Chapter 143 There wasn't even a gap between the two.
Lu Yuan and Jiang Zhi are indeed still on the ship.
After leaping off the stern, Lu Yuan put one arm around Jiang Zhi and grabbed the protruding side of the ship with the other. With a gentle swing, he carried Jiang Zhi into the warehouse on the lower level.
The warehouse was filled with a lot of rice and grain, and the river pirates probably still planned to take the goods away, so they didn't set it on fire.
The warehouse wasn't very big; it was crammed full of things, leaving only enough space for one person to pass through.
"Everything else is on fire, they must be hiding in the warehouse," came the voice of the river pirates from outside.
Lu Yuan didn't have time to find another place, so he pulled Jiang Zhi into a shelf room.
The shelf space was small, and it was piled high with non-perishable dried fruits, beans, and some tea.
They had just hidden themselves when the warehouse door was opened and hurried footsteps entered.
Jiang Zhi and Lu Yuan squeezed into the innermost part, with shelves in front and behind them. Jiang Zhi tried to shrink herself as much as possible, and Lu Yuan held her in his arms, with no gap between them at all.
Jiang Zhi didn't dare to move, her heart pounding.
Lu Yuan's extremely low voice rang in my ears, "Don't be afraid, just stall for a little longer, and everything will be fine once the Embroidered Uniform Guard arrives."
The red signal flare we just sent is the highest-level communication method used by the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Once the message is received, someone will come to provide support.
However, it's inconvenient for them to cross from the middle of the river right now; they estimate it will take a while.
Jiang Zhi felt somewhat relieved.
With nowhere to put her hands, she pressed them tightly against Lu Yuan's broad chest. Through the thin fabric, she could feel his firm muscles and his steady, powerful heartbeat, which made her earlobes burn.
The river pirates outside had already started stabbing at the warehouse with their knives, muttering, "Get the hell out here right now, or I'll burn the warehouse down!"
Jiang Zhi instinctively shrank back, and Lu Yuan's arm tightened around her, his broad shoulders almost completely enveloping her.
He gently pressed his chin against her forehead in a comforting gesture, the faint scent of soap and the warmth of his sweat rising in the small space.
The river pirates are getting closer and closer; we can't just sit here and wait to die.
Jiang Zhi met Lu Yuan's dark gaze and gestured for him to lower his head.
Lu Yuan didn't understand why, but he still bowed down as instructed.
"To catch the thief, you must first catch the king. I'll find a way to kill that river bandit leader later."
She tiptoed and whispered in Lu Yuan's ear in the lowest possible voice.
Lu Yuan's muscles were tense and stiff beneath the thin fabric, and he almost didn't hear what she said.
The girl's soft body was inseparable from his, and her cool lips brushed against his cheek, burning him as if they were about to set him on fire.
A tingling, itchy sensation shot up from the tip of his heart, and his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily. He paused for a moment, then heard his own deep, hoarse voice ask, "What do you plan to do?"
To make sure he could hear her, Jiang Zhi practically threw herself onto Lu Yuan, saying, "Let me out later. Don't be impulsive. I'll take advantage of the opportunity to talk to that boss and make my move."
Lu Yuan realized what she had said and his brows furrowed immediately. "No, this is too dangerous. I'll break out and draw them away. You stay here and don't make a sound. Come out when it's safe."
He said he would release Jiang Zhi and was about to attack her.
Jiang Zhi hugged his waist tightly, "Wait, this place is too small for you to move around freely, and besides, they have bows and arrows. I don't know martial arts, so even if I get close, it won't arouse their suspicion."
Lu Yuan stopped in his tracks, but still shook his head. "No, I can't let you take such a risk."
“Lord Lu,” Jiang Zhi said anxiously, “I promise I won’t get hurt. Can you trust me? You can always intervene if there’s any danger.”
Looking at the anxious woman in front of him, and feeling her softness pressing down on his arm, Lu Yuan avoided her gaze and agreed.
The river pirates had already reached the shelf; just one more step and they would see her and Lu Yuan.
Jiang Zhi took a deep breath and spoke loudly, "I want to make a deal with your boss. What do you think?"
The river pirate leader, who was leisurely waiting at the warehouse entrance, raised an eyebrow and sneered, "Bring the man over here first."
Jiang Zhi was unceremoniously pulled out of the shelf by the river pirates' henchmen. Lu Yuan immediately said in a deep voice, "Go easy on her!"
"Ha, a man wearing makeup is disgusting! So what if I hit hard?"
After saying that, he shoved Jiang Zhi hard again.
Lu Yuan couldn't contain himself and drew his sword to step forward, but Jiang Zhi shook her head at him, "Don't be impulsive!"
After saying that, he smiled at the river pirate leader and said, "I believe they will like this deal."
The river pirate leader was momentarily stunned by Jiang Zhi's laughter and couldn't help but spit.
Damn, this pretty boy looks so seductive, and his voice sounds like a woman's.
Judging from how nervous the man was about this pretty boy, could it be that the two of them are...?
Thinking of this, he felt a chill run down his spine.
The subordinates also felt disgusted. They casually touched Jiang Zhi's waist and sides to make sure she didn't have any weapons before bringing her to the boss.
"Please take a look, boss."
His subordinate then handed him the Embroidered Spring Knife that he had taken from Lu Yuan.
The eldest brother held it in his palm and played with it.
This knife has a long, slightly curved blade with a steel edge that feels cold and hard to the touch. The blade is as thin as a cicada's wing and has a cool, silvery-blue hue, making it clearly an extraordinary piece.
"Tell me, what's the deal?" He weighed the knife in his hand, still pondering whether to keep it for himself or sell it for a good price.
Jiang Zhi said, "As long as you release everyone on our ship, I am willing to offer up all my valuables with both hands."
The leader sneered, "If I kill you all, all your money will be mine."
Jiang Zhi smiled and said, "That's different. Look at this."
She raised her hand, showing him the ring on her knuckles.
The leader raised an eyebrow to look at it, only to see that it was just a gilded ring, an ordinary style that could be seen everywhere, and it was obviously worthless.
"Are you kidding me?" He was instantly enraged and slapped her across the face.
However, just as he reached out his hand, he felt several flashes of silver light before his eyes, followed by a sharp, excruciating pain in his eye sockets!
"Ah—" he screamed, covering his eyes, and instinctively raised his knife to slash.
Jiang Zhi was prepared and dodged to the side. He tried to move again, but all his strength seemed to have been drained away. He slowly fell to the ground and died instantly.
All of this happened so fast. The henchmen were still gloating over the treasure they were about to get their hands on when they never expected that their boss would be betrayed by a pretty boy!
"Boss!" The henchman checked his breath, then his eyes widened in fury. "I'll kill you!!"
He raised his knife to slash at Jiang Zhi, but the person behind him moved faster than him.
He was kicked to the ground by Lu Yuan, and before he could react, the knife in his hand was taken over by Lu Yuan and plunged into his abdomen with a "plop".
The people around him raised their bows and arrows and shot, but Lu Yuan had already used their leader's corpse as a shield. He rolled around on the ground a few times with Jiang Zhi in his arms, then leaped out of the warehouse and plunged into the dark, churning river!
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