Tigers Sniff the Rose - Chapter 125

Chapter 125

Yan Shang had not figured out why Mu Wanyao had left the city instead of just enjoying her leisure with Pei Qing. If they had simply stayed within the city walls, his defensive deployment would have ensured that the mountain bandits could not have gained any advantage.

But clearly, that was not the primary concern at this moment.

When the regional commander used both the real and fake Princesses as bait, and when Yun Shu’s voice trembled as he told him that the person seized by the bandits was indeed Mu Wanyao, Yan Shang immediately understood the situation—

If Pei Qing had not betrayed Mu Wanyao!

Then the current situation was a plan to kill three birds with one stone: eliminate Mu Wanyao, eliminate Pei Qing, and eliminate Yan Shang himself.

Although Yan Shang had managed to coexist peacefully with the Nanyang Jiang clan for three years through his own diplomatic skills, seemingly without conflict, he was privately very aware that the inherent opposition between his position and that of the great clans made such friction inevitable.

Moreover, the cold-門 faction behind Mu Wanyao and the great clan faction behind the Third Prince, the Prince of Qin, were locked in a life-and-death struggle in Chang'an. As the Nanyang Jiang clan was the maternal family of the Prince of Qin, they usually lacked an opportunity—but once Mu Wanyao fell into the hands of mountain bandits, if the Jiang clan did not kick her while she was down, they would not be worthy of their current status.

If Mu Wanyao were killed by a stray arrow, it would be the work of the bandits. The regional commander would at most face a charge of "failing to rescue in time," a crime not punishable by death. Meanwhile, the pillars of the cold-門 faction represented by Pei Qing, who backed Mu Wanyao, would certainly be held responsible for her death. Finally, this bandit suppression plan had been personally proposed by Yan Shang... For a famous official of the realm, Yan Suchen, to die early for this matter, allowing Nanyang to return to the era of the Jiang clan’s sole dictate, would be the best outcome.

...Yan Shang saw through the Jiang clan’s intentions at a glance. Naturally, he could never allow Mu Wanyao to be harmed here.

However, the regional commander was in charge of directing the battle. As a magistrate, Yan Shang was naturally a rank lower, and in battle, nothing was more dangerous than having two commanders issuing conflicting orders. If Yan Shang ordered everyone to cease fighting now, not only would it disrupt the battle, it was highly likely that the more he commanded, the more chaotic the situation would become.

Thus, Yan Shang, a blind man, donned his bow and long sword and led his own followers to charge into the battlefield himself.

Those around Yan Shang shouted, "The Prefect has entered the fray himself! How dare you not give your all!"

The officials and clerks had long admired Yan Shang’s character; over these three years, Yan Shang had performed his duties as magistrate in a way that left them with nothing to criticize. Now, seeing a man with such limited mobility enter the fray, the heroic spirit of these men was ignited, and they fought all the more fiercely. Because of his natural status as an official, once Yan Shang joined the battle, both soldiers and bandits were drawn toward his position.

Mu Wanyao was held by two or three bandits. The one who had seized her dismounted, gripping her and screaming wildly. After the regional commander’s roar, the officials no longer hesitated; they struck where they needed to strike. The bandits, who had hoped to use her to force the officials to stop the war, found themselves in a difficult spot, fending off officials and incoming arrows from all directions in a state of disarray.

Mu Wanyao was very uncomfortable being held by them, yet she remained expressionless, never speaking a word. Her stoic lack of fear only convinced the bandits further that she was the real Princess—only a true Princess would remain so calm in such a chaotic battlefield.

Mu Wanyao’s eyes were fixed on Yan Shang, who had become the leader of the official forces. She watched how inconvenient it was for a blind man to be in the midst of it all, how his hands gripping the bow and arrows turned white with strain, and how several times he tried to shoot, only to be distracted by the cacophony of noise from every direction. The bow in his hand and the arrows on his back seemed completely useless.

Arrows flew like locusts, and casualties lay everywhere. Yan Shang stood in the middle of it all, his eyes covered by a white veil, standing among a crowd of people with perfect vision, forced to rely on the protection of Han Suxing and the others. This became his greatest weakness.

His face was as white as jade, clear and handsome, and his long robe embroidered with green bamboo exuded a graceful, unrestrained charm. However, this was a battlefield, not a gathering place for scholars to discuss poetry. In his current appearance, amidst a crowd of burly men with eyes reddened by the slaughter, he looked panicked, bleak, and completely out of place.

Mu Wanyao frowned, thinking: A blind man standing in such a conspicuous place, what on earth is he doing?

On the other side, the regional commander had not entered the fight himself. Watching Yan Shang personally directing the battle, his subordinates asked for instructions. The regional commander’s eyes were dark and gloomy, and he chuckled faintly: "If Yan Erlang wants to be a hero, let us fulfill his wish. The urgent matter now is bandit suppression; sacrificing one or two people is of no consequence."

He shouted sternly: "Charge! The bandits have plagued this region; today, we must not let a single one escape—"

Hearing the officials roar "The Magistrate is here himself," and hearing the soldiers fight even more desperately under the commander’s urging, the bandits were momentarily panicked. Those holding Mu Wanyao felt their breathing grow heavy: Should they take the magistrate as a hostage? Because taking the Princess captive hadn't made the enemy soldiers stop.

On Yan Shang’s side, the sounds of battle drew closer to him, which gave him a better grasp of the situation. His entire body was tense, his hand gripped the bow, and several times, when a killing blow reached his face, his instinct was to draw the bow, but he endured it. He had to act in an incompetent manner so that he would become the target of the bandits.

He needed to get close to his opponents in order to rescue Mu Wanyao.

Han Suxing moved around Yan Shang, killing enemies. He moved with freedom, his excellent martial arts leaving him at ease among the bandits, and no one could stop him. He was also looking for an opportunity to approach the Princess, but the bandits were wary of this highly skilled fighter, and he could not get close.

Han Suxing kept informing Yan Shang of the changing positions of the enemies.

Yun Shu stood behind Yan Shang, clutching his sword. After trembling and killing two people, Yun Shu’s face went pale; he felt he was at his limit.

So many dead people... Yun Shu called out a trembling "Erlang," and Yan Shang whispered: "Just keep up this appearance of being unable to stand the sight of the battlefield, then run out and don’t look back. Go to the residence to bring reinforcements, go find Fang Tong and the Princess’s other guards... don’t find Pei Qing’s, and don’t find the county office’s! Only the Princess’s own guards are truly reliable!"

Yun Shu: "But Young Master, what about you..."

Han Suxing moved to Yan Shang’s side once again, his voice urgent: "Erlang, the bandits are losing control. Some are sneaking toward us..."

Yan Shang immediately gave Yun Shu a violent shove backward and shouted sternly: "Go!"

At the same time, a blade swung toward Yan Shang. Han Suxing let out a sharp cry and threw himself forward like a bolt of lightning. Yan Shang stumbled back two steps, appearing a bit panicked that the guards around him had left. He hurriedly called out for protection. A bandit hidden in the crowd saw his opening, his face twisting with cruelty as he lunged at Yan Shang, pinning the scholar-turned-magistrate under his hand...——

The bandits had captured Yan Shang, and several of them shouted: "Your Magistrate is in our hands! Stop right now!"

They truly did not understand the small frictions between the officials, and after shouting twice to no avail, they were momentarily bewildered. However, they knew the importance of Yan Shang and could not let him go. Gritting his teeth, the bandit who had captured him shouted: "Boss! We have the real Princess in our hands, and the Prefect is also in our hands! Those officials will surely negotiate with us! We should retreat first today!"

The bandit leader, who was fighting hard in the battlefield, laughed when he heard this: "Good! Well done!"

Bandits like them were not on the household registers and occupied the mountains to be kings. They did not produce anything, only burning, killing, and looting, which was essentially a betrayal of the imperial court. When the Wei officials ignored them, they could barely survive. If the Wei officials truly meant to clean them up, they were nothing but thieves!

No matter how many bandits there were, they could not withstand the large numbers of the court’s troops.

These Nanyang bandits had only been fighting the official soldiers for a little over two months, and they had already lost many men and suffered heavy losses. Being completely wiped out was only a matter of time. But now, with both the Princess and the Prefect in their hands, why fear the soldiers!

The bandit leader’s eyes were red, and he shouted sternly: "Take the hostages away first! I’ll cover the rear for you!"

The bandits who had captured the hostages called out to their leader emotionally, saying they wouldn't leave, but after being shouted at twice by the leader, and seeing that the situation was unfavorable, they gritted their teeth. Grabbing the two hostages, they mounted their horses one by one, and under the cover of the bandits in the rear, charged up the mountain road!

The regional commander in the rear sent men: "Pursue!"

Han Suxing called to Yan Erlang’s private guards: "Follow—"——

The wind whistled by their ears as several horses galloped wildly on the mountain road.

Yan Shang was pinned on a horse by a bandit, with soldiers still chasing behind, shooting arrows continuously. He was burning with anxiety, relying on his hearing to judge the current situation. He knew in his heart that Mu Wanyao must have been captured with him, but that woman was too stubborn and hadn't made a sound, so he couldn't determine where she was...

Yan Shang closed his eyes, desperately trying to stay calm and judge the timing.

Behind him, Han Suxing and the others chased closely: "Let the Prefect and the Princess go, and we will spare your lives—"

The bandits were horrified that the enemy was in such relentless pursuit, and several turned to fight the pursuers. In the chaos, the bandit holding Mu Wanyao suddenly let out a miserable shriek, for as he turned his head in a panic, he was bitten on the wrist by the silent Mu Wanyao. As he struggled to release the reins, Mu Wanyao leaned over and seized the opportunity to take control of the reins, kicking hard against the horse’s belly to make it stumble...

Yan Shang’s heart was thrown into chaos, and immediately after, he heard the crisp sound of a slap from the diagonal angle ahead in the confusion: "You stinking bitch! You dare to bite me!"

Next came the sound of a horse neighing, mixed with the sound of a palm striking flesh.

The young lady did not make a single sound.

Yan Shang’s heart felt like it was dripping blood; he could no longer calmly wait for the right moment!

The bandit holding Yan Shang felt that the magistrate he had captured was only using the bow and arrows for show, as he had never seen the man shoot a single arrow. The bandit held a rope in one hand to tie Yan Shang while riding, looking back at the battle behind him, watching the bandits on his side block Han Suxing and the others, and how they started the fight...

Then, a cold flash of light from a dagger moved from bottom to top. As the bandit turned his head again to look at the mountain road ahead, his throat was slit from bottom to top.

In less than a breath, the Prefect, who looked like a weak scholar and had been held by him, had somehow broken free from the ropes and kicked him off the horse. With a loud "thud," the man fell off, drawing everyone’s attention.

A bandit in the rear discovered that Yan Shang had taken control of the horse and immediately grew stern, lunging from his horse to restrain Yan Shang. However, Han Suxing and the others also caught up, their light-foot skills swift, one sword per person!

But Yan Shang could not control the horse!

He gripped the reins, his palms full of sweat. Because he could not see, he could not judge the direction. He listened to the chaotic sound of hoofbeats, desperately trying to judge Mu Wanyao’s direction. He could not help but call out: "Your Highness... Yaoyao!"

Give him a sound—let him judge where she was!

Mu Wanyao was pressed onto the horse’s back by the bandit, the horse stumbling violently due to her earlier actions. Thanks to the horsemanship she had learned in Wuman, being pressed onto the horse by a man at least didn't cause her physical discomfort. Unfortunately, as a weak woman, her resistance against the man was nothing more than biting him or disrupting his concentration... she had previously tried to kick him off when the bandit was distracted, but she didn't have enough strength.

Instead, she was slapped several times and pressed back onto the horse!

Mu Wanyao was drenched in cold sweat, but she relied on her sheer stubborn spirit to keep her silence.

It was in this hazy moment that she heard Yan Shang’s trembling voice behind her: "Yaoyao." She gritted her teeth, barely managing to look back. The bandit discovered she was struggling and slapped her again, cursing: "What are you looking at? Could that be your lover—"

Mu Wanyao suddenly put in the effort, thrusting her back against the man. She bent her knees and kicked hard against the side of the horse. The horse beneath her, teased mercilessly in succession like this, let out a sharp shriek, and crashed into the mountain wall. Yan Shang listened to the sound behind him to judge the position, and an arrow flew from his hand, shot straight at the horse's body—

The bandit cursed: "You dirty bitch!"

The horse crashed into the mountain stone, and the entire body of the horse shook violently, with debris and soil from the mountain raining down from above. Yet Mu Wanyao in the bandit’s arms would not stop; her vision was blurred, but she bit down again on whatever she could reach... Thus, the bandit and she fell off the horse together, rolling thud by thud on the mountain road.

Yan Shang’s arrows followed close behind, and following the sound, they pierced into the ground one after another.

He stopped his horse, but all was darkness, and the sounds from all four directions were chaotic... He hated his blindness to the core. His arms felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, raising and falling, and because he could not hear a sound, he dared not shoot his arrows.

He was terrified that if he shot in the wrong direction, he would hurt her!

It wasn't until he finally heard a low, hoarse, and desperate female voice coming from a corner, trembling: "Yan Shang—"

The arrow in Yan Shang’s hand pointed in that direction, and with a "swoosh," it flew out, the arrows descending like locusts!——

The bandit pressed Mu Wanyao underneath him, lunging to the edge of the cliff grass by the mountain road. He had already seen how restless this woman was, and since he was already in too deep, he decided to strangle the woman beneath him. But just as his body stiffened, an arrow pierced through his chest. He opened his eyes blankly and collapsed onto Mu Wanyao.

Mu Wanyao panted, her vision going black.

The upper half of her body was almost over the edge of the cliff, and she was entirely supported by the bandit’s body. She could not push the person off, and as she was shivering, she heard Yan Shang’s trembling voice: "Yaoyao..."

Mu Wanyao spat out the blood in her mouth, grabbing the shoulder of the bandit on top of her with difficulty: "I’m here..."

In the next moment, Yan Shang, who had dismounted, stumbled over. He was covered in mud, having fallen many times on the twisted, stone-filled, shrub-covered mountain road, but he lunged over and pulled the man pressing down on Mu Wanyao away. He knelt on the ground, his long hair scattered over his cheeks, and leaned down to take Mu Wanyao into his arms.

His cold, sweat-drenched hands stroked her cheeks, his face tense, but his voice was trembling: "Were you hit by him..."

Mu Wanyao leaned on his shoulder, panting; her cheeks were swollen from the hits, and her mouth was bleeding. But she closed her eyes: "What does it matter? Haven’t I slapped you before..."

There were a thousand words, where could one begin to explain them all.

Yan Shang was dazed, suddenly leaning over to hug her body tightly, without saying a word.

His body was shaking just like hers; he was not the type of strong man who could fight ten people at once... Mu Wanyao felt a sour ache in her heart; although the predicament had not been escaped, she felt a sense of relief.

Held in his arms, she felt that sense of safety she had lost for so long.

The crisis had not been resolved; the bandits, seeing the two hostages reunited, naturally would not give up. Yan Shang did not have time to say more to Mu Wanyao. He could not see what she looked like now, so he could only grab her hand and pull her up. He gave up the bow and arrows, and at Mu Wanyao’s prompt, felt for a sword used by the bandits on the ground.

He held her hand in one hand, shielding her behind him, while holding the sword in the other, facing those bandits who wanted to come over.

Han Suxing and other guards also dismounted and fought with the bandits here. Several waves of bandits rushed toward Yan Shang, but all were slashed or repelled by the sword in Yan Shang’s hand. These bandits were uneven in skill, after all, and Yan Shang could barely handle them.

It was just that Mu Wanyao’s hand was always tightly gripped by him.

In her exhaustion, Mu Wanyao felt the sweat in the hand Yan Shang was holding. Having broken into such a sweat, he still wouldn't let her go.

Han Suxing shouted from the other side: "Erlang, it’s not just the bandits chasing us, the soldiers are chasing us too!"

Yan Shang said: "Stop everyone—"

Han Suxing gritted his teeth: "Better to let the Princess escape first..."

Yan Shang slashed a bandit who lunged at him with a sword and panted slightly: "No, she wants to be with me, she must be by my side."

In this way, he could only fight with his life... but the enemy and he were mismatched here, and even if they fought, there would be no way out. Yan Shang could only grab Mu Wanyao’s hand and desperately think of a way back to the city from here. Their entire circle was laid out on the mountain road, with a cliff on one side and a stone wall on the other, making it truly difficult to charge out.

He could not go deep into the mountain forest!

The forest was full of bandits.

He could not retreat back!

He did not know who was friend or foe among the soldiers!

Caught in such a dilemma, the fighting became intense. Suddenly, Mu Wanyao, who had been dragged behind Yan Shang the whole time, whispered: "Do you feel it? Is the ground shaking?"

Yan Shang paused: "What?"

But he didn't need to think about it!

The entire ground began to sway, and the mountain walls began to tremble. Because Yan Shang could not see, he did not know the movement around him, but the hand Mu Wanyao held onto him with was shaking violently. The overwhelming sounds of wailing and pleading came from all sides. When Yan Shang was at a loss and nervous, he heard Mu Wanyao trembling: "It’s the earth dragon—the earth dragon has awakened!"

The earth dragon had awakened.

Perhaps it had been awakened by the fighting on the mountain.

For whatever reason, Mu Wanyao watched as the cracked ground extended to beneath her and Yan Shang’s feet, and the rocks and trees above their heads all crashed down. Han Suxing’s eyes were splitting as he shouted "Erlang" and lunged over. Even the blind Yan Shang felt the violent shaking.

In an instant, with no other choice, Yan Shang turned and took Mu Wanyao into his arms.

In the next moment, the ground beneath the two of them finally split open, and the two were swept into the swirling dust and buried.

Amidst the flying sand and rocks, Han Suxing was constantly struck by flying rocks and trees, but his eyes never left Yan Shang. As Yan Shang’s robe was swept into the cliff below by the flying sand, Han Suxing lunged over, without a moment’s hesitation, and jumped down after the two of them...——

The earth dragon’s awakening lasted for an unknown amount of time; the heavens and earth were always dark, with rolling dust and smoke. The entire mountain forest drowned the soldiers and bandits within it, and each person fled under the terrifying power of nature; life and death became beyond their own control under the might of nature.

Yan Shang did not care how those soldiers and bandits fled or died.

After he woke up groggily, he found that he and Mu Wanyao were buried beneath a cave. His entire body ached, and he likely had many wounds, but he could no longer worry about so much. Afterward, he endured the pain and woke up Mu Wanyao, who had fainted in his arms. The two of them then worked together to crawl out from beneath the cave buried in the soil.

This took about half an hour.

After going out, fortunately, the two met Han Suxing, who had come to look for them. Accompanied by Han Suxing, who possessed superb martial arts, they were finally not too unable to find a target in this mountain that had changed appearance.

Han Suxing told Yan Shang that they should be on the flat ground at the bottom of the valley. But after the earth dragon, all the mountain features had changed, and he didn't know if the earth dragon would wake up a second time, so Han Suxing couldn't judge where they were now.

After Yan Shang roughly had Han Suxing tell him about the situation he saw, he made a judgment, endured the pain, and said the name of a mountain, saying: "We should have been washed toward the direction of the stream beneath that mountain. There should be a stream here, but after the earth dragon, I don't know if the stream is still there; don't worry about it first.

"If I remember correctly, there will be a wooden hut where hunters rest not a mile to the east of this place, where clothing and food are kept all year round... let’s go find it."

Han Suxing hesitated: "Is Erlang sure? The terrain has changed, will that wooden hut still be there..."

Mu Wanyao cut him off mercilessly: "Whether it’s right or not, go find it first. He is already like this, and those people might still be chasing us; we must find a place to rest first and survive tonight."

Han Suxing looked at Yan Shang.

Seeing Yan Shang being supported by Mu Wanyao, covered in dust on his face and body, because of the previous battle, Yan Shang’s body was already stained with blood, and at this moment, his back was covered in large areas of bright red... Mu Wanyao’s face was pale, supporting Yan Shang, the two of them hobbling along.

Han Suxing judged that the bright red on Yan Shang’s back was likely from the injury he had sustained after the earth dragon to protect the Princess—

Yan Shang was truly fully prepared.

He was dedicated to suppressing bandits and had memorized the mountain paths and terrain in all directions of Rang County, keeping them in his heart. Even though the terrain had changed now, the general direction was not wrong. The three of them walked in the pitch-black night, encountered no enemies along the way, and without walking more than a mile extra, before they were exhausted, they found the wooden hut for hunters to rest that Yan Shang had mentioned.

The roof of the wooden hut had collapsed by half, crushed by a falling beech tree from the mountain. But perhaps because the terrain here was flat, the wooden hut itself was not too damaged. After the three of them went in, they found that what the hunters had left behind was not only food and clothing, but also some basic healing medicine.

At this point, the three finally exhaled—

Yan Shang was supported by Han Suxing to a corner of the house to change his clothes and treat the wounds on his body. Yan Shang sat against the wall, and after his spirit had been under high tension, he was now just exhausted in body and mind.

When Mu Wanyao brought the candle over, she saw Yan Shang sitting with his clothes open. He had his knees bent, with his forehead resting on his knees, and the cold moonlight shone into the hut through the small window. His skin was as clear and thin as snow, and his stature was strong and winding.

Han Suxing was not there, the blood-stained cloth strips Yan Shang had taken off were thrown on the ground, and clean clothing material had been torn into strips and placed on the other side.

Mu Wanyao walked over, placed the candle on the ground, and knelt beside him, picking up a cloth strip that had already been torn, and bent her head to bandage him.

Her hand touched his chest, and he seemed to wake up suddenly, saying: "Have you found water..."

Mu Wanyao: "What water?"

Yan Shang paused, and grabbed the fingers she had pressed against his chest.

Then he whispered: "It’s you."

Mu Wanyao’s face was indifferent, and she said: "Was Han Suxing sent by you to find water? Let me bandage you."

Yan Shang didn't speak.

Neither of them spoke.

Then after a while, Yan Shang suddenly opened his mouth: "Do you have a wound on your face? Can I touch it?"

Mu Wanyao opened her mouth at the same time: "Doesn't the veil on your eyes need to be changed? Doesn't it need medicine?"

Speaking at the same time, both were startled for a moment.

Yan Shang pursed his lips slightly, whispering: "It’s fine. My eyes... will be treated after we get out; it won’t affect much."

Then he was held by her hand.

Her cold forehead rested against his shoulder, pulling his hand over to let him touch her face. Mu Wanyao was a bit dazed: "When I slapped you that day, did it hurt especially much?"

Yan Shang was quiet for a moment, and his fingertips trembled as they touched her swollen cheek.

His heart was dripping blood once again.

How he wished he could see what she looked like.

And with a thousand words reaching his lips, Yan Shang only said: "...You have so little strength, it didn't hurt at all."

Mu Wanyao looked up at him for a moment and asked in a low voice: "The face doesn't hurt, but doesn't the heart hurt?"

He opened his mouth, Mu Wanyao looked at him, and saw that he wanted to speak several times, but his Adam's apple rolled, and in the end, he could not speak.

And after a long time, he said hoarsely: "It doesn't hurt."

Mu Wanyao said: "Liar."

He asked her again: "Does your face hurt?"

Mu Wanyao said coldly: "It doesn't hurt."

Yan Shang: "Liar."

He lowered his head, and she did not speak.

Suddenly, Yan Shang reached out and took her into his arms. Mu Wanyao did not say a word, reaching out to hug his waist, and buried her face in his arms.

The clear, cold light shone on the young man’s thin, bony spine, like a butterfly spreading its wings and ready to fly. The young lady’s long dress spread out on the ground, and he leaned down, his long hair falling on her face.

The two only hugged, neither speaking. With a thousand words, the cold light of the moon, how could the sour grievance in their hearts be spoken?

Only by embracing.

Until, behind them, no one knew when Han Suxing had returned. With a heavy cough, he caused Yan Shang, who was sitting with his clothes open, and Mu Wanyao, whose face was buried in his chest, to both freeze.