Daxiong Hall, Anguo Temple
All the pilgrims, along with the monks in the temple, were driven into a corner of the hall. Mrs. Lu was among them.
After learning from the abbot that the eminent monk was not here, she planned to offer incense and then take her daughter back. But unexpectedly, she encountered bandits.
She obediently stood among the crowd. Her gaze casually drifted to the center of the hall. There, more than a dozen masked men brandishing big knives were menacingly standing in front of the Buddha statue, their eyes full of annoyance at being fooled.
Behind them was the main entrance of the Daxiong Hall. From Mrs. Lu's perspective, she could only see guards outside. It seemed that the hall had been surrounded by these people.
As for the situation outside the hall, she didn't dare to think about it.
Her Xier was still outside, with only the maid Liusu by her side. What if, what if something happened...
She couldn't think anymore. Mrs. Lu cut off her wild thoughts and forced herself to calm down.
Xier would surely be okay!
"Madam..."
To protect Mrs. Lu, Lu Hu had also followed her in and was now beside her. In a corner where no one could see, his hand was ready to strike at any moment.
Mrs. Su thought for a moment and slowly shook her head.
She knew Lu Hu's kung - fu was excellent, but still, one could hardly fight against so many. Acting rashly would only lead to more losses.
Moreover, in this situation, Mrs. Lu was more worried about her younger daughter than herself.
"These bandits suddenly came here mostly for money. Our lives are not in immediate danger. I'm very worried about Xier now. If you find a chance, leave the hall and protect Xier well."
Lu Hu: "But, Madam..."
Mrs. Lu: "I don't want to repeat myself."
"Say that again. What do you mean bandits have climbed the mountain?"
Her steps to leave were forced to stop. Lu Yinxi grabbed the sleeve of the black - clothed man, her eyes clearly showing anxiety.
Taking a hint from Shang Luoshu, the black - clothed man immediately told her everything he knew.
"By the time I received the news, those bandits had already broken into the Daxiong Hall. As for their purpose, it's still unknown."
The familiar four words hit her ears, and the girl felt as if something had snapped in her mind.
Mrs. Lu. Before she left, Mrs. Lu was right there!
Without hesitation, Lu Yinxi let go and turned around to go back. She couldn't let Mrs. Lu be in danger!
In her previous life, Lu Yinxi was an orphan. Her parents died when she was six, which was the ninth year of the end - times. In order to survive from the mouths of zombies, many people had given up their humanity.
The girl had struggled on the verge of life and death for more than a decade in such an environment, and then she was transmigrated to the current Qi Dynasty.
It could be said that Mrs. Lu was the only one who had given her motherly love besides her biological mother, which was an emotion she had once extremely longed for.
Now she would never watch it disappear again.
"Where are you going?"
Lu Yinxi's actions didn't escape Shang Luoshu's notice. She had only run a few steps when her arm was caught in his hand, and she couldn't break free.
"Let go of me!"
The power of her words had no effect on him. The girl could only try to break his fingers, but it was of no use. Instead, the man tightened his grip.
"Let you go and then let you go to your death?"
"Shang Luoshu!"
Lu Yinxi finally gave up struggling. Her red - rimmed eyes stubbornly looked at the man in front of her, and her voice was tinged with sobs.
"Your Highness, Prince Jing, my mother is in the Daxiong Hall surrounded by a group of bandits. I'm her daughter. Do you want me to just sit back and do nothing?"
Shang Luoshu was slightly stunned. This was the first time he had seen Lu Yinxi show weakness in front of him since he met her, and his mind was a bit unsteady.
In a moment of absent - mindedness, something broke free from his hand. When the man came to his senses again, the girl was no longer in front of him. Only a figure was walking further and further away.
Show weakness?
She, Lu Yinxi, with the power of words, dared to stroll in a pile of zombies. How could she cry over such a thing? It was just a means to get rid of Shang Luoshu.
If the power of words had an effect on him, why would she bother!
In a daze, Lu Yinxi had already taken Liusu back to the vicinity of the Daxiong Hall along the original path. They didn't dare to get closer and could only see from afar that the outside of the hall was surrounded by a group of strangers.
Their faces were covered with coarse cloth, and the steel knives in their hands glinted coldly.
Liusu: "Fourth Miss, what should we do?"
Yinxi: "I remember there's a side door to the hall. Let's go and check it out."
The girl didn't know the current situation inside the hall, so she didn't want to use the power of words easily. After all, the side effects of this power were too great.
Inside the hall
The young novice monk was being grabbed by the big man Zulu. The blade was right beside his neck, as if it could cut through the artery at any moment.
"Tell me, where is Zhu Chengjie?"
Looking at the fierce face in front of him, the young monk was so frightened that he was trembling all over. But he still managed to say, "Sir, is the Zhu Chengjie you mentioned the General Mingwei?"
"You know where he is?"
"No, I don't."
Out of the corner of his eye, the young novice caught a glimpse of the blade, and his legs went even weaker. His voice was trembling and fragmented.
"A, a Buddhist never tells lies. This General Zhu didn't come to our temple today."
"How is that possible? Are you lying to me?"
A sharp pain instantly came from his neck. The blade was getting closer and closer. The young monk didn't dare to look anymore and simply closed his eyes, chanting "Amitabha" constantly.
"Second brother!"
A deep voice came from outside the hall. The group of bandits automatically divided into two rows, and then someone walked in with firm steps.
Hearing this voice, the big man's hand paused slightly, and his expression softened a bit.
"Big brother, is Zhu Chengjie tricking us?"
"He wouldn't dare!"
The man called "big brother" said while scanning the crowd in the hall with his eyes. Then he pointed at two people in the crowd.
"You two, come out!"
Mrs. Lu really felt that she was extremely unlucky today.
First, she was attacked on the way, then she encountered bandits. Now the bandit leader had directly pointed her and Lu Hu out.
"Madam."
"Don't act rashly!"
Suppressing Lu Hu's intention to act again, Mrs. Lu walked out of the crowd calmly with him. However, the leader's attention was not on her but on Lu Hu behind her.
"You know kung - fu?"
It was easy for those who had practiced martial arts to distinguish between ordinary people and martial artists.
Lu Hu didn't say a word as if he hadn't heard. But the leader didn't care and continued, "Now I want you to do something for me.
Go back to the capital and pass a message to Zhu Chengjie. Tell him that Fang Qinhu is waiting for him here!"
Go back to the capital? Lu Hu was a bit tempted but didn't move. After all, his master was Mrs. Lu, and no one else was qualified to order him!
"Can't I order you?"
Fang Qinhu seemed to have noticed this. He drew out his knife with a "shing" sound and then, with lightning speed, put it on Mrs. Lu's neck.
"Now, can I order you?"
He had long noticed that these two were master and servant.
When Lu Yinxi took Liusu to deal with the guards at the side door and sneaked into the hall, this was the scene they saw.
It seemed that the death of her biological mother was about to repeat itself. Without a moment's hesitation, she immediately said, "Take your knife away!"