Pang Xiao’s pupils suddenly contracted as he gritted his teeth and swung his scabbard, deflecting an axe that a commoner had already raised to strike before his eyes. In his heart, he cursed that despicable villain—first using Qin Yining’s compassion to get her to rescue him, thus getting close to her, then after figuring out the details, planning other schemes! Why wasn’t this person struck down by heavenly thunder and lightning!
In his fury, Pang Xiao roared loudly: “All of you, stop! Move again and you’ll all be charged with treason and rebellion! You may not care about life and death, but don’t you care about your parents and families at home either!”
While Pang Xiao was negotiating with the commoners on this side, Qin Yining had already been carried by the young man as they cut a bloody path through the encirclement.
Qin Yining was covered in splattered blood, but she wasn’t injured at all.
The young man’s face was pale, his deep blue cloth garments torn with knife marks everywhere. The strong scent of blood surrounded him—clearly he had sustained serious injuries.
Apart from those commoners who remained at the original location, still surrounding the government office to force Pang Xiao to write a guarantee, many whose family members had been wounded or killed by the young man pursued them with burning hatred, as if they wanted to tear Qin Yining and the young man to pieces.
The young man was lame, yet he ran extremely fast while carrying Qin Yining. When no one was blocking them, he twisted the bamboo knife back into the bamboo staff and tucked it under his right armpit, using his uninjured left hand to pull Qin Yining along, practically carrying her so fast her feet barely touched the ground.
Qin Yining’s heart was full of complex emotions. How could she be so foolish? Saving people was a good deed, yet she had saved someone who was such a master without even realizing it?
Perhaps this person didn’t need anyone to save him at all—she had just been meddling unnecessarily…
The chaos of the crowd grew more distant, but the pursuing footsteps showed no sign of relaxing. The young man carried Qin Yining as they ran frantically, winding through the county town in every direction, finally finding a hiding place behind a pile of debris in a narrow alley.
This place was already far from the government office—they could barely hear the noisy shouting, only the intermittent barking of startled dogs.
The young man gripped Qin Yining’s hand, positioning her behind him as both crouched tightly against the wall, using a pile of firewood and bamboo baskets as cover.
From Qin Yining’s angle, she could clearly see the young man’s back, wounded beyond recognition by swords and blades.
These wounds were almost all inflicted by Jingzhe and the others when they fought desperately to rescue her. Those commoners were no match at all for the young man’s bamboo blade.
He was completely unguarded against her.
Qin Yining had a dagger in her hand. She could immediately plunge the dagger into the young man’s heart from behind.
Yet watching the young man’s tense body, alert like a wary beast staring at the alley entrance, his left hand still instinctively protecting her, his back wounds still bleeding continuously, Qin Yining suddenly understood something.
Could this person be trying to save her?
He was an uncivilized savage, both deaf and mute, unable to understand what the commoners were saying. He only saw that someone wanted to capture her, someone was trying to touch her.
With his martial skills, three silver-masked secret agents combined wouldn’t be his match, and this was while one of his arms and one leg were disabled. For this person to escape from Xiao Xue’s presence would have been far too easy.
Since he couldn’t hear and didn’t understand proper conduct, returning to Danfu County and seeing her surrounded and attacked by so many commoners, with people trying to molest her, if he had a heart to repay kindness, he would certainly rush forward to protect her.
And now he was covered in wounds while she remained completely unharmed—not even a strand of hair had been lost. Apart from getting somewhat dirty, she had no problems at all.
Qin Yining usually observed people’s actions rather than caring about what others said—she only needed to see what people actually did.
This young man couldn’t speak, yet through his actions he had brought her out of the violent mob’s encirclement, fighting desperately and using his body to shield her, not letting her suffer even the slightest injury.
He was like a desperate yet vigilant wild dog, baring his fangs, fighting with all his might to protect her.
Qin Yining didn’t know if she was overthinking, but based on the current situation, this was the conclusion she reached.
If the young man wanted to kidnap her, he had already had many opportunities to do so when they first met—she had been completely unguarded then.
Since he didn’t do it then, it meant he wasn’t planning to kidnap her.
Moreover, she had already appeared in public and been pursued by so many angry commoners. If she left the young man now and was captured by those men with ill intentions, the consequences would be unthinkable!
Thinking of this, Qin Yining made up her mind—she couldn’t leave the young man. For now, she would follow him, escape the danger first, and make long-term plans later.
At this moment, a series of mixed footsteps came from outside the alley, with someone shouting loudly: “I saw with my own eyes that they ran this way!”
“Damn it, when we catch that wolf cub we’ll definitely chop him up and feed him to the dogs!”
“Right, catch him—I want to avenge my big brother!”
…
The hateful curses gradually faded with the footsteps, but Qin Yining didn’t dare move or make any sound.
The young man remained tense, his left hand having gripped Qin Yining’s wrist, maintaining the same position without moving.
Before long, the footsteps returned.
“Could it be they’re really not here? Did they go that way?”
“Let’s go! Go check!”
A group of people carrying torches and weapons ran off in another direction.
Then the young man’s left hand gripping Qin Yining’s wrist tightened, and carrying the bamboo staff, he led her toward the alley entrance.
The two reached the street and ran forward with all their might.
Qin Yining was truly grateful that her physical strength was decent and that she hadn’t grown up with her birth parents, retaining her natural feet. If she had bound three-inch golden lotus feet, wouldn’t she have been caught long ago?
“Over there!”
A loud shout came from far behind them.
Qin Yining’s heart jumped as she suddenly turned back to see an ocean of torches connected together pursuing in their direction.
The young man gripped Qin Yining’s wrist without the slightest relaxation, continuing to run frantically.
At this time, the entire Danfu County had been awakened by this incident.
The three major families of Danfu County accounted for seventy to eighty percent of the county’s population. This time when conscripting laborers, their losses were the greatest, so naturally they were the ones leading the trouble at the government office entrance, and they sent the most people.
But who could have expected that Prince Zhongshun hadn’t harmed anyone, yet this “wolf cub” who had eaten dog food and pig slop in their county for four years had drawn his blade—and he turned out to be such a formidable person.
Whether main branches or side branches, the three major families together had casualties exceeding a hundred people.
How could they possibly let the killer go?
Thus, Qin Yining and the young man encountered pursuers continuously along their route, and everyone came with the intention of capturing them to cut them into a thousand pieces for revenge.
The young man led Qin Yining toward the outskirts, barely shaking off the pursuers before hiding in a grove of trees.
In the darkness, the forest was full of shadows everywhere. Between the twisted branches and dense shrubs, there was a sinister and terrifying feeling. The young man led Qin Yining up a steep slope, hiding her behind a clump of bushes while he remained in front of her.
Now far from the city and in the mountains, the bloody scent on the young man became even more intense.
Qin Yining knew he was severely injured—because of running, his wounds had been bleeding continuously. She frowned and gently touched the young man’s shoulder.
The young man turned to look at her, and meeting Qin Yining’s gaze, he lowered his head.
Knowing he couldn’t hear or speak, Qin Yining gestured toward the wounds on his back.
The young man looked at her for a long moment, then shook his head.
Qin Yining sighed helplessly. When she came out, she had brought a dagger and silver notes, and had specifically tucked away various small medicine packets made by Bingtang. Now they could come in handy.
She took out a medicine packet and was about to take action when she suddenly heard footsteps coming from down the mountain. The firelight gradually brightened, and Qin Yining’s expression grew serious as she put the medicine packet away.
Those pursuing them simply wouldn’t give them a chance to rest and apply medicine.
“Search! They must be nearby!”
“Right, catch that wolf cub—we must flay him alive!”
“And that woman too—when we catch her, we’ll definitely teach her a good lesson. They’re all running dogs who harm us common people!”
…
A group of people cursed as they formed a wide encirclement, step by step climbing up the mountain.
Qin Yining’s expression grew grave. If this continued, they would definitely be caught.
The young man turned back, pushing Qin Yining’s shoulder to hide her deeper in the bushes. Qin Yining frowned as she was pressed directly into the shrubs, her long hair caught and tangled by branches, her clothes torn by thorns.
The young man pursed his lips looking at her, patted her arm, nodded heavily, then turned and ran away.
Qin Yining was stunned, immediately understanding his intention.
This person wanted to lead the pursuers away!
Qin Yining wanted to call him back. But she knew shouting would be useless because the young man couldn’t hear!
Watching the young man run away, she soon heard curses and shouts of fighting, followed by screams.
Qin Yining frowned tightly. Only after the time it takes to burn a stick of incense did the sounds of fighting completely cease.
Then, the distinctive uneven footsteps of a lame person approached chaotically. Qin Yining emerged from the bushes to see the young man leaning on his bamboo staff, stumbling toward her.
The pursuers from down the mountain had completely fallen silent.
So many people… all killed?
“You…” Qin Yining no longer knew what to say.
This person was unlike anyone she had ever encountered.
To call him vicious—he clearly didn’t need to care about her, yet because of the kindness of one full meal, he charged into the crowd to carry her away from the violent mob’s encirclement, bringing trouble upon himself and covering himself in wounds, yet never abandoning her, protecting her completely without letting her suffer even the slightest injury.
But to say he wasn’t vicious—when he killed people, he showed no hesitation. It seemed that in his eyes, human lives were like ant lives. When he killed people, it was like stepping on ants while walking—he felt no guilt at all. Killing people seemed like a daily routine for him. His blade was fast as a phantom, and even with one disabled arm and leg, he still possessed such excellent martial skills, which was enough to prove this point.
This person had been abused in Danfu County for four years, living like a useless beggar, eating pig slop and dog food, never thinking of resistance.
But why did he take the initiative to get involved this time? Was the truth really as she had guessed?
Previously, Qin Yining didn’t believe this person was a murderer, but seeing his demeanor now, she believed it.
But such a person, who would risk his life to repay her for treating him to one meal—why would he kill the wife of the great benefactor who had originally saved him?
Everything about this was full of suspicious circumstances.