Shocking Mountain Moon

Chapter 80 Debts must be repaid

Qiu Heng stretched out her hand to block, but Xue Han turned his wrist.

Trapped in the narrow alley, neither of them could move, and they mostly fought with their hands. Qiu Heng was better in agility, while Xue Han was better in strength, and in such an alley, it was obviously more disadvantageous to Qiu Heng.

With a backhand, Xue Han gained the upper hand and pushed Qiu Heng against the wall.

The fragrance imprinted in his memory made Xue Han blurt out: "It's you!"

It was the masked man he met that night!

"Who are you?" Xue Han went to get the black scarf that Qiu Heng used to cover her face again.

Qiu Heng made up her mind, bent her knees and hit Xue Han's lower body.

A painful groan was heard, and Qiu Heng took the opportunity to break free from the restraints and ran forward without hesitation.

Xue Han gritted his teeth, threw the hidden weapon, and went straight towards Qiu Heng.

Qiu Heng dodged while running, and a sharp pain came from the back of her shoulder. This did not stop her, but made her run faster.

Xue Han chased out of the alley and saw the masked man with a light figure like a flying bird, who disappeared without a trace after a few takeoffs and landings.

Light was cast from the lanterns hanging under the eaves of the shop. Xue Han looked down at the bloodstains on the ground and frowned slightly.

This was the second time he had met this man, and each time it was at night, and he acted stealthily.

Is he a spy from a foreign country who sneaked into the capital, or a secret guard privately kept by some family?

Whether it is the former or the latter, as the imperial envoy, Xue Han cannot allow this person to continue to be arrogant.

It seems that we will have to increase patrols at night in the future.

Xue Han frowned and walked forward to meet Hu Si who was going to another place to gather intelligence.

"My lord, there is a harvest."

"Let's talk about it when we get back."

"Yes." Hu Sade walked forward and suddenly noticed something was wrong with Xue Han. "Sir, are you injured?"

"No."

Hu Si looked at Xue Han's pale face and didn't believe it: "You said you were not injured, but you look so bad. Where are you injured? How about I bandage you before you leave?"

Xue Han took a deep breath: "No."

"It's all bleeding!" Hu Si pointed at the blood on the ground, "Fresh!"

"It belongs to that little thief."

"Little thief?" Hu Si thought for a moment and quickly realized, "Is it the little thief who injured you that night?"

Xue Han nodded.

"Where is he?" Hu Si looked left and right, and even searched on the ground.

Xue Han was already in pain, and his face turned even paler after being angered by Hu Si's actions: "He ran away."

"He ran away again. When did such a skilled thief appear in the capital? He escaped from the adults twice." Hu Si was really curious and hateful. "Fortunately, the adults injured him. Maybe the thief's wound would fester and he would die."

Xue Han didn't bother to pay attention and walked forward.

Hu Si found something wrong again: "Sir, you walk strangely, did you hurt your legs--"

"Shut up!"

……

Qiu Heng returned to Lengxiangju, and Fangzhou, who was waiting for her, changed his expression: "Miss, are you okay?"

"It's okay, help me take care of the wound." Qiu Heng has held on until now, and the pain is almost numb.

When Fangzhou saw the flying knife that had pierced Qiuheng's shoulder, her eyes immediately turned red. She cried while finding a pair of scissors and carefully cut open the clothes around the wound.

"Girl, this knife, this knife--" Fangzhou choked, not knowing what to do.

"Pull it out, it's just a small knife wound, it's just a flesh wound." Qiu Heng said calmly.

"But I-"

"Fangzhou, you have steady hands, so you're best suited to helping me with my wounds. Don't be afraid that I'm in pain."

Qiu Heng knew that Fangzhou also had his own secrets.

That year, her father saved money to buy her a donkey, but she met Fangzhou, who sold herself to bury her grandfather. She felt sorry for Fangzhou, who was about the same age as her, and bought him with the money she had originally used to buy the donkey.

A family like theirs wouldn't hire a maid. Their parents agreed to hire her as a hired servant, but Fangzhou was stubborn and insisted on not accepting her.

At that time, Fangzhou was not called Fangzhou, but Pangya. Later, as they got along better and better, she was asked to help her come up with a name. It happened that she learned poetry from Brother Bai, Cai Fangzhou Xi Duruo, so she took the name "Fangzhou".

Fangzhou soon showed his extraordinary cooking skills, but he never mentioned his family's past. When she went to Daxia 30 years later and broadened her horizons, she realized that Fangzhou was unusual.

Some of the dim sum that Fangzhou can make are simply not available in ordinary dim sum shops, and the basic cooking skills must have been strictly trained.

But if Fangzhou didn't say anything, she wouldn't ask, just as Fangzhou never asked her in detail about her experience during the ten days she was missing.

"Girl, please bear with it." A warm soft towel was pressed against Qiuheng's exposed skin. Fangzhou gritted his teeth, and although his voice was shaking, his hands were steady. He suddenly pulled out the knife that was inserted into his flesh.

The soft towel was quickly applied to the wound, which was instantly stained red by the gushing blood. Fangzhou immediately picked up another soft towel that he had prepared and blocked it again.

From beginning to end, Qiu Heng said nothing and just tightly grasped her dress.

"Girl, are you okay?"

"It's okay. Please help me apply the medicine and bandage it."

By the time Fangzhou had bandaged Qiuheng's wound and wiped her body, it was already late at night.

"Go to sleep, girl. I'll rest outside. Call me if you have anything." Fangzhou covered Qiuheng with a quilt and went to the outer room.

Qiu Heng lay on the bed, unable to fall asleep.

It’s funny to think about it. That time, she deliberately hit Xue Han’s injured shoulder. Now that he injured her shoulder today, it can be considered as paying back her debt.

Xue Han said "it's you", apparently recognizing her as the one who injured him that night. If so, the risk of going out dressed like this at night will undoubtedly increase greatly.

Fortunately, I got to see Tao Da and the others in their true appearance today, which will make it much easier to contact them during the day in the future.

Qiu Heng fell asleep in a daze, and woke up twice in pain. In the morning, Fang Zhou woke her up when she was sleeping soundly. "What's wrong?" Qiu Heng opened her eyes, knowing that there must be something important, otherwise Fang Zhou would not wake her up.

Fang Zhou's face was grim: "Miss, someone from Qiansong Hall said someone from the palace came and specifically wanted to see you."

"In the palace?" Qiu Heng was a little surprised. "Are you sure it's in the palace?"

"That's what I heard. I heard you were still resting and you were in a hurry."

Fangzhou was also anxious. What worried him was that Qiuheng had just been injured, but was going to meet someone from the palace. How could it be such a coincidence!
"Girl, if I go back, I'll just say you're sick."

"No, someone from the palace suddenly wants to see me. It's also risky to avoid me by claiming to be sick. I should go and see what's going on." Qiu Heng rejected Fangzhou's suggestion, "Help me get some water to wash up."

Unlike Fangzhou who was at a loss, Qiuheng had a guess: perhaps the butterfly perfume pendant given to the eldest sister in the palace finally worked.

This was the opportunity she had been waiting for, and she certainly couldn't miss it.

After tidying up, Qiu Heng walked out.

Fangzhou was very worried and asked quietly, "Does the wound still hurt? It would be troublesome if it gets pulled."

"I'll be careful, don't worry."

Chuncao, who was waiting anxiously in the hall, saw Qiuheng coming out and hurriedly bowed: "Sixth Miss, someone from the palace has come and wants to see you. The old lady wants you to come over quickly."

This Sixth Girl is really different. The other girls would have already paid their respects to the old lady by now, but the Sixth Girl hasn't even gotten up yet.

She didn't dare to think about how angry the old lady would be if she knew.

In Qiansong Hall, the old lady was indeed very angry.

Why hasn't Liu Yatou come yet? Is she dithering because she wants to dress herself up like a fairy?

But he couldn't show it in front of the eunuchs from the palace. He could only smile and chat with them while feeling anxious in secret.

"The Sixth Miss is here."

Following the maid's report, the old lady finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The damn girl is finally here.

The dark brown curtain with blessing pattern was lifted, and Qiu Heng walked in slowly.

The old lady raised her eyebrows.

It seems that the sixth girl still knows what is important. Knowing that someone is coming from the palace, she walks more steadily.

Well, the color of the clothes is also sober. This is actually unnecessary. No one will say anything if a little girl wears something bright.

Qiu Heng had to be cautious.

I was afraid of tearing the wound if I moved too much, and if blood seeped out, the darker color of the clothes would at least make it less obvious.

"Greetings, grandmother." She bowed and looked at the person who came from the palace.

The man had a fair face and no beard and looked to be in his twenties.

"This is Eunuch Zheng, who is with your eldest sister."

"Eunuch Zheng."

"Is this the Sixth Miss?" Zheng Yu looked at Qiu Heng with curiosity.

It is said that this Miss Qiu Liu is very famous among the people, and she is not the kind of dignified lady. Today, when I saw her, I felt that the rumor was wrong. She is quite steady.

"That's right, my little girl."

"Since the Sixth Miss returned home, the beauty has not seen her yet, so I specially asked for grace to invite the Sixth Miss into the palace for a chat."

Qiu Heng looked at the old lady.

The old lady said solemnly: "It is your grace that you can enter the palace to meet your elder sister. You must be careful in what you say and do, and don't cause trouble."

"My granddaughter understands."

"Eunuch Zheng, the sixth girl is still young. Please allow me to give her some advice in private."

"Please go ahead, old lady." Zheng Yu went outside to wait.

Without Eunuch Zheng, the old lady hurriedly whispered, "This is the first time your elder sister has taken the initiative to ask for grace to see the family. I'm worried that something else is going on. Sixth girl, you have to be calm and don't be lawless like you are at home. If you get into trouble in the palace, no one will be able to help you."

Qiu Heng nodded: "Don't worry, grandma. Your granddaughter has never caused any trouble for the family."

"Haven't you caused enough trouble yet?"

"Then the granddaughter won't go?"

Old lady: "..."

Holding her breath, the old lady said gently, "You have to go, so just remember what grandma said."

If she didn't have to go, would she be so worried?
Seeing Qiu Heng getting on the carriage with Zheng Yu, the old lady was in a state of panic. She chatted with him to divert her anxiety: "Chuncao, why did it take you so long to invite the Sixth Miss?"

Chuncao hesitated for a moment, then told the truth: "Reporting to the old lady, when I went to Lengxiangju, the Sixth Miss had not yet gotten up."

The old lady's eyes went dark and she became even more anxious: What a damn girl, she has learned all the rules so well, what should she do when she enters the palace!

"Go call Aunt Yu!"

Soon, Nanny Yu came hurriedly and said, "Greetings, old lady."

The old lady stared at the corner of Nanny Yu's mouth suspiciously.

Could the things on the corners of this old slave’s mouth be snack crumbs?

"When did Aunt Yu go to Lengxiangju today?"

"Chen Chu left."

It's not necessary to get up so early, this is just to catch the breakfast at Lengxiangju.

When the old lady heard this, she became furious after suppressing her anger for a long time. "Just now Chuncao went to invite the Sixth Young Lady, but the Sixth Young Lady was still sleeping. Since you went to Lengxiangju so early, you let the Sixth Young Lady sleep so soundly? How can you be a good nanny!"

She wanted to replace this old slave and send Nanny Zhu over. It had been so long, and Nanny Zhu's bad luck should be over.

(End of this chapter)