Моя жена перелезает через стену

Глава 12

confusing

The atmosphere that Li Yuxuan had painstakingly created in the cave had become strange again. Everyone looked at her with various speculative gazes.

She was no longer in the mood to think about anything else; she just looked at Uncle Yang, hoping to glean some answers from his face.

The elderly man walked back to her side: "Young lady, who else is in your family?"

Li Yuxuan suddenly felt a pang of resentment towards the lies she had just told, but it was also fortunate that she had lied; otherwise, the answer would have been obvious if her name and appearance had been combined. "This humble woman has parents, siblings, and a grandmother."

"Hmm," the old man nodded, then asked, seemingly puzzled, "Young lady, you're not young anymore, why aren't you married?"

Yes, why isn't she married? At this time, a twenty-year-old spinster is indeed quite strange. "I once had a fiancé, but he died before I even entered the family. So, I stayed at home." Is that a valid reason?

"Hmm." The old man nodded again: "Why was the young lady captured by Prince Xin to impersonate Li Yuxuan?"

Li Yuxuan wiped her eyes with her hand; the oil lamp in the cave stung them. The old man, however, thought she was wiping away tears and sighed deeply: "I know you and she are not related, it's just that you look so alike that it's hard not to feel a pang of sadness."

Li Yuxuan also let out a long sigh and asked softly, "Uncle, who is this person you're talking about?"

The old man looked into her eyes, his gaze seemingly drifting to the distant past, but he shook his head and did not answer her question. He muttered to himself, "This is the thing I regret most in my life."

"Brother Fang, please stop talking. It's my own fault, it has nothing to do with you," Uncle Yang suddenly interrupted the old man. He had recovered from his grief, at least on the surface his expression had returned to calm.

It turns out that the old man's surname was Fang.

When Old Man Fang heard Uncle Yang say that, he lowered his head and retreated to his chair.

Just as Xiao Rou was about to reply, the tall, thin young man who had gone out to deliver the message returned and shouted as soon as he entered, "Young Master!"

"What did Prince Xin say?" Xiao Rou asked quickly, disregarding Uncle Yang and Old Man Fang.

The man took a breath, clearly having run all the way back: "Prince Xin has agreed. He said the hostages will be exchanged at noon today, and the location will be decided by us."

"What?" Li Yuxuan's voice was louder than anyone else's: "Prince Xin agreed to exchange me for all eighteen of you? Zhan Zhao agreed too?" This was completely unexpected. Although she had been hoping for this outcome.

Xiao Rou was clearly surprised by the news, not expecting that Prince Xin would actually be willing to exchange their eighteen brothers for the fake Li Yuxuan. So she asked the same question as Li Yuxuan: "Prince Xin agrees to exchange her for our eighteen brothers? And Zhan Zhao agrees too?"

"Yes, young master."

The cave immediately buzzed with excitement as everyone began a lively discussion about where the best place to exchange items would be. Xiao Rou pulled the young man aside, her expression showing some worry: "Where did you see Prince Xin and Zhan Zhao?"

The tall, thin man chuckled, "Young Master, don't worry, you're fine. Prince Xin and Zhan Zhao couldn't catch up with him at all. I found them in their camp; they're in complete chaos right now." He glanced at Li Yuxuan and said, "Young Master, you know, we kidnapped this fake Lord Li, and why do I feel like the government troops are on edge? When they heard we were exchanging hostages, Prince Xin and that Lord Xu agreed without even thinking."

Xiao Rou hesitated for a moment, "Uncle Yang is probably right. They're afraid that the matter of hiring someone to impersonate Li Yuxuan will be exposed. So..." She walked to Li Yuxuan's side and patted her shoulder, "Don't worry, Prince Xin agreed to replace you, you won't be in danger."

Li Yuxuan had overheard their conversation, but she still smiled at Xiaorou and said, "I know." I knew they were still my good brothers and friends, heroes who wouldn't risk my life for fame and fortune.

"Young Master!" Uncle Yang called out, "We've all made a plan. At noon today, we'll go to Ruilai Inn in Baima Town ahead to exchange hostages. There are many people there, so we can all disguise ourselves as villagers and blend into the crowd. If Prince Xin tries to trick us, we can leave easily."

Xiao Rou asked the person next to her, "What time is it now?"

"Chen Shi (7-9 AM)," the tall, thin young man replied.

“Okay, go and tell Prince Xin our exchange location right away. Tell him that Wang Rou from the First Manor will be waiting for you on time.” After saying that, Xiao Rou turned her gaze to everyone: “There are still two hours before noon. Uncle Yang, Uncle Fang, please go out and make the arrangements. We will bring Li Yuxuan with us and then we will arrive. When the time comes, Da Gang and I will take Li Yuxuan to see Prince Xin. You all need to keep yourselves out of sight.”

"Young Master!" Uncle Yang walked to her side: "This won't do, you're in too much danger. I promised the Old Master that I would protect you. Go outside and make arrangements. Da Gang, Lao Fang, and I will escort this girl to see Prince Xin."

"Uncle Yang—" Xiao Rou clearly disagreed with this arrangement.

The old men gathered around and said, "Young Master, we all agree with Old Yang's arrangement. You should take them to Baima Town and make the arrangements. Don't you trust us to handle things?"

Seeing that everyone was determined, and that they were all elders of the village, whom even the old village head treated with respect, Xiao Rou knew that arguing would be pointless. She told everyone to take care and to act according to circumstances, and then led the others away from the cave.

Li Yuxuan straightened her clothes, tied her hair up, and put on her hat. She couldn't look too disheveled before going back. Mainly, she was going back to be a man again.

The people inside the cave began to eat their dry rations, using the little spring water they had collected. They were going to the battlefield, so of course they needed to eat and drink their fill. Li Yuxuan, having been tormented all night, was starving. His stomach, smelling the aroma, rather unceremoniously… let out a… loud fart.

It was a conditioned reflex; her intestinal peristalsis increased—she definitely didn't do it on purpose.

Da Gang waved at her from afar, seemingly wanting to do something, but Uncle Yang pressed his hand down, walked closer to Li Yuxuan, took two sesame seed cakes from his bag, and handed them to her: "Eat up!"

Li Yuxuan took the sesame seed cake and smiled gratefully at him. But he quickly turned away and walked back to where he was.

After eating their dry rations, they discussed their next move and then escorted Li Yuxuan out of the cave. As they came out, Li Yuxuan casually smeared some moss and black soil from the cliff face onto her face. It was already daytime, and the outside light was much clearer than the cave lights; she didn't want her face to be so clearly visible to Uncle Yang and Old Man Fang.

Now is not the time to search for answers, nor is it the time to dwell on feelings.

After leaving the cave, descending the mountain, crossing another mountain, and passing through a veil of green gauze, Baima Town was just ahead. She knew the mountain path they had led her along was a shortcut, but strangely, she hadn't seen a single person along the way.

The organization's tight-knit structure and efficiency impressed her.

Upon arriving in town, they found the Ruilai Inn, which they had mentioned, located beside the main road in the center of town, flanked by bustling markets. Li Yuxuan looked around but didn't see any familiar faces. Entering the inn, they found the lobby filled with diners during lunchtime. A waiter greeted them immediately, "How many are in your party?"

Six.

The waiter's gaze fell on Li Yuxuan's official robes, and he looked at the dirt on her face with surprise: "Gentlemen, please come to private room number four upstairs. Your friend has already arrived and is waiting for you."

Li Yuxuan was overjoyed and started walking upstairs. Da Gang and Uncle Yang were holding her down on either side. She knew that the hand Da Gang was holding was on the artery in her wrist joint, which was probably what martial artists called the pulse points. If she made the slightest movement, she would lose her life.

The fourth private room was the second one on the right after entering. As soon as Li Yuxuan went upstairs, he saw that all the waiters standing upstairs were the soldiers who usually accompanied them.

When they saw Li Yuxuan come up, they quickly lifted the curtain of the fourth private room.

Inside the private room, Prince Xin, Xu Qingzhi, and Zhan Zhao were all sitting. When they saw them escorting Li Yuxuan in, they all stood up.

Surviving the disaster

Upon seeing them, Li Yuxuan was overjoyed and couldn't help but burst into tears of happiness. She saw tears in Xu Qingzhi's eyes, the Prince Xin's gaze so cold it could freeze a wolf to death, and a hint of a smile in Zhan Zhao's eyes.

Uncle Yang paused at the door, glanced at the three of them, and led Li Yuxuan into the private room, calling out, "I've brought the person you wanted. Where's the person we wanted?"

Zhan Zhao clapped his hands: "Look!" The curtain of the second private room opposite was lifted, revealing a room full of people standing in neat rows. He smiled lazily at Uncle Yang: "See clearly? If you see clearly, then release Lord Li first. I, Zhan Zhao, will never go back on my word."

"Release those people first!" Uncle Yang still held Li Yuxuan's pulse. "I believe you, but I don't believe him!" The "you" naturally referred to Zhan Zhao, while the "he" Li Yuxuan looked at Prince Xin, clearly referring to this man.

Upon hearing Uncle Yang's words, Prince Xin's face remained cold and gloomy, revealing no emotion whatsoever. Li Yuxuan chuckled, "Uncle Yang, how can you be so biased? Prince Xin's reputation can't be that bad, can it? He does represent the royal family..." Before she could finish speaking, Uncle Yang suddenly increased the pressure on her hand, causing her to wince in pain and cry out, "Ouch—ah—"

Her face contorted in pain, and the three people in front of her also paled. Zhan Zhao's smile vanished. He placed his sword on the table beside him and said in a deep voice, "If anything happens to Lord Li, none of you eighteen will leave here alive!"

Uncle Yang withdrew his grip, merely letting them know that he could kill Li Yuxuan at any time, warning them not to try anything funny: "Release our people, and Lord Li can return them to you unharmed; otherwise, I will take her down with me."

"No, don't be impulsive!" Xu Qingzhi waved his hand. "Since we promised to replace them, we will absolutely not go back on our word." He then looked at Prince Xin, who nodded. Xu Qingzhi then walked to the door of VIP room number two. "His Highness has ordered that they be released."

The guards in the room stepped aside, and the people inside filed out. Uncle Yang watched them walk down the stairs and out the door, and then escorted Li Yuxuan toward the main gate.

Li Yuxuan was held in one hand by Da Gang and in the other by Da Gang. Both of his hands were in excruciating pain from their grip, but he dared not resist and let them drag him to the entrance of the inn.

Uncle Yang saw that the eighteen people who had gone out earlier were no longer in sight, apparently having been rescued by their backup. He released her hand, said "excuse me," and pushed her forward. The group then leaped backward and quickly disappeared into the crowd.

Li Yuxuan was pushed by Uncle Yang and lost her footing, falling straight forward. Just as she was about to fall backward in a miserable fashion, a figure flashed in front of her and grabbed her arms. She bumped into him, making her dizzy and disoriented. It took her a while to regain her balance by leaning against him.

"Brother Li, are you alright?" A concerned voice reached her ears. She opened her eyes and saw Xu Qingzhi's worried face, as well as Zhan Zhao's concerned gaze in front of her. She had escaped death as if in a dream. Knowing that she was out of danger, she saw them as if she had seen her own family. She rushed over and hugged Xu Qingzhi: "Big brother, I'm alright, I'm back."

Xu Qingzhi was also extremely excited: "Third brother, you worried me to death."

Li Yuxuan released Xu Qingzhi and lunged at Zhan Zhao, but Zhan Zhao dodged to the side and laughed, "No, I never hug men."

"Hehe." Li Yuxuan chuckled, stopping in his tracks. "Where is Prince Xin?"

Zhan Zhao gestured with his lip towards the back of her.

She turned around and saw Prince Xin standing there with a pained expression, rubbing his chest vigorously. It was probably his chest that she had bumped into.

She walked up to him with a smile and punched him hard in the chest: "Stop pretending, I'm not going to kill you."

Prince Xin cried out, "Still hitting me? It really hurts! If you don't believe me, I'll bump into you and see!"

"Your Highness!" Zhan Zhao teased, "You brought this on yourself. Why did you tell Lord Li not to run into the wall? You had to make him run into it yourself. Well, it's no use now that he's run into it."

"Hehe." Prince Xin finally revealed a smile, like spring rain melting the ice. This was the first time Li Yuxuan had seen Prince Xin's warm smile, and she was momentarily captivated. It was as if a ripple was spreading through her heart. However, she immediately remembered a question: "You really just let the bandits go like that? You exchanged eighteen men for one of my men. I am deeply grateful and have no way to repay you. But how will you explain this to His Majesty when you return to the capital?"

Prince Xin put on his signature mocking smile again and looked at Li Yuxuan: "Lord Li, do you feel you have nothing to repay me with? Then how about you offer yourself to me?"

Seeing the Prince Xin's smile earlier, Li Yuxuan thought he had changed somewhat, but he was still the same. She snorted lightly, thinking, "A good woman doesn't argue with a man." Considering he saved her, she decided not to stoop to his level.

"Hahahaha!" Zhan Zhao, seeing Li Yuxuan's face tighten again, laughed loudly, "Lord Li, you underestimate the three of us!" He glanced at the crowd around him and said, "Let's go inside and talk."

Seeing the three of them chatting and laughing so easily, Li Yuxuan knew they were all top-tier Crystal Hearts and must have planned everything meticulously. Reassured, he followed them into the restaurant and ordered another table of food and drinks. The three began drinking and chatting.

Li Yuxuan couldn't contain his curiosity: "Brother Zhan, tell me about your plan. Do you think you can still capture those eighteen people?"

Zhan Zhao raised his hand and drank a cup of wine, his face full of smug smile: "These bandits are no ordinary people either. They are descendants of Wang Xiaobo, who rebelled during the reign of Emperor Taizong. They are from the First Manor and are very famous in the martial arts world! But they are still no match for me, Prince Xin, and Lord Xu. Right now, Baima Town is surrounded by imperial guards and soldiers like an iron barrel. Even birds can't fly out."

Li Yuxuan immediately bowed down to them in admiration: "From the time you heard the news to my arrival, only two hours had passed. How could you have prepared so thoroughly?"

"Hehe." Xu Qingzhi chuckled: "Brother Zhan has been busy ever since you went missing last night."

"Huh?!" Li Yuxuan turned to Zhan Zhao with a surprised look: "Brother Zhan, you have foresight! How did you know they would bring me here?"

“This is easy—.” Zhan Zhao looked at Li Yuxuan’s eager expression, her face covered in black and yellow mud, and her big, blinking eyes. He couldn’t help but burst into laughter. The other two, seeing him laugh and looking at Li Yuxuan’s expression, also laughed heartily.

Last night, when everyone saw Li Yuxuan being kidnapped, they were all anxious and worked tirelessly to find a way to rescue her. Now that they saw her return unharmed and the kidnappers had fallen into their trap, they were naturally overjoyed and burst into laughter.

After laughing, Xu Qingzhi stood up and soon brought over a basin of water and a handkerchief, placing them in front of Li Yuxuan. He suppressed a laugh and said, "Brother Li, wash your face first!"

Li Yuxuan then remembered the mud he had smeared on his face when he came out. He looked at his reflection in the water and burst into laughter: "This stuff was for self-defense. I was so happy to see you all that I forgot about it."

"You use this for self-defense?" Zhan Zhao exclaimed dramatically. "Then what's the point of my Seven Star Sword?"

"Hehe!" Li Yuxuan wiped his face clean, feeling refreshed and dashing. He chuckled, "This trick of mine is called 'mud on the face,' specifically to ward off perverts." After saying that, he gave Prince Xin an honest and unceremonious look. There sat a BL wolf sitting there.

When Prince Xin saw that she had seen it, he knew her intention and smiled without saying a word.

Only Xu Qingzhi asked, "Is there a woman in there who is in love with my third brother?"

"Of course! Your third brother here is so handsome, dashing, and charming. If I stood in that bandit's den, it would be like... a golden phoenix descending into a chicken coop! All the girls would stare, so I had to pretend to be a little ugly. Sigh!" Li Yuxuan ignored the jaws of the three people in front of him dropping, and ended the question with an exclamation mark: "Brother Zhan, you just said this is easy. What's easy? Hurry up and finish, don't keep me in suspense."

Calculated without error

"What I mean is, it's easy to know they'd come here to exchange hostages. First, they know we've brought a group of guards and a thousand soldiers from the Qingzhou government. So, they wouldn't choose the mountain where they're hiding, right? If we discover their resting place, we can surround the entire mountain, and they won't be able to get out. For the same reason, they wouldn't choose a location near the mountains either. So, generally speaking, what kind of place would it be? Others think that such things should be as secretive as possible, but that's not true. The more people there are, the better. Ideally, the more convenient the transportation and the more connections to the outside world, the better. Why?" Zhan Zhao said, smiling as he looked at Li Yuxuan.

"Why?" Li Yuxuan laughed, "Of course, it's to make it easier to escape. If you run in all directions, it will scatter your forces if you try to chase you." This wasn't hard to figure out.

“Exactly!” Xu Qingzhi interjected, “Then, we also have reservations about crowded places, for fear of accidentally killing people, so we dare not openly intercept them. This leaves them an opportunity to leave. But within a hundred miles, the most crowded places are Qinglong Town, which we passed through, and Baima Town, which we are now in. Which one would you choose?”

Li Yuxuan looked at the crowd coming and going in the store: "If it were an ordinary person, of course they would choose this place, but I wouldn't. I will definitely think of things that you can also think of, so I will do the opposite and choose the nearby woods."