Chapter 927 - 929: Dawn_1
"It’s our fault that we’ve dragged you into this," Tu Ying sighed and said, believing that the steward must have gone to the Bai Family for help.
Bai Ruozhu did not dare to be distracted in the slightest, as her horsemanship was mediocre at best, and she really feared that an accident would lead to her being caught alive.
"Why talk about that now? Escaping is our top priority," Bai Ruozhu stated.
Tu Ying shifted behind Bai Ruozhu and said, "Don’t move, I’ll ride in front."
After saying that, she applied her lightness skill and leaped to the front, making Bai Ruozhu the one sitting behind. As soon as she spurred the horse, its speed indeed increased significantly.
"First, we need to find a way to shake them off and hide until dawn, then head to the northwest main camp," Bai Ruozhu said.
"Okay," Tu Ying’s horsemanship made it easier to evade pursuit.
The city of Beiyu was extraordinarily empty in the wee hours but reeked of danger everywhere. Bai Ruozhu, with her good hearing, detected fighting noises in several places. She was not sure if it was the pursuers clashing with the dark guards or Meng Liangshen sending reinforcements. There was no time for them to stop and check.
They quickly arrived at an alley, where Jianqi whispered, "Ditch the horses and follow me!"
With gritted teeth, Tu Ying eventually pulled Bai Ruozhu off the horse, which she had raised herself and become attached to. Abandoning the horse now, she feared the worst for it.
But... there was no time for delays now, otherwise, they would only be endangering Ruozhu even more.
Jianqi went over to support Bai Ruozhu and whispered, "I’ve got this."
All of a sudden, Bai Ruozhu felt somewhat frustrated. She had come to offer help, but now, with her insufficient lightness skill, she had become a burden instead.
Bearing this in mind, she quickly perked up and sprinkled some drug powder behind them as they went. The powder was time-sensitive; anyone passing by within two hours would be poisoned. After two hours, its effects would dissipate, ensuring that even ordinary citizens passing by later wouldn’t be inadvertently harmed.
Jianqi glanced over and noticed Bai Ruozhu’s actions, but did not inquire further.
"Let’s split up, we can’t keep dragging Ruozhu down," Tu Bai spoke up, "The city gates will open at dawn, we can escape then."
Not using lightness skills, Bai Ruozhu now ironically found herself the most at ease. She glanced at Tu Bai and said, "Stop being reckless, this is no longer just a matter for the two of you, siblings, or the Tu Family alone. The entire Beiyu City is in crisis. Now, stop talking so we can hide better."
Tu Bai, ready to retort, was figuratively gagged and had no choice but to close his mouth.
Jianqi led the three of them deep into the alley and then over a wall into a dilapidated yard. Bai Ruozhu hesitated, wondering if hiding in the yard would be sufficient when their horse was left at the entrance of the alley.
However, now was not the time for questions. Through the time they had spent together, she had grown to trust Jianqi’s competency fully.
Jianqi gave them a meaningful look and suddenly jumped into a well. Bai Ruozhu peered down and found it to be a dry well. Jianqi, standing inside, rapidly pressed several spots on the well’s wall and then whispered, "One by one, come down. Make sure to clear your footprints."
Realizing there was a secret passage below, Bai Ruozhu felt a wave of relief. She followed Jianqi’s instructions and jumped into the well, immediately spotting an opening in the wall of the well. Walking through it, she entered a bottomless secret passage. Jianqi lit a match and found a torch on the ground to light.
Tu Ying and Tu Bai quickly concealed any signs of their presence and followed the others into the well.
The secret passage was narrow, allowing only one or two people to pass through at a time, and was exceedingly low. Jianqi shuddered, and a brittle sound came from his body; he suddenly became shorter and thinner. He placed the torch into a bracket on the wall, then squeezed past the three of them, pressed several spots on the wall, and closed the secret door.
Tu Ying and Tu Bai watched with a mix of envy and admiration. Tu Ying whispered, "I knew the Bone Shrinking Skill would be so convenient, but father and mother just won’t allow us to learn it."
Jianqi forced a bitter smile but said nothing more. He went back the way he had come, picked up the torch again, and took the lead.
Bai Ruozhu thought to herself that Tu Ying and Tu Bai, being children of aristocrats, did not understand the pain involved in learning the Bone Shrinking Skill; furthermore, the process of shrinking one’s bones was painful, and parents with the means would not willingly have their children endure such training.
Moreover, Jiang Yichun had once told her that one must be exceedingly careful when practicing the Bone Shrinking Skill because a single misstep could damage the bones, leading to bone spurs that made sleeping through the night impossible.
She had been so worried at the time that she asked Jiang Yichun if he could suffer such fate, to which Yichun had boastfully replied, "Could your husband be an ordinary man? How could I not master it?"
Even though he had said that, she remained worried and advised him to use it as little as possible, since it could harm the body.
If she had known Jianqi was going to use the Bone Shrinking Skill, she would have tried to persuade him against it.
The group had only been walking along the secret passage for a short time when they heard chaotic footsteps above them. Jianqi turned and made a silence gesture to them, and they all stopped, indicating they weren’t far from the surface and the soundproofing was poor.
"Search everywhere, they must have entered this alley. Don’t spare any household!" someone shouted emphatically, with no intention of concealment.
The four exchanged glances, knowing that with such brazen action by Prince Duan, it seemed Beiyu City would change hands before dawn.
Bai Ruozhu grew concerned for Old Madam Meng; she had no idea how Prince Duan would treat the Meng Family.
Soon, the footsteps above them grew distant, and Jianqi gestured for them to continue moving forward. They were all extremely cautious; even in a secret passage, this didn’t mean that the searchers wouldn’t be able to hear them and dig them out.
After a long walk, Jianqi finally stopped and whispered, "Wait until daylight, then we’ll go out and head straight for the Northwest Main Camp."
Tu Ying and Tu Bai both nodded, thanking them with a clasped fist, saying if it weren’t for Bai Ruozhu’s timely arrival, they would already be in Prince Duan’s hands.
After all the night’s trials, Bai Ruozhu was so exhausted that she simply sat down on the ground. Seeing her disregard her image, the other three also sat down on the floor, resting to conserve their strength.
She closed her eyes, her mind in turmoil. With a major incident in Beiyu City, where was Achun? Would her family be alright, or would Prince Duan come for her relatives?
Bai Ruozhu could only reassure herself that Prince Duan, in staging a rebellion, couldn’t afford to lose the people’s hearts immediately. Would he really kill all the citizens of the city? He would surely employ a conciliatory policy, avoiding needless bloodshed. Even if he truly meant to target someone, with so many officials in the city, they likely wouldn’t target her family so soon, right?
Yet, recalling her own counteractions against Prince Duan a few days prior, her heart sank again.
Some light finally penetrated through the cracks of the secret door; it was like the first light of dawn, illuminating the eyes of the four individuals.