Chapter 46: A Sudden Turn of Events. Mianmian, Don’t Cry.

Su Zhenyue’s eyes lit up, and she nodded emphatically. “Mm, you’re the best, Cousin.”

Seeing her so happy, Shen Ji also smiled faintly, his gaze lowering to their clasped hands.

Su Zhenyue then realized she was still holding his hand. A little embarrassed, she hastily let go and took a few steps forward.

Shen Ji chuckled, then deliberately sighed. “Alas, so this is what ‘you’re the best, Cousin’ gets me.”

“Let’s go.” Su Zhenyue’s cheeks were slightly red as she gave him a gentle push. “Let’s go tell Ping An and the others.”

“Mm.”

Having finally spotted a Postal Station, Ping An had been all set to rest there. He didn’t expect Miss Su to suddenly speak up and stop them, and he certainly didn’t expect that after she pulled the Young Master aside to say something, the Young Master would actually agree.

Shen Ji cupped his hands in a salute to the station master and said politely, “I must continue on my journey, so I won’t be staying the night.”

“It’s so late, Your Excellency. Won’t you rest your feet?” the station master asked, puzzled.

“No, we won’t. The journey is urgent.” Shen Ji didn’t explain further and swung back onto his horse.

Su Zhenyue also walked back to the carriage. As she passed the station master, she glimpsed the white hair at his temples and then glanced at the lantern in his hand.

An idea struck her, and she said in a low voice, “Station Master, the weather is dry. You must be careful with fire.”

If a fire could truly be avoided, that would be for the best.

The station master was taken aback for a moment. “Ah, yes. Thank you for the reminder, Miss.”

The night was heavy as the group continued on their way.

Ping An felt wronged and stifled. His bed, his quilt, his hot water, his meal… gone, all gone.

Miss Su was truly strange, passing up a perfectly good Postal Station to insist on traveling onward.

And the Young Master, too, had no backbone at all. Miss Su had only said a few words to him, and he’d changed his mind.

It would have been one thing if there were no Postal Station, but to have one right there and not enter was another matter entirely.

Ping An was fuming, but he couldn’t very well vent at anyone, nor could he bear to whip his horse, so he just cracked his whip in the air with loud snaps.

Shen Ji glanced at him. “Ping An, what are you doing?”

Ping An snorted heavily, having a rare fit of pique. “I’m not doing anything. Just hurrying along.”

“Didn’t you want to camp in the wild before? Now you’ve gotten your wish. Aren’t you happy?” Shen Ji deliberately teased him.

“Hmph—” Ping An grew even more annoyed and turned his head to the side.

He decided he wouldn’t speak to any of them for the next hour.

Listening from the carriage, Su Zhenyue felt quite sorry for him. She lifted the curtain and asked in a gentle voice, “Ping An, would you like some water?”

“No.” This doesn’t count as talking to them, Ping An reasoned. It would be impolite not to answer.

Su Zhenyue continued, “It was my idea not to stay at the Postal Station. I was worried it wouldn’t be safe inside. If you’re thirsty or tired, we can take a break.”

Ping An’s lips moved, but he said nothing.

He really couldn’t imagine what could be unsafe about an official government Postal Station. An Inn, maybe, you could worry about it being a den of thieves. But a Postal Station, officially built by the imperial court—what could possibly be unsafe about it?

But he only thought these words, he didn’t say them out loud.

Although he was somewhat displeased with Miss Su’s actions this time, it didn’t change his overall impression of her.

He mumbled sullenly, “Mm, got it.”

Yinma Post Station.

The station master carried his lantern back inside the station.

The moment he entered, someone grabbed him and dragged him forward. “Why didn’t you keep those people here?”

The one who grabbed him was an extremely tall man wearing a bamboo hat, his face hidden in its shadow.

The station master’s face paled. “My lord, it’s not that I didn’t try to keep them. They insisted on leaving themselves.”

“Leaving? Why did they leave?”

The station master hesitated slightly, then said tremblingly, “Perhaps… perhaps they sensed danger, so they turned back the way they came?”

“Turned back? Do you take me for a fool?”

The station master’s voice trembled as he corrected himself. “No, no, this lowly one misspoke. They went forward.”

“Hmph, for hundreds of miles in either direction, this is the only Postal Station. There isn’t even a single Inn. Day or night, what passing official doesn’t rest here? And you’re telling me they left without even stopping? What ‘sensed danger’? You must have tipped them off!” As he spoke, he raised his hand and slapped the man across the face.

The station master took a blow to the face, staggered, and nearly fell. He couldn’t help but defend himself. “My lord, you’ve wronged me! This lowly one truly did not!”

The man kicked him. “You’d better not have,” he said in a sinister tone. “If you mess up the esteemed one’s business, you can just wash your neck and wait.”

“This lowly one wouldn’t dare, wouldn’t dare.”

Another man, also wearing a bamboo hat, emerged from the darkness and asked in a low voice, “My lord, what do we do now? Further north is the territory of Youzhou, the Prince of Yan’s domain.”

“What do we do?” The man pondered for a moment. “Chase them down, kill them all, and drag them back here to burn. It’s all the same.”

“Yes.” The subordinate agreed, then asked, “Which direction should we pursue?”

He had been listening earlier, and the sounds had clearly seemed to be heading forward. But this station master had said one moment they were turning back, and the next that they were going forward. It was entirely possible that those people had sensed something was amiss and used a feint.

The man had also considered this. After a moment’s thought, he said, “Split into two teams. One team heads south, one team heads north. We must succeed tonight.”

“Yes.”

Tonight, the moonlight was bright and clear.

Ping An had been sulking, but his anger came and went quickly.

After traveling in the dark for about another half-hour, his anger had mostly dissipated. He asked curiously, “Young Master, where are we going to camp?”

Shen Ji surveyed the nearby terrain. “Let’s stop here. This area is sparsely populated, so there might be wild animals. You and I will take turns keeping watch.”

“Alright.” Ping An nodded, then asked, “Young Master, should we build a fire?”

Before Shen Ji could answer, his expression suddenly changed. “Someone’s coming. A lot of them.”

Ping An froze, listening intently. “They’re on horseback.”

As if to confirm their words, the sound of horse hooves grew deafening, thundering like a stampede from far to near.

In an instant, the area was lit up by a sea of firelight as a group of men on horseback, holding torches, arrived before them.

In the flickering light, Shen Ji saw them clearly.

There were about a dozen of them, dressed in black, wearing bamboo hats, and with black cloths covering their faces, completely obscuring their features.

The leader, on horseback, spoke: “Shen Ji of Qingzhou?”

Shen Ji didn’t answer. His hand rested on the longsword at his waist, his expression grim. “Who are you?”

“The ones who are sending you to see the King of Hell.”

With that, he raised his saber and swung.

Shen Ji reacted swiftly, leaning to the side. With a slight movement of his right hand, a sleeve arrow shot out.

—He had started wearing it after the encounter with the bandits on Yaowang Mountain in Shuochuan County. It was meant for emergencies, and he hadn’t expected to use it so soon.

The sleeve arrow shot straight for the man’s throat.

The man died instantly and fell from his horse.

The first success was easy, but the second would be much harder.

This group of black-clothed men of unknown origin were highly skilled, even more so than the ones Shen Ji had fought at the suburban estate. Their weapons varied—sabers, swords, or feathered arrows.

Every move was a killing blow.

Shen Ji didn’t dare to be careless, focusing all his energy on dealing with them.

Meanwhile, Ping An fired off several crossbow bolts in succession.

They couldn’t afford to drag this out. The anesthetic had a time limit; they had to end this quickly.

Unfortunately, their opponents were numerous. Several of them surrounded Shen Ji, while the others went straight for the carriage.

When had Nanxing ever seen such a scene? Her face turned pale with fright, but she still shielded Su Zhenyue.

Su Zhenyue quickly fastened a sleeve arrow mechanism to Nanxing’s wrist. “Use this. I’ve taught you how.”

—Back at the Jing An Marquis Estate, in order to get closer to Shen Ji, she had studied the design and use of sleeve arrows and had even shown Nanxing and Doukou several times.

“Yes,” Nanxing answered, her voice trembling.

Just as she spoke, with a clang, the carriage was struck, and the curtain was sliced clean off.

A man in black was already upon them, saber raised.

“Watch out!” Seeing this, Shen Ji’s heart clenched. While fending off his own opponents, he flicked his left hand, and a sleeve arrow shot out.

In that moment of distraction, he was careless and took a slash from a saber. He let out a muffled grunt and continued to fight.

Seeing the sleeve arrow coming, the man in black reacted quickly, turning and swinging his saber to block Shen Ji’s shot.

Seizing the opportunity, Su Zhenyue twisted the ring on her hand. From the golden bracelet, a short dart shot out instantly.

This type of dart had a very short range and little power. But the man in black was close to her and hadn’t expected a surprise attack from a seemingly delicate woman.

The dart struck the man’s throat, and blood gushed out.

The man in black clutched his neck and collapsed.

Su Zhenyue’s body trembled, her mind a complete blank.

I think I killed someone…

I actually killed someone.

But she had no time to dwell on the fact that she had killed someone, because another man in black was charging over.

At that moment, her mind was empty of all thoughts except one: Survive. I don’t want to die here.

…

Shen Ji stood by the carriage, his longsword a blur of impenetrable defense, occasionally firing off a couple of surprise arrows.

Ping An, meanwhile, used his agility to dodge while firing his crossbow.

Thanks to the anesthetic on the arrows, they proved to be quite effective at critical moments.

The only pity was that it wasn’t poison, so it couldn’t kill on contact with blood, and its effects were limited.

After a fierce battle, they finally dealt with the men in black, but both Shen Ji and Ping An were injured.

Only Su Zhenyue and Nanxing, hiding in the carriage, were relatively safe.

“Young Master!” Ping An clutched a wound on his shoulder, his face ashen.

Shen Ji paid no mind to his own injuries and immediately ordered, “Quick, finish them off!”

From tonight’s exchange, he could basically deduce who had sent these men, so there was no need to ask. Several of them had only been knocked unconscious by the arrows; if they woke up, none of his group would survive.

“Yes.” Not daring to be careless, Ping An picked up a saber from the ground, clenched his jaw, and finished them off one by one with exceptional efficiency.

The carriage curtain had been cut down. Nanxing saw everything clearly, her face deathly pale, her lips trembling.

Su Zhenyue was also dumbstruck, gripping Nanxing’s hand tightly, not saying a word.

“Are you two alright?” Shen Ji asked, approaching them worriedly.

—Although he had done his best to protect the carriage, some men had still broken through. Thankfully, they hadn’t been fatally wounded.

“We’re fine.” Su Zhenyue shook her head, then her expression changed drastically. “Cousin, your injuries!”

Under the moonlight, she could see clearly that Shen Ji had distinct bloody gashes on his chest and waist.

Since she had known him, she had seen Shen Ji fight several times. Though there were close calls, he had always handled them with ease. This was the first time she had seen him and Ping An injured.

“The wounds are not serious. We need to leave this place as soon as possible.” Shen Ji tore a strip from his robe and quickly bandaged his wounds.

Su Zhenyue nodded frantically. A thought faintly formed in her mind: the things in her dream might not be entirely correct.

Perhaps in that long dream, Shen Ji hadn’t died because of a fire at the Postal Station, but because someone wanted him dead, which led to the fire at the station.

That must be it.

Heavens, why hadn’t she thought of that before?

But who wanted him dead?

Su Zhenyue’s body trembled uncontrollably.

Suddenly, Ping An, who was finishing off the men, swayed and fell to the ground.

The next moment, he exclaimed in alarm, “Young Master, there are more horses behind us. I don’t know if they’re coming for us.”

When he fell just now, as he was about to get up, his ear was pressed to the ground, and he heard the sound of distant hoofbeats, clearly heading in their direction.

But now, their group was either injured or weak, and the horses were exhausted. They had even used up most of their anesthetic-coated crossbow bolts in the fight.

If they were really coming for them, then…

Shen Ji’s expression was grave. He said directly, “Forget the carriage. We’ll ride their horses and run.”

“Alright.”

After a moment’s thought, Shen Ji added, “Drive our carriage and horse north. Make the tracks obvious. We’ll ride west.”

Ping An knew this was to create a diversion.

Nanxing quickly retrieved the official documents and valuables from the carriage.

Though reluctant, Ping An still took his dagger and stabbed the horse harnessed to the carriage hard on its back.

The horse, in pain, bolted north like a mad thing, crashing through everything in its path.

Nanxing couldn’t ride, and Su Zhenyue’s equestrian skills were average at best. So, the four of them took two horses and rode west under the cover of night.

The black-clothed men’s horses were exceptionally fine steeds. Even carrying two people, they were not slow at all.

After fleeing for about forty-five minutes, there was still no sign of pursuit.

Su Zhenyue let out a small sigh of relief. Perhaps the diversion had worked, and those people had gone elsewhere. Or perhaps they weren’t after them at all. In any case, the current situation was in their favor.

But soon, she sensed something was wrong. Something seemed to be soaking her clothes from behind, and the night wind carried a thick scent of blood.

Then, a weight settled on her shoulder.

It was Shen Ji, resting his head on her shoulder.

Turning to look, she saw his face was ashen, his eyes tightly shut, and his breathing was exceptionally faint.

Su Zhenyue’s heart tightened. “Cousin!”

Shen Ji forced his eyes open and smiled at her. “I’m fine, just a minor injury…”

However, after just those few words, he closed his eyes again.

“Cousin, Cousin!”

Shen Ji didn’t move. He had already fainted.

How could this make Su Zhenyue believe it was a minor injury?

Her nose stung, and she was both panicked and terrified. She turned her head to look at Ping An. “Ping An, Cousin’s injuries are very serious.”

Ping An didn’t answer either.

Ping An’s sleeve was almost entirely dyed red, his arm hanging limply, with only his left hand holding the reins firmly.

As if on cue, the moon hid behind the clouds, and a drizzling rain began to fall.

Su Zhenyue’s heart was in turmoil. “Cousin, Ping An…”

She knew very well that they should stop immediately to treat their injuries. They couldn’t keep traveling, let alone be out in the rain.

But in the middle of nowhere, fearing that pursuers might catch up, she was at a complete loss. She prayed silently: Father, Mother, please protect me. Gods and Bodhisattvas, please show me a way.

“Miss, look quickly! There seems to be a temple over there!” Nanxing suddenly pointed ahead.

Just then, a bolt of lightning lit up the sky.

Su Zhenyue did indeed see a dark silhouette of a Dragon King Temple not far ahead.

This must be fate, she thought, a sign from the heavens. In an instant, she made a decision.

“Nanxing, let’s go there to take shelter from the rain.”

“Alright.”

The Dragon King Temple wasn’t far, but it took them a great deal of effort to reach it.

Su Zhenyue supported Shen Ji, and Nanxing supported Ping An, as they staggered into the temple. Only when they reached the entrance did they realize it was an abandoned, dilapidated temple, with cobwebs hanging from the plaque above the door.

But they couldn’t be picky now. A ruined temple with no one around might even be better.

But just as she helped the men to the entrance of the main hall, a sharp blade was pointed at her neck. “Who goes there?!”

Then, with a click, the sound of a flint being struck, the place was instantly illuminated.

Su Zhenyue had never imagined that there would be people in this dilapidated temple in the middle of nowhere, and more than one!

The ancient statue of the Dragon King was mottled with age, its fierce expression tinged with an eerie strangeness. And in the southwest corner of the main hall, there were seven or eight men, some standing, some sitting, some lying on the ground.

With a sharp blade at her neck, Su Zhenyue didn’t dare to look closely. Her body trembled, her face pale. “We’re passersby, here to take shelter from the rain.”

She was filled with regret and wanted to retreat, but with the blade at her neck, she didn’t dare make a rash move.

“Shelter from the rain? Coming here in the dead of night? And with such heavy injuries?” The man holding the blade was tall and sturdy, with a full beard. His eyes were fierce and full of vigilance. “Speak! Who are you really? What are you doing here?”

The other seven or eight men, except for the ones lying down, also stared at her intently.

“We really are just taking shelter. We ran into villains on our journey and barely escaped. Then it started to rain, and we had no choice but to come here to hide. I’m sorry to have disturbed you. We’ll leave now.” Su Zhenyue’s voice trembled, a sob hidden within it.

She hadn’t expected to fall into another dangerous situation. At this moment, her only relief was that since this man was asking their identity, he probably wasn’t with the black-clothed men from before.

The bearded man was still hesitating when a voice rose from among the seven or eight men. “Forget it. They’re just seeking shelter from the rain. Why make things so difficult for them? It’s not like we built this temple.”

The man’s voice was not loud, and he spoke unhurriedly, with a faint trace of weariness. But from his position and the attitude of those around him, it was clear that the others deferred to him.

“But…” The bearded man became more hesitant.

The man spoke again. “Besides, if there really is a situation, can’t the few of you handle it?”

The bearded man put away his weapon. Though unconvinced, he still replied respectfully, “Yes, Your High… Master.”

He stepped aside to clear a path, his face still wary. “My master has spoken. Come in.”

Su Zhenyue, however, hesitated.

These men looked strange. What if they were villains? How could she and Nanxing possibly handle them?

But after exchanging a glance with Nanxing, looking at the still unconscious Shen Ji and Ping An, and then at the rain outside, she finally gritted her teeth and helped the men into the hall.

—From their conversation just now, it seemed those men were also afraid that they were the bad guys. With no better option, she could only take a gamble.

Although the Dragon King Temple was abandoned, the main hall was fortunately spacious. They kept their distance from the group, huddling in the farthest northeast corner and finding a relatively clean spot to sit down.

Using the light from the southwest corner, Su Zhenyue checked the two men’s injuries.

Ping An’s wounds were on his shoulder and back, while Shen Ji’s were on his chest and waist. The wounds were extremely deep and shocking to behold. The hastily wrapped bandages had split open at some point, and as she checked them, her hands became covered in blood.

Su Zhenyue tried hard to remain calm. She remembered that when Shen Ji had bandaged his wounds earlier, the trauma medicine seemed to be in his inner robe. She hurriedly fumbled inside his robes, but her hand came up empty.

It must have been lost during their escape.

But without medicine, how could she bandage the wounds with just cloth? She couldn’t even stop the bleeding.

Su Zhenyue could no longer contain her emotions, and large tears rolled down her cheeks. Wiping them away, she frantically searched his sleeve pockets and purse.

But they were all empty.

Su Zhenyue couldn’t help but hate herself for being so unprepared. Why hadn’t she thought to carry some medicine for injuries with her?

Warm liquid fell on his face, and Shen Ji forced his eyes open. He didn’t know what his surroundings were; he only saw Su Zhenyue looking at him with tear-filled eyes, her face a mixture of concern, worry, and anxiety. He subconsciously comforted her, “Mianmian, don’t cry.”

“Cousin!” Seeing him awake, Su Zhenyue’s spirits instantly lifted. But hearing him say this, her tears fell even harder. “I’m not trying to cry. I can’t find the medicine.”

“There’s trauma medicine in my belt. Help me and Ping An apply it.” Shen Ji raised a hand to wipe away her tears. “These wounds just look scary. They didn’t hit anything vital. Really, don’t be afraid. I won’t die.”

His voice was very low, sounding extremely weak.

But Su Zhenyue felt as if she had suddenly found courage. She nodded. “Alright.”