Perhaps due to the numerous upheavals she had experienced over the years, Caiyu managed to maintain extreme calm in such a situation.
The bow in her hand remained steadily held. She merely lowered her voice and slowly said,
"Firearms are scarce, and gunpowder is even rarer. They blew up gunpowder and fired a volley of firearms when they attacked the city. Just now, they fired another volley... I deduce that they must be running out of ammunition. Otherwise, they wouldn't have chosen to storm the hunting lodge with swords later."
"However, their frontal assault also failed."
Just now, she roughly counted, and the enemy had lost about twenty men.
Perhaps their numbers were not as large as they seemed.
Or perhaps they were on a secret mission and didn't want to cause excessive casualties.
Ruan Wu's body still lay quietly on the ground.
Caiyu tightened her fingers around the bow, and the curve of the bow was soaked with her sweat. Her eyes were filled with boundless killing intent, like the most primitive desire rising from the depths of her soul.
She had never had such an impulse to kill someone.
She felt that the people she had shot just now were far from enough to quell the surging killing intent within her.
However, the situation outside was still unclear.
The enemy seemed to have a large number of people, sophisticated weapons, and extremely fierce combat capabilities. They were far from being comparable to those water bandits.
They couldn't avenge Ruan Wu.
They could only endure.
Endure some more.
Qingqing huddled behind the bed. After the great shock and fear, the little girl began to calm down.
She whispered, "Sister Caiyu... Do they want to capture you?"
Caiyu's cold, watery eyes swept across Qingqing, instantly filled with a chill. "Do you want me to go out and exchange myself for your lives?"
Ruan San and the others immediately glared angrily at Qingqing.
They were ordered by the prince to protect Caiyu. They were willing to sacrifice their own lives to deliver Caiyu to the prince.
How dare this girl have such an idea about Caiyu?
Qingqing quickly shook her head. "That's not what I meant..."
She licked her lips. Her eyes showed courage, determination, and even calmness beyond her age. She said,
"Sister Caiyu, let me go out!"
"What?"
This time, it was Caiyu's turn to be shocked. She stared at Qingqing blankly, thinking she had misheard. "What do you want to go out for?"
"They probably don't recognize you." Qingqing analyzed with extraordinary calmness. "They probably also want to capture you alive."
She looked at Caiyu. "Sister Caiyu, you can't get into trouble. If you're captured, the prince will be constrained... So, let me go out!"
"They'll just capture me. Sister Caiyu, if I'm captured, you'll find a way to rescue me, right?"
When Qingqing asked this question, her face still carried the innocent look of a child, which made Caiyu's heart clench. She blurted out,
"Of course. If anything happens to you, I'll definitely find a way to rescue you."
Qingqing's face lit up, thinking that Caiyu had agreed.
Even Ruan San and the others fell silent.
Exchanging an insignificant little girl for the prince's beloved and everyone's lives was undoubtedly a very tempting deal.
It was just so immoral.
Unexpectedly, Caiyu didn't put down her bow and arrow. Instead, she gently said,
"Qingqing... Wait a little longer, wait... Maybe there's another way. Maybe there'll be a turn of events."
Taking Qingqing with them at the beginning was just an unavoidable promise because she needed Qingqing to distract Han Fen so that she could rescue someone.
But along the way, the little girl had taken meticulous care of her. She was smart and lively, and Caiyu really liked her.
Now, Qingqing was even willing to replace her as a hostage.
How could she bear it?
Unexpectedly, another voice came from outside the door. This time, they directly named names.
"People inside, listen up. Our boss has taken a fancy to Miss Caiyu in your house... He just wants to kidnap her to be his wife in the mountain stronghold..."
"Exchanging a woman for your lives is such a good deal. You might as well consider it... Of course..."
The voice became even more sinister and venomous. "Of course, you can also choose not to exchange. But do you not care about the lives of your other brothers ambushed in the forest?"
Other brothers?
Hearing this, Ruan San and the others' faces changed drastically. They all peered out through the cracks in the wooden wall.
"Damn it." Ruan San cursed in a low voice with an ashen face. "It's really Ruan Qi and Ruan Ba, and Brother Zuo Yezi, a Jinyiwei!"
The three people outside the house had been captured and were kneeling side by side facing the hunting lodge.
Everyone finally saw clearly that the person speaking had a fair complexion and no beard. He had the same aura as the messenger from the capital, Huang Shan, and looked effeminate.
"These aren't water bandits at all. They're clearly Lin Zheng, a eunuch from the Eastern Depot!" Ruan San spat. "He's one of the Crown Prince's men. He stepped in after Huang Shan died!"
These personal guards didn't know that Caiyu was a spy sent by the Crown Prince, so they said to Caiyu,
"It seems that the Crown Prince wants to capture you, Miss Caiyu. You mustn't go out. The Crown Prince and the prince are almost at odds now. If you fall into the Crown Prince's hands, then the prince..."
So it was the people from the Eastern Depot again!
This could explain why the enemy had firearms.
It could also explain why they stopped attacking after losing about twenty men in the frontal assault.
After all, they were all on the official register of the court. They were doing private business for the Crown Prince without a just cause. They were doing disgraceful things near the imperial city. If it was discovered that so many people suddenly went missing, it would surely attract attention.
So, they changed their strategy - using benefits to lure them.
If it had been before, Caiyu might really have stepped out to be captured and then negotiated with the Crown Prince.
But today, seeing the Eastern Depot collude with the water bandits and kill without hesitation, she knew that the Crown Prince had already abandoned her.
If she went out and was captured now...
After Lin Zheng finished speaking, seeing that there was no response from inside the house, a bloodthirsty smile appeared on his gloomy face. He let out a strange "giggle" laugh.
"It seems that the people inside are all chivalrous men who cherish beautiful women. They'd rather die than send the beauty out. Then don't blame me for being rude!"
Suddenly, he drew a knife from the hand of the person beside him!
The cold light sliced through the night, leaving a silver-white arc!
Blood splashed into the air, forming an arched curve!
The Jinyiwei, Zuo Yezi, who had been captured, was beheaded. When his head rolled on the ground, his face was facing the direction of the hunting lodge.
Everyone could clearly see through the crack that his head on the ground still had his eyes wide open.
Those eyes were still filled with boundless resentment and anger.
Ruan Qi and Ruan Ba were furious. "Eunuch dog! If you have the guts, kill me too!"
Lin Zheng placed the bloody knife on Ruan Qi's shoulder. The blade reflected a blinding golden light under the torch.
Lin Zheng laughed. "Why are you in such a hurry? I've never seen anyone so eager to die... The Jinyiwei have been too arrogant recently. I can't stand them anymore, so I'm starting with him."
He pressed the knife down a little, and the sharp blade instantly cut through the skin on Ruan Qi's neck. Blood oozed out.
Lin Zheng said, "However, your Prince of Yan is also very arrogant... He even dared to kill my godfather. Tsk tsk..."
He shook his head and sighed with a smile. "If it weren't for using you to exchange for the beauty inside, I wouldn't want to waste my time here. After all, I also really want to avenge my godfather."
A tense atmosphere filled the hunting lodge.
Everyone's face was tense. Caiyu's fist holding the bow dug her nails deeply into her palm, trying to use the pain to distract her inner anxiety.
Could she come up with another way?
Could she?
...
Qingqing saw the expression on her face changing constantly, unable to make a decision.
Suddenly, she stood up and rushed to the door. She pulled open the broken door!
Everyone was greatly shocked and helplessly retreated to the places inside the house where they could take cover.
Qingqing stood alone outside the door with a slingshot in her hand. She shot a stone pellet straight at Lin Zheng, her voice trembling slightly.
"Let them go! I'll go with you!"
Lin Zheng easily dodged her pellet by turning his head. A pleasant smile appeared on his effeminate face.
"Good girl... You've finally decided to step out?"
His eyes fell on the slingshot in Qingqing's hand, as if he was seeing a ridiculous toy.
"Since you've decided to exchange, then come here."
He motioned with his chin towards her slingshot. "Girls should learn some elegant arts like playing the piano, chess, calligraphy, and painting instead of playing with these messy things..."
He stretched out an arm, looking kind and benevolent. "Good girl, put down what's in your hand and come here!"