Chapter 374

Chapter 374

With me on her back, Anning fled along the narrow path.

If I had to carry another person, even an adult woman, I wouldn’t be able to run fast at all.

Anning was an adult woman carrying me, an adult man. On top of that, she had gone nearly three days without food or water. There was no way she should have been able to carry me.

But somehow, she did.

She moved very slowly, probably not even as fast as she normally walked.

She swayed every few steps, yet stubbornly refused to put me down.

I looked back and saw my blood covering the ground. The moment my captors realized something was wrong, they could follow the trail straight to us.

“Anning, listen to me! This is pointless!”

“Even if they take me back and I die in their hands, then that’s my fate!”

“You’ve already done everything you could to save me. There’s no reason to throw away your life, too!”

Growing frantic, I tried patiently to reason with her.

But she still refused to put me down and said nothing.

I shouted angrily, “Do you not understand me? Is your life really worth so little?”

“It is…”

Her voice trembled. “If it were worth anything, I wouldn’t be an orphan. I know you’ve always looked after me because of my sister. I’ll consider this my way of repaying you…”

For some reason, those words made my heart ache.

But I had no time to say more. They were about to catch us!

“You are you, and your sister is your sister! I’m not the only one who treats you well. Everyone does!”

“Everyone has a reason for being here. Don’t look down on yourself! Don’t treat your life as if it means nothing!”

I looked back and saw them catching up. There were three men in total.

We weren’t getting away.

I struggled desperately off Anning’s back. Unable to keep her balance, she fell as well.

“They’re here! Run!”

I shoved Anning hard. “Listen to me! If you don’t run now, you won’t get away!”

She still refused. Swaying, she climbed to her feet, picked up the broadsword, and stepped in front of me.

She gripped it in both hands and stared fiercely at the three approaching men.

I gaped at her back.

Was she really willing to die simply because I had treated her with some kindness?

Had no one ever been kind to her in her entire life?

I stopped telling her to run. It was already too late.

The three men approached with dark expressions. They glared viciously at me, then fixed their eyes on Anning.

She did not retreat a single step. As soon as they came close, she swung the broadsword wildly.

The weapon was ninety centimeters long, and for a moment, none of them dared approach.

But they were clearly trained fighters, while Anning was not. She knew how to fight, but she was no match for professionals.

One of them soon kicked her and sent her flying, though she never released the broadsword.

All three immediately swarmed her, punching and kicking until one of them finally knocked the weapon from her hands.

I struggled over, pulled Anning into my arms, and took most of the blows for her.

Then one of the men suddenly toppled straight to the ground.

An arrow was embedded in one of his temples!

The sudden turn terrified the other two. Their expressions changed drastically, and they immediately stopped beating us and looked around.

Soon, I heard another sharp whistle through the air. Almost instantly, a second man collapsed.

The last man abandoned everything and turned to run. He had taken only a few steps when he pitched headfirst onto the ground.

An arrow protruded from his neck as well.

Anning and I stared in shock, unable to process what had happened.
Soon, however, a man jumped down from a tree. In his hands was a mechanically constructed crossbow.

Two more men ran down the hillside, each carrying a crossbow as well.

There were three of them in total. They all looked unfamiliar, though the more I studied one man, the more familiar he seemed.

I soon recognized him as one of Du Yunting’s Bodyguards. He had been there when we captured Wang Guofu and had nearly fought Song Xiaotian.

Without saying a word to me, he ordered one of his companions to dispose of the bodies.

Then he and the other man picked up Anning and me, retrieved the broadsword, and carried us away.

Anning and I had already given up resisting. Had we just escaped a tiger’s den only to enter a wolf’s lair?

But when the two men carried us to the road, they set us down.

An unlicensed motorcycle was parked there.

The bodyguard tossed me a key. “This is as far as we’ll help you. Whether you survive depends on your own luck. We’ll hold on to the blade for you. If you don’t die, come collect it yourself.”

With that, he took the broadsword and headed back the way he had come, leaving us alone.

The torture had left me numb, and I had just endured another beating. My consciousness was fading.

Why would Du Yunting save me?

Were we friends?

Anning hurriedly helped me onto the motorcycle.

Then she struggled aboard, removed her jacket, and tied the two of us together before riding away.

Partway there, I lost awareness and went limp against her back. If she had not tied us together, I could have fallen off at any moment.

After an immense struggle, she finally got me to a hospital.

When we dismounted, both of us fell from the motorcycle. She no longer had enough strength to carry me.

Fortunately, the hospital entrance was crowded. Many people saw us and immediately called for the hospital’s security guards.

Before the guards could arrive, I realized I was finally safe. The instant I relaxed, my vision went black and I passed out on the spot.

I remained unconscious for a long time. I woke once during that period, but I was on an operating table.

I was conscious for only a moment before blacking out again and sinking back into sleep.

When people lose consciousness, it is almost like being dead. There are no dreams, and the passing time is nothing but a blank.

When I finally woke completely, I was in a hospital room. Only Seventh Master and Xie Peng were there.

Both men grew excited when they saw me wake and let out long breaths of relief.

“Damn, you’re finally awake, Second-in-Command.”

“How do you feel?” Seventh Master asked as he walked over.

“Not bad…”

“You’ve got unbelievable luck.”

Seventh Master sighed. “They tortured you half to death, and you were missing for eight full days. I had already prepared everything for Soul Summoning.”

I knew he was joking, so I hurriedly asked, “Where’s Anning…?”

Xie Peng answered, “Don’t worry. Anning’s fine. She was only starving and recovered the next day. You were ten times worse than her. No, twenty times!”

Knowing Anning was safe, I relaxed as well.

Seventh Master told me about several things that had happened after I disappeared.

First, Song Xiaotian had been arrested and detained by the police on the second day of my disappearance.

He had gone to Liang Yi’s school to settle the score with her.

The result was obvious. He had attempted to assault someone in broad daylight, in full view of a crowd, and the police cuffed him that same day. He was still at the station, serving fifteen days of detention.