CH 38

At the moment, a layer of dark clouds was gathering in the sky; it was hard to say when it would rain. When she reached the temple gate, Zhou Qing saw the Qilin armor of the Jin Yi guards at a glance. She estimated there were hundreds of people standing at the bottom of the stone steps. Xie Chong was riding at the frontmost. Even in the distance, when she met those pair of bottomless obsidian eyes, she could not help but reveal a trace of pleading.

Zhou Qing did not want to die like this. Although she gained this second chance in life, it was alright for her to lose it, but Zheng’er was not born yet. If she could not save her child even after being reborn, what was the point?

The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. The woman’s eyes were slightly red, but she did not shed tears. Because she knew that in the hands of the bandits, tears were the most useless thing, so she might as well save her strength and wait for an opportunity to run.

“Lord Xie, the Princess is in our hands. If the Jin Yi guards dare to take a step forward, the blood of these two will splatter on the spot!”

Xie Chong – holding a bow and arrow – heard these words; his dark eyes were brimming with killing intent, but his expression remained unchanged as he said aloud, “Zhen Shanhu, the woman in your hand is not the County Princess at all. She is just an ordinary worshiper. Trying to use her to threaten this official is ridiculous!”

He pulled the string of his bow to the extent. Seeing the sharp arrow being shot, the blood on Zhou Qing’s face faded, and her legs became a bit weak. Zhen Shanhu cursed, no longer caring about the woman in his grasp as he pushed her away. The blade cut the soft, white, and delicate neck. Fortunately, the wound was not deep, only a trace of blood was spilled.

Falling on the ground full of gravel and ash, Zhou Qing’s palms were scratched. There was a searing pain on her skin. Screams – one after the other – entered her ears. She turned her head to look and saw Xie Chong’s bent bow that sent arrows one after another. He was close to securing the hostages. The mountain bandits shot back, and hot blood flowed all over the ground, destroying the pristine land before the Buddha.

Zhou Qing gritted her teeth and saw County Princess Zhaowei fall to the ground. She panicked and did not care about anything else as she quickly rushed forward and placed the woman’s arm on her shoulder, stumbling to the side.

At this juncture, the Jin Yi guards had already rushed to the mountain gate. They were well-trained and powerful in martial arts. They were much stronger compared to those incompetent mountain bandits and soon gained the upper hand.

Zhou Qing and the Princess hid behind a tall elm tree. Zhaowei covered her belly with her two hands. She gasped a few times and said apologetically, “It’s all my fault. If I did not come to the Puji Temple, we would not have met the bandits and exhausted you…”

Zhou Qing shook her head. She saw Zhaowei’s beautiful, pale face distorted in pain. She reached out in her sleeves, took out the fragrance bag containing a tranquilizing herb, and placed it in front of her nose, whispering, “County Princess, this is a tranquilizing herb. It can calm the mind and ease the pain. Please bear it for a while. We will be able to go down the mountain soon.”

She did not know if her words worked, but Zhaowei bit her lip, and took a deep breath. The An Shen herb in front of her was clear and light. The scent was also not strong. Eventually, her tense nerves gradually calmed down.

The two of them held hands. They didn’t know exactly how long it took, but all the bandits in the Puji Temple were captured by the Jin Yi guards. The handsome man in a flying fish suit strode towards Zhou Qing. His eyes were filled with anger, and the veins at the back of his hand were bulging. Coupled with blood splattered on his body, such an appearance could cease a child’s tears at night. 

“The carriage is ready. Let’s send County Princess Zhaowei back to the capital.” Xie Chong uttered.

Her body slowly relaxed a bit. Zhou Qing wanted to go back to the Capital with the County Princess. But as soon as Yan Hui mounted the carriage after the County Princess, the coachman drove away.

Xie Chong stood behind the woman. The distance between them was extremely short – about a fist away. Her entire body was enveloped in the fishy sweet smell of blood. Her thick lashes gently trembled, like delicate porcelain, incomparably fragile.

“Lady Luo, you ride in this carriage. This official shall escort you back to the Capital.”

His hot breath brushed against her earlobe. Zhou Qing wanted to evade, but there was a carriage beside her, and now her back was pressed against the side of the carriage. She could not get away after a long time. Helpless, she raised her gaze to look at Xie Chong and said, “My lord, it is not appropriate for an unmarried man and a married woman to be in the same space. It is not quite right. This little woman has long been married, so it does not matter. But you are not yet married. If it affects your reputation…”

Sensing the woman’s evasive attitude, a smoldering look flashed across his eyes, and the sea of marrow seemed to be stirred by a sharp blade, burning his reason little by little.

“Mrs. Luo said so, yet this official is a little confused. Earlier in the Xie manor, when you were burning herbs, only you and I were in the study. Is it also between an unmarried man and a married woman? What is your ladyship concerned about?”

As he spoke, he pressed his fingertips on the woman’s snow-white neck, and a smear of wickedness and heavy red stung his eyes.

With a little force, he wiped away the blood. Xie Chong suddenly frowned and approached closer. The whole person was like a wild wolf in the mountain forest, sniffing the scent of its prey.