Fan Changyu noticed that Sui Yuanqing was clearly at odds with the bandit leader. He seemed to have a marriage arrangement, making her silently curse him for deceit.
The bandit leader wanted him to kill her. If he refused, the bandit leader would do it himself, and her act of holding him hostage would be exposed.
For a moment, Fan Changyu’s palm holding the boning knife broke out in cold sweat, but she struggled to maintain her composure.
The worst outcome would be someone discovering that she had taken him hostage. As long as she could take his life before he could reveal that there were still people hidden in the dry well, Changningg and the others would remain safe.
She was alone and had nothing to lose. If she could steal a horse, escape might not be impossible.
Sui Yuanqing was very close to Fan Changyu and could feel her entire body tensing up, like a predator ready to pounce and tear its prey apart at any moment.
If she decided to use the knife, he would undoubtedly be the first to meet his demise.
Sui Yuanqing didn’t tease her at this critical moment. He chuckled lightly and said, “Elder Brother, do you want me to remain chaste for Thirteenth Miss and devote myself only to her for life?”
Being bandits themselves, they were well aware of men’s vices.
The scarred man shouted, “She’s my only sister. I don’t care what happens later, but you haven’t even married her yet, and you’re already bringing another woman back to the stronghold. What do you take our Qingfeng Stronghold for?”
Sui Yuanqing frowned, his tone suddenly carrying a hint of sincerity: “I joined Qingfeng Stronghold and became your sworn brother. I didn’t rely on any woman’s connections. I, Qin Yuan, am just a wanderer, truly unworthy of Thirteenth Miss. Elder Brother, why don’t you find a better match for Thirteenth Miss? From now on, I’ll treat her like my own sister. If anyone dares to bully her, I’ll be the first to not let them off.”
The scarred man gritted his teeth and said, “So you look down on my sister that much?”
Sui Yuanqing lowered his gaze: “It’s I, Qin Yuan, who is fickle by nature and unworthy of being Thirteenth Miss’s good husband. Today, Elder Brother may force me to kill this woman, but what about tomorrow? If I take a liking to someone, will Elder Brother force me to kill her too? This will only damage our brotherhood in the long run. It’s better to clear things up now.”
Although the scarred man was furious, he knew there was truth in Sui Yuanqing’s words.
It was precisely because of his playboy image that he had captivated Thirteenth Miss’s heart. But given his nature, even if he could force him for a while, could he force him for a lifetime?
Still, he felt indignant on behalf of his sister and shouted, “Thirteenth Miss saved you from the riverside. Let’s not even mention this life-saving grace, but you’ve already been intimate with her. If you don’t marry Thirteenth Miss, where does that leave her?”
Sui Yuanqing raised his eyes: “Elder Brother, are you resorting to these worldly arguments just to make me marry Thirteenth Miss?”
The scarred man’s expression turned ugly. He knew his words didn’t hold much weight.
Men and women of the jianghu world weren’t bound by such trivial matters. To use that bit of intimacy when his sister saved him as an argument would truly make them a laughingstock if word got out.
In the end, he didn’t press further. With a gloomy face, he turned his horse around and barked, “Back to Qingfeng Stronghold!”
The group of underlings followed him, leaving only a few behind to flatter Sui Yuanqing: “Fifth Boss is truly a man of honor. Some people used to say Fifth Boss relied on Thirteenth Miss to gain the Big Boss’s favor, but it’s clear that Big Boss values Fifth Boss’s skills. He wanted to marry his sister to Fifth Boss. On the day Black Dragon Stronghold attacked our stronghold, it was all thanks to Fifth Boss’s strategy that we defeated them…”
With Fan Changyu’s knife still pressed against his side, Sui Yuanqing had no patience to listen to these lackeys praising him. He interrupted them, saying, “Don’t speak nonsense, lest you damage the brotherhood between me and Elder Brother. He treats me like a real brother and is just being overprotective of Thirteenth Miss. Let’s head back to the stronghold.”
Chastened, the men looked embarrassed and didn’t dare to say anything more to curry favor with him.
Fan Changyu remained silent, but from their conversation, she now understood why Sui Yuanqing was mixed up with these bandits.
It turned out that after he was injured by Yan Zheng and escaped down the river, he was rescued by the people of Qingfeng Stronghold.
She noticed that among the flattering underlings, one man had inconspicuously moved forward. She surmised that this person must be the Big Boss’s man, which was why Sui Yuanqing had deliberately said those words.
Fan Changyu thought to herself that this guy truly had as many schemes as a lotus root had holes.
With a knife pressed against his chest, Sui Yuanqing acted as if nothing was wrong and led Fan Changyu to the horse. He then lowered his head and asked in a hushed voice, “With your knife against me, how am I supposed to mount the horse?”
Whether he mounted first or Fan Changyu did, she wouldn’t be able to continue holding him hostage.
The few underlings assumed Sui Yuanqing was flirting and couldn’t help but glance a few times, though they didn’t dare to be presumptuous. They whispered a couple of lewd jokes and laughed as they went ahead.
One of the underlings said, “This time we’ve scored big. We can take a good rest when we get back to the stronghold. Last time, when the Big Boss led us to ambush that armed escort to find some treasure map, it turned out to be fake…”
Fan Changyu, who had been focusing solely on dealing with Sui Yuanqing, suddenly heard this and felt her blood almost reverse its flow.
Ambushing an armed escort, a treasure map…
Didn’t the officials previously conclude that her parents died at the hands of bandits because of a treasure map?
Could it be such a coincidence that her parents were killed by this very group?
She could barely suppress the murderous aura emanating from her body.
Seeing her silent but with a sudden surge of killing intent, Sui Yuanqing became alert. He thought Fan Changyu might want to kill him on the spot and escape alone on horseback.
He said, “Killing me here isn’t a wise choice unless you want to face several hundred people alone.”
Fan Changyu tightened her grip on the knife handle. She knew this wasn’t the time to act on impulse. There would be other opportunities to avenge her parents. Changningg and Mrs. Zhao were still in the dry well; leading these bandits away was an urgent matter.
After a brief consideration, she said, “Take off your sword and give it to me. You mount the horse first, then pull me up.”
Sui Yuanqing thought he had persuaded her and smirked as he complied.
As he turned to grab the saddle, Fan Changyu unexpectedly swung her hand like a knife towards the back of his neck. Having fallen for this trick before and being on guard this time, Sui Yuanqing dodged to the side as Fan Changyu’s hand came down. He then moved like lightning to intercept her hand, gripping it tightly. Fan Changyu let out a muffled groan, feeling her entire arm go limp. She knew it must have been dislocated.
Sui Yuanqing looked at the cold sweat breaking out on her forehead and said leisurely, “I won’t fall for the same trick twice…”
Fan Changyu’s slightly round almond eyes glared at him fiercely, a hint of ruthlessness in them.
As Sui Yuanqing pulled her dislocated arm towards him, intending to grab her other hand, Fan Changyu kicked him hard between the legs.
This time it was Sui Yuanqing’s turn to groan in pain. He crouched down, his face contorted, and gritted out, “You…”
He hadn’t expected Fan Changyu to use such an underhanded move.
Fan Changyu didn’t care about fighting fair. As he crouched down, she immediately struck the back of his neck twice with her elbow. Sui Yuanqing felt his vision blur and finally staggered and fell.
The commotion attracted the attention of the underlings walking ahead.
Holding torches, they saw Fan Changyu dragging the unconscious Sui Yuanqing like a dead dog, and they all froze in shock.
Fan Changyu had no time to think. She quickly dragged Sui Yuanqing onto the horse’s back.
She wanted to finish him off with a knife right there, but Sui Yuanqing’s earlier words made sense. Even at her peak, she might not be able to handle this group of bandits. Now, with one of her arms dislocated, it was even more dangerous. It was better to keep him alive; in a critical moment, she could still use him as a hostage to save her life.
All this happened in an instant. The underlings finally reacted and shouted, “That woman has taken Fifth Boss hostage!”
A group of men wielding torches and swords rushed forward to stop Fan Changyu, but she had already mounted the horse. She dug her heels into the horse’s flanks and charged out of the alley. The underlings, fearing for their lives, either dodged or were knocked against the wall. In the end, they couldn’t stop her.
The commotion made the scarred man, who was riding at the front, turn his head to look. In the blazing torchlight, he saw a spirited horse carrying two people burst out of the alley. The one holding the reins was a woman.
The woman also spotted him and, after a moment’s hesitation, quickly turned the horse around and galloped in the opposite direction down the main street.
The underlings chasing from the alley shouted, “Fifth Boss is on that woman’s horse!”
The scarred man recalled how the woman had been leaning against Sui Yuanqing earlier, looking boneless in a way unbefitting a respectable lady. He immediately sensed something was amiss and spurred his horse to give chase, shouting, “Stop that woman!”
Fan Changyu led the pursuing group of more than ten li out of Linan Town. Among the bandits were skilled mounted archers who kept shooting arrows at her. Fan Changyu had no choice but to place the unconscious Sui Yuanqing behind her on the horse, using him as a human shield. The archers, wary of hitting him, finally stopped their barrage of arrows.
However, her horse, carrying two people, couldn’t outrun the mounted bandits behind her. As time passed, the pursuers drew closer and closer. The thunderous hoofbeats from the official road behind almost synced with Fan Changyu’s heartbeat.
Fan Changyu estimated that Mrs. Zhao and the others had already escaped from Linan Town with Changningg. At the upcoming mountain bend, if she could keep the horse running forward to lead the bandits on, she could jump off and temporarily evade their pursuit.
She glanced back at the man serving as her human shield. Remembering the chaos in Qingping County that day and the innocent people who died tonight, she drew the boning knife from her waist.
But before she could stab down, the man who had been jostled on horseback for the entire journey chose this moment to wake up. Seeing the cold glint of the blade, he instinctively grabbed Fan Changyu’s hand with all his might.
Learning from the earlier lesson of having one arm dislocated, Fan Changyu reacted quickly this time. Using his force, she fell backward, her elbow striking hard against the wound on his chest.
Sui Yuanqing let go of her wrist in pain. As Fan Changyu tried to stab again, he had no time to dodge and instead kicked at her knee that was in the stirrup.
Fan Changyu lost her balance and was about to fall off the horse. Her knife changed direction and stabbed the horse’s rump.
As Fan Changyu fell from the horse, the animal let out a pained neigh and began to gallop wildly.
Sui Yuanqing, having just avoided the knife, nearly got thrown off the horse. At the speed the horse was now running, falling off would mean death or at least losing an arm or a leg. Cursing under his breath, he first grabbed the reins tightly to steady himself on the horse’s back.
The ground was covered in snow about a foot deep. Fan Changyu rolled several times after hitting the ground to dissipate the force of the impact. She didn’t sustain any other injuries, but her dislocated arm was pressed during the tumble, causing excruciating pain. Her shoe had also been scraped off by the stirrup when she fell.
Ignoring both the cold and the pain, Fan Changyu quickly got up, picked up her shoe, and threw it towards the riverbank below the official road. She then plunged into the dense, snow-covered forest on the side of the road.
Soon, the thunderous hoofbeats approached but didn’t stop, continuing to chase after the galloping horse.
Snow was still falling in flurries. Fan Changyu slowly exhaled a breath.
She had thrown her shoe towards the riverbank to make the bandits think she had escaped through the river when they came back to search.
She headed deeper into the pine forest. Snowy weather was the least favorable for hiding, as footprints would be left in the snow wherever one walked. Fortunately, it was nighttime, and without torches, these tracks wouldn’t be easily discovered.
Even so, Fan Changyu broke off a pine branch and used it to sweep away her footprints in the snow.
With the heavy snowfall, once she swept away her tracks, the falling snow would quickly cover any remaining traces.
After dealing with the initial set of footprints leading into the forest, Fan Changyu discarded the pine branch and used the North Star in the sky to navigate her way forward.
With one foot shoeless, wearing only a felt sock, she trudged through the snow, stepping unevenly. The felt sock was quickly soaked by the snow, and a bone-chilling cold crept up from her foot. Her entire leg was almost numb from the cold, causing her lips to turn pale and her body to shiver uncontrollably.
But Fan Changyu didn’t dare to stop for even a moment.
Changningg was still waiting for her-
A team of scouts reached the borders of Qingping County and saw the entire county engulfed in raging flames in the distance. They were all startled.
The well-trained scout soldiers dismounted, preparing to gather intelligence on the enemy situation. Suddenly, they saw a group of about a dozen elderly, weak, women, and children supporting each other as they walked towards them along the rugged path…
Lu City.
At dawn, a swift horse galloped towards the Yan Prefecture military camp.
“The entire Qingping County was massacred?”
In the central command tent, Gongsun Yin’s usually gentle and composed face rarely showed such a grave expression.
The scout who had rushed back overnight to report lowered his head: “When we arrived at Qingping County on Sir’s orders, it was already a ghost town. While investigating the cause, we unexpectedly encountered a few households that had survived.”
Gongsun Yin hurriedly asked, “Where are they accommodated now?”
The scout answered, “I came back first to report, sir. The rest of our troops are escorting those dozen or so survivors to Jizhou Prefecture.”
Gongsun Yin paced around the tent with his hands behind his back, then asked, “Is that butcher’s daughter surnamed Fan among them?”
The scout replied, “No, but her younger sister is. The survivors said that the butcher’s daughter hid them in the cellar of her home and entrusted them to take care of her little sister. After the bandits discovered people hiding in the cellar, the butcher’s daughter somehow lured the bandits away. When those people came out, they couldn’t find the butcher’s daughter’s body. It seems she was taken back to the bandit stronghold.”
Gongsun Yin had never met Fan Changyu, but hearing his subordinate’s report about how she was captured by the bandits to protect those people, he couldn’t help but admire her courage and sense of righteousness, which was no less than that of any man.
He dismissed the scout and summoned a personal guard: “Where is the Marquis now?”
The guard saluted and replied, “The Marquis went to survey the river valley terrain early this morning.”
Gongsun Yin knew why Xie Zheng had suddenly gone to survey the river valley. Jin Prefecture and Hui Prefecture’s grain routes depended on Chong Prefecture, but Jizhou still had a waterway for transporting grain. However, with the falling water levels since winter, shipping had become impossible. Once spring arrived, this waterway could be reopened.
If Jizhou were to fall, they would truly be at Prince Changxin’s mercy.
To defend Jizhou, Lu City, as a barrier, could not be lost.
He and Xie Zheng had discussed that the most effective way to deal with Prince Changxin’s army of 50,000 was to take advantage of the spring flood after the thaw.
Gongsun Yin ordered, “Send someone to find the Marquis immediately!”
Just as he finished speaking, a guard outside the tent called out, “Marquis.”
Gongsun Yin, who had been fretting, quickly went out to greet him.
In the breaking dawn light, the man approaching the tent wore dark armor. His pauldrons and cloak were dusted with fine snow and morning frost. His eyes were cold and stern, and his exceptionally handsome face carried the chill of frost and snow, making it difficult for others to look at him directly.
Upon seeing him, Gongsun Yin got straight to the point: “It seems Qingping County was targeted for revenge. The entire county has been massacred.”
Xie Zheng paused as he was taking off his cloak, “When did this happen?”
Gongsun Yin said, “The scouts just brought back the news. They say it was the work of bandits. The butcher’s daughter from Linan Town, surnamed Fan, was also captured by the bandits. I’ve been thinking it doesn’t seem quite right. The Crown Prince of Changxin hasn’t been found yet. Could this be his retaliation?”
Xie Zheng took a sword from the rack and headed out: “Prepare the horses. Select a hundred light cavalry to accompany me to Qingping County!”
It wasn’t until daybreak that Fan Changyu finally reached the main road. The bandits had long since lost her trail.
She had walked half the night in the snow with one bare foot. Now she was exhausted, and her head was throbbing, possibly due to catching a cold.
Fan Changyu cursed Sui Yuanqing a thousand times in her heart, vowing to take his life the next time they met.
Jizhou Prefecture was south of Qingping County. After leaving Qingping County, Mrs. Zhao and the others would surely go to Jizhou Prefecture to report to the authorities. If she also went to Jizhou Prefecture, she would likely encounter them.
Hearing the distant sound of wagon wheels, Fan Changyu knew that bandits either ambushed in groups or rode horses. It was unlikely to be just a single carriage, so she didn’t try to avoid it.
As the carriage approached, she glanced at it and noticed that although it didn’t look extravagant, its wheels seemed larger than those of ordinary carriages, making it ride smoothly over the snow. The shaft looked sturdy, and the canvas cover was made of a thick material she had never seen before.
Fan Changyu guessed this must be a carriage belonging to some wealthy family. After just a glance, she lowered her head and continued on her way.
The driver, noticing Fan Changyu’s barefoot, remarked to the passenger inside, “That young lady is truly fearless of the cold, walking on the road without shoes in this heavy snow.”
A slender, fair hand lifted the heavy curtain of the carriage. Light-colored eyes reflected the snowy mountain scenery of the official road and the barefoot woman walking along it. A voice said, “It seems she must have encountered some misfortune. Ask where she lives and offer her a ride.”
With the gentleman having spoken, the driver dared not disobey. He stopped the carriage and called out to Fan Changyu, “Young lady, where do you live? My master pities your difficult journey in the snow and is willing to give you a ride.”
Fan Changyu was aware that her current physical condition was not optimal. Her dislocated arm left untreated, had swollen, and her bare foot was numb with cold pain.
She didn’t try to act tough and said, “I want to go to the Jizhou Prefecture office.”
To report to the authorities.
The driver said, “That’s on our way. Come on up.”
After thanking them, Fan Changyu boarded the carriage.
As the curtain was lifted, a wave of warmth rushed out.
A young man in a light blue robe sat on the cushioned seat, reading a book. Though his robe had no patterns or embroidery, it exuded an air of “great simplicity.”
At first glance, Fan Changyu felt he was truly a scholar.
Unlike Song Yan’s self-righteousness or Yan Zheng’s casual and aloof manner, his eyebrows and eyes carried a gentle and peaceful demeanor. He was like a warm ray of sunlight suddenly breaking through the icy snow, inexplicably making people feel close to him.
Seeing Fan Changyu staring at him in a daze, the young man showed no impatience or mockery. He merely nodded politely to her. Noticing the snow on her collar and hair, he pushed the brazier towards her and handed her a cloak made of an incredibly soft material she couldn’t identify.
“Your shoes and socks are soaked through, miss. Please warm yourself up.”
Fan Changyu was aware of how disheveled she looked. Although the furnishings in the carriage appeared simple, they had an air of sophistication she couldn’t quite describe. She tried to sit as close to the door as possible and shook her head, saying, “Thank you, sir, but I’m not cold.”
The frost and snow on her head and eyelashes had melted in the warmth of the carriage, forming tiny water droplets that clung to her. She looked like a small leopard that had just emerged from the morning forest, covered in dew.
Having lost her aggressive demeanor, she now appeared somewhat bewildered, naive, and pitiful.
The young man thought she might be uncomfortable with him in the carriage. He closed his book and smiled warmly, “I’ve been sitting in the carriage for a while and it’s a bit stuffy. I’ll go outside for some fresh air.”
With that, he lifted the curtain and went to sit with the driver outside.
Fan Changyu stared at the swaying heavy curtain, momentarily stunned.
The warmth from the brazier finally brought some feeling back to her frozen hands and feet. She still didn’t take the cloak, instead folding it and placing it on the seat.
She only used the brazier to dry her clothes, which had been soaked by melted snow.
The deerskin wristguards on her hands became warm from the heat, making her entire wrist feel comfortably warm through her clothes.
With one hand dislocated, Fan Changyu found it inconvenient to remove the wristguards, and it would be difficult to put them back on, so she left them on while warming herself by the fire.
When she felt the wristguards becoming hot, she raised her hand to her cheek.
Remembering Yan Zheng’s words on the day he left, she felt an inexplicable tightness in her chest.
Just as her clothes were half-dry and she was about to invite the young man back in, the carriage suddenly came to a halt.
Fan Changyu heard the driver’s muffled groan and the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground. She immediately gripped the boning knife hidden on her person.
The sound of hoofbeats came from outside, followed by laughing voices: “We couldn’t find the woman who injured Fifth Boss, but we’ve stumbled upon a big fish instead.”
The young man was encountering such a situation for the first time. His voice carried a hint of panic, though his words remained composed: “Gentlemen, please don’t harm my servant’s life. You may take all the valuables in the carriage. If it’s not enough, I can write a letter home and have more money brought to you.”
Seeing him so compliant, the bandit robbers burst into laughter. “Good lad, you’re quite sensible!”
Several bandits immediately came forward to lift the curtain and inspect the carriage’s contents. Fearing they might recognize her, Fan Changyu had no choice but to put on the cloak that had been left on the seat.
She hoped that in the darkness of the previous night, with her face concealed by Sui Yuanqing’s cloak, these men wouldn’t remember her specific features.
However, before the curtain was lifted, Fan Changyu heard the sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh.
From outside came the young man’s furious questioning: “You… why did you kill him?”
The bandits laughed heartily: “You’re the only one worth keeping for ransom. Why should we brothers bother carrying a servant for you? If there were women in the carriage, we might take them back to our stronghold.”
As the bandit used his knife to lift the curtain, the person inside immediately kicked him, sending him flying several meters away.
The remaining bandits were startled by this sudden turn of events and didn’t react immediately.
Fan Changyu, wearing the cloak, leaped to the carriage shaft. She quickly cut the rope harnessing the horse with one slash of her knife. Then, stepping on the shaft, she landed on the horse’s back. With one hand tightly gripping the reins, she spurred the horse forward. As she passed the young man, she scooped him up by the waist onto the horse.
“It’s the woman who injured Fifth Boss, quick, after her!” The bandits, having recovered from their shock, pounced like hyenas.
The young man was inexperienced with horseback riding and nearly fell off. Fan Changyu shouted, “Grab onto my clothes!”
The young man was truly well-mannered. Even with his life in danger, he showed no impropriety. When Fan Changyu told him to grab her clothes, he indeed only clutched the fabric at her waist tightly, nearly falling off the horse several times.
Fan Changyu couldn’t spare the effort to hold onto him, so she grabbed his collar and laid him horizontally in front of her. Now the young man wouldn’t fall off the horse, but he felt like his stomach was about to turn inside out from the jostling.
The bandits behind them were in hot pursuit. At the three-way intersection ahead, another group of bandits came to block their path. Their leader was the scarred man. When the two groups of horsemen collided, they were momentarily stunned.
Fan Changyu noticed that most of the bandits in this new group were covered in blood and looked disheveled as if they had just been through a fierce battle.
Unable to guess who this group of bandits had fought with, she instinctively chose the only clear path to escape.
The group that had been chasing Fan Changyu caught up and, seeing the other group, asked, “Big Boss, why are you here too?”
The scarred man said with hatred, “Qingfeng Stronghold has been destroyed by government troops!”
The bandits chasing Fan Changyu were dumbfounded. “What should we do now?”
The scarred man said, “Catch that woman! The government troops are looking for the woman who injured Fifth Brother last night!”
As the two groups of bandits joined forces to chase her, Fan Changyu cursed silently, wondering why they were so determined to catch her as if she had desecrated their ancestors’ graves.
The official road stretched on ahead, ending at a ferry crossing.
In this freezing weather, only a small boat was docked at the crossing, with no boatman in sight.
Fan Changyu dismounted and, using her uninjured hand, dragged the young man onto the only boat on the ferry. Unable to operate the boat, she used the bamboo pole to push off from the shore, managing to move the boat a few meters from the bank before it stopped advancing.
When the bandits caught up, they didn’t care how cold the winter water was and jumped into the river like dumplings into boiling water.
Fan Changyu used the bamboo pole to fend them off, but there were too many bandits. Some managed to find gaps and grab onto the boat’s gunwale.
Xie Zheng had destroyed the Qingfeng Stronghold but didn’t find Fan Changyu there. After interrogating several bandits and learning that Fan Changyu hadn’t been captured the previous night, he led his cavalry to clear out the escaped bandits.
Pursuing them to this ferry crossing, he saw from afar a woman on the boat whose figure looked familiar. As he got closer, he confirmed it was indeed Fan Changyu! Before the burning anxiety in his heart could subside, he noticed she was desperately protecting a helpless scholar on the boat. Xie Zheng’s lips instantly tightened.
His guard caught up and, seeing Xie Zheng stop his horse, looked at the man and woman on the boat surrounded by bandits and said, “Marquis, those bandits seem to be trying to seize the boat.”
Xie Zheng said coldly, “Bring me a bow.”
His icy gaze, however, was fixed on the young man being protected by Fan Changyu on the boat.