Chapter 61 In Grave Crisis

“Big sister, the people in the opposite woods were….” Wei Changfeng was dragged along by Wei Qing on their run, and he had been scratched by countless small branches on his face and body. Although Wei Changfeng who was accustomed to a comfortable and affluent lifestyle was now hurting all over his body, he could not hide the joy on his face, “Were they ‘Biwu’?”

“If ‘Biwu’ had arrived, could we still have been running like this?” Wei Changying was extremely calm, her tone unshaken as if nothing had happened, “That was Uncle Jiang. When the first wave of arrows came down, he kicked over the carriage and blocked the arrows for me using the bottom of the car with no windows and doors. Earlier during the chaos, he told me that he was going into the woods to kill off the archers. Otherwise, none of us could survive today! Now it looks like Uncle Jiang has already found the archers and wiped them out during the short while when those men in black came out!”

Hearing that Jiang Zheng alone had killed off all the archers and even used their arrows to ambush those men in black who had rushed to the highway, Wei Changfeng’s previous joy was suddenly extinguished. He asked subconsciously, “What about Uncle Jiang then?”

“I don’t know. He asked us to go first.” Wei Changying’s voice was calm, yet very cold as well, which was quite unusual. Wei Qing had little contact with her before, and he had also been admiring her for her composure today, so he did not find anything strange. Wei Changfeng however, sensed that something was not right. He wondered cluelessly, “Why is big sister acting so strange now?”

But because now they were still in danger, even though Wei Changfeng was worried for his sister, he did not have time to talk more. He could only follow Wei Qing and run with all his strength in the woods, slipping and sliding.

He and Lvyi, Lvchi were just common folks, and Lvyi and Lvchi were women. With the three of them, not only the group slowed down, but they also made a lot of noises while running, which even startled the birds around them. Not to mention minding whether there were people following them—even if there were, as long as the pursuers weren’t shouting loudly, they could not discover them due to the noises of heavy steps surrounding them.

Therefore, they could not tell whether those men in black were pursuing them or not, so they dared not stay and could only run as hard as they could!

Having run with full strength in the woods for a while, both Wei Changfeng and Wei Qing had felt tired. And while they were just starting to slow down, a grey shadow appeared not far away ahead of them! They were all stunned, and Wei Qing was about to slash at the figure with his sword—thanks to Wei Changying’s keen eyes and her familiarity with the comer, she called out in surprise, “Uncle Jiang!”

It was Jiang Zheng.

This old guard was indeed a famous bodyguard from a family with generations of expertise. Even the Wei Family’s steward coveted over his martial arts and Jianghu experience, and had to recruit him into the Wei Family—under the situation of a sudden attack, he was not only the first to react, but he also kicked over the carriage to protect Wei Changying inside from being wounded by the stray arrows. And out of the surprise of both sides, during the short while of just a few waves of arrows, he had already managed to infiltrate the forest!

And not only that, but Jiang Zheng had also found out the hiding places of all the archers during the short while when Wei Changying and Wei Qing were fighting the assassins and had killed them all without alarming those outside the woods!

And in just a moment, Jiang Zheng had already gotten away and crossed the highway to the woods on the other side. Not only did he manage to find the group, he even surpassed them!

He was such an experienced and highly skilled guard. Seeing that although his clothes were not clean as new, they were still tidy and undamaged, even Wei Changfeng felt that he had seen the mainstay of the family. Hurriedly he went up to ask, “Uncle Jiang, those people….”

His words were quickly interrupted by Jiang Zheng, who frowned and spoke in a deep voice, “Haven’t I asked First Miss to take the chance to quickly retreat into the woods and go as far as possible while I was using arrows to distract those assassins? With no doubt I will find a way to catch up with First Miss, and while doing so I can also hide your trail and take care of things for First Miss… Why hasn’t First Miss listened to me but stayed here to wait?!”

His words made everyone surprised. Even Wei Changying was dumbfounded, and she said subconsciously, “We… we have been running for fifteen minutes! Hasn’t Uncle Jiang surpassed us?”

“What?!” Jiang Zheng was stunned. Soon he realized what was going on and put up a sullen face, “Perhaps First Miss didn’t know her way. The trees in the woods are dense, and I’m afraid that First Miss has been going around in circles!”

“…” Everyone became silent at this moment, not knowing what to say. Wei Changying was in no mood to feel bad, and she asked hastily, “How far away is this place from the highway….”

Jiang Zheng stepped forward and grabbed Wei Changfeng. Right now, he had no time to consider the proper etiquettes between master and servant. He took Wei Changfeng on his back and said, “This place is no more than an arrow away from the highway… We can’t stay here for long. Let’s move on quickly!”

With Jiang Zheng pointing the right way, the group naturally wouldn’t make the mistake of going around in circles in the woods and ending up where they started anymore… and worse they could have gone back to the highway and have exposed themselves again to the assassins.

Wei Changfeng had Jiang Zheng to carry him, but Lvyi and Lvchi couldn’t let Wei Qing and Wei Changying carry them on their backs. The trees were dense in the woods, and even Jiang Zheng couldn’t walk fast. Lvyi and Lvchi now understood how critical the situation was. Earlier Wei Changying had already been kind enough to them by remembering to kick them in the woods with her while she was pulling Wei Changfeng to hide in the woods. And now the group could not be slowed down because of them— just then they had heard that the assassins dared even to molest Wei Changying to her face, once left behind and seized by the assassins, what could they possibly not dare to do to just two maidservants?

In fear, the two maidservants, lifting the hemlines of their skirts, hurried on their way and managed to keep up eventually!

Jiang Zheng walked under a particular tall ancient tree in the woods and put Wei Changfeng down. After listening on the ground for a while, he sighed in relief and said, “They haven’t caught up with us yet. We can take a short rest for now.”

As soon as hearing these words, everyone including Wei Changying felt soft at their feet—even walking in the thick woods was hard enough, let alone running for their lives in the midst of being chased by the assassins. Their heart hanging in the air for a long time was not only draining their physical strength, but also depleting their mental energy.

By this time, everyone had felt empty in their stomach, hungry and thirsty at the same time. But there was no pond nor wild fruits in their surroundings. The group had no time to rest to begin with, let alone going far away to find food. If they were unlucky to encounter the assassins again, they could only wish that God would help them.

Therefore, everyone rested in silence, trying to regain their strength as soon as possible.

Wei Changfeng was first pulled by Wei Qing, and then carried by Jiang Zheng on his back, so he did not lose much strength. Now that he was put down to the ground, of course he was most concerned about his sister. He saw that although Wei Changying looked calm as before, her face was pale like a ghost. In contrast to her pale face, her eyes seemed to be gleaming with light.

Even in the thick dark woods, her eyes glowed like stars. However, even a normally pale person would blush after a sprint, so how could Wei Changying’s face still be so strangely pale? This anomaly made Wei Changfeng sink his heart. He couldn’t help but asked, “Big sister, are you alright?”

Hearing his words, Wei Changying looked at him, her eyes cold and calm. She slowly shook her head, but halfway through her face suddenly changed color as if she had just thought of something. She used her hand to cover her mouth and was about to stand up.

But Jiang Zheng was faster than her. He immediately raised his hand and tapped on a few spots on her shoulder, fast as lightning. In a low voice he said, “Don’t throw up! First Miss you’ve always lived in affluence, so it’s common for you to feel flustered and short of breath after seeing a situation of life and death for the first time. And you’ve just killed someone earlier, so it’s normal for you to feel sick! But we are not safe yet at the moment, and above all, we don’t have any water or food on us. If First Miss you vomit now, leaving a trace behind would only be a trivial matter, what was more troublesome is that you would feel weak instantly! Therefore, you can’t risk vomiting now. So please, First Miss, you have to suppress your nausea!”

Hearing his words, Wei Changfeng finally realized what was going on—under such a turn of events today, even Wei Qing, who was praised by Wei Huan for being mature and composed, was completely bewildered not just once, let alone Wei Changying, who had always lived a comfortable life and had been well protected.

Even though Wei Changying had been spoiled to the extent that Madam Song used to break a carriage of jade just for a praise from her daughter saying the sound was pleasant to hear, and no matter how indulged into martial arts she had always been, today was the first time for her to see real blood! The horrifying scene on the highway was enough to make the most experienced coroner turn pale… Not to mention that in order to protect her brother, Wei Changying had killed the leader of the assassins right away when she had just come out from the carriage!

And then she killed another person….

Wei Changying, who had been immersed in beautiful Jinxiu and exquisite gardens, had never killed anyone in her life, and had not even seen a chicken being killed. Today she first saw her own guards and horses being slaughtered, then she was forced to kill her enemies— she still had the latter assassin’s blood on her sleeve… Wei Changying was only able to stay calm and composed because she had been suppressing her disgust and fear!

And it was because she had been suppressing this instinctive fear and disgust that she seemed particularly cold and calm.

But after learning from Jiang Zheng that they were safe for now… Wei Changying started to feel relaxed, and she could not suppress her instinct that well anymore.

She shouldn’t vomit even if she wanted to— after vomiting she would lose her strength. Jiang Zheng already had to carry Wei Changfeng, and if Wei Changying lost her strength as well, should she let Wei Qing carry her? Not to mention that men and women should not have physical contact— out of the six people in the group, only three could protect themselves; and among the three who needed protection, Lvyi and Lvchi could be given up any time. But if Wei Changying were to lose her strength, that would be two people needing to protect an extra person!

And if Wei Changfeng was the only one who couldn’t keep up, Jiang Zheng and Wei Qing could take turns to carry him….

Therefore, if Wei Changying lost her strength, not only would they have been slowed down, once the assassins had caught up, their chances of getting caught would also have greatly increased!

Wei Changying’s face blushed and then turned pale every now and then. She covered her mouth and slightly trembled. Wei Changfeng looked at her anxiously, but he couldn’t do anything to help her. He could only murmur in a low voice, “Big sister?”

But then he saw that Wei Changying’s eyes looked determined. She pressed her fingers on her throat, and after a while, her face turned pale again. She had suppressed her nausea eventually. Tiredly she said, “I’m good now.”

When she lowered her hand, the marks of her two fingers pressing down were particularly obvious….

Wei Changfeng clenched his fist tightly: If only he had not been so useless, big sister could have quietly sneaked in the woods and have escaped before the men in black had even discovered her given her martial art skills! But now he had dragged his sister and his faithful guard along in a frightening escape here….

Wei Changfeng had always considered martial arts as nothing more than an insignificant skill. What really mattered was strategy, scheme, and the wisdom accumulated after having read thousands of volumes of books.

And now he understood that in front of swords and blades, the wisdom that had no power to protect oneself… was nothing more than a pale joke.

If he could make it back alive… While Wei Changfeng was still lingering in his thoughts, he heard Jiang Zheng suddenly spoke to Lvyi and Lvchi in an unemotional tone, “You two can go now!”

“Ah?!” Not only were Lvyi and Lvchi surprised, Wei Changying also responded subconsciously, “Uncle Jiang?”

“We’ve been leaving traces along our way, and the assassins would catch up sooner or later.” Jiang Zheng said coldly, “They have already lost most of their strength, but we have to speed up from now on! There is no way they can keep up with us, and you could imagine what would happen if they stay here! It’s better for them to go first. If they are lucky they can still survive. But if the worst happens… It would just be the same as staying with us anyway.”

He looked at Lvyi and Lvchi, who had both turned pale looking pleadingly at Wei Changying, and said coldly, “Think over it. Now First Miss and Fifth Master are both in great peril, so it’s impossible for us to take care of you two! Earlier First Miss has kicked you in first, and that was already kind enough of her. Now it’s up to you whether you want to prove your loyalty to your master or not!”

“The two of you choose a path first. If you are lucky and no assassins have come after you, your lives will be saved. But if they have followed you, you would just end up the same as staying with us. But no matter what happens, if First Miss and Fifth Master return safely to Fengzhou, your families will be generously rewarded!” Jiang Zheng waved his hand and stopped Wei Changying from speaking. In a deep voice he said, “But if you stay with First Miss, once you are unable to keep up with us later, should you expect First Miss to carry you? And if you fall behind, getting humiliated and killed would only be a trivial matter— do you think you could get away with the Family Head knowing that you have been ignorant and unappreciative to First Miss who has saved your lives earlier and encumbered her instead? And then what would happen to your family… It’s up to you!”

Jiang Zheng had spoken very frankly to them. He needed Lvyi and Lvchi to go first not only because he didn’t want to be burdened on the way, but also because he wanted to vex the assassins— even if a few of them were killed, there were still many after them.

When the assassins found their traces and learned that they had scattered, they would inevitably come after them in separate groups as well. Therefore, letting Lvyi and Lvchi go first could serve as a way to disperse their pursuers. Although the two maidservants were weak and couldn’t keep them distracted for long, they would still reduce the pressure coming after their masters.

And maybe they could even escape the deadly situation because of this.

Not to mention that Jiang Zheng had let Lvyi and Lvchi go first because he didn’t trust them. He worried that if the two maidservants left at the same time or after them, the direction where they went would be seen and leaked to the assassins out of grudge or fear!

Wei Changying wanted to say something, but seeing Wei Changfeng, she bit her lips and kept in silence.

Just as Wei Changfeng valued Wei Qing greatly, Wei Changying also cared about her maidservants a lot. But when having to choose between Wei Changying and Wei Qing, Wei Changfeng still gave up on the faithful Wei Qing and chose his sister instead. Lvyi and Lvchi had been serving Wei Changying since they were children, and it was conceivable that she was very close to them. However, for the safety of Wei Changfeng, Wei Changying could only listen to Jiang Zheng and sacrifice Lvyi and Lvchi.

She secretly bit her lips hard, looked down at her hands, and thought to herself sadly, “I have already worked so hard, but not to mention what will happen after getting married… Why am I even not able to save two maidservants now?”

But after seeing the cold, indifferent gaze of Jiang Zheng, Wei Changying’s heart had calmed down— it was definitely not the time to feel sad. A lot of guards had already died on the highway, and among them many were sons from distant branches… Although they were weak, none of them ever begged for mercy. All these people had sacrificed themselves, and if Wei Changfeng could not make it back to Ruiyu Hall alive….

No matter how cruel or despicable it was, she only had this one purpose. Let alone sacrificing two maidservants, she could even give up her own life with no hesitation!

By all means, Changfeng had to return to Ruiyu Hall safely!