The carriage jolted several times, and most of Zhang Yi’s body was thrown outside. It looked like there was no longer any chance of grabbing Song Chuyi’s foot.
“See if you can let go of my trousers and grab the carriage board,” Song Chuyi said.
Zhang Yi knew what she meant, so with one hand he grabbed her trousers, and with the other he clutched the carriage board. Because more than half of his body was outside the carriage, he simply could not get any leverage. If Song Chuyi went back on her word and did not save him, the result would absolutely be falling off the carriage and being devoured by the pack of wolves.
Zhang Yi hesitated for a moment, but still decided to take the gamble. He let go of her, and with both hands grabbed the carriage board and the door railing. The carriage gave a jolt, and his whole body slid down another few inches.
With nothing dragging on her anymore, Song Chuyi could barely steady herself. She could not be bothered to pull up her trousers either, and quickly crawled toward the carriage door. With one glance she could see three or four pairs of dark green eyes following behind the carriage, drawing closer faster and faster.
Song Chuyi was secretly alarmed, because most wolves hunt in packs. Usually there are three of them. They take turns chasing prey, and after wearing the prey down, they rush in together. At this moment, there were already three or four chasing them alone, which showed that this was a pack of no small size. Moreover, wolves are also cautious animals. They will not immediately rush forward the moment they see prey. They will track and observe, find weaknesses, and seize the best opportunity to attack. Could these wolves have been following the convoy for some time already? And without being discovered by the guards? That was too terrifying.
The thought flashed by in an instant. Song Chuyi quickly reached out, grabbed Zhang Yi, braced her feet against the door railing, and used all her strength to pull him up.
“Climb, quickly! The wolves are right behind!” Seeing that the glowing green eyes were about to draw near Zhang Yi’s legs, Song Chuyi could not help but shout, and dragged him upward with all the strength she had.
Fortunately, Zhang Yi was rather frail in build and not especially heavy. With the two of them working together, Zhang Yi finally climbed onto the carriage.
Song Chuyi quickly reached out and shut the carriage door.
In that fleeting instant, there was only a “bang” as something heavily struck the carriage door. Song Chuyi was knocked back several feet, the door was thrown wide open again, and from outside came several miserable howls of wolves.
The carriage was still bumping along the road. Song Chuyi and Zhang Yi crawled to the door and quickly shut it, then sat in the carriage panting heavily.
“I saved up my strength for so many days, and this one moment used it all up.” Song Chuyi latched the door bolt while speaking, then crawled inside and leaned limply against the carriage wall.
Ever since Song Chuyi had come back to life, although she had taken ephedra and brought down the high fever, she had never been able to rest or eat properly. As a result, her body was extremely weak. During these past half a month, she had eaten and slept in the convoy, and only with great difficulty had she recovered a little.
“You saved my life. One day I will repay you with all my strength,” Zhang Yi said. Having escaped death, he felt slightly relieved, so he straightened up, cupped his hands, and gave Song Chuyi a salute.
Song Chuyi waved her hand, got up, and looked out through the window. “Our lives are still in danger. Whether we can survive is still unknown. But if we do live, do not forget what you said today.”
“I will certainly not forget,” Zhang Yi said.
Song Chuyi sighed. “Whether the two of us can live depends on the will of heaven.”
Zhang Yi also understood their current situation. This carriage was specially used to carry entertainers and beauties. Because there was a fear that they might control the driver and try to escape, it was not like an ordinary carriage with the door at the front. Instead, it opened at the back.
In this situation, the two of them could not control the horses, so they could only wait for the carriage to stop on its own.
Song Chuyi pulled her head back in from the window and deftly grabbed a blanket and threw it to Zhang Yi. “Wrap this around yourself. Quickly.”
Zhang Yi caught the blanket, lay down by the window, and poked his head out to look. He could not help crying out in alarm, “There are more and more wolves.”
“I know. Hurry and wrap the blanket around yourself and come over here.” As she spoke, Song Chuyi had already wrapped herself in a blanket and was pressing close to the innermost wall of the carriage.
Although Zhang Yi did not know why they had to do this, he still did the same and wrapped himself up. He had almost just moved inside when he heard the horses give a miserable, shrill neigh. Outside came a loud crash, and the carriage suddenly pitched forward.
The two inside were violently thrown against the carriage wall. However, because the thick cotton blankets served as a buffer, neither was injured. It was only that their internal organs felt as if they had been shattered, their whole bodies aching dully, and they could not help but break into choking coughs.
After coughing a few times, both immediately fell silent, because pressed close against the carriage wall, they could clearly hear the whimpering sounds like dogs fighting over food, and the thick stench of blood assailed their noses.
Song Chuyi’s heart tightened. Wolves are very intelligent animals. When they had been chasing the carriage just now, they had seen that there were living people inside, so they would certainly not let them off.
Even a fierce tiger fears a pack of wolves. Under their pack attack, even the king of beasts would find it hard to escape disaster, let alone the two of them, scholars with no strength to truss a chicken.
What to do? Song Chuyi did not know when her palms, wrapped inside the blanket, had become covered in sweat. She stared straight at the small window on the side wall. Although she clearly knew that the window was too small for a wolf of ordinary size to enter, she still could not help worrying.
Suddenly, the whimpering of the wolves beside her ears stopped abruptly, and all returned to silence. There was only the pungent smell of blood, and the rustling sound of raindrops falling on leaves.
“There’s light…” Zhang Yi saw it too, and said in a low voice.
Song Chuyi pressed her lips tightly together and stared fixedly at the extremely faint light coming through the window. It was changing slightly. She did not know whether it was a passerby, or someone sheltering from the rain nearby who had heard the noise and come to check.
No matter which it was, it was an enormous stroke of good fortune. Song Chuyi opened her mouth and shouted, “There are wolves! Be careful, there are wolves!”
There was indeed movement over there, and immediately a man’s voice came, “Be on guard!”
The firelight outside suddenly flared brightly.
Even inside the carriage, Song Chuyi could feel the tense atmosphere outside. The wolves let out whimpers, faced off with the people for a moment, and then decisively retreated.
The wolves retreating without a fight was certainly because there were many people who had come, beyond what they could attack. Song Chuyi and Zhang Yi suddenly felt all their strength drain away, and they slumped limply against the carriage wall, listening as the footsteps gradually drew near.
The footsteps stopped not far away. It was still the same adult man’s voice, shouting sternly, “Who is in the carriage?”
Song Chuyi looked out through the small window. In the night rain, a burly man was holding an umbrella. He wore dark brown armor, and on both sides stood two rows of soldiers holding umbrellas and torches.
The man was around thirty years old, with firm, resolute facial lines. His gaze was hidden in the shadow beneath the umbrella, so his expression could not be seen clearly. One could only clearly make out his slightly pursed lips, the short dark stubble on his chin, and the large, powerful hand gripping the umbrella handle.
“We are a performers’ convoy that was attacked,” Song Chuyi replied.
The man raised the umbrella. His thick eyebrows furrowed slightly as he sized Song Chuyi up. Under the firelight, her face was pale and unremarkable, mostly concealed by her black hair. But those eyes of hers were so calm and clear that one could not forget them at first sight. He knew that they had still been some distance away just now. If they had not actively posed a threat to the wolves, the wolves would absolutely not have recklessly attacked a large group of people. The person before him was ostensibly giving a warning, but in reality was merely luring them into a standoff with the wolves. His voice immediately turned cold. “Tell the truth.”
What a quick mind. Song Chuyi secretly praised him. Seeing the faint murderous intent in him, she immediately said, “Zhang Yi, a disciple of Guiguzi.”
Instantly, the soldiers on both sides of the man could not help stirring slightly, and a kind of hidden joy spread.
“Hahaha.” The man, who had been silent until then, suddenly burst into loud, hearty laughter. “It seems heaven does not intend to destroy me.”
Having said that, he ordered people to help right the carriage. He threw aside the umbrella and personally walked to the front of the carriage. Dropping to one knee, he cupped his hands and said, “Please, save our lives.”
Song Chuyi reached out and dragged Zhang Yi out. “They’re asking you to save their lives.”
Zhang Yi had just steadied his frightened soul when he was pushed out by Song Chuyi. He was stunned for a moment, then said in a low voice, “From their appearance, they are clearly on a military campaign. What I practice is the art of vertical and horizontal alliances, not military strategy. How can I save them?”
Song Chuyi chuckled and said, “Coincidentally, I know a little about military strategy. But isn’t your school rather famous? People recognize it as soon as they hear it.”
Only then did Zhang Yi feel somewhat relieved. He turned outward and said, “There is no need for you to be so formal, sir. That we were able to escape from the wolves’ mouths is entirely thanks to your rescue. If I can be of help, I and my friend will naturally do our utmost.”
“Thank you.” The man was overjoyed, and the rest of the soldiers also burst into cheers. The rainy night suddenly became fervent.
Translator’s Words:
Sorry guys, I will be going away for a week and won’t have access to my laptop, so I won’t be uploading any translations until the 28th. However, once I’m back, I’ll start uploading two chapters a day!
