Chapter 6

Su Ci quickly turned to look. The situation wasn’t too bad. She hurriedly pushed and shoved this guy into the bushes.

Su Ci lowered her voice and gritted her teeth, “What are you doing here?!”

The guy was still beaming, “I’m here to pick you up!”

Pick up your mother!

Su Ci hadn’t had much contact with this person and knew very little about him, but she was aware of his identity. This guy’s name was Ji Chengtan, a distant nephew and adopted son of the Fourth Prince. His brother was also a close confidant of the Fourth Prince and held a high position in the prince’s household. Among the nine most powerful members of the royal family who had fallen one after another, there were those who had good intentions and ranked these noble figures by age and seniority. Each of their stories could almost fill a book, and the tales were told with great enthusiasm in teahouses, gradually becoming a common reference in the court, simple and clear.

Yang Yanzong’s master is the heir of the Sixth Prince. In other words, both the Su and Yang families are aligned with the Sixth Prince’s heir. Currently, the Sixth, Fourth, and Seventh Princes are locked in a fierce struggle, with sparks flying. They are unequivocal political enemies, each eager to crush the other at any moment, like water and fire that cannot coexist.

Su Ci didn’t know what the original owner was thinking but was left with a huge problem.

Nine out of ten pots have lids, but no matter how you cover them, they don’t fit.

The young man’s handsome face was flushed red from the sun. He grabbed Su Ci’s hand, his expression joyful, and hurriedly explained, “At the end of last month, I heard my brother say that the drought in Hanzhou and Quzhou was worsening, and it might get really bad. I came specifically to take you away!”

In fact, he had been thinking about Su Ci and had found a way to eavesdrop. After hearing the news, he was very worried, so he found an excuse to leave and secretly slipped out, then hurried straight to the military town. He had good intentions, and it didn’t seem like he was heartless or just playing around. However, it was unclear if he had considered the possibility of their relationship succeeding given the enmity between their families, and what would happen to the girl if their relationship was accidentally exposed.

Su Ci was extremely annoyed with him and shook off his hand, “Leave? Where would I go?”

“My father, mother, and sister are all here. Where am I supposed to go?”

Su Ci really wanted to smash this guy’s head in, but she was afraid he might shout or cause more trouble later.

No, she had to dispel his thoughts once and for all!

At least during this migration, she couldn’t let him cause any more problems for her!

She thought for a moment, “It’s easy for me to go with you, but will your family agree to us?”

So now was not the time to speak harshly; she had to use both soft and hard tactics, mainly to appease him. Su Ci glanced at Su Yan and the camp, seeing that the situation was under control. She felt relieved and quickly pushed him further into the bushes, making sure the firelight couldn’t reach them. Time was tight, and she needed to resolve this quickly.

Ji Chengtan was taken aback; he hadn’t seriously thought about it, but he said, “I’ll go back and tell my brother!”

No, absolutely not!

Su Ci quickly adjusted her expression, putting on a sad and sorrowful look, and shook her head, “But, but my family is already arranging a marriage for me…”

Su Ci didn’t outright reject him and just laid the groundwork for a future breakup. As expected, Ji Chengtan was shocked, “What? An arranged marriage! Then…”

Su Ci quickly reassured him, “Don’t worry, my parents mentioned it before, but given the current situation, they probably won’t follow through.”

“Let’s talk about this after we get out, but you shouldn’t come looking for me. If someone finds out…”

Ji Chengtan immediately promised, “Don’t worry, I’ll go back right away!”

He hadn’t anticipated the disaster would be this severe. He originally planned to take Su Ci and leave the military town to avoid the disaster. However, given the current situation, with Su Ci unwilling to leave and the main force also suffering from severe shortages of water and food, he suppressed his anxiety about Su Ci’s arranged marriage and weighed his options, ultimately agreeing.

Su Ci breathed a small sigh of relief. Thank goodness, she had temporarily dealt with him!

But before she could even celebrate for a second, Ji Chengtan smiled at her and whispered, “You’re the one who can find water and food, right?”

Su Ci, having just dealt with him, wanted to quickly send him away, but Ji Chengtan had other plans. The young couple hadn’t seen each other for a long time and were about to part again, so he wanted to take the time to express his feelings. His handsome face lit up with a gentle glow, but his words left Su Ci stunned!

Ji Chengtan, full of surprise and pride, his eyes sparkling, looked at Su Ci, “I’ve seen the splints on Yang Yanzong and your father’s hands in Qingshi Town.”

Ji Chengtan was both surprised and delighted.

Earlier in the year, when Su Ci was secretly sent away by her father, Ji Chengtan had privately sought her out once. During that visit, some dormant memories in Su Ci’s mind were triggered, revealing this huge problem. At that time, she was extremely annoyed and quickly sent him away with a few words. Su Ci’s excuse then was that her sister was worried, and the two sisters were always together, afraid of being discovered. This wasn’t entirely an excuse, as the sisters were living outside with a strong servant, and the town was chaotic. Su Yan was keeping a close eye on her. Ji Chengtan didn’t dare to seek her out again, but he couldn’t bear to leave, so he stayed in a small inn diagonally opposite for a few days. This was something Su Ci didn’t know.

Ji Chengtan waited in the inn’s lobby for several days, not seeing the Su sisters but spotting their neighbor. A few days earlier, the Su sisters had encountered a break-in. Fortunately, their loyal servant was skilled, and the sisters had already established good relations with their neighbors, so everyone helped each other. The refugees had just entered the first house in the alley and were driven away by the combined efforts of everyone. The neighbor’s young brother had injured his arm, not lightly. She stitched and stopped the bleeding, and put on a splint. Seeing the familiar splint, Ji Chengtan guessed that it was Su Ci’s handiwork when he saw the splints on Yang Yanzong and Su Di’s hands. Having guessed this, the rest was easy. Liang Shen analyzed that it must be the Su family’s young girls who immediately took targeted action. Ji Chengtan was with the main force, and these movements couldn’t be hidden from him. He almost immediately thought of Su Ci.

Su Ci: “…”

“I’m not, I didn’t, don’t you dare talk nonsense!” She flared up, lowered her voice, and denied it three times in a row.

However, she reacted quickly. As soon as she spoke, she realized her reaction was a bit too much. Her eyes widened for a moment, but she immediately adjusted, her tone changing several times, and she looked at him with a very surprised expression: “What nonsense are you talking about? How is that possible?”

Ji Chengtan smiled at her, giving her a look that said, “Still trying to hide it from me?” He quickly reassured her in a low voice, “Don’t worry, I haven’t told anyone.”

He’s not stupid; of course, he wouldn’t tell Liang Shen. He hadn’t even told his closest confidants, fearing the news might leak and reach Liang Shen.

He was a bit worried: “The drought is widespread. Pingzhou and here are not much different. Liang Shen will definitely capture that person. You must be very careful.”

Su Ci brushed her bangs aside, not knowing what to say for a moment. How did he know? She was annoyed and anxious when she suddenly heard hurried footsteps rushing towards them—it was Su Yan!

Su Yan had just finished dealing with the situation over there and immediately turned around and ran over. She spotted a bit of dark red clothing and quickly pushed Lin Yichu to signal him to turn around and guard, then rushed over in a few quick steps!

Su Yan was furious: “I’m warning you, don’t come here again!”

“Who told you to look for my sister? Are you looking for death? Huh?!”

Su Yan gritted her teeth, grabbed the other person’s collar, and wished she could poke ten or eight holes in this guy! How dare he deceive her sister! But the camp outside had already repelled the attacking enemies and was about to move. People were already coming over, so she didn’t dare say much: “Go quickly! Don’t come looking for my sister again, or I’ll kill you!!”

Lowering her voice, Su Yan turned back while anxiously pushing him. Ji Chengtan also saw the people coming, and as he quickly retreated, he whispered to Su Ci, “I’ll think of a way and come back to get you. You need to persuade your parents!”

“Are you out of your mind…”

Su Ci quickly warned, “You mustn’t tell anyone else, not a single word!”

Amid Su Yan’s angry muttering, Ji Chengtan nodded vigorously, “Don’t worry!”

Absolutely not!

…

Su Ci didn’t tell him whether she was reassured, but she definitely worried. The two sisters pushed and shoved, temporarily dealing with Ji Chengtan. They quickly turned around and joined Lin Yichu and the soldiers who were looking for them.

As they hurried back, Su Yan anxiously whispered, “Why are you still thinking of associating with him?!”

“I’m not, I didn’t!”

Su Ci quickly explained, “This isn’t something that can be resolved quickly. I need to keep him calm first. He promised not to come looking for me until he leaves.”

Su Yan sighed in relief, “That’s good.”

Su Ci whispered, “I told him that our family is arranging a marriage for me, so we’ll break it off after we get out.”

But the biggest problem now isn’t that; it’s that Ji Chengtan actually guessed that she was the one finding water and food!

How could that be? Su Ci was utterly puzzled. How did he guess? This was her skill, not the original owner’s. The original owner couldn’t have leaked it, and she had barely interacted with him!

But now, how Ji Chengtan guessed it isn’t important. What’s important is that Su Ci saw his expression and tone, and he seemed quite certain. So Su Ci didn’t continue to deny it at that moment but instead took the opportunity to make him keep the secret. She weighed the situation and thought that the possibility of him keeping the secret was quite high. After all, he had kept it for so long already. However, having such an important secret known by a stranger made her uneasy no matter what.

Su Ci thought for a moment and quickly went to find A’ Kang. Yang Yanzong wasn’t there. On the surface, A’ Kang was left to lead the team, but his other important task was to protect Su Ci.

Su Ci immediately went to find him. “These past two days, I’ve had a feeling that someone is watching me.”

A’ Kang immediately frowned. He quickly scanned the surroundings, seeing that the people tailing them were discreetly watching, and no one was paying attention to them. Only then did he withdraw his gaze. “I understand.”

But logically, it shouldn’t be like this. A’Kang’s brows furrowed tightly, and he quickly whispered, “I’ll arrange for a few more people to join your team. When Master returns, I’ll report to him. Be careful.”

“If anything seems wrong, speak up immediately.”

“Okay.”

Su Ci roughly knew what he was thinking but couldn’t explain the reason.

She couldn’t possibly say she had cuckolded Yang Yanzong, right? Saying that would be a death sentence.

However, A’ Kang’s reminder and vigilance were in place.

At this moment, she especially missed Yang Yanzong. Although he was intimidating, it was undeniable that having him make decisions in such situations was more reassuring.

Su Ci returned to Su Yan’s side under the cover of darkness. Due to some injuries, it was appropriate to make personnel adjustments. Su Ci’s team quickly received two new members. They were short and stout but very agile, running all night without stopping for breath. They were all skilled.

A’Kang couldn’t come over because he was too conspicuous. Although he had an ordinary appearance, it wasn’t clear if Yang Yanzong deliberately chose such inconspicuous confidants. A’Kang and A’ Zhao both had faces that would be lost in a crowd. Unfortunately, there were too few people now, and even with an ordinary appearance, A’ Kang would become noticeable, so he didn’t dare get too close.

After running all night, Su Yan looked around, panting, and then pulled Su Ci a bit further inside, finally feeling relieved.

“Wait a bit. The eldest young master will be back soon.”

It would be much better once A’Kang reported to Yang Yanzong, and there was also their father.

It had to be said that although Su Yan was also intimidated by Yang Yanzong, he indeed played a stabilizing role in the hearts of both families.

Su Yan fanned Su Ci vigorously. “I asked A’ Kang, they should be back in the second half of the night.”

…

But who knew that an accident happened again before the second half of the night? Ji Chengtan was too inexperienced. Of course, Liang Shen knew Ji Chengtan’s purpose for coming here. Liang Shen and Zhang Mou had strong control over the team, and with Ji Chengtan being such a big target, someone was bound to know he had been missing for so long.

Ji Chengtan had just returned to the main group and sat down, taking a small sip of water from his water pouch when Liang Shen approached.

Liang Shen, with his hawk-like eyes and hooked nose, exuded a strong aura of menace, even though he was smiling amiably at the moment. As soon as he saw Su Ci, he abruptly came over, making Ji Chengtan instinctively tense up. “Second Young Master, you’re back?”

Liang Shen patted Ji Chengtan’s shoulder in a friendly manner and asked with a smile, “How’s that little girl of yours doing?”

“She’s fine.”

Liang Shen nodded, unsurprised. “Well, at least they have water and food over there, much better than us.”

Their side was extremely short on water, to the point where they had started killing horses. If they couldn’t capture that person soon, they would have no choice but to retreat into the deep mountains as Yang Yanzong wished.

“That little girl of yours must know who the person finding water and food is, right? Did she tell you?”

Although repeated observations had confirmed that the person finding water and food was Su Rong, the naturally suspicious Liang Shen still harbored some doubts.

Liang Shen’s smile faded, his gaze suddenly sharp as he asked the question, his hawk-like eyes fixed intently on Ji Chengtan.

Ji Chengtan was still too inexperienced. As soon as the question was asked, his heart reflexively tightened, and his pupils quickly contracted and dilated: “No, I didn’t ask. There wasn’t enough time, so I didn’t get around to asking.”

Even though Ji Chengtan tried hard to remain calm and quickly pretended to answer the question nonchalantly, Liang Shen clearly saw his initial reaction.

He was nervous. At the mention of the person skilled at finding water and food, he instinctively became nervous.

Liang Shen smiled, patted Ji Chengtan’s shoulder again under his tense gaze, and then stood up.

In the middle of the night, while it was still dark, the camp had already started moving. After a short rest of one hour, they began to move east to meet up with Yang Yanzong.

After rinsing their mouths with a few sips of water, the sisters didn’t bother washing their faces. They went to relieve themselves together, no longer caring about embarrassment after their experience with Ji Chengtan. They didn’t even leave the camp, just went behind a big tree at the edge and had Lin Yichu help cover them. But even so, trouble still found them.

A note wrapped around a small stone was thrown low to the ground in front of Su Ci with a “thud.” The stone rolled, and the note, written with charcoal on a torn undershirt, spread out in front of her.

The note was from Ji Chengtan, written in a hurried and excited tone, saying that the situation had changed. His brother had sent someone to pick them up, and they had just arrived with enough food and water, even enough to take her and her sister along. He urged Su Ci to come quickly, saying he was waiting outside and they would leave immediately!

“…”

Damn him!

The sisters exchanged glances, and Su Yan cursed loudly, grabbing the note and rushing out, but Su Ci pulled her back.

Su Ci took the note. She had seen Ji Chengtan’s handwriting before, quite a lot actually, in love letters she had burned, though those were addressed to the original owner, not her. Unfortunately, the charcoal writing wasn’t very useful for comparison.

She looked up in the direction the stone had been thrown from. It was pitch black, with dry grass and low trees, and beyond ten meters, everything was swallowed by darkness.

Su Ci quickly pulled Su Yan around and handed the note to A’ Kang. She said someone had thrown it to her sister.

—The note didn’t name anyone specifically. In these extraordinary times, Su Yan had to take the blame for now. A’Kang would never leak anything that would damage Su Yan’s reputation.

A’Kang’s face changed dramatically as he read the note!

With a single gesture, the entire camp sprang into action. They dropped everything except their water pouches and weapons, and everyone suddenly stood up, quickly running to the left and right!

As they ran through the night, Su Ci glanced back. A large patch of grass suddenly rustled, and elite soldiers pounced out like wolves and tigers!

Su Ci pressed down on her cloth helmet, grabbed a handful of dirt, and smeared it on her face, then was pulled forward by Su Yan, running ahead.

The two sisters ran alongside the short and thin soldiers, blending into the darkness and remaining inconspicuous. Suddenly, Su Ci stopped abruptly, and a strong force pushed them back. Lin Yichu swiftly drew his long knife, and the sound of clashing weapons filled the air.

The two skilled soldiers dragged the Su sisters into the dark grass. They separated Su Yan’s tightly gripping hand from Su Ci’s, as it was safer for them to be apart. The soldiers quickly got up, one on each side of Su Ci, and they crouched low, sneaking through the grass before breaking out of the chaotic area and running away.

Su Ci understood the situation well and cooperated by letting go of Su Yan’s hand, using the soldiers’ strength to run forward quickly.

Someone was chasing them from behind!

Damn it.

Su Ci realized that something had gone wrong and she had been exposed.

Damn Ji Chengtan!

Men really can’t be trusted!!

Ahead, there was a slope, and arrows were being shot from behind, slicing through the air with a sharp sound!

The two soldiers with Su Ci had to let go of her hand, draw their long knives, and turn to block the arrows.

Su Ci threw herself forward, rolling down the slope. She was very clever, grabbing at the ground with both hands. One hand grabbed a handful of yellow dirt, and the other found a stone. Two people lunged at her, and as she reached the bottom, she looked panicked but quickly threw the dirt into their eyes!

The two men closed their eyes in pain, and Su Ci quickly got up and darted into the long thorns of the grass.

The pursuers soon opened their eyes, and the sound of seven or eight footsteps hurriedly approached. In the darkness, Su Ci remained still, then flicked her wrist and threw the stone to the other side, making a small “plop” sound.

The seven or eight people immediately chased after the sound.

Su Ci smirked and quickly crawled away through the grass. Her diversion almost succeeded. However, this time Liang Shen had come personally.

With a sharp glance, Liang Shen saw that the seven or eight people had chased several dozen meters but still hadn’t caught a single weak girl.

Su Ci had successfully broken out of the grass and was about to dive into the half-dry, dense forest when she suddenly felt a gust of wind behind her. She was grabbed, and a large hand, like a fan, hooked and clamped around her throat like an eagle’s claw.

Su Ci: “…”

She raised her hands and slowly backed out of the grass. Standing before her was the tall, hawk-eyed general, Liang Shen!