Chapter 21 Shenlin, you’re so hard down there!
The horse's hooves leaped over him, and Lu Tingwan stood there in a daze. The sound of horse hooves followed behind him. The sharp arrows just now were shot by another group of people, and these people's target was not him, but Han Jinzhang who had just passed by him?
She stood still by the road, not yet able to come to her senses, when the man who had gone away came back, pulling at the reins. Before Lu Tingwan could see his face clearly, Cheng Xianyi held the reins in one hand, leaned forward and stretched out the other, finding the right moment to pass it around her waist, and smoothly put her on the horse's back.
Lu Tingwan only felt his body suddenly lifted into the air, and felt a force from behind. When he came to his senses, he was already sitting on the horse.
"Manager Jiang, what are you doing outside the city so late at night?" The man did not forget to look back at the assassin who was chasing him while riding his horse.
The assassin pulled the bowstring again, Cheng Xianzhi turned his horse's head and changed direction from the other side of the path, and the arrow missed and hit the tree branch.
Lu Tingwan's soul was still chasing after him, stammering, "Han, Lord Han? Why are you here?"
"I don't have time to explain in detail," Cheng Xianzhi said, squeezing his legs tightly against the horse's belly. "Go!"
He deliberately wandered around in the forest for a long time, not leaving. Lu Tingwan didn't know what he meant. Tonight was a life-or-death situation, with one crisis after another. It seemed that following him would make her life even more difficult.
When the crows finally stopped crowing, Cheng Xianzhi said in a heavy voice, "Hold on tight."
Lu Tingwan's head was dizzy. "Catch, what?"
Without waiting for a reply, Cheng Xianzhi and his men jumped up and rolled down the hillside. Fortunately, the slope was not high. Lu Tingwan was trapped in his arms and stopped after smelling a fragrance.
Her head was protected in the crook of her arms, her body was in pain, and it was difficult for her to stand up.
Cheng Xianzhi let go of the man and stood up first, then reached out to her and pulled her up. "Those people are chasing us relentlessly, so we have no choice but to abandon our horses. It's easier to hide in the woods at night, but if we can't shake them off before daybreak, we'll have to die here."
Lu Tingwan rubbed his temples, trying to wake up. "Then why don't you run to the city?"
"Running to the city would be suicide," Cheng Xianzhi said, shaking off the extra belongings on his body. "This situation is fatal. They must have set an ambush on the way back to the city, waiting for me to fall into their trap."
Lu Tingwan was still in shock, and now was not the time to ask such questions. "Then what should we do now?"
"If you want to live, follow me."
Cheng Xianzhi went deeper into the forest. "Once those people catch up with us on horseback, we'll know we've been tricked. They might come back to attack us. We can't take the main road. The forest isn't always safe. It's best to follow closely. If we encounter a wild animal or miss a step and fall into a hunter's trap, I won't come back to save you."
Lu Tingwan muttered something, Cheng Xianzhi stopped and bumped into her with his head down, his strong chest hitting her forehead. She sighed deeply, feeling aggrieved at the moment.
Tears welled up in her eyes, but it was too dark for Cheng Xianzhi to see clearly.
But her voice was choked with sobs. "I was just coming back from the farm when I encountered bandits who robbed me and tried to kill me. I was just about to get rid of them when I ran into Lord Han. Every time I run into you, nothing good ever happens."
"My Lord, you really are my enemy."
Cheng Xianzhi heard this and thought that this person was unreasonable. Her black hair was disheveled during her escape, and the sparse light falling on it made her look a bit pitiful.
But he was not a man who was gentle with women. He just glanced at her quickly and didn't care about her feelings.
Lu Tingwan could only follow him closely. Occasionally, the howls of wolves and the roars of wild beasts could be heard from the deep forest at night. The sounds were faint and not close. It made her hair stand on end. She followed closely, almost grabbing his clothes.
As they walked, they heard voices other than those of the two of them. It was the dead of night, and why were there voices in the woods? Could it be that the assassins had caught up with them?
Cheng Xianzhi cautiously grabbed Lu Tingwan's wrist and found a hidden place to hide.
The two century-old trees have thick trunks and grow opposite each other. The hollow space in the middle can accommodate two adults, but it is a bit crowded.
Lu Tingwan was pressed against his chest and could clearly feel his rapid heartbeat. A faint fragrance entered her nose, which was light and quite pleasant. However, she was not comfortable in this position and could vaguely feel a sense of discomfort under her body.
She endured the discomfort.
The two dared not make a sound. Cheng Xianzhi listened attentively to the sound in the distance. His footsteps were getting closer and closer, accompanied by the sound of branches breaking.
Cheng Xianzhi clenched the sword in his hand, ready to draw it at any time, but this posture would hinder his speed of drawing the sword. He wanted to move, but at that moment, he inadvertently felt the softness on his chest, and he frowned.
He had been calm, but now it was like a huge rock causing waves. He felt uncomfortable and tried not to think about it.
My heart just started beating faster unconsciously.
Lu Tingwan also paid attention to the sound that was getting closer and closer, and suddenly heard the conversation between the two people.
"Brother, our trap will definitely catch that sika deer tonight. We can take it to the city market and sell it for a good price."
"Well, come back tomorrow and see me. Go back quickly. Your parents will definitely be worried if you stay out for so long."
The voice passed by and drifted away. Lu Tingwan breathed a sigh of relief. His breath was so weak that it almost touched Cheng Xianzhi's ear, and his hot breath lingered on his neck as he said, "So it's a hunter, not an assassin."
Cheng Xianzhi relaxed his vigilance. Lu Tingwan's breathing was quite rhythmic. He had been holding his breath just now, but now he dared to take a deep breath. With every deep breath, the soft part moved closer to him.
Cheng Xianzhi felt uncomfortable and coughed lightly: "You go out first."
Lu Tingwan felt that the danger was still there and did not want to expose himself first, so he said in this posture: "Master Han has a weapon in his hand, you go out first."
Cheng Xianzhi didn't want to move first. In the current standing position, if he moved first, he would touch her soft spot again, but he couldn't say it out loud.
This damn posture, how did he get in just now?
Following Lu Tingwan's urging, Cheng Xianzhi moved a few times in anger, but was interrupted by Lu Tingwan, "Master Han, don't move."
Cheng Xianzhi didn't know what she was doing and lost his patience. "What?"
"You, that thing down there is so hard." She said it bluntly, without any hint of ambiguity.
Cheng Xianzhi's face flushed, his brows and eyes were cold, and his voice was chilling: "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Lu Tingwan hadn't realized yet that her hair was already messed up, and her men's clothing could no longer conceal her identity. She hadn't yet realized what was wrong with being so close to others.
She moved her lower body, and her free hand reached out and touched him. Cheng Xianzhi couldn't help it. This man had no sense of propriety at all. He could only suppress his distracting thoughts and take a step forward.
"Ah," Lu Tingwan cried out in pain as he moved, "It hurts, sir, can you please not move? It hurts so much."
Cheng Xianzhi's face flushed all the way to his ears, and he growled, "Jiang Yanli! Are you looking for death?"
Then she grabbed the hard object and pulled it hard. Cheng Xianzhi suddenly felt his waist belt being pressed down heavily, and a token was held between their sight.
"It turns out to be the master's token." Lu Tingwan saw the words engraved on it in the light, and studied it carefully, asking innocently, "Han? Is this the token that the master used to mobilize the imperial guards?"
So this is what she meant. Cheng Xianzhi didn't react that way at first, but after being provoked by her soft touch and words several times, he seemed to have a swelling feeling in his dark place that he couldn't control. When he saw her tear off the token, the feeling was suppressed.
What was he thinking about just now?
"How audacious!" Cheng Xianzhi said, hiding his discomfort. "The last person who took my token was already dead."
"It hurts," Lu Tingwan explained, emerging from his hiding place and groping his thigh. "If I had known it was a token, I wouldn't have moved."
Eagles cried from time to time in the deep forest. The two men relaxed a little at this moment. Lu Tingwan asked, "Those assassins shouldn't be chasing us again, right?"
"Maybe." Cheng Xianzhi straightened his clothes and fastened his badge back on.
"So are we going back to the city? Or?"
Cheng Xianzhi said coldly: "I don't know."
Obviously, he didn't want to pay much attention to her. He thought about it and said nothing more.
Lu Tingwan was busy giving advice. "Didn't the lord say that if we return to the city, the enemy might set an ambush. I'm not familiar with the suburbs of Beijing. I only know that halfway back to the city from the farm, after passing the woods, there's a dilapidated temple on the hillside. We could hide there temporarily, but I don't know how long it would take."
She had lost her way and was chased by people who claimed to be bandits through a forest and out of the main road. Cheng Xianzhi then led her on a run for half an hour before she slipped down the mountain.
Cheng Xianzhi looked up at the stars. Moonlight fell on the right side of the forest. After determining the direction, he roughly determined his current location. Based on the direction Lu Tingwan had given him, he said confidently, "Follow me."
How could Lu Tingwan dare not disobey? It was safer to follow him at this moment, at least if they encountered an assassin.
The two hunters had just set a trap nearby; wild animals must have frequented the forest. She had to follow closely; even if she was about to fall into a trap, Cheng Xianzhi would be the first to fall in if he was ahead.
The man seemed to be able to read my mind. His voice was cold: "Don't think you can rest easy just by following me. You are just jokingly thinking that I will fall into a trap and then you will run away. Before I fall, I will drag you down with me."
Lu Tingwan stuck out her tongue at the figure, "Are you Imperial Guards so cold-blooded and heartless?"
"We?" Cheng Xianzhi asked doubtfully.
Lu Tingwan muttered, "Yeah, your Imperial Guards Governor is known as the Living Yama in Kyoto, how good can he be?"
Cheng Xianzhi raised an eyebrow, his expression invisible to the people behind him. He was now Han Jinzhang, and Lu Tingwan didn't know he was Cheng Xianzhi, so he suddenly became interested.
"Hasn't Manager Jiang just arrived in Kyoto recently? Has he heard of our Governor? Or have you seen his cold-blooded and ruthless appearance?"
"That's not the case, but Lord Han is his subordinate. Even you are so decisive and ruthless, not to mention that Cheng Pushe. If he were a good person, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to subdue someone like you." Perhaps because the two of them had experienced life and death, she spoke boldly.
"What kind of person am I?" Cheng Xianzhi had never heard others evaluate him in this way. All he heard was flattery, and no one had ever dared to say those insults to his face.
Of course, Lu Tingwan didn't say it in front of him, but in front of Han Jinzhang.
"Anyway, once you have investigated the case thoroughly, we will just write it off." She wanted to sever ties with the matter so as not to get deeper into it and then be unable to get out of it unscathed.
It was already late at night when they found the ruined temple. There was no sign of assassins following them along the way, but Cheng Xianzhi did not completely let down his guard.
The temple was in ruins, with half of the courtyard collapsed. Some beams were lying across the courtyard, covered with cobwebs. The statues were no longer there. Lu Tingwan simply cleaned up a space large enough for the two of them to rest.
Her movements were skillful, and Cheng Xianzhi stood aside, unsure of what she was going to do. He watched her enter the temple hall, rummage behind the altar for a long time, and finally find the tinderbox she wanted.
He picked up some dry firewood outside the courtyard and piled it up. After lighting the fire, he spread out the hay and called out to the man who was looking at the moon, "Master Han, come in and rest for a while."
Cheng Xianzhi looked away. She had managed to do it so neatly in such a short time. He couldn't help but ask, "Manager Jiang, it seems like this kind of thing is a piece of cake for you."
Lu Tingwan smiled and returned to her relaxed demeanor, as if she had not encountered any danger tonight. The haze of life and death escape was like a hurricane to her, coming and going quickly.
"Are you referring to these tasks, sir?" Lu Tingwan patted the seat beside him, motioning him to sit down. "These are just the skills I've learned to make a living since I was a child, nothing more."
Cheng Xianzhi sat cross-legged, leaning against the fallen beam behind him. Lu Tingwan glanced at him from the corner of her eye. He didn't seem so difficult to get along with when he sat quietly without saying a word.
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