She skipped along, when suddenly she heard a loud crash from the courtyard she had just passed.
Wuyou stopped, turned around curiously, and walked back, peering into the courtyard through the gate.
The courtyard was empty. No, there was a person lying face down on the ground next to the stone table. Judging from his clothes and hairstyle, he was a man.
Was he injured or sick?
With a kind heart, Wuyou automatically stepped over the threshold and went inside, squatting down next to the man, and poking his shoulder with her slender little hand: "Hey, are you... are you still alive?"
Upon hearing the question, the man slightly raised his head, indicating that he was still alive.
"Ah!" Wuyou exclaimed in surprise when she saw his face clearly. "Brother Pang, it's you! What happened to you?" She clearly remembered that the Pang family's courtyard was right next to Yuqing Courtyard. The two families had just walked over together and said goodbye at the courtyard gate.
Pang Yuan was at a loss for words when faced with such a young girl as Wuyou.
He was young, vigorous, and full of energy. He had no habit of taking a nap and would practice boxing in his own yard to pass the time after the two families parted.
Just as he was practicing and sweating profusely, a young novice monk came in with a message, saying it was from the Jun family's daughter.
Pang Yuan opened the letter in bewilderment, only to find that the letter indicated there was no time to arrange a meeting.
He was honest and trusting, and had no suspicion of deception, so he arrived at the location indicated in the letter on time, only to find that he did not see anyone.
Young ladies need to dress up before going out, so being a little late is not a big deal. Thinking this, Pang Yuan turned into the corner room, intending to find a kettle to boil some water so that the two of them could drink tea and talk when Wuxia arrived.
After brewing the tea, he carried the tea tray back to the agreed-upon waterside pavilion.
He didn't know what was placed in that waterside pavilion, but after waiting for only half a cup of tea, he felt dizzy and had a strange heat in his head, and his body also began to change.
Pang Yuan was unmarried and had no experience with matters between men and women, but he had married colleagues and friends who understood what this change meant.
Although he was honest and simple, he was by no means stupid. He realized immediately that he had been tricked by others. Of course, he refused to sit and wait for his death, and forced himself to walk out of the waterside pavilion.
However, the medicine was extremely strong. As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he felt dizzy and weak in the legs, and almost fainted.
But if he really fainted here, wouldn't he be at the mercy of others? Pang Yuan struggled to walk out, but finally couldn't hold on and tripped by the stone table.
He couldn't say a word of these things to Wuyou, and could only weakly say, "Wuyou, I've been poisoned. Go find someone to carry me back."
Why would someone be poisoned in an empty courtyard for no reason? Upon hearing this, Wuyou immediately grasped the key point and asked, "Brother Pang, were you murdered?"
“Yes,” Pang Yuan readily admitted, “So hurry up and find someone to save me, go quickly.”
“But you can’t move right now. If I leave you here alone, what if bad guys come and you don’t fight back?” Wuyou was very thoughtful, and Pang Yuan had just saved her today, so she naturally considered everything for him.
Pang Yuan said, "You're still a child. Even if you stay here with me, you won't be able to help if bad guys come. Wuyou, listen to me, go find someone quickly."
"Okay." Wuyou thought Pang Yuan made sense, so she obediently stood up and ran out of the courtyard.
She ran to the courtyard gate and then stopped, turning back to suggest, "There's a rockery over there. I'll help you over there and hide you, okay? That way, if bad guys come, they won't be able to see you."
Many things are easier said than done.
Wuyou's intention to help Pang Yuan hide was very sincere, but unfortunately he was a martial artist, big and burly, nearly twice her height, and as for his weight, Wuyou had never touched anything so heavy in her life.
Despite her small stature, she used all her strength to drag and pull Pang Yuan to the rockery.
Perhaps Pang Yuan was lucky today. There was a small cave on the side of the artificial hill, so he leaned on Wuyou and went in, slowly sliding down the uneven cave wall to sit on the ground.
Wuyou left only after seeing that he was safe.
Wuxia, who left Yuqing Academy before Wuyou, is now facing a major problem.
Canglang Pavilion is located on the hillside in the back garden between the east and west courtyards. Its high elevation makes it a great place for sightseeing.
Wuxia had a smooth journey without any problems. When she saw the green octagonal roof of Canglang Pavilion in the distance, her slightly tense mood gradually relaxed.
Follow the pebble path past the bushes, then cross the stone bridge, and you can climb the steps to reach the pavilion.
To her surprise, just as she turned around the bushes, she saw that the person sitting in the pavilion was a man.
Wuxia was startled and stopped to take a closer look. The man was holding a book and had been looking down at it. At this moment, he seemed to sense Wuxia's gaze and looked up at her.
The two locked eyes, and Wuxia immediately tried to escape.
This person was none other than Xu Lang, whom she was trying to avoid at all costs.
Countless thoughts raced through Wuxia's mind in an instant. The worst-case scenario was that the letter was sent by Xu Lang, who was impersonating the wife of the Marquis of Pingyang.
Regardless of the truth, she should just ignore him. After all, she had two bodyguards with her, and Xu Lang was just a scholar; what could he possibly do?
Having made up her mind, she had no time to turn around and leave.
However, Nan Ping and Nan Sheng, who were originally following behind, were nowhere to be seen.
Wuxia was startled again. She hurriedly turned around the bushes and returned to the path, where she saw the two lying motionless on the ground.
Each of them was accompanied by a masked man dressed in black.
The two of them also saw Wuxia.
One of them looked Wuxia up and down and said, "I never expected there to be such a beautiful girl in this dilapidated temple. We've really struck it rich today."
Another person chimed in, "Even the top courtesan at the Lichun Brothel can't compare to her looks. If you capture her and sell her to the madam, you could easily make several hundred taels of silver."
Even though Wuxia was raised in seclusion and didn't know anything about top-tier madams, she still knew it was definitely not a compliment.
She turned to run away, but the two men were faster and rushed up to grab her.