Chapter 232
Chapter 232
Wei Wu had no wish to waste more time on Ji Hanyi. He had none to spare.
He seized her hand, forced the dagger into it, then drove her hand toward Gu Yan’s chest.
The blade plunged in twice.
Blood instantly flooded Ji Hanyi’s hand. She struggled with all her strength, but Wei Wu’s grip held fast, and he stabbed Gu Yan a third time.
Her eyes widened.
Blood spilled from Gu Yan’s lips. He groaned, staring at Ji Hanyi’s terrified eyes and hearing her voiceless cry. His gaze filled with sorrow.
His moment of greed had dragged her into this nightmare.
If he had told Shen Si of the plot earlier, none of this would have happened. She could have remained the secure, privileged lady of a great household.
Gu Yan coughed up bloody foam. He opened his mouth to apologize, but his body could no longer support him, and he collapsed.
Wei Wu looked at Gu Yan lying open-eyed on the ground, then at Ji Hanyi’s bloodless face.
Originally, he and his patron had not planned to kill her. The cost was too great; every bandit on Dawang Mountain might be sacrificed for it.
But Gu Yan had turned back. Wei Wu could not know what he had revealed to Ji Hanyi. The safest course now was to kill her, especially since the patron also held leverage over him.
Wei Wu drew his saber.
Two bandits hurried to stop him. “What a waste to kill her outright! So many brothers made this trip just to stand and watch?”
Wei Wu was only a minor leader among the mountain bandits. Only the silver supplied by his patron had persuaded the others to come down for this job.
Another man joined the objections. His name was Zhao Tietou, nicknamed Mountain Gale for his speed and the way he left nothing behind.
Zhao Tietou had greater seniority among the bandits. Though both were minor chiefs, his words carried more weight.
Wei Wu could only explain, “The authorities may arrive at any moment.”
Zhao Tietou sneered. “What are you afraid of? Did the brothers come for nothing?”
Wei Wu frowned. Zhao Tietou still did not know that Ji Hanyi was Shen Si’s woman.
Unable to stop him, Wei Wu said, “Forget the other brothers. Government troops have been suppressing bandits nearby. We cannot remain here.”
“Be quick. The court has sent men after us. If something goes wrong, it won’t be worth it.”
Zhao Tietou chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’ll be very quick.”
Wei Wu glanced at him. “Don’t drag her into the shadows. If she tricks you, don’t say I failed to warn you.”
“She still has the dagger.”
The others roared with laughter and obscene jokes.
Zhao Tietou clapped Wei Wu’s shoulder, insisting he knew what he was doing. He swaggered toward Ji Hanyi while lifting the hem of his robe. He intended only to take his pleasure quickly and had no thought of undressing.
Bright firelight illuminated the unnatural flush on Ji Hanyi’s face.
She watched the tall figure approach through a haze. The smell of blood filled her nose, but she forced her swaying body upright. Her fingers tightened around the dagger as she stared at his coarse, leering face.
Ji Hanyi gritted her teeth and made herself calm. There was no escape now, no matter how afraid she was.
Strangely, she no longer felt fear. She would cut her own throat before enduring such humiliation.
Just as she began to raise her hand, galloping hooves split the bandits’ laughter.
Zhao Tietou turned.
Wei Wu recognized his trusted man from Dawang Mountain and felt a surge of foreboding.
The rider leapt down and reported in panic, “Marquis Shen brought three battalions two hours ago. He also mobilized the Military Patrol Office and surrounded Dawang Mountain. Nearly all our brothers have been captured.”
“Marquis Shen is questioning them one by one and tracking you. His men are closing in from the mountain. Run!”
“I barely shook off his men to warn you.”
Wei Wu’s face changed. He had planned everything with insiders and outsiders working together. How had Shen Si identified Dawang Mountain so quickly?
Zhao Tietou had intended to finish quickly and flee, but the name Marquis Shen drained the color from his face.
Pointing at Ji Hanyi, he demanded, “Who is this woman? Why did abducting her bring Marquis Shen down upon the mountain?”
Wei Wu did not answer. He had lied that Ji Hanyi was an ordinary woman and this merely another paid job. Otherwise, none of the men would have dared touch Shen Si’s wife.
Now Wei Wu wanted only to kill her. Saber raised, he rushed forward. Since Shen Si had traced them to Dawang Mountain, Wei Wu would finish the matter by leaving Ji Hanyi half-dressed and dead in the wilderness.
He had taken only two steps when an arrow tore through the night and buried itself squarely in Zhao Tietou’s forehead.
Blood streamed down Zhao Tietou’s face. His accusing eyes remained fixed upon Wei Wu as his body toppled backward onto Ji Hanyi.
The bandits stared, then saw torchlight approaching. They scattered in every direction.
Pinned beneath Zhao Tietou’s corpse, Ji Hanyi heard chaotic cries and approaching hoofbeats. She tried to push the dead man away but lacked the strength. Raising her heavy eyelids toward the starless sky and feeling the cool wind, she realized she still wanted to live.
She refused to give up and pushed again.
Wei Wu glared toward the distant archer, then saw Ji Hanyi moving beneath the body. In a few strides, he reached her, dragged her free, threw her onto his horse, and fled in the opposite direction.
He knew who had come: the Company Commander transferred from the Capital Garrison and temporarily appointed as a guerrilla general for the bandit campaign-Shen Si’s nephew, a particularly troublesome man of late.
Shen Changling certainly recognized Ji Hanyi. If Wei Wu left her behind, he would have no escape once found. Taking her might preserve one chance of survival.
Shen Changling rode in with his men. From a distance, he had seen bandits abusing a woman and had loosed an arrow first.
He had volunteered for the Dawang Mountain campaign to earn merit.
The bandits were exceptionally cunning. They maintained many strongholds and bribed farmers below the mountain to warn them. Whenever soldiers found a clue, the bandits fled. The vast, dense forests were full of traps and confusing paths. The gang had long plagued Shui County, robbing roads and even entering the town.
They were also vicious. Many soldiers sent up the mountain had never returned.
Only tonight had Shen Changling learned that Fifth Uncle had brought men to suppress them. Shen Si ordered him and two trusted officers from the Military Patrol Office to block separate routes below the mountain. If they saw a woman, they were to remove her immediately, conceal her identity, and report at once.
Shen Changling did not know what woman could command Fifth Uncle’s concern, but he dared not be careless. While closing in, he had encountered this group of bandits.
After they scattered, he sent part of his men in pursuit. Dismounting, he first found Gu Yan. The man wore a scholar’s robe rather than bandit garb. Blood soaked the garment, and stab wounds marked his chest. Assuming he had been robbed on the road, Shen Changling checked his breath.
A faint trace remained.
His identity was unknown, so Shen Changling ordered him taken to the Shui County magistrate’s office to see whether he could be saved.
Then a subordinate exclaimed, “General, this looks like Zhao Tietou!”
Shen Changling hated Zhao Tietou, who had escaped him repeatedly like a rat in the mountains. He turned at once.
His arrow had struck the bandit squarely in the forehead. Delighted by the unexpected achievement, he ordered Zhao Tietou’s head cut off as proof of merit, then sent the others after the fleeing men.
As he prepared to remount, Shen Changling suddenly stopped. On the ground lay a jade swallow hairpin.
He remembered Fifth Uncle’s instructions: if any of his men encountered a woman, Shen Changling must personally protect her and escort her away.
There had been a woman here moments ago. Fifth Uncle was probably still on the mountain and had not received word.
Realizing there might still be time, Shen Changling ordered a signal flare launched for Fifth Uncle, then mounted his horse.