Helian Duo remained calm and composed. "First, send someone to take her away. Leave the rest to you and me," he said.
Although Cheng Xiran didn't want to leave, she didn't want to distract him by staying either. So she obediently followed a subordinate of Zuo Yan, silently trailing behind him as they fought their way out of the encirclement.
Before they could even leave the mansion, that man was hit by an arrow shot from the dark and fell straight to the ground.
Cheng Xiran couldn't tell from which direction the arrow had come. All she saw was the death of their own man, and it was hard for her to bear. She let out a cry of "Ah!"
Helian Duo frowned tightly. He fought his way out and came to her side.
Zuo Yan was still struggling in the battle.
"Okay, okay, it's all right. We'll be safe soon," Helian Duo soothed Cheng Xiran gently, trying to ease the uneasiness lingering in her heart.
A sharp arrow came from the horizon, cutting through the waning moon hanging on the branch and heading straight for them. Without thinking twice, Cheng Xiran pushed Helian Duo away with all her might. The arrow "whooshed" through her right shoulder, and blood seeped out. The pain was so intense that she couldn't even cry out.
Helian Duo's face was filled with unhidden grief, as if the wound was on his own body.
He stared at Cheng Xiran with heartache in his eyes. He quickly tore off a clean piece of cloth from his clothes and simply bandaged her wound to stop the bleeding. Then he gently carried her to a corner and said in an extremely gentle tone, "Wait for me. It will be over soon."
She always felt that there were tears glistening in his eyes when he said this, but she wasn't sure if they were hers.
She had always trusted him completely, and now she just nodded with a smile. "Okay."
Helian Duo picked up the long sword at hand and charged back into the battle. His momentum soared. He fought bravely, killing anyone who stood in his way. Even Lord Li was intimidated by his overwhelming aura and couldn't help but take several steps back.
"Kill all those who have fought against us..." Helian Duo's face was阴沉, and his tone was cold. After a pause, he continued, "Whoever captures Lord Li alive today will be handsomely rewarded!"
"How could such a good thing miss me?!"
Suddenly, the gate of the Li Mansion was pushed open. It was Xue Lianyu who had come.
But Lord Li didn't recognize him. He only knew that he was one of Helian Duo's men.
"Let me teach these punks a lesson today. How dare they bully our Xiran!"
With a wave of his hand, Xue Lianyu's hundreds of men swarmed forward and engaged in a fierce fight.
Xue Lianyu also joined the battle himself and personally captured Lord Li.
The young master of the Li family was so scared that he didn't even dare to come out from behind the flower bed, for fear of being accidentally hurt by the swords and spears.
Cheng Xiran endured the pain and followed Helian Duo's figure with her eyes.
She had intended to wait until the end, but soon, even a slight movement would cause excruciating pain all over her body. Sweat broke out on her forehead, and she fainted.
She had a long dream. In the dream, she was with Helian Duo. They got married and had two children. They left the hustle and bustle of the capital city and built a house in the suburbs. The yard was filled with fruits and flowers suitable for all seasons, and there were also the roses he had planted for her with his own hands. They made a living by farming, working from dawn to dusk, and they enjoyed every day. Their two children grew up one after another. They went to school, passed the imperial examinations, got married, and the cycle continued.
Cheng Xiran was awakened by the pain.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw Helian Duo carefully applying medicine to her wound. The combination of the medicine powder and the wound was so painful that she bit her lower lip tightly.
By the time her lips were bitten purple, she finally felt the pain ease a little.
She thought her frown must look very ugly, but unexpectedly, Helian Duo's eyebrows were already knitted into a knot, as if the pain was really on his own body instead of hers.
She felt like laughing when she saw this, but due to her extreme fatigue, she couldn't even laugh. She could only pull the corner of her mouth up slightly.
Just as she was about to speak, she heard Helian Duo call the maid outside and ask urgently, "Go and ask the doctor if there is a better ointment. My wife can't bear this pain!"
The maid took the order and left. Cheng Xiran couldn't help but smile. "Who said I can't bear the pain? I think it's you who can't bear it, don't I?"
Helian Duo bandaged her wound very gently. Only then did Cheng Xiran notice that half of her shoulder was exposed... Suddenly, her face turned bright red, and she turned her head away from him.
She heard Helian Duo say faintly, "I've seen what I should and shouldn't have seen. Why bother to cover up?"
Cheng Xiran was stunned. She quickly turned her head back, but accidentally pulled the wound, and she let out a hiss of pain. Helian Duo sighed repeatedly. "Look at you. Why are you so excited? We are husband and wife. Why should you be shy?"
"Who's your wife..." Cheng Xiran smacked her lips and continued, "Now that this matter is almost resolved, we can resume our respective identities. You don't have to act with me anymore."
There was no response from Helian Duo for a moment.
Cheng Xiran's heart tightened. She thought he hadn't paid attention, and was about to ask again when suddenly she saw his gaze directly meet hers. He said with great determination, "What if I don't want to?"
Cheng Xiran was stunned. Because his expression was so serious, she even believed his words.
But it shouldn't be like this.
After much thought, Cheng Xiran finally decided to play dumb. "I don't know what you're talking about."
The next second, her small hand was tightly held by Helian Duo. She saw him repeat again, word by word, "I'll settle the matter here today, and we'll return to the capital tomorrow. When we get back to the capital, I'll ask the emperor for your hand in marriage."
She didn't believe a single word of the second half of his sentence. She even thought it was just a momentary impulse of his.
She stared at Helian Duo steadily. It was the first time she had looked into his eyes for so long without feeling the slightest bit timid. She wanted to see determination in his eyes, and she did. But soon, she was the first to back down.
Helian Duo's lips directly pressed against hers.
Just as he tried to go further, Cheng Xiran pushed him away.
"I'm so sleepy. I want to sleep."
Amid Helian Duo's hearty and pleasant laughter, Cheng Xiran covered her head with the quilt with one hand.
She only knew that her mind was now completely blank. No matter how hard she tried to accept this fact, her mind just wouldn't allow it.
But he really kissed her, and it was his initiative!
Could it be that the great Prince Regent had really fallen for her?
Even though she didn't want to believe it and even thought she wasn't that charming, the fact seemed to be so.
Anyway, the sweetness had now gone to her head. No matter how her heart was churning or how painful her wound was, she didn't feel the slightest bit of pain. She even thought it was a blessing in disguise after a near - death experience.
After Lord Li was captured alive, he was directly sent to the government yamen by Xue Lianyu.
To prevent the matter from getting too big and reaching the Empress Dowager's ears, Helian Duo still didn't reveal his identity. He just followed the rules. He specially sent his trusted subordinate to send the relief funds to Qizhou. Lord Li was arrested and imprisoned, waiting for further investigation.
As for Lord Qian, before Helian Duo could go after him, he came on his own initiative.