"You go first, I'll pack my things, and then I'll leave and follow you."
Han Chang pushed the two of them forward so hard that they almost fell. He ran up to the second floor in two or three steps. Xie Zhe and Ling Huan stopped reasoning and hurriedly pulled Xue Miyin towards the backyard. From beginning to end, Miyin didn't say a word. She was just passively pulled by them and pushed up the ladder. Xie Zhe held her shamisen firmly, returned it with both hands when she jumped down, and then gave Ling Hu a hand. She stretched out her left hand, and it hurt a little from being pulled. She was afraid that the skin injury had not fully recovered. Shen Wenzheng just carried his daughter over the wall.
Xue Miyin didn't understand one thing.
She hadn't had a chance to ask yet because she had to keep running after the others. Who would have thought that a person who was celebrating the Chinese New Year would be betrayed by someone who thought he was kind-hearted, and would be forced to exercise in this freezing cold weather. Following Shen Wenzheng's instructions, they ran to the west side of the town. Logically speaking, the defense here should be relatively weak, because it borders the town in other directions and the flow of people is dense. At this time, there was no one on the street. Everyone was hiding in the safety of their homes and reunited with their loved ones. In previous years, people would set off fireworks in the streets, but this year they couldn't go out, so they set them off in the yard. So the street was deserted, with red lanterns hung everywhere, but the absence of anyone looked quite strange. Beautiful fireworks continued to rise from both sides of the street, and no matter how loud they were, they were loud. But no one had time to appreciate such a unique scenery. The officers and soldiers behind them were chasing after them, and the sounds of footsteps, weapons, shouts and cannons were mixed together. It was so lively before Christmas, and every family hiding in the courtyard really missed a good show.
There are about a dozen people in the yamen, but more people don't necessarily mean speed. After all, the speed can't be added up. After a chase, they unexpectedly lost several "suspects". These people were getting a little discouraged, slowing down and swearing. Finally, the leader began to assign tasks and asked them to find them separately, and the small team dispersed on the spot. After all, after passing through so many alleys and forked roads, it was possible for the escapees to separate.
However, they were wrong.
When the last person left, the five people in the narrow dead-end street heaved a long sigh of relief. It turned out that Xie Zhe had a quick wit and asked everyone to hide between two houses. He also used two talismans to stick to the walls and recited the incantations to hide their whereabouts - although this was only temporary. The ink of this charm was mixed with the kind of fragrant ash water his mother drank, but the amount was limited and it couldn't last long. It is enough to hide them for the time being, so that the Yamen team is broken up and it is safest for them to operate in places that have been searched. Even if you do encounter a few people who are alone, a few people can handle them.
"I didn't expect it to be really useful... Fortunately, in this small place, there aren't many big shots who are proficient in Yin and Yang magic, otherwise the traces of the magic would be exposed immediately." Xie Zhe was still frightened.
"It's true that we can't run anymore," Shen Wenzheng was panting because he was holding the child, no matter how good his health was. "We... we have to leave the town from here and go to the wasteland in the north..."
Looking at Xue Miyin again, she was just fine. Ye Lingquan was panting so much that he almost coughed up blood. Even after such a long period of training, suddenly running so far and so fast could really kill her. She felt her throat hurt, and her trachea was cut open like a cold wind knife on New Year's Eve. She should be lucky that it wasn't snowing here, otherwise the snow particles would be like handfuls of gravel if she breathed them into her lungs. Now, although she didn't actually cough up blood, there was always a lingering fishy smell in her mouth.
"Throat - throat, cough cough cough - uh, cough cough..."
"The small blood vessel in the throat is broken." Shen Wenzheng had already calmed down a lot. "It's okay. Don't be afraid. Just drink some water after Mr. Zhongli brings the things. It will be like this if you don't exercise much. Relax... "
I hope Hanshang can still find it here. Xie Zhe thought this, and so did Ling Huan, but they didn't say anything for different reasons. It shouldn't matter. After all, monsters have a very sensitive sense of smell, especially fox monsters. Shen Wenzheng didn't know Han Shang's identity, so he was probably just trying to comfort Ling Huan and herself by saying these words.
Still suddenly grasped the hem of her mother's clothes, looking like she was about to cry. Xie Zhe then remembered that this child was very afraid of the sound of firecrackers. However, she still understood the priorities of things, and even though she was scared, she did not cry out on the road and reveal their whereabouts. Now she was still holding back tears in her eyes, feeling very aggrieved. Shen Wenzheng didn't say anything, he took her into his arms again and patted her back gently. Although Shen Yiran is still very weak, Wen Zheng must be very pleased to have such a sensible child following him.
"We still - cough, cough, this is not the first time that the government..."
"Ah, yes..."
Xie Zhe knew that she was talking about the fact that they were wanted by the magistrate of Fei in Lanling Town. Alas, it would be better not to encounter troublesome people like her and Tao Zhu again. Several people adjusted their emotions and physical conditions and prepared to leave the alley. At this moment, Xue Miyin, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke.
"Wait a moment."
"What's wrong?" Xie Zhe turned around, "What else does Miss Xue want?"
"I do not understand."
"What?"
"Why do you want to help me?" She had a heartfelt question on her face. "If you hand me over, nothing will happen. They just doubt me and want to arrest me. Even if they catch me, they will use coercion, inducement and torture." It has nothing to do with you. As long as you assist them, you can completely balance the merits and demerits. The crime of harboring suspicious people is actually not serious, because you can be 'ignorant' to it. But why? Why are you covering me? This It’s not good for you either. What’s more…”
Besides, I don’t speak well either.
"No, it's not..."
Ye Lingyu had just recovered a little and was about to explain something, but Xie Zhe raised his hand to signal her not to speak. He stepped forward and said sternly to Miyin:
"We all know that we must not trust the government today, but we cannot trust it completely. You don't need to have too much psychological burden. Taking you away from the land of right and wrong is also the most cost-effective option. We are about to leave this town, It's just a little ahead of schedule. Moreover, we are here to invite you to travel together, and if you are willing to join us and trust us, then we are companions. We have already made a commitment to travel together, how can we break our promises and make violations? What was agreed? In this case, not to mention Miss Ye, I would also think that we had done something that was against morality and conscience."
Miyin stood there, a little at a loss for a moment. She tightened her grip on the shamisen in her hand, and Amiao, who had appeared at her feet at some point, circled around her twice, rubbing her hands, and playing with the little bells on her shoes. Xie Zhe said these words so naturally that although she could not be said to be moved, she felt somewhat touched. For a long time, the promises made to her by others failed to come true and all came to nothing. But this group of people I just met today not only regard this unspoken promise as precious, but also take it for granted. What's more, they performed it first and then spoke out. They even asked questions themselves before getting answers. None of them acted in a submissive or condescending manner based on what they had promised. This kind of thing is as common as drinking cold water.
She was not used to it.
Because of some things, she has been disappointed with the human group - even if she is one of them - for a long time, and she even left her "sister" who had helped her for many years. Now that this strange feeling had returned to her body, even though it was just a simple words, it made her whole vision become much brighter. She wanted to try... to trust some people again. This is difficult for her and remains to be seen. No matter how hard you say it, it is not easy to give out what you are determined to take back.
Fortunately, they are very patient.
"I understand." She nodded, "I still want to thank you. I've noted this down and I will repay you."
"What are you doing?" Ling Huan said with a bitter smile, "Isn't this contrary to our original intention? We are not doing this for any reward from you, it is just what we should do."
"I know. But I'm not used to accepting good intentions for free, and I can't feel at peace."
She doesn't dare to use words like "conscience" and "conscience". She had done some outrageous things and knew she was not worthy of them.
So according to plan, they walked north. We did meet a few people patrolling on the road, but before they could react, Shen Wenzheng came up with a stick. Those people did not expect that this woman would come over so directly. They were not prepared enough and were easily knocked to the ground by her. Soon they arrived at the edge of the town, and they were surprised to find that the defense here was still very tight.
"How could this happen?" Ling Quan, who was hiding behind a tree, whispered, "It's a wasteland outside, how come..."
"There are no weapons," said Shen Wenzheng, who was standing on the treetop and looking out. "The best thing they have is armor, probably to prevent foreign enemies from invading. I also saw a long lime line painted outside. Could it be that outside the town? Is this where they conduct troop drills?"
"It's not impossible. But, someone really would see the black bonfire smoke."
Xie Zhe was right. The territory outside looked empty. Occasionally, there were one or two distant humanoid silhouettes moving around. They might be people on sentry duty outside the town. But the defense is so tight, much tighter than when we entered the town... What should we do?
Several people were in trouble. Xue Miyin's hand slightly touched the shamisen, thinking in her heart that she couldn't always rely on them, she should do something herself. She wanted to play a tune, one that would distract the guards and hopefully put them to sleep. Thus……
She was planning when suddenly someone came running from a distance. The man was walking on the right path, his pace was fast, and he almost staggered. As they got closer, they discovered it was a beautiful woman. She looked panicked and ran towards the group of guards, shouting anxiously as she ran:
"It's bad! There's a fire in the east, east! Someone's kid set off a cannon and set fire to the woodshed! Go and put out the fire!"
Several of the guards who had noticed her had their eyes straight. As soon as they heard her shouting, they immediately looked to the east. Sure enough, there was a bright fire flickering. The group of people immediately ran in a hurry in that direction, and the beauty didn't look at them. They only thought about putting out the fire - it would be best to save them for the beauty to see.
Shen Wenzheng was so happy that he and Xue Miyin looked at the other two people.
"Good opportunity! Let's take advantage of..."
For some reason, Xie Zhe and Ling Huan's faces turned blue and purple.
