Chapter 102 First Release "Sir! Madam!"...
The group of people who were busy saving people, most of whom were floating in the water, were also extremely anxious.
The movement on the riverbank makes the stillness on the boat stand out even more.
Cheng Lian seemed to have not yet reacted. He could still see the crowd floating in the water like dumplings, Jia Ren holding a crossbow in both hands on the riverbank, the floating clouds in the sky, and the breeze in his ears.
But slowly all of this began to blur, and only the dull pain in front of me became clearer and clearer, and gradually became more and more unbearable.
Cheng Lian lowered his head to look at the painful spot, and saw a short arrow stuck in his chest. The arrow feathers almost penetrated his flesh, soaking his blood. Under the sunlight, it glowed a strange scarlet color.
"Uh...uh..." He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but despite his best efforts he could only make hesitant sounds and could not utter a complete sentence.
Cheng Lian raised his head and looked towards the riverbank. Jia Ren's face was solemn, without a trace of other emotions, and he was looking straight towards him.
The yamen runners behind him all held their bows and crossbows in front of them, as if they were always on guard against Cheng Lian's men lying in ambush in the cabin of the cargo ship.
Cheng Lian's chest was filled with blood and there was a sweet and fishy taste in his throat. He wanted to hold it back, but his whole body seemed to be out of control. He let the sticky blood flow out from between his lips and teeth, meander down his chin, and drip in front of him, mixing with the wound from the arrow.
He smiled at himself with his mouth stretched out, his red mouth and white teeth were really scary.
Subordinates, where does he have subordinates?
Cheng Lian turned his gaze back to Jia Ren, but soon looked at the young man beside him.
The boy had a delicate face and looked a bit childish, but he looked quite lively. At this moment, he was carrying a quiver on his back and standing beside Jia Ren with his hands hanging down respectfully, but he was staring at him warily.
"Jia...he..."
Cheng Lian's lips moved up and down, but he was not as full of energy and momentum as before.
Even if he used all his strength, the sound was as soft as a mosquito's hum, barely audible, and in the end he couldn't say anything.
Cheng Lian's mind began to become increasingly confused, and his feet felt like they were stepping on cotton. His entire body felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds, and he could no longer stand. As he was about to fall into endless darkness, he fell backwards uncontrollably.
The tall man standing at the bow collapsed like a mountain, his body hitting the deck with a dull thud that was hard to ignore.
Below, on the riverbank.
A drop of sweat slid down Yang Sheng's chin and landed on the back of his hand, startling him so much that he took a step back.
It's just sweating, it's a normal thing.
On weekdays, when he was busy in the government office or tending to flowers and plants in the adults' courtyard, how could he not sweat?
But for some reason today, after leaving the jungle and reaching the riverbank, he felt a little uneasy. He thought he had messed up and failed to stop the people, and he was afraid of being blamed by the elders.
But……
Yang Sheng's throat moved. Being roasted under the scorching sun made his mouth feel dry.
But the man on the side of the boat just now was clearly looking at him.
The look in his eyes was strange and terrifying, yet also scorching hot, making it impossible for him to ignore it. Even from such a distance across the river, he could see it clearly.
From the loud noise just now, I guess that person must have fallen on the deck, but I don’t know... if he is dead.
Yang Sheng moved to the side. Lord Jia was still in the posture of shooting arrows, without moving at all. He must be afraid that there was an ambush in the cabin.
Yang Sheng knew his master's archery skills.
After all, Jia Ren has been serving as Tongzhi for so many years, it is impossible that he is a complete useless person.
The arrow just now went straight through the chest cavity and penetrated the internal organs. That person... I'm afraid there is no chance of survival.
In the past, when he had been with Master Jia, he had only done some work on water conservancy projects and farmland. Master Jia often said that these two things were the foundation of Jiangyang's people's livelihood and urged him to learn them well. Therefore, he rarely went out of the palace with the other yamen runners to work cases with Master Jia, and he saw fewer of the various scenes.
Today was the first time he saw weapons fighting, and also the first time he saw someone being shot by an arrow and bleeding.
Yang Sheng stood there, not knowing how to react.
The quiver on his back was just for emergencies. Although he had trained with the yamen runners in the mansion, he was not very proficient in it.
He looked at Lord Jia in front of him. His face was solemn and the corners of his lips were tight, without any trace of relaxation that he usually had in the Tongzhiyuan.
Lord Jia's action just now was clean and neat. Before Yang Sheng could react, the arrow had already broken through the air, leaving only the whistling sound in his ears.
Yang Sheng's throat moved and he opened his mouth slightly, but he didn't know what to say.
Jia Ren also stopped motion, with no intention of going forward to check.
It was Mu Tong who reacted faster. Seeing Song Linsheng go into the water alone and Jia Ren not knowing what he was thinking, he immediately led his men into the river.
The man's origin is unknown, but he is driving such a large cargo ship. It is really strange. In order to prevent an ambush in the cabin, and also... see if the man is still alive, Mu Tong and his group still need to confirm it.
Mu Tong walked away, but before leaving, he turned back and gave Jia Ren a complicated look.
Jia Ren was unmoved. He was born heroic and had an upright posture. Even though his face was not very young, his youthful charm could still be seen.
It was not until Mu Tong brought his men onto the cargo ship to search and they signaled to him at the bow that he let down his guard and slowly put down the crossbow in his hand.
And this letting go seemed to drain all the strength from his body.
Jia Ren took a long breath and felt that the crossbow in his hand was as heavy as a thousand pounds.
He had just been concentrating on the boat, but now he had the mind to pay attention to his surroundings. The feeling of isolation and silence suddenly disappeared, and the surrounding noise and clamor came to him from all directions like a tide, almost drowning him.
His eyes immediately regained clarity, but there was no trace of emotion.
It seemed as if the people's cries of panic, questioning and accusations had no effect on him at all.
Yang Sheng, standing beside him, seemed slightly uneasy. He wasn't a battle-hardened man to begin with. Even if he was experienced and capable, he was still just a young boy. Just because he could get along well in Jiangyang Prefecture didn't mean he could handle the situation when faced with so many angry people.
Yang Sheng looked at the people who had rushed to watch the excitement before. Now, the timid ones were panicking and running away, while the brave ones swarmed forward and surrounded them.
Those eyes almost pierced through them.
That's right, who made them hear the words "kill the child" as soon as they came out, and then see Lord Jia shooting the arrow without hesitation?
Even Yang Sheng himself felt a little anxious.
He had just clearly seen that the man wanted to harm the lady surnamed Wen who was standing beside Lord Song, so Lord Song took action.
Although it was a bit fast, there was no time to think. If it was a bit slower, it would be hard to say who would fall to the ground.
But the people didn't care about so many things. The relationship between officials and the people was already delicate. With the incident today and the instigation of some people with ulterior motives, the people on the riverbank were all clamoring for Jia Ren to give an explanation.
"Is there no law in broad daylight? How dare you shoot and kill people openly?"
"Yes, that person said that Lord Jia had killed someone. Do you think it's true?"
"Who knows? Lord Jia was never like this before."
"Of course not? Don't you know that his temperament has changed drastically and he's no longer the same as before?"
"That's right. No matter what, we should wait to find out the truth..."
Everyone was talking at once, suspicious of each other, not even considering that the Lord Jia they were talking about was right in front of them, let alone worried that he might overhear them.
Yang Sheng was somewhat indignant. How could these people be like this? If they hadn't ignored the advice and insisted on going to the riverbank and rushing out to cause trouble, how could that man be so proud and actually try to harm Madam Wen in public?
If his father had not acted decisively and in time, it would be another matter whether Madam Wen could have saved her life.
Yang Sheng glared at the man who was speaking in the lead, seeming extremely dissatisfied with his words.
These people just said it lightly with their lips. If they were on the boat just now, they would probably just blame Lord Jia for not shooting his arrow fast or accurately enough!
Yang Sheng stepped forward and stood between the man and Lord Jia, isolating himself from the people's unscrupulous scrutiny and inquiries. He seemed even more angry than Jia Ren, who was at the center of the vortex.
Jia Ren stood behind him with his hands hanging down, staring quietly at the back of his head where he couldn't see. He was silent for a long time and never said a word.
Yang Sheng's face turned red, but he didn't dare to argue with the people. Whatever he said at this time would just sound like an excuse to shirk responsibility, which would not only be useless but would only add fuel to the fire.
The river breeze blew, mixed with a hint of heat, and rolled up Yangsheng's vest. Gradually, the voices on the other end stopped, and he was finally able to catch his breath and look in the direction of the wind.
His gaze passed Lord Jia and looked towards the banks of the Yuanshui River.
"Sir! Madam!"
Xiyan shouted repeatedly, each one louder than the last, and on the ground at his feet were lying in a mess the quivers and crossbows that the servants had untied on the shore when they went into the water.
At this moment, the sound of "splash" gradually rang out. Following the sound, I saw that it was the servant who went into the water to rescue people and pulled up the young man who was previously on the side of the boat.
Xiyan looked around, but apart from that man, he couldn't see his son and his wife. He asked anxiously, "Where's the son? Where's the lady Wen? Why are you all here? Go find them!"
As he spoke, he hurriedly dived into the water. He was not a very good swimmer, and one could even say he knew nothing about it. But at this moment, his mind was taken over by panic and worry, so how could he care about so many things?
Xiyan finally understood why his young master had dived into the water without caring about anything just now.
Just as he was half submerged in the water, holding his breath and preparing to dive in, another "splash" sounded -
It was Wen Yu dragging Song Linsheng out of the water together.
“Ahem—”
Song Linsheng didn't know how to swim and choked several times. As soon as he came out of the water and came into contact with fresh air, he started coughing violently.
"Young Master!" Xi Yan was overjoyed and waded through the water towards Song Linsheng, "Madam Wen!"
"Are you all right?"
Wen Yu held Song Linsheng with one hand and wiped the water stains on her face with the other. Just now, when she was underwater, she was about to rescue Shen Sheng, but suddenly saw Song Linsheng dive in. Fortunately, many people came to rescue him immediately.
"It's okay, your young master just choked on the water." Wen Yu responded.
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