Chapter 330: 338: So Hateful

“Madam, what should we do? Shall we leave first? We don’t even know who this man is. If he gets Master involved, that would be terrible.” Qi Luo was already angry at the man for injuring Su Wenyue, and now seeing the Government Soldiers turning back to search again, she considered the serious implications and naturally did not want Su Wenyue to get involved any further.

Su Wenyue hesitated somewhat. She had gone to great lengths to find the man, and now to suddenly say they wouldn’t rescue him seemed wrong. Moreover, the fact that the man had spared her after listening to her plea indicated that he was not evil at heart. Had he been one of those ruthless types, he wouldn’t care about her reasons and would have killed her to prevent future problems.

“Let’s find a hidden spot to conceal him, and then leave quickly!” It took only a second for Su Wenyue to decide resolutely.

Su Wenyue couldn’t bear the thought of doing nothing and allowing the general magistrate’s men to find the man. She wouldn’t allow herself and Han Yu to get dragged into this mess. There was no other choice but to hide the man; whether he could avoid capture by the Government Soldiers was up to his own fate. After all, she had done all she could.

In this urgent moment, Su Wenyue paid no heed to the propriety of gender segregation. She helped Qi Luo move the man and suddenly noticed a Jade Pendant at his waist with a signature that made her expression turn solemn. It turned out that he was… It seemed they had no choice but to save him.

“Qi Luo, listen to me, we must save this man. I don’t have time to explain the reason now, but we absolutely can’t let the Government Soldiers take him. You are strong, take him immediately to a safe place, and I will distract the soldiers.” Su Wenyue spoke indisputably, with an unprecedented seriousness and earnestness on her face.

“But Madam, Master said that no matter what, your safety comes first. How can we let you distract the soldiers alone? What if something happens to you?” Qi Luo didn’t understand why Su Wenyue had suddenly changed her attitude, but she definitely didn’t approve of it.

“Do as I say immediately!” Su Wenyue exclaimed sharply. Without waiting for Qi Luo to react, she headed towards the direction of the soldiers’ voices. Qi Luo, despite her anxiety, had no choice but to do as Su Wenyue said. Before leaving, she cleverly created a false trail of blood in the opposite direction.

“Help, help! Somebody come quick, there are bandits!” As Su Wenyue ran, she disheveled her hair, making herself appear somewhat disordered. It wasn’t long before she bumped into the same group of soldiers she had encountered on the Street earlier.

The soldiers looked puzzled upon seeing Su Wenyue here again. They had just seen her, and since Su Wenyue was so striking, they couldn’t have forgotten her if they wanted to, especially Ba Lang, who had previously lusted after her, cast a suspicious gaze at Su Wenyue.

“Young lady, what are you doing here?”

“It’s you, we just met a short while ago! Quick, there’s a thief over there, holding a Dagger; you must capture that Thief before he escapes!”

“What Thief, is it a man in a blue robe?…” As soon as Ba Lang heard that Su Wenyue had encountered a thief, and thinking of the man they were pursuing, the lascivious look on his face diminished substantially, and he became serious. He described the man’s appearance and attire to confirm the identity of the Thief with Su Wenyue.

“Yes, that’s the one you’re talking about! I chased a thief who stole from me on the Street along with the Servant girl, but they were too fast, and I didn’t manage to catch up, instead bumping into this Thief here.”

“Oh, the Thief was so frightening, he held a Dagger to my neck and threatened me. It’s only because I was quick-witted that when the Thief was distracted, I pushed him and ran, otherwise I’d already be a spirit under the knife! Oh, that damn Thief, he scared me to death. If anything happened to me, my Husband surely wouldn’t spare him. He would catch the Thief and tear him to pieces for daring to hold me at Knife-point, oh!”

Su Wenyue’s face was pale, with a clear red mark on her neck, and she gasped for breath as she spoke, evidently terrified by the Thief. Moreover, as a Weak woman and part of an Official’s Family, how could she possibly collude with a Thief? Ba Lang’s suspicion faded at this point, replaced instead with pity and the desire to comfort Su Wenyue.

“Don’t be afraid, miss. We’ll capture that Thief right away, and we won’t spare him. We’ll give him a good beating for you! Moreover, that Thief is a serious criminal wanted by the Imperial Court; once we capture him, he won’t have a good ending!” Ba Lang spoke and, seeing the young lady shedding golden beans, blurted out things he shouldn’t have said.

One of Ba Lang’s Subordinates, seeing him acting this way, coughed lightly, “Master, the task at hand is urgent. Shouldn’t we capture the man first? It’s a mission given by our superiors, and if we can’t complete it…”

“Right, we must catch him first, to avenge the young lady!” Ba Lang was reminded by his Subordinate and immediately agreed. However, he was reluctant to let Su Wenyue go just like that. He still hadn’t determined the young lady’s Status. If she was connected to the Prefecture governor, he naturally couldn’t touch her. But if she was just bluffing, then he might be in luck, which is why he left two of his men behind, ostensibly to protect Su Wenyue.

Su Wenyue had some idea of Ba Lang’s vile plans and knew it wasn’t good. At that moment, there was no second choice. She could only hope that Qi Luo managed to get the man to safety, lest her risk had been in vain. As for the two men Ba Lang left behind, she would think of a way to deal with them once Ba Lang was gone.

“All right, go quickly, my lord. That Thief was so despicable, you must capture him, or I won’t be able to swallow this indignation. Don’t worry, when you do, my Husband will surely thank you generously,” Su Wenyue said with a mix of indignation and a look of admiration and gratitude towards Ba Lang, who greatly enjoyed the attention. He instructed the men he left behind and set off with his troops to pursue the Thief.

As Ba Lang left, Su Wenyue turned her gaze towards the two men who remained, “Big brothers, thank you for staying to ensure my safety. I’ve gotten separated from my family, and they must be worried about my well-being. I need to get back quickly, so please leave me your addresses and names. I’ll make sure my Husband rewards you handsomely.”

“No, you cannot go. The Master ordered us to protect you thoroughly and not let you take a single step away. We dare not disobey the Master’s command!” These two soldiers, long serving under Ba Lang, knew well enough his intentions and naturally could not let Su Wenyue go; otherwise, the Master would take his anger out on them if he returned and did not find her.

“Then you two big brothers can come with me. I will send someone to speak with that lord.”

“Impossible!”

No matter how much Su Wenyue cajoled, the two soldiers simply wouldn’t agree.