Ming Shu crouched behind Lu Chang, carefully circling to the back of the building and moving along the outer wall toward the room where people were held.
She wasn’t sure whether she felt more worried and scared, or more excited and thrilled. She could only hear her heart pounding loudly, her blood seeming to burn through her body, the severe cold no longer affecting her. Yet Lu Chang’s silhouette was like a wall shielding her from wind and rain, mysteriously making her cast aside her fears while becoming increasingly excited.
Following the bandit’s drawn map, the two crouched beneath the window of that room. When Lu Chang turned his head, he saw Ming Shu’s bright eyes, like two small flames, suddenly reminding him of that little girl who had ventured into the haunted house. She had the same look in her eyes then.
What a fearless woman, he wondered how she developed such courage. Things that would make other young ladies weak in the knees, she actively sought out instead.
He pressed his palm against the back of her head, pulling her close to whisper instructions about what to be careful of.
Ming Shu listened intently, a faint licorice fragrance from her lips mixing with her breath as it drifted into Lu Chang’s hood.
He was momentarily distracted.
Ming Shu nodded firmly after hearing Lu Chang’s instructions.
Lu Chang quickly disappeared, leaving Ming Shu alone crouching in the bushes by the wall.
The snowy day was dark, making it difficult to tell time, but by her estimation, it was past the Hour of the Rooster. Besides the sound of wind and snow, there were no other noises. Ming Shu tucked in her neck, belatedly realizing it had grown colder than before.
According to Lu Chang’s plan, he would devise a way to lure the bandits away from the inn. Once they left, he would signal her, and she would then sneak into the inn to rescue the people.
Until then, she could only wait here.
As time passed, her palms grew increasingly sweaty, but outside remained completely silent without any movement. The medicine ball in her mouth had dissolved into her saliva and been swallowed, its taste already gone, yet Lu Chang had still not given the signal. She didn’t know if he had made his move or not.
After so long, could he have been captured? Or perhaps he’d encountered danger?
Ming Shu grew more worried as she thought—how dangerous was it to lure away the bandits? She shouldn’t have let him take such a risk alone.
Though he usually seemed mature and steady, acting as a pillar of support for her and Madam Zeng, these days she had grown so accustomed to his care that she forgot Lu Chang was just a young scholar barely twenty, not much older than herself.
This realization made her even more concerned.
Suddenly, the sound of horses whinnying and crying out in confusion came from outside. The horses in the eastern stable had somehow been set free and rushed into the courtyard. The inn quickly erupted in chaos. The bandits keeping watch in the courtyard cursed a few times and seemed to give chase. Soon after, flames and explosions arose in the forest, and the inn’s door opened as the bandits hurriedly came out.
Amidst the chaos, Ming Shu heard a bandit ask: “Gao Fu, what happened?”
“The Zhenshan Gang also has their eyes on this escort. They sent people to scout, and Ninth Brother discovered them and gave chase.”
A familiar deep voice spoke up but with an accent unfamiliar to Ming Shu.
“Damn it all! Those turtle eggs from Zhenshan Gang dare try to steal my goods? Brothers, follow me!”
A rough voice rang out, followed by the sound of blades and footsteps. It seemed the bandits had left the inn to give chase, and the courtyard quickly fell silent again.
Lu Chang still hadn’t given her the signal.
Ming Shu pondered, feeling something wasn’t right.
Gao Fu? Wasn’t that the man Lu Chang had just knocked unconscious?
After thinking for a moment, she gritted her teeth and cursed silently—
“You sneaky Lu Chang!”
The bandits had all rushed out, leaving only two men guarding the captives, sitting in front of the door drinking wine. The inn was a mess, with dim firelight flickering from the wind blowing through the door. Someone came in and quickly closed the door.
The guards looked up, but the light was poor and the person wore a thick hood, making their appearance unclear.
“Who is it?” One stood up and demanded.
“You don’t recognize me?” The person walked closer.
“It’s Gao Fu.” The other guard recognized his clothes and patted his companion’s shoulder, “Keep drinking.”
The person walked to these two men’s side and quickly struck out while they were drinking.
The two collapsed instantly, and the person rushed straight into the room where people were held, pulling down his hood to reveal a handsome face.
Who else could it be but Lu Chang?
After separating from Ming Shu, he first moved Madam Zeng’s carriage to a hidden spot and then returned to the inn. Thanks to the blizzard, the bandits outside also wore hoods, so he changed into Gao Fu’s clothes and put on a hood. In the dark chaos, he could pass unnoticed. He then tied some emergency firecrackers to a horse’s tail, released the horses to draw away Ninth Brother, then deceived them by claiming another gang coveted the escort’s goods, causing all the bandits to rush out before he sneaked in to rescue people.
As for Ming Shu, she was probably still waiting stupidly outside the window.
Lu Chang hadn’t meant to deceive Ming Shu, and he had considered letting her help with the rescue.
As Ming Shu had said, having one person lure away the bandits while another sneaked in to rescue people was the best plan.
The words had been on the tip of his tongue, but he still couldn’t say them.
He didn’t want her to face danger, but with her temperament she wouldn’t easily give up, so he could only trick her into hiding in the bushes outside, letting her wait safely for a signal.
Of course, he had no intention of giving that signal.
He could already imagine Ming Shu’s fury when she discovered the truth, but anger was better than losing her life. He still planned to take her to the capital, get her fine clothes, and let her return to being the Young Lady she used to be.
The room wasn’t very secure, as the bandits probably hadn’t planned to stay long. The windows weren’t sealed, just closed. The room was stuffy with a musty smell, and many people lay bound hand and foot on the floor.
Lu Chang crouched next to the nearest person, felt around their waist for a moment, and indeed found the antidotes these people carried. He quickly took them out to feed to this person. After saving one, he was about to stand when he suddenly felt tension in his back. His instinct for danger suddenly ran up his spine, and he whirled around to find a long sword sweeping down at his head.
It turned out that when the bandits reached outside the inn, they felt it was too quiet and sent one person back. This person entered the inn to find their guard companions unconscious, so he quietly entered the room, leading to this dangerous moment.
Cold sweat broke out as Lu Chang rolled to the side.
Crash!
The sword didn’t fall. Instead, he heard the sound of breaking pottery by his ear.
The sword-wielding bandit’s eyes closed as he collapsed, his sword clattering to the ground, revealing Ming Shu standing behind him, her hand still frozen in midair, with a broken wine jar on the floor.
Lu Chang was also stunned—that sword strike had been deadly. Without Ming Shu, even if he had dodged, his arm wouldn’t have been spared.
“Gao Fu? Hmm?” Ming Shu came to her senses, indeed looking furious, her tone hostile.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. She had played the role of the oriole this time.
Lu Chang knew she was clever but hadn’t expected her to be so quick-witted, figuring out so fast that he was impersonating Gao Fu.
He was about to say something when Ming Shu glared at him fiercely: “Save people first, we’ll settle accounts later.”
With those words, she turned to rescue people. Lu Chang knew he was in the wrong and said nothing more, splitting up with her to save people.
By the third person, Ming Shu had used up her medicine balls. She copied Lu Chang’s actions and began searching this person’s body, planning to find their antidote to save the fourth person.
But after searching everywhere, she couldn’t find any antidote in the waist or sleeve pouches, so she started to lift this person’s clothes—
“Young lady… what are you touching…”
A mumbled voice startled Ming Shu. Looking down, she discovered this person was uniquely gifted—though the medicine had only been given moments ago, he was already showing signs of waking, half-asleep, and smacking his lips as if amid an intimate dream. Ming Shu was about to withdraw her hand when this person, still dreaming, suddenly grabbed her hand and pressed it to his chest.
“Young lady, such soft hands…”
He was still sleep-talking, but Ming Shu was already furious. She raised her hand and slapped him across the face.
Looking like a proper person but having such vulgar dreams—he must be no good!
The slap shocked his eyes wide open, shattering his endless beautiful dream. He woke completely, holding his cheek with its hand-shaped mark while staring dumbly at Ming Shu.
Lu Chang was startled by the noise and looked over. Ming Shu complained: “He grabbed my hand!”
“I did not!” The man was shocked by Lu Chang’s gaze and immediately tried to explain, regardless of the current situation.
Lu Chang’s gaze grew cold as he said: “If you don’t want to die, hurry and wake your companions. The bandits will be back soon.”
The man finally realized all his companions were lying on the ground and immediately jumped up, exclaiming: “What happened here? I remember… we encountered a blizzard, stayed at the inn, ate some food… the food! The food was drugged!”
Once awake, his mind worked quickly, understanding without Lu Chang and Ming Shu’s explanation.
“Now that you know, hurry and save people!” Ming Shu genuinely disliked him, her tone hostile.
“Alright.” He nodded while removing an ornament from his waist, and without using the antidote, he began holding it near the noses of the people on the ground.
Though Ming Shu didn’t know martial world customs, she could recognize treasures.
“A Golden Cage Ice Toad?”
This person had quite a background.
The Golden Cage Ice Toad was a round cage made of gold wire, used to preserve special incense made from dried Tianshan ice toads. This incense could only be stored in pure gold and had unique detoxifying properties.
Ordinary wealthy families couldn’t afford such an item.
“Young lady is knowledgeable.” The man smiled while continuing to save people.
The Golden Cage Ice Toad’s medicinal properties were much stronger than ordinary medicine balls. Just one whiff and the people on the ground began to wake.
“The bandits are back,” Lu Chang suddenly said.
Footsteps could be heard outside the inn—the bandits had realized they were tricked and had returned.
Fortunately, seven or eight out of ten escort guards had awakened, forming quite a number, each grabbing weapons and preparing for battle. Seeing an imminent fierce fight, Lu Chang pulled Ming Shu over and pushed open a window.
“It’s dangerous inside. Find a place to hide outside.”
Before Ming Shu could answer, Lu Chang didn’t hesitate or mind male-female propriety, directly gripping her arms and lifting her onto the window sill like a child.
Ming Shu sat on the window sill, not yet having reacted.
Lu Chang was well acquainted with her temperament. Taking advantage of her daze, he grabbed her legs and tossed her out the window.
And so Ming Shu was reoriented and thrown out of the room.
She had no martial arts skills and would only be a burden inside. Even without Lu Chang’s reminder, she would have hidden, but his method angered her.
Though angry, she could do nothing about Lu Chang, who had already disappeared from the window. Fighting sounds came from the room, so she could only find a large tree to hide behind, staying concealed with bated breath.
Firelight blazed through the window, with shadows crossing and shifting, making her heart pound. Suddenly, a spray of blood splattered on the window paper, startling her into covering her mouth. The fighting quickly spread from the room to the courtyard, with sounds of combat everywhere. Ming Shu forced herself to stay calm in hiding.
After some time, she suddenly heard a “bang” as someone was knocked through the window, rolling far until hitting the tree where Ming Shu hid. Her luck was bad—it was a bandit who, seeing she wasn’t an ally, immediately raised his sword to strike without a word. Ming Shu ducked and barely avoided the blow, her heart nearly stopping. She forgot all sense of direction and ran.
Fighting people were everywhere, with flickering blades making her dizzy. She wanted to find another safe place to hide but couldn’t spot anywhere suitable in her hurry, with someone pursuing her. Just as she was at her wit’s end, someone grabbed her wrist amid the chaos.
“Didn’t I tell you to hide properly!” Lu Chang appeared angrily, holding a long sword from somewhere, blood dripping from its blade.
Ming Shu felt wronged—no matter how well she hid, she couldn’t defeat a bandit falling from the sky.
Neither had a chance for more words as blade light flashed behind them, with someone roaring: “You son of a turtle, take my blade!”
It sounded like Ninth Brother.
The blade wind stirred up snow powder, making it difficult for Ming Shu to keep her eyes open. She could only follow Lu Chang, dodging left and right, trying to escape the battlefield. But Ninth Brother kept pursuing Lu Chang relentlessly, probably having recognized how Lu Chang had deceived him and determined to kill him.
The two retreated outside the inn, and Ninth Brother noticed Ming Shu was Lu Chang’s weakness. He directed every strike at her to pressure Lu Chang. Lu Chang’s martial skills were evenly matched with his, but having Ming Shu to protect put him at a constant disadvantage. Before long, he was wounded and lost his sword. Both were forced onto a mountain path.
A diagonal strike came as Ninth Brother grinned viciously, intending to take Ming Shu’s life. Seeing that if this continued, Ming Shu would be in danger and his strength was nearly exhausted, Lu Chang violently pushed Ming Shu away. After dodging Ninth Brother’s blade, he rushed in to wrap his arms around Ninth Brother’s waist, rolling to the side—and suddenly disappeared without a sound.
Ming Shu came to her senses and hurriedly took two steps forward, almost losing her footing. She stopped abruptly.
Below her feet was a cliff.
The snowstorm was too heavy and the night too dark for anyone to see that the other side of the mountain path was a cliff.
With that roll, both men fell silently down the cliff.
Ming Shu stared at the cliff that seemed like a bottomless abyss, crouching down as scenes of her time with Lu Chang these past days flashed through her mind. Grief suddenly crushed her heart.
“Elder… Brother…”
After this cry escaped her lips, everything that had been unbelievable before seemed to make perfect sense.
“Elder Brother—”
She screamed at the cliff until her throat was raw.
Author’s Note: Gao Fu: I’m already “Gao Fu” (High Fortune), couldn’t you add “Shuai” (Handsome)?
Author: Go get your death benefits, you’re being too dramatic…
PS: Ah, running out of stored chapters.