Chapter 12: Marshal Pei

Chapter 12: Marshal Pei

Warm blood splattered across Lu Tong's face.

The surroundings were in chaos.

In the midst of the confusion, Lu Dashan sidestepped to avoid the needle, which missed his eyes but pierced his left cheek.

Lu Tong's strike was heavy; the silver needle almost half-embedded itself into his skin before being dragged away, leaving a bloody gash.

Lu Dashan, writhing in pain and furious, disregarding Lei Yuan, lunged at Lu Tong with his blade: "Bitch, I'll kill you!"

However, Lu Tong had already broken free when he dodged and immediately ran forward. The blade's lethal intent came from the side, and she couldn't evade it in time, watching as the glint of silver approached her face.

"Miss, be careful!" Yin Zheng's heart leaped to her throat; this blow would surely disfigure her even if it didn't kill her.

Behind them, Lei Yuan on horseback narrowed his eyes and waved his hand, sending an arrow straight towards Lu Dashan.

Lu Tong felt the cold edge of the blade nearing her face and gritted her teeth.

She did not care about her appearance; if her beauty could save her life, she would willingly sacrifice it.

But not now.

At the critical moment, a whistling sound broke through the air. Before anyone could see clearly, a streak of golden light pierced through the crowd, striking the blade in front of Lu Tong and deflecting it to the side.

Lu Tong was startled. In the next instant, a figure appeared before her, grabbing Lu Dashan's wrist holding the knife. A "crack" echoed, as if bones were breaking, and Lu Dashan screamed: "Let go!"

Before he could utter another word, he was kicked away. His long knife fell into the other person's hands, blocking the arrow aimed at his chest.

A loud clang followed.

The arrow hit the ground, making a crisp sound.

Silence fell around them.

The entire sequence of actions was fluid and precise, perfectly timed. Any earlier or later, and the outcome would have been different.

Lu Tong looked at the golden arrow on the ground; this person had used it to deflect Lu Dashan's blade.

She lifted her gaze.

The street was littered with overturned stalls, and amidst the crowd stood a young man with a curved bow, dressed in a red fox-embroidered archery robe.

Despite being surrounded by so many troops, he remained calm and confident. He casually put away his bow and looked at Lei Yuan, smiling: "Just catching someone, Marshal Lei, quite the spectacle."

Lei Yuan's expression darkened. After a moment, he said: "Marshal Pei."

Lu Tong's heart stirred. Marshal?

Du Changqing whispered to Yin Zheng: "He is Pei Yunying, the current Commander of the Right Army of Tianwu. It seems Lei Yuan has met his match."

Lu Dashan lay on the ground, groaning in the corner. With his wrist broken and bones shattered, he was no longer a threat.

Lei Yuan looked at Pei Yunying, forcing a smile: "Marshal, we are under orders to apprehend a fugitive. Now that the fugitive is caught, please step aside."

Pei Yunying clicked his tongue: "Marshal Lei, using lethal force right off the bat. If I hadn't intervened, the fugitive might have died." He smiled faintly. "This case involves the Military Horse Supervision Bureau. The prisoner should be handed over to the Criminal Court for trial. Are you trying to silence the witness?"

Lei Yuan's face turned grim. Coldly, he said: "Marshal, one can eat any food, but one cannot speak recklessly."

The young man laughed again. "Just a joke, Marshal Lei. Why so tense? One might think you're guilty."

"You!"

He turned to call: "Duan Xiaoyan."

A round-faced youth in green robes stepped out from the crowd: "Sir."

Pei Yunying glanced at Lu Dashan: "Take him back and hand him over to the Criminal Court."

"Yes."

Lei Yuan looked at Pei Yunying, his tone icy: "Marshal, Lu Dashan is someone our Military Command wants to arrest."

"This case involves the Military Horse Supervision Bureau, which also concerns the Right Army of Tianwu. Handing him over to me is fine. Besides, wouldn't you also send him to the Criminal Court?" Pei Yunying spoke with interest. "Unless you have some private punishment in mind?"

These words were piercing. If they reached the imperial family, it would bring disaster.

Lei Yuan stared at him, and Pei Yunying wore a half-smile.

After a moment of tension, Lei Yuan realized there was no turning back. He looked at Pei Yunying and said pointedly: "Then I'll leave it to you, Marshal. When I return to the Military Command, I will report this incident. Thank you for your concern."

Pei Yunying lazily replied: "No trouble."

Lei Yuan gave one last harsh look at Lu Dashan in the corner before ordering his men to leave.

Half the troops disappeared from the street. The remaining half belonged to Pei Yunying.

Lu Tong noticed the tension between the two and suddenly felt dampness on her shoulder. She touched it and realized the wound from Lu Dashan's blade had stained her collar red.

Yin Zheng rushed over, staring anxiously at her face: "Miss, you're bleeding..."

Lu Tong wiped the blood from her face and said nonchalantly: "Don't worry, it's not my blood." Just then, a panicked voice called out from above: "Is Miss alright?"

Lu Tong looked up and saw the daughter of the Prime Minister sitting on the balcony of the second floor, being comforted by a group of people.

When Lu Dashan appeared, the lady had been protected and retreated into the Treasure Fragrance Pavilion. Now that Lu Dashan was taken away, she seemed shaken. Her veil had been removed, revealing a delicate face. Her voice still trembled with fear. The people surrounding her, whether Lei Yuan's or Pei Yunying's subordinates, numbered seven or eight, all offering her water and tea.

"Lady Qi, don't worry. We've already informed the Prime Minister's Mansion."

"The guards here are strict. Today's incident was unexpected, and it frightened Miss Lu. This is the fault of the Military Command."

"Would Miss like to have some calming tea first?"

Such considerate words kept floating over, but no one paid any attention to Lu Tong, leaving her alone and pitiful.

Yin Zheng also noticed the stark contrast between the two sides and whispered, "The wound on your neck, Miss..."

Lu Tong withdrew her gaze. There was a cosmetics shop not far from the Treasure Fragrance Pavilion. She said, "Let's go next door to clean up."

Yin Zheng helped her stand up and they walked towards the cosmetics shop. Some soldiers nearby saw their movement and shouted, "Hey, wait! You two haven't been recorded yet!"

Du Changqing hurried forward with a smile, "I'll do it, I'll help them write it down! The girl is Doctor Lu from our Renxin Medical Clinic! I'm the owner!"

This commotion reached Pei Yunying's ears. He glanced at Du Changqing, then looked away, walking forward expressionlessly. After a few steps, he suddenly stopped and turned back.

In the chaos where he had just passed, there lay a blue bird velvet flower.

Half of the flower's petals were soaked in blood, giving off a mottled wetness.

He bent down and picked up the velvet flower. Upon seeing the back of the flower, his expression flickered with a hint of surprise.

The needle behind the velvet flower was sharp and pointed, stained with a ghastly red blood.

There were three silver needles in total.