The Double-Chapter 658 - 202 Protection_3

She had not finished speaking when she suddenly saw Jih Heng’s expression change slightly. Puzzled, she heard some rustling sounds from the bushes, and then Wen Renyao appeared before her, drenched in sweat. As soon as he saw Jiang Li and the others, he shouted, "Run!"

But before he could finish, an even louder noise came from the bushes, and someone followed!

Wen Renyao ran to Lu Jiu in a sorry state, but Lu Jiu, along with Jih Heng and Zhao Ke, did not move an inch, as if they did not see Wen Renyao’s disheveled appearance. Soon after, several people emerged from behind the bushes, all dressed as soldiers. They were far from Huangzhou City, so these were unlikely to be people from the Military Defense General or the City Defense Army; they must be Prince Cheng’s soldiers.

The soldiers had taken the main road and were traveling faster than they were. They had not expected to encounter them here. It seemed these were stray soldiers who had fallen behind the main force following Prince Cheng.

In total there were five men, all tall in stature and carrying an aura of malice that came from having killed. Upon seeing Jiang Li and her group, the leader asked, "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Sir," answered Lu Jiu with a smile, "we are merchants traveling from Yongzhou, just passing by this place. We intended to go to Huangzhou, but the city gates were not open, so we have to head back to Yongzhou. We heard it was chaotic outside, so we took the mountain path."

As Lu Jiu spoke, his face bore a flattering smile, showing no trace of the scheming scholar he usually was, instead resembling a timid merchant. Zhao Ke and Wen Ji remained silent; since they were dressed as coachmen, they naturally did not draw attention.

"Leave the carriage," ordered the leading soldier. "The rest of you, get lost!"

Jiang Li breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully these men had not drawn their swords. They were currently with a child, and both Jiang Li and Wen Renyao had no martial arts skills. A confrontation with these men would surely bind them hand and foot. But what was of utmost importance was the possibility of attracting Prince Cheng’s troops not far behind. If so many soldiers came together, even with Jih Heng’s considerable skills, it would be hard to fight against such numbers.

The soldiers’ eyes roamed over them; a child, a young master, a supposedly timid merchant, two coachmen. Jih Heng’s appearance was rather striking, but when he concealed his dangerous aura, he just appeared as an overly handsome young man with nothing peculiar about him.

The officials’ gaze settled on Jiang Li, and someone said, "The woman stays too!"

Jiang Li’s heart skipped a beat and, as the man spoke, several soldiers’ lustful gazes began to stick to her. The red marks on her face had almost entirely healed, and she looked merely like a delicate and pretty young girl. In the hands of these men... frёewebnoѵēl.com

Wen Renyao was the first to protest, "Sir, this isn’t good. If you want silver... we have plenty... we beg you to show mercy."

One of the soldiers suddenly drew his blade and barked at Wen Renyao, "Shut up if you don’t want to die!"

Wen Renyao flinched, and Lin Yao, who had been hiding behind Lu Jiu, started to cry loudly. The crying annoyed the soldiers, one of whom glared menacingly and, holding his sword, approached Lin Yao and the others. Meanwhile, two others headed straight for Jiang Li.

Their eyes were greedy, looking at Jiang Li as if wolves had spotted their prey. Jiang Li’s hand found the scissors in her sleeve. It was the pair she had taken from the dressing table the day she had been saved by Jih Heng and stayed in Huangzhou City, presumably left by the previous owner of the residence. The delicate scissors had been hidden in her sleeve ever since, and she had thought they were no longer needed, but now they would prove useful here.

She couldn’t help but glance at Jih Heng. He still wore that smiling demeanor, simply looking at her with no intent to move. Jiang Li knew he wouldn’t let what was unfolding before them happen, yet as the two men approached, her heart began to race.

Just as one of the soldiers reached her and was about to touch Jiang Li’s face, she fiercely pulled out the scissors from her sleeve and stabbed viciously toward the man in front of her. But in the next moment, she only saw a flash of red pass before her eyes as someone wrapped around her in a crimson robe, and a voice whispered in her ear.

His voice was low and soft but carried a chill as he said, "Don’t be afraid."