"You've been on guard against me for so long. How about after this is all over, I spare your life and let you bury my mother with your own hands."
Ye Yingfeng wanted to rush forward and pin the man down, but Wu Yangping suddenly struck, landing a hard punch on him.
Ye Yingfeng couldn't dodge in time and was hit square on. Stars danced before his eyes, and he could hardly stand steadily.
Ye Zhinan knew that her elder brother was extremely skilled in boxing and his punches were incredibly fast. He was well - known in the army.
The fact that Wu Yangping could dodge his punch and quickly counter - attack was enough to prove how formidable he was.
"Don't look at me like that. I don't need anyone's pity. I've suffered too much in places you can't see."
After Wu Yangping grew up, he found that he was often laughed at. People mocked him for his poor health and limited education.
He was well aware of it himself and had once begged Ji Yuqing, but was always rebuffed.
He realized that it was better to rely on himself, so he started secretly studying on his own.
Since the county magistrate refused to teach him martial arts, he sneaked out to become a martial arts student.
"I may not be as successful as you, but I have no less skills than you."
A murderous look flashed in Wu Yangping's eyes. He drew a dagger from his waist and stabbed fiercely at Ye Yingfeng.
Ye Yingfeng flipped over abruptly, trying to dodge the dagger, but instead rolled down the mountain.
Ye Zhinan wanted to go after him, but was grabbed by Wu Yangping.
"Let go of me!"
"I've set up traps all over the mountainside. Even if you go down, you won't be able to find your brother."
Wu Yangping pressed the dagger against Ye Zhinan's neck and laughed sinisterly.
"You're right. One should be kind in the end. So I'll spare those scoundrels down the mountain, but you have to stay."
Originally, he didn't want to spare the people down the mountain, but he found that all the coal had been soaked.
All the elaborate schemes he had laid had been seen through.
But he didn't dare let his father be alone on the way to the underworld, so he had to drag these few unlucky people in front of him to be buried with him.
"You thought you were staying out of it, but actually you've fallen into my trap. Because from the very beginning, you were my pawns."
Whether it was the encounter on the mountain or the later construction of the brick kiln.
He had long seen that they were acting, but he just played along.
A sneer curled up on Qin Yihuai's lips as he looked at Wu Yangping coldly.
"Wu Yangping, I'll give you one last chance. If you don't stop now, no one will be able to save you."
Wu Yangping went crazy and desperately grabbed Ye Zhinan's neck.
He knew where Qin Yihuai's weakness was.
He also knew that Qin Yihuai was the leader of these people. Only by controlling him could he control the whole situation.
"I don't need anyone to save me. I should have died a long time ago, 14 years ago. Every day since then has been a mere existence!"
Qin Yihuai sat in the wheelchair, looking extremely calm, but Ye Zhinan knew.
His knuckles, which had turned white, had already betrayed his nervousness.
His fingers tapped rhythmically on the wheelchair, one tap after another, hitting Ye Zhinan's heart.
"Run when I tap the tenth time."
She recognized what he was saying through his rhythmic taps.
This was an agreement between the two of them and also a Morse code she had created herself.
She counted silently, and when she finally reached ten, she broke free from Wu Yangping's grasp.
Qin Yihuai was quick - witted and grabbed her into his arms. Unfortunately, they lost their balance and both fell.
"Have you already made all the arrangements?"
Wu Yangping turned around in disbelief and only then found that there were countless soldiers hiding behind him.
The sound of bows and arrows rang out. Wu Yangping lost his support and fell heavily to the ground.
...
Ye Zhinan was on high alert. After letting out a sigh of relief, she felt her mind was in a complete mess.
Moreover, when going down the mountain, she hit her head, and now she felt a splitting headache.
She forced herself not to fall asleep, but Qin Yihuai's embrace was too warm.
It made her feel so safe that she lost all her vigilance.
"Don't sleep. Please don't sleep."
Qin Yihuai called her name over and over again. Ye Zhinan dug her nails into her palm, trying hard to stay awake.
They didn't know how long they rolled before finally hitting a big rock.
Qin Yihuai let out a muffled groan and then gasped.
"Don't move. Did you hurt anywhere?"
She struggled to get up from his embrace and only then saw that Qin Yihuai's clothes were already torn to shreds.
Blood was also flowing from his forehead, making him look extremely disheveled.
"I'm fine. You should take care of yourself first."
Ye Zhinan's skirt had been torn, and her cloak was nowhere to be found. Now her slender calves and a section of her soft waist were exposed.
Qin Yihuai's Adam's apple rolled, and he turned his head away, trying hard to suppress the restlessness in his heart.
After all, he was a passionate young man and hadn't reached the level of being immune to temptation.
"My cloak is gone, and I don't have anything else to cover myself with."
At first, she wanted to tear some cloth from her own clothes to cover up.
But when she looked down, she found that her clothes were already like rags, leaving her no chance to tear them.
Qin Yihuai took off his outer robe and put it on Ye Zhinan.
"You wear this first. I have a strong constitution. I'll be fine."
Ye Zhinan sprained her ankle. Every movement caused a piercing pain.
Qin Yihuai's condition was already bad, and after falling down the mountain, he completely lost the strength to struggle.
The two of them sat on the ground, looking at each other and smiling. They felt it was both ridiculous and sad.
"What have we been scheming for all this time?"
She looked up at the stars in the sky and two tears involuntarily rolled down her cheeks.
Qin Yihuai looked at her, was silent for a moment, and then sighed.
"Maybe it's for the common people."
"Then when will you act for all sentient beings?"
"There are too many sentient beings. It's beyond my meager strength."
Ye Zhinan knew that she had touched on a sensitive topic again, but she just wanted to help Qin Yihuai get out of his inner demons.
She could tell that there were the common people, all sentient beings, the country, and the society in Qin Yihuai's heart.
He shouldn't be trapped in this small place, nor could he be.
"But have you ever thought that there will be countless people walking with you?"
A glint of light flashed in Qin Yihuai's eyes, but it quickly dimmed.
He both believed and didn't believe.
He had once been full of ambition and wanted to be a person who would bring blessings to the common people in the world.
But reality had also told him that ambition alone was not enough.
"If those who walk with you are too upright, they will be abandoned by their companions. By then, their wives and children will leave, their families will be ruined, and they won't even be able to protect themselves. How can they protect those around them?"
Ye Zhinan didn't say a word. She knew that Qin Yihuai's words were referring to Ye Shenyan.
He had been honest and upright for most of his life, devoting everything to bringing blessings to the common people and planning for the country.
But in the end, he ended up in such a miserable situation, and no one knew when he would be able to turn things around.
"You're right, but my father told me that the sun will never stop shining because of the dark clouds, and justice will never be crushed by evil."