Chapter 43: Accident

Only a few pedestrians could be seen on the imperial highway, most of them hurrying along. Those coming from afar wanted to enter the city before the gates were locked, while those leaving wished to reach their destinations as quickly as possible. Fang Wei and his two companions, walking at a leisurely and unhurried pace, were a distinct minority. Tonight, the moonlight was generous, illuminating the road brightly. The footsteps of the three sounded clearly in the silent moonlight. After walking for about a quarter of an hour, Tang Haiqiu suddenly said, "Stop here."

Fang Wei halted and looked back. The capital city had already been obscured by the hills, with only the lights from within the city rising into the sky, casting an orange glow against the horizon. He withdrew his gaze and stared at Tang Haiqiu. "Since you have already left the city, my wife and I are of no further use to you. Can you let us go?"

Tang Haiqiu pressed his short blade against Lady Fang's back and motioned with his head toward Fang Wei. "Off the highway."

Fang Wei looked in the direction indicated and saw a patch of woods, behind which lay a continuous range of unnamed wild hills. His heart sank, and an ominous foreboding rose from the depths of his soul. Tang Haiqiu said, "If I leave you on the imperial highway, are you expecting to sound the alarm for others?"

Fang Wei looked at Lady Fang. The day's fright and anxiety, combined with the night's long trek, had left this slender woman looking disheveled and battered. Seeing her husband cast a look of concern, she straightened her chest, as if doing so could give Fang Wei a little peace of mind. Fang Wei nodded gently to her and laboriously moved his feet, stepping off the imperial highway.

Descending the earthen slope, they found themselves wading through knee-high weeds. Fang Wei walked ahead, taking deep and shallow steps to clear a path, the weeds parting and bending flat to both sides like ocean waves. Tang Haiqiu walked behind, holding Lady Fang captive. Lady Fang felt dizzy, her heart pounding erratically. She was all too familiar with this sensation—it was the precursor to her illness—but in order not to worry her husband, she tried her best to appear completely unaffected.

Emerging from the patch of weeds and entering the woods, the path beneath their feet became even more rugged. It could hardly be called a path at all, but merely a place where one could barely manage to plant their feet. Fang Wei groped his way forward for a while. The woods were dense with intertwined branches and vines, making footing increasingly difficult the further they went. Tang Haiqiu looked around, a murderous glint suddenly flashing in his eyes.

Lady Fang's skirt hem got caught in the branches, slowing her pace. Impatient, Tang Haiqiu gave her a violent shove. Losing her footing, Lady Fang let out a cry of alarm and tumbled to the side. With his right hand holding the blade, Tang Haiqiu could only reach out with his left to catch her. But just as he bent his waist, a figure flickered before his eyes, and Fang Wei lunged at him like a fierce beast!

Tang Haiqiu's reaction was swift; his body violently darted backward. Fang Wei pressed the attack, scooping up his boot sole with his right hand to snatch a short blade, and thrust it straight at Tang Haiqiu's chest. Having regained his footing, Tang Haiqiu raised his blade to parry. With a crisp, sharp sound, sparks flew through the dim forest.

The crisp sounds of clashing steel rang out without pause. Both men were seasoned experts, knowing that in such complex terrain, movement would only bring more variables, and injuring the enemy relied entirely on the blades in their hands. In a mere split second, the two had exchanged several blows, adding more than a dozen wounds to their bodies, with blood spurting out. Yet, both men seemed entirely unaware, attacking each other's vital points like madmen or demons.

Lady Fang had crashed to the ground. Seeing her husband locked in combat with the villain, she tried to pull herself up, but suddenly her vision darkened, her limbs went weak and sore, and she collapsed to the ground once more.

On the other side, Tang Haiqiu had gradually gained the upper hand. His years of foundational training and rich practical experience helped him accurately control the rhythm of the battle. Fang Wei's attacks grew chaotic, and his blade lost its accuracy. Spotting an opening, Tang Haiqiu delivered a flying kick that knocked him down. Fang Wei's body flew backward, crashing heavily to the ground with a loud thud. Tang Haiqiu let out a harsh laugh, leaped forward, and swung his blade straight down for a fatal blow!

From a slantwise angle, Lady Fang darted out, throwing all her remaining strength into crashing against Tang Haiqiu's waist. Tang Haiqiu let out a miserable scream. His abdomen had previously been injured by Dong Xinwu's hidden arrow, and Lady Fang's impact struck squarely on the wound. Tang Haiqiu staggered back a step, his expression contorted and terrifying from the pain. He lashed out with a kick to Lady Fang's chest, sending her flying backward with a shriek. At this moment, Fang Wei was still struggling on the ground. With a savage grin on his face, Tang Haiqiu raised his blade once more to stab Fang Wei in the head!

The weeds behind them had been as calm as a tranquil lake, but suddenly a gap appeared at the edge, parting to both sides. A figure holding a reversed iron ruler surged through the waves like a flying arrow shot from the weeds, flickered a few times among the trees, leaped behind Tang Haiqiu, and swung the weapon straight for his head!

Suddenly feeling a ferocious wind bearing down from behind, Tang Haiqiu was startled into lunging forward violently. The figure's iron ruler struck empty air, but reached down to haul Fang Wei up. In the moonlight, it was clearly visible—it was his younger junior brother, Gu Yu. Swinging the iron ruler, he charged at the shaken Tang Haiqiu. Fang Wei's spirit was instantly revitalized. He glanced at Lady Fang and saw her lying flat on her back, motionless. His heart sank, but knowing that the immediate priority was to deal with Tang Haiqiu, he gritted his teeth and plunged into the fray.

With this turn of events, Tang Haiqiu now faced two ferocious opponents. Moreover, he wielded a short weapon, while Gu Yu used an iron ruler several times longer. Pressed from all sides and throwing up frantic defenses, Tang Haiqiu instantly lost his composure. The forest made it impossible to employ his lightness kung fu, and he was beaten into continuous retreat by the pair. Seizing an opening, Fang Wei thrust his blade into Tang Haiqiu's abdomen. Tang Haiqiu let out a miserable shriek and collapsed onto the ground. After fumbling through a few desperate parries, the short blade in his hand was knocked flying by Gu Yu's iron ruler, and Gu Yu delivered a flying kick squarely to his head.

Fang Wei lunged forward to pin him beneath his body. Tang Haiqiu struggled violently, but Gu Yu stepped up to immobilize his limbs. Fang Wei unhooked the hemp rope from Gu Yu's waist and bound Tang Haiqiu's hands tightly behind his back. Panting heavily, the two men stood up and looked down at Tang Haiqiu on the ground. The latter struggled futilely for a while before his strength finally faded.

Fang Wei and Gu Yu exchanged a heavy-breathing glance, their eyes clearly conveying: It's done! Recovering his wits, Fang Wei turned and bolted toward Lady Fang not far away. Gu Yu let out a sigh of relief, hoisted Tang Haiqiu up from the ground, and looked at the fallen libertine, whose face had turned ashen. Suppressing the elation in his heart, Gu Yu delivered a heavy slap to his shoulder.

Suddenly, a piercing whistle echoed from outside the woods. Gu Yu felt a cold flash before his eyes, and without time for thought, he kicked Tang Haiqiu. Tang Haiqiu's body fell backward at an angle as an eagle-feathered arrow whistled past his neck, burying itself deep within the forest. Amidst the dim shadows of the trees, three or four vague figures suddenly appeared, startling him into a shrill scream: "Ambush! Ambush!"

On the other side, Fang Wei also reacted, bounding back to Gu Yu's side in a single leap. The figures in the woods had now revealed themselves, each dressed in black clothing, faces veiled in black gauze, dragging ghost-head broadswords as they closed in from all directions. Stunned to a pale white, the two men had no idea what was happening in the arena. There was no time to ponder who these people were or what their purpose might be; they simply pressed their backs against each other, preparing to meet the enemy's attack.