Die Faust zerschmettert alle Himmel und unzählige Welten

Kapitel 35

Long San replied, "Indeed, someone is inquiring about you. I've arranged for someone to lead him to another city. If all goes well, he'll leave soon. Then we'll head in another direction tomorrow."

Feng Ning frowned: "Can't I just sneak a peek at him? Maybe I'll remember something."

“I’m afraid they’re organized. We don’t know the full story yet, so it’s best not to take any risks.” Long San explained, “We can’t be sure right now that the person who’s been asking about you is the murderer in this building. Someone’s already watching him, and I’ll let you know if there’s any news. Also, the big man who was killed today is definitely not from Xiao Kingdom. We haven’t found any other accomplices yet, but we still have to be careful. If everything goes according to plan, then we’ll leave in disguise tomorrow.”

"Long San, I have an idea." Feng Ning felt her patience was about to run out.

"We can't use your idea now. We don't have enough help, and I'm not confident."

Feng Ning pouted: "I haven't even said what my idea is, how do you know it won't work?"

"Isn't it just that you want to use yourself as bait to lure people out?" Long San really understood her thoughts. He advised, "Don't worry, the truth will eventually come out. It's not worth gambling with your life."

The next day, everything went as Long San had predicted. The person who had secretly inquired about Feng Ning had been tricked into going to another city, and Long San had arranged for someone to ambush him there. Long San prepared his luggage and, taking Feng Ning with him, mingled with the caravan and left the city in another direction. He planned to take a detour to bring Feng Ning home first, and after ensuring her safety, they would discuss other matters.

As dusk fell, the two sat down in the woods, built a fire, and ate their dry rations. Long San unloaded his luggage from the horse and let it graze in the woods. He spread out a blanket by the fire, intending to spend the night there.

Feng Ning pretended to be busy eating, but secretly glanced at him. One glance, then two glances... made Long San feel very uncomfortable. He whittled a sharp wooden stick and went to catch fish in the stream beside him.

He took off his shoes, rolled up his trousers, and stepped into the stream. Seeing his back was to her, Feng Ning openly stared at him. Long San felt a burning itch on his back, making it impossible for him to move freely. Fish swam arrogantly at his feet, and he tried to poke them several times but failed.

Feng Ning watched his clumsy movements and thought to herself, "So clumsy. If it were me, I would have served ten or eight fish by now." She stared at Long San and thought he was clumsy the more she looked at him, so she laughed out loud.

She didn't enjoy her triumph for long. Suddenly, Long San threw down the wooden branch, turned around, and charged towards her menacingly. Before Feng Ning could react, he scooped her up with both hands and carried her into the stream.

Feng Ning suddenly realized what was happening and screamed in panic. The stream was only thigh-deep, but it was quite wide. Long San had persuaded her for a long time before she agreed to sit in the woods some distance away. If Long San hadn't come down barefoot, she wouldn't have even looked in this direction. Was he going to throw her in now? She would die.

Feng Ning screamed and clung tightly to Long San's neck, pleading loudly, "Great hero, I was wrong, don't throw me down. Third Master, I was wrong, I know I was wrong."

"What did you do wrong?" Long San said irritably. This crazy woman was just causing trouble. He really needed to scare her a little to vent his anger.

Feng Ning stared at Long San with wide eyes: "Oh right, what did I do wrong?" She stiffened, trying hard not to think about the water beneath her. Seeing that Long San didn't really intend to throw her in, she hugged him tightly and became arrogant again: "I didn't do anything, what did I do wrong?"

Her feigned innocence and pitifulness were so charming and endearing that Long San was speechless for a moment. The two of them stared at each other, their gazes locked. Bathed in the golden light of the setting sun, the entire air seemed to heat up.

A sharp whistling sound suddenly rang out. Long San's ears twitched, and he turned his head swiftly. An arrow was already flying right in front of him. If he rolled away to dodge, Feng Ning would surely be thrown into the river. Instinctively, Long San turned around to block it, and carried Feng Ning to the riverbank with both arms.

With a muffled "thud," the arrow pierced his shoulder.

Author's Note: Oh no, my Long San is injured! Everyone, come and comfort him!

26

26. Madam Long San during times of hardship...

Stunned by the blow, Long San stumbled, but managed to take two steps forward before collapsing to his knees, gently laying Feng Ning down on the bank. Feng Ning was horrified to see him wounded, but in the critical situation, she suppressed her screams. Once on the ground, she quickly rolled away, grabbed the long branch Long San had tossed aside, and with a leap, wielded the branch with incredible speed and precision, sweeping away the next four or five arrows that followed.

Long San gritted his teeth and, with Feng Ning providing cover, stumbled and ran towards the tree where they were resting. Feng Ning followed him, retreating while keeping a watchful eye on him, and soon noticed that something was wrong with him.

"The arrow was poisoned."

“Yes.” Long San’s voice was deep. The two quickly hid behind a large tree, using the trunk to conceal themselves. The attackers soon realized that their arrows were useless. They jumped down from the trees on the opposite bank and formed a semi-circle, slowly approaching Feng Ning and the others’ hiding place.

Long San quickly pressed several acupoints on his shoulders and arms, then swallowed a pill in an attempt to stop the poison from spreading. However, his right arm and shoulder had already begun to feel numb, and his head felt heavy and swollen. He tried to concentrate, squinting as he turned his head to look at the dozen or so men in blue robes who were cautiously approaching.

After weighing his options, he picked up his sword and said to Feng Ning, "Go and untie your horse, then go ahead. You know how to find my stronghold, so just wait for me anywhere. If I haven't arrived in three to five days, the people there will make arrangements for you."

Feng Ning knew that the other party had come prepared. Now that Long San had fallen into their trap, if she ran first, it would be easier for her to escape unscathed. If the other party's target was her, then if she ran first, the other party would definitely chase after her, and the pressure on Long San would be less. But there were too many uncertainties involved.

What if their target is Long San? He's traveled all over the country and must have offended many people. If she leaves, it will be easier for them to kill him. Furthermore, what if the poison is not simple? Even if Long San escapes, he'll be in danger when the poison takes effect and no one is there to take care of him.

Feng Ning thought it over and over again. She was extremely reluctant to leave him and escape on his own, but she figured that if she stayed and fought back, it wouldn't do Long San any good.

Long San frowned and glared at her. Feng Ning gritted her teeth and ran silently towards where the horse was tied. Long San breathed a sigh of relief and used his sword to support himself as he stood up. Seeing Feng Ning run, the enemy fired another arrow, but the tall trees in the forest blocked it. The group exchanged glances and finally stopped. They drew their swords but dared not approach any closer, for for a moment they couldn't see Long San or Feng Ning, and they worried there might be a trap in the forest.

They waited and waited, but there was no movement from the forest. The leader of the group waved his hand, and the others tightened their encirclement and approached the woods. Then, several men charged forward, heading towards the large tree where Long San was hiding. But when they reached the back of the tree, they were dumbfounded; there was no one there at all.

Before the men could react, a bunch of sharp branches shot down from the treetop, piercing their bodies. Several of them screamed and fell to the ground.

The others immediately became alert and raised their hands to shoot arrows into the trees. Long San clapped his hands on a tree trunk and narrowly leaped to another tree. He was now drowsy and weak, barely managing to hold on with only one arm. He planned to stall for time before mounting his horse and heading in the opposite direction from Feng Ning. But his ears were ringing, and he didn't notice which way she had gone.

Just as they were pondering their next move, they suddenly heard a long neigh of a horse. A fine horse dragging a bundle of burning branches charged towards them, scattering the surrounding crowd. Fearing being hit by the horse, everyone retreated.

Just then, another horse galloped in. The group was on guard when suddenly, a petite figure appeared, slapping one man away with a single blow, snatching his sword, and swiftly cutting down another, forcing two more back. It was Feng Ning. Before the others could react, she leaped onto a tall tree, pulled Long Fei onto the back of the galloping horse, pulled on the reins, and with a shout, rode away.

The burly man at the head of the group shouted and led his men in pursuit. Feng Ning turned around and threw a handful of powder and dust at the group. Everyone was shocked and stopped abruptly, covering their noses and holding their breath. In just a short while, the two men and their horse had run far ahead.

Long San was jostled on horseback, feeling a sweet taste in his throat and his blood churning. His earlier exertion had only exacerbated his injuries. Feng Ning had disrupted his plans, yet he couldn't bring himself to blame her. This crazy woman, it seemed, had never truly obeyed him.

Feng Ning rushed with Long San, shouting, "How are you? How serious is the poison? You've lost blood, you have to hold on!"

"Mmm." Long San leaned against her, trying hard not to fall off his horse, and really didn't have the energy to talk much.

Feng Ning glanced back at him, and also at the pursuers behind her; they had actually caught up on horseback. Feng Ning gritted her teeth, turned her horse around, and galloped onto the narrow path. The forest was dense, with slopes and paths, offering both offensive and defensive advantages.

She rode for a while and saw a steep slope. She made up her mind. She quickly pulled her horse to a stop, helped Long San down, and led him towards the slope. Long San's legs were weak, and he almost couldn't stand. He weakly said, "I can't jump down now."

Hearing the approaching sound of horses' hooves, Feng Ning panicked. She kicked Long San in the heel, then used her arms to lift him up and knock him to the ground. She whispered quickly, "Then roll down the slope. Once you get to the bottom, don't make a sound or run around. Wait for me." With that, she pushed hard, slid Long San down the slope on his back.

The sound of hooves grew closer. Feng Ning didn't have time to examine Long San's condition closely. She turned and leaped onto her horse, spurring it on and galloping off again. The group of men chased after her, kicking up dust as they passed by on the slope. After galloping a considerable distance, Feng Ning said to the horse, "Brother Horse, I'm so sorry." She slashed the horse's rump with her sword. The horse, in pain, ran even faster. Seizing the opportunity, Feng Ning quickly leaped onto a dense foliage nearby.

She waited a while, watching as the group chasing them ran forward following the hoofprints and the sound of hooves. Once she was sure they were no longer following, she leaped from the top of a tree and then jumped down, running quickly towards the bottom of the slope.

Long San lay on the hillside, listening to the horse caravan galloping past overhead. He understood Feng Ning's plan, but he was utterly powerless to help. The poison in his body was more potent than he had anticipated; half his body was numb, completely devoid of strength, and his ears were ringing. He lay there, his mind blank, only remembering Feng Ning's words: "Wait for me."