After dropping Tian Yu off at the back door of Yanyu Tower, Zhao Moyan gave her a few instructions to be careful before turning his horse around and leaving. Tian Yu stood on the street, looking in the direction Zhao Moyan had disappeared, feeling lost again. Should she continue? But time was of the essence, and if she wanted to save Chen Chong, she had to hurry.
Tian Yu sat in the back room, and Yu Niang, hearing her words, kept trying to persuade her: "Tian Yu, are you really going to do this? What about the Marquis? Have you thought it through?"
During this time together, Yu Niang had learned everything about Tian Yu. Now, Tian Yu wanted to burn down the backyard of Yanyu Tower to buy some time for Chen Chong. Yu Niang did not approve, but after trying to persuade her for a long time, Tian Yu did not change her mind. Tian Yu looked at Yu Niang and said, "Don't worry, the Marquis will be fine. Sister Yu, please help me. Chen Chong left here because of me. I can't just watch him die here."
"What about the Marquis? Have you thought about him?"
"Lord Marquis!? He... he'll be alright, and I won't let anything happen to him either."
"Then we'll do as you say. Have you thought it through?"
"I've made up my mind! Let's do it!"
After Tian Yu rode away from the back gate at the right time, Yu Niang set fire to the backyard as Tian Yu had instructed. In an instant, flames soared into the sky, alarming everyone nearby. Zhao Moyan was leading his troops in the yamen, preparing to meet up with Li Yong outside the city. Not far from the yamen, he saw smoke in the distance. Judging from the direction, it was Yanyu Tower. He ordered his soldiers to investigate, and they reported that it was indeed Yanyu Tower. Zhao Moyan hesitated, rode around for a moment, and told his deputy to go to the city to meet up with Li Yong first, while he rode towards Yanyu Tower.
Yu Niang stood outside organizing everyone to put out the fire quickly. When she saw Zhao Moyan riding over, she shouted even louder, "Quickly put out the fire! There are still people inside!"
"Who's inside?" Zhao Moyan asked nervously as he dismounted.
"Young Master Tian arrived early this morning, but we haven't seen him come out. He's probably still inside. Quick! Save him!" Yu Niang said anxiously.
Zhao Moyan rushed into the inferno without listening to Yu Niang's words. Yu Niang tried to stop him but couldn't. Seeing Zhao Moyan rush in without hesitation, Yu Niang became anxious and urged the others to quickly fetch water to put out the fire. Zhao Moyan couldn't find anyone in the room, so he rushed out again. When Yu Niang saw Zhao Moyan come out, she quickly stepped forward and grabbed him, saying, "My lord, wait! Maybe Young Master Tian isn't inside!"
Zhao Moyan glanced at Yu Niang, picked up the bucket beside him and poured it on himself, then rushed into another room. Yu Niang was even more anxious this time, and ordered the two guards of Yanyu Tower to hurry in and say that they saw that Young Master Tian had left before the fire started.
The fire was too intense, and the two guards were blocked at the entrance. They could only shout loudly, "Lord Marquis and Young Master Tian are not inside."
Zhao Moyan was choking on the smoke, but he was still searching for Tian Yu. Hearing shouts outside, he went outside, but the fire was too intense, and collapsing beams blocked his way. He was also hit on the back by falling wood. Zhao Moyan didn't care about that and pushed aside the wood to continue searching for a way out. He looked around and kicked open a window at the back, finally escaping safely through the window. When Yu Niang saw Zhao Moyan, she immediately lost her confidence and explained with her head down, "I don't know if Young Master Tian is inside, but someone just said they saw him leave."
"Which way did you go!?"
"It seems to be over there," Yu Niang said, pointing in the direction of Hongyuan.
Zhao Moyan mounted his horse without a word and galloped towards the city gate. Watching Zhao Moyan leave, Yu Niang patted her chest and said, "Tian Yu! Tian Yu! This Marquis cares about you more than you think. I've already done the work for you, and I hope you do well."
Tian Yu had already left through another exit on horseback, bypassing everyone and arriving ahead of time on the road Chen Chong was going to take. Soon, she saw Chen Chong's carriage approaching in the distance. Tian Yu rode up to meet it; this short distance felt incredibly long to the two of them.
Tian Yu saw that Chen Chong, who was riding a horse in front of the carriage, was darker and thinner, but also seemed more mature. It felt like she had been away for a long time in just a few months. Tian Yu felt like she had finally seen a relative. She thought about questioning him and blaming him, but after slowly learning about him, Tian Yu couldn't bring herself to blame him. She only hoped that this lonely man, who was like her, could live well and do what he wanted to do.
When Chen Chong saw that it was Tian Yu coming from the front, he was even more surprised and at a loss. As Tian Yu got closer and closer, a sliver of water flowed into Chen Chong's almost withered heart over the past few months.
After the two met, Chen Chong had the carriage and two guards wait ahead before he and Tian Yu dismounted and looked at each other. Chen Chong spoke first: "Tian Yu! I..."
"If I hadn't come, were you planning to just leave like this?"
"I...I'm sorry, I can't give you the life you want right now."
"I know, but you can't just leave like that without a word of explanation. Do you know how much I almost thought you'd been killed by bad guys?" Tian Yu said, tears welling up in her eyes.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Chen Chong could only apologize while hugging Tian Yu. He didn't want to either, but for her sake, he had no other choice.
Tian Yu cried a few times, but then realized it wasn't the right time. Chen Chong's safety was more important. Tian Yu pushed Chen Chong away, wiped her tears, and said, "You two should quickly change your route. There are soldiers lying in ambush ahead."
"Okay! I understand," Chen Chong said nonchalantly.
"Then why don't you hurry up and leave? I can only hold them off for a little while; they'll catch up soon," Tian Yu said anxiously.
“Come with me,” Chen Chong said, taking Tian Yu’s hand.
"No, you know it won't work, go now! You'll always be my Brother Chen."
"Tian Yu! Do we have no future?" Chen Chong asked, understanding Tian Yu's meaning.
"I don't know! But you must leave now."
The people in the carriage ahead also sent guards to remind Chen Chong to leave quickly, as it was not safe there. Chen Chong mounted his horse, gazing at Tian Yu with deep affection. Tian Yu waved to him, but just then, a group of men in black appeared. In a panic, Chen Chong pulled Tian Yu onto his horse and shouted to the carriage ahead, "Go quickly!"
The three horses and the carriage galloped wildly into the woods, followed by a group of men in black. Tian Yu, encountering such a scene for the first time, sat in front of Chen Chong, terrified. The men in black continued firing arrows, and it seemed the two horses in front had already been felled. The group of men in black surrounded them. Tian Yu and Chen Chong dismounted, and Chen Chong shielded Tian Yu behind him, holding his sword in front of her. Two other guards also gathered around the carriage. The men in black charged forward, swords raised. Chen Chong said, "Don't look! Close your eyes!" Tian Yu dared not look, obediently closing her eyes and covering them with her hands, terrified of witnessing the bloody scene.
Amidst the sounds of fighting, Tian Yu, frightened but also wanting to know what was happening, released her grip and opened her eyes. She saw several men in black surrounding Chen Chong, attacking him. Although Chen Chong was very skilled, he was gradually becoming overwhelmed by so many people. Tian Yu was getting anxious. Fortunately, another group of men in black arrived. Tian Yu initially thought they were enemies, but upon seeing the masked men in front of her, she breathed a sigh of relief. It was Gongye Ming, the assassin she had hired. Their arrival instantly reversed the situation. Chen Chong seized the opportunity to retreat to Tian Yu's side. Tian Yu explained, "They are the assassins I hired."
After understanding, Chen Chong looked at Tian Yu and said, "Get in the car!"
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