Wenn wir zurückkehren

Kapitel 18

Xu Qingzhi came in from outside the tent and nodded to Prince Xin.

Prince Xin pointed to the seat next to him: "Let's eat!"

After the four finished their meal, it was completely dark. Li Yuxuan stepped out of the tent and saw the hazy moonlight casting long shadows of the surrounding mountains. Campfires had been lit around the camp, illuminating the large camp. The caravan's campfire across the way was also burning brightly, casting a rosy glow on the faces of the men sitting around it.

Li Yuxuan discovered that the man and the corpse child had reappeared in her sight, still sitting there motionless.

She felt a chill rise from the soles of her feet all the way to her scalp, and then she felt her hair stand on end. She quickly retreated back into the tent and pointed outside to Prince Xin and Xu Qingzhi.

They were startled by Li Yuxuan's terrified, pale face and quickly ran outside. A moment later, they returned, both looking puzzled: "There's nothing outside—"

"The Corpse Child... is sitting... by the fire across from me." So embarrassing! She was still shivering violently. Even the little girl looked at her with disdain: "You brat, are you seeing things? I don't see anything outside! Where's the Corpse Child?"

You didn't see anything? Or are my eyes playing tricks on me, that I can see ghosts? They're sitting right there—! I don't want to see ghosts! I'm scared—.

Prince Xin turned and walked out after hearing her words. Xu Qingzhi approached her and patted her shoulder: "Third brother, a real man shouldn't be so afraid of ghosts, right? As the saying goes, 'If you've done nothing wrong, you won't be afraid of ghosts knocking at your door in the middle of the night.' What's there to be afraid of?"

Li Yuxuan grabbed his hand that was on her shoulder: "Big brother, I really saw it."

Faced with this unforeseen accident, Xu Qingzhi put aside his personal grudge against Li Yuxuan. Actually, he was afraid to face her because he feared she would laugh at him; his behavior that night had been too outrageous. He hoped she wouldn't see him as a frivolous playboy. They were good brothers, good friends… Sigh, seeing Li Yuxuan's open and honest expression, he felt like a petty person. However, whenever he saw Li Yuxuan's phoenix eyes, he couldn't help but imagine her as a woman.

Third brother, oh third brother, I wasn't avoiding you, I was running away from myself! I've spent my life studying the classics, yet I almost failed in my principles in front of you. Thinking back to that night, I'm too ashamed to face you. And yet, you didn't hold it against me at all. Compared to you, I am truly ashamed!

Xu Qingzhi let go of his inner turmoil and became more open, reaching out to hug Li Yuxuan's shoulder: "Third brother, don't worry, with your elder brother here, I will protect you with my life!"

The little girl also came over, stood on tiptoe, and hugged her shoulders from the other side: "Don't worry, brat, with me, Princess Xinyun, here, I will never allow anyone to hurt you!"

Li Yuxuan felt a warmth in his heart. His teeth, which had been chattering, finally returned to normal. He smiled gratefully and reached out to hug the two girls around the waist: "It's so good to know you!" These were truly heartfelt words; true friendship is revealed in times of trouble. He hadn't expected this young girl to be so loyal.

Wait, what did she say her name was? Princess Xinyun?

Xu Qingzhi also noticed her words, released Li Yuxuan, and smiled at the little girl, "So you are Li Xinyun of Western Xia, Princess Xinyun?"

The little girl realized she had spoken out of excitement and rolled her eyes at Xu Qingzhi: "What's the big deal? So what if I am Princess Xinyun?"

Li Yuxuan pulled her hand down and stepped back from the two of them: "Brother Xu means that since Her Highness the Princess has graced us with her presence, please forgive us if we have offended her in any way."

"Hehe..." The little girl laughed happily, "I didn't want you to know, because it wouldn't be fun if you knew. I'm fed up with being a princess, with no freedom at all. Don't tell anyone, okay!"

"I understand." Li Yuxuan hugged them both from behind, saying, "I don't treat you like a princess. You two are both my good brothers and good friends."

"Brother Li, you're being too unfair! You're such a good brother and friend, yet you didn't even include the two of us." A hearty voice came from behind. Li Yuxuan turned around in surprise and saw that Prince Xin and Zhan Zhao had somehow appeared behind them.

"Brother Zhan!" When she saw him, she was like a drowning person grasping at a straw, and she rushed towards him excitedly: "You've come at the perfect time, you're my lucky star! Now that you're here, I'm not afraid of any number of corpse dolls anymore."

Zhan Zhao tried to avoid it, or rather, he didn't intend to avoid it at all. He was hugged tightly by Li Yuxuan. It was a matter of life and death, so it's no wonder he was overly excited.

Zhan Zhao smiled somewhat awkwardly: "Brother Li, aren't you being a little too enthusiastic?"

Li Yuxuan chuckled and released him: "He was just so happy to see you. Don't get the wrong idea."

Surprisingly, a blush appeared on Zhan Zhao's face as he chuckled and scolded Li Yuxuan, "You brat, are you itching for a beating?"

Why does he call her "brat" too?

Prince Xin noticed Li Yuxuan's confusion, then put on his signature expression and gave a mocking smile: "What can you possibly do that escape the tiger eyes of Master Zhan?"

Li Yuxuan hated that expression of his the most, so he pretended not to see it and continued to say to Zhan Zhao, "Brother Zhan, what are you doing here? Didn't you go to Qingzhou?"

Zhan Zhao sat down at the table and picked up a pancake: "Finally, I can eat. I'm exhausted after traveling for two days."

Li Yuxuan quickly moved the dishes towards him, unable to hide his shock: "You mean you sent the prisoner back to Qingzhou, and then rushed over immediately?"

"Yes!" Zhan Zhao nodded. "Otherwise, do you think Prince Xin would be so kind as to let you rest for two days?"

Li Yuxuan glanced at Prince Xin, who had also started eating again. So that's how it was. She had thought he was doing it for her sake? When did she become so self-important? She needed to reflect deeply.

With Zhan Zhao by her side, Li Yuxuan felt much more at ease. She had already witnessed his brilliant strategies, and with him around, what couldn't they handle?

Sleep soundly.

She glanced at the two cots placed opposite each other in the tent. Prince Xin said they would sleep in one tent, but how were they going to sleep? Who would she sleep with?

Prince Xin was indeed quick-witted. Seeing her gaze sweep towards the bed, he immediately gestured to Xu Qingzhi. The two of them went over and put the two cots together. They then had a guard at the door bring over another bed, which they also put together. A thick blanket was laid on top, and a super-large bed was thus set up. "Miss Li and Brother Li will sleep in the middle, Brother Xu will sleep next to me, and Brother Zhan will sleep on Miss Li's side."

So this arrangement means she'll sleep next to Xu Qingzhi? Thank goodness—.

"No way!" Li Xinyun went over and grabbed Li Yuxuan's arm: "I don't want to sleep next to Brother Zhan, I'll sleep next to that brat. I want to switch places with her."

Li Yuxuan looked at Xu Qingzhi speechlessly. He really was an honest man that everyone loved. Even the little princess trusted him so much.

After finishing his meal, Zhan Zhao lay down on the bed and said, "I don't care how you guys sleep. I'm tired. I'm going to rest for a while."

Li Xinyun pulled Li Yuxuan to the bed, saying, "You brat, let's sleep too. Don't worry, I'll protect you."

Of course I'm relieved, with Brother Zhan on my left and you on my right—but that's not what I'm worried about—. She pulled her hand away from Li Xinyun's: "You go to sleep first, I'm not sleepy, and besides, I can't sleep anyway." She really couldn't sleep.

Seeing that he wasn't asleep, Li Xinyun assumed he was still afraid of the corpse child and muttered, "I've never seen a grown man as timid as you. Fine, if you're not going to sleep, I'll keep you company." She sat down beside Li Yuxuan by the fire.

Prince Xin and Xu Qingzhi also sat down by the fire. Li Yuxuan knew that if she didn't go to sleep, none of the three of them would go to sleep either. If nothing unexpected happened, they still had to travel a hundred miles of mountain road to reach the next post station tomorrow. Sigh, she said, "Don't sit there, I'm going to sleep."

chivalrous heart

Li Xinyun cheered and pulled her onto the bed—Li Yuxuan looked at her and felt a dark cloud roll over his head. Did she really want to sleep that much? Four grown men and a little girl, wasn't she afraid these men would eat her up? She wasn't afraid, she was afraid... she was afraid others would eat her, and she was also afraid she would eat others.

The men around her were all incredibly handsome, but she could only look and not touch them. It was like throwing her into a vat of boiling oil—a blatant human tragedy. Waaah! Back then, Wei Xiaobao was so dashing and valiant in his battle with the courtesan—but with her, it's turned into a case of vexation, a frantic, hysterical vexation. From now on, whenever she sees a handsome man, she'll rush up to him and say, "Let me touch you~".

But thinking of the Corpse Child and the various heroes and villains outside, ready to pounce at any moment, she decided it was safer to sleep among them. Going crazy in the future was a matter for the future; her life was more important now.

She sat on the edge of the bed, unsure of where to position herself. She watched Zhan Zhao sleeping on his side with his back to her, his breathing even and deep. Just that steady back view made her feel like she was about to have a nosebleed. If she actually slept next to him, smelling his masculine scent—no, she absolutely refused to sleep next to him. As a woman who had once been impure, her self-control was extremely weak.

Should she sleep next to Xu Qingzhi? She looked at Xu Qingzhi, who was still sitting by the fire. This bookworm had lost his pale and weak appearance after traveling all this way. His face was roughened by the mountain wind, which added a touch of indescribable masculine charm. Coupled with his refined and elegant temperament, he also made people feel an irresistible urge to take liberties with him.

Prince Xin? He shouldn't even consider it; sleeping next to him would surely mean he'd devour her. He must have realized this himself, which is why he kept her at a distance.

Alas! Would it be better for her to sleep at the foot of the bed?

Li Xinyun, already wrapped in a blanket, was calling to her: "Come up!"

She gave a wry smile and took off her shoes: "Miss Li, why don't you sleep next to Brother Zhan?"

"No!" came the crisp reply.

"Why?" The question sounded utterly helpless.

"Brother Xu doesn't know martial arts, it'll be safer for you to sleep there." Tears welled up in my eyes; so that was the reason.

Seeing Xu Qingzhi and Prince Xin also walking onto the bed, she quickly grabbed a quilt and clothes and rolled over to Li Xinyun's side, tucking Li Xinyun closer to Zhan Zhao. Li Xinyun didn't expect Li Yuxuan to act like a rogue, and glared at her fiercely before sleeping behind Zhan Zhao.

She quickly rolled the blanket into a circle and crawled inside, leaving only her head sticking out. The three of them were amused by her action, and Prince Xin chuckled and scolded, "You!"

Xu Qingzhi laughed and said, "Third brother, are you afraid to sleep with us? We're not going to eat you." He then took a quilt and his clothes and lay down next to her.

Prince Xin blew out the lamp in the tent, leaving only the flickering light in the basin and the shadow of the campfire outside. He also took a blanket and lay down, whispering, "Sleep, don't let anyone notice anything amiss."

“But the fact that we’re sleeping together already raises suspicions.” Li Yuxuan really felt this wasn’t a good idea.

Prince Xin chuckled softly, "You've been sleeping all this way. You should try to fall asleep sooner. Let's be careful so that no one notices anything amiss."

Li Yuxuan sighed. Beside her, Li Xinyun was already snoring softly. Such an innocent young girl, so naive. What a perfect opportunity to seduce Master Zhan! And what a waste!

Xu Qingzhi seemed to have fallen asleep as well, his breathing equally even and long. After saying that, Prince Xin also fell silent. Was Li Yuxuan the only one unable to sleep?

While she worried about ghosts coming in the middle of the night, she was also unsettled by the omnipresent masculine presence around her. In the distance, she seemed to hear the howling of wolves. The shadows of the trees and forests cast on the tent roof looked like enormous ghostly figures swaying in the mountain wind. And why were the birds still chirping at this hour? They sounded like crows, sending chills down her spine.

She forced herself to close her eyes, and her body unconsciously moved a little closer to Xu Qingzhi. She was truly afraid.

She called softly, "Brother Xu? Your Highness?"

Xu Qingzhi reached out and patted the blanket covering her: "Sleep, we're all here." It was strange. Xu Qingzhi didn't know martial arts, so why was he so calm, while she was so unsettled?

She opened her eyes and, by the firelight, saw Xu Qingzhi lying flat with his eyes closed, his long eyelashes gently resting on his eyelids, as peaceful and calm as if he were sleeping at home.

This man was much stronger than she had imagined. Could this man, who could remain so calm on such a tense night, be the same Xu Qingzhi whose memory of her was so weak and pale?

Through Xu Qingzhi, one could see the head of Prince Xin, who was lying flat at the moment, his expression unreadable.

She looked away and forced herself to sleep, but the more anxious she became, the less she could fall asleep. She couldn't turn over, so she could only lie on her back and watch the darkness above the tent drift by.

She didn't know how much time had passed, but just as her consciousness began to blur and she was about to fall asleep, a pair of small hands suddenly reached out and covered her mouth and nose. She reflexively pushed them away and immediately realized that something must have happened. With a surge of tension, all her sleepiness vanished.

She looked at Li Xinyun, and Li Xinyun looked back at her, blinking. The hand covering her mouth and nose was indeed Li Xinyun's. She glanced at Xu Qingzhi, Prince Xin, and Zhan Zhao out of the corner of her eye; all three were still asleep as if nothing had happened. Her heart calmed down.

Following Li Xinyun's gaze, she saw a red light flashing on the tent behind her. Then, someone shoved her head under the covers.

The snoring of the three grown men in the room grew even longer.

Li Yuxuan held her breath under the covers, afraid to take a deep breath. Just when she felt like she was about to suffocate... she felt a chill, and her vision immediately returned. The blanket on her body was suddenly ripped off, and she saw a gleaming steel knife right in front of her. The knife had probably just ripped off her blanket. While she was staring wide-eyed and forgetting to react, a rope was already wrapped around the steel knife, and her body was grabbed and rolled to the foot of the bed.

The sounds of fighting rang out inside the tent, which was immediately illuminated by the torches surrounding it. She saw Prince Xin, Zhan Zhao, and Li Xinyun locked in combat with five men in black.

Her gaze had just swept over the three of them when the tent was cut open on all four sides, and groups of guards rushed in.

The man who tackled her and rolled her to the ground whispered, "Go!" He pulled her up and stood up, retreating backward. A group of guards saw them and immediately surrounded them.

Li Yuxuan, having just recovered from her shock, noticed Xu Qingzhi beside her less than a minute after she saw the steel knife. In the firelight, a trace of fear remained on his face. Though he appeared calm, he was probably also afraid. She grasped Xu Qingzhi's hand in return: "Big Brother!"

Xu Qingzhi smiled at her, then firmly grasped her hand in his own.

She saw countless archers outside the tent, facing the dark forests on all sides.

"What are they doing?" She didn't understand why the archers weren't pointing at the robbers inside, but at the air outside.

"The robbers must have other accomplices; this is what keeps those people from coming in to rescue people."... These three men are ruthless; their schemes are all more insidious than the last.

As she was inwardly grumbling, a commotion suddenly arose among the archers on her left, followed by a hail of arrows. Then, a low groan came from inside the tent; she recognized it as Prince Xin's voice. Her heart pounded with alarm, and she strained to see five men in black desperately lunging at Prince Xin, completely ignoring Zhan Zhao and Li Xinyun's attacks. Good heavens, weren't they going to take Prince Xin down with them? No—

Of course not. Zhan Zhao and the guards saw through the bandits' plan and had no choice but to fight to the death to stop them. In a battle between two armies, the worst thing is to have reservations. If you have reservations, you can't act freely, and if you can't act freely, you will be controlled by your opponent. It seems that Prince Xin has already been injured by them.

The five bandits' desperate tactic of fighting to the death with Prince Xin quickly reversed their disadvantage. They surrounded Prince Xin, disregarding everything else, each sword strike aimed to kill him. The guards, hesitant to act rashly, could only surround the five and wait for an opportunity to ambush them.

Fortunately, Prince Xin was indeed as skilled in martial arts as the legends said. Working together with Zhan Zhao, they managed to fight five against two and still survive. Li Yuxuan watched with wide eyes and cold sweat pouring down his face, seeing them escape death time and time again, risking their lives... It was also thanks to Li Xinyun's whip, which was used from both sides to distract the robbers.

This can't go on. Brother Zhan and Prince Xin will either be killed or exhausted to death. This is a classic case of capturing the leader first, putting them in a life-or-death situation before they can survive.

It's clear that robbers aren't scary; it's educated robbers who are scary.

We have to think of a way, we have to think of a way quickly, we have to think of a way right now—she doesn't want to live anymore even if Prince Xin and Zhan Zhao die.

She yelled, "Stop! If you five want to get out of here alive, stop right now! Do you all really want to die together here? If Prince Xin dies, none of you will survive! Since you came to this tent to cause trouble, you must be after us, right? As long as we're alive, we can always fight again. Do you want to die like this? Is it worth it for the five of you to take the life of Prince Xin? If you want our lives, you can take care of us one by one when we're alone later, wouldn't that be better? Why die here tonight for Prince Xin alone?... Uh—" Her words were indeed as effective as nunchucks. Before she could finish speaking, a figure flashed before her eyes, and a long sword was elegantly pressed against her neck: "If you keep babbling, I'll kill you with one stroke!" The voice was clear and beautiful; it was actually a woman.

Li Yuxuan looked into the woman's eyes, and although those eyes were filled with a fierce and tyrannical killing intent, she still recognized the woman as Wang Rou.

She didn't encounter many strangers along the way, and even fewer robbers. The only robber she felt familiar with, especially since she was a woman, was Wang Rou.