Une jeunesse errante

Chapitre 86

Li Zhen, who had been standing beside Madam Li, let out a cold laugh, then turned sharply to glare at Zhong Wan'an, who was staring intently at him and his mother. A look of disgust flashed across his face. A tear of sorrow and regret welled up in Zhong Wan'an's eyes. Li Zhen snorted disdainfully and quietly left his mother.

"Lei'er, Lei'er!" Madam Tong screamed as she ran towards her son. She hugged him tightly. "Are you hurt? Let your mother see." Upon seeing him, she was heartbroken and vented all her hatred on He Zhiqiang and Zhao Yu. She viciously cursed, "You two scoundrels, how dare you hurt my son! I will not forgive you! I will kill your whole family!"

Mrs. Su angrily said, "You shrew, the ones who curse are the dogs."

Madam Tong rushed towards Mrs. Su, raising her large, fleshy hand to slap her hard. Just as her hand was about to strike Mrs. Su's delicate face, a large hand suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist, shoving her away. Madam Tong spun backward like a ball. Mrs. Su rushed into her husband's arms with joy. Su Haibo, his face contorted with rage, embraced his wife. Yes, even the most good-tempered man would erupt in fury like a volcano at the sight of his wife being beaten.

Tong Kang came over and grabbed his mother, who was baring her teeth and claws, and said with a smile, "My mother acted impulsively. Please calm down, Manager Su."

Suddenly, a howl rang out, and Tong Lei lunged at He Zhiqiang. He Zhiqiang, caught up in elation, wasn't off guard; his innate instincts kicked in, and without thinking, he scooped up Zhao Yu and darted to the side. Everyone shouted in rebuke. Tong Lei didn't stop; amidst his raucous howls, he ran frantically towards the exit.

Madam Tong cried out anxiously, "Lei'er, Kang'er, hurry and go after your brother!"

Tong Kang dismissively advised, "Let him go. He'll be fine after venting. It's alright, it's alright."

Madam Tong was so angry that she couldn't do anything about it. Suddenly, she saw her husband staring intently at his second sister, Madam Li, and completely indifferent to their son's affairs. This only fueled her anger, and she pounced on her husband like a tigress.

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Murderer

A sharp cry came from outside the banquet hall; it was the white fox. Sensing something was wrong, Qing Jianyue turned and ran outside as fast as a wild horse. In the blink of an eye, she was out of the banquet hall. In the distance, she saw a black streak of light, as if shooting from hell, pierce Tong Lei's throat with deadly precision. Qing Jianyue's eyes widened in shock, her mouth agape, but no sound came out.

Another long cry rang out, and the white fox's figure flashed like a silver streak in the depths of darkness. Qing Jianyue ran off without a second thought, only to hear Lu Qingcheng's roar behind him, "Jianyue!" Qing Jianyue didn't turn around; he knew Lu Qingcheng would catch up.

Just as they were running off into the distance, Tong Lei crashed to the ground like a tattered sack. Qingfeng didn't even glance at the fallen Tong Lei; he chased after Lu Qingcheng at top speed, with Cai Zhonghe following behind. Seeing this, Lin Feng, who had arrived from afar, immediately led his men to change direction and head straight towards Qingfeng and the others.

Over there, Cai Bo'an, Lei Yongxiang, Liu Xicheng, and Li Anguo stared at Tong Lei on the ground, their faces pale with shock. Who did this?

"Second brother, second brother, what's wrong?" Tong Kang pushed through the crowd and called out, "Second brother, why, ah—" A shrill scream replaced the rest of his words.

As Qingjian Yue ran, she whistled, and the call of the white fox soon reached her from afar. Accompanied by Lu Qingcheng, she ran continuously, following the fox's call. She didn't know how long she ran before they entered a deep pine forest. Entering the dark pine forest slowed them down. Soon, the white fox returned to meet them.

They followed the white fox through the woods, searching and cautiously observing their surroundings. Suddenly, the bowstring twanged, and three black streaks of light shot out from the front, middle, and back, and from three directions. Because the white fox was well-trained, it immediately darted into the grass and hid behind a tree upon hearing the bowstring twang, causing one of the black arrows aimed at it to miss its mark.

The instant the bowstring twanged, Kiyomi Tsuki drew her sword, dodged sideways, and slashed fiercely, splitting the black gold arrow in two, which fell to the dust. Lu Qingcheng was even more swift; at the very moment the arrow struck, she caught it with her hand like an iron clamp. In the process of splitting and catching the arrow, neither of them slowed down; instead, they pressed forward even faster.

The hissing sound was incessant, like the flicking tongues of venomous snakes, as black gold arrows rained down upon them, each one hitting its mark, aimed precisely at their vital points. The two men were secretly alarmed, not daring to underestimate their opponents, and quickly retreated behind a tree. Thump, thump, thump—each arrow seemed to have eyes, landing beside them, its shaft twisting like a venomous snake.

Whether it was because of the rapid running while chasing the enemy, or because the enemy's unpredictable arrows were too terrifying, Kiyomi Tsuki felt her heart pounding wildly in her chest.

"Jianyue, are you alright?" came Lu Qingcheng's voice, both authoritative and full of concern.

Kiyomi Tsuki felt a warmth in her heart and smiled, "I'm fine."

Lu Qingcheng then instructed, "Don't hide it from me, just follow behind me."

The rustling of branches brushing against their bodies told them the enemy was fleeing. They immediately leaped out, chasing their prey like hunters on the wind. In the blink of an eye, they were out of the woods, and they could clearly see a tall, slender, black figure in the distance, moving as fast as a swallow in flight. But there was someone even faster: the white fox, a silver streak that covered the assassin's distance in an instant, covering a distance of twenty paces. But then, the assassin suddenly stopped, turned, drew his bow, and fired an arrow in one fluid motion.

The white fox rolled on the ground like a snowball. Kiyomi Tsuki felt his heart almost stop; the white fox's agonizing screams tore his heart to shreds. He no longer cared about the assassin; he threw himself to the ground and embraced the white fox as it writhed and struggled in agony.

Because of this delay, the assassin's speed slowed down, and in that brief moment, Lu Qingcheng arrived, drawing his sword and unleashing an arc of electricity aimed directly at the assassin's face. Terrifyingly, he struck first, the assassin drawing his sword second, yet the latter struck first, ignoring Qingcheng's attack and recklessly thrusting towards his left flank. Lu Qingcheng was startled and quickly parried with his own sword. Just as his blade was about to strike the assassin's sword, the assassin's sword vanished instantly, reappearing on his right side. This incredible speed immediately reminded Lu Qingcheng of Xu Lan.

Behind them came shouts from Qingfeng and Cai Zhonghe. After a feint, the assassin flew into the darkness like a swallow. Lu Qingcheng wanted to give chase, but was worried about Qing Jianyue. When Qingfeng and Cai Zhonghe arrived, he shouted, "Zhonghe, take care of Jianyue!" With that shout, he and Qingfeng had already disappeared from sight.

Cai Zhonghe asked, "Jianyue, are you alright?"

Qing Jianyue took off his mink coat and wrapped it around the blood-soaked white fox, holding it tightly in his arms. He could no longer speak, only staring at Cai Zhonghe in terror. Cai Zhonghe suddenly understood what was happening, grabbed him, and dragged him away quickly.

The sounds of sirens and gongs filled the air as soldiers from Lujiabao rushed in. Qing Jianyue could neither see nor hear anything, and she ran desperately after Cai Zhonghe. She didn't know how long they ran, but they eventually arrived at a courtyard. Cai Zhonghe woke up the people inside, and soon, the white fox in Qing Jianyue's arms was taken away.

Qing Jianyue watched the people bustling about in the room, his heart still pounding. His mind felt like a battlefield, he gasped for breath, his mouth opening and closing as he stared at Cai Zhonghe, but he couldn't hear anything. Cai Zhonghe grabbed him and led him to another room. A woman brought a basin of hot water, and Cai Zhonghe wrung out a towel to wipe the sweat and blood from his face, then washed the blood from his hands. The woman brought a cup of hot tea, which Cai Zhonghe fed to him. After taking a sip, he coughed violently, tears streaming down his face. Cai Zhonghe, startled, hugged him tightly, gently patting his back. At that moment, Qing Jianyue finally heard a sound.

"Alright. It's alright, it's alright, the fox won't die. Doctor Li will heal it. Don't worry, Doctor Li will definitely heal it."

Kiyoshi Tsukiyomi was still unable to speak; he was panting as Cai Zhonghe held him. A woman came in, saw the scene, and immediately left.

About half an hour later, a younger man came in. The arrow was removed from the white fox's body, and the surgery was complete. Qing Jianyue pushed Cai Zhonghe aside and followed the young man out. The white fox was moved to another clean room. It lay on the heated kang bed with charcoal burning, covered with a thin blanket, its golden eyes closed.

Kiyomi Tsuki sat on the warm tatami mat, reached out and lifted the thin blanket, revealing a thick white cloth wrapped around the white fox's waist and abdomen. Kiyomi Tsuki felt another sharp pain in her heart, quickly covered it with the thin blanket again, and gently stroked its head with her hand.

Cai Zhonghe asked, "Doctor Li, is Fox still in danger?"

"This arrow went deep, injuring his internal organs. Whether he can survive is up to fate. However, tonight is the most important night. If he doesn't make it through tonight, alas..." Doctor Li sighed. Although it was a beast, everyone knew that Kiyomizuki loved foxes dearly.

Cai Zhonghe said gently, "Jianyue, you heard what Doctor Li said. Fox is too badly injured to move. It will stay here tonight, and I will send someone to take care of it."

Kiyomi Tsuki shook her head. "No need, I'll take care of Hu'er. I delivered it when it was born. It's sick now and needs me by its side the most. As long as I'm here, it definitely won't die."

"In that case, I'll have someone make the arrangements."

Cai Zhonghe gave Li Langzhong a wink, and Li Langzhong followed him out.

The door closed, and the room was so quiet that only the crackling of the burning lamp wick could be heard. Kiyomi Tsuki silently, gently, and continuously stroked it. About half an hour passed like this, then the door opened, and the little sparrow and the little crow entered. The little sparrow brought clean clothes and helped Kiyomi Tsuki change out of her blood-stained garments, while the little crow laid out a thick quilt.

Not long after, Cai Zhonghe came in. “You can stay here tonight without worry. Huang Chong, Zhang Lang, Guo Guo, and Mao Ying are guarding the outside, and there are people guarding the front and back yards. If anything happens, just call for help. Doctor Li will be waiting for you all night.”

Kiyomi Tsuki asked disappointedly, "Didn't you catch the assassin?"

"It seems you've recovered. You really scared me to death just now." Cai Zhonghe smiled and said, "The assassin jumped into Yancui Lake to escape. Don't worry, he can't escape. Lord Lin the Second is searching for him with all his might."

Qing Jianyue remained silent, thinking to himself: This assassin is extremely familiar with the terrain of this fortress, and his martial arts skills are unfathomable. Damn it! How dare he injure my fox cub! This feud is inevitable. Thinking of this, he worried about Lu Qingcheng again, and tugged at Cai Zhonghe's sleeve, asking, "Where is the fortress lord?"

"Don't worry, the lord will come to see you when he's done with his work."

Cai Zhonghe suddenly stopped, staring blankly at the gleaming ring on Qing Jianyue's hand. Qing Jianyue was startled and subconsciously withdrew her hand, but Cai Zhonghe suddenly grabbed it.

Kiyomi Tsuki hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Pretty brother."