After Dongfang Yi finally managed to shake off that old man, she dared to stop and catch her breath. She nervously glanced behind her. Seeing no suspicious people chasing after her, she finally let her guard down.
Just then, she noticed an inn beside the road. After a moment's thought, she walked in.
She had to change into more low - key clothes to avoid the eyes of those who might come after her.
After all, she was still wearing palace clothes, and there was bloodstained on her back. When she ran on the street just now, people had been giving her sidelong glances. Being so conspicuous was definitely not a good thing.
When she entered the inn, the innkeeper saw this disheveled and blood - covered woman. There was a hint of panic in his eyes. He stammered, "M...Miss, are you here for a meal or to stay the night?"
Dongfang Yi didn't hesitate and said, "To stay the night!"
But after she said it, she suddenly realized that she was now practically a fugitive and had no silver to pay for the room.
An idea flashed through her mind. She quickly took off the gold pendant from her ear and handed it over, saying, "It's pure gold. Let it cover the room fee."
The innkeeper still looked a bit hesitant, but when he saw the woman glare at him, he quickly took the gold pendant. He called a waiter and led her up to the second floor.
When they reached the room, the waiter was about to leave when the woman behind him called out, "Bring me a set of clothes like yours."
Then she took off another pendant from her ear and gave it to him.
The pendant was an item from the palace and was by no means ordinary. The waiter quickly took it and stuffed it into his pocket. He nodded like a pounding garlic and said he'd be right back.
After he brought the clothes, she bolted the door and slumped onto the bed, taking a long breath. Only then did she feel the sharp pain on her back.
Just now, she had only been focused on running for her life and had no time to care about the wound on her back. Now that she was calm, the pain became more and more clear.
She carefully took off her clothes. Because the blood on the wound on her back had coagulated, some of the clothes were stuck to her skin. Every time she tore them off, it was excruciatingly painful.
After she took off the old clothes and put on the new ones, her whole forehead was covered in sweat, and her bangs were stuck together.
She took another long breath and walked to the window beside her. She opened it a little and looked out. Fortunately, there was no movement for the time being.
After that, she walked back to the table and started eating the pastries on it. She hadn't eaten or drunk anything for a whole day. Now she gobbled up the pastries, not caring whether they were delicious or not. After all, filling her stomach was the most important thing now.
After all, staying here was not a long - term solution. The guards of the Southern Neighboring Country would probably find her soon. She had to go and meet Helian Qi immediately.
Thinking of this, her eating speed slowed down. Thinking of that man, he must be very worried now. He must still be out of control because of her disappearance.
At this thought, her heart ached sharply, and her eyes couldn't help but turn red.
It turned out that after all this time, the safest place was actually the palace she hated the most. Now that she was in trouble, it was also the place she was most concerned about.
While she was lost in thought, she suddenly heard a commotion downstairs. She immediately ran to the window and looked down. Sure enough, there were some guards downstairs.
She squinted her eyes. She had expected them to come, but she hadn't expected them to come so quickly.
She poured herself a cup of cold tea to calm her nerves and then carefully ran out of the room.
Every inn had a back door, and this one was no exception.
When she ran to the backyard, she was pleasantly surprised to find that the back door wasn't locked. The noise of the pursuers behind her grew louder. Without hesitation, she ran out through the door.
Outside the back door was a rather desolate path that led to the back doors of all the shops on this street. She knew she couldn't outrun those trained guards. So, on a whim, she ran into the back door of a shop.
It was a brothel. The back door of the brothel was never closed all year round, so she ran in without any hindrance.
Dongfang Yi was now wearing the waiter's clothes and had tied her hair up high with a cloth strip. She now looked like just a good - looking little attendant.
When she rushed into the brothel, the noisy voices around her drowned her out. She couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile. She thought this was really a good place to hide.
But before she could be happy for long, a drunkard bumped into her from the side. He slapped her on the back and roared loudly, "Waiter! Pour me some wine!"
Dongfang Yi almost fainted from the sharp pain on her back. She glared coldly at the drunkard.
The man was obviously drunk. Seeing her dressed like this, he thought she was a brothel servant.
Afraid of being exposed, she could only lower her head in pain and reply, "Yes, sir. I'll go get the wine for you right away."
Then she was about to turn around and leave, but unexpectedly, the drunkard behind her grabbed her back.
He burped disgustingly. His eyes were narrowed into slits, and he leered at the person he was holding, saying, "You're a pretty little servant. Don't bother getting the wine. Just come and accompany me!"
Then he pulled her towards the stairs.
Dongfang Yi was shocked. She didn't expect that even in this state, she could be fancied by a drunkard. Moreover, his strength was so great that she couldn't break free.
"Sir! I'm a man!" she resisted.
"So what if you're a man? I just like pretty ones. Come on! Go with me!" The drunkard didn't listen to a word. Instead, he used even more force. It seemed that he was going to have his way.
At this time, Dongfang Yi didn't have time to think more. She kicked up. She had learned self - defense techniques in modern times, and this kick hit him right in the crotch.
The drunkard immediately let go of his hand and squatted on the ground, crying out in pain.
Seeing this, Dongfang Yi immediately fled into the crowd. After this hard kick, the drunkard was half sober. He quickly straightened up and pointed in the direction where Dongfang Yi had fled, shouting, "Catch that servant for me!"
"How dare you kick me! You're just asking for death!"
But the crowd just fell silent for a moment and then became lively again, as if no one cared about what he said.
No matter how angry the drunkard was, he was helpless. Moreover, his crotch was still hurting, so he couldn't catch up with that person.
He could only roar with hatred in his eyes and watch helplessly as she gradually disappeared from his sight.
After Dongfang Yi passed through the lobby, she came to a small courtyard.