Zhu Yu – Chapter 125

Fan Changyu and Xie Shiyi’s group rushed to the villa on horseback, but they were still a step too late.

The entire villa was engulfed in flames. Several corpses of Blood Robe Riders lay scattered at the main gate, and the blood on the steps looked both desolate and eerily beautiful in the firelight.

Clinging to a sliver of hope, Fan Changyu dashed into the villa, calling out, “Qianqian?”

She searched several rooms without finding anyone. Finally, at the kitchen door, she spotted the unconscious cook. She propped her up and helped her out of the courtyard.

As Xie Shiyi and her team were counting the Blood Robe Rider corpses at the gate, they discovered one still barely alive. They quickly administered a life-saving pill.

The man weakly opened his eyes, and seeing his people, hurriedly explained the situation: “Someone disguised as Blood Robe Riders attacked the villa. We couldn’t distinguish friend from foe and were caught off guard…”

Xie Shiyi asked, “What about the Imperial Great-Grandson and his mother?”

The man feebly pointed in a direction, “East… They went east…”

Xie Shiyi promptly reported this information to Fan Changyu. Fan Changyu ordered a small group to stay behind and handle the aftermath, while the rest continued the pursuit eastward.

The villa was located in the suburbs, making it impossible to seal off the city for a thorough search. If they couldn’t catch up now, they might lose all trace of Yu Qianqian and her son.

Anxious, Fan Changyu mounted her horse, cracked her whip, and continued the chase eastward.

All Blood Robe Riders were originally scouts. Xie Shiyi noticed that the bandage on Fan Changyu’s hastily wrapped arm was already stained red with fresh blood. She tried to comfort her, “Commander, don’t worry too much. There are fresh wheel tracks on the ground. They took the Imperial Great-Grandson and his mother by carriage. We can catch up.”

Fan Changyu didn’t respond, her lips pressed tightly together.

Yu Qianqian was one of her few friends, and the child was even more crucial to their cause. Xie Zheng had already entered the capital; she couldn’t let anything happen to Yu Qianqian and her son now.

After a frantic chase of over ten miles, a volley of arrows suddenly shot out from the dense forest on both sides of the official road.

Fan Changyu quickly raised her blade to deflect them. Although the accompanying Blood Robe Riders were all elite warriors and avoided injury, some of their horses were hit and fell.

Xie Shiyi said bitterly, “They must have heard our hoofbeats and left some men to set up an ambush here in advance!”

Fan Changyu glanced at the few dozen Blood Robe Riders left after the ambush and told Xie Shiyi, “I’ll take some men and continue the pursuit. You deal with those in the forest.”

Xie Shiyi knew that recovering the Imperial Great-Grandson and his mother was the top priority. She quickly said, “Then be careful, Commander!”

Fan Changyu led a portion of the Blood Robe Riders, galloping straight down the official road. Arrows from the forest on both sides flew towards them, but they only raised their swords to deflect them briefly.

If any were unfortunate enough to be hit, they rolled to cover and joined Xie Shiyi’s group in clearing out the enemies in the dense forest.

Using this method, Fan Changyu managed to break through the arrow barrage on the official road with some of her men.

They continued to follow the wheel tracks, and after a few miles, they indeed spotted a carriage speeding along the official road, guarded by over a dozen riders.

Fan Changyu shouted, “Any skilled horse archers? Shoot at them but avoid the carriage!”

She had read some military manuals, and although she couldn’t recite them word for word, she had been in the army long enough and fought in over ten battles, big and small.

Pursuit often relied on momentum. With enough momentum, you could break the enemy’s spirit from a distance.

Shooting arrows while chasing at a certain distance was undoubtedly the best way to build that momentum.

Under the pressure of the archers, the carriage couldn’t outrun the warhorses carrying single riders. They had to split off seven or eight guards to hold off Fan Changyu’s group.

Long-handled weapons had the advantage in mounted combat. Fan Changyu swung her Mo dao in a wide arc, forcing the approaching shadow guard to dodge before they could even get close to her.

The carefully selected Blood Robe Riders were far superior to the ordinary soldiers who had accompanied Fan Changyu out of the city that day. Although their martial skills might not match Xie Wu’s, they wouldn’t be easily defeated. A few of them working together could hold off one shadow guard, which was much better than when Fan Changyu had faced over a dozen shadow guards alone that day.

Taking advantage of the fact that most of the intercepting shadow guards were tied up by the Blood Robe Riders, Fan Changyu slapped her horse’s rump hard and charged toward the carriage ahead.

Suddenly, a shadow guard riding alongside the carriage drew his bow and shot at Fan Changyu. She cut one arrow in half with her blade, then, due to her horse’s speed, she lowered her body as much as possible, lying flat on the horse’s back.

Seeing that he couldn’t hit Fan Changyu, the guard aimed at her horse instead.

When Fan Changyu’s horse was hit by an arrow and fell, she was less than two zhang away from Yu Qianqian’s carriage.

Gritting her teeth, she threw a rope that hooked onto the corner of the carriage roof. As she leaped from her horse’s back, her whole body was pulled towards the carriage by the force of the rope.

A shadow guard riding around the carriage swung his blade at Fan Changyu, but she rolled on the carriage roof to avoid it. The place where she had just been lying was split in half.

Yu Qianqian’s frightened cries for help came from inside the carriage. Fan Changyu gripped the rope tightly with both hands and swung down, kicking the carriage driver off with one foot. She lifted the curtain and reassured, “Qianqian, don’t be afraid. It’s me!”

Inside the carriage, Yu Qianqian was clutching the window frame with one hand and tightly holding Yu Bao’er with the other. Still shaken, she asked, “Changyu?”

Fan Changyu had just responded when a shadow guard riding alongside the carriage swung his blade at her. She quickly leaned back, and the blade struck the carriage door instead.

Fan Changyu kicked upwards, hitting the man under his arm. He was stunned for a moment, then felt as if half his ribs had been broken by that kick. Clutching his side in pain, he fell from his horse.

Fan Changyu sat up and tried to control the reins to turn the carriage around, not forgetting to reassure Yu Qianqian, “Don’t be afraid. I won’t let them take you away!”

Yu Qianqian looked through the window at the pursuing shadow guards closing in and said calmly, “This won’t work. Changyu, take Bao’er and ride away!”

Before she could push Yu Bao’er towards Fan Changyu, one of the shadow guards shot an arrow into the front leg of the carriage horse.

The warhorse neighed in pain and stumbled forward, causing the entire carriage to overturn.

Yu Qianqian and her son were thrown from the carriage. Fan Changyu managed to protect them with her body but slammed her back hard against a rocky outcrop by the side of the road. The impact left her face pale with pain, and she couldn’t stand up for a while.

The heavy carriage dragged along the ground for a distance before most of its weight tipped over the edge of the cliff. Finally, the carriage, along with the injured horse, tumbled down the precipice.

Yu Qianqian sat up and saw that Fan Changyu’s clothes were torn and bloodied from the rough rocks. When she touched Fan Changyu’s back, her hand came away wet with blood. Panicked, she began to cry, “Changyu, are you alright?”

Fan Changyu struggled to open her eyes. Seeing the shadow guards who had been protecting the carriage advancing towards them, she propped herself up with her Mo dao and glared coldly at the nameless shadow guard less than three zhang away. She ordered Yu Qianqian, “Run!”

The Blood Robe Riders fighting the other nine shadow guards were gaining the upper hand due to their numerical advantage. If they could reach the Blood Robe Riders, they might still have a chance.

Yu Qianqian knew she had no martial arts skills and would only be a burden to Fan Changyu if she stayed. With tears in her eyes, she looked at Fan Changyu one last time before reluctantly taking Yu Bao’er’s hand and running toward the Blood Robe Riders.

Yu Bao’er, however, kept looking back at Fan Changyu. His young face was marked with bloody scratches, and his eyes reflected the image of Fan Changyu struggling to stand up with her long blade in the setting sun. The hand not held by Yu Qianqian was clenched into a tight fist.

That day outside Lu City, Fan Changyu had faced sixteen shadow guards. She had lasted so long only because they were holding back, trying to capture her alive.

Today, she was already injured, and facing these five shadow guards who were going all out was exceptionally difficult.

One of the shadow guards, seeing that Fan Changyu was tied up with his four companions, went after Yu Qianqian and her son.

The mountain path was steep, and Yu Qianqian’s elaborate dress made it difficult to run. She tripped on her skirt and fell. In her panic, she could only push Yu Bao’er forward, urgently saying, “Bao’er, run!”

Yu Bao’er refused to leave her behind and tried to help her up, his small body acting as a human crutch.

In this short time, the shadow guard had caught up to them.

From the Blood Robe Riders’ side came a shout: “Commander!”

It was Xie Wu and Xie Qi, who had somehow received news and ridden over.

Seeing that they couldn’t take both Yu Qianqian and her son today, the shadow guard who had caught up to them hardened his gaze and suddenly, without warning, swung his blade at Yu Bao’er.

Fan Changyu was still entangled with the four shadow guards and couldn’t break free. Perhaps it was maternal instinct, but when Yu Qianqian saw the blade, she didn’t think and threw herself over Yu Bao’er.

The blade struck her back, and the spurting blood splattered all over Yu Bao’er’s face.

“Quick… go!” Yu Qianqian, her eyes full of pain, could only manage these two words as she looked at Yu Bao’er.

Yu Bao’er, seeing his mother lying in a pool of blood, was completely stunned.

That person wanted to kill him and his mother?

When the shadow guard realized Yu Qianqian had taken the blow for Yu Bao’er, he froze for a moment. Remembering Qi Min’s orders, his face turned extremely ugly. He quickly took out a bottle of hemostatic powder and poured it all over the wound on Yu Qianqian’s back.

When Fan Changyu saw Yu Qianqian cut down, she let out a roar, slashing several times to force back the four shadow guards surrounding her. Then, using the momentum from a running start, she swung her blade and sent the shadow guard who had injured Yu Qianqian flying.

She had no strength left but still tried to pick up Yu Qianqian and run.

It was Yu Qianqian who weakly grabbed Fan Changyu’s hand, her eyes brimming with tears as she instructed, “Take Bao’er… take him away. They won’t kill me, but they’ll kill Bao’er…”

Fan Changyu looked at the entire bottle of wound medicine sprinkled on her back. Although she didn’t know exactly what was going on, she understood that Yu Qianqian wasn’t lying. Using the last of her strength, she picked up Yu Bao’er, who seemed to have been frightened into a daze and ran towards the direction where Xie Wu and Xie Qi were approaching on horseback.

The four shadow guards who had been fighting with Fan Changyu caught up. Two of them helped Yu Qianqian retreat, while the other two raised their sleeves and shot several dart arrows at Yu Bao’er in Fan Changyu’s arms.

Without thinking, Fan Changyu used her own body to shield Yu Bao’er.

“Commander!”

Fortunately, Xie Wu and Xie Qi had caught up. Xie Wu, with one arm disabled, jumped off his horse and swung his sword one-handed to knock away the incoming dart arrows.

Xie Qi drew his bow and returned fire at the shadow guards.

The sound of thundering hooves came from the end of the official road — it was Xie Shiyi and the others who had finished clearing out the shadow guards in the forest. Seeing reinforcements arrive, the few shadow guards who had been engaged with the Blood Robe Riders no longer lingered. They took out smoke bombs and threw them forcefully on the ground, instantly filling the official road with dust and smoke.

When the smoke cleared, there was no trace of the shadow guards anywhere.

Xie Shiyi hurried over and, seeing Xie Wu and Xie Qi, exclaimed excitedly, “Fifth Brother, Seventh Brother!”

Then, turning to see that half of Fan Changyu’s back was covered in blood, her face changed dramatically: “Commander, you’re injured?”

Xie Wu and Xie Qi’s expressions were also extremely grave. Before leaving, Xie Zheng had instructed that in his absence, the Blood Robe Riders were to follow Fan Changyu’s every command.

He had only been gone for two days, and Fan Changyu was already injured like this.

Fan Changyu herself didn’t seem to think it was a big deal, saying only, “It’s just a flesh wound, nothing serious.”

She looked at Yu Bao’er, who was in her arms, neither crying nor making a sound, as if he had lost his soul. She frowned and comforted him, “Don’t be afraid, Bao’er. I’ll find a way to save your mother.”

Yu Bao’er buried his face in Fan Changyu’s shoulder. Though no sound of crying could be heard, his teeth were clenched, and his small body was shaking.

Without the carriage, they could only ride horses on the way back. Yu Bao’er was in shock and kept clutching Fan Changyu’s clothes, refusing to let go, so Fan Changyu carried the child and rode together.

The guards at the villa had already fortified it into an iron bucket, yet Qi Min’s people had still found a way in. After much consideration, Fan Changyu decided to first hide Yu Bao’er in the military camp.

No matter how capable Qi Min was, he couldn’t move freely within the military camp as if it were no man’s land.

Just as she had entered the military camp and settled Yu Bao’er, Tang Peiyi sent someone over, saying he had something to discuss with Fan Changyu.

Fan Changyu knew that with such a commotion caused by the Blood Robe Riders leaving the city today, it would be impossible to keep it from Tang Peiyi.

Before leaving, Xie Zheng had said that if they reached a dead end, they could try to persuade Tang Peiyi to support Yu Bao’er’s claim to the throne, but they hadn’t reached that point yet.

Fan Changyu was at a loss, unsure whether to tell Tang Peiyi about Yu Bao’er’s identity. She used the excuse of needing to treat her wounds before going over to dismiss Tang Peiyi’s guard. Then she called for the female doctor, A Hui, to help treat the wounds on her back.

A Hui cried the entire time she was applying medicine, making Fan Changyu feel quite embarrassed. She kept reassuring A Hui that she wasn’t in pain.

But A Hui said, “Commander is a woman of great courage, not one to shed tears lightly. But these wounds pain A Hui just to look at them. A Hui is crying on the Commander’s behalf.”

Fan Changyu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but because A Hui had bandaged her so meticulously, her entire upper body was wrapped in bandages, making her look almost paralyzed. Thinking about her imminent meeting with Tang Peiyi, she didn’t suggest rebandaging.

When Fan Changyu was carried on a stretcher by two personal guards to see Tang Peiyi, she gave him quite a fright.

He could hardly remain seated; instead, he rushed to the side of the stretcher to examine Fang Changyu. “What happened to you, Commander Fang?”

Fang Changyu looked weak and weary. “The bandit problem outside the city is severe. I went out to eliminate them and unfortunately fell off a cliff.”

Tang Peiyi had summoned Fang Changyu to inquire about her reasons for leaving the city. Now that she had voluntarily explained, even if it were a half-hearted excuse, he felt it inappropriate to interrogate her further in light of her injuries. “But there was a campaign against bandits in Jizhou last year. What kind of formidable bandits could injure you like this?”

Fang Changyu turned pale. “The terrain in the mountains is complicated. I misstepped and fell…”

As she spoke, a fit of painful coughing erupted from her.

Tang Peiyi waved his hand dismissively. “Enough, enough! Hurry back and recuperate! You’re a stubborn one. You should have sent someone to inform us of your severe injury instead of coming here yourself. Now everyone in the army will have their own opinions about me!”

Lying on the stretcher, Fang Changyu weakly clasped her hands. “I take my leave…”

She was not one to lie easily, and her guilt made her unable to meet Tang Peiyi’s gaze.

Tang Peiyi huffed, glaring at her. “Stop with the formalities! Just get back to your tent and rest!”

Once she was carried out of the main tent, Fang Changyu let out a quiet sigh of relief. At least today, she had managed to get away with it.