spoiled brat

Chapter 101. Self-Salvation (Part 100)

He had a two-birds-with-one-stone mentality: to catch up with Yuan Yue and her entourage on horseback and kill them halfway, thus preventing her from reporting to the Prince of Ning's mansion and also seizing their money.

"Uncle Fan, I believe your oath." Zhao Zhao, holding the swaddled baby, glanced at the fierce-looking people around her and said timidly, "But as the saying goes, 'cross the river and then burn the bridge.' If I tell you everything, what can you do if you kill me? Can I take you there instead?"

What tricks could a little girl like her possibly play? Fan Jin didn't take Zhao Zhao seriously and immediately ordered his men to prepare horses and leave. Zhao Zhao was also given a horse, and she tied the swaddled baby to her back with a cloth strip, hoping that Aheng wouldn't upset Fan Jin by crying.

The group rode out of the village at full speed and headed south in pursuit.

It was completely dark by then, and with the night rain, there wasn't a soul in sight on the country road, making the chase exceptionally smooth and fast.

After running for about two hours and several dozen miles, they still hadn't seen Yuan Yue, who Zhao Zhao had mentioned fleeing south. Someone questioned Fan Jin, "Brother, that woman's carriage is carrying silver. How could it be faster than our horses? This brat is probably just bluffing us!"

Fan Jin, wearing a raincoat, had rain streaming down the serpentine lines on his face. He stared intently at Zhao Zhao and ordered his men to go ahead and check for any cart tracks on the road.

The subordinate quickly reported back that although the country road was muddy in the rain, there were no obvious signs of carriages or horses. Fan Jin was furious upon hearing this and drew his sword to kill Zhao Zhao. At that moment, someone pointed to the road behind them and shouted, "Boss, those white things in the mud look like silver notes!"

Upon closer inspection by the moonlight, what was indeed stuck in the mud and water were silver notes, all in small denominations of ten or tens of taels, which looked like fish scales under the moonlight.

Fan Jin assumed that the silver note had been lost by Yuan Yue on the way, and immediately went from anger to laughter. He sheathed his sword and asked Zhao Zhao to continue giving directions.

Zhao Zhao breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that the stack of small silver notes given by Tian Yixing was a lifesaver; otherwise, how could she have coaxed Fan Jin to continue the pursuit?
After chasing for several more hours, both men and horses were exhausted. A white line appeared on the horizon, signaling the approaching dawn.

Fan Jin finally lost his patience and squinted at Zhao Zhao, asking, "Are you kidding me?!"

Zhao Zhao pulled the horse closer to him and asked seriously, "How far is it from here to Xu Family Temple?" As she spoke, her fingers secretly reached into her sleeve and grabbed a dagger.

Fan Jin glanced at the surrounding mountains and estimated that it was still more than ten miles away. Zhao Zhao nodded and said, "That's right, that's right," while taking advantage of his unpreparedness, she drew her knife and stabbed at Fan Jin's mount.

A piercing screech rang out, and instantly men and horses tumbled over, throwing everyone into chaos. Fan Jin, bruised and covered in mud, yelled, "Strip this little bitch to pieces!"

At this time, the moon had set and the sun had not yet risen, it was the darkest time of day, and with heavy rain making it impossible to light torches, in the midst of the chaos, they could not find Zhaozhao anywhere.

Suddenly someone pointed ahead and said, "That little bitch rode off on her horse!"

Hearing that someone was chasing them, Zhao Zhao quickly transferred the swaddled baby from her back to her arms to protect it with all her might. Sticks and large stones kept flying from behind. Zhao Zhao clung to the horse's back and gripped the reins tightly. Something hit her spine, and it burned with pain.

She prayed in her heart that the horse would run faster, and at the same time hoped to reach Xujiamiao quickly. Just then, some lights appeared on the dark road ahead.

Those who could afford rain lanterns were all wealthy families. Fan Jin and his group were overjoyed to see this: "That woman surnamed Yuan is just ahead!" They quickened their pace and chased after Zhao Zhao even more.

But the lights grew brighter and brighter, clearly indicating that they were not fleeing south, but coming this way, with a menacing air, and in the blink of an eye they were right in front of them.

Fan Jin saw that the approaching group was a troop of armored men with swords and realized that he had fallen into a trap. He shouted that it was bad and that they should run! Caught off guard, everyone was instantly like headless flies and rushed into the woods.

But how could men and horses outrun arrows? Countless arrows pierced through the rain and forest, and those protecting Fan Jin were either killed or wounded, leaving only him to abandon his horse and flee.

An arrow had pierced his ribs; even breathing was painful. His vision blurred, and the woods appeared like ghostly shadows. For some reason, he felt someone following him, but when he turned around several times, there was nothing there.

The rain intensified, and Fan Jin, utterly exhausted, could no longer escape. Clinging to a sliver of hope, he sought refuge at the foot of a high slope, curling up in a pile of cold, damp leaves. The arrow that struck him was peculiar; the iron spike was embedded in his flesh and could not be pulled out, and stopping the bleeding was a pipe dream.

Consciousness drained away with the blood, and Fan Jin cursed his ancestors for eighteen generations in his heart. Suddenly, he heard a soft moan above him. He initially thought it was a wild cat meowing, but after another sound, he realized it was a baby crying.

Fan Jin felt a chill run down his spine, his teeth chattering and his bones trembling. He looked up in fear and saw a person standing on the high slope, holding a stone in his hand and smiling at him with his head tilted... Who else could it be but Zhao Zhao?
"you……"

Before he could utter another word, the stone in Zhao Zhao's hand came crashing down.

A sharp pain shot through his head, and everything went black. He heard his skull being smashed bit by bit, and the blood flowing out filled his mouth. He wanted to resist, but he was too weak. He could only plead, "...Spare my life...Money, I have money...I'll give you money!"

Having managed this estate for decades, he must have amassed quite a fortune. Zhao Zhao stopped what she was doing: "Where did you hide the smuggled silver?"

"Hidden..." Fan Jin drawled, trying to discern Zhao Zhao's direction, then suddenly lunged forward, using all his strength to strangle her. Unexpectedly, the moment his hand touched Zhao Zhao's clothes, a chill ran through his chest; a blade pierced his heart.

Zhao Zhao, her face splattered with blood, calmly held the dagger until she was sure Fan Jin had stopped breathing, before slowly pushing the body aside.

Ah Heng behind him cried even louder.

Zhao Zhao tucked the dagger into her sleeve, picked up the swaddled baby, and gently coaxed her, her voice weak but tender: "Don't be afraid, the person who wanted to harm you is already dead."

Ah Heng kept crying, and Zhao Zhao sighed, "Sister promises, I'll never do it in front of you again..."

Just then, a damp leaf drifted down from above.

Zhao Zhao suddenly raised her head and met a pair of unfathomable eyes. Xiu Yi looked down at her, silently watching the whole scene unfold—how she had spotted Fan Jin amidst the chaos, and how she had quietly pursued him after the rain of arrows stopped, meticulously killing him.

So calm, so practiced. "Young Master..."

Xiu Yi clapped his hands lightly, as if in a celestial dance, but his tone was cold and indifferent: "I thought you were dead."

"Are they here to collect my corpse?" Rainwater slid down Zhao Zhao's cheeks, washing away the blood and revealing her pale complexion. She smiled, "I won't die..."

Xiu Yi glanced down and said, "Really?"

Zhao Zhao followed his gaze downwards and saw a pool of blood at her feet, the hem of her clothes already turning black from red... She reached down and touched her back, her hands covered in blood.

The hatred she felt before was so intense that she only felt the pain now, and a feeling of dizziness followed.

Zhao Zhao's lips trembled, but she didn't make a sound before suddenly fainting.

-

When he woke up again, three days had passed.

Autumn had arrived, and the nights were cool. The heated bed beneath Zhao Zhao was quite hot, making her throat dry and hoarse. She opened her eyes and called out for water.

A porcelain cup was handed to her, and Zhao Zhao downed it in one gulp, nearly choking. Looking up, she noticed that the person beside her bed wasn't a maid or doctor, but Xiu Yi.

The lights were dim, and he looked completely calm, showing neither discomfort nor embarrassment: "Want some more?"

Zhao Zhao shook her head: "...Is the doll I was protecting alright?"

Xiu Yi hummed in agreement, placed the porcelain cup and teapot beside Zhao Zhao, sat back down at the table, and picked up a scroll of official documents to read.

Zhao Zhao was injured on her back and lay down for three days. Her body was as stiff as iron, so she could only roll her eyes and look around. The house was simple, with several stacks of clean clothes on the wooden shelf and a sword and bow in the corner. Did she sleep with Xiu Yi when she fainted?
"Most of the village was burned down. This is the best room among the remaining houses. You are injured, so you'll stay with me."

"What about these past few days..."

There's another bed behind you.

Zhao Zhao breathed a sigh of relief and said, "What you're looking for is in the batch of wine that Xu Feng brewed."

"It's already been rubbed down." Xiu Yi closed the official document in his hand. "Yuan Yue said it's all thanks to you."

His tone was very indifferent, and Zhao Zhao didn't respond.

The room fell silent. The pattering rain pattered against the window paper, and the air was filled with the bitter, slightly tinged scent of decaying summer flowers, mixed with a hint of desolate fragrance.

This is Xiu Yi's scent. Zhao Zhao remembers it.

"Don't you have anything to say to me?" he asked.

Zhao Zhao was stunned, feeling inexplicably strange: "What did you say?"

"Why do you know where I am but not come to me for help?"

Zhao Zhao looked at Xiu Yi and smiled softly. Xiu Yi couldn't understand what she was laughing at; he only found her smile irritating.

The arrogance that once filled her was gone from her face; her eyes were now calm and serene as she smiled. She said self-deprecatingly, "I have nothing now, and all I can say are discouraging words. Young Master, do you want to hear me play the victim?"

Xiu Yi remained silent, gazing quietly at Zhao Zhao, a faint pity flickering in his eyes.

Zhao Zhao felt a sudden pang of sadness, and tears welled up in her eyes: "I have no home anymore..." She buried her head in the pillow, never dreaming that the first time she would cry out loud since her ordeal would be in front of this person: "Everyone I love is dead, I have nothing left but my sister..."

Having witnessed countless partings and deaths, Xiu Yi's heart had hardened and hardened, yet at this moment, as if possessed, he raised his hand and gently placed it on Zhao Zhao's back.

He thought this wasn't really a man comforting a woman; it was just a fear that her wounds would reopen. After all, she had repeatedly helped him, after all, she was the person Xiu Ning liked, after all…

After all, he didn't know what Zhao Zhao was thinking.

Zhao Zhao wiped away her tears and said, half-truthfully, "That day when I returned home, there was a bandit outbreak in the county. They robbed all the wealthy and powerful families and then came to the brothels to rape people. My mother died under their knife. I fled out of the county and was stabbed and fell down a hillside, almost dying."

As he spoke, he pulled up his sleeve to reveal the knife wound he had sustained earlier: "After being unconscious for several days, I woke up to find that my friend had fled to Xiangyun County with my sister. I chased after him all the way here, only to find out that he had been reported as a lowly person fleeing abroad and had been sent to the north to serve in the army. My sister was sent to a nunnery and was taken in by a kind person, which is why I came here..."

Xiu Yi said calmly, "Given your personality, you should be more cautious after dying once. This time, when you sensed that chaos was about to break out in the manor, why didn't you try to escape with your sister instead of getting involved in the turmoil?"

Zhao Zhao coughed and said weakly, "If I escape, what will happen to Miss Yue? What will happen to the people trapped in the manor in your Ning Prince's Mansion? The Princess has been kind to me, and I finally have a chance to repay her. How can I just stand by and do nothing?"

Xiu Yi changed the subject: "The two men who escorted you home are dead. They weren't ordinary bandits; judging by their swordsmanship, they were top-notch swordsmen from the border. How did you get involved with them?"