Su Xiaoqi's head was swimming, her breaths short and shallow; she couldn't be bothered with extraneous matters.
She merely asked casually, "What about them?"
Shen Yun replied in a low voice, "We separated before entering the town. They are trailing far behind. Don't look back, they're not far behind you."
Shen Yun noticed Su Xiaoqi's curious gaze shifting backward and quickly stopped her, scooping her up and carrying her into the medical hall.
The resident physician turned out to be quite skilled.
With a single glance, he discerned that Su Xiaoqi had come from a warm place to this cold region, and her body was having trouble adjusting.
No other medicine was needed; he prescribed a simple decoction to warm the body and clear heat.
"It's not a serious issue, but her body is weak and she shouldn't travel further. She should stay at an inn to rest."
Due to the physician's words, Shen Yun had no choice but to abandon their onward journey and check into the Tongfu Inn on Qingyuan Street.
Su Xiaoqi's initial reaction was refusal.
She didn't want Shen Yun to delay his itinerary because of her.
But she couldn't persuade Shen Yun.
It was then that she thought of finding an ally to help convince him.
However, only she and Shen Yun, along with Li Shushao and Guo'er, checked into the inn.
He Qiulei and Qi Yunwei, who had been following them like tails, were nowhere to be seen.
"Where are they? Are they going ahead?" Shen Yun's previous answer had been vague, so Su Xiaoqi had to ask again.
"No, it hasn't been peaceful along the way, so we split up to handle things more effectively."
Su Xiaoqi blinked, recalling the incident in Mianzhou City.
It seemed that ever since Shen Yun passed the imperial examination, there had been a hidden hand pulling strings behind the scenes, unseen by them.
In any case, the sole objective was to deal with Shen Yun.
As a reader who had consumed many novels, Su Xiaoqi now felt like a complete novice.
She had no idea what troubles and dangers Shen Yun had encountered outside of his normal life path.
"Then... won't that be troublesome? How about we just leave."
Hearing Shen Yun's explanation, Su Xiaoqi finally understood why Shen Yun had issued so many seemingly strange instructions to Li Shushao along the way.
It appeared he had realized something and was deliberately deviating from the usual routes, preventing his pursuers from tracking his movements and setting ambushes.
But now, because of her condition, they had to stop, which was a major vulnerability.
"My wife's memory is not very good. Your husband will say it one more time, and there will be no next time."
Shen Yun looked at Su Xiaoqi seriously and said, "Don't worry, I have everything under control."
Su Xiaoqi tugged at the corner of her mouth. Although Shen Yun appeared responsible and doting, she couldn't bring herself to feel grateful.
She was not a delicate orchid raised in a greenhouse; she was a trumpet creeper that could grow and climb freely.
One wanted to protect the other completely, while the other felt that the former didn't understand her at all.
Neither could convince the other.
Just then, Guo'er arrived with the medicine. Su Xiaoqi sighed and drank it down in one gulp.
She was helpless against Shen Yun's stubbornness.
But when something truly happened, she would make sure he knew that she wouldn't be a burden to him.
After staying on Qingyuan Lane for three days and taking medicine for three days, Su Xiaoqi finally recovered.
So, early in the morning, they set off again.
This time, they still took the official road. The trees along the way were lush, their branches blocking out the sky. The weather was still a bit cold, with the lingering chill of early spring.
Only one carriage was traversing the empty avenue.
Apart from the sound of hooves and the neighing of horses, no other sound could be heard, which inevitably caused a sense of unease.
Li Shushao, though young, had always been mature and steady.
He had a premonition that something was wrong. He quietly lifted the carriage curtain and whispered inside, "Master, Madam, something seems amiss outside."
Due to the cold weather on this road, even with fewer merchants and travelers, there should have been the chirping of birds in the surrounding woods.
But now there were none.
This meant they had been scared away.
Shen Yun listened without changing his expression, only saying in a low voice, "Be careful."
Li Shushao had been feeling flustered and chaotic.
But with Shen Yun's reminder, his heart instantly relaxed.
He nodded firmly, continued to drive the carriage without showing any outward signs of abnormality, but his ears were pricked high, listening for any movement in the woods.
Su Xiaoqi also felt inexplicably tense.
Her hearing was better, and she could already hear faint breathing sounds from the woods, not just one or two, but a group.
She leaned closer to Shen Yun and whispered, "Husband, is someone there?"
Shen Yun replied, "Mm, don't be afraid. Someone wants to take advantage of the chaos."
His expression remained calm. Su Xiaoqi swallowed hard and quietly took out the horsewhip Du Yiyi had given her from her spatial dimension.
Shen Yun looked up at her, a hint of mischief in his eyes.
"My wife's whip has barbs, be careful not to hurt yourself."
Su Xiaoqi gave him a glare, silently refuting his words.
Soon, sounds of whistling through the air could be heard.
"Here they come," Su Xiaoqi exclaimed in her heart.
Shen Yun nodded and called for Li Shushao to take shelter inside the carriage.
Then, he pressed a hidden latch on the carriage, and a wooden board slid down, blocking the carriage door.
Su Xiaoqi looked at Shen Yun in surprise, "You... you were prepared?"
Shen Yun gently rubbed her head and said, "How could I let my wife face danger with me?"
Su Xiaoqi pulled at the corner of her mouth. She heard the sound of arrows striking the carriage door with a "thud, thud, thud."
Her heart pounded like a drum. She said, "Just this?" blocking the carriage door with a wooden board.
What if the horses flipped the carriage?
Shen Yun saw through her thoughts and explained, "Before Shushao got into the carriage, it was already firmly tied to a tree."
"Ah..." Su Xiaoqi exclaimed in shock. She didn't feel comforted at all.
In fact, she was startled.
"Then aren't they trapping a turtle in a jar now?" Well, although comparing herself to a turtle was rather humiliating, that was indeed the situation.
They were hiding in a six-sided, enclosed carriage. While it could block arrows, as soon as someone came down, they could be captured alive.
Shen Yun smiled and pressed another hidden latch. The wooden board in the middle of the carriage opened, revealing a hole large enough for one person to enter and exit.
"My wife, wait for me inside for a moment." Shen Yun said, then jumped off the carriage, asking Su Xiaoqi to close the door panel exactly as it was.
Su Xiaoqi outwardly agreed, but as soon as Shen Yun left, she gripped the horsewhip and quietly followed him out.
As Su Xiaoqi had suspected, upon discovering the carriage's hidden door, the attackers immediately stopped shooting arrows and instead charged forward, wielding large sabers.
Shen Yun intercepted them single-handedly.
Su Xiaoqi watched the situation from under the carriage for a while and found that Shen Yun's skills were far better than she had imagined.
Wielding a soft sword, he faced eight masked figures in gray and showed no signs of defeat.
Instead, he managed to enrage his opponents.
He waved his hand towards the woods and shouted, "Second group, come on!"
Su Xiaoqi's heart leaped. The first group consisted of eight people, and with another eight from the second group, even Shen Yun, no matter how skilled, would be in trouble.
A wild punch could kill a master.
Su Xiaoqi could wait no longer. She bent down and wriggled out from under the carriage.
Holding the horsewhip, she swung it towards the group rushing out from the woods.
Su Xiaoqi had little expertise in whip techniques, at most the whip methods taught by Du Yiyi during their sparring sessions.
It had to be said that Du Yiyi was truly talented; she was powerful herself and even better at teaching her disciples.
Su Xiaoqi had little practical experience, but by practicing the set of incantations she taught daily, she could still wield the whip as agilely as a dragon in flight, as graceful as a startled swan, as if it were alive.
For a moment, she single-handedly faced the eight newcomers.
When Shen Yun saw her appear, his usual calm expression flickered for a moment, but he quickly observed her swift movements.
However, he was still worried about her, constantly moving closer to her during the fight, trying to bring her within his protective radius.
The couple shared an extraordinary tacit understanding. At this moment, Shen Yun, without even touching Su Xiaoqi's body, seemed to know her thoughts.
He could cooperate with her at the right moments, just as she intended to fight.
"Heavens, husband, how are you like a worm in my stomach?" Su Xiaoqi was astonished.
The first time she saw Shen Yun cooperate with her, she thought it was a coincidence.
But the second time, the third time...
He always acted appropriately when she needed him to.
Soon, more than half of the twenty-four attackers from the two groups had been subdued.
"Third group, third group, advance!" the leader of the bandits shouted again.
Su Xiaoqi's heart tightened. She hadn't expected there to be more in the woods...
She was getting tired, and the whip in her hand was starting to become unresponsive.
With this moment of distraction, her coordination with Shen Yun was lost.
Her shoulder was struck by a kick from the leader.
"Hiss... That hurts." Su Xiaoqi, who was already afraid of pain, cried out involuntarily.
"Wife..." Shen Yun rushed over. The calm expression on his face had completely crumbled, replaced by worry for Su Xiaoqi.
"I... I'm fine." Su Xiaoqi endured the pain and tried to rally her spirits.
Just then, Shen Yun shouted, "Wife, be careful!"
Su Xiaoqi's heart lurched in alarm. She instinctively dodged, but Shen Yun shoved her to the ground.
"Shen Yun..." Su Xiaoqi's breathing became rapid from being pinned down. She tried to push him away but felt a hand full of blood.
"Ah... Shen Yun, Shen Yun..." Shen Yun had been stabbed. Su Xiaoqi's heart skipped a beat in panic.