Xiao Qiao did not know that Wei Shao had laid his hands on Chen Rui. No matter how intelligent she was, how could she know what Chen Rui was thinking at this moment? Seeing that the situation seemed dire, she quickly tried to calm him down and said, “There are guards here. How did you get in?”
Chen Rui took a long breath and hummed: “So what if there are more guards? This Jinyang was my family’s territory in the first place! No matter how smart Wei Shao is, he wouldn’t know the pool in the backyard is connected to an underground waterway outside, right? Say no more! Just follow me!”
If Wei Shao knew he had not only survived but also taken the Qiao girl away under the eyes of the guards, he could not help but feel proud.
Only then did Xiao Qiao understand. No wonder he came in dripping wet as if he had fished out of the water. It turned out he dived from an underground waterway, thus avoiding the guards.
In fact, Chen Rui initially wanted to use the Qiang boy in his hand to lure Xiao Qiao out. When he arrived at Jinyang, he saw the guards were very strict, and he only had a single whip, so it would be hard to act openly. However, since he had arrived and the Qiao girl was close at hand, he was unwilling to give up. He suddenly remembered the secret waterway under the pool in the backyard of the government office and sneaking in late at night to take the Qiao girl away. As long as the Qiao girl was in his hands as a hostage, there was no fear of not getting out of this city.
Worried that further delay would be disadvantageous to him, he grabbed Xiao Qiao’s arm, saying: “I’ll tell you the truth, that Beihe Qiang’s boy is in my hands now too! You come with me! When I borrow the troops from the Beihe Qiang people, you will see how I attack Wei Shao and take revenge!”
Xiao Qiao was shocked. He didn’t look like he was lying. Between thoughts, she broke away from his hand and shook her head, “General Chen, don’t talk big in front of me anymore! General Jia is brave and fierce! I ordered him to take a hundred men to chase Diao Mo. How could the Qiang boy fall into your hands?”
Chen Rui heard that her tone seemed to have the intention of belittling him. How could he endure it? He grunted: “There is no harm in telling you. He is in the Dragon Mountain in the west of the city! Jinyang is my family’s territory. Who can stop me from coming and going? Don’t say any more! Follow me!”
He dragged Xiao Qiao off the bed to the door by force. When she saw he opened the door’s latch while turning around to threaten her not to make a sound, she stopped struggling and said, “I have not put on my shoes yet. General Chen allowed me to put on my shoes.”Chen Rui gently opened the door and probed out left and right. There was no trace of people. He calmed down and turned back to pull Xiao Qiao to come out with him. Unexpectedly, Xiao Qiao pushed him hard on the back. His upper body leaned forward while his feet tripped by the threshold. He lost his center of gravity and lunged forward, falling to the ground. Then, behind him came the sound of the door closing and locking.
Chen Rui jumped up in anger, hitting the door with force. But, the door was composed of thick boxwood with a two feet latch. How can it be kicked open? He hurriedly ran to the window where he had come in through. Xiao Qiao moved faster than he did. As soon as she latched the door, she immediately ran to the window, snapped the latch, then screamed out loud.
Chen Rui did not have time to crash the window. He heard a clamor behind him, turned his head, and saw a dozen figures holding fire staff flooding the inner courtyard. He was terrified, knowing it would be too late if he did not run. He turned his head and ran to the backyard. Only ran out a few steps, and the guards had appeared. They blocked him in all directions, and there was no way to escape.
Chen Rui regretted. He should not be tempted away by the Qiao girl. Why talk so much with her? He should already be out of the government office if he carried her immediately. Why did he fall into this situation of catching a turtle in a jar? With red eyes and a roar of anger, he pulled out a soft whip coiled around his waist and was about to kill a bloody road when the surrounding ‘swoosh’ sounded. Arrows rained down, nailing it into his chest and back in a flash.
Chen Rui was born with a different organ position, unlike people in general. His organs were on the opposite side. Wei Shao ordered people to mutilate his lower body and stabbed him with a knife. The executioner thought he was dead and dragged him to the corpse pile without inspecting him. But Chen Rui struggled back to life and finally escaped. He believed that there would be blessings after his death. But unexpectedly, he died today at the hand of a woman.
Chen Rui shouted while pulling out a blood-stained arrow cluster inserted into his right chest and fell on his back.
Chun Niang ran towards Xiao Qiao’s room, tapping hard on the door and calling loudly for the Lady.
Xiao Qiao felt weak. Even the strength to stand seemed to be gone. She fell to the ground, shrunk and shivering when she suddenly heard Chun Niang’s familiar and anxious call. She stood up, but her hand was so weak that she could not pull the latch. It took her several tries to finally opened the latch.
Chun Niang pushed open the door and saw Xiao Qiao standing behind the door. Her eyes were opened wide with a pale face. Chun Niang helped her sit down. She closed her eyes and leaned for a moment. Her nanny’s warm embrace and her voice’s comfort finally let her settle down her mind. Suddenly remembering something, she opened her eyes and asked, “Where is Chen Rui?”
Chun Niang said with hatred: “That thief has died! Don’t be afraid! Actually, I was awakened early by the sound of the man talking in your room. I listened outside the door for a moment. I wanted to call someone to come in, but I was afraid he would do something to you, so I quietly called someone to ambush him. Fortunately, you also steadied that man and blocked him outside. Otherwise, it is really unimaginable!”Her heart was still throbbing when she remembered that scene.
Xiao Qiao remembered Chen Rui only said half a sentence, saying that the Qiang boy, Yuan, was hidden by him in the Dragon Mountain.
Dragon Mountain was enormous. Without an exact location, it would be hard to find him. She feared that the boy’s life would be in danger if there were any delays. Despite her weakness, she haphazardly put on her clothes, stood up, and opened the door. She saw Mr. Lin, Mr. Jia’s deputy, ordering people to carry Chen Rui out and calling them to stop.
Mr. Lin hurriedly ran over and apologized to her. Xiao Qiao shook her head and hurriedly came to Chen Rui’s side. Several arrows pierced his chest while the corners of his mouth bleed. His eyes were tightly closed like he was already dead. It was impossible for him to answer any questions.
Xiao Qiao’s heart surged with a strange feeling when she saw him in this horrible state of death. She couldn’t bear to look any longer. After fixing her mind, she turned to Mr. Lin and said: “The Qiang boy should be hidden somewhere in Dragon Mountain now. Immediately bring your men to search the mountain! You can borrow troops from the four cities. It would be better if we got more men! Make sure to find him as soon as possible!”
Mr. Lin answered.
“And this man ……” She hesitated, “Dig a pit for him, leave a whole body, and bury him.”
Mr. Lin was stunned but responded.
After giving the order, Chun Niang helped Xiao Qiao, who was still weak. She turned around and wanted to return to the room. Chen Rui, on the ground, suddenly opened his eyes. He shouted and pounced. His hand tightly grabbed Xiao Qiao’s foot with unusual strength.
This scene was too sudden. Nobody was expecting it to happen, and they were all shocked.
Xiao Qiao was already weak. How can she withstand this grasp? With a shriek, she fell to the ground. Chen Rui opened his mouth to bite one of her feet while staring at her. He vaguely said: “You …… really …… beautiful, dead … … under …… your …… body …… body ……, I have no regrets ……”
After the words, his breath stopped.
Xiao Qiao “ah,” screaming.