Jiamin Junzhu stared at Hua Liuli with an incredulous expression. Hua Liuli shyly and timidly returned her gaze. Inside the quiet carriage, neither of them spoke. The swaying carriage seemed to be taking them to an unknown destination.
Suddenly, the curtain of the carriage was lifted. The female assassin came in and looked at Hua Liuli and Jiamin Junzhu who were facing each other. She drew a small knife from her waist and slowly approached them.
"Let's talk properly, don't harm our faces!" Jiamin Junzhu turned her face away, "We can make ourselves look ugly, really! If we get our faces disfigured now, it will take a while for the wounds to heal, and it will raise suspicion, which is not in your favor."
The female assassin's gaze swept over both of them. Hua Liuli leaned against the carriage wall, tears welling up in her eyes, looking pitiful. That gaze reminded the assassin of a little kitten that was killed by her master in her childhood.
She sheathed the small knife, her face cold, "I'm only responsible for escorting you out of the mountains on behalf of the young master. I won't interfere with what happens to you afterwards."
"Sister, aren't you coming with us?" Hua Liuli looked at the female assassin timidly.
"I told you not to call me sister," the female assassin turned her head, not looking at Hua Liuli, "Don't blame us. We have no choice either. The young master said that once we're done with you, he'll set me and the boss free."
"Even if you manage to take us out of the capital, you won't escape the pursuit of the imperial court, no matter where you go. What kind of freedom is that?" Hua Liuli lowered her eyelids, "It's better to let us go. Perhaps it will give you a chance to save your lives."
"Little girl, don't try to fool me with such childish words," the female assassin sneered, "Don't daydream. When you reincarnate in your next life, choose a life with good luck, unlike this one that's ending prematurely."
The female assassin exited the carriage. The other person who was accompanying was surprised to see her return so quickly, "Why didn't you do it?"
The female assassin sneered, "If we were to injure their faces now, we would be openly telling others that there's something wrong with their identities. Do you think those from the imperial court are foolish?"
The person who asked the question suppressed his anger and walked away.
Once they left the capital, it would be the death sentence for these assassins. At this moment, he couldn't disrupt the young master's plan, so he held back. He turned to the others and had them do a simple disguise for the two hostages, so they wouldn't be recognized.
"I think this female assassin may not live much longer," Jiamin Junzhu was afraid, but she didn't want Hua Liuli to notice, so she pretended to speak calmly, "Those who speak such words in the stories I read often meet their demise in the end."
Hua Liuli blinked her eyes and ignored her.
Both of them were tied up, and the carriage windows were sealed tightly, so they had no idea where they were now.
After a few more hours, they were served two bowls of porridge, which seemed to be mixed with a hypnotic drug, causing them to fall into a deep sleep.
When they woke up again, it was already the next day. Seizing the opportunity when the female assassin took them to relieve themselves, Hua Liuli observed their surroundings.
The people who had abducted them were disguised as a merchant caravan. The people from the female assassin's side didn't seem to get along well with the other dozen or so people. Those other people looked at them with malicious and lecherous eyes.
"The young master said that once this is done, we'll be set free," the female assassin said as she put Hua Liuli and Jiamin Junzhu back in the carriage and spoke to the other dozen people, "From here on, we are going our separate ways. We will not be seeing each other again."
"To bring these two young ladies back from the capital, the secret arrangements and manpower we had set up have all been exposed by the court. If you stay in the capital now, there's only a dead end for you. Why not stay and continue to serve our Master, contributing to the great cause?"
The female assassin cupped her hands together, "Farewell."
Seeing that the female assassin's group was not persuaded, the leader's face turned grim. He glanced at the assassins and then turned to his subordinates, "Let's go."
"The female assassin who had been helping you all the way had already left," Jiamin Junzhu, who hadn't eaten anything for nearly ten hours, leaned weakly against the carriage wall, "What should we do now?"
If they were really taken to their destination, they would be in real danger.
"This area is treacherous, situated on the precarious border between the capital and the Mountain Ridge Province. It is rumored to be sparsely inhabited, with frequent appearances of fierce beasts..." Hua Liuli adjusted her wrist, "We have a mere two hours left until nightfall."
Upon hearing this, Jiamin Junzhu became even more nervous. Without the presence of those assassins who cared about gender differences, she was worried about the behavior of the remaining individuals.
Jiamin Junzhu's worries soon became a reality. During their rest time at night, although the ropes that bound them were untied, the malicious individuals surrounding them started mocking them with obscene words.
If it were up to Jiamin Junzhu, she would have killed them long ago. She turned her head to look at Hua Liuli, who was silently eating, seemingly unconcerned about the dangerous situation they were in. Instantly, anger boiled inside her. Through gritted teeth, she muttered, "All you do is eat, eat, eat! Weren't you weak and nauseous from eating this and dizzy from eating that? How come suddenly you can eat everything?"
"It's a special circumstance, special treatment," Hua Liuli put down her empty bowl, wiped the corner of her mouth, and slowly reached for her waist.
"Oh, little missy, have you eaten enough?" a man with a gaunt face and sharp features laughed heartily, "Come on, call me 'big brother' nicely, and I'll give you something delicious to eat."
Others laughed along, joining in the teasing.
"How can you insult them when one of them is a noble Junzhu?" someone said.
"It seems that the Junzhu of the imperial court isn't all that impressive after all. In times like these, she's obedient like a dog, isn't she?"
Insulting the esteemed Junzhu with their words brought them immense satisfaction. A gleeful smile appeared on each person's face.
Jiamin Junzhu trembled with anger, her eyes turning red after enduring nearly ten hours without food.
"When I was young, someone told me that vulnerability is also a weapon," Hua Liuli looked at lecherous men, "But vulnerability is a weapon that can only be used against people, not beasts."
"Oh, look, this girl is calling us beasts."
"No wonder she's a Junzhu; even her insults sound so pleasing."
Swish.
Jiamin Junzhu vaguely saw a flash of silver in front of her. Before she could react, there was a loud thud, and the man closest to them suddenly fell to the ground.
The vulgar speech vanished and the laughter ceased. The entire valley was filled with the sound of chilling wind, resembling the mournful cry of a vengeful spirit.
She looked up in a daze, seeing Hua Liuli standing before her, wielding a soft sword that seemed to have materialized out of thin air. Her mind went blank.
"Every member of the Hua family has a soft sword to protect themselves," Hua Liuli shook the blood droplets off the sword, "I'm frail and frequently ill, so I avoid resorting to violence."
"Look at that, this girl even bites like a dog. Brothers, draw your weapons!"
Upon hearing that the men were unsheathing their swords, Jiamin Junzhu snapped back to reality. She quickly grabbed the sword near the fallen corpse, trembling as she unsheathed it, and stood beside Hua Liuli.
"Stay away from me," Hua Liuli glared at Jiamin Junzhu.
Jiamin Junzhu gritted her teeth, "Hua Liuli!"
"I'm sick, I don't want to infect you," Hua Liuli said without looking back, holding her sword and charging into the crowd. Her agile steps made Jiamin Junzhu question who between the two of them was truly sick.
In the capital at this moment, Princess Shunan's estate, Ying Wang's estate, the Hua family estate, and the imperial palace had dispatched numerous individuals to search for the whereabouts of the two abducted Junzhus.
Even the soldiers guarding the city gates had been replaced with stern-looking elite troops. The city gates adjacent to the major provincial capitals were heavily fortified, preventing any suspicious individuals from slipping through.
The citizens of the capital, who were always sensitive to imperial decrees, privately speculated whether something major had happened in the palace. Otherwise, why would there be many guards running around even during the curfew hours of the night?
"Your Royal Highness, there are signs of someone staying in an abandoned temple in the outskirts west of the city."
The Crown Prince looked at the map of the capital, pointing at it with his finger.
"To the west of the city?" Ying Wang stood up, "Next to the west is the Nanzhou Province. Benwang will lead the troops to pursue immediately."
The Crown Prince ignored Ying Wang's swift departure. He closed the map and asked his attendant, "Any news from the Hua family and Princess Shunan's side?"
"Not yet, Your Royal Highness," the attendant pondered for a moment, "Princess Shunan had been crying before His Majesty for a long time, wanting to post missing person notices, but His Majesty stopped her. On the other hand, it's much quieter on the Hua family's side. After consulting with His Majesty, Third Young Master Hua took some people and left the city."
"Let's go," the Crown Prince stood up and walked towards the door.
"Your Royal Highness, it's already dark. Where is Your Royal Highness going?"
"To the Mountain Ridge Province," The wind rustled the Crown Prince's robe as he replied without looking back, "Arrange for someone to follow Benwang out of the city immediately."
"Yes," the senior attendant wondered. The trail of the criminals who kidnapped the two Junzhus was discovered not far from the Southern Province. So why was the Crown Prince heading in the opposite direction towards the Mountain Ridge Province?
"Third Young Master, don't worry. Junzhu will be fine," a servant who had been following Hua Changkong for many years spoke up as they traveled along the mountain road, "Junzhu is resourceful and will find a way to protect herself."
"I am not worried that she can't protect herself, but..." Hua Changkong sighed, gazing at the path in the dark night, and continued on their way.
The martial arts of the Hua family were passed on from one generation to another on the battlefield. There were no extravagant or burdensome flashy moves. The focus of each move was to defeat the opponent and protect themselves and their comrades.
To survive, to let comrades survive, to defeat the opponent, and to protect the land beneath their feet.
The sword blade slashed across the throat of the enemy, leaving only a thin blood trail. As the blade moved on to another person, the blood gushed out silently from the previous person's neck, and he fell to the ground.
When the last person fell, Hua Liuli turned around and walked toward Jiamin Junzhu, who was cowering in the corner.
In the moonlight, Hua Liuli remained untouched by blood, her footsteps light, and her expression calm. However, Jiamin Junzhu felt as if she was facing a female demon who was ready to seek revenge.
She remembered the ridicule and mockery she had directed at Hua Liuli in the past. The more she looked at her now, the more she felt that Hua Liuli wanted to take this opportunity to kill her too.
Her teeth trembled as she tried to appear composed, "W-We can talk. Actually, I don't like Ying Wang at all. Everything I said before was nonsense. It's his bad judgment, not yours."
The man she liked meant nothing when her own life was at stake.
But to her surprise, after she finished speaking, Hua Liuli's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. Jiamin Junzhu hurriedly continued, "You are the most beautiful woman in Great Jin. You can choose any of the five princes in the palace! And... and... you are the pride of the Hua family. It's the luckiest thing in your mother's life to have a daughter like you. Ahhh, Hua Liuli, I was wrong! Please don't kill me!" Seeing Hua Liuli getting closer, she fearfully covered her eyes.
She had never regretted her loose tongue as much as she did at this moment. If she could go back alive, she would definitely, definitely say fewer words and never offend Hua Liuli!
"What are you talking about?"
After waiting for a while, the sword didn't fall on her. Jiamin Junzhu opened her eyes and saw Hua Liuli clutching her chest, sitting pale and weak on the ground. Her voice was so feeble that it seemed she might faint at any moment, "Junzhu, I'm so scared, y-y-y-"
Jiamin Junzhu: "Huh?"
"Those fierce beasts were so terrifying. Fortunately, Junzhu, you bravely protected me," Hua Liuli said, lifting her head and staring at Jiamin Junzhu with gentle eyes, "Junzhu, you will continue to protect this weak woman, won't you?"
Jiamin Junzhu retreated two steps in horror.
"Cough, cough, cough," Hua Liuli coughed a few times, looking at Jiamin Junzhu with a smiling face, "Isn't that right?"
Jiamin Junzhu opened her mouth but couldn't utter a word.
Half an hour later, Jiamin Junzhu sat on a tree, watching the fierce beasts in the mountains tearing apart the bodies of the dead. She covered her mouth and did not dare to make a sound.
After the beasts had their fill, she finally asked, "What do you want to do?"
"I will strive to fight for my dream," Hua Liuli hung the herbs she had found around the branches to repel snakes and insects, "Junzhu, will you help me fulfill this dream?"
Jiamin Junzhu swallowed and her face turned pale with fright. She stared at Hua Liuli for a moment and said, "I understand. I will keep this secret for you."
"What secret? Do I have a secret?" Hua Liuli laughed and shook her foot, causing the tree branch to sway.
"I misspoke. I meant to say that I'm willing to help you pursue your dream," Jiamin Junzhu thought Hua Liuli was crazy, absolutely out of her mind. Who would have such a bizarre hobby?
"Thank you, Junzhu. I believe in your words today," Hua Liuli smiled with squinted eyes, "You are a good person."
Jiamin Junzhu closed her mouth in frustration and turned her head, no longer bothering to look at Hua Liuli. After a while, she heard Hua Liuli coughing, so she took off her outer robe and threw it on Hua Liuli, "Take it and cover yourself."
"Thank you."
"I just find your coughing annoying." Jiamin Junzhu tied herself to the tree with a rope, fearing that she would fall from the tree if she fell asleep.
After a while, she opened her eyes and found Hua Liuli still sitting quietly. After hesitating for a moment, she spoke, "Rest assured, I won't disclose your secret."
Hua Liuli smiled at her and said, "I know, go to sleep."
Jiamin Junzhu didn't ask what would happen if she didn't keep her promise. In fact, she highly doubted that even if she revealed the truth when she returned, no one would believe her.
People like Hua Liuli have the ability to distort right and wrong to confuse others.
She fell asleep in a daze and woke up the next morning to find the mountains covered in mist. Hua Liuli sat beside her, seemingly having stayed up all night.
The two of them climbed down from the tree, and Hua Liuli exclaimed, "I'm so tired. I can't walk at all."
Jiamin Junzhu's face turned ashen as she held Hua Liuli's arm and said, "I'll support you."
"Junzhu, you are truly a good person."
Jiamin Junzhu sneered. From now on, anyone who praised her as a good person to her face would be beaten to death.
The mountain road was difficult to traverse. They also didn't know the directions. After finally descending the mountain, they found a small river and washed their faces. Hua Liuli found a large stone to sit on and said, "I can't go any further. I'm weak and have no strength to walk."
"The other path leads to the official road, but you don't want to go there. Now you're claiming that you can't walk. What exactly do you want?" Jiamin Junzhu had lost her temper due to Hua Liuli's constant troubles.
"Do you dare to walk on the official road?" Hua Liuli pounded her leg with her hands, "The fact that we were brought out of the Tian family undetected means that there must be extraordinary people helping them cover it up. Can you be sure that the people we encounter on the official road will be helping us and not try to harm us?"
"Wait a moment," Jiamin Junzhu saw a donkey cart approaching, "I'll ask someone to give us a ride back."
As the cart approached, Jiamin Junzhu realized that it was old and dilapidated, and the driver emitted an unpleasant odor. She gritted her teeth and stepped forward, "Wait!"
"What's the matter?" the driver was somewhat annoyed by her tone. As someone who owned a donkey cart in the village, who wouldn't treat him politely within a few miles?
However, when he saw that it was a beautiful girl calling him, his expression improved.
"I am a Junzhu from the capital. I am in trouble today. If you can take us to the capital, I will have someone give you one hundred taels of silver."
The driver looked at Jiamin Junzhu's torn and tattered clothes and her messy hair and almost burst into laughter. These swindlers were getting bolder and bolder. Which Junzhu would come to the countryside dressed in such ragged clothes to hitch a ride?
He was the most knowledgeable person within ten miles. Would he fall for such a trick?
"If you're a Junzhu, then I must be a prince," the driver snapped the whip, "You deceitful liar, stay away from me."
Then he glanced at Jiamin Junzhu and muttered, "Such a good girl, pretty too. Why would she engage in such despicable scams?"
Before Jiamin Junzhu could retort, he drove the cart away. He was afraid that there might be other scammers lurking around, so it was safer to leave early.
"He... he..." Jiamin Junzhu was so angry that her hands trembled. If anyone in the capital dared to show such disrespect to her, she would have whipped them twofold already.
She stood there cursing for almost a quarter of an hour when another donkey cart came from the end of the road, driven by a middle-aged couple.
"Move aside," Hua Liuli pulled her and untied her messy hair, letting it fall smoothly behind her, "You can't even hitch a ride. What use are you?"
Jiamin Junzhu: "..."
That wasn't what she said when she asked her to help her down the mountain earlier.
She wanted to see how Hua Liuli would manage to catch a ride now.
The middle-aged couple was going to the city to sell mountain products. They had been calculating how much money they could make on this trip and whether they should buy some fabric to make new clothes for their children. When they saw a young girl crying by the roadside, her fair face stained with dirt, she looked pitiful.
As they approached, the young girl looked up at them timidly, seemingly seeking their help. But because she was afraid, she didn't dare to approach and instead took a cautious step back. In doing so, she accidentally tripped on a nearby vine and fell by the side of the road.
"Miss, are you okay?" the middle-aged woman felt sympathy and asked the man to stop the donkey cart. She asked again, concerned.
"Sister," The young girl spoke with a trembling voice, "My sister and I were on our way to the capital to find our relatives. On the way, a woman offered to accompany us, but she took us farther and farther away. My sister and I realized something was wrong and finally managed to escape, but we don't know where we are now."
As she spoke, she covered her face and sobbed, "I don't know what to do now."
"Oh, you've encountered human traffickers," the middle-aged woman, seeing the two young girls looking clean and fair, guessed that they were sheltered girls from well-to-do families. She said, "If you trust us, come with us to the capital. We happen to be going to the city to sell mountain products."
"Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?" the young girl blinked her beautiful eyes, her face turning red.
"It's on our way," the middle-aged woman warmly invited them to get into the donkey cart and, upon learning that they hadn't eaten all day, gave them two cakes.
"You two are so gullible. Have you never considered that my husband and I might also be scammers?" the middle-aged woman worried that the two young girls would continue to be deceived. She told them several stories of children being tricked, "In the future, don't casually ride in other people's carts, understand?"
"Sister, you have such beautiful eyes. Just by looking at them, I can tell you're a good person," Hua Liuli took a couple of bites of the cake, looking at the woman with her big eyes wide open.
"You can't judge a person by appearances," the middle-aged woman touched her own face, "Good-looking people can also be scammers, you know? Don't easily trust others' words in the future and never go out alone. Both of you are good-looking, and human traffickers are fond of deceiving young girls like you."
Jiamin Junzhu ate her cake expressionlessly, finding the middle-aged woman's words reasonable. After all, there was a good-looking girl right next to her who lied without batting an eye.
Perhaps being praised for her looks by Hua Liuli, the woman gave them a box of snacks.
"You must have been frightened by this incident," the middle-aged woman, seeing Jiamin Junzhu still silent, thought she had been scared out of her wits and handed her a few plums, "Here, eat some of these."
The middle-aged woman's hands were rough, rougher than even the coarsest servants in the Junzhu's estate. But her hands were warm, warm enough to make Jiamin Junzhu feel a little embarrassed.
"Thank you," she held a few plums that she usually wouldn't even glance at, her face inexplicably blushing.
"Thank you, sister," Hua Liuli smiled sweetly at the middle-aged woman, "You have such a kind heart. You will definitely be rewarded."
"This is nothing more than a small favor," the middle-aged woman looked at the sweet smile on the young girl's face and felt joy in her heart. She brought them more food.
The middle-aged man driving the cart didn't speak much, only reminding them a few times when they passed through some steep sections of the road.
When they were halfway there, the man stopped the cart. The middle-aged woman lifted the curtain and looked outside in confusion, "We haven't arrived yet. Why did we stop?"
"There are soldiers guarding up ahead. I don't know what's happening," the middle-aged man replied, "It seems they want to check our identities."
Upon hearing the word "soldiers", Hua Liuli and Jiamin Junzhu's expressions changed slightly and they both exchanged a glance. Hua Liuli quickly hid behind the woman, peeking half of her face outside.
There were many people entering and leaving the city on the road, all obediently undergoing the inspection under heavy guard.
Amidst the ethereal mist, a man rode atop a white steed, his presence blending seamlessly with the damp surroundings, giving the impression that he had been immersed in the fog for an indeterminable amount of time.
"Your Royal Highness!!" Hua Liuli recognized the person and her eyes lit up with a sparkling smile.
When the Crown Prince heard the call, he turned his head to look.
The worn-out donkey cart stopped at the end of the queue. Hua Liuli poked her head out from behind the curtain, her fair countenance adorned with a few smudges, her disheveled hair allowing her ears to partially show.
Like a lost kitten suddenly revealing itself from the underbrush, her bright eyes emitted a sense of joy and trust as she recognized her owner.
As the mist enshrouded his person, the Crown Prince felt an overwhelming urge to assume the role of the person who would rescue the little kitten from the thicket, his desire to cleanse the dirt from its tiny body intensifying.
Krish728
Author's Note:
Jiamin Junzhu, the person involved: I regret it now, very much so.
Jiamin Junzhu stared at Hua Liuli with an incredulous expression. Hua Liuli shyly and timidly returned her gaze. Inside the quiet carriage, neither of them spoke. The swaying carriage seemed to be taking them to an unknown destination.
Suddenly, the curtain of the carriage was lifted. The female assassin came in and looked at Hua Liuli and Jiamin Junzhu who were facing each other. She drew a small knife from her waist and slowly approached them.
"Let's talk properly, don't harm our faces!" Jiamin Junzhu turned her face away, "We can make ourselves look ugly, really! If we get our faces disfigured now, it will take a while for the wounds to heal, and it will raise suspicion, which is not in your favor."
The female assassin's gaze swept over both of them. Hua Liuli leaned against the carriage wall, tears welling up in her eyes, looking pitiful. That gaze reminded the assassin of a little kitten that was killed by her master in her childhood.
She sheathed the small knife, her face cold, "I'm only responsible for escorting you out of the mountains on behalf of the young master. I won't interfere with what happens to you afterwards."
"Sister, aren't you coming with us?" Hua Liuli looked at the female assassin timidly.
"I told you not to call me sister," the female assassin turned her head, not looking at Hua Liuli, "Don't blame us. We have no choice either. The young master said that once we're done with you, he'll set me and the boss free."
"Even if you manage to take us out of the capital, you won't escape the pursuit of the imperial court, no matter where you go. What kind of freedom is that?" Hua Liuli lowered her eyelids, "It's better to let us go. Perhaps it will give you a chance to save your lives."
"Little girl, don't try to fool me with such childish words," the female assassin sneered, "Don't daydream. When you reincarnate in your next life, choose a life with good luck, unlike this one that's ending prematurely."
The female assassin exited the carriage. The other person who was accompanying was surprised to see her return so quickly, "Why didn't you do it?"
The female assassin sneered, "If we were to injure their faces now, we would be openly telling others that there's something wrong with their identities. Do you think those from the imperial court are foolish?"
The person who asked the question suppressed his anger and walked away.
Once they left the capital, it would be the death sentence for these assassins. At this moment, he couldn't disrupt the young master's plan, so he held back. He turned to the others and had them do a simple disguise for the two hostages, so they wouldn't be recognized.
"I think this female assassin may not live much longer," Jiamin Junzhu was afraid, but she didn't want Hua Liuli to notice, so she pretended to speak calmly, "Those who speak such words in the stories I read often meet their demise in the end."
Hua Liuli blinked her eyes and ignored her.
Both of them were tied up, and the carriage windows were sealed tightly, so they had no idea where they were now.
After a few more hours, they were served two bowls of porridge, which seemed to be mixed with a hypnotic drug, causing them to fall into a deep sleep.
When they woke up again, it was already the next day. Seizing the opportunity when the female assassin took them to relieve themselves, Hua Liuli observed their surroundings.
The people who had abducted them were disguised as a merchant caravan. The people from the female assassin's side didn't seem to get along well with the other dozen or so people. Those other people looked at them with malicious and lecherous eyes.
"The young master said that once this is done, we'll be set free," the female assassin said as she put Hua Liuli and Jiamin Junzhu back in the carriage and spoke to the other dozen people, "From here on, we are going our separate ways. We will not be seeing each other again."
"To bring these two young ladies back from the capital, the secret arrangements and manpower we had set up have all been exposed by the court. If you stay in the capital now, there's only a dead end for you. Why not stay and continue to serve our Master, contributing to the great cause?"
The female assassin cupped her hands together, "Farewell."
Seeing that the female assassin's group was not persuaded, the leader's face turned grim. He glanced at the assassins and then turned to his subordinates, "Let's go."
"The female assassin who had been helping you all the way had already left," Jiamin Junzhu, who hadn't eaten anything for nearly ten hours, leaned weakly against the carriage wall, "What should we do now?"
If they were really taken to their destination, they would be in real danger.
"This area is treacherous, situated on the precarious border between the capital and the Mountain Ridge Province. It is rumored to be sparsely inhabited, with frequent appearances of fierce beasts..." Hua Liuli adjusted her wrist, "We have a mere two hours left until nightfall."
Upon hearing this, Jiamin Junzhu became even more nervous. Without the presence of those assassins who cared about gender differences, she was worried about the behavior of the remaining individuals.
Jiamin Junzhu's worries soon became a reality. During their rest time at night, although the ropes that bound them were untied, the malicious individuals surrounding them started mocking them with obscene words.
If it were up to Jiamin Junzhu, she would have killed them long ago. She turned her head to look at Hua Liuli, who was silently eating, seemingly unconcerned about the dangerous situation they were in. Instantly, anger boiled inside her. Through gritted teeth, she muttered, "All you do is eat, eat, eat! Weren't you weak and nauseous from eating this and dizzy from eating that? How come suddenly you can eat everything?"
"It's a special circumstance, special treatment," Hua Liuli put down her empty bowl, wiped the corner of her mouth, and slowly reached for her waist.
"Oh, little missy, have you eaten enough?" a man with a gaunt face and sharp features laughed heartily, "Come on, call me 'big brother' nicely, and I'll give you something delicious to eat."
Others laughed along, joining in the teasing.
"How can you insult them when one of them is a noble Junzhu?" someone said.
"It seems that the Junzhu of the imperial court isn't all that impressive after all. In times like these, she's obedient like a dog, isn't she?"
Insulting the esteemed Junzhu with their words brought them immense satisfaction. A gleeful smile appeared on each person's face.
Jiamin Junzhu trembled with anger, her eyes turning red after enduring nearly ten hours without food.
"When I was young, someone told me that vulnerability is also a weapon," Hua Liuli looked at lecherous men, "But vulnerability is a weapon that can only be used against people, not beasts."
"Oh, look, this girl is calling us beasts."
"No wonder she's a Junzhu; even her insults sound so pleasing."
Swish.
Jiamin Junzhu vaguely saw a flash of silver in front of her. Before she could react, there was a loud thud, and the man closest to them suddenly fell to the ground.
The vulgar speech vanished and the laughter ceased. The entire valley was filled with the sound of chilling wind, resembling the mournful cry of a vengeful spirit.
She looked up in a daze, seeing Hua Liuli standing before her, wielding a soft sword that seemed to have materialized out of thin air. Her mind went blank.
"Every member of the Hua family has a soft sword to protect themselves," Hua Liuli shook the blood droplets off the sword, "I'm frail and frequently ill, so I avoid resorting to violence."
"Look at that, this girl even bites like a dog. Brothers, draw your weapons!"
Upon hearing that the men were unsheathing their swords, Jiamin Junzhu snapped back to reality. She quickly grabbed the sword near the fallen corpse, trembling as she unsheathed it, and stood beside Hua Liuli.
"Stay away from me," Hua Liuli glared at Jiamin Junzhu.
Jiamin Junzhu gritted her teeth, "Hua Liuli!"
"I'm sick, I don't want to infect you," Hua Liuli said without looking back, holding her sword and charging into the crowd. Her agile steps made Jiamin Junzhu question who between the two of them was truly sick.
In the capital at this moment, Princess Shunan's estate, Ying Wang's estate, the Hua family estate, and the imperial palace had dispatched numerous individuals to search for the whereabouts of the two abducted Junzhus.
Even the soldiers guarding the city gates had been replaced with stern-looking elite troops. The city gates adjacent to the major provincial capitals were heavily fortified, preventing any suspicious individuals from slipping through.
The citizens of the capital, who were always sensitive to imperial decrees, privately speculated whether something major had happened in the palace. Otherwise, why would there be many guards running around even during the curfew hours of the night?
"Your Royal Highness, there are signs of someone staying in an abandoned temple in the outskirts west of the city."
The Crown Prince looked at the map of the capital, pointing at it with his finger.
"To the west of the city?" Ying Wang stood up, "Next to the west is the Nanzhou Province. Benwang will lead the troops to pursue immediately."
The Crown Prince ignored Ying Wang's swift departure. He closed the map and asked his attendant, "Any news from the Hua family and Princess Shunan's side?"
"Not yet, Your Royal Highness," the attendant pondered for a moment, "Princess Shunan had been crying before His Majesty for a long time, wanting to post missing person notices, but His Majesty stopped her. On the other hand, it's much quieter on the Hua family's side. After consulting with His Majesty, Third Young Master Hua took some people and left the city."
"Let's go," the Crown Prince stood up and walked towards the door.
"Your Royal Highness, it's already dark. Where is Your Royal Highness going?"
"To the Mountain Ridge Province," The wind rustled the Crown Prince's robe as he replied without looking back, "Arrange for someone to follow Benwang out of the city immediately."
"Yes," the senior attendant wondered. The trail of the criminals who kidnapped the two Junzhus was discovered not far from the Southern Province. So why was the Crown Prince heading in the opposite direction towards the Mountain Ridge Province?
"Third Young Master, don't worry. Junzhu will be fine," a servant who had been following Hua Changkong for many years spoke up as they traveled along the mountain road, "Junzhu is resourceful and will find a way to protect herself."
"I am not worried that she can't protect herself, but..." Hua Changkong sighed, gazing at the path in the dark night, and continued on their way.
The martial arts of the Hua family were passed on from one generation to another on the battlefield. There were no extravagant or burdensome flashy moves. The focus of each move was to defeat the opponent and protect themselves and their comrades.
To survive, to let comrades survive, to defeat the opponent, and to protect the land beneath their feet.
The sword blade slashed across the throat of the enemy, leaving only a thin blood trail. As the blade moved on to another person, the blood gushed out silently from the previous person's neck, and he fell to the ground.
When the last person fell, Hua Liuli turned around and walked toward Jiamin Junzhu, who was cowering in the corner.
In the moonlight, Hua Liuli remained untouched by blood, her footsteps light, and her expression calm. However, Jiamin Junzhu felt as if she was facing a female demon who was ready to seek revenge.
She remembered the ridicule and mockery she had directed at Hua Liuli in the past. The more she looked at her now, the more she felt that Hua Liuli wanted to take this opportunity to kill her too.
Her teeth trembled as she tried to appear composed, "W-We can talk. Actually, I don't like Ying Wang at all. Everything I said before was nonsense. It's his bad judgment, not yours."
The man she liked meant nothing when her own life was at stake.
But to her surprise, after she finished speaking, Hua Liuli's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. Jiamin Junzhu hurriedly continued, "You are the most beautiful woman in Great Jin. You can choose any of the five princes in the palace! And... and... you are the pride of the Hua family. It's the luckiest thing in your mother's life to have a daughter like you. Ahhh, Hua Liuli, I was wrong! Please don't kill me!" Seeing Hua Liuli getting closer, she fearfully covered her eyes.
She had never regretted her loose tongue as much as she did at this moment. If she could go back alive, she would definitely, definitely say fewer words and never offend Hua Liuli!
"What are you talking about?"
After waiting for a while, the sword didn't fall on her. Jiamin Junzhu opened her eyes and saw Hua Liuli clutching her chest, sitting pale and weak on the ground. Her voice was so feeble that it seemed she might faint at any moment, "Junzhu, I'm so scared, y-y-y-"
Jiamin Junzhu: "Huh?"
"Those fierce beasts were so terrifying. Fortunately, Junzhu, you bravely protected me," Hua Liuli said, lifting her head and staring at Jiamin Junzhu with gentle eyes, "Junzhu, you will continue to protect this weak woman, won't you?"
Jiamin Junzhu retreated two steps in horror.
"Cough, cough, cough," Hua Liuli coughed a few times, looking at Jiamin Junzhu with a smiling face, "Isn't that right?"
Jiamin Junzhu opened her mouth but couldn't utter a word.
Half an hour later, Jiamin Junzhu sat on a tree, watching the fierce beasts in the mountains tearing apart the bodies of the dead. She covered her mouth and did not dare to make a sound.
After the beasts had their fill, she finally asked, "What do you want to do?"
"I will strive to fight for my dream," Hua Liuli hung the herbs she had found around the branches to repel snakes and insects, "Junzhu, will you help me fulfill this dream?"
Jiamin Junzhu swallowed and her face turned pale with fright. She stared at Hua Liuli for a moment and said, "I understand. I will keep this secret for you."
"What secret? Do I have a secret?" Hua Liuli laughed and shook her foot, causing the tree branch to sway.
"I misspoke. I meant to say that I'm willing to help you pursue your dream," Jiamin Junzhu thought Hua Liuli was crazy, absolutely out of her mind. Who would have such a bizarre hobby?
"Thank you, Junzhu. I believe in your words today," Hua Liuli smiled with squinted eyes, "You are a good person."
Jiamin Junzhu closed her mouth in frustration and turned her head, no longer bothering to look at Hua Liuli. After a while, she heard Hua Liuli coughing, so she took off her outer robe and threw it on Hua Liuli, "Take it and cover yourself."
"Thank you."
"I just find your coughing annoying." Jiamin Junzhu tied herself to the tree with a rope, fearing that she would fall from the tree if she fell asleep.
After a while, she opened her eyes and found Hua Liuli still sitting quietly. After hesitating for a moment, she spoke, "Rest assured, I won't disclose your secret."
Hua Liuli smiled at her and said, "I know, go to sleep."
Jiamin Junzhu didn't ask what would happen if she didn't keep her promise. In fact, she highly doubted that even if she revealed the truth when she returned, no one would believe her.
People like Hua Liuli have the ability to distort right and wrong to confuse others.
She fell asleep in a daze and woke up the next morning to find the mountains covered in mist. Hua Liuli sat beside her, seemingly having stayed up all night.
The two of them climbed down from the tree, and Hua Liuli exclaimed, "I'm so tired. I can't walk at all."
Jiamin Junzhu's face turned ashen as she held Hua Liuli's arm and said, "I'll support you."
"Junzhu, you are truly a good person."
Jiamin Junzhu sneered. From now on, anyone who praised her as a good person to her face would be beaten to death.
The mountain road was difficult to traverse. They also didn't know the directions. After finally descending the mountain, they found a small river and washed their faces. Hua Liuli found a large stone to sit on and said, "I can't go any further. I'm weak and have no strength to walk."
"The other path leads to the official road, but you don't want to go there. Now you're claiming that you can't walk. What exactly do you want?" Jiamin Junzhu had lost her temper due to Hua Liuli's constant troubles.
"Do you dare to walk on the official road?" Hua Liuli pounded her leg with her hands, "The fact that we were brought out of the Tian family undetected means that there must be extraordinary people helping them cover it up. Can you be sure that the people we encounter on the official road will be helping us and not try to harm us?"
"Wait a moment," Jiamin Junzhu saw a donkey cart approaching, "I'll ask someone to give us a ride back."
As the cart approached, Jiamin Junzhu realized that it was old and dilapidated, and the driver emitted an unpleasant odor. She gritted her teeth and stepped forward, "Wait!"
"What's the matter?" the driver was somewhat annoyed by her tone. As someone who owned a donkey cart in the village, who wouldn't treat him politely within a few miles?
However, when he saw that it was a beautiful girl calling him, his expression improved.
"I am a Junzhu from the capital. I am in trouble today. If you can take us to the capital, I will have someone give you one hundred taels of silver."
The driver looked at Jiamin Junzhu's torn and tattered clothes and her messy hair and almost burst into laughter. These swindlers were getting bolder and bolder. Which Junzhu would come to the countryside dressed in such ragged clothes to hitch a ride?
He was the most knowledgeable person within ten miles. Would he fall for such a trick?
"If you're a Junzhu, then I must be a prince," the driver snapped the whip, "You deceitful liar, stay away from me."
Then he glanced at Jiamin Junzhu and muttered, "Such a good girl, pretty too. Why would she engage in such despicable scams?"
Before Jiamin Junzhu could retort, he drove the cart away. He was afraid that there might be other scammers lurking around, so it was safer to leave early.
"He... he..." Jiamin Junzhu was so angry that her hands trembled. If anyone in the capital dared to show such disrespect to her, she would have whipped them twofold already.
She stood there cursing for almost a quarter of an hour when another donkey cart came from the end of the road, driven by a middle-aged couple.
"Move aside," Hua Liuli pulled her and untied her messy hair, letting it fall smoothly behind her, "You can't even hitch a ride. What use are you?"
Jiamin Junzhu: "..."
That wasn't what she said when she asked her to help her down the mountain earlier.
She wanted to see how Hua Liuli would manage to catch a ride now.
The middle-aged couple was going to the city to sell mountain products. They had been calculating how much money they could make on this trip and whether they should buy some fabric to make new clothes for their children. When they saw a young girl crying by the roadside, her fair face stained with dirt, she looked pitiful.
As they approached, the young girl looked up at them timidly, seemingly seeking their help. But because she was afraid, she didn't dare to approach and instead took a cautious step back. In doing so, she accidentally tripped on a nearby vine and fell by the side of the road.
"Miss, are you okay?" the middle-aged woman felt sympathy and asked the man to stop the donkey cart. She asked again, concerned.
"Sister," The young girl spoke with a trembling voice, "My sister and I were on our way to the capital to find our relatives. On the way, a woman offered to accompany us, but she took us farther and farther away. My sister and I realized something was wrong and finally managed to escape, but we don't know where we are now."
As she spoke, she covered her face and sobbed, "I don't know what to do now."
"Oh, you've encountered human traffickers," the middle-aged woman, seeing the two young girls looking clean and fair, guessed that they were sheltered girls from well-to-do families. She said, "If you trust us, come with us to the capital. We happen to be going to the city to sell mountain products."
"Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?" the young girl blinked her beautiful eyes, her face turning red.
"It's on our way," the middle-aged woman warmly invited them to get into the donkey cart and, upon learning that they hadn't eaten all day, gave them two cakes.
"You two are so gullible. Have you never considered that my husband and I might also be scammers?" the middle-aged woman worried that the two young girls would continue to be deceived. She told them several stories of children being tricked, "In the future, don't casually ride in other people's carts, understand?"
"Sister, you have such beautiful eyes. Just by looking at them, I can tell you're a good person," Hua Liuli took a couple of bites of the cake, looking at the woman with her big eyes wide open.
"You can't judge a person by appearances," the middle-aged woman touched her own face, "Good-looking people can also be scammers, you know? Don't easily trust others' words in the future and never go out alone. Both of you are good-looking, and human traffickers are fond of deceiving young girls like you."
Jiamin Junzhu ate her cake expressionlessly, finding the middle-aged woman's words reasonable. After all, there was a good-looking girl right next to her who lied without batting an eye.
Perhaps being praised for her looks by Hua Liuli, the woman gave them a box of snacks.
"You must have been frightened by this incident," the middle-aged woman, seeing Jiamin Junzhu still silent, thought she had been scared out of her wits and handed her a few plums, "Here, eat some of these."
The middle-aged woman's hands were rough, rougher than even the coarsest servants in the Junzhu's estate. But her hands were warm, warm enough to make Jiamin Junzhu feel a little embarrassed.
"Thank you," she held a few plums that she usually wouldn't even glance at, her face inexplicably blushing.
"Thank you, sister," Hua Liuli smiled sweetly at the middle-aged woman, "You have such a kind heart. You will definitely be rewarded."
"This is nothing more than a small favor," the middle-aged woman looked at the sweet smile on the young girl's face and felt joy in her heart. She brought them more food.
The middle-aged man driving the cart didn't speak much, only reminding them a few times when they passed through some steep sections of the road.
When they were halfway there, the man stopped the cart. The middle-aged woman lifted the curtain and looked outside in confusion, "We haven't arrived yet. Why did we stop?"
"There are soldiers guarding up ahead. I don't know what's happening," the middle-aged man replied, "It seems they want to check our identities."
Upon hearing the word "soldiers", Hua Liuli and Jiamin Junzhu's expressions changed slightly and they both exchanged a glance. Hua Liuli quickly hid behind the woman, peeking half of her face outside.
There were many people entering and leaving the city on the road, all obediently undergoing the inspection under heavy guard.
Amidst the ethereal mist, a man rode atop a white steed, his presence blending seamlessly with the damp surroundings, giving the impression that he had been immersed in the fog for an indeterminable amount of time.
"Your Royal Highness!!" Hua Liuli recognized the person and her eyes lit up with a sparkling smile.
When the Crown Prince heard the call, he turned his head to look.
The worn-out donkey cart stopped at the end of the queue. Hua Liuli poked her head out from behind the curtain, her fair countenance adorned with a few smudges, her disheveled hair allowing her ears to partially show.
Like a lost kitten suddenly revealing itself from the underbrush, her bright eyes emitted a sense of joy and trust as she recognized her owner.
As the mist enshrouded his person, the Crown Prince felt an overwhelming urge to assume the role of the person who would rescue the little kitten from the thicket, his desire to cleanse the dirt from its tiny body intensifying.
Krish728
Author's Note:
Jiamin Junzhu, the person involved: I regret it now, very much so.
