Geschichte über einen Ehemanndiebstahl

Kapitel 65

"Was the man who attacked us with four men last night Jin Xiaobai?" Zhan Yun asked.

Xia Luzhen glanced at Lümiao, who also shook her head to indicate that she didn't know, and asked, "What weapon did he use?"

Zhan Yun replied, "The throwing knives were poisoned. All five of them were wearing masks, so we couldn't see their faces."

Upon hearing this, Xia Luzhen's expression immediately changed, and she hurriedly asked Lümiao, "When did he arrive? Why didn't you tell me!"

Green Mist was both surprised and frightened: "I don't know either. They haven't given us a word. They must have kept this from us."

Zhan Yun and Duan Chen exchanged a glance, then asked, "What's wrong? Isn't that person Jin Xiaobai or Zhao Lin?"

Xia Luzhen stamped her foot, her voice trembling with anxiety: "Any one of them is better than that person! That person, that person is the young master's attendant! How could he be here..."

As they were talking, the caravan reached the edge of the woods, where a man leaped down from a horse and bowed to them as he walked, saying, "Little Duan, Brother Zhan, it's been a long time!"

The newcomer, with bright eyes and a smiling face, was none other than Zuo Xin, the long-unseen leader of the Thunderbolt Hall! Behind him followed a man in gray, who bowed respectfully upon seeing them; this was Ding, the prefectural governor of Suzhou. The caravan continued into the woods. Lü Miao nodded to the others and then ran to the front of the caravan to help lead the way.

As the group was talking, a figure in light purple light danced down from the carriage, a clear voice that was both unfamiliar and familiar: "Xiao Duan."

Duan Chen looked over at the sound and saw that the person was wearing a long purple dress, with beautiful eyebrows and a graceful figure. Her big eyes swept over everyone with affection, and a sly smile was on her lips. When she walked up to him, she suddenly stumbled and fell into Zhan Yun's arms.

Zhan Yun suddenly dodged to the side, while Zuo Xin reached out and wrapped his arm around the man's waist, frowning and scolding in a low voice: "Still making a scene!"

The newcomer was none other than Xiao Changqing, disguised as a woman. Despite being reprimanded by Zuo Xin, he remained unperturbed, still smiling and tilting his head to look at Zhan Yun: "A great beauty throws herself into my arms, yet little Yunyun doesn't appreciate it. Was my disguise not beautiful enough this time?" As he spoke, he blinked at Zuo Xin, as if seeking confirmation.

Zuo Xin turned his head away, his eyes twitching, completely ignoring the shameless act of someone clinging to his shoulder and sending him flirtatious glances. Zhan Yun shook his head, both amused and exasperated, and then said seriously, "Time is of the essence, let's talk as we walk."

The men brought by Supervisor Ding were mixed in with the Thunderbolt Hall's troops, specifically those skilled in close combat and with solid martial arts skills. More than ten brothers from the Thunderbolt Hall were proficient in firearms, bringing the total number of men on both sides to fifty-six. After Zuo Xin finished explaining the situation, Zhan Yun and Xia Luzhen handed out several blueprints for everyone to review. The Seven Sheng Cult mainly had two strongholds in Bitter Water Town: one was an abandoned temple near the foot of the mountain in the southwest, and the other was an old house in Wu Family Village in the west of the town.

Zhan Yun and Duan Chen each held a torch, while Zuo Xin, Xiao Changqing, and Supervisor Ding walked and observed, with Xia Luzhen answering any questions they had. After walking for a while, the caravan gradually came to a stop, and the group continued onward.

Zhan Yun held up a torch in one hand and turned to look at Xia Luzhen: "Doctor Xia, if the white-clad man who led us last night is indeed, as you say, someone from your young master's side, will it be detrimental to our operation tonight?"

Xia Luzhen pondered for a moment before cautiously replying, "I can't say for sure. Actually, it's already strange that he would come looking for us. In the past two years, Jin Xiaobai has been in charge of most things, and the young master has rarely been involved. However..." Xia Luzhen seemed somewhat worried, "that person's martial arts skills are very high."

As the group walked to the front of the convoy, Lümiao's eyes widened upon seeing Xiao Changqing. She looked him up and down with surprise and disbelief, stammering, "You, you..."

Xiao Changqing nodded with a sense of accomplishment, his delicate chin slightly raised: "This is the normal reaction a person should have when they see this face."

Green Mist rolled her eyes in anger and shouted, "Where did you find such a troublemaker! Now look what's happened! If those sentries tell them there's such a beauty in the caravan, not to mention Jin Xiaobai, Zhao Lin will definitely be the first to rush over!"

Zuo Xin raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: "It would be best to bring that alchemist along too, so we can take them all down in one fell swoop!"

Xiao Changqing's eyes darted around, and he smiled brightly while smoothing the hair on his shoulder: "If that person is really as eager as you say, he will definitely come." Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Xiao Changqing smiled even more mischievously: "Well, I kept lifting the curtain to look outside and admire the moonlight the whole way here."

Zuo Xin's lips twitched. This poor show-off! Every time he dresses up as a beautiful woman, he has to show off until he's satisfied!

Xia Luzhen frowned and pondered for a moment, then said in a low voice, "If that's really the case, then that would be good."

Upon hearing this, Zhan Yun turned his head and said, "Doctor Xia means..."

Xia Luzhen nodded and pointed to a path leading west: "This road leads directly to Wu Family Village. There won't be too many guards there. If Zhao Lin didn't come with us, he must be there. That guy surnamed Wu should be there too."

“Jin Xiaobai and his men should be in ambush by now, and there won’t be many people left in that temple. However, the blood extraction and heart extraction are all done there, so the defenses will be tighter than at the other location. Remember, don’t believe anyone wearing white, no matter how pitiful they sound. Those people are blinded and are all on Jin Xiaobai’s side. If you try to save him, he’ll think you’re trying to harm him.”

Everyone nodded, and Xia Luzhen continued, "Based on my understanding of the two of them, Jin Xiaobai will definitely come, and there's a 60% chance Zhao Lin will come along too. That guy surnamed Wu doesn't know kung fu, so he's not a threat. Only that person..."

Duan Chen had been listening quietly until now before speaking: "We can make some adjustments. Master Zuo and Supervisor Ding will follow the main force out of the woods and head towards the town. Lvmiao and Senior Xiao will take the rest of the people to the temple. Zhan Yun, Doctor Xia, and I will go to Wu Family Village. Those who remain in the town will definitely have a tough battle to fight, and it won't be short. As for the other two, whichever side is dealt with first, we'll go to the other side to provide support. As for that guy surnamed Bai, I don't think he'll appear in the town."

Xia Luzhen nodded, indicating her agreement with Duan Chen's judgment.

Zuo Xin and Ding Dujian each gave instructions to several of their subordinates, and the caravan slowly moved forward, with the group splitting into three groups to begin their operation.

=============================================================================

The next day.

Inside Xia Luzhen's pharmacy, Zhan Yun leaned against a soft couch in the inner room, his snow-white robe stained with blood, his outer garment half-open, revealing his slender neck and one shoulder. Duan Chen stood beside him, deftly untying the blood-stained gauze and carefully wiping the bloodstains around the wound with a cloth dampened with warm water.

Across from him, Xiao Changqing's black hair was completely disheveled, her hairpins and ornaments long since lost, her light purple silk skirt torn and rumpled. She sat with her legs crossed in an extremely inelegant manner, wincing in pain. Beside her, Lümiao, expressionless, held a medicine box, took out a small porcelain bottle, handed it to Xiao Changqing, and then quickly walked towards the outer room.

Zuo Xin had been helping out outside for a while when he came face to face with Lü Miao. As soon as he entered the room, he saw Xiao Changqing trembling as he tried to untie the gauze on his waist. He quickly stepped forward to support him, said "I'll do it," and then bent over to start working.

On the other side, Duan Chen sprinkled some medicinal powder on Zhan Yun's shoulder wound, let it air dry for a while, then took clean gauze and strips of cloth from the table beside him, carefully bandaged it, and helped him gather his clothes up. The throwing knife that hit his shoulder was coated with a deadly poison. In the emergency, Lü Miao threw a dagger over, and Duan Chen acted decisively, pulling out the throwing knife and stabbing it in with the dagger, essentially ripping off a chunk of flesh.

The morning had passed, and the dressing had been changed three times. Zhan Yun still had a faint smile on her lips, but her face was already deathly pale. Large beads of sweat ran down her temples, and half of her body was still faintly numb.

Duan Chen tidied up the used gauze strips and several medicine bottles, then turned around, took a teapot from the table, and poured three cups of hot tea. He handed one cup to Xiao Changqing, placed one cup next to Zuo Xin, and offered one cup to Zhan Yun's lips.

Zhan Yun reached out his left hand to take it, but Duan Chen said softly without expression, "Drink." Zhan Yun was slightly taken aback, but readily opened his lips and slowly drank the hot tea, his lips curving into a smile, his half-closed crescent-shaped eyes filled with laughter.

After feeding him a cup of tea, Duan Chen turned and left the room. A moment later, she returned carrying two bundles, placing one beside Xiao Changqing and the other beside Zhan Yun: "I'm going out to help." Both of them needed to change clothes, and it wasn't convenient for her to be there. She then nodded slightly to Zuo Xin: "Thank you for your hard work, Hall Master Zuo."

Outside, a group of wounded soldiers sat, lay, and stood. Those with only minor injuries wandered around, offering medicine or bandaging wounds. Duan Chen finished treating the wounds of several people and followed Lü Miao out of the pharmacy.

Elder Liu, along with some other townspeople, came to help. Awen had come once in the morning and then went to Xia Luzhen's place. Duan Chen and Lümiao walked quietly for a while before Duan Chen softly asked, "What are your plans for the future?"

Lu Miao shook her head, clenching her teeth and remaining silent. They walked until they reached Xia Luzhen's house. The door was wide open, and white banners were already hung in the courtyard. Awen sat on the threshold, head bowed, lost in thought. Lu Miao paused, turned around, leaned on Duan Chen's shoulder, and burst into tears.

Duan Chen said nothing, standing motionless and letting her vent. Awen heard the commotion outside and ran out. She was stunned when she saw the scene and looked at Duan Chen with a puzzled expression.

Duan Chen's expression remained calm as ever, only his phoenix eyes were misty with tears as he answered Awen in a low voice, "This is Doctor Xia, her betrothed."

Upon hearing this, Awen's eyes immediately reddened. Still harboring doubts, she hadn't had a chance to ask when she saw Lümiao sobbing and her body slowly collapsing. Duan Chen supported her with one arm, turned her around halfway, and carried her on his back. Awen helped support her from the side, and they went into the courtyard together.

...

In the battle that night, Zuo Xin and several of Ding Dujian's men were injured, seven died, Jin Xiaobai was shot through the chest with a rocket and died, and Zhao Lin lost a leg and was captured alive. More than half of the Seven Sheng Sect members died on the spot, and the remaining thirteen, along with Zhao Lin, awaited to be escorted to the capital.

Zhan Yun and Xiao Changqing were both injured by the mysterious man surnamed Bai's flying daggers, while Duan Chen was protected by the two and remained unharmed. Xia Luzhen was shot directly in the heart. Before she died, she whispered the words "Yu Sheng" in Duan Chen's ear, then took Lu Miao's hand, intending to entrust it to Duan Chen, but she breathed her last halfway through the air.