Chapter 58: The Ruthless Ying Xuanyu

At this moment, Ying Xuanyu was struggling in every possible way inside his room. In truth, the ropes binding his hands and feet rendered him utterly immobile, forcing him to sleep at night in the same position. Now, his limbs were numb, and a peculiar sense of despair washed over him. Spoiled by his parents since childhood, he had never suffered like this before, but now that he had fallen into the hands of bandits, there was nothing he could do.

Just then, the door creaked open and someone entered.

Ying Xuanyu was about to call out for Feng Qiuji, thinking only she would visit him so frequently, but the words caught in his throat, and he waited for the newcomer to speak first.

To his surprise, the person walked a few steps, then stopped in front of him, hesitated for a few seconds, and finally crouched down to untie his ropes.

“Miss Feng…” Ying Xuanyu was about to ask whether freeing him would put her in danger, but he was interrupted before he could finish.

“I already know.” It wasn’t Feng Qiuji—it was a man!

Ying Xuanyu was confused, but the man continued, “I’ll untie you now—move your hands and feet. Since you are Qiuqiu’s distant cousin, we naturally don’t want to make things hard for you. We might let you go, but you must promise to pay the ransom. Qiuqiu swore on her honor that you would pay. If you fail to do so in time, she’ll be the one to suffer.”

At first, Ying Xuanyu didn’t grasp what Yang Siyuan was saying, but as someone with a sharp mind, he quickly understood from the latter part: Feng Qiuji was finding a way to save him. “No problem, I guarantee the ransom.”

“Good.” Yang Siyuan finished untying his hands and feet, then removed the black cloth from his face.

Ying Xuanyu hadn’t seen light for nearly twenty-four hours. Now, suddenly confronted by the bright world, his eyes struggled to adjust. After blinking a few times, he looked around and realized he was in a simply furnished cabin. The person before him was slender, delicate-featured, exuding an air of scholarly refinement—nothing like an ordinary bandit.

Noticing Ying Xuanyu’s constant scrutiny, Yang Siyuan smiled. Everyone who knew his identity reacted the same way the first time they saw him—he seemed nothing like the burly, muscular bandits, but rather like a scholar.

“You’re a bandit?” After confirming there was no one else in the room, Ying Xuanyu was certain the man speaking to him was indeed Yang Siyuan.

“Yes,” Yang Siyuan nodded.

Bang!

The next moment, Yang Siyuan could no longer smile, for Ying Xuanyu grabbed a stool and smashed it onto his head.

Yang Siyuan’s vision darkened, his eyes closed, and he fell to the ground. Seeing him collapse, Ying Xuanyu rushed to the door, peered outside to ensure no one was around, and slipped out of the cabin. His sole aim now was the mountain behind the camp—for it was a mountain, surely there would be no barriers, and he could escape over it. If he tried any other route, unfamiliar as he was with the area, he might run into other bandits—not only failing to flee, but possibly losing his life.

On the mountain, Feng Qiuji was facing a dilemma.

Er Gou and San Gou had begun to strip, preparing to bathe, while Feng Qiuji could only stand aside and watch as they removed their coats, then their inner shirts, then their outer underpants, leaving only a pair of shorts—one more layer and nothing would remain.

She thought for a moment, then turned away, intending to run. But just as she took a step, her master Er Gou grabbed her. “Qiuqiu, trying to run again? Are you so afraid we’ll be disgusted by you?”

“Er Gou, please don’t,” Feng Qiuji pleaded, utterly helpless. Was she really supposed to strip and bathe here? “I have urgent matters now, you two wash first. I’ll join you after.”

“You’re not still shy, are you? We’re all men here, what’s there to be embarrassed about?” Er Gou held her fast, signaling San Gou, “If you won’t wash, we’ll help you. San Gou, help Qiuqiu undress.”

“Alright!” San Gou grinned and moved over to assist Feng Qiuji with her clothes.

“Help!” Unable to endure any longer, Feng Qiuji broke free and cried out, startling birds into flight from the woods.

Ying Xuanyu happened to be running halfway up the path when he heard a familiar voice calling for help not far ahead—Feng Qiuji!

He immediately sped up, seeing two men leering and tugging at Feng Qiuji, apparently intent on stripping her. Ying Xuanyu couldn’t stand for it—without hesitating, he searched the ground for a brick, but finding none, he grabbed a stone and charged forward.

His hair was disheveled, no longer the image of a refined young gentleman, but that was the least of his concerns now; rescuing Feng Qiuji was paramount.

Er Gou and San Gou had no idea anyone was approaching, too busy trying to undress Feng Qiuji. Just when Feng Qiuji thought her innocence would be ruined, she saw Er Gou and San Gou suddenly collapse. Turning around, she saw Ying Xuanyu, panting, clutching a stone stained with fresh, glaring blood.

She was stunned, about to ask what had happened, when raucous noises echoed from the Axe Gang’s base, as if a crowd was in pursuit.

Ying Xuanyu glanced back, realizing the bandits had discovered his escape. He didn’t waste a moment, threw down the stone, grabbed Feng Qiuji, and ran. Only today did he truly understand the importance of martial arts: if he possessed skills now, he could simply carry Feng Qiuji and use lightness techniques to flee this bandit den.

His previous thinking had matched Ling Zexin’s—that with enough money, he could hire any bodyguard he needed. So he had never worried about learning martial arts. After this ordeal, he resolved to reflect deeply—and to scold Ling Zexin for instilling the notion that martial arts were for rough types.

Dragging Feng Qiuji along at a frantic pace, he was grateful for the dense trees on Axe Mountain; even though it was winter, not all leaves had fallen. Glancing behind, he saw no pursuers. Exhausted, he collapsed in a patch of grass, gasping for breath.

From knocking out Yang Siyuan to all that followed, it had been a continuous, unbroken chain of action—no pauses whatsoever. For a pampered young lord unused to exertion, he was utterly spent.

Feng Qiuji checked for pursuers, wiped sweat from her brow, and sat down beside him. “How did you escape?”

“I knocked out the bandit.”

“Which bandit?”

“The one with delicate features who doesn’t look like a bandit at all.” Ying Xuanyu, who had spent his life with books and ink, had never been so violent. He had feared his strength wouldn’t suffice, so whether it was Yang Siyuan or Er Gou and San Gou, he had used every ounce of energy.

“What?” Feng Qiuji screamed in disbelief at his words. He was talking about Yang Siyuan?!

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?” Ying Xuanyu was baffled by her reaction—why was she so shocked?

“He’s a good person! You didn’t kill him, did you?”

“I don’t know. I asked if he was a bandit, he said yes, so I grabbed a stool and smashed it on his head with all my strength,” Ying Xuanyu blinked innocently, his face full of helplessness.

“You—you—” Feng Qiuji, hearing his account, knew Yang Siyuan must be badly hurt. She had to go back and check; if Yang Siyuan died, she would feel guilty forever. He was such a fine strategist for the bandits.

“Where are you going?” Ying Xuanyu saw her heading back and, thinking she’d lost her mind, quickly stopped her.

“I need to see if that man survived your attack,” Feng Qiuji replied, exasperated. It seemed Ying Xuanyu truly didn’t understand the gravity of what he’d done.

“Isn’t he a bandit?”

“Yes.”

“So if he dies, that’s one less bandit?”

“Did you even listen to me just now?” Feng Qiuji was even more speechless. “I told you he’s a good person! If you kill him, I’ll be burdened with guilt forever.”

“But you can’t go back now.”

“Why not?”

“They’ll definitely think you’re in league with me. If you return, they’ll kill you.”

“You’re right.” Thankfully, Ying Xuanyu reminded her; otherwise, she’d be walking into her own death. She’d surely be branded a traitor and beaten to death! Ying Xuanyu had injured Yang Siyuan and knocked out Er Gou and San Gou—never mind the others, even those three would never forgive her!

“So what do we do now?”

“For now, they’re not chasing us. Let’s rest a bit, then keep running and leave this place as soon as possible.”

“Alright,” Feng Qiuji nodded. There was nothing else they could do. “But we don’t know what lies beyond this mountain. Should we keep going? What if it leads to even deeper mountains?” She looked up—only endless ridges stretched before her.

“There’s no other way; we can’t turn back. We’ll just have to cross this mountain and decide afterward.”

“Mm.” Feng Qiuji touched her stomach, feeling a pang of hunger—what should she do?

Ying Xuanyu noticed her gesture, realizing she must be hungry. In fact, he was hungry too. But neither of them had any food, and so far, they hadn’t seen a single edible creature. Even if they did, they might not be able to catch it, and even then, they couldn’t risk building a fire to cook it. That was the reality.

They could only endure their hunger.

—End of the chapter—