Chapter 52: Saved

  It rained heavily again in the early morning, and the weather was gloomy. The sun didn't come out until much later. The soldier responsible for guarding the city gate overslept, and when he finally opened the gate lazily after yawning, many citizens had already gathered outside waiting to enter the city. Zhong Bo smiled faintly and rewarded the gatekeeper before leading the crowd into Nan Chu's last stronghold on the border.

  They were a team of sturdy horses, with no important cargo, yet they proceeded at a slow and leisurely pace, never breaking into a trot when they could walk. It was as if they were sightseeing tourists, without any sense of urgency.

  Although Huaning Town is a small town, its geographical location is very important. As the northern border of the Southern Chu State, it has always been a military stronghold with tens of thousands of troops stationed here. Although there are no powerful neighboring countries in the east, going out of the city to the east is the largest wilderness on the mainland - the Western Black Wilderness. The Western Black Wilderness is a relatively peculiar geographical location on the mainland, located between Southern Chu, Eastern Qi, Western Chuan and Northern Qin, and also connected to the only inland passage of the Xiongnu, and the fierce barbarians in the southern border often harass this place, so it has always been a must-contend place for military strategists.

  In order to prevent the invasion of the powerful people from Nanjiang on the grassland, the residents of Xiangyang have been good at martial arts for generations. Most of the townspeople practice martial arts, and the martial arts are very popular. Therefore, people who are skilled in martial arts often receive high treatment and respect. This is why there are many martial arts halls and arenas in Xiangyang, and you can see three groups of people competing in martial arts competitions along the way.

  Apart from the prosperity of the warriors, Xiangyi was also an important commercial county in northern South Chu. Located on the edge of the Western Black Wasteland, although there were occasional skirmishes with the Nanjiang Lüdan people on the wasteland, they frequently exchanged and traded goods. The importation of cattle, sheep, and horses almost accounted for half of the country's total. Furthermore, as the South Chu Empire possessed the second-longest coastline on the continent after Dongqi, the salt industry was also highly developed, accounting for nearly a third of the continent's fish and salt trade. Just like the group led by the surname Yu they met in the tea shed earlier, who were commissioned by a salt merchant to transport sea salt to Shengdu.

  In addition, since the eastern part of Huainan is close to the coast, many islanders from the sea have come to Huainan to do business and trade with local products, exchanging necessities for life. Such as silk, tea leaves, bronze swords, ceramics, medicinal materials, etc.

  On the spacious street where eight western black stallions could run side by side, pedestrians flowed endlessly. There were Han people with black eyes and hair and yellow skin, as well as tall and dark-skinned Xikou people who exuded a fierce aura of the southern frontier, and also pure-blooded Qingqiu people with blue beards and hair.

  Zhang Bo and others stopped in front of a inn called Rugu, the sky was already bright, but the two big red lanterns in front of the inn were still hanging high, warm and cozy. The facade was quiet and elegant, with people coming and going, apparently business was booming.

  The little waiter inside was sharp-eyed and saw that although this group of people were not dressed in brocade, they were numerous and dignified. He hastily came out and repeatedly called out: "How many guests? Are you here to eat or just have a snack? Our humble shop..."

  "Ah, it's you, old sir! How was your trip? Was everything smooth?"

  Zhang Bo's handsome face also unfolded a smile, and he said kindly: "Xiao Er Ge, your auspicious words have come true, it's quite smooth."

  The little servant smiled and said: "Does the old gentleman want to stay at our inn?"

  "That's right."

  "Please come in quickly." With repeated invitations, Xiao Er's hands and feet were extremely quick, and he immediately welcomed everyone into the store.

  "Master, this is the last stop. There are no inns for over 300 miles ahead. Let's rest here." Zhong Bo respectfully came to the front of the horse carriage and said in a low voice.

  A pale and slender hand slowly extended from the carriage, and before anyone saw it, a low, husky voice had already sounded: "Zhong Bo, you go prepare."

  Although it was not the first time he had seen this mysterious guest, the shopkeeper still felt a little dizzy for a moment. It wasn't that this person was extraordinary or otherworldly, but rather his eyebrows and eyes were very ordinary, with light-colored eyebrows and slightly narrow phoenix eyes, and his complexion wasn't particularly handsome, instead revealing an unhealthy pale color. However, as soon as he stood in front of him, a refined and elegant aura slowly emanated from him, and the moon-white cotton robe seemed to be born for him, fitting him perfectly and floating elegantly, untainted by worldly vulgarity.

  The shopkeeper was taken aback, and saw that the young master had already gone upstairs. He slowly came to his senses, muttering to himself that this time the young master's complexion was much better than last time. Last time he saw him, his face was as pale as death, without a hint of blood color. This time his spirit was much better than last time.

  "Old gentleman, you're here in southern Xinjiang this time to find a divine doctor to cure an illness, right?" The shopkeeper said casually to Zhong Bo.

  But unexpectedly, Zhong Bo's expression changed in an instant, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes, and he asked calmly: "How do you explain this, Little Brother?"

  "Oh," the shopkeeper said naturally, without noticing anything unusual about Zhang Bo, "I think your young master's complexion is much better than last time, and his spirit is also very good. I suppose you must have gone to the southern border to find a divine doctor to treat his illness."

  "Really?" Zhong Bo smiled faintly, his expression also relaxing slightly, and said faintly: "However, little brother made a mistake this time. We are going to the southern border to sell medicinal materials. Look at the horse carriage outside, it's fully loaded this time."

  "It turned out that the old man was doing medicinal material business in the north." The shopkeeper didn't think much of it, as people came and went, doing all sorts of businesses. Although the southern border was treacherous, its products were very rich, so he didn't ask any more questions and followed behind Zhong Bo, welcoming him upstairs.

  Arriving at the young master's room, the shopkeeper stood still, understanding the situation. Just as Zhong Bo was about to enter, he suddenly turned his head and asked the shopkeeper, "Little brother, do you really think my young master looks better than last time?"

  "Ah?" The shopkeeper was taken aback for a moment, then quickly nodded and said, "Yes."

  "Hehe, so be it. Thank you, little brother, for your auspicious words." A silver ingot was handed over as a reward. The door slowly closed, and the shopkeeper felt even more bewildered. With this one silver ingot, he wouldn't be able to earn it back even if he worked hard for two more years. He pinched his own face fiercely, letting out an "aiyo" as he realized it wasn't a dream. He hastily went downstairs with joy and excitement.

  "Ah, young master." The windows of the house were all closed tightly, and the guard had just put down a large brazier, warm to the point of being almost stifling. But the man in white sat quietly in a rocking chair beside the brazier, his expression calm and unruffled, without a hint of disturbance.

  "Everything is ready, we will rest here for a day, let the horses take a break, replenish some food, and set off early tomorrow."

  "Alright, you go arrange it." The man's voice was distant and faintly tired, as if just sitting in the carriage had already exhausted him.

  Zhang Bo nodded and said in a low voice: "Young master, rest for now. I'll go prepare some food."

  "Good." The man's eyes were slightly closed, leaning back in his chair, his somewhat thin build looking a bit frail. But on his face, however, he looked ethereal and otherworldly, like a figure from a painting.

  "Zhong Bo," a low voice suddenly sounded, stopping Zhong Bo's footsteps as he was about to step out of the door. The man thought for a moment, slowly opening his eyes, which were as black as stars, and looked at the old man who was slightly hunched over. In a deep voice, he said: "The woman we met on the road earlier, make sure she settles down properly and doesn't continue to follow us."

  "The old servant understood." Zhong Bo nodded and said, "Is there anything else, young master?"

  "No, you go."

  The door creaked shut, and was locked up. Zhong Bo called the shopkeeper's assistant over and instructed him to find two women to take care of the young girl they had picked up on the road, then he left the inn with his two bodyguards.

  Qing Xia's head felt like it was about to split open, her limbs and body aching as if pierced by needles. Her consciousness gradually returned to her body, the entire world seeming dark around her. She struggled forward in the darkness.

  In a daze, she saw many faces. She seemed to have returned to the dense jungle of Afghanistan, where countless artillery explosions erupted around her, the bodies of comrades were blown to pieces, and the thick smoke made her cough loudly. The sky was filled with the shadows of planes, the sound of radar buzzing in her ears, and the ground beneath her feet was covered with infrared explosives. Behind her, a group of soldiers from the base, their faces painted green, charged towards her frantically, armed with MOD733 5.56mm assault rifles.

  She turned around and ran rapidly, the fighter jets in the sky swooped down in large numbers, scanning everywhere for enemies, with corpses of the dead scattered all over. The country was under a state of emergency, an A-level kill order had been issued, there was nowhere to hide. She seemed to have seen Li Yang, he wore a crisp suit, a small-caliber pistol was holstered on his hand like a work of art, behind him were nine special agents who had fought together before, they all wore gas masks and bulletproof vests, with the black holes of their guns aimed at her.

  "Xiao Xia! Hurry up!"

  A sudden loud cry rang in her ears, and Qing Xia's mind was momentarily confused. She looked around blankly, Xiao Xia? Who is Xiao Xia? I am Tang Xiao Shi, the super agent 003 from Department 9.

  "Xia Xia! Follow me!" A man's face suddenly appeared in front of him, the man riding a tall war horse, his face full of anxiety and worry, with blood all over his shoulders and chest. Behind him, the mountains of Afghanistan suddenly disappeared, replaced by a vast expanse of wilderness, countless black-clad soldiers surging forward like a flood, with arrows raining down everywhere like locusts. The man pushed himself hard, shouting loudly: "Fool, run! Run quickly!"

  "Yang Feng!" Qing Xia suddenly recognized the man's face, she wanted to stretch out her hand to tightly grasp his hand, but he was getting farther and farther away, finally falling onto a desolate grassland with arrows stuck all over his back.

  Then, the scene in front of her changed again. The man's cold eyes stared at her fiercely, his mouth tightly pursed, and his face gloomy. He slowly approached her step by step, his voice low and menacing, with a chilling tone like that of the underworld: "Zhuang Qingxia, do you think you can escape? You can't escape!"

  "No! No! No......"

  "Sir," the shopkeeper looked around for Zhang Bo, but after searching everywhere, he couldn't find any sign of the old man. He looked up at the room on the left corner of the second floor, thought for a moment, and then knocked on the door and walked in.

  "This young master, the girl who came with you seems to have woken up." The shopkeeper stuck his head in slightly, and a thick heat rushed out. Before he could even react, the collar of his shirt was tightened for an instant, and he was pulled out by one of the guards.

  "Who let you in!" The usually silent guard was furious, shouting loudly like a raging lion.

  The shopkeeper was yelled at by him, his ears buzzing, but before he could speak, the guard hastily turned around and bowed respectfully to the closed door, saying: "Young master, the guard is not doing his job well, the guard deserves to die!"

  "It's just a slight opening of the door, is it that serious?" The shopkeeper was muttering to himself and was about to speak. Suddenly, the room door creaked open slowly.

  Although it is winter now, the climate here is quite mild after all, compared to the southern border and closer to the sea. During the day, it's almost indistinguishable from spring, and inside the inn, it's even warmer. But that white-clad young master was still wearing a large white fur coat on his body, looking like a weird guest from the north.

  "Never mind, don't blame him." A gentle voice slowly rose, and the young master seemed to have been born with such a soft voice, even his temperament unknowingly brought out a hint of reassuring power. He turned around and said to the shopkeeper, "Please lead the way, and trouble someone to call a doctor."

  "Oh, okay, follow me." The shopkeeper hastily agreed and led the way forward. In a daze, the weak woman was running wildly, with countless ghosts and monsters yelling behind her. The sky and earth were a dull yellow, with thunder and lightning flashing everywhere, and heavy rain pouring down. Just then, a bright figure suddenly appeared in front of her. The person wore clean white clothes, elegant and simple, and stood out strikingly in the darkness. With a sudden burst of strength, the woman's weak hands grasped the figure tightly.

  A sense of fullness fills the space between palms, the storm seems to have stopped in an instant, all things are quiet, sunlight breaks through the clouds, and the whole world has fallen silent in an instant.

  "Your Highness!" The guard's eyes widened in surprise and he suddenly shouted out loud.

  "Shh!" The man in white clothes suddenly turned his head around, gave him a faint glance, and completely shut down the rest of what he was going to say.

  The young master turned his head, looking at the pale woman who had just changed into a simple and elegant light green dress. She looked even thinner than him, with deep eye sockets and dry, cracked lips that were pale in color. The signs of malnutrition from not eating for a long time were evident on her pale face. Her long eyelashes cast a small shadow on her cheek like a tiny fan, and her small nose was slightly upturned. Her two eyebrows were tightly furrowed together, forming a clear "川" shape on her small face.

  She was petite and slightly hunched over, making her appear even smaller. At this moment, she clutched her own hands tightly, as if grasping a lifeline, with an astonishingly strong grip that seemed to exhaust all her strength. She no longer looked as frightened and restless as before, but still cowered, her body trembling slightly.

  It had been a long time since she'd had such thoughts, and yet the white-clad young master had actually sat down beside her bed, reaching out to gently pat the thick quilt.

  It's been a long time, how long has it been since she had a good sleep like this, a quiet sleep, as if wrapped in the warm sea layer by layer, everywhere is warm seawater, she is nestled in it, feeling a moment of heart-wrenching peace.

  No war, no mission, no espionage, no hostages, no terrorists, no blood on hands, no hail of bullets in the sky, and no farewell. No imperial palace, no cold sword, no endless intrigue, only a warm breeze blowing gently in her ear. She lies on a warm bed, able to sleep peacefully. Nobody will come to disturb her, nobody will come to assassinate her. It's really great this way.

  When did she start to forget, and was just a twenty-year-old girl?

  When did she forget that she was also a flesh-and-blood person?

  As he gazed at the unfamiliar woman, a faint smile suddenly rose to her lips. The white-clothed young master also felt a warm and gentle feeling, his mouth slowly curving up as he smiled faintly too.

  Zhang Bo glanced quietly at the door and then silently closed it, carefully backing out.