Flying stones fight, meet each other frankly
The strong wind hits my back, so fierce!
Although Qiongying was shocked, she remained calm. She had been prepared for Zhang Qing's flying stone skills. When she heard the sound of stones breaking through the air behind her, she continued to charge forward, but suddenly twisted her waist. She slid half a step to the side like a boneless willow branch at the critical moment, and at the same time threw three stones that had been in her palm for a long time!
"Ding! Ding! Puff!"
Two crisp sounds were heard as her flying stone accurately deflected two stones aimed at her back and shoulder, sending sparks flying. However, the third stone Zhang Qing threw was too cunning, and she was ultimately unable to completely avoid it. A sharp pain stung her calf, where it had been grazed, and her clothes instantly ripped, leaving a bloody mark.
The severe pain made her stagger, but the instinct for survival drove her to roll forward and fall behind a pile of hay in the corner of the yard.
"Where are you going!" Li Kui's angry roar was heard, and heavy footsteps were approaching, obviously also alarmed.
Qiongying knew she couldn't get caught up in a fight, especially against masters like Zhang Qing and Li Kui. She endured the pain in her leg and thrust a large bundle of hay toward the pursuing Li Kui. At the same time, she leaped up again, sprinting towards the back wall of the warehouse she remembered.
"Bang!" Li Kui chopped the hay into pieces with an axe, and the grass debris flew everywhere.
Zhang Qing's figure was approaching again, like a shadow. He didn't fire any more rocks, as if he wanted to capture him alive. The two of them, one chasing the other, quickly shuttled between the warehouse roofs and courtyards, the sound of their clothes ripping through the air incessantly.
Qiongying's Qinggong, benefiting from her previous owner's foundation, was agile and swift, but Zhang Qing, a veteran of the battlefield, had steady and swift steps, his breath lingering, and the distance between them was constantly closing. To make matters worse, the other guards in the warehouse had also been alerted, torches lit, and shouts came from all directions.
There are blockades in front and pursuers behind!
Seeing they were about to be surrounded, Qiongying glanced at a dark courtyard in front of her. It seemed to be a place where discarded items were piled up. There was a clear collapsed gap in the wall. Without thinking, she exerted force with her feet and rushed towards the gap like a young swallow flying into the forest!
Just as she was about to pass through the gap, a strong wind came from behind! Zhang Qing had obviously discovered her intention, and this time he showed no mercy. A stone with a sharp whistling sound went straight to her right knee, aiming to incapacitate her!
There is no way to avoid it!
Qiongying gritted her teeth and twisted her body in mid-air, just avoiding the vital parts. The stone made a "puff" sound and embedded deeply into the outside of her right thigh!
"Ah!" She groaned, feeling a sharp pain in her heart. She lost control of her body and fell heavily on the muddy ground outside the gap. She rolled several times before stopping, her body covered in dust.
She struggled to get up, but her right leg was in excruciating pain and blood quickly soaked her trouser legs.
The footsteps stopped behind her.
Zhang Qing stood at the gap, his tall figure outlined in the moonlight. He held another stone in his hand, looked at her lying on the ground with calm eyes, and slowly approached.
"Who are you?" His voice sounded particularly cold in the night. "Are you a spy sent by Tian Hu? Or... do you have other intentions?"
Qiongying lay on the ground, panting violently. The black cloth covering her face had fallen off during the tumbling, revealing her pale and delicate face. She knew that her disguise was over.
She raised her head, meeting Zhang Qing's scrutinizing gaze, a smile of pain and sarcasm playing at the corner of her mouth. "General Zhang... you're truly forgetful. Just now you were asking me... for a prescription to cure your heart ailment, and now... you're resorting to such drastic measures?"
Her voice returned to its original clarity, though it trembled with pain, it was no longer concealed.
Zhang Qing's body visibly stiffened, his fingers gripping the stone tightening slightly. He crouched down, leaning closer, and carefully examined her face in the dim moonlight. Although he had suspected it, seeing it with his own eyes revealed a complex mix of emotions: surprise, understanding, and perhaps a hint of... a subtle annoyance?
"Sure enough... it's you." His voice lowered, "Qiu Qiongying."
At this time, Li Kui also jumped out from the gap with an axe in hand, and shouted in a muffled voice: "Brother Zhang Qing, have you caught those birds? Let me chop them down with my axe..."
His words stopped abruptly, his eyes widening as he stared at the face on the ground, which, even in its tangle, still couldn't hide its stunning beauty. He then looked at Zhang Qing, whose expression was complicated, and scratched his head: "This... is this a woman? Why does she look familiar to me?"
Zhang Qing raised his hand to stop Li Kui, his eyes still fixed on Qiongying: "Princess, you have gone to great lengths to escape the marriage, and now you are sneaking into my Liangshan stronghold at night. What are your intentions? If you don't give me a reasonable explanation, I'm afraid..." He didn't finish his words, but the threat was self-evident.
Qiongying's mind raced. Fighting back was not a good idea at this moment. She took a deep breath, endured the pain, and sat up. She looked directly at Zhang Qing, her tone aloof and resolute: "What do you mean? General Zhang, if I say... I just don't want to die, and I don't want to see all of you, the heroes of Liangshanpo, die in obscure ways in the future. Do you believe me?"
Zhang Qing's pupils shrank slightly at these words. Li Kui even screamed in annoyance, "What nonsense are you talking about, woman? We Liangshan heroes are upholding justice, and now we have been recruited by the imperial court. We are about to serve the court and win titles for our wives and children. How can we die in such an unclear way?"
Qiongying sneered, her eyes sweeping across Li Kui before finally landing on Zhang Qing's face. "Ennoble your wife and give your sons a title? What a great idea! General Zhang, you're well-versed in military books and well-versed in worldly affairs. Can't you see the danger behind this 'recruitment'? How magnanimous are the likes of Gao Qiu and Cai Jing? How could they tolerate a force like yours that once brought disgrace to the imperial court? Conquering Liao and suppressing the Rebellion... are nothing more than schemes to kill with a borrowed knife! When the birds are gone, the good bows are put away! When the birds are gone, the bows are put away, and that's when you'll be cooked!"
Her words were like knives, piercing the heart! This was her most cruel and true prediction of the fate of Liangshan, combining the original ending with a modern perspective!
Li Kui was stunned and opened his mouth to refute, but he didn't know where to start.
Zhang Qing's breathing quickened noticeably. He stared at Qiongying, his eyes sharp as a knife, as if he wanted to pierce her heart and see if her words were just alarmist or based on facts. He was silent for a long time before he spoke slowly, his voice a little dry: "How did you... know that?"
How did I know this? Can I say I read it in a book?
Qiongying met his probing gaze, unflinching. Her tone carried a maturity and resolve beyond her years: "How I learned this is not important. What matters is that this is the reality that is about to happen! I, Qiu Qiongying, am running away from the marriage, not because I'm dissatisfied with you, Zhang Qing, nor do I have feelings for anyone else! I simply don't want to be a victim of this political marriage. Even more so, I don't want to watch helplessly... watch you, and so many other passionate men of Liangshan, become sacrifices in a court struggle!"
She paused, enduring the severe pain in her leg, and spoke word by word, "I visited this place at night just to confirm...whether you could still be saved."
The night was deep, and the abandoned courtyard was completely silent, with only the crackling of burning torches and the heavy breathing of several people.
Li Kui looked at Qiongying, then at the silent Zhang Qing, and his head felt like a mess.
Zhang Qing slowly stood up and looked down at the pale, yet blazing-eyed girl sitting on the ground. The wound on her leg was still bleeding, staining the surrounding soil a dark red, but her stubborn gaze shone brighter than the stars in the sky.
He suddenly remembered that night in the forest, when she had said with such a resolute look, "I'd rather die in glory than live in disgrace." He remembered her hiding her identity in Shijie Town, practicing medicine to save the world. He remembered her earth-shattering prophecy just now...
This woman was unlike anyone he had ever known or seen.
After a long pause, he gently exhaled, as if making a firm decision. He bent down and extended his hand to Qiongying. His voice remained calm, but it was less cold and more complex.
"Your leg needs treatment. We can't stay here for long. I'll take you away first."
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