Chapter 144 The breath flowed in through the teeth
Although Jiang Zhi could swim, she was caught off guard and there was hardly any breath left in her chest.
In addition, the river was swift, and in no time she felt a sense of suffocation rising up, so she could only pat Lu Yuan's arm that was holding her.
Lu Yuan shook his head and pointed to the water above, indicating that the people on the boat were still shooting arrows into the river, and it would be very dangerous to go up there now.
She was surrounded by darkness, and the icy river water enveloped her completely.
Jiang Zhi held her breath with all her might, and waves of dizziness surged up her.
As the air in her lungs gradually ran out, just when she thought she was about to drown in the Bian River, a pair of cold, strong hands gripped the back of her head.
Her lips felt cool; something covered them.
The cool scent of the river flowed through my teeth, dispelling the suffocating feeling of impending death.
She opened her eyes groggily, and Lu Yuan's cold and calm face was magnified infinitely in the darkness.
Seeing her looking at him, Lu Yuan's expression became somewhat unnatural. He released his hand from the back of her head and swam with her to a more distant spot.
Only when the noise on the boat could no longer be heard did Lu Yuan lift her to the surface.
Jiang Zhi took deep breaths and looked at the ship not far away, asking Lu Yuan, "I wonder how Ruying and Anyue are doing? When will Lord Lu's men arrive?"
"They're here."
He turned around, supporting Jiang Zhi's waist, and saw a speedboat approaching in front of them.
The speedboat stopped in front of them, and someone drew a sword to apologize, "Your subordinate, Gao Xi, has arrived late as summoned. Please punish me, Commander!"
He reached out to pull Lu Yuan up, but Lu Yuan simply put one arm around Jiang Zhi and used the other hand to grab onto the edge of the boat, and the two of them leaped out of the water and onto the boat.
"Go find me an outer garment."
Lu Yuan was soaked to the bone, his clothes clinging to his body, his back muscles rising and falling slightly with his breath, like a drawn bow ready to spring into action.
He held Jiang Zhi in his arms, his broad body shielding her from view.
Gao Xi dared not delay and had someone fetch a cover-up from the cabin.
After wrapping Jiang Zhi up from head to toe, Lu Yuan turned around and gave orders.
"Capture the river pirates on the ship, regardless of their lives."
"Yes, sir!"
In the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Jiang Zhi and Lu Yuan returned to the ship.
The fire on the ship had been extinguished, but the hull was damaged, and the remaining dozen or so river pirates were tied up and huddled in a corner.
Ruying was shot in the chest with an arrow, Anyue was wounded in the shoulder, and had several knife wounds on her arm, which were simply bandaged.
From the moment the river pirates boarded the boat, the boatman hid in a small cellar in the storeroom. Although he was covered in soot from the fire, his life was not in danger.
"Commander, here is your knife." Gao Xi presented the Embroidered Spring Knife he had found on the body of the river pirate leader with both hands.
Lu Yuan took it, wiped it casually, and sheathed the sword.
After settling matters on the ship, Jiang Zhi and her group returned to shore with the Imperial Guards.
This place is located in Hong County, not far from Sizhou.
"Commander, due to the floods in Sizhou, many people have fled here, and the inn is already overcrowded."
Seeing the cold gaze Lu Yuan cast his way, Gao Xi gave a guilty smile.
Originally, he only wanted to show off in front of the commander, but when he met the commander's all-seeing gaze, he dared not show off anymore. "However, I still managed to get a few superior rooms, so please rest here for a few days, Commander."
"Let's rent another boat and set off tomorrow."
"yes."
Gao Xi led the group to the inn.
As he went upstairs, he noticed that the boy, who was completely covered by a blouse, seemed somewhat weak, so he went up to help him.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he got close, Lu Yuan pressed down on his outstretched hand.
"No need, just lead the way." Lu Yuan's voice was cold.
Gao Xi was somewhat puzzled.
He had already asked, and there were two men and two women on the boat besides the boatman.
The two injured were women, and the one with the commander was his cousin.
For some reason, he hadn't been able to see his cousin's face clearly since he boarded the ship. The commander protected him like a precious gem, as if someone would lose a piece of flesh if they looked at him too closely.
I don't know what their identity is.
Once inside the guest room, Jiang Zhi breathed a sigh of relief and took off her blouse.
Her clothes were completely soaked and clung to her body uncomfortably; the wind made her shiver uncontrollably.
Ruying and Anyue went down to heal their wounds. She asked the waiter to boil some hot water for her to take a bath, otherwise she would definitely catch a cold tomorrow.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Who is it?
"It was Lord Gao who sent me to bring you a set of clean clothes."
Jiang Zhi could only put her blouse back on and open the door. Sure enough, there were the Imperial Guards under Gao Xi's command at the door; they had just been on the boat together.
Jiang Zhi thanked him and accepted the gift, but the guard did not leave. Instead, he chuckled and went inside.
"Commander Gao said that your two maids are injured and unable to come, so he asked me to help you take a bath."
"No need, I can manage by myself," Jiang Zhi quickly replied.
The Imperial Guard persisted, "No need to be so polite. We're all men. We'll need your help to put in a good word for our commander with the commander in the future."
Jiang Zhi's lips twitched. "Really, it's not necessary. I'm not used to having someone next to me when I'm showering."
"This is Commander Gao's order. Even just letting me fetch water and scrub his back would be fine, please don't..."
Commander Gao instructed that this young man must be made to feel at home and not be neglected in the slightest.
Judging from how much Commander Lu values him, it's clear that he holds a high position in the Commander's eyes.
Before he could finish speaking, a strong force came from the back of his collar, and before he could react, he was lifted up and thrown out of Jiang Zhi's room.
"Go out and stand guard. No one is allowed to approach this room without my permission."
Lu Yuan's face was grim, and his tone was displeased.
Upon seeing Lu Yuan, the Imperial Guard dared not utter another word, shrank back, and left the room, making sure to close the door behind him.
"Go wash up, I'll watch over you here." Lu Yuan looked at her pitiful, wet appearance hiding under her blouse, and leaned against the door frame with his knife in his arms.
Jiang Zhi said, "No need to trouble Lord Lu, I can do it myself..."
“Those people have been trying to test my attitude towards you. If I’m not here, they’ll just keep finding excuses to knock on the door.”
Jiang Zhi bit her lip, but ultimately didn't say the words of refusal.
The bathing area was separated by a screen, and Lu Yuan guarding the door was indeed reassuring.
Thinking of this, Jiang Zhi stopped refusing. She went behind the screen, took off her wet clothes, and sank into the warm water before letting out a comfortable sigh.
Her hair was also completely wet, so she took it apart and washed it carefully.
As Lu Yuan listened to the rustling sound of water behind the screen, he recalled the first time he met her.
She lay submerged in the water, her arms wrapped around her shoulders, her dark eyes glaring at him with shame and indignation, like a frightened fawn.
Who would have thought that the two of them would now be sharing a room in this kind of inn, with him even guarding the door for her?
Lu Yuan's sharp lips couldn't help but curl into a smile.
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