Chapter 227 Branches

Chapter 227: Complications

On the official road heading west, a carriage was racing swiftly.

Inside the carriage, two men gritted their teeth, occasionally glancing at the sack beside them, sneering at the corners of their mouths.

Third Master Xie was indeed as rumored—a stuffed pillow, easily handled without breaking a sweat.

And he was supposed to be a military officer, what a disgrace!

"Will our master deal with him?"

"Most likely, he'll cut off his thing."

"The Xie family has three sons; if one is cut, there are still two left. Our side can't afford to be barren."

"We'll see if our master can recuperate and have another child."

"I think that's just a dream."

Xie Zhifei, inside the sack, silently retorted in his mind.

After more than an hour, the carriage turned onto a small path and continued for a short while before entering an estate.

At the entrance of the estate, several guards were already waiting.

The two men jumped down from the carriage, one of them asking, "Brother Liu, should we put this guy in the woodshed?"

Brother Liu lifted the curtain, "The woodshed already has someone."

"Did you get that woman?"

"Of course, put this Xie fellow in the stables."

"Brother Liu, since our master can't do it anymore, does that mean the woman is fair game for us?"

Brother Liu chuckled lecherously, "Not just for us, but all the brothers can have a go. Do whatever you want with her."

"Hahaha..."

"Look at how eager you all are. Keep your lust in check. The master hasn't given the order yet, not a single hair on that woman's head must be harmed, understood?"

"Understood, Brother Liu, don't worry!"

As they spoke, they pulled the carriage into the estate.

The two strong men climbed onto the carriage, lifted the sack, and threw it harshly into the stables.

Xie Zhifei's head hit the ground hard, causing a sharp pain and stars to dance before his eyes.

After a moment, he gently struggled, and the ropes broke. He then used a blade to slice open the sack.

Light flooded in, and Xie Zhifei took a deep breath of fresh air.

Inhaling and exhaling, his mind raced.

That woman must be Yan Sanhe.

How could Li Buyan, that girl, be so useless? She couldn't even keep watch properly?

And where were the people he had sent?

Are they dead?

Third Master Xie's eyes were bloodshot with anger.

...

Yan Sanhe slowly regained consciousness.

The moment she opened her eyes, memories flooded back.

She had been standing by the river, gazing at the water, when she suddenly heard a noise behind her. Before she could turn around, she received a heavy blow to her neck.

Who was it?

Only that wretched Xu Sheng!

Yan Sanhe moved her limbs and realized her hands and feet were bound behind her back, making it difficult to sit up.

But the more critical the situation, the calmer Yan Sanhe became.

Li Buyan was a good swimmer. For these bandits to have abducted her so quickly, they must be skilled.

She had been standing by the water before noon.

Now the sun was setting in the west, indicating it had been about one or two hours. This time would be enough for Li Buyan to return to Imperial City and report the news.

So, Xie Zhifei must have already learned of her abduction and was searching for her.

With Xie Zhifei's intelligence, he would know who was responsible without much thought.

Finding her within one or two hours would be impossible, but three or four hours might be enough, meaning...

The door to the woodshed suddenly opened, revealing a familiar face.

Yan Sanhe's heart skipped a beat.

How did this person get here so fast?

Their eyes met, and Xie Zhifei made a shushing gesture to Yan Sanhe.

Yan Sanhe blinked her eyes, signaling that he could trust her and urging him to quickly untie the ropes binding her.

The position with her limbs tied behind her back and her face pressed against the ground was humiliating and infuriating.

Xie Zhifei completely missed the meaning of Yan Sanhe's blink. After dragging in the two guards he had knocked unconscious, he walked over to her and began to untie the ropes.

As he untied her, the sight of the bruises on her wrists ignited a fury within Third Master, making him want to kill someone as well.

So when he bound the two guards, he used all his strength and even kicked one of them hard in the head.

Rubbing her sore wrists, Yan Sanhe looked at the anger on Xie Zhifei's face and asked in a hushed voice,

"Where are we? How did you find me so quickly? What about Li Buyan and the others?"

Xie Zhifei didn't have time to explain or answer, "Be good, let's find a place to hide first."

Good?

Was this the right time to say that?

Hide?

Why do they need to hide?

Could it be that Li Buyan and the others didn't follow?

Although Yan Sanhe had many questions, she didn't ask any of them, only saying coldly, "Where should we hide?"

"Anywhere but here. Let's get out first."

Xie Zhifei fumbled around his body and somehow produced a dagger, "Take this for protection."

"I have one!"

Yan Sanhe pulled out a dagger from her waist.

Thankfully, these bandits hadn't searched her yet.

The two of them crept out of the shed, hugging the walls towards a corner of the estate.

After rounding a series of low houses, Yan Sanhe realized they were at an estate on the outskirts, with mountains stretching behind it.

Her eyes lit up, "Let's hide in the trees!"

"Let's hide in the trees!"

Xie Zhifei's deep voice echoed hers almost simultaneously.

They looked at each other, both seeing disbelief in the other's eyes.

Xie Zhifei: "Can you climb trees?"

"Who do you think you're looking down on, Third Master?"

Yan Sanhe left this remark and started running.

A hint of amusement flashed in Xie Zhifei's eyes as he followed her sprint.

Two figures ran under the afternoon sun and soon reached the wall.

Xie Zhifei squatted down, "Step on my shoulder and climb up."

Without hesitation, Yan Sanhe stepped on Xie Zhifei's shoulder, hooked her hand over the wall, and with a strong pull, she was up on the wall.

Before she could catch her breath, she turned around and extended her hand, "Come up."

Xie Zhifei grabbed her hand without hesitation, pushed off the wall with his feet, and joined her.

Just then, shouts came from afar.

Not good, someone had discovered their escape.

Xie Zhifei's expression changed, and he jumped down from the wall.

"Hurry, jump down, I'll catch you."

"Move aside."

Yan Sanhe didn't need him to catch her; she bit her lip and leaped down.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, a man's arms steadied her.

Yan Sanhe lifted her chin, "Up the tree!"

Xie Zhifei nodded, "Find the biggest one."

Under the Taihang Mountains, towering trees stood tall.

Yan Sanhe found a tree with the most lush foliage, looked up to gauge its structure, then spat into her palms and rubbed them together.

"I'll go first!"

She climbed like a cat, swift and agile.

The sunlight filtering through the trees dazzled Xie Zhifei, making him momentarily dazed as if transported back to a certain afternoon nine years ago.

"What are you waiting for, come up!"

Yan Sanhe turned her head and saw that Xie Zhifei was still standing there in a daze. She glared at him, her eyes almost bulging out of their sockets. "Hurry up!"

Xie Zhifei felt as if something had gently brushed against his heart.