SFS Chapter 176 Ruthless
Chapter 176 Ruthless
The rustling sound of the bamboo mat rubbing against the sand and gravel was particularly clear in the quiet mountain forest.
"Mingzhu, why don't you take a rest?"
Zhen E could clearly feel that Ye Mingzhu's pace had slowed down; if he could stand up, she wouldn't be in such a difficult situation.
"No..." Ye Mingzhu gasped for breath, unable to speak clearly, her clothes already soaked with sweat.
"With such a commotion, Pan Yue should have received the news and reacted by now."
There was no other way. She and Pan Yue were two living, breathing people who needed to eat, drink, and relieve themselves. The longer they hid in Pan Ying's room, the greater the danger of being exposed. They had no choice but to take a risk.
Zhen E naturally understood her unfinished words. He frowned as he looked at the trail left behind, then looked up at the sky and clouds.
"I hope the weather will be kind to us."
Perhaps it was truly a blessing from heaven, for before long, the sky suddenly darkened, and large raindrops began to fall in torrents, pattering against the leaves.
Ye Mingzhu looked up, raindrops sliding down her face. Her tense nerves finally relaxed a little, and she secretly rejoiced that the downpour had come at just the right time.
Nevertheless, she could not let her guard down completely. Ye Mingzhu continued to walk with difficulty in the rain, heading towards a place she remembered where she could hide and take shelter from the rain.
Their clothes were soaked by the rain. Zhen E was practically half-submerged in the mud and water. The cold made him shiver, but he gritted his teeth and endured it. Ye Mingzhu also dared not stop, because something unexpected could happen at any moment.
Finally, Ye Mingzhu found the cliff cave where Shen Qing had taken her to hide. It was about 30 feet above the ground. Back then, Shen Qing could easily carry her up there, but now she could only climb up with the help of vines and then use all her strength to drag Zhen E up with a rope.
Fortunately, in the past six months, because of her longing for Shen Qing, she begged her father to hire a martial arts master to teach her some basics. Although she only learned some fancy moves, she gained a lot of strength because of her diligent exercise and increased appetite. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to pull Zhen E.
"Whoo~"
After a great deal of effort, they finally managed to pull Zhen E up. Ye Mingzhu, exhausted, collapsed to the ground, leaning against the cliff face and panting heavily.
Zhen E leaned to one side, took Ye Mingzhu's hand to examine it, and found that her palm was indeed covered in blood and flesh. He felt heartbroken and saddened, as there wasn't even a clean gauze.
Ye Mingzhu raised her trembling hand and pointed to the inside. Zhen E looked in the direction she pointed and saw a large bundle in the corner.
Reaching out, he opened the package; inside were several sets of clean clothes, money, dry rations, a flint and steel...
Seeing Zhen E's surprised expression, Ye Mingzhu gave a wry smile, "Running away from home, of course I made full preparations."
I just didn't expect it to be used in this situation.
·
"Snapped--"
Pan Ying was slapped so hard she staggered.
"Foolish!" Pan Yue's chest heaved with anger. The carriage delivering supplies to the disaster victims had been hijacked. Considering Pan Ying's injuries, what else could he not understand? He immediately ordered his men to go into the mountains to hunt them down, while returning to his residence to demand an explanation.
Pan Ying turned her face to the side, her eyes lowered, not daring to dodge, "Daughter is only repaying Zhen E's kindness in saving her, she will never do it again."
"Hahaha~" Pan Yue laughed angrily, "Pay back with the lives of the entire Pan clan!"
Pan Ying's heart trembled. "No...no, I have already coaxed Ye Mingzhu away from Qi Kingdom. Zhen E will naturally go with her. The two young people are alone and powerless in a foreign country and cannot accomplish anything."
"Since we've become mortal enemies, we must nip it in the bud and eliminate it completely. We must never give him a chance to make a comeback!"
"Splash splash splash—"
Pan Yue turned his head and looked at the sudden downpour of rain. His face darkened, knowing that the pursuit would become more difficult.
"Someone, prepare the car!"
He was going to the military headquarters to meet with Lu Shang and request that more manpower be sent to support him.
·
Ye Mingzhu even made preparations to spend the night in the wild, collecting dry firewood in advance; otherwise, they might have finally escaped only to freeze to death in a pathetic state.
Sparks crackled and hissed, drying the clothes that had been changed out of the clothes. Despite this, Zhen E was still huddled up in his cloak, shivering.
Ye Mingzhu touched his forehead; he had indeed caught a chill. But given the current circumstances, there was no other way. Helpless, Ye Mingzhu could only wrap herself in the cloak and warm him with her own body heat…
The clouds dispersed, the rain stopped, and the sky cleared. Zhen E lifted his eyelids, his mind gradually returning to clarity. He turned his head to look at the soft, warm source of light, and the peaceful sleeping face warmed his heart.
Seemingly startled by him, Ye Mingzhu snapped out of her daze and instinctively reached out to touch Zhen E's forehead before her eyes were even focused.
"Phew~ the fever has finally gone down."
It wasn't until she met Zhen E's eyes that Ye Mingzhu belatedly realized her embarrassment and subtly moved to the side.
Even Zhen E, who was usually unrestrained, felt a little embarrassed at this moment. Just as he was about to say something to express his feelings, Ye Mingzhu spoke first.
"Ahem~ The journey to Xuan Kingdom is long, and for safety, it is best not to separate even when staying at an inn. We will inevitably have to share a room like we are now, but it is indeed improper to be without proper names or titles."
“Yes, yes, we’ll have it,” Zhen E hurriedly said, “once things settle down…”
"There's no time like the present, let's worship now!"
"Ah..." Zhen E looked around, "This is too rudimentary, there's nothing here..."
“Don’t be so fussy now,” Ye Mingzhu, a pragmatist, immediately cleared a space and knelt down beside Zhen E.
"With Heaven above and Earth below, I, Ye Mingzhu, and Zhen E, are sworn siblings today. We will support each other, share joys and sorrows, and never betray each other!"
"..."
"Second brother, it's your turn."
"..."