"Princess, you go first."
Ahua nodded, took one last look at Jiang Yu and the others, and retreated under the protection of seven or eight guards, while the remaining people entangled with Jiang Yu.
Seeing that the person was about to leave, Jiang Yu no longer held back with his sword, continuing to reap the lives of others.
Perhaps for these people, life is always insignificant, but sometimes they value it too much. It just varies from person to person, and ultimately everyone's fate is different.
There has never been true equality among people.
The same applies when facing life and death.
Seeing that Jiang Yu and the others were coming aggressively, Ahua no longer held back and shot the embroidery needle in her hand at Jiang Yu.
Jiang Yu naturally kept a close eye on Ahua's movements. They had grown up together, and apart from the secrets they each hid, they were both very clear about each other's abilities.
Jiang Yu dodged the embroidery needles that Ahua shot at her while also having to dodge the attacks from the others.
The speed at which they were chasing Ahua eventually slowed down.
Seeing this, Ahua quickly mounted her horse, raised her whip, and left without looking back.
He left all the grudges and fights behind him.
"Your princess has abandoned you, do you still want to fight to the death?"
Jiang Yu shouted to the others.
The others did not answer, but merely exchanged glances, their attacks becoming even more ferocious. Their mission had always been simply to help the princess escape the Central Plains.
As for their lives, they no longer belonged to themselves when they accepted the mission.
Soon, people fell one by one, but the falling figures of their companions did not stop them. The remaining few fought Jiang Yu and his group to the death.
Jiang Yu stared at the corpses scattered on the ground, her eyes revealing no emotion.
Except for Ahua, all of their lives were lost here forever.
Jiang Yu and his team also lost a significant number of men.
Qingqing and the others breathed a sigh of relief, but they also knew that when they met Ahua again, they would be true enemies, and it would be a matter of life and death between them.
And now...
Qingqing and the others knelt down on one knee in front of Jiang Yu, saying, "Your subordinates are guilty, please punish us, young master."
Jiang Yu said coldly, "Each of you go to the military camp and receive fifty strokes of the cane."
At this moment, all that remained between them was the relationship between superior and subordinate, nothing more. They all knew this, and they all made this choice. Perhaps this was the choice that everyone had to make; there was no perfect solution.
Even if the results are never satisfactory, that's just how it is.
The sky was vast, and the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves filled his ears. The sun hung high in the sky, and Jiang Yu stood under it. The sunlight was warm, but Jiang Yu felt nothing.
Only the surrounding wind slowly seeped into his body.
He always knew that only Ah Nuan truly belonged to him.
But now he's lost her...
But it's okay, he will find her.
Meanwhile, Qi Nuan, whom Jiang Yu was thinking of, began another round of medicinal baths.
A medicinal bath every two days and acupuncture every three days.
Looking at Bai Jiao's earnest eyes, Qi Nuan hoped that Bai Jiao could cure her muteness. Bai Jiao said that he couldn't cure it. Actually, Qi Nuan didn't quite believe it, but she didn't say anything more.
She was very grateful to them for saving her, but since they said they couldn't cure her, she couldn't force them.
Bai Jiao has already agreed to deliver the letter to Qi Nuan, hoping that A Yu, upon seeing the letter, will not worry about her and will also be able to recognize A Hua's identity and find the traitor within the prefectural government.
She can now rest and recover here in peace.
The people in the mountain stronghold are quite warm, but they can also be really cold when they want to be. They all listen to their leader, Bai Jiao.
Bai Jiao is a martial artist, a doctor, and a schoolteacher.
The others were all villagers from the same village, except for Ji Jin and Bai Jiao, but they trusted these two outsiders the most. Of course, Qi Nuan didn't know the reason why.
They now mainly rely on buying food from the mountains and robbing the rich to help the poor for a living.
There were some vegetables and food grown on the mountain, but they were all half-dead and didn't look like they were farmers at all.
Qi Nuan was still very weak. Ji Jin would stay with her every day, but he didn't talk to her much.
While Bai Jiao speaks a lot, nine out of ten of his sentences are unpleasant to hear, and it's hard to distinguish between truth and falsehood.
Only young Ji Jin never lied; he was an honest and stubborn child.
He's very likable, but sometimes you don't know what to do with him.
For example, Bai Jiao said that Qi Nuan should go out for a walk every day, and the time should be exactly one hour, not a minute more or less.
Qi Nuan looked at the herbs that were still ten meters away from her.
It seemed they couldn't go any further today, but the boy was very obedient. Qi Nuan pointed to the herb and wrote in his palm, "Pick, purple, herb."
The boy looked at the herb and asked Qi Nuan for confirmation, "Is it that one?"
Qi Nuan nodded, and the boy quickly went over, gave her the herb she needed, and planted it.
Qi Nuan took the herbs, examined them, confirmed they were the herbs she wanted, and then smiled at the boy to express her gratitude.
The boy was slightly taken aback by her smile. He touched her cheek with his finger; it was smooth, like a freshly peeled egg.
He then withdrew his hand and said, "Let's go, it's time to go back."
Qi Nuan nodded and slowly moved her body, walking back slowly. She was very slow, but the boy seemed very patient. No matter how slowly Qi Nuan walked, he followed behind her, keeping a distance that was neither too far nor too close.
Sometimes Qi Nuan would stop to look at the unnamed wildflowers on the mountain, and he would stop to look at Qi Nuan.
Qi Nuan didn't know whether he was observing her behavior or monitoring her; in any case, the boy's actions were difficult for her to understand.
However, it cannot be denied that the boy's presence did not cause her any discomfort or aversion; on the contrary, she felt a sense of security when he was behind her.
Watching the boy and Qi Nuan leave, Xu Erniang asked, "What was that blade of grass they picked for?"
Bai Jiao picked up a herb from the ground that was exactly the same as the one Qi Nuan had just held. Looking at it, he casually replied, "It's used to treat muteness. She should know some medical skills."
Xu Erniang was somewhat surprised upon hearing this. After pondering for a moment, she said, "Then... what about her letter?"
Bai Jiao turned around, looking puzzled. "Wasn't the letter already sent?"
Xu Erniang was taken aback, but quickly recovered, "Yes, the letter has been sent, but whether the recipient has received it or not, we don't know."
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