down on ordinary people. Nanfeng Town, Beilong Town and several other nearby towns had all been robbed.
In other words, in just a few days, this group of people greeted all the wealthy families in the surrounding area.
The speed and scope are jaw-dropping.
The two of them did not stop and went directly to the dock south of Xifeng Town. Gu Xiyue was still a little worried. These bandits were so rampant. He didn't know if they would attack the government later. What if they robbed salt?
It is impossible not to think about this question. In the past, when I watched TV or read books, I saw bandits who were very rampant and thought that snatching things from the government was a great achievement.
But the governor of Ganzhou really cares about the people, and he is now her adoptive father. She doesn't want anything to happen to him. She heard many people say along the way that those who were robbed were rich people who often did evil things. When people talked about it, they seemed to be gloating. But Gu Xiyue didn't think so.
She was really worried.
After all, in the eyes of bandits, neither government officials nor wealthy individuals who do evil are good people, otherwise they would not become bandits.
When they reached the beach, Gu Xiyue discovered that the government had renovated the road from the official road to the beach. It was spacious and flat, about five or six meters wide. The dock was also repaired, and a row of simple sheds were built beside the dock. A wall was built outside to protect the dock and warehouse. Anyone entering the dock had to show a badge or pass issued by the government.
When Gu Xiyue arrived at the door, he was stopped by two guards with swords. There were several other guards with swords standing outside the door. There were also people standing guard not far away. The security was tight. There was a watchtower at the door and the wall was ten meters high.
The fact that it was able to be built to this level in such a short period of time and is still guarded so tightly shows how much the government values this place.
This concerns the salt consumption problem in the entire Ganzhou area.
If the people can guarantee their basic living needs, there will be no unrest. If there is no unrest, officials can be safe and have the possibility of promotion.
Gu Xiyue fished out a badge from her bosom. The guard took it and looked at it for a few seconds. He then carefully examined Gu Xiyue, took two steps back, bowed, and said respectfully, "So it's Madam Gu. The prefect specifically instructed us to do so and even showed us your portrait. Please come in!"
Gu Xiyue was a little surprised. "Excuse me, who drew this portrait for me?"
Judging from his appearance, the painting should be of her undisguised face. The only people who have seen her true face are Lord Yan, his family, and Lord Yan's subordinates.
The guard was able to recognize her just by looking at the portrait. It seems that the person who painted her has good skills.
"This was painted by the prefect himself!" said the guard, making a gesture of invitation and pushing the person aside to make way.
It turned out that it was painted by the prefect himself. Gu Xiyue nodded, feeling a very strange feeling in his heart.
Xiao Heng followed her in.
The guards knew they came together, so they did not stop Xiao Heng, thinking that this person was her brother or follower.
After walking around inside, he finally met the boss at the dock. Gu Xiyue had met this person at Lord Yan's house. He was one of his subordinates, and his surname was Deng.
Lord Deng was giving instructions to the people around him, "...Are the pillars here strong? We'll need to tie ropes to them later to prevent them from getting dragged into the water. Also, make this area smooth. When everyone unloads the cargo, it'll be a rush, and if you don't watch your step, you could easily trip..."
He checked and instructed every detail, and it was obvious that he was a careful and thoughtful person.
Gu Xiyue didn't call him, but stood beside him waiting for him to finish speaking.
As Lord Deng was speaking, he turned around and when he looked up, he saw Gu Xiyue next to him. He was stunned for a moment and his voice stopped abruptly. Then, he walked over in three or two steps, his face full of wrinkles from smiling.
"Miss Gu, why are you here? Your adoptive father mentioned you a few days ago, saying that he forgot to discuss something with you. I didn't expect you to come here today. You will be fully recovered in two days. I wonder what instructions Miss Gu has for you today?"
When Lord Deng was speaking, Xiao Heng was listening with a look of suspicion on his face, his eyes moving back and forth on Gu Xiyue's face.
When did she become the prefect's adopted daughter? How could he not know!
But now was not the time to ask these questions. He remained silent, standing behind her with a humble expression on his face.
After Lord Deng finished speaking, Gu Xiyue shook his head and said, "I happened to be going back today, so I came to take a look at the progress of the dock construction. Then I thought about buying some cloth bags or some cloth to make bags to hold salt. This way, it will be more convenient for transportation and storage."
Unexpectedly, as soon as she finished speaking, Lord Deng's eyes lit up and he nodded repeatedly, "Miss Gu is indeed worthy of being the magistrate's adopted daughter. You two are thinking alike!"
"Does godfather also think so?"
Gu Xiyue was a little surprised.
"Yes, the master said that cloth bags are convenient for packing salt, so he thought that when you first bring in the goods, you can pack them separately. Later, he will provide you with cloth bags, so that it will be easier for you to pack them there and then transport them here. Look, there are many cloth bags in that room, prepared for you."
Lord Deng was smiling.
After listening to it, Gu Xiyue liked it very much.
"Master Deng, thank you so much. Please thank my adoptive father for me. This will save me a lot of trouble and help me solve a big problem."
"No, no, this is what we should do! We are all family, so there is no need to be polite."
Xiao Heng touched his nose. Listening to Lord Deng talking about his family, he felt like an outsider and couldn't fit in at all.
It felt strange, but he didn't like it.
Seeing that Gu Xiyue had followed Lord Deng towards the house on the right, he paused and hurried to follow.
Pushing open the door, the room was filled with neatly stacked yellow-brown cloth bags, all neatly folded, almost two meters high, from the left wall to the right wall.
"These are 500,000 bags. The prefect ordered them to be brought out from several jurisdictions. They are of uniform size and color. When Miss Gu packs them later, just put 50 kilograms in each bag. This will make it easier to count them without having to weigh them."
Gu Xiyue nodded repeatedly. This way, she wouldn't have to bother with the cloth bag and could just take it from here in the future.
This is convenient for everyone.
The prefect is a smart man.
"Then can I take a few tens of thousands back with me today? I can just pack them in bags when I get home, so you don't have to do it again."
Gu Xiyue asked tentatively.
After hearing this, Lord Deng hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "That's great. You can finish loading the goods over there, and I'll just unload them. Okay, okay!"
"Then Miss Gu, take 100,000 bags back with you first. When you send a batch of goods in the future, I will send you a batch of bags. This way, you won't run out of bags. What do you think, Miss Gu?"
"It's a deal!"
Gu Xiyue agreed readily.
After the discussion, Gu Xiyue asked Lord Deng to wait for a while while she and Xiao Heng drove the carriage over.
The carriage definitely couldn't carry 100,000 pockets, so Xiao Heng went to buy a cart and tied it to the back of the carriage, and the two carts would pull them back together.
The two went to the beach again. Lord Deng ordered several people to start moving the cloth bags onto the cars. After about an incense stick of time, all the bags were placed on the two cars. They were then wrapped with a large piece of black cloth and secured with ropes.
After everything was done, Gu Xiyue said goodbye to Lord Deng. From beginning to end, Lord Deng didn't even say a word to Xiao Heng directly. He just glanced at him twice when Gu Xiyue came and when he left.
There was no unnecessary communication.
After the two of them left the dock with their horses, Xiao Heng looked out of sight and asked her, "Is the prefect your adoptive father?"
Gu Xiyue turned her head to look at him, "Yes."
"When did it happen?"
Gu Xiyue gave him a meaningful look and said, "I told you this the last time I came back, but it seems Your Highness didn't listen at that time."
He was asleep at the time and didn't remember what she said afterwards.
Gu Xiyue knew that he was asleep and didn't hear it, so she deliberately teased him at this time.
Xiao Heng smiled and shook his head, "I really didn't expect Miss Gu to be so capable. I was too narrow-minded before."
"It's just..." Gu Xiyue turned her head to look at the two cars behind her, "Do we really have to go back like this? Will we be discovered?"
"We've been discovered. It's the same whether we go back empty-handed or like this."
Xiao Heng didn't look worried at all.
Gu Xiyue looked at his expression and suddenly lowered her voice and said, "You and Wei Lin both have martial arts skills, why don't you go..."
She hesitated, her voice trembling a few times, and slowly made a gesture of wiping her neck.
In modern times, she would not dare to come up with such an idea even if she was beaten to death. Now that she said it, she seemed a little unreal.
Xiao Heng stared at her for a while, his eyes twinkling as he said, "That's a great idea. Miss Gu also thinks I'm good at fighting?"
Gu Xiyue nodded repeatedly.
Xiao Heng smiled without saying anything. He turned his head and kicked the stone next to him. The stone rolled away for a long distance.
Gu Xiyue thought he had heard her, so she stopped talking and the two of them walked back directly, occasionally exchanging a few words. As they slowly approached the Southern Wilderness, the roadside became more and more desolate, and the two became alert. Along the way, there were only the sounds of horse hooves and wheel wheels rolling on the ground.
When they were still four or five hundred meters away from the entrance to the Southern Wilderness, Gu Xiyue's heart was in her throat. The mountainside on the right was quiet. She walked and looked around, fearing that an arrow would be shot from somewhere and take her life.
Seeing that they were still three hundred meters away from the entrance, Gu Xiyue's palms were sweaty. What she didn't understand was that Xiao Heng on her right had been so relaxed, as if he wasn't worried at all about encountering people who were monitoring them. This made her look like a thief, acting sneaky all the way, while Xiao Heng had the leisurely demeanor of a tourist.
It's very abnormal!
Just as he was about to whisper a reminder to him, in just a moment, seven or eight people jumped out from the hillside on the right and the stone wall on the left at the same time, landed in front of them, and blocked their way.
At this time, Gu Xiyue was less than three hundred meters away from the entrance to the Southern Wilderness.
Just turn two more corners and you'll arrive.
The people standing in front raised their crossbows, with sharp arrow tips emitting a dark, cold light, pointing directly at them.
Gu Xiyue was so frightened that she couldn't speak. Her heartbeat made her brain go blank. This was the first time she was truly facing the threat of death. This feeling of suffocation was something she had never experienced before.
She stared straight ahead at the crossbows aimed at her. The men holding these arrows were all dressed strangely, with skinny arms exposed, their faces half covered, and rough eyebrows and eyes, revealing a wild nature.
In a moment, figures appeared behind and on both sides, surrounding them layer by layer.
There are about thirty people in total.
Gu Xiyue's heart sank. Even if Xiao Heng and Wei Lin were both skilled in martial arts, it would be difficult for them to defeat dozens of strong men armed with sharp weapons, not to mention that Wei Lin was not around.
If she shouted loudly, perhaps the three generals could hear her, but they had no skills and would die in vain if they came over.
What was even worse was that, let alone calling out to them, Gu Xiyue found that he couldn't even make a sound, and his legs had already started to tremble.
Her reaction was extremely frightened and she didn't listen to her heart at all.
This was a natural reaction to extreme danger, and it was not something she could resist.
Gu Xiyue slowly turned her head, wanting to look at Xiao Heng, but as soon as she moved, the man opposite took a few steps forward and the tip of the arrow hit her forehead directly.
She was so frightened that she swallowed her saliva repeatedly and couldn't even make a sound to beg for mercy.
Judging from their attire, if I’m not mistaken, these people are the bandits that the people in Xifeng Town are talking about.
I was worried that they would steal the salt from the prefect, but I didn't expect that they would find them.
Is it possible that her life will really end here today?
Gu Xiyue wanted to cry but didn't dare to, and could only stare blankly at the man opposite her.
Xiao Heng suddenly said from the side: "If you want to kill me, come at me, don't embarrass women!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Xiyue heard the sound of a sharp blade being unsheathed, followed by the sound of someone falling to the ground. She was no longer able to care about being afraid at this time. She turned around and saw that Xiao Heng had already fallen to the ground. She could not see where he was injured, and blood had already begun to flow from under him.
Gu Xiyue suddenly couldn't breathe. She opened her mouth and tried to breathe desperately. Her body was convulsing and she couldn't turn around.
She couldn't believe that Xiao Heng was shot to death right in front of her eyes.
This feeling of powerlessness and suffocation made her tremble involuntarily.
"When I do things, I never like people who talk too much nonsense. If they talk too much nonsense, I will just send them to the west."
There were footsteps coming from behind, and the man walked from the back to the front while talking. He held his arms on his shoulder with his right hand, and had a brown headband on his head. His hair was not long and was scattered behind him. He had an evil smile on his face and a bloodthirsty look in his eyes.
Apparently, he is their leader.
He walked over, stretched out his hand to block the crossbow arrow against Gu Xiyue's forehead, licked his lips, looked Gu Xiyue up and down, and finally held the crossbow arrow in his right hand, put the tip of the arrow under her chin, gently lifted her face, leaned in to look at it carefully, and sniffed it twice.
Gu Xiyue looked at him in despair, suppressing her nausea and trying to control her inner fear, saying, "We have no grudges against you, why did you do this? Why did you kill him?"
By the end of her speech, there was already a tearful tone in Gu Xiyue's voice.
Xiao Heng died. This person had been by his side since she came into this world. He cooked for her every day, tolerated her little temper, and never stopped her from having any ideas. He let her do whatever she wanted. He could be said to be a very good partner, even a family member.
But now he was killed by these bandits.
The feeling of facing the murder of her loved ones made her forget her fear at that moment.
"What a joke!" The bandit leader looked at her with amusement, slowly took two steps back, and said with a smirk, "I don't like him, so I want to kill him. What can you do about it?"
After saying that, he turned around and said fiercely: "Throw him out of here and throw him into the sea to feed the fish!"
The man standing next to Xiao Heng began to carry his body. The bandit leader laughed heartily and pointed at Gu Xiyue and said, "Keep her. Capture her and bring her back to me as my wife, Yasai. Such a beauty is rare. It would be a pity to kill her!"
Gu Xiyue no longer cared about what he said. Seeing Xiao Heng being carried away, she rushed over anxiously, her eyes bloodshot and a painful cry bursting out from her chest, "No--"
But she couldn't get through at all. The man next to her grabbed her in an instant. She watched Xiao Heng with his eyes closed, covered in blood, being lifted up by two men, dangling in the air for a few seconds, and finally thrown down.
At the same time, Gu Xiyue felt a pain on the back of his shoulder, and his eyes went dark and he lost consciousness.
The people who had been guarding the mountainside and monitoring below were shocked to see Xiao Heng being killed like this. Later, when they saw him thrown off the cliff covered in blood, they knew that he had no chance of survival. As for the woman who fainted from grief, she was insignificant and their master did not take her seriously.
He had to tell their master about this good news as soon as possible.
When he returned to Xifeng Town, he found that his other two companions had been assassinated. He hurriedly passed the news back, and then rode overnight to Hongzhou, north of Ganzhou, to find his other companions. When he arrived there, he was surrounded by his companions. The leader said that the master had given him a task, which was not to let him go back alive.
Before he could react, someone stretched out a sharp knife from behind and slashed his neck.
In the capital.
The second prince, Xiao Rui, was happily teasing a parrot when someone ran in with a very small scroll and respectfully handed it to the eunuch behind him.
He asked the eunuch to open it and see what it was.
The eunuch slowly opened it, took a look, and then, with a smile and a shrill voice, said, "Congratulations, Your Highness! Our affair is a success!"
Xiao Rui gently put down the bird-teasing stick in his hand, turned around with a gentle face and took the note. After reading it, he smiled cunningly.
"It's all good! As long as he's not in this world, I have nothing to worry about."
After saying that, he seemed to have thought of something and asked in a low voice: "Have those men under your command been cleaned up?"
The eunuch nodded, "We've cleaned it all up. We'll make sure no one knows what we've done."
"Oh, there's one more thing. The day before yesterday, someone reported something about Hu Mazi and the three military officers guarding the Southern Wasteland. Their families have all been imprisoned. I followed Your Highness's instructions and cleared them out. Afterwards, I sent someone to check, and they were completely cleared out, leaving no trace. I also sent someone to spread the word at their residence, saying they had moved back to their hometown, and it didn't arouse anyone's suspicion."
The second prince listened and nodded repeatedly.
"Also, Hu Mazi came back yesterday and said that many people in the Southern Wasteland were so hungry that they couldn't even stand up. They had already eaten all the food and were now relying on water to survive."
"I heard that he couldn't find his family when he returned, and he became so angry that he had an acute illness and died that night."
The second prince laughed heartily.
"Great! These things are brilliant, and they are exactly what I wanted! Now, we can completely cut off the information exchange between the Southern Wilderness and this side. When my father finds out about my brother's accident, everything will be a foregone conclusion. By then, even if he blames me, there will be nothing I can do!"
***
After an unknown amount of time, Gu Xiyue slowly woke up and felt herself lying on a soft surface.
Before she regained consciousness, she subconsciously thought she had returned to modern times. When she slowly opened her eyes, the first person she saw was Xiao Heng.
She was completely unable to wake up now. She reached out and grabbed his collar, her voice trembling as she asked, "Is this the underworld?"
She saw Xiao Heng die in front of her with her own eyes. He was thrown off such a high cliff. It was so high above the sea that even if a person was thrown down, there would be no chance of survival. Besides, there were many reefs in the sea. Not to mention hitting the reefs, even being hit by the sea water could kill people.
He can't be alive!
So she herself must be dead too.
The two also met in the underworld.
What a coincidence!
Without waiting for his answer, Gu Xiyue cried and hugged his neck, hanging on him and said, "We are all dead. I didn't expect to see you again after death. When I saw them killing you, my heart was very sad. I thought you would be in pain, but now I am dead too. I don't feel any pain, so I feel better. Do you feel no pain either?"
"What will happen to the folks in the Southern Wasteland? If we die, who will take care of them? And what about the salt the prefect wants? If we can't send it to him, then the folks in Ganzhou will have no salt to eat. What will they do?"
"How about we send a dream to Brother Zhao and the others? Tell them what to do..."
"Xi Yue, wake up!" Seeing that he couldn't wake the person up no matter what he did, Xiao Heng simply sat down beside the bed, hugged her tightly in his arms, and kept patting her back to comfort her.
"We are not dead! Those are all fake, wake up!" Xiao Heng called her in a low voice.
He knew that this incident must have scared her.
"Miss! Wake up!"
Gu Xiyue still leaned in Xiao Heng's arms with her eyes closed, crying and snot streaming down her face. It was not until Meixiang cried out that she suddenly shuddered.
Meixiang! Why is she here too?
She immediately stopped crying and opened her eyes to look carefully.
He found her lying on the bed in her room. Besides Xiao Heng, Mei Xiang, and Wei Lin were in the room.
It was broad daylight outside, the sky was clear, and the sea breeze was blowing, just like the scene she usually saw here.
She was completely stunned.
"Xiyue, listen to me, those bandits are our own people. What happened at the entrance yesterday was our plan. I also faked my death. We are all alive and well..."
Gu Xiyue was still leaning in his arms, listening to him speak slowly. As she listened, she calmed down.
"Also, I have good news for you. We've already eliminated all those people monitoring us at the entrances and exits, including the spies in other places. From now on, people from the Southern Wasteland can enter and exit freely. We are free!"
"The three generals and Hu Mazi's family members have been rescued and are now on their way to the Southern Wilderness. They will be here in a few days."
"I know you've been deeply frightened by this incident. I'm truly sorry! If we don't put on a show like that, there's no way that person in the capital will let down their guard. Only my death, and your unbearable pain, can convince them."
"If you're unhappy, just come at me!"
Xiao Heng finished his words, staring into her eyes quietly, his face full of worry and self-blame.
If there was any way, he didn't want her to go through that. If it happened to anyone else, they might be scared to death or even go crazy while still alive.
He had considered everything, but he had never expected that his death would cause such great grief to Gu Xiyue.
He saw Gu Xiyue's reaction after he faked his death. At that moment, he regretted it very much. If it wasn't for the plan to proceed normally, he almost jumped up and terminated it.
After listening to him, Gu Xiyue was stunned for a long time, slowly digesting the content. In the end, she put her arms around his neck, hugged him tightly, and said in a hoarse voice: "I don't blame you, as long as we are both alive and well, as long as we are alive, there is hope for everything, but..."
"It's just that I was really scared. I thought you were really dead. It's worth it to scare me in exchange for the successful completion of this plan, but I was really scared!"
As Gu Xiyue was talking, she thought of the scene that day and felt like she had survived a disaster. She simply leaned on him and cried her heart out.
She had also encountered threats when she was doing business. Although it was not a life-threatening threat, it was still quite scary for her life. At that time, she called the police and acted with them. She almost had her leg broken by the other party. Fortunately, the police rescued her in time and she was safe and sound in the end.
But this time I passively cooperated in the acting. Thinking about it now, the feeling is completely different.
Xiao Heng said that the bandits were all his own people, which meant that these people had already been building up momentum when they were robbing outside before. This time they stopped them with justification and went crazy to kill Xiao Heng. In the eyes of the people who were monitoring them, all this was normal.
They also knocked Gu Xiyue unconscious at the most painful moment, causing her to fall into a deep sleep to prevent her from becoming overly sad, which was also another form of protection.
But their acting was too realistic. When the sharp and cold tip of the arrow touched her forehead, the feeling was so real that it was scary.
Gu Xiyue cried till the end, then opened her mouth and bit Xiao Heng's shoulder hard.
"This bite is your punishment. You almost scared me to death! Remember this: even if you have to die in the future, don't die in front of me."
Xiao Heng didn't exert any force and just endured her bite.
It still hurts quite a bit.
But he felt warm in his heart.
After Gu Xiyue recovered, Meixiang and Wei Lin both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Why is Wei Lin back? Wasn't he guarding over there before?"
Gu Xiyue had cried enough, so she pushed Xiao Heng away, wiped her tears, got out of bed, stood up and walked around twice.
Xiao Heng smiled and said, "From now on, the task of guarding our Southern Wasteland will be handed over to Tian Hefei and the others. By the way, Tian Hefei is the bandit leader. He's standing outside right now, waiting to apologize to you."
After Xiao Heng finished speaking, Wei Lin went to the door and shouted.
Soon, a neatly dressed young man came in quickly. As soon as he entered the room, he knelt down and kowtowed to Gu Xiyue to apologize.
"My name is Tian Hefei. Yesterday, I was reckless and bumped into the young lady. I beg for your forgiveness!"
The moment Gu Xiyue saw him come in, she subconsciously took two steps back, her hands shaking a little.
After a pause, he said, "It's okay. Just look up and let me see."
Tian Hefei slowly raised his head and looked at her respectfully, not daring to meet her gaze.
Even if he did it on purpose, the way he spoke to Gu Xiyue yesterday was offensive no matter how you think about it. He even got close to her, sniffed her, and even said with a lewd look on his face that he wanted to make her his mistress.
The more I think about it, the more guilty I feel.
Tian Hefei's face turned red and his ears felt hot.
He was dressed normally today, his hair was neatly tied on top of his head, his cheeks were bronze, his features were regular, and he exuded a peaceful temperament. No matter how you looked at him, he was nothing like the bandit leader from yesterday.
"Are you really the same person from yesterday?"
Gu Xiyue asked hesitantly.
Tian Hefei lowered his head and nodded heavily.
Seeing that his face was red and he was very uncomfortable, Gu Xiyue felt relieved immediately.
If such a person were to live in modern times, he would definitely be a good actor. It would be absolutely amazing if he were to play the role of a bandit leader.
The outfit, the expression, and the tone were very wild.
Gu Xiyue was lost in thought, staring at him.
Tian Hefei didn't dare to move and knelt quietly. He knew that Gu Xiyue had been looking at him. His face was getting redder and redder, and he almost couldn't breathe.
Xiao Heng looked at Gu Xiyue's formation, then at Tian Hefei's expression, and suddenly felt a little unhappy. He frowned slightly, walked over, and patted Tian Hefei lightly.
Tian Hefei looked up suddenly, and when he saw the unfriendly look on His Highness's face, he became even more nervous.
"Your Highness, what are your orders?"
"Husband, I don't blame him, and please don't make things difficult for him!"
Seeing that the situation was not good, Gu Xiyue quickly spoke out.
Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Xiao Heng's face turned even uglier. He let Tian He fly up, then put his hands behind his back and said in a pleasant manner, "Since the young lady has forgiven you, you should just be on guard well in the future. The young lady is afraid of you after all, so don't hang around her for no reason in the future."
Tian Hefei was stunned for a moment, then he understood and quickly nodded, saying, "I respectfully obey His Highness's orders!"
After saying that, he walked out backwards. After he got out, he touched his forehead and found a thin layer of sweat, and his back was also wet.
Wei Lin chased him out of the house, patted him on the shoulder, and asked with a smile: "Did you understand what His Highness said just now?"
Tian Hefei nodded, "Of course I understand! His Highness told me to stay on duty and not to hang around in front of the young lady."
"You!" Wei Lin turned and glared at him. "It seems that you didn't understand what His Highness said at all."
Tian Hefei was confused. He didn't understand what His Highness meant.
Wei Lin knew from his expression that he wouldn't understand, so he sighed and said, "Can't you see that His Highness is jealous?"
"He's mad at you. Think about it. You spoke to the Young Madam like that yesterday, and just now the Young Madam was staring at you so hard. His Highness told you not to hang around in front of the Young Madam, which means you shouldn't appear in front of her again!"
Tian Hefei: ...
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