vstars Chapter 458
Chapter 458
Meanwhile, Chun Xing's driving skills were mediocre to begin with, and now, in her haste, she was even more reckless. The master, servant, and horse galloped for who knows how long, until they were far away from the previous camp. Only then did she dare to slowly tighten the reins and bring the carriage to a slow stop.
The horse was running like this for the first time in its life. As soon as it stopped, its legs couldn't help but tremble slightly. Its head was lowered, its mouth and nose were wide open, and it was breathing white air. If it hadn't been tied tightly to the carriage, I'm afraid it would have collapsed to the ground by now.
Luo Shuiyao wasn't used to riding in a carriage to begin with, and the jolting of the ride left her feeling completely dizzy. As soon as the carriage came to a stop, she collapsed on the edge, a sour feeling rushing up her throat, and she began to retch.
Chun Xing's legs also felt weak, and her palms were almost rubbed raw by the rough reins. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to move to Luo Shuiyao's side, gently patting her back to soothe her breath. "Miss, are you okay?"
Luo Shuiyao vomited for a long time. Her stomach was empty to begin with, and apart from a few dry heaves, she didn't vomit anything. She just felt a tightness in her chest, as if a huge rock was pressing down on her. She forced herself to stand up and lean against the edge of the car, but suddenly the world spun around her, her vision went black, and she almost fell over.
Just as she reached out to grab Chun Xing for support, a dark shadow suddenly passed overhead. Chun Xing instinctively protected Luo Shuiyao behind her, but before she could even see the person coming, she felt a pain in her neck and collapsed.
The sudden scene startled Luo Shuiyao's pupils, and she ignored the discomfort surging in her chest. She reached out and rushed forward to protect Chun Xing, who had collapsed limply on the edge of the car. When her fingertips touched Chun Xing's warm breath, her tense heart finally relaxed a little.
After the man in black knocked Chun Xing unconscious, he stood by the edge of the car with his arms folded, watching Luo Shuiyao frantically trying to place her companions. There was a hint of amusement in his eyes, but he never said a word and had no intention of attacking again.
Luo Shuiyao laboriously moved Chun Xing behind her while warily eyeing the man. He was shrouded in a murderous aura, his entire figure like a shard of ice, chilling to the bone. Such an aura was definitely not that of an ordinary person.
"What is your purpose, sir? We, your master and your servant, have no past or present grudges against you. Please show some mercy."
Seeing the man remained silent, Luo Shuiyao lowered her eyes, hiding the panic that surged in them. Her fingertips brushed through the pearls in her hair, breaking them into scattered gold flakes. She pushed them, along with the jade bracelet on her wrist and the purse in her sleeve, to the side of the cart, her movements as smooth as if she were sorting out ordinary accounts. "Though these aren't substantial, they will certainly help you out in your immediate need."
She half-sat down, leaning against the shaft. Her deliberately relaxed posture couldn't hide the whitening of her knuckles from clutching the hem of her skirt. "But judging by your attire and demeanor, I'm afraid you want more than this. Why don't you be clear? Perhaps we can strike a mutually beneficial deal."
Luo Shuiyao naturally knew that this little bit of gold and silver might be enough to deal with ordinary bandits, but the man before her was clearly no ordinary thief. Looking at his imposing appearance and the murderous aura lingering around him, how could he be motivated by money? She recalled the sudden rain of arrows and the inexplicably drawn wolves, and she knew in her heart—this person had stopped here, and his target was probably her.
But she still pretended to be calm, throwing gold and silver and talking freely. Although the other party had a clear goal, he still did not kill her. This was a turning point.
As she maneuvered, she secretly stalled for time. As long as she could hold out until Ye Yunzhou and his men arrived, perhaps she could find a chance to escape. Luo Shuiyao lowered her eyes to hide the calculation in them, and continued to probe, "If you have any other instructions, please speak up. Although I am a woman, I might be able to help you."
"You are quite smart."
No wonder that woman held such a grudge against him. The black-clad warrior thought to himself, surely he didn't understand the other party's nagging intentions. He had no interest in killing a powerless woman, but he was ostensibly following orders, and there was no reason to disobey such a simple task. While he found the woman's measured approach quite amusing, he had no intention of letting her off the hook.
Luo Shuiyao had no idea what he was thinking, but she saw the man's expression suddenly change. As soon as those words, which seemed to praise but also criticize, came out, a murderous aura surged over her like a tide. A chill ran down her spine and up the back of her neck. The suffocating feeling of being enveloped by death came over her again. Her throat tightened, and she subconsciously clenched the silver needle hidden in her sleeve.
Even before leaving, Luo Shuiyao had carefully considered all possible dangers. Although she had learned some self-defense techniques from Zhuangzi and the others, she was nothing more than an ant in front of a true master, so she naturally took every precaution. This silver needle was specially crafted by her before she left, soaked in venom for several days. While it wouldn't kill instantly, it would paralyze the victim, giving them a chance to escape.
When she was taking apart the pearl flower just now, she took the opportunity to hide the silver needle in her palm. Now, she was holding the cold silver needle with her fingertips. The coldness penetrated into her skin along the silver needle, making her more awake.
The black-clad warrior suddenly charged forward, unnoticed, and attacked with casual blows. Luo Shuiyao jerked sideways, the sharp palm wind slicing painfully across her cheek, barely brushing past her ear. Just as the opponent's attack was about to begin, she raised her hand and shot a silver needle towards his throat.
The assassin obviously didn't expect her to dare to fight back. He hastily turned his head to avoid it, but the silver needle still pierced his shoulder. "You do have some tricks."
The assassin's expression turned stern, he sneered, pulled out the silver needle casually, moved his arm a few times, and breathed a sigh of relief when he found nothing unusual.
He was a dignified warrior, yet he was ambushed by an ordinary woman. If this were to get out, wouldn't his brothers laugh to death? Thinking of this, his aura suddenly surged. His originally nonchalant expression instantly froze, and a murderous intent rose in his narrowed eyes. The murderous aura around him became more and more intense: "It seems that I can't keep you here."
But the next moment, his expression froze, his entire body frozen in place as if struck by lightning. His right shoulder, previously unaffected, suddenly felt a fine numbness, spreading rapidly like a spiderweb. Half his body, along with his right leg, instantly lost feeling. He instinctively raised his leg to move forward, but his stumbling movements were uncontrollable, sending him careening straight toward the carriage.
As early as when she inserted the silver needle into his shoulder, Luo Shuiyao was counting "3, 2, 1" in her heart.
Sure enough, just after the count was finished, the black-clad warrior's face suddenly changed, his legs stiffened and he suddenly rushed forward.
Luo Shuiyao was prepared and rolled to the side. Fortunately, she had already placed Chun Xing in the corner of the shaft. With a dull thud, the assassin's forehead hit the shaft hard, shaking the entire carriage violently. The horse in front of the shaft neighed in fear and galloped forward.
In a panic, Luo Shuiyao stretched out her arms and grabbed Chun Xing tightly, holding her tightly in her arms, fearing that the galloping horse would throw her out with a bump.
She desperately stretched forward with her other hand, trying to grab the violently shaking reins and stop the frightened horse. However, the reins appeared and disappeared on the violently undulating horse's back, always half an arm's length away from her.
She knew very well that if she went forward to grab the reins, she would have to let Chun Xing go. But if she let go, Chun Xing would be thrown off the side of the car, and her life would be in danger.
The carriage swayed violently on the rugged mountain road, the wheels screeching as they rolled over stones. Luo Shuiyao gritted her teeth, cold sweat trickling down her forehead. In this life-or-death moment, she had to make a decision.