Chapter 166 – Hero Saves the Beauty
Four men glared at Yan Xiaosi with eyes fierce as wolves and tigers.
Yan Shuxue’s body trembled with nervousness, her palms sweating coldly.
“Xiaosi, what should we do now?”
The four men were now on guard. Escaping down the mountain to seek help was impossible. They could only hope that a hunter nearby would see their plight and come to their aid.
As Yan Shuxue thought this, she shouted loudly, “Help! Somebody help!”
“Long Yu, did you hear that? Someone’s calling for help.”
Long Yu and Murong Qinjian were walking in the mountains, having swapped the saltpeter with talc. They had come to Big Sister Peak today to observe the Rongdi who were responsible for collecting saltpeter, and found that they hadn’t noticed anything amiss and were still gathering it.
Long Yu frowned, recognizing the voice.
That kid and his family had moved to this mountain. Could it be that the kid was in trouble?
“Long Yu, the voice seems to be coming from that direction. Should we go check it out?”
Before Murong Qinjian could finish speaking, Long Yu swiftly dashed away, his figure disappearing like the wind.
Seeing the War King speeding away, Murong Qinjian was momentarily stunned.
“Isn’t he usually indifferent to others’ affairs? What’s gotten into him today?”
“Murong Qinjian, hurry up and follow!”
Long Yu’s icy voice echoed from afar, prompting Murong Qinjian to swiftly follow.
Yan Shuxue shouted repeatedly for help, but no one came. She was overwhelmed with despair, her face turning pale.
“Big brothers, my brother and I are just poor folks. We don’t have any money. Please, let us go.”
In response to Yan Shuxue’s pleading, the four masked men sneered lasciviously.
One whistled and said with a lewd smile, “This girl is quite pretty. Why don’t we have some fun?”
Hearing this, Yan Xiaosi’s expression turned as cold as ice.
“Second sister, don’t be afraid, don’t beg these dogs.”
“You little brat, who are you calling dogs?”
Yan Xiaosi glared at the speaker, her lips curling slightly, “Is there anyone else here besides you lot?”
“I think you’re asking for death.”
Yan Xiaosi twirled a stone in her hand, replying, “We’ll see who’s courting death.”
The man, intimidated by Yan Xiaosi’s icy glare, swallowed nervously and signaled his companions, “This kid is weird, let’s take him down together.”
As they charged at Yan Xiaosi, she quickly pushed Yan Shuxue aside.
“Stay there, second sister. Don’t come over.”
Unable to help and panic-stricken, Yan Shuxue watched as Yan Xiaosi threw her stones one by one.
Two men screamed as they were hit by the stones and fell to the ground, writhing in pain.
But Yan Xiaosi had run out of stones, and two of the masked men were still standing. They took advantage of Yan Xiaosi bending down to pick up more stones and pounced on her together.
“Xiaosi, be careful!”
Yan Shuxue, wielding a wood stick, rushed forward to help, swinging it at one of the men.
Unfortunately, the stick was caught by the man’s strong hand.
The man, enraged by the pain in his hand, pushed Yan Shuxue violently.
Yan Shuxue, frail and weak, couldn’t withstand his fierce push and fell to the ground, rolling down the sloping mountain path.
Seeing her tumble down, Yan Xiaosi reached out to grab her, neglecting the stones.
“Second sister, be careful.”
“Xiaosi, be careful.”
Both exclaimed in alarm at the same time.
After catching Yan Shuxue, Yan Xiaosi turned her head and saw one of the men swinging the stick that Yan Shuxue had used earlier towards her head.
With the stick just over a foot away from her head, Yan Xiaosi concentrated, intending to take Yan Shuxue and herself into her portable space.
Despite the urgent situation, she couldn’t help but worry about exposing her secret.
At this critical moment, a mysterious figure suddenly appeared.
“General Zhan.”
Recognizing the dark robe and the exquisitely crafted mask, Yan Xiaosi quickly ceased her concentration.
Long Yu arrived swiftly like the wind, catching the stick that was about to hit Yan Xiaosi’s head, and struck the man with a palm, sending him to the ground, unable to get up.
Murong Qinjian also arrived quickly, capturing another of the men.
Her secret remained concealed, and they were out of danger.
Yan Xiaosi let out a sigh of relief and quickly checked on Yan Shuxue.
“Second sister, are you alright?”
Yan Shuxue, pale-faced, hugged her tightly.
“Xiaosi, I’m fine. I was so scared just now. If that stick had hit…”
The crisis was over, but she was still shaken.
“Thankfully, General Zhan and this young master arrived in time.”
“Second sister, it’s all over now, don’t be afraid.”
Yan Xiaosi comforted Yan Shuxue, then turned to face Long Yu and Murong Qinjian.
“Thank you, General Zhan and Doctor Murong, for your timely rescue.”
Seeing Yan Xiaosi’s disheveled appearance, Long Yu’s expression under the mask turned colder than ice. He lifted his leg and kicked the man who had tried to hit Yan Xiaosi with the stick in the stomach.
The man curled up in pain, howling miserably.
After kicking him, Long Yu raised an eyebrow at Yan Xiaosi: “Aren’t you going to ask why these five men ambushed you and your sister?”
Murong Qinjian’s gaze swept over Yan Xiaosi and Yan Shuxue, saying, “I’m sure these five men weren’t here for robbery or lust.”
Yan Xiaosi nodded in agreement.
Their clothes were old and tattered. Only a blind bandit would rob them. The idea of lust was even more unlikely. Her current disguise was that of a man, not seductive to bandits. Although her sister’s features were passable, her thin and unadorned appearance wouldn’t tempt bandits either. Another important reason was that these five men seemed to know they lived on this mountain and had prepared an ambush.
Only the villagers of Shaoyao Village, County Magistrate Yao Jin, and General Zhan here knew they lived on this mountain. General Zhan, a prominent figure, would hardly care about ordinary citizens like them. The only possibility was that someone from Shaoyao Village or Yao Jin had leaked their whereabouts.
Almost figuring it out, Yan Xiaosi’s brows furrowed, and she walked over to one of the masked men, bending down to pull off the cloth from his face.
The man’s face was unfamiliar; she had never seen him before.
“Speak, who ordered you to do this?”
Her expression darkened as she grabbed the man’s neck.
The man felt a slight suffocation, his eyes widening in terror as he stared at the young figure before him.
