***NOTE: This episode contains a major turning point in the story. I apologize should you be disappointed, but this has been a part of the plot since I started drafting this series.
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LUO FAN
The next morning, with all our stock sold, we packed up and began our journey back to Yueshu City. I chose not to bring up what I had discovered just yet. It seemed wiser to wait until we were home, where we could discuss it without the tension ruining our travels.
As we walked, I noticed Jinjing glancing over her shoulder repeatedly. She seemed distracted, her eyes darting as if searching for something—or someone.
"You seem uneasy," I said, keeping my tone casual.
She shook her head quickly, a little too quickly. "I'm just admiring the mountains from here."
I glanced to the right, where the outline of distant mountain ranges stretched along the horizon. Even through my slightly blurred vision, they held a rugged beauty that might have inspired awe in another moment.
I was about to comment when movement ahead caught my attention. From behind the trees lining the dirt road, several men stepped out, their postures tense and purposeful.
I halted abruptly and positioned Jinjing behind me. "When I engage them, you run," I said firmly. "Do you understand?"
She didn't reply. Instead, I heard her stifled sobs, trembling behind me.
"Don't be afraid," I reassured her, my voice steady. "Just run."
"Be careful," she whispered through her tears.
"I'll keep them distracted. Count to three and go."
Gripping my bamboo stick tightly, I surged forward.
Three men rushed at me simultaneously: one wielded a whip, another twin knives, and the third a spear.
I struck and parried with precision, using the stick both offensively and defensively.
Though they weren't as formidable as the attacker I'd faced before, their combined skill was still superior to mine. Yet, raw strength wasn't everything. My experience and acute perception gave me an edge. I read their movements with startling clarity, anticipating each strike before it landed.
For now, I managed to evade their blows, their weapons slicing only air.
But my endurance had its limits. My body, still recovering from its frailty, was already beginning to falter. It was only a matter of time before fatigue caught up with me.
The fight was hopeless, but victory wasn't my goal. I only needed to delay them long enough for Jinjing to escape.
When I glanced back, she was still rooted in place, trembling.
"Run!" I shouted. The momentary distraction cost me—a whip lashed across my face, leaving a searing sting.
A spear thrust toward my side, but I anticipated the move and flipped backward, landing a few feet away. Before I could regain my footing, the knife-wielding attacker darted behind me with blinding speed. I barely managed to deflect one blade with my stick, but the second sliced across my arm, drawing blood.
Wounded and exhausted, I kept fighting, my body screaming with every movement. The men pressed their advantage, relentless and coordinated. My chest tightened, and blood trickled from the corner of my mouth.
Breathing became an impossible task as my strength ebbed. My vision dimmed, and the world tilted.
For a fleeting moment, everything went black.
When consciousness returned, it was too late. My wrists were bound tightly behind my back, and a spear tip hovered at my throat. The fight was over. Resistance now would only bring further pain.
I turned, desperate to catch a glimpse of Jinjing, hoping she had at least managed to escape.
But she was still there.
Shock coursed through me. All my effort—all the pain I endured—had been for nothing. She hadn't run. She stood frozen, watching as I fought.
I opened my mouth to shout at her, to urge her to flee, but then I saw it. The man with the whip tossed her a heavy coin purse.
A cold chill seeped into my bones, paralyzing me.
No. This couldn't be real. Not Jinjing. My betrothed wouldn't—couldn't—betray me.
I stared at her, unable to hide the disbelief in my eyes. Every fiber of my being silently pleaded for an explanation, an assurance that I was wrong.
But her tears told me otherwise.
"I'm sorry," she cried, her voice trembling as she clutched the coin purse. "Forgive me. I had no choice."
Her words struck like a blade to the heart.
I couldn't speak. Couldn't move. What was there to say when the person I trusted most had just betrayed me?
The weight of her words crushed me, and before I could even process the betrayal, a sharp blow landed on the back of my neck.
The world around me faded into darkness.