Chapter 6, The Young Man on the Run
The young man's gaze shifted around her, and he said with great interest: "There is no need for thanks; I hung the bell with the intention of assisting the young lady." He quietly gazed at Chu Si, the smile in his eyes growing ever more pronounced: "I never expected to encounter such a person as the young lady in a place like this!"
As soon as her words fell, she had already settled into the carriage. This series of actions was as natural to her as breathing. The burly man turned his head to glance at the back of the carriage, his thick eyebrows twitching. He pulled the reins and shouted, prompting the horses to quicken their pace.
After some thought, Chu Si retreated to the adjacent wasteland. When she had moved at least 200 meters away from the official road, the group of knights appeared before her
The carriage continued to move slowly, and as they drew closer, everyone seemed to hear a faint recitation coming from within. The voice was calm and exceedingly elegant
All the knights simultaneously looked at their leader. The leader hesitated for a moment, then turned to glance at Chu Si before finally waving his hand, signaling them to retreat in an orderly manner ten steps back to the wasteland by the official road
Upon seeing her set off, the knight leader hesitated slightly. At that moment, a clean-shaven man approached and whispered, "Chief, this young lady is quite bold; could she possibly be a member of the royal family of the Yan kingdom?"
After exhaling a breath of foul air, Chu Si's fiercely beating heart finally calmed down somewhat. She did not know that these people had just suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Murong Ke, their hearts already filled with fear. Upon seeing the situation turn unfavorable, their immediate thought was to retreat. If they had encountered each other six months ago, it would have been far from this easy.
It was only upon hearing this that Chu Si realized that the fifty knights behind him were soldiers of the Han state
Having said that, she turned her body and walked southward along the official road, her feet barely touching the ground.
As soon as the three words "ten thousand enemies" were uttered, the expressions of his companions changed once again. The crowd that had originally blocked the road could not help but step aside, clearing a wide path for the horse-drawn carriage.
Chu Si smiled faintly and said in a melodious voice: "With your identity as a military officer, you are not worthy to speak to a young lady in this manner!" As soon as she finished speaking, all the knights straightened up simultaneously
After a brief discussion, the leader angrily exclaimed, "On my Han territory, why should we hesitate to capture a woman!" As soon as his voice rang out, Chu Si's muscles tensed up tightly.
A young man, wearing a carefree cap and dressed in wide-sleeved robes, was leisurely gazing at himself while holding a scroll. He had an exceptionally handsome face, and at that moment, his face was filled with a smile. In his clear, mirror-like eyes, the reflection of Chu Si's visage could be seen.
Fifty individuals gazed at Chu Si with fierce intent, and upon seeing her graceful figure, Chu Si distinctly noticed that many were swallowing hard repeatedly, their eyes gleaming with desire
The knight leader, with a face full of stubble and a robust physique, squinted his cow-like eyes as he scrutinized Chu Si, bellowing: "Who are you, woman? How dare you speak to a military officer in such a manner. Step forward!"
At this moment, the knight parted the crowd, and a tall man rode out. He urged his horse forward a few steps, brandishing a whip towards Chu Si, and shouted, "Do not delay, woman, come forward and respond quickly"
This young man possesses an air of nobility, as if he is accustomed to wealth and power
At this moment, Chu Si finally let out a sigh of relief. As she turned her head, she met a pair of eyes as clear as water.
This is a small team of fifty men, all tall and robust, seated on their large steeds, fully armored. The wilderness stretches endlessly, and looking around, there is only Chu Si as a solitary traveler. Therefore, as soon as those knights approached, they urgently shouted a command, simultaneously reining in their horses to a halt
Chu Si straightened her back and walked forward for about one hundred steps. After stopping at a distance of one hundred meters from the crowd, she clasped her hands into a fist and said, "Gentlemen, may I ask for your guidance?" Her voice was truly enchanting, and as soon as it left her lips, Chu Si could clearly hear the sound of swallowing rising and falling among the listeners. She let out a bitter smile, realizing that she could only act according to the situation.
As the knight leader was about to give the order to capture Chu Si, a clear ringing sound suddenly came from behind the crowd. Everyone turned around in unison and saw, not far away, four tall, snow-white horses pulling a massive carriage, gracefully making their way towards them
Their eyes met, and Chu Si smiled slightly: "Thank you for your assistance, brother."
As the sound of hooves drew closer, the ground trembled with a rumbling noise. Chu Si turned around and saw in the distance a group of knights galloping towards this place, enveloped in clouds of dust. In the haste, the dust swirled continuously, making it impossible to discern how many people were actually approaching.
At this time, due to years of famine, people were generally short in stature, and the knights had never seen such a tall and powerful giant. Even though the newcomer appeared to have his eyes half-closed and looked rather lazy, everyone instinctively regarded him as a tiger ready to pounce, and their expressions changed in unison. Upon hearing the white-faced, beardless man speak softly, "Is there really such a hero in the world? He must be a match for ten thousand men!"
The burly man driving the carriage looked up in astonishment, unable to believe what he was seeing as he gazed at Chu Sizhi. However, Chu Si seemed oblivious to him, striding purposefully towards the carriage. She reached the curtain, lifted it with a swift motion, and as she jumped inside, she laughed and said: "Indeed, my younger sister has waited quite hard."
Standing gracefully by the roadside, upon seeing the horse-drawn carriage gradually approaching, Chu Si waved his right hand and simultaneously chuckled, "Elder brother, why have you only just arrived now?"
Chu Si took a few steps back, secretly lamenting in his heart: This cursed place has not even a single grove. If they truly act disrespectfully later, am I expected to outrun fifty horses on foot?
On the pole in front of the carriage, a string of copper bells is hung, ringing cheerfully and continuously with the swaying of the carriage
Walking along the ancient path of yellow dust, Chu Si gazed at the desolate plain devoid of human presence, secretly pondering: at this pace, when will I ever reach Luoyang?
In front of the carriage, a burly man was whispering commands. Upon seeing this man, the knights collectively gasped in shock! He stood at least 2 meters tall, and a long scar ran menacingly from the end of his brow to the corner of his mouth. Looking beside him, there was surprisingly a large knife, nearly 3.3 meters high, inserted into the ground, its cold blade glinting ominously, piercing the eyes painfully in the reflection of the sunlight
That ostentatious steed slowly passed by the knights, making its way towards Chusi
Her movements were calm and unhurried, as if she were strolling leisurely in a garden. There was no way around it; in such a desolate wilderness, a person's feet could never outrun a horse's hooves. In the event of a conflict, the only option was to rely on the skills she had just begun to familiarize herself with, hoping to seize one or two horses to break free from the encirclement
As everyone exchanged glances, Chu Si smiled faintly, placing her hands behind her back, and her voice, as ethereal as a fairy's, resonated once more: "Ladies and gentlemen, I have urgent matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave first"
Before the leader could speak, another person beside him said: "It is impossible. Yan Gang has already fought a battle with our Han state, and Murong Ke has also retreated. Moreover, this woman has no attendants to protect her; how could she possibly be a member of the Yan royal family?"
After walking for more than ten miles, Chu Si began to feel a bit hungry. As he gazed at the desolate surroundings, lost in thought, a rapid sound of hooves faintly approached from the distance