Chapter 43

In the lunar eleventh month, which corresponds to December in the solar calendar, the north wind howled, and the weather in Youzhou was already quite cold. The members of the gold transport team, except for a few servants of the Zhong family who were driving the carts, mostly huddled in the carriages to avoid the cold wind. Only Qingchen, the real Taoist, was an exception. He claimed that he wanted to use this opportunity to hone his willpower, and he sat cross-legged outside the carriage, using his true qi to resist the severe cold. Although the others admired his spirit, they admired it in their hearts but did not respond to his call to accompany him in his training.

The convoy had been traveling for more than an hour, and they were about ten miles away from Liangxiang City. Just as the people in the carriage were about to fall asleep due to the swaying and jolting of the cart, Qingchen, who was meditating in the first cart, suddenly shouted, "Stop the cart!" Immediately, all the carts stopped without knowing why. Zhang Weixin, who was dozing in the carriage where Qingchen was sitting, was also awakened by the shout. Before he could ask, Wang Feng, who was in the same cart, had already rushed forward, pulling out his gun from his chest and lifting the curtain to ask, "What's wrong? What happened?"

At the same time, the people in the other carts also took action. The members of the security team jumped out of the carts, all with their guns loaded, ready to prevent any potential robbery. Qingchen, who had startled everyone, looked at these armed "uncles" in surprise, not understanding why he had only vaguely heard some arguing in the forest ahead and wanted to stop to see what was happening. He didn't think his shout was that loud. He had forgotten that in such cold weather, there were almost no pedestrians on the road, and apart from the howling north wind, there was no sound in the surroundings. It was precisely because of this that he could hear the faint sounds coming from upwind. Although his shout was not loud, it sounded very clear in this environment. Moreover, since they were transporting a large amount of gold into the city, the "uncles" responsible for security, who were on high alert, naturally overreacted to the sudden sound.

Just as he was surprised, he noticed that all the "uncles" were looking at him with questioning eyes, clearly seeing no abnormalities around and wanting to know why he had suddenly shouted to stop the cart. Under the gaze of the "uncles," Qingchen smiled awkwardly and said apologetically, "Uncles, don't be nervous. There's no one trying to rob us. Just now, after I entered a meditative state, I became more sensitive to external sounds. I seemed to hear some arguing in the forest ahead, fearing that someone might be trying to harm us, so I wanted to stop and check. I didn't mean to shout so loudly and startle you all. Please bear with me and don't be angry."

Hearing his explanation, the穿越者们 (time travelers) who had been on high alert all breathed a sigh of relief. Although they were startled by Qingchen, since he had already apologized, they did not pursue the matter further. As their spirits relaxed, they all perked up their ears to listen carefully. After focusing for a while, they could indeed hear faint shouts mixed in with the howling wind, but they couldn't make out what was being said.

However, whether it was someone arguing or something else, it was just a trivial matter. The gold transport team had an important mission, and they needed to decide whether to get involved in this trivial matter. There were various opinions, but in the end, Xu Shaowan's suggestion was accepted by the majority. He believed that since the sound was coming from ahead, the team should continue moving forward. If they could see the people and the situation when they reached the source of the sound, they would stop and investigate. If they couldn't see anything, they would continue on their way without stopping. With this decision made, the gold transport team set off again.

As the carts moved along the official road, the previously indistinct sounds gradually became clearer. It was clear that someone was shouting, and as they got closer, the content of the shouts became more understandable. One of the shouts, "In broad daylight, you dare to rob on the road, is there no law at all?" and an empty cart parked by the roadside made the members of the gold transport team, who had relaxed, tense up again.

Zhang Weixin quickly lifted the curtain and signaled the driver to stop. After consulting with Xu Shaowan, they decided to send Qingchen, Wang Feng, and Zeng Zhilin to quietly investigate the situation. Qingchen and the two others then crept forward to a nearby forest, while the others spread out around the carts to be on guard, just in case.

A short while later, Zeng Zhilin hurriedly ran back. Seeing this, Zhang Weixin and the others knew something had happened and hurriedly went to meet him, asking, "What's the situation?"

Zeng Zhilin caught his breath and said, "I've seen it clearly. In the forest ahead, three travelers are being intercepted by eight or nine bandits, who intend to rob and assault them."

"Rob and assault? That means there's a woman among the victims?" Zhang Weixin and Xu Shaowan asked almost simultaneously.

Zeng Zhilin nodded, but his face showed a look of disbelief as he said, "Yes, it's two men and one woman, and we all know this woman."

Zhang, Xu, and the others were taken aback. How could a woman they knew be robbed? The ladies in the time travel group were all at Yuxu Palace in the morning and had no plans to go out. Apart from that, the only woman everyone knew was Zhong Ziqi, but according to Zhong Yuwai, she was staying at home, waiting for Wang Feng to come and pick her up in a grand sedan chair. It was unlikely she would come here. Moreover, with Zhong Ziqi's temper and abilities, she would have already drawn her sword rather than argue with the bandits. If it wasn't them, who could it be? However, Xu Shaowan quickly realized who it was and looked at Zeng Zhilin, saying, "It can't be that coincidental, can it? Is it really that girl?"

Zeng Zhilin clearly understood who he was referring to and nodded with a bitter smile, saying, "It really is her. Fortunately, her old servant and a young man seem to have some martial arts skills and are holding knives to face the bandits. The bandits are a bit wary, so far they have only been threatening with words and haven't made a move. Feng and Qingchen are secretly monitoring the situation and will signal if anything happens."

At this point, Zhang Weixin also understood who they were talking about. In this era, apart from the ladies in the time travel group, the only women everyone knew were Zhong Ziqi and Huang Ying'er and her sisters. From Zeng Zhilin's expression, it was clear that it wasn't the time travel ladies or Zhong Ziqi, so it could only be the mysterious Huang Ying'er.

Thinking about this, Zhang Weixin couldn't help but smile bitterly. This heaven really likes to play tricks on people. He had originally planned to avoid any further contact with this Huang Ying'er, as the mystery surrounding her might bring some adverse effects to himself or the team. But now, he had to deal with this situation.

The time travelers were generally righteous, and many of them had received true teachings from the immortal Fuyaozi. They practiced diligently with Yuxuzi, and their martial arts skills were improving. Although they lacked combat experience, dealing with a few bandits was not a problem. In such a situation, they should naturally step forward and help. However, since this involved the mysterious Huang Ying'er, Zhang Weixin was hesitant. He wasn't sure whether he should intervene.

While Zhang Weixin was still pondering, Xu Shaowan had already grown impatient. He knew what Zhang Weixin was worried about, but in this situation, if they didn't help and it turned out to be a real robbery, Zhang Weixin would likely feel guilty for the rest of his life.

So, after weighing the pros and cons, he decided that they should help, regardless of whether it was a real robbery or a trap set by Huang Ying'er. If it was a real robbery, everyone would be happy. If it was a trap, with the current strength of the gold transport team, they wouldn't suffer much harm, and they could also see the true face of Huang Ying'er.

He waved his hand and said generously, "Old Zhang, stop overthinking it. Whether it's a blessing or a curse, we have to help today. Even if it's a trap, with our strength, we can break it." He patted Zhang Weixin on the shoulder and turned to Tang Chao and others, ordering, "Tang Chao, Yang Xin, and Wu Peng, stay to assist Old Zhang in protecting the carts. I and Dazhi will go to help."

Just as he was about to turn and leave, Zeng Zhilin laughed and stopped him, saying, "There's no need for you, Commander Xu, to go. Qingchen told me that these bandits don't seem to have much skill, they just rely on their numbers. They can barely manage a few basic moves, which is why they haven't made a move against an old, one-armed sick man and a young man with rough martial arts skills. Qingchen can handle them alone, and with my and Feng's help, it will be even easier. You just wait here and listen for good news. I'll be back soon." With that, he didn't wait for Xu Shaowan to react and ran back into the forest.

At this moment, in a small clearing in the forest, Huang Ying'er was watching the scene in front of her with great anxiety, but she could do nothing. In front of her, Yang Yongzhong held a single saber in his right hand, pointing it at the eight or nine bandits with fierce eyes, shouting loudly. Beside him, his adopted son Yang Kefu also held a single saber, watching the bandits' movements nervously, ready to defend against any sudden attack.

They had been in a standoff for a while. If one observed carefully, one could see that the tip of Yang Yongzhong's saber was no longer as straight as it was initially, and his hand was trembling slightly. The prolonged standoff had drained a lot of his energy, and his already weak body was struggling to hold on. If not for his strong will, he would have already dropped the saber and fallen to the ground. Yang Kefu, although strong and healthy, had two disadvantages: his martial arts skills were rough because his adoptive father's poor health had prevented him from teaching him well, and he had never experienced such a situation before, which made him nervous and significantly reduced his combat effectiveness.

The bandits clearly understood their advantage and did not rush to attack. Instead, they used verbal threats to apply pressure, waiting for the two men with sabers to exhaust their energy before making a sudden move to ensure success and minimize their own losses.

Huang Ying'er was well aware of the bandits' plan but was powerless to do anything. They were in a difficult situation, unable to advance or retreat. Advancing would not be enough to injure the bandits and might expose a weakness, while retreating would not be fast enough, and the two remaining people, besides Yang Kefu, would likely collapse before they could run half a mile. Moreover, it was winter, and the cold weather meant there were few pedestrians on the road, so relying on outside help was a pipe dream.

As she watched Uncle Yang's breathing become more labored and his saber seem heavier, Huang Ying'er felt a deep sense of helplessness. She was in a situation where heaven and earth offered no help, and it seemed that her life and the lives of the Yangs would be lost here. If it were just a matter of death, it would be a final end, and she wouldn't have to worry about the tangled and unresolved matters in her heart. However, the greedy looks the bandits gave her made her certain that she would not die quickly and would suffer great humiliation. Even worse, she might be taken back to their den and suffer long-term abuse, leaving her in a state where she could neither live nor die. The thought of this made her shudder with fear.

At this point, Huang Ying'er had completely lost hope. To preserve her innocence and avoid endless suffering, she secretly pulled out a hairpin from her head and held it tightly in her hand. She decided that when the situation became critical, she would stab herself in the throat to maintain her innocence. With this resolve, she became calm, no longer as anxious and at a loss as before. Although she had left the city to investigate his true identity, taking advantage of the opportunity when Liu Yunyan was in Youzhou, and ended up encountering bandits, she did not regret it. Her only regret was that she would not have the chance to express her feelings to him, and he would soon forget her. She was unwilling, truly unwilling. She raised her head to look at the somewhat gray sky, then closed her eyes and silently prayed, "If heaven has eyes, let me escape this disaster. When I see him again, I will immediately express my feelings to him and reveal my background and current situation, without hiding anything from him."