Сохраним красоту - Глава 71
Feng Zhuojun patted her head and smiled, "You are so cheerful and lively now, you are really different from before. It seems that life in the Long family has changed you a lot."
“Father also said I’ve changed.” Feng Ning tilted her head, about to ask, when suddenly there was a knock on the door. The father and daughter exchanged a glance. They had avoided the inn and were staying in a secluded courtyard. Why would someone come looking for them?
Before Feng Zhuojun could speak, Feng Ning gestured and went to the door to listen. He heard nothing, and peeked through the crack in the door. There seemed to be nothing there either. Feng Ning quietly opened the door, and to her surprise, there was no one outside. Feng Zhuojun seemed to realize something and suddenly shouted, "Feng Feng, be careful!"
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52. The Long couple who encountered danger on the way...
Before Feng Zhuojun could finish speaking, a cloud of pink mist descended from the sky, heading straight for Feng Ning's face. At the same time, a sharp arrow shot from the treetops opposite, piercing through the pink mist and heading towards Feng Ning.
Caught off guard, Feng Ning was greatly startled. She hurriedly held her breath, raised her arm and waved her sleeve to sweep away the cloud of powdery mist, but unfortunately, she still inhaled quite a bit in that instant. She had no time to dodge, and instinctively reached out and grabbed the arrow.
Feng Ning's quick reaction and agility left Feng Zhuojun speechless. Before he could react, Feng Ning threw down the arrows and swiftly closed the door. The two arrows thudded into the door with two sharp sounds, their tips protruding through the board.
"Father, pack your things, we have to get out of here quickly!" Feng Ning's first thought was that someone was trying to steal her treasure again. She shouted at Feng Zhuojun, already turning around to hurriedly stuff the clothes she had made for Long San into her bundle. Feng Zhuojun snapped out of his daze, not bothering to figure out when his daughter had become so formidable, and hurriedly grabbed his sword, making sure the seal was safely hidden on his person. Before he could even speak, he smelled a thick cloud of smoke.
"They're using fire!" Feng Zhuojun exclaimed in shock. Feng Ning calmly nodded and said to Feng Zhuojun, "I'll clear the way, Father, you follow." She slung the bundle over her shoulder, tied it tightly around her chest and abdomen, then took the short sword that Long San had bought for her, and with a powerful kick, sent the chair flying towards the door.
The chair, imbued with internal force, slammed the door open, and Feng Ning used the opportunity to burst through the window. The sudden movement startled her; she realized that circulating her internal energy had caused a sharp pain in her chest, likely due to the strange powder she had inhaled earlier. Feng Ning remained calm, gritting her teeth as she leaped out. She wondered who the attackers were, and whether Long San was safe. She and her father had escaped; she needed to leave a signal for him.
As expected, three men in gray were drawn to the commotion near the door and looked in that direction, caught off guard by Feng Ning's leap from the window. Feng Ning swung her sword and struck, managing to wound two of them in one blow. However, the third man had already regained his senses and attacked Feng Ning with his blade. At the same time, someone hidden high in the treetops drew their bow and arrow, aiming straight for Feng Ning's heart.
Feng Ning raised her sword in a backhand motion, blocking the gray-clad man's thrust. She spun around and kicked him away. Just as she was about to swing her sword to deflect the arrow that was coming from mid-air, a sharp pain shot through her chest, rendering her unable to lift her sword. She abruptly squatted down and rolled away in a disheveled state. Then, as she tried to get up by bracing herself on the ground, she suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood.
This series of actions happened extremely quickly. Feng Zhuojun, who came out behind Feng Ning, saw it clearly. Feng Ning spitting out a mouthful of blood really frightened him so much that he was at a loss. He shouted, "Feng Feng..." and hurriedly swung his sword to block the gray-clothed man who was about to attack Feng Ning again.
The man on the treetop fired two more arrows at Feng Ning. Feng Ning barely managed to raise his sword to deflect one arrow and then rolled away to avoid the other. But at that moment, two more men in blue rushed over and attacked Feng Ning. Feng Zhuojun forced back the men in gray and rushed over to stand in front of Feng Ning, but the two men in blue were highly skilled in martial arts, and the men in gray had also attacked. Feng Zhuojun was no match for them.
Those men seemed uninterested in Feng Zhuojun, bypassing him and attacking Feng Ning instead. Feng Ning felt a sharp pain in her chest with every effort, but in this life-or-death situation, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and fight. After about ten moves, the joints in her limbs began to ache terribly, and her whole body was powerless. Finally, she was slashed by a knife, a large gash running from her shoulder to her back, from which blood gushed out.
Feng Zhuojun's eyes were bloodshot. He roared and rushed over, swinging his sword wildly. Feng Ning fell to the ground, feeling her body gradually grow cold. Looking at Feng Zhuojun's back, she felt that the scene was somewhat familiar. It seemed that once, someone had also protected her in front of her like this, but he seemed to be much younger.
A figure flashed through her mind, "Long San," Feng Ning murmured, missing him terribly. She couldn't remember when he had protected her like this before. Was he out on business and in danger? She was so worried.
"Sister-in-law!" Just as Feng Ning was dazed and watching Feng Zhuojun being pushed aside, and the three assassins were about to close in on her again, a booming roar came from the courtyard gate. The owner of that loud voice was extremely anxious, and his shout was so loud that the entire courtyard seemed to shake three times.
"Sister-in-law!" The crowd on one side was stunned by the shout, and then the loud voice shouted again, drawing his broadsword as he rushed over. It was the burly man, Zhong Sheng.
Zhong Sheng wielded his broadsword with great force and imposing presence. Behind him followed a thin man with a small mustache, who also attacked, wielding a jade-bone fan. The arrival of these two immediately turned the tide of the battle. Although Feng Zhuojun did not recognize the two men, seeing that they were his helpers and seemed to know Feng Ning, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Feng Ning felt increasingly cold, her joints ached, and even breathing heavily caused chest pain. Her consciousness was somewhat hazy, but she knew the bell was ringing. Feng Zhuojun rushed over and helped her up. Seeing her covered in blood, his eyes welled up with tears of heartache.
Feng Ning forced a smile: "Father, don't worry, I'm fine, it doesn't hurt."
Feng Zhuojun nodded, took the bundle from her back, and pressed several acupoints on her. Zhong Sheng then turned back and shouted, "Run!" Feng Zhuojun bent down, picked up Feng Ning, and quickly ran out of the courtyard. Zhong Sheng and the other man fought and retreated, protecting them behind them.
Feng Zhuojun carried Feng Ning on his back and ran for several miles in one breath. Looking back, he saw that there were no pursuers behind him. He looked around and found a clean, abandoned temple to hide in.
Feng Ning was placed on a clean prayer mat. Her face was deathly pale, with a bluish tinge. Feng Zhuojun was frantic. He grabbed a water bag, took the tattered bundle that Feng Ning had been carrying, and opened it, searching for wound medicine and antidote pills. Inside the bundle were two small boxes. Not knowing which one belonged to whom, Feng Zhuojun opened one to look. Inside was a map and a small seal. Feng Zhuojun's heart skipped a beat, remembering Qiao Li's instructions: "If you have the chance, take the things and we'll find the treasure ourselves. The Long family can't be trusted; we can't believe everything they say. Feng Feng is bewitched by Long San, so naturally she'll side with them more. We have to be careful." Looking at the box, Feng Zhuojun knew that if he wanted to steal the map and seal, now was the best opportunity.
Before he could figure it out, Feng Ning called out from the side, "Father." Feng Zhuojun's heart tightened, and he quickly closed the box, replying, "Feng Feng, hold on a little longer, Father will find the medicine soon." As he spoke, he opened another box, which indeed contained several bottles of commonly used pills and powders.
He took the medicine and gave it to Feng Ning, then sprinkled some ointment on her wound and bandaged it simply. Feng Ning didn't even frown or ask what she was given. She swallowed the medicine and weakly said, "Give me the bundle quickly."
Feng Zhuojun felt a pang of unease. He had harbored wicked intentions, yet his daughter, seriously injured, was still wary of him. It seemed the bond between father and daughter was no longer what it had been when she was a child. He felt a mix of guilt, relief, and anger. Fortunately, he hadn't taken it, otherwise he would have had a hard time explaining himself. But Feng Ning's continued wariness of him in her current state only fueled his embarrassment and anger.
He stuffed the bundle into Feng Ning's arms, saying, "Don't worry, nothing's missing."
Feng Ning shook her head and said weakly, "Father, I don't have the strength. Can you take it out for me and take a look?"
Feng Zhuojun took out the box, opened it, and handed it to Feng Ning: "Look, it's intact, nothing's missing, is it? You're badly injured, so you should save your energy. Once things calm down, I'll find you a doctor."
Feng Ning shook her head again: "Not this." She looked anxious and pointed to the bundle: "Clothes." Feng Zhuojun was puzzled: "You want to change your clothes? Don't move now, don't be willful."
Feng Ning shook her head, about to speak again, but then coughed and almost vomited blood again. Feng Zhuojun looked at her wound anxiously. The bleeding had basically stopped. He was afraid that the poison powder was potent. He wondered what kind of poison it was and whether the antidote would work. Just as he was thinking about what to do, someone broke in.
Feng Zhuojun was startled and grabbed his sword to protect Feng Ning. He then saw that it was the same two people who had come to help earlier, and he was relieved.
As soon as the bell rang, someone shouted, "Sister-in-law, how are you?"
Feng Ning didn't speak, so Feng Zhuojun answered for her: "The external injuries are fine, but the poisoning is serious. She needs to see a doctor as soon as possible." Upon hearing this, Zhong Sheng looked at Feng Zhuojun and said, "My name is Zhong Sheng. Master Long is my elder brother. May I ask how this chivalrous gentleman is addressed?"
“He is your elder brother’s father-in-law.” Although Feng Ning was weak, she answered for Feng Zhuojun.
"So it's your father-in-law." Zhong Sheng clasped his hands in greeting, then realized he had said something wrong: "No, no, it's not your father-in-law, it's not mine. Sister-in-law, that's not what I meant, I misspoke, it's my elder brother's father-in-law."
"It doesn't matter if you're even a little bit dumber," Feng Ning said irritably.
“I’m not stupid.” Zhong Sheng defended himself loudly: “I was drinking with Brother Shi when I heard those people talking about dealing with Feng Ning. I thought of my sister-in-law. That’s why I lost them and arrived a little late, which caused my sister-in-law to get hurt. But I’m not stupid. I still remember my sister-in-law’s name.”
Upon hearing this, Feng Zhuojun quickly raised his hand to bow and express his gratitude, but Feng Ning glared at Zhong Sheng and said, "So you know my name isn't 'sister-in-law'?"
Zhong Sheng scratched his head and asked, "Sister-in-law, you never say a nice thing to me. What did I do to offend you?"
"My ears were the only part of my body that didn't hurt before, but now that you're here, my ears are going to hurt like crazy."
Zhong Sheng opened his mouth as if to argue, but then stopped himself. The man with the mustache next to him smiled and clasped his hands in a fist and fist salute to Feng Ning and his daughter, saying, "I am Shi Yulang, the Jade Fan Gentleman. I know a little about medicine. May I take Madam Long's pulse?"
"If you know a little, don't waste your time. If you know a lot, please help me. I don't want to die. I have a husband, a daughter, parents, and aunts and uncles."
Shi Yulang was taken aback, and replied awkwardly, "Uh, I do have some medical skills."
Zhong Sheng couldn't help but exclaim, "Sister-in-law, Brother Shi is a renowned physician in the martial arts world!"