74.
At this moment, Cui Ying suddenly thought that when they left the city earlier, the bandits had falsely claimed that these were carts carrying sewage.
Although she has been a lazy and idle young lady of the Bo Mansion for fifteen years, she still has some common sense.
The slops can be used as pig feed.
Many wealthy families in the city have farms in the suburbs to supply their households with daily vegetables, fruits, fish and meat.
So the leftover food and kitchen waste were mostly packed in sealed buckets, then transported out of the city at night when there were fewer pedestrians.
The carts carrying night soil cannot be tightly closed; a piece of cloth is placed on top of the wooden barrels so that passersby and city guards can tell them apart.
The wooden barrel that Cui Ling is in now had just been knocked against the slop pail outside due to her struggles.
At that time, she had only heard the "thud" sound once, which means that the wooden bucket containing her was already clear of obstacles on the outside. As long as she could think of a way to tip over the bucket, she would be able to roll smoothly off the cart.
Cui Ling calmed down and found her mind clearer than ever.
Many things she had neglected earlier rose to her mind one by one.
Judging from the speed of the horse carriage and the time that has passed, they should be some distance away from the city by now.
There is roughly a twenty-mile road.
Judging from the shaking of the wooden barrels in the carriage, this road must not be a flat and broad avenue, but a rugged mountain path.
That makes sense too.
She had once heard Shi Xiuren say that the East and West Gates of Muzhou City were now closed.
The South Gate is open to welcome merchants and civilians from all over the world, as well as goods and materials brought from Shengjing. It is the only entrance and exit for other cities in the Sheng Dynasty.
The North Gate is a must-pass route for the battlefield, and only soldiers are allowed to pass through, not civilians.
If it was really the Rouran people who kidnapped her, then they could not have passed through the North Gate back to Rouran.
Instead, exit the city from the south gate and then detour through the endless mountain ranges near Muzhou City, taking a shortcut through the steep mountain roads to return to the Rouran camp.
This means she might be in the mountains near Muzhou City at this time.
Earlier, Cui Ying's intelligence was temporarily short-circuited due to her flustered and disheveled state.
But now, for this last shred of hope for survival, she almost turned on all her radar.
She remembered borrowing a map of Muzhou City from Yuan Dalang in Shengjing.
At that time, it was just in case. She didn't trust Shi Xiu very much, so she wanted to control her own destiny.
She not only remembered the two possible paths that Shi Xiuren had given her, along with the cities and towns they would pass through, but also remembered where there might be fresh water and wild fruit in the mountains and forests, and where there might be wolves and beasts attacking at night.
She also remembered the dense distribution of mountains and forests outside Muzhou City.
Okay, Cui Ying admitted that in the 15 years since she came to Sheng Chao, she had always been in a state of energy-saving and environmentally friendly laziness.
With a mind that is content with mediocrity. She basically doesn't bother to think about striving for anything, too lazy to think, too lazy to speak, and even lazier to act.
Because it's not worth it. Or not necessary.
But there are only two things that she is willing to go all out for, no matter what the cost.
The first thing is food.
The second is one's own life.
And now, at this moment, it is her life and death!
Cui Rong shrugged her shoulders, twisted her head, and then rotated her wrists and ankles. Finished warming up.
Wait until the next big bump, then press down hard on one side and the barrel will tip over.
She couldn't help but applaud herself, "Well done!"
Then she moved the wooden bucket in the opposite direction with great difficulty, a little bit, a little bit, and then a little bit more.
At last, the wooden barrel jumped out of the cart and rolled down along the rugged mountain road.
Cui Ling was hit by the huge impact of the wooden barrel and felt a sharp pain, but she was in a very good mood.
The lid of the wooden bucket fell off, and she saw a faint glow under the night sky, with water droplets splashing onto her eyebrows and eyes.
That is the green mountain hidden under the snow.
Tall trees cast shadows into the clouds, densely packed together. A chilly gust of wind blows by, causing the leaves to rustle and a large cluster of icy sand to fall.
That is an endless forest and snowy expanse.
She almost burst out laughing, it's great, this is indeed as she expected, the mountain range outside Muzhou City.
And she finally broke free from the clutches of those who kidnapped her and was reborn!
The wooden bucket crashed into the trunk of an ancient tree that pierced the sky, Cui Ying hurriedly hugged her head and curled up her body, rolling herself into a ball.
There was just a loud "bang" sound, and the wooden bucket burst into four pieces.
In the midst of the great shock, Cui Ying suffered a bit of physical pain, but her mind was still clear.
She took a deep breath and then tried to sit up, stand up, and walk around.
There was a cool liquid slowly flowing on her arm and face, possibly because the skin was scratched, but it's okay, her muscles and bones were not injured.
She can still walk, run and escape.
She heard the sound of horseshoes stopping and turning back in the distance, she didn't have time to rest here for a while, so she immediately flashed into the mountain forest.
She knew there might be ferocious beasts in the mountain forest at night.
But she would rather become a beast's midnight snack than fall into the hands of the Rouran people!
But Cui Ling obviously overestimated her own strength and underestimated these two Rouran people who kidnapped her.
Ji Du used to hunt at night, his eyesight was much better than ordinary people, and even in the dark forest, his field of vision was slightly wider than others.
He followed all the way to the fragments of the wooden barrel and saw a row of twisted footprints on the ground, which went deep into the mountains.
The deputy saw that the woman had escaped and was furious, shouting loudly, "This woman actually dares to run! If I catch her and bring her back, I'll definitely make her taste the severity of my whip!"
Before they set out, they had sworn an oath of military discipline in front of Hanwang.
If this expedition is unsuccessful, upon returning to the tribe, they will have to receive punishment. In such an extraordinary period, in order to deter others and not let the morale of the warriors below him be lost, he can imagine how terrible this punishment would be!
He is not like Ji Du, he is the younger brother of King Han's wife, even if something happens, Queen Wang will vouch for him.
As a commoner who rose from the bottom like him, if he can't bring back the ladies of the Yuan family, he's likely to lose his head.
It's a matter of life and death, originally fierce and violent people, naturally even more cruel and evil.
Ji Du glanced at Ye and pointed in the opposite direction, saying "You go that way to search. I'll go this way to look."
Naye didn't hesitate and agreed readily. He swung his long whip and headed towards the mountain forest opposite him.
Ji Du looked at Ye's back and raised an eyebrow.
He deliberately pointed in the wrong direction for Naya, not wanting to monopolize the credit, but simply because he couldn't stand Naya's behavior.
He is greedy for achievements and advancements, and his personality is also violent and impulsive.
Ji Du thought that if this fleeing woman encountered that demon star, she would definitely suffer a lot.
It's not being overly cautious.
The two countries are at odds with each other and are sworn enemies. He has not yet reached the point where he would be moved by the wife of an enemy general.
It's just because of his dignity as a soldier.
Abducting a woman to increase the stakes of war, not by force but by cunning and deceit, is already a sufficiently despicable thing. If on top of that, this poor pawn is still subjected to further torment along the way, it would be an insult.
Moreover, this woman managed to escape from under his eyelids in such a critical situation, which is quite an achievement.
Although she was a woman, Ji Du did not hesitate to give her his admiration and praise.
So he insisted on finding her himself.
In his hands, she could suffer a little less, at least before arriving at the camp of the Khan of the Rouran Khaganate, she could remain intact and unharmed.
He thought so and waited until Ye's body completely disappeared in the forest. Then he followed the fine and fragmented footprints inward.
The footprints on the ground clearly guided Cui Ying's direction, and Ji Du effortlessly found her hiding place.
He calmly put his hands together and stopped, facing the vast mountains and forests, saying, "Come out."
No one answered.
He didn't rush, nor did he pull out the woman hiding behind the tree trunk. Instead, he spoke slowly and calmly, "I've fought with Yuan Wu before, he's a respectable opponent. I respect him, so I don't want to lay hands on you. If you don't want me to be embarrassed, it's better for you to come out yourself."
Pausing for a moment, Ji Du added, "You're hiding behind the tree, right? I can even see your skirt."
Choi Yong's newly rekindled hope for life was suddenly plunged into darkness.
She was well aware that her whereabouts had been discovered and hiding was no longer meaningful.
But she still didn't want to accept her fate.
Even if it's futile to resist, she still wants to try again!
She took a deep breath, and Cui Ying slowly walked out from behind the tree trunk. The soft white snow reflected on her spotless face, and her sparkling eyes shone like the brightest star in the night sky.
She gently pulled out a hairpin from her raven-black bun and pressed it against her neck without any fear.
A cold and arrogant smile spilled from her lips, "Want me to surrender obediently? That's impossible. If you take another step closer, believe it or not, I'll thrust this hairpin in fiercely."
Ji Du sneered, "Isn't Mrs. Yuan mistaken? I'm the bandit who kidnapped you, and you're using your own life to threaten a bandit - isn't that laughable?"
He continued, "I advise the lady not to make such a futile effort, put down the hairpin, otherwise you will lose your life, I can only say it's a pity, but the lady will never see General Yuan Wuming again."
Cui Ling let out a cold hum, "Oh, really?"
She suddenly laughed lightly, her voice devoid of warmth. "I thought your King would give a death order, demanding you bring him back alive! Since life and death are not an issue, what are you still afraid of?"
Ji had seen through her thoughts and was step by step pressing in, which made her somewhat annoyed.
He was really afraid that she would insert the hairpin into her temple with great force, and when the time came, she would die a tragic death, leaving behind only a corpse. The Yuan family army would be furious, not to mention that King Han would also deal with him for being incompetent.
Thinking so, Ji Du's eyes sank, and he didn't say anything more. He directly used the flying knife in his hand to knock off the hairpin on Cui Ying's hand.
He made a swift move, and the frail woman was already pinned down. "I didn't want to hurt you, but if you continue to resist fearlessly, my companions won't tolerate it either. I advise you to behave yourself!"
Choi Yong struggled in vain, heartbroken and desperate, this time he really gave up.
At this moment, a voice full of anger suddenly came from five zhang away, shouting, "You scoundrel, let her go!"
ps：
Since there aren't enough pink diamonds, I'll just post one update today! Then a relative at home passed away, so tomorrow I'll be attending the funeral and will only have one update. Thursday and Friday, regardless of the number of pink diamonds, there will be double updates as compensation!
