Chapter 17
In this life, we are destined to have many regrets. When regret becomes inevitable, then there is nothing to cling to.
Yuan Qiong lay blankly on the man's back, moving with his leaps and bounds through the mountains and forests, feeling lost and helpless.
"Big black beard...please put me down..."
Blood.
Blood was everywhere.
His hands, clothes, and cheeks were all covered in blood.
The blood wasn't hers; it came from the tall man carrying her.
He was stabbed twice by the men who were besieging him and was seriously injured, but he still did not abandon her, who was a burden to him.
Why is that?
Yuan Qiong looked up and placed a hand on his neck. As her sleeve slipped down, a hidden weapon was revealed on her slender, jade-like wrist.
With just one touch, just a light touch, this unsuspecting man would die instantly.
When that time comes, she will send troops to destroy Black Cloud Village, and the "Fu Yuan Handbook" should be hers for the taking, right?
Reason told her that, but in the end, she didn't press the start button. Not out of soft-heartedness, but because she needed to keep the prisoners alive.
Lin Qiang heard her words but did not reply. The cold sweat on his forehead showed the extent of his suffering, but he still gritted his teeth and, relying on his original body's knowledge of the mountains and forests, tried his best to deal with the pursuers behind him until he shook off the assassins and hid in a secluded crevice in the mountain.
"Girl, were you scared?"
Putting her down, Lin Qiang, panting and clutching the wound on his waist, gave a pale smile.
Due to excessive blood loss, his lips were pale and his complexion was not good. He leaned against the stone wall with his head slightly tilted back, his expression gentle yet firm, giving people a great sense of security.
"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you."
Yuan Qiong took a step back, putting some distance between them.
"I'm fine, you're the one who's in trouble."
He protected her very well; she was unharmed.
"You've lost a lot of blood." She tried to calm herself down, but her voice still trembled as she spoke.
The setting sun cast a soft glow, and Yuan Qiong stood opposite him in the shadows.
"Big black beard..."
If she were to make a move now, could she defeat the heavily injured bearded man? His martial arts skills are so high; he was able to escape from those guards just now. He should be more than capable of dealing with her, right?
No, she can't take that risk...
"I'm a little scared."
She approached him, lowering her eyes to conceal her clear gaze, and also to hide her hesitation and confusion.
So close, if he suddenly attacks, can I subdue him?
Lin Qiang wanted to reach out and pat her head to comfort her, but when he saw the blood flowing from the top of her hand halfway through, he withdrew his hand.
Let's not get the little girl's hair dirty.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here. Let's walk forward, we'll reach the foot of Black Wind Cliff soon."
He stood up despite the pain, his beard congealed by blood, making him look quite ferocious. But Yuan Qiong, who was in the shadows, only saw his warm smile.
"Stay here and don't move. I'll go scout ahead. If there's no danger, I'll come back for you later. If I'm gone for a long time and don't return, you'll have to bear with it and spend the night here. Go back tomorrow."
"good."
She did not refuse.
If he wants to play the hero and distract her pursuers, then let him go.
Being soft-hearted is not an emotion she should have.
“I’ll wait for you to come back,” she said.
"Um."
Lin Qiang nodded, his tall figure disappearing into the deep forest.
Yuan Qiong tilted her head back, suppressing the stinging sensation in her nose, then took out a signal flare from her waist, lit it, and told the guards that she and the black-bearded man were here.
Meanwhile, the two groups of people who were searching saw the signal at the same time and immediately set off for this place.
The bearded man with the black beard, who had just walked a short distance away, ran into the nearest group of people.
"He's here!!!"
"Capture him, but keep him alive!"
"yes!"
Fearing that the group would discover Yuan Qiong, Lin Qiang avoided engaging them in combat and, relying on his familiarity with the terrain, darted away into the distance. The sounds of fighting and killing gradually faded into the distance. Yuan Qiong emerged from the crevice in the rocks and gazed in that direction from afar, her expression indifferent, devoid of joy or sorrow. Only the reddened corners of her eyes revealed a hint of emotion.
**
After collecting his money at the Fengyun Gambling House, Cheng Mingyu, the magistrate's son, casually played a few rounds and successfully lost all the money he had.
"Damn it! What bad luck today!"
He walked out of the gambling den, not in a good mood. Fortunately, he wasn't short of money, and gambling was just for fun, so he quickly put the matter out of his mind and planned to take his cronies back to the county.
As a result, just as they mounted their horses and reached the entrance to the official road, they encountered an old man dressed in a Taoist robe with an air of otherworldly wisdom riding a horse ahead of them, followed by several hundred men carrying several large boxes as they passed by.
This old man looks so familiar...
"Stop!" Cheng Mingyu, accompanied by a few cronies, blocked the way in front of the group: "Old men, what are you doing here?"
"A镖师 (bodyguard/escort)." The second-in-command naturally knew the only son of Magistrate Cheng of Heishan County. Their Black Cloud Stronghold was acquainted with the county officials of several nearby counties.
"A caravan escort?" Cheng Mingyu's baby face showed some interest: "Where are your caravan carts?"
"They were robbed by bandits."
"Oh ho!" Cheng Mingyu was a bit of a playboy, but he wasn't stupid. He looked at the long line of several hundred people and said, "What kind of bandits could have robbed such a huge group of you? Tell me honestly, what is your purpose in coming to our Heishan County?"
The horse beneath him snorted. Now that they were within Black Wind Cliff's territory, the second-in-command didn't want to waste any more words with him.
"Young master, I advise you not to meddle too much. Otherwise..."
Seeing that things were getting out of hand, his friends quickly stepped forward to advise him, "Mingyu, it's getting late, let's hurry back!"
Go back? These people all look fierce and menacing; they're clearly not good people. How could Cheng Mingyu just let them go like this?
"What else? Since you're a镖师 (bodyguard/escort), you'll come with me to the yamen (government office) today to report and have your household registration verified. If what you say is true, I naturally won't interfere. If not... I'll have to take care of it!"
Cheng Mingyu's baby face was full of provocation, and his group of cronies beside him panicked. A few against hundreds? Had Cheng Mingyu gone mad today? He never used to get involved in this kind of thing!
"Mingyu..."
"Shut up! I'm going to take charge today!"
The second-in-command realized that this young master was clearly looking for trouble. He waved to Gui Jianchou in the crowd.
"Second brother, you come and play with the young master. The rest of you, come with me."
"Alright!" A tall, thin young man stepped forward from the front row, his face exuding a wicked air. He tilted his head and said, "Young master, today I'll show you that you can't just block the road like that!"
Cheng Mingyu dismounted, his face beaming with an extremely irritating smile: "Come here!"
...
Ten minutes later...
"I surrender!!!"
The main force disappeared without a trace. Cheng Mingyu, his face bruised and swollen, surrendered under Gui Jianchou's disdainful gaze, shaking his head frantically.
"I'm not fighting anymore... You guys go, you guys go..."
His friends huddled together like quails, trembling in fear.
"Your basic skills are too poor, and your moves are all just fancy moves. You need to go home and practice more when you have time!"
What a loser! You've wasted my time!
Gui Jianchou dusted himself off and left, followed by a swarm of his cronies.
"Mingyu! Are you alright?"
Several people felt like they were going to cry their hearts out.
"Why are you stopping them? If our uncle sees you like this when we get back, he'll beat us to death!!!"
They helped Cheng Mingyu up, who was in a terrible state, but his eyes shone brightly.
"Let's go! Follow them!"
"Still following???"
"These people must be bandits from Black Wind Cliff! I must follow them! I must find their hideout!!!"
Cheng Mingyu had a bad feeling about this group of people from the moment he saw them, and now he was certain of his guess! These were the legendary Black Cloud Stronghold bandits!
"Quick, help me catch up!"
"No way..." the friends cried and protested, "If they see us again, they'll kill us!!!"
"Hiss—" Cheng Mingyu, wincing in pain from his wound, thought for a moment and realized his friends were right. His eyes lit up and he had an idea: "Let's not go with them. Let's take the shortcut to the foot of Black Wind Cliff and follow them from a distance!"
"No, no, no, let's not!"
"Stop talking nonsense! If you don't come with me, I'll tell my father that you're the ones who beat me up like this!"
“............”
They shouldn't have gone out with him today!!!
**
The mountains and forests are steep, with branches crisscrossing.
Supported by his friends, Cheng Mingyu walked through the eerie Black Wind Forest. A gust of wind blew, rustling the leaves, and the group of them got goosebumps, feeling uneasy.
"I...we...we should go back..." One of them swallowed hard. "This place is too scary..."
"What's there to be afraid of!"
Cheng Mingyu's eyes lit up. This was so exciting! A hundred times more exciting than gambling!!!
"We'll sneak over there, and no one will know."
Just then, a person covered in blood suddenly sprang out of the woods and collapsed in front of them with a thud.
"ah!!!!!"
The scream startled a flock of birds, and the guards from the Prince Cheng's Mansion and the Prime Minister's Mansion, who were fighting in the woods, also heard it.
"What was that sound?" the second-in-command frowned.
The second brother, Gui Jianchou, immediately said, "I'll take a few men to see who the hell dares to cause trouble at my Black Wind Cliff!"
"Okay, go ahead."
After the initial shock, Cheng Mingyu was the first to regain his senses. He limped forward a few steps and carefully checked the man's breathing.
"Still alive!"
"Quick, save them!"
Without hesitation, he forced his reluctant companions to carry the person away on their backs. He quickly covered the bloodstains on the ground with soil and then covered them with several layers of leaves before chasing after his friends and running out together.
A short while later, when the two groups of guards arrived, they happened to run into the second brother.
"Damn it! I've only been away from home for a short time, and all sorts of cats and dogs dare to scurry into my doorstep!"
He spat, his expression sinister.
"The old rule remains: anyone who enters within one mile of my Black Wind Forest without cause shall die!"
Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the [nutrient solution]:
Two bottles of Irene sauce; the top bunkmate, who's terrible at naming things, also has one bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com