The crowd erupted in chaos, and she seemed to hear the furious roar of the bald Hu man. Wei Shufen leaned forward, clinging to the horse's neck, unsure whether she had dodged An San's swinging blade or if he had been caught off guard and failed to strike in time. But this did not mean she was out of danger. Amid the clamor of voices, neighing horses, pounding hooves, and the violent jostling, she could still clearly hear the sound of a sharp blade slicing through the air, flying toward her body hunched over the horse.
An San had truly thrown caution to the wind. Seeing Wei Shufen escape on horseback, he hurled his blade at her. The distance was short, and the target—both rider and horse—was large. There was no way he could miss. But now, without a hostage and his weapon gone, he had no means to fend off the impending assault from Li Yuangui and the others.
Wei Shufen closed her eyes, bracing for the moment the blade would pierce her body.
A loud clang of metal striking metal rang out in the air just above and behind her.
Turning her head, Wei Shufen saw sparks burst into the night sky as two blades of similar shape and length tangled and spun away before vanishing into the dark mist. Moments later, they clattered to the ground in the distance.
"You damned bastard!"
The thunderous bellow made Wei Shufen's ears ring, and her mount reared in fright, nearly throwing her from the saddle. Clutching the horse's neck with all her might, she had no time to mind the commotion behind her, focusing instead on calming the panicked steed. Footsteps pounded as several people rushed over from behind, grabbing reins and pulling the horse into submission.
"A Fen!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Wei Shufen's legs and waist went weak, and she slid straight off the horse, landing in a pair of outstretched arms.
Li Yuangui steadied her, first lowering her to the ground before kneeling beside her, his brow furrowed as he examined her injuries.
"Your wounds..."
They were now far from the torchlight, surrounded by pitch-black darkness. Wei Shufen could barely make out Li Yuangui's face, but she could feel the heat of his breath.
Suddenly, the sharp pain in her arms and shoulders flared, and her body felt too weak to hold itself up. After a few ragged breaths, she managed to say, "It's nothing—just flesh wounds," but her voice cracked with unshed tears, forcing her to fall silent.
Li Yuangui took the dagger from her hand and, with a swift motion, cut off a section of his own robe to tightly bind her arm and shoulder wounds. Sitting on the ground, Wei Shufen peered over his shoulder toward the torchlight, where figures moved about. An San seemed to have been subdued and tied up, while an exceptionally burly figure bellowed something in a booming voice.
"I... I didn't die... Why?"
Wei Shufen's bewildered murmur drew a soft chuckle from Li Yuangui.
"You got lucky... That man appeared out of nowhere and threw his blade to knock An San's off course... Not bad at all."
"Not bad at all" was high praise for the man's precision, especially coming from the typically aloof and proud Prince Wu. Wei Shufen let out a choked laugh, but her cheeks grew wet as tears spilled uncontrollably down her face.
Facing the torchlight, some of its glow illuminated her face, allowing Li Yuangui to see clearly. He instinctively raised his hand as if to wipe her tears.
But his fingers paused just before touching her skin, veering aside instead to gently brush away the loose strands of hair clinging to her face.I must look as hideous as a ghostly hag right now, Wei Shufen realized. Her veiled hat had been hastily torn off, her hairpins were askew, her locks disheveled, her face and clothes smeared with blood and tears—her makeup was undoubtedly a complete mess. She looked even worse than when she had first seen him outside the side gate of the Temple of Common Vocation. The two of them truly seemed destined to clash...
"...It's you!"
A sudden shout came from the crowd holding torches, followed by booming laughter. Li Yuangui exhaled deeply as if waking from a dream, supporting her as they slowly stood up. Frowning, he said while walking toward the commotion, "I just caught a glimpse of the person emerging from the warehouse over there... he looked oddly familiar..."
Indeed, he did look strangely familiar. With Li Yuangui supporting her right arm, Wei Shufen's legs grew weaker with each step. The burly figure approaching them, the thick beard visible even from behind—why did he seem more and more like...
The man turned his head slightly, and both Wei Shufen and Li Yuangui gasped sharply in unison. They had recognized him.
"...Thanks to General Cheng!" That was the voice of the man surnamed Pei, bowing repeatedly with gratitude and deference. Amid the clamor and shifting shadows, Yang Xinzhi's tall figure quickly broke away from the crowd and approached Li Yuangui and Wei Shufen, lowering his voice:
"Don't go any closer. That's Prefect Cheng... Cheng Yaojin."
The man her parents intended to marry her off to for a betrothal gift of fifty thousand bolts of silk—the Supreme Pillar of the State, Duke of Su, Grand General of the Left Military Guard, and former Prefect of Yuanzhou, Cheng Yaojin.
Wei Shufen abruptly froze in place, and Li Yuangui did the same. The arm supporting her twitched as if to withdraw, but seeing her utterly exhausted state, he ultimately didn't pull away. Yang Xinzhi gestured with a thick arm, and the three of them turned around to head toward the warehouse gate.
"...General Cheng received an imperial edict summoning him back to Chang'an from Yuanzhou to report on his duties. He brought a batch of fine horses to present to the emperor. He just arrived in Xianyang today and planned to rest here for a few days to fatten the horses before delivering them to the palace stables, hoping to please His Majesty. He said the Sogdian merchants at the mule and horse market here were being difficult, unwilling to provide good fodder, so on a whim, he came to the warehouse at night to investigate their stock. Who would have thought he'd stumble upon a damned barbarian slave abducting a Han maiden—utterly outrageous..."
As the three walked, Yang Xinzhi quietly relayed Cheng Yaojin's explanation. In the sixth year of the Zhenguan era, Cheng Yaojin had been appointed Prefect of Yuanzhou while retaining his rank as Grand General of the Left Military Guard. The court and public knew this was the Son of Heaven's move to consolidate the northwest, sending him as the vanguard. Over the past three years, General Cheng had returned to the capital between the winter solstice and New Year's for official evaluations and social engagements. Wei Shufen had secretly caught a glimpse of this World-Mixing Demon King once at home. Li Yuangui and Yang Xinzhi were likely more familiar with him.
"Did he recognize you?" Li Yuangui asked Yang Xinzhi.
"It... seems he did," Yang Xinzhi replied gloomily. "He stared at me for a moment and even seemed about to greet me, but Pei's second son intercepted the conversation. I realized this was bad and quickly stepped back... If he recognizes Fourteenth Young Master too, it'll be even worse."
They were still fugitives, Wei Shufen suddenly remembered. Cheng Yaojin was a close confidant of the Son of Heaven. Once he reached the capital in the next couple of days, he would surely have an audience with the emperor soon—and would likely learn that the imperial guards were hunting for Prince Wu Yuan-gui..."News from the Great Peace Palace—Zhang Shigui failed in his palace guard duties, and the commander of the imperial guards may be replaced." Li Yuangui sighed. "General Cheng being recalled at this time might well be to take over from Zhang Shigui."
And then they'd be responsible for capturing the fugitives, both men and women... At this thought, Wei Shufen took a deep breath, feeling her wounds ache more intensely and her legs grow so heavy she could barely lift them.
An arm encircled her waist, applying more strength and pulling her body even closer.
She couldn't just collapse here and refuse to move... Wei Shufen's face grew warm as she abandoned any thought of pushing Li Yuangui away. No longer allowing her mind to wander, she lowered her head and silently leaned against his side, letting him lead them through the pitch-black night.
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