The leader managed to grab Wei Dongling's sleeve during the chaos and whispered urgently, "Princess, come with me!" Then, taking advantage of the disorder, he led the two of them down a concealed path. Pointing at the low wall not far away, he said to them, "They outnumber us. We may not be able to protect you any longer, Princess! Saving your life is the top priority. Climb over this wall and head out of the city. Go back to your Celestial Dynasty and find Prince Mingyang! We'll do our best to hold them off for as long as we can!"
Wei Dongling felt a lump in her throat and nodded. "Thank you, hero, for saving us!" Just as she finished speaking, a Xiliang general rushed towards them from behind, raising his long blade and slashing down hard at Wei Dongling's back.
The leader quickly stepped forward and grabbed the Xiliang general's wrist. Cui Huan gritted her teeth, stepped forward, and with a swift movement, slit the man's throat.
The Xiliang general slowly collapsed. The three of them all looked grim. Cui Huan tugged at Wei Dongling's hand and said goodbye to the leader, "Please stay here, hero. We'll leave now. We won't drag you down!"
Just as the two were about to turn and leave, they heard someone behind them snort, "Want to leave? It's not that easy!" Looking back, they saw that Zhao Chuanyi had taken advantage of the chaos to surround them with his men.
Wei Dongling scanned the crowd and said coldly, "Fine! Stop fighting among yourselves! I'll go with you."
Everyone was stunned by her words. Seeing that Wei Dongling had no way out, Zhao Chuanyi thought she was surrendering. He let out a loud laugh and said, "If you had known this earlier, why go through all this trouble! Don't worry. I guarantee to give you a quick end."
Wei Dongling said calmly, "Thank you, General Zhao. By the way, there's something I forgot to tell you."
Zhao Chuanyi's expression changed, and he asked coldly, "What is it?"
Wei Dongling stepped forward step by step. Her hand clutching the small crossbow in her wide sleeve trembled slightly. She deliberately raised her voice to divert Zhao Chuanyi's attention. Raising her eyebrows seriously, she said, "When Queen Zhao was imprisoned in the Cold Palace, I went to see her. Seeing that she had no chance of making a comeback, she told me some heartfelt things. One of them was about you."
Elder sister? Zhao Chuanyi was extremely shocked, and his face darkened. He hadn't seen Queen Zhao for a long time. Now that she was in the Cold Palace, his nephew, Murong Yunqian, hadn't visited her to avoid suspicion. Naturally, he had no news of his sister.
Zhao Chuanyi looked at Wei Dongling suspiciously, secretly guessing the authenticity of her words.
Wei Dongling walked through the thick snow step by step. With difficulty, she walked up to Zhao Chuanyi and said seriously, "Queen Zhao told me... She said - Heaven sees all that man does! One should have a kind heart and good intentions!" As Wei Dongling gritted her teeth and said this, she quickly took out the small crossbow and pulled the trigger hard at Zhao Chuanyi's face.
Swish, swish, swish - Five silver needles shot towards Zhao Chuanyi's face. Wei Dongling quickly stepped back and grabbed Cui Huan, running away at full speed.
In the blink of an eye, Zhao Chuanyi quickly dodged to the side, but three poisonous needles still pierced his face. A heart - rending scream filled the air, startling everyone and making their scalps tingle.
In winter, everyone was dressed thickly. Her small crossbow could only aim at the exposed neck and face. There was nothing else she could do but hope for the best.
The deputy general beside Zhao Chuanyi rushed forward and shouted, "General Zhao is injured! Quick, call the military doctor!"
Zhao Chuanyi was in excruciating pain, gasping for breath. He gritted his teeth and said, "Chase them! Kill them on the spot!"
"Yes!" All the soldiers received the order and chased after them along the footprints in unison.
The leader of the Xiliang envoys was stunned. Their princess looked so thin and weak, seemingly powerless, but she could remain calm in the face of danger and even counter - attack unexpectedly. These women from the Celestial Dynasty were truly both smart and cunning!
What was even more astonishing was that the woman was extremely skilled in lightness kung fu, walking on the ice and snow as if she were on flat ground. But now that she had stirred up such a storm, it was still hard to say whether she could escape successfully.
Wei Dongling supported Cui Huan and ran at full speed in the snow. The row of footprints on the ground directly exposed their whereabouts.
Wei Dongling ran all the way towards the city gate. Seeing from afar that the city gate was tightly closed, her heart sank. She turned around and ran in another direction.
What a miscalculation! Beyond Jiangcheng was the Xiliang border. It was only natural that the city gate would be closed at night with guards on duty. She had momentarily forgotten about it. Seeing the Xiliang soldiers riding horses approaching from behind, Wei Dongling was extremely anxious. She resolutely put her arm around Cui Huan's waist and ran towards the residential area.
The Xiliang warhorses were good at galloping in the snow and moved at a very fast speed. Wei Dongling had to use all her strength to run, fearing that if she was a step slower, she would fall into Zhao Chuanyi's hands again.
If he wasn't dead, he would surely make her and Cui Huan's lives a living hell.
The area was vast and empty, with no cover at all. The footprints on the snow would expose their whereabouts at any time. Wei Dongling knew that she had to speed up and get into the residential area. There would be high walls to climb or houses to hide in, and only then could they escape.
Wei Dongling was out of breath and sweating profusely. Cui Huan couldn't bear to see her running so desperately while carrying her. She said lovingly, "Miss Wei, put me down. I'll lead them away!"
Could Cui Huan outrun the Xiliang warhorses in the snow? That would be like going to her death!
Wei Dongling ignored her and gritted her teeth, running even faster.
A group of Xiliang soldiers had traveled a long way and were ordered to hunt down the mistress and maid. To their great surprise, the figure in the distance was indistinct but always kept a certain distance from them. Even when they exerted all their strength, they still couldn't catch up!
Was that woman a monster? How could a normal person run at such a speed in the snow?
I don't know how long it took. Wei Dongling slipped and fell heavily to the ground. Cui Huan panicked and picked her up. Seeing that she was out of breath and exhausted, it seemed that she no longer had the strength to run. Without hesitation, Cui Huan carried Wei Dongling on her back and quickly ran towards the city fortress in the distance.
The Xiliang soldiers saw the two women enter the city with their own eyes. The figures disappeared in the city fortress. They had no choice but to follow the footprints in the snow. At first, they could vaguely see a string of footprints, but later, there was only a pair of footprints on the wall, and then the traces disappeared completely.
It seemed that the two women had climbed over the wall into someone's yard. They went up to check, but after searching a few houses, the footprints disappeared completely.
Everyone was dumbfounded. In this freezing cold and in the middle of the night, how could they search every house?
After Wei Dongling fell, she fainted completely. When she woke up again, it was already two days later.
She was weak all over, and her head was dizzy. A very unpleasant stench made her nose uncomfortable. Wei Dongling slowly opened her eyes. Her dry lips parted slightly, and she whispered, "Water..."
Cui Huan responded softly. She held the goat milk in both hands and placed it on Wei Dongling's lips, feeding it to her bit by bit.