Chapter 157 A Trembling and Restrained Kiss
Shen Ci'an paused for a moment, but ultimately couldn't do anything about her. He sighed helplessly and reached out to pull her into his arms.
Jiang Zhi, pleased with her success, curled her lips into a smile, then took a deep breath, and her sobbing and whimpering resumed.
Shen Ci'an was momentarily at a loss.
This time, the feeling was completely different from before. Her face was buried in his chest, and with her sobs, his chest trembled uncontrollably, feeling sore, numb, and hot, making her breathing increasingly heavy.
The person in his arms was crying and trembling, and soon his inner garment was soaked.
Shen Ci'an gritted his teeth and stepped back slightly, which was immediately noticed by Jiang Zhi.
She immediately wrapped her arms around his waist even tighter, pressing her entire body against his without leaving a single gap.
Shen Ci'an tried to push him away twice but failed. His Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty as he kept thinking about the words of sages he had read in his daily studies, trying to calm the boiling blood in his body.
However, none of it worked.
The person in his arms was like a vine, or like water that was everywhere, wrapping around him and clinging to him. His restraint and patience crumbled with each sob.
That's enough.
He gritted his teeth and spoke with difficulty, his voice hoarse beyond recognition.
The figure outside the window has disappeared; they must have gone to report back.
However, Jiang Zhi was so engrossed in crying that she couldn't stop.
Shen Ci'an's mouth was dry, and he didn't know what to do with his hands. He could only lower his head and leave a comforting kiss on the top of her head. "It's alright, Miss. It's all right now."
He patted her back gently to help her calm down.
Jiang Zhi looked up at him through teary eyes. Her wet eyes showed complete trust, which made Shen Ci'an's lower abdomen tighten, and his cold pupils were tinged with a dark light.
"I'm so tired," she complained. "It's all your fault."
"I'm sorry, it's my fault." Although Shen Ci'an said this, there was little remorse in his eyes. His light eyes were fixed on her, and he was breathing slightly out of breath.
Jiang Zhi felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze. Just as she was about to ask him a question, a shadow suddenly fell over her.
Shen Ci'an raised his hand and covered her eyes.
Then, cool lips landed on her lips.
Even though Shen Ci'an took the initiative, the kiss was trembling and restrained, as if afraid of disturbing her. There was no eagerness to explore further; it was just like a thin snowflake falling, gently and lightly caressing her.
It's as if if I were to press on even slightly, the person before me would vanish into a fragile dream.
*
The next day, after having lunch, Shen Ci'an set off down the mountain with Tian Yan and the others.
Before leaving, Shen Ci'an smiled and said to Tian Yan, "I just received a message by carrier pigeon this morning. My subordinate said that he changed the location at the last minute. The location is in a small grove of trees in the northern suburbs of the city, but the time remains the same."
Tian Yan's expression immediately changed. "Who gave you permission to change locations? Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"He probably sensed that the place wasn't safe and decided on a whim," Shen Ci'an said, looking at him with a half-smile.
Tian Yan's face turned ashen.
He had already spoken with the government officials and arranged for them to wait at the agreed-upon tea house.
The surrounding area has been surveyed, and there are no signs of an ambush.
Once the account books are in hand, it's true that he released Shen Ci'an as promised, but if he was arrested by the soldiers and thrown into prison, it would be none of his business, and he couldn't be accused of breaking his word.
Unexpectedly, Shen Ci'an was so vigilant that he changed the location at the last minute.
It's probably too late to notify the authorities now.
"Boss, are we still going today?" Shen Ci'an asked him.
Tian Yan gave him a sinister look. At this moment, the die was cast, and if he didn't get the account books on time, the person above him would definitely punish him.
This put him in a real dilemma.
"Let's go, I want to see what tricks you're up to." Tian Yan called for more men, almost all the elite troops in the stronghold, and escorted Shen Ci'an away from the mountain gate in a grand procession.
He had made up his mind that as soon as he sensed something was wrong, he would kill Shen Ci'an immediately.
With so many men under his command, how could he possibly be afraid of a mere scholar?
Moreover, his men confirmed last night that the woman was indeed Shen Ci'an's fiancée. As long as she remained in the stronghold, Shen Ci'an wouldn't dare to act recklessly.
At this moment, Lu Yuan was also transferred to guard outside Jiang Zhi's house.
Before it got dark, Jiang Zhi decided to go see a place first.
“Brother Lu…” Jiang Zhi opened the door and asked him, “Could you take me somewhere?”
Alongside Lu Yuan, there was also Zhao Zishou, the very same Zhao Zishou who had asked Lu Yuan to change his clothes and chat with him when he first entered the village.
Zhao Zishou was losing patience. "Why are you making such a fuss, woman? Stay inside and behave yourself. This village isn't a place you can just wander around as you please."
Lu Yuan gave him a cold look, then nodded to Jiang Zhi, "Okay, I'll go with you."
Thank you.
Zhao Zishou glanced at the two of them, a malicious smile on his face. "Brother Lu, don't let a beauty cloud your judgment. She's Lord Shen's fiancée. How could she possibly be interested in a bandit like you?"
Lu Yuan's face turned extremely ugly upon hearing Shen Ci'an's name. "The chief didn't say he would confine her to her quarters. I'll go with her."
After saying that, he patted Zhao Zishou on the shoulder, "I'll treat you to a drink when I get back."
Then, with Zhao Zishou looking at him with a disappointed expression, he left with Jiang Zhi.
"Where are you going?" In the past few days, Lu Yuan has become familiar with the entire village.
Jiang Zhi said, "I heard that the women abducted from the village are all imprisoned in one place. I would like to ask Lord Lu to take me there to take a look."
Lu Yuan paused upon hearing this, "The situation there isn't good. You should prepare yourself mentally."
Even though Jiang Zhi already had a general idea in her mind from Lu Yuan's words, she was still stunned by the scene before her when Lu Yuan led her inside.
This is a dark stone chamber located at the innermost part of the mountain stronghold. It is much larger than a normal room and holds more than a dozen women, who are scattered on the ground, some sitting and some lying down.
The stone chamber was the largest space where they could move around normally.
There were no beds, only straw on the floor. The women's clothes were disheveled and dirty, and many of them were unkempt. When they saw them come in, their eyes were indifferent, without a trace of light in them, as if they were not interested in anything around them.
They all had injuries, some with swollen eyes, some with crippled legs, and others lying motionless in the hay, as if they had lost their vitality.
Their urination site was behind the stone chamber, which made the place smell unpleasant.
It doesn't resemble a human dwelling at all; even the places where livestock are kept are much better.
Jiang Zhi turned pale and took a step back, but Lu Yuan helped her out by the arm.
"What are you doing here?" Lu Yuan frowned as he looked at her pale face. "I will take you out when the guards are at their weakest tonight, but I can't save that many people. We'll have to wait until we get back to make a plan."
Jiang Zhi knew that Lu Yuan was right.
She had thought the same way before.
Once she escapes the mountain stronghold, she will find an opportunity to rescue the women here.
But now that she was actually seeing this scene, Jiang Zhi felt only anger rising in her heart.
"I have an idea, and I hope Lord Lu can help me."
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