Cang Lan Dao - Chapter 42.1

Chapter 42.1 
Next time, I will come 
 
The arrows flew and spread in the air, sealing off all the places Luo Wanqing could go. Even if Luo Wanqing could escape, the Crown Prince behind her could not flee from Li Guiyu’s five arrows. 
  
When Luo Wanqing saw the arrows coming, she stopped trying to escape, silently stood in front of the Crown Prince, holding her sword with both hands, staring at the center of the arrows, and shouted out loud! 
  
Her inner strength surged, and she slashed down towards the arrow! 
  
The arrows carried thunderous force like a landslide, violently colliding with the blade. Her blade broke, and an arrow pierced through Luo Wanqing’s shoulder, sending her whole person flying away! 
 
Luo Wanqing spat out a mouthful of blood and then felt someone from behind her protecting her with force. At the same time, a stream of warmth surged into her body to protect her heart around the veins. She was momentarily dizzy and could not tell what was happening in the surroundings. Then she heard the sound of slashing and killing in all directions. Zhu Que seemed to shout beside her: “The Crown Prince is here. Protect the Crown Prince!” 
  
When Luo Wanqing heard the words, she subconsciously opened her eyes and saw Li Guiyu on the high floor, pointing his foot while sweeping the long sword and left. 
  
Luo Wanqing struggled to get up, but Xie Heng held her down. He raised his hand to give her a few pills and said: “We can’t stop him.” 
  
With the Inspection Department in chaos and Xie Heng still here, nobody could stop Li Guiyu.
 
Luo Wanqing anxiously held Xie Heng’s sleeve, her lips trembling, “Young Master ……” 
  
“Kill him later.” Xie Heng didn’t need her to say anything. He could see her intentions. Lifting his hand to hold hers, he calmly said, “Your injuries are important.” 
  
Luo Wanqing couldn’t speak as she felt her consciousness gradually blurring. She was no longer able to think about her situation. She didn’t know if she was dying; she only thought about her family. Qing Lu would bring them to wait for her at the port until dawn; perhaps they would have left if she hadn’t arrived. 
  
It would be better if she were dead. Qing Lu would send them on their last journey, and they would have no value. There should be no one look for them again. But if she was alive, and Qing Lu knew the direction of their departure, there would be a point when they become a threat. But now that Xie Heng had saved her, he wouldn’t let her go with what she had done tonight. Who can help her? Who will help her? In a desperate situation, she remembered one person. That was the only person she could rely on nowadays. 
  
“I want to see Cui Heng.” Luo Wanqing tried her best and grabbed Xie Heng’s sleeve. 
 
Xie Heng, who was healing her wounds, paused and raised his eyes to look at Luo Wanqing. He saw Luo Wanqing gasping for breath, saying with anxiety, “I know I have sinned deeply, but it was not my intention to do so, and I hope Young Master will look at the fact that I am protecting the Crown Prince this night.” 
  
“Okay.” Xie Heng understood what she meant and decisively responded. He didn’t know why, but a very unfamiliar pain spread inside him when he listened to her begging in a desperate situation. Tenderly brushed her temples, he spoke in a rare gentleness in front of outsiders: “You can rest assured. He’s on his way. When you wake up, he’ll be back.” 
 
Hearing these words, Luo Wanqing no longer had any strength; it seemed that the medicine had taken effect, and her eyes slowly darkened.
  
Looking at the arrows on her body and pale face, Xie Heng pursed his lips. He raised his eyes and swept his surroundings. The surrounding area was in a state of fighting and killing; the Crown Prince’s people were all almost dead, and the people of the Feng Yu Pavilion were annihilated, leaving only some of the top levels still resisting. 
  
The Feng Yu Pavilion heaven-level killers had ten groups. Previously, when he was Qin Jue, he killed the Four Heavenly Jades. Then, Zhao Yuyan died, and Zhang Jiuran disappeared. The Feng Yu Pavilion came out in full force with hundreds of top killers tonight. It would not be easy if it relied only on the Inspection Department. Now that he could pluck them clean, he would like to thank Li Guiyu. 
  
It’s a pity that he got away —
  
Xie Heng’s heart was slightly cold as he picked up Luo Wanqing in a horizontal hug and said coldly, “Zhu Que, protect the Crown Prince. Continue to blockade Fang Fei Pavilion. None of the remaining people in Feng Yu Pavilion can run.” 
  
Zhu Que immediately answered upon hearing this, hurriedly pulling Li Shangwen, who had been entirely stunned. With the people from the Inspection Department opening the way, he killed their way out. 
  
Xie Heng held Luo Wanqing and walked to the shore when he saw several large ships slowly traveling. A small boat had already arrived at the shore ahead of time, with an older man in an eunuch costume standing on the bow. Seeing Xie Heng, he respectfully saluted, “Master Xie.” 
  
“Eunuch Yang.” Xie Heng nodded and immediately said, “The murderer escaped. Tonight, the Inspection Department will search the entire city. I still hope that Eunuch will tell His Majesty that it’s important to see the crown prince first, and I’ll come back to give an explanation to His Majesty after tomorrow’s court meeting.” 
  
“Master is working hard.” Yang Chun, the Senior Eunuch of the Imperial Household, was the current Emperor’s companion, who had grown up with him since childhood. He smiled and said gently, “Master can be busy first if you have something to do. However, I’m afraid the Inspection Department is unsuitable for tonight’s citywide search.” 
  
At these words, Xie Heng raised his eyes icily. 
  
Yang Chun smiled awkwardly and only said, “When Agent Xuan entered the palace tonight, His Third Highness’s side also gave a secret letter to His Majesty at the same time, saying that the Crown Prince was found in the Fang Fei Pavilion and that the Inspection Department seemed to have misbehavioral intentions. His Majesty got two secret letters with similar content but opposite accusers. His Majesty was also distressed and specially sent us to check it out. But when I got here, I couldn’t see a reason why the chaotic fight ……”

Yang Chun looked toward the Fang Fei Pavilion, which had long been completely indistinguishable from who was hacking and slashing who. His tone was helpless: “It’s difficult to say the ending, ah.” 
  
Xie Heng let Xuan Shan go to the palace to accuse Li Guiyu of assassinating the Crown Prince; Li Guiyu also let someone accuse Xie Heng of assassinating the Crown Prince. They were both involved in the case, so how could the Inspection Department be allowed to make another arrest? 
  
“His Majesty has appointed us to handle this matter,” Yang Chun smiled, “Master Xie does not need to worry much.” 
  
Hearing what Yang Chun meant, Xie Heng wasn’t surprised. Although that wasn’t the best outcome for that night, he could use Li Guiyu’s hand to pluck Feng Yu Pavilion and capture their top killers. Both of them were heavily injured, and he didn’t have much to lose either.
  
Xie Heng remembered Luo Wanqing’s injury and was unwilling to say more. He nodded his head and softly said, “Thank you for your hard work.” 
  
The two said goodbye, and Xie Heng escorted Luo Wanqing into the small boat. He pulled up the curtain, put Luo Wanqing down, and tore open Luo Wanqing’s clothes. He checked on her wounds while arranging the final besiegement with Zhu Que through the curtain. 

“The Imperial Household’s people are coming, but they definitely won’t fight for their lives over tonight’s matter. Zhu Que doesn’t need to pay any attention to them. Bring the people from the Feng Yu Pavilion back to the Inspection Department directly without asking the Imperial Household. Qing Ya, prepare to transport the wounded and let someone send a message to Xuan Shan to prepare doctors and medicine to ensure that tonight, all the wounded are able to see doctors without delay. Arrange Wei Qianqiu to be ready to draw arrows in my room, and make it clear to him that it’s Li Guiyu’s arrows.” 
  
Wei Qianqiu was Old Zhong’s close disciple and was in charge of Xie Heng alone. Hearing the last sentence, Qing Ya understood that this was specially arranged for Liu Xiniang so that as soon as she returned, he could draw the arrows as quickly as possible.
       
Qing Ya immediately responded, “The matter for other wounded was prepared long ago. I’ll let people arrange for Dr. Wei.” 
  
After receiving the tasks, everyone dispersed. Finally, only he and Luo Wanqing remained on the small boat. Xie Heng looked back at the woman lying with her eyes closed, his internal force protecting her heart veins, and his gaze landed on Luo Wanqing’s shoulder. This arrow, after all, had missed. No one could have saved this person if it had been more steady. Whether Li Guiyu admitted it or not, this face always had an effect on him, even if he didn’t know who it was. But with such a deep bond, how in the world did they get to this point? 
  
Xie Heng lowered his eyes to look at her face. Her complexion was pale beyond normal. Not only was she pale, but her skin was also thin and fragile. Her features were exquisite; none of them were unsculpted by heavenly craftsmanship. She lay quietly, like a porcelain. Her beauty was so shocking that it made the heart feel love and compassion, but unlike her face, her hands were full of scars and calluses.
  
She used a blade, unlike the sword; the person who used the blade had thick calluses. She practiced martial arts for a short time but worked very hard. She practiced every day, never slacking off for a day, so the calluses on her hands seemed like someone who had been learning martial arts for a few years. 
  
He could not help but rub over her with calluses fingertips and look at her remodeled bones. Remembering when he molded her bones, and she sat in his arms and cried because of the pain, he really wanted to ask. 
 
How the hell did she do that? And why? How did she get here from a girl who had never studied martial arts and had grown up in the boudoir? How did she go from being a doctor to a killer? Why did she refuse to trust him and go to Lingnan? Why did she have to come to fight on this road of life and death? 
  
He recalled that when he was still Qin Jue, he saw that she couldn’t even eat the meat after killing someone. Then he remembered a while ago when he forced her to torture someone; she held the steel needle and couldn’t bear to do it. She wasn’t from this road, so why did she come? 
  
After thinking about it, it was not difficult to speculate why she came this way. He had refused her request in the Inspection Department, so she decided to stand on her own feet. For some reason, she and Zhang Jiuran had switched identities, and Zhang Jiuran had even given her inner strength. She stumbled to the Inspection Department, perhaps to hide Zhang Jiuran’s identity, or possibly there was some handle in the hands of the Feng Yu Pavilion, so she took orders from them. But she didn’t want actually to take his life, so she held the Crown Prince hostage to come back and save him. She didn’t have anyone but herself along the way. The only one she could trust was perhaps the sinful Zhang Jiuran in his eyes. Hence, she had a lot of contradictions; she didn’t lie to him. She only didn’t want people to know that she was Luo Wanqing. She was an exiled prisoner, taking the place of a death row inmate and entering the Inspection Department under disguise. If he did not know her or did not accompany her to Dongdu, and if he knew that — He probably set things right and sent her back to Lingnan. 

But didn’t she risk her life by coming to the Inspection Department because she wanted revenge and not return to Lingnan?