kvmb Chapter 261: Reinforcements Have Arrived?
Chapter 261: Reinforcements Have Arrived?
Shen Li took a small bite and said, "The five of you hide, set up your crossbows, and wait for my orders."
The group was somewhat surprised. What was there to be afraid of when the imperial court had sent people? However, they all obeyed and immediately lay down in five positions, setting up their crossbows and preparing the bolts.
So, only Shen Li sat on the large rock on the hillside. Her original color was no longer discernible in her purple robes, and it was not hard to see from the collar that her white inner robe was also stained with blood.
But this person's face was spotless, his skin was as white as fine porcelain, his features were exceptionally beautiful, and his cool demeanor was now tinged with a touch of unruliness.
She carefully ate the small fish in her hand, and although the skin had some scorch marks, she didn't get any on her face. Seeing that the fish bones on one side were clearly visible, she went to eat the other half, her behavior elegant and dignified.
As the army approached, the general was stunned by what he saw, finding it hard to imagine where such an elegant and beautiful woman, who looked like a fairy, had gotten all this blood.
That doesn't look like her blood at all.
The army stopped at the bottom of the steep slope. The general, who was in his early forties and wore a bright silver armor, cupped his hands and said, "This humble official, Xie Yuan, the commander of Yancheng, has come to protect you, sir. May I ask how Lord Shen and Lord Gu are?"
"Commander, you flatter me. My rank is low, and I should be the one to pay my respects." Shen Li picked out a whole fish bone, tossed it aside, and lazily looked down at Xie Yuan.
"This humble servant dares not. Lord Shen is a noblewoman; how can he possibly bow to me?" The man said nervously, "My lord, this incident occurring in my jurisdiction is a dereliction of duty. May I ask if Lord Gu is in a good position?"
"Thanks to your timely arrival, my husband only suffered minor injuries. I risked my life to hide him here, and now we've finally waited for you to arrive." Shen Li stood up, her expression grateful. "When we return to the capital, my husband and I will certainly repay you handsomely."
"Lord Shen, you flatter me even more. Now that the assassins have been eliminated, I would like to ask both of you to go to Yancheng for treatment so that I may express my gratitude." Xie Yuan was very humble after hearing the thanks.
Shen Li nodded and said, "I would be grateful if Lord Xie could bring people up to help my husband down. I am already exhausted and have no strength left."
"This humble servant will go up the mountain?" Xie Yuan's gaze flickered for a moment, then he looked at Shen Li and said, "It's not that this humble servant is unwilling, but the mountain path is steep and climbing up will inevitably take time. Are there any guards with you, sir?"
"If I were in charge, would I refuse to let someone help me up?" Shen Li frowned upon hearing this. "If Lord Xie is unwilling to condescend, it would be the same to invite a doctor."
Xie Yuan knew this meant a falling out, and thought that it was better to capture them alive than dead ones, as these two were of great value.
Shen Li is just a woman on the mountain, how much trouble can she cause? At most, she can bring a few more people with her.
"Lord Shen, please calm down. I didn't mean that. I'll go up and invite him." Xie Yuan exchanged a glance with the man who looked like a clerk behind him, then waved and led dozens of people up the mountain from four directions.
Shen Li picked up another wild fruit and looked at the crowd with a meaningful smile.
The slope was very steep, and it took quite a while to finally reach the top.
"Release the arrows." Shen Li's voice was clear and resolute.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh." Crossbows from five directions fired simultaneously, aiming at the dozens of people who were about to climb the mountain.
Shen Li also made a move. Facing Xie Yuan who was walking towards her, she flicked her wrist and slashed down with the large knife in her hand.
Xie Yuan was a martial artist with high skill, and he reacted quickly, dodging to the side. Even so, the broadsword struck the middle of his left shoulder.
This strike was powerful and heavy, and the blade was extremely sharp; blood splattered the moment it landed.
"Ah!" Xie Yuan watched helplessly as the knife slashed through him, and one of his arms flew off. He roared in pain.
He stared at Shen Li, never expecting her to suddenly make a move, especially since there was an ambush on the mountain.
Screams rose and fell as soldiers from all directions were struck by arrows and tumbled down the hillside.
"You..." Xie Yuan also realized something was wrong, and clutching his severed arm, he tried to roll down the mountain.
Although rolling down might not guarantee survival, falling into Shen Li's hands would certainly mean certain death.
"Press it."
At Shen Li's command, two guards pinned Xie Yuan to the ground. Even though Xie Yuan was skilled, he had no chance to fight back with his right hand cut off.
Now, with blood still flowing from his severed arm, Xie Yuan was in excruciating pain, his face pale. He gasped for breath and said, "Shen Li, how dare you lay a hand on an official of the imperial court? Are you trying to rebel?"
Shen Li threw down the knife and sat back down on the rock, saying calmly, "If your injuries aren't treated immediately, you'll die here in less than a quarter of an hour. Now tell me, who sent you?"
Xie Yuan was in so much pain he almost lost his mind. He knew that speaking out would be admitting to rebellion, but not speaking out would mean death right there. He could feel the massive loss of blood and his body growing cold. Death was on his side.
"East... East..."
"Whoosh." An arrow shot out from the army, heading straight for Xie Yuan's back.
Shen Li threw a stone to block it.
The soldiers then practically lay down, keeping a safe distance from the foot of the mountain.
"The Eastern Palace." Xie Yuan was in so much pain that he couldn't notice anything else, and he quickly added, "You must keep your word."
"Don't worry, you're a witness." Shen Li instructed the army doctor accompanying the troops to come up the mountain and bandage Xie Yuan's wounds.
The two military doctors were also terrified, their faces turning pale. This was far too heavy-handed; if it had been even slightly off, their commander would have been cleaved in two.
Shen Li looked at the medicine powder used on external wounds and instructed the guards to take some. Only after Xie Yuan's wound was healed did she let the servant go in to change Gu Chang'an's dressing.
They also seized the entire medicine box and took the two military doctors into the cave.
"Interrogate them separately, ask what these medicines are for, and find out the ones that reduce fever and replenish qi," Shen Li whispered to the servant.
She never intended to kill Xie Yuan in the first place; otherwise, given his speed, she wouldn't have missed. Her purpose was twofold: first, to get Xie Yuan to confess, and second, to get two military doctors to treat Gu Chang'an's injuries.
Even if it's just an external injury, it still needs to be treated, and she couldn't bear to let her husband suffer.
"They actually killed soldiers and Lord Xie. It seems it wasn't Lord Shen, but an assassin or traitor. Guards, seize them!" One of the soldiers drew his sword.
The men below addressed him as the deputy commander, and standing next to him was a short man with sinister eyes who appeared to be over fifty years old. Although he was wearing armor, he was clearly not a soldier.
Shen Li could see clearly that it was this short man who had given the order to silence her.
It was he who made the deputy commander speak in that way.
Labeling them as assassins and killing them all would only make the rescue too late; it's a clever plan.
They had originally intended to capture him alive, but after seeing the situation on the mountain, they changed their minds.
Shen Li was not surprised by this argument. These people would stop at nothing to get up the mountain, so it was not surprising that they said anything.