The men received the order, mounted their horses, and were about to gallop away when suddenly a sense of murderous intent assailed them. The leading black - clad man shouted at the top of his voice, "Everyone, be careful!"
Then, a shower of thin, sharp bamboo skewers shot out from the depths of the bamboo forest, whistling towards the group of black - clad men.
The short and thin leading black - clad man gritted his teeth, drew his long sword, and waved it wildly in front of him. Several bamboo skewers were knocked to the ground.
However, his horse was unfortunately hit in the neck by a skewer. It let out a heart - rending neigh, reared up, and threw him to the ground. Then it galloped away in a hurry.
Someone behind let out a howl. It seemed that they had been hit by the bamboo skewers, and the sound indicated that the injury was quite serious.
The black - clad man was sweating all over. Summoning his courage, he roared, "Who is so despicable as to attack us from behind? If you have the guts, come out and fight one - on - one!"
Suddenly, a cold and jade - like voice laughed mockingly from above, "Do you think you're worthy?"
Everyone looked up in unison and saw a tall and thin man wearing a smiling mask standing on a tree branch. In his hand, he held a very simple bow and a large bunch of bamboo skewers. He was aiming at the people below.
The black - clad men felt a chill run down their spines. What the man held in his hand was hardly a bow! It was just a bamboo stick cut casually! And the arrows were not real arrows either! They were just thin and sharp bamboo skewers!
Just now, someone had been hit right behind the ear by a skewer, and blood gushed out immediately. And the several fine horses lying on the ground were also stuck with several skewers all over their bodies, bleeding profusely on the snow.
Who on earth was this masked man? How could he make such a simple bamboo bow so powerful?
Seeing that everyone was terrified, the leading black - clad man held his sword and roared bravely through gritted teeth, "You! Dare you come down and fight me one - on - one?" In front of his subordinates, he couldn't show any sign of fear and lose his authority.
The man in the tree chuckled, "I don't have time to waste with you. All of you come at me together!" As soon as he finished speaking, he drew the bow and shot. A bunch of bamboo skewers flew straight at the crowd.
"Be careful!" Everyone quickly waved their swords to defend. They were secretly shocked. The man had extraordinary arm strength. These small bamboo skewers could actually have such a strong penetrating power! They heard the whistling sound of the skewers cutting through the air. Several fine horses let out painful neighs and went crazy on the spot. Two black - clad men were accidentally hit in the neck and fell to the ground screaming.
Wang Jiu hid behind the crowd and fled for his life, barely escaping. Shaking with fear, he looked back and saw the man wearing the smiling - face mask leap down from the tree, pick up a long sword, and charge into the crowd.
In a moment, several more people fell. The sight of blood splashing three feet was extremely shocking. Almost instantly, the white snow on the ground was dyed red.
Wang Jiu was so scared that his soul flew away. He turned around and ran without looking back. He was 100% sure that the man was the one beside Wu Luoluo! Yesterday, the man had also killed people with a silver spear so cleanly and without any mercy.
They all thought that the young master would be at the end of his strength after the battle last night. With a team of about twenty people, they dared to pursue! Who would have thought that it was a huge miscalculation? It seemed that all of Lord Nie's troops were going to be wiped out here!
Wang Jiu didn't dare to stop for a moment. Without looking back, he left the others behind and ran away as fast as he could.
Wu Luoluo stood beside the carriage, looking at the direction of the fight in the distance. Her heart was trembling. She hoped that her young master would not have any accidents.
After a long time, there was finally no more movement there. Wu Luoluo was in a state of panic. Why had it been so long and the young master still hadn't come back?
She waited for another long time. Finally, she couldn't bear it anymore. She took down the lantern and walked towards that direction through the thick snow. The depths of the bamboo forest were dark, quiet, and eerie. Only the sound of her footsteps could be heard. Wu Luoluo was a little scared, but she was even more afraid that the young master was lying in a pool of blood without any rescue. Thinking of this, she quickened her pace and rushed forward.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of her. The person was hidden in the darkness, and only the outline could be vaguely seen. Wu Luoluo was so scared that she shivered. She hesitated for a long time and didn't dare to go forward. If this person was a pursuer, the young master might be in great danger!
"Luoluo!"
Hearing the familiar call, Wu Luoluo finally relaxed her vigilance. She threw down the lantern and ran towards Shangguan Yun. Stumbling into his warm embrace, she finally felt at ease.
"Why did you take so long to come?" Wu Luoluo buried her head in his chest and sobbed softly. She had been waiting for so long and was almost scared out of her wits.
Shangguan Yun took off his mask and grinned foolishly. He lifted her chin and kissed her on the lips several times. Then he took out several bulging money bags from his sleeve and handed them to Wu Luoluo.
Wu Luoluo didn't know whether to laugh or cry. It turned out that the young master had gone to search for money from those pursuers!
The large amount of silver notes paid by the Ouyang family yesterday had been used to settle the bill at the inn. So they didn't have much silver on them again. That's why Shangguan Yun had taken the opportunity to collect some loose silver.
Shangguan Yun picked up Wu Luoluo and walked back. He thought to himself, "It seems that I have to take Luoluo back to the capital as soon as possible to get married. Otherwise, it's really unfair to her that she has to endure hardships and live frugally with me."
The night was as cold as water. The Ouyang Mansion in the west of the city had locked its gates early. Usually at this time, the family members would have gone to bed, and few outsiders would visit at night. The gatekeeper lit a charcoal stove and dozed off in the porter's lodge. Since it was freezing outside and no one was coming in or out, he might as well go to bed earlier.
At this moment, there was a sudden knock on the door. The knock was very soft, but the dozing gatekeeper still heard it. He was slightly surprised. No one had visited the Ouyang Mansion at night for a long time, and it was freezing outside. Who could it be knocking on the door?
There were three more knocks on the door. The gatekeeper trembled as he put on his clothes and took the key to unlock the copper lock. Through the thick wooden door, he saw a veiled woman outside. While unlocking the door, the gatekeeper asked, "Who are you? What's the matter with you knocking on the door at night?"
Wu Luoluo bowed when the gatekeeper came out and said, "My name is Wu Luoluo. I'm a doctor. I was fortunate enough to save Lady Ouyang's life yesterday. I'm here today because I have a private matter and I hope the old lady can help me."
The gatekeeper sized Wu Luoluo up and down. So it was this woman who had saved the old ancestor of the Ouyang family from a sudden illness yesterday. But this female doctor had come to claim credit just one day after saving the person. Wasn't she being a bit greedy? He had heard that the master had stuffed a large amount of silver to thank the doctor yesterday!
The gatekeeper thought for a moment and replied politely, "We in the Ouyang Mansion are extremely grateful to the girl for saving the old ancestor's life. But it's already late at night, and the old ancestor has gone to bed early. How about the girl come earlier tomorrow?"