Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 1161: Chapter 1163: Deliberately Captured_1

When Bai Ruozhu woke up, she found herself lying in a horse carriage, but her hands and feet couldn’t move. She tried to channel her inner strength and realized that her acupuncture points had been sealed.

A surge of intense anger welled up in her heart, mixed with a feeling of helplessness.

Where was Achun now? What kind of ambush had he encountered? His right arm’s meridians had been damaged, and now he could only use his left hand to wield a sword, yet he still had to serve the emperor.

For a moment, Bai Ruozhu’s hatred rose, and she even felt that her second brother didn’t need to take the Imperial Examination anymore. What was the use of becoming an officer? It was better to have money and live a carefree life.

”My lord, you’re awake,” Jianqi, riding alongside the carriage, asked with a nervous expression on his face.

Bai Ruozhu’s mute acupoint wasn’t sealed; although she couldn’t move, she could speak. She snorted coldly and said, ”Jianqi, can’t you defeat Lyu and the others?”

Jianqi fell silent for a moment, then said, ”Even if Master Jiang knew, he wouldn’t want you, my lord, to go against the Holy Edict. You’re not alone, my lord; you have the young master, as well as the Patriarch, the lady, and the young masters...”

”I...” Bai Ruozhu was suddenly at a loss for words. After a long while, she calmed down and said nothing more.

Lyu, listening in from not far away, also secretly sighed in relief. He genuinely feared that Bai Ruozhu would make a scene. Having spent some days together, he had come to admire her greatly. If they truly fell out, it would not sit well with him either.

But over the following day, Bai Ruozhu didn’t speak a word and just quietly stayed inside the carriage, so much so that Lyu several times thought she had escaped. But peering through the curtains, he found she was still inside, yet seemed as if her soul had been drained away.

In the blink of an eye, it was the third evening, and the group was still some distance from the town they were aiming to reach, while the sky had already darkened.

At that moment, the sound of arrows whistling through the air could be heard, followed by a ’clang’ as an arrow struck the carriage where Bai Ruozhu sat.

A flurry of arrows came flying, targeting the escorting guards. Jianqi quickly retreated to the side of the carriage, protecting Bai Ruozhu closely.

A group of people clad in black suddenly appeared and engaged in combat with Lyu’s men. The Shadow Guards lived up to their name, each one strong in their own right, but alas, they were outnumbered, and those escorting Bai Ruozhu were too few. Moreover, the assailants were launching surprise attacks from hiding spots, and soon Lyu’s side was at a disadvantage.

All of a sudden, Bai Ruozhu said to Jianqi at the side of the carriage, ”They think Achun is in the carriage, and their goal is to take Achun. They will soon find out they have been deceived.”

Jianqi’s eyes flickered slightly. ”What do you plan to do, my lord?”

”In a moment, you must pretend that you can’t save me and let them capture me,” Bai Ruozhu instructed in a low voice.

”No, the risk is too great!” Jianqi immediately objected. He was of course aware of Bai Ruozhu’s reference to the saying, ”How can one capture tiger cubs without entering the tiger’s den?” But was it that easy to enter a tiger’s den?

”I have a way to escape. Don’t worry; someone has to break this deadlock,” Bai Ruozhu said with determination. She had made up her mind, and no one could dissuade her.

Jianqi was still hesitant, but he could not disobey his lord’s orders. He thought it over and then did not object anymore.

If the enemy was in a hurry to capture Jiang Yichun, then taking Bai Ruozhu meant they would keep her as bait. Thus, her safety was temporarily assured.

As soon as the two finished speaking, the attackers in black gained the upper hand and approached the carriage. Jianqi was entangled in battle with them. While three of them kept Jianqi occupied, someone took advantage of his distraction to lift the carriage curtain.

”Why is there only you? Where is Jiang Yichun?” one of the masked attackers demanded angrily.

Bai Ruozhu scoffed, ”I would like to ask where you have taken my husband!”

The masked assailant, enraged and humiliated, thrust his sword at Bai Ruozhu, ”Speak up, or I’ll kill you!”

Suddenly, a white shadow darted from Bai Ruozhu, and before the speaking masked person had a chance to scream, he collapsed unconscious on the ground.

Bai Ruozhu retrieved Xiaomao and retreated to a corner of the carriage, feigning a look of being startled.

Immediately afterward, more men in black burst into the horse carriage. One of them glanced at the fallen person, disregarded the safety of his comrades, and signaled the others to advance and grab Bai Ruozhu.

Jianqi cried out ”nervously,” and in a bout of ruthlessness, he killed two men and rushed to protect Bai Ruozhu. But the assailants were numerous; not to mention Jianqi, even Yichun and the others were entangled in the fight. Even a person of Yichun’s stature received several wounds, and his usually immaculate topknot now lay in disarray, making him appear quite disheveled.

”Quick, protect the Bai Family!” Yichun shouted, and everyone moved closer to Bai Ruozhu. But by now, someone had already placed a sword at Bai Ruozhu’s neck.

”Back off, or I’ll slit her throat!” a masked person yelled loudly.

Bai Ruozhu wore a look of fear on her face, which in fact was a pretense for Yichun and the others to see. She had intentionally acted scared and unresisting, allowing the abductors to capture her easily as a hostage.

Understanding the situation, Jianqi saw Yichun and the others move to intervene and shouted, ”Don’t be reckless, or you’ll harm my master!”

Yichun’s expression changed, and in that moment of distraction, the shadowy figures abducted Bai Ruozhu and escaped. Yichun and the others gave chase but were repelled by arrows shot from hiding places and somebody even threw a Heaven-shaking Thunder at them...

”Damn it, the enemy really went all out,” Yichun cursed in anger.

”Boss, what do we do now?” a Shadow Guard asked anxiously.

Yichun cast a covert glance at Jianqi, suspicion arising in his heart. Wasn’t Jianqi supposed to be unfailingly loyal?

Just then, Jianqi suddenly called out loudly, ”I will rescue my master. Follow if you want, if not, the Commerce Association can help.”

Yichun was shocked, ”This operation is confidential; you can’t ask the Commerce Association for help!”

Without looking back, Jianqi replied, ”Then I will find my own way.”

Watching Jianqi’s retreating figure, Yichun’s doubts subsided. After all, Bai Ruozhu was just a woman; how could she possibly have allowed herself to be captured deliberately? Did she no longer value her life?

The Bai Ruozhu, whom Yichun labeled as ”reckless,” was currently immobilized by acupoint strikes and stuffed into a horse carriage. She squinted her eyes, examining the carriage’s inner walls, guessing that the forces behind this were no ordinary foes.

A carriage used for abduction alone was crafted from the exceptionally tough ironwood. Could this be the work of an average person?

Suddenly, someone jumped into the swiftly moving carriage. Bai Ruozhu, unable to move, couldn’t help but become anxious.

”Tell me, what have you done to my brother? Why has his complexion turned green, and why is he unconscious?” the newcomer, a masked person, questioned.

Bai Ruozhu realized that he was inquiring about the man bitten by Xiaomao.

”It has nothing to do with me; it must have been my guard’s poison. You should ask him for the antidote,” Bai Ruozhu said.

The man clearly didn’t believe her, and the tip of his sword had already nicked Bai Ruozhu’s neck, ”Who doesn’t know of your medical skills? How would this fall on your guard? If you don’t tell the truth and give the antidote, do you believe I’ll cut off one of your ears?”