No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 756: Life and Death, No Flesh and Bones
Xunyang City, Xunyang Ancient Ferry.

Inside a carriage, the curtain was opened a crack, and Li Dalang was covering Wei Anhui's mouth tightly.

The two held their breath, their eyes filled with fear, as they looked through the gaps in the curtains at the chaos outside the carriage:
Xunyang Ferry, which had been sealed off and evacuated in an orderly manner by the bailiffs and officials from the Municipal Trade Bureau, was now in chaos.

Li Dalang saw that the wooden building where the Municipal Trade Bureau was located was already engulfed in flames, and a column of black smoke rose into the sky.

Accompanied by the eye-catching flames and choking smoke, the constables and officials from the Municipal Trade Bureau were all fleeing. The passengers, who were originally somewhat dissatisfied with the sudden blockade, were also fleeing in all directions. The sudden chaos made everyone panic.

The reason is that there are hundreds of strange figures appearing in Xunyang Ferry.

These strange figures were all dressed in the same uniform, with tight back armor on the upper body, short shirts and pants on the lower body, and carrying sharp white swords. There were about 300 of them, and the style of dress seemed to be that of some kind of pirates.

The dock far behind was extremely crowded, with a dozen unfamiliar government ships docked illegally in a haphazard manner.

They should have gotten off these official ships that were used to cross the river and land.

Although three hundred people are not too many, what is terrifying is the strict discipline and unified actions they reveal.

At this moment, they advanced in an organized manner, chopping down all the officers and soldiers who dared to resist along the way, as easy as chopping melons and vegetables.

Li Dalang had only seen this kind of one-sided crushing when the imperial army and guards were dealing with bandits in the mountains.

But this is what is happening to these pirates now.

What made Li Dalang even more terrified was that there were quite a few Qi-cultivators among these pirates... He knew Taoist Lu and Miss Xie, and knew how Qi-cultivators could crush individual officers and soldiers, so he naturally recognized them at a glance... These Qi-cultivator pirates were agile and would occasionally make attacks that non-Qi-cultivators could not make. There were no less than twenty of them.

However, although the entire Xunyang Ferry was in chaos.

However, the noble chariot where Wei Anhui and Li Dalang were sitting was not affected at all.

Li Dalang saw that the eight tall maids left behind by Wei Wu were now standing guard in front of the shaft of the carriage with their backs to them.

All the pirates passing by ignored the shaft of the carriage, walked by without looking around, and did not make any move to harm it. Some of the pirates even stopped and spontaneously guarded the shaft of the princess' carriage.

All these actions were in unison, as if they had been planned in advance.

Li Dalang and Wei Anhui, who were hiding behind the carriage curtain, were overwhelmed by the sight.

In the silent carriage, Li Dalang couldn't help but turn his head and look at the delicate and weak Wei Anhui.

The latter's face turned red, he was speechless and shook his head vigorously.

It seemed to be saying that she was unaware.

Soon, the entire Xunyang Ferry was occupied and controlled by the pirates outside. The Municipal Trade Bureau building was filled with smoke. Officers, soldiers, clerks, and passengers fled or died. More than a dozen corpses were left on the spot, and many were left behind by the rout and trampling.

The 300 pirates who suddenly arrived did not seem to be very keen on killing officers and civilians. After expelling the constables and occupying Xunyang Ferry, they no longer pursued the victory.

They gathered in an open area, lined up, and seemed to be counting the number of people... There was a hint of a race against time.

Wei Anhui's luxurious carriage was parked on the deserted and messy dock, very conspicuous.

At this time, two of the eight maids in front of the carriage walked out.

A tall maid went to meet and talk with several men dressed as pirate leaders. The maid had a cold and dissatisfied look on her face. She pointed towards the dock, as if she was scolding something. The originally cold-blooded pirate leaders all kept silent and lowered their heads.

There was also a tall maid who led the pirates to a freight carriage not far away. She pointed at the carriage and spoke a few words. The pirates immediately got on the carriage and began to unload the goods and open the boxes.

Li Dalang looked towards the latter and took a closer look, and found that the freight carriage seemed to be brought by Wei Wu when he came to the dock not long ago.

I had no idea what was inside before, but now I can see it clearly.

The pirates moved the large box from the truck to the front of the luxurious carriage. When they opened it, they saw piles of white cloth strips neatly arranged inside.

Eight tall maids picked up the white cloth strips and distributed them to the pirates one by one.

The pirate who received the white cloth put it directly on his forehead.

Everyone worked in harmony without saying a word. Soon, more than 300 pirates all wore white cloth strips. Looking around, they looked like a funeral procession in the wilderness, with white ribbons fluttering in the wind, looking eerie and scary.

In addition to covering Wei Anhui's mouth, Li Dalang also raised his remaining hand to cover his own mouth.

Wei Anhui saw from the corner of his eye that Li Dalang seemed to swallow his saliva at his Adam's apple.

Just then, a group of Xianbei guards rushed over, all with white cloth strips on their foreheads, led by a man in a green robe.

Li Dalang recognized the person as Wei Jin, the chief guard who had previously attempted to forcibly search Wei Anhui's carriage.

Wei Jin approached the shaft of the carriage, and Li Dalang immediately leaned back and closed the curtain tightly, not daring to leave a gap.

The eight tall maids could not find the gap because they had their backs to the carriage, but Wei Jin was coming towards him, and Li Dalang did not dare to open the door to take a closer look for fear of being too cautious, and even did not dare to breathe loudly.

If he was discovered by Wei Jin and these strange pirates, he would be unable to escape even if he had wings. However, at the moment, he was more concerned about Yan Liulang.

He came to Xunyang Ferry with Yan Liulang. Xunyang Ferry was in chaos just now, and he didn't know if Liulang had any problems...

Li Dalang's face was pale and his hands were clenched into fists under his sleeves.

At this moment, he suddenly felt a warmth on the back of his hand. He looked down and saw Wei Anhui's small hand on it, gently touching and soothing it.

Wei Anhui gave Li Dalang a comforting look, and the latter nodded reluctantly.

But soon, Wei Jin's voice coming from outside made Li Dalang regain some spirit.

"Bah, what a damn bad luck! The chief constable ran away. He was as fast as a loach. I don't know if he had been prepared in advance..."

A hoarse voice of a pirate was heard from the side:
"Don't worry about it. Master Wu said, follow the plan and go straight to the dragon. Everything else is just a side issue. To do big things, you have to be fast. Don't be distracted in the middle of the process and miss the opportunity."

"Row!"

Wei Jin nodded bitterly.

A maid's voice sounded somewhat dissatisfied: "Wait, where is the princess's boat? Is it still stuck there?"

Wei Jin smiled awkwardly:

"I'm sorry, I was so busy searching for Li Fusu that I forgot to send the boat out. As a result, the boat of my brothers blocked it. Please be patient. I will send my brothers away and then take people to move the boat. Ladies, calm down."

"Hurry up, don't disturb the princess."

"Yes Yes Yes."

Wei Jin led the team away from the carriage shaft, and seemed to be walking away with the pirate leaders. Li Dalang could hear him muttering hesitantly in the distance:

"We haven't caught Li Fusu either. My men clearly saw him coming in and heading towards the princess. Could it be that he met up with the chief constable and ran away together?"

The pirate leader's hoarse voice sounded again:

"The monk may escape, but the temple cannot. Master Wu will seal off the city and slowly look for people. Let's go and do the important things first. Don't delay any further in case someone runs back to report the news."

"Okay." Wei Jin's voice became decisive: "Brothers, follow me. Fast horses have been arranged outside, and there are guides... The informant came to report a quarter of an hour ago that except for the prince Li Fusu, all other people in Xunyang Palace are in the palace, and none of the travel carriages in the stables in the palace have moved..."

Wei Jin and the pirate leaders walked away, and the conversation behind them became inaudible.

Li Dalang, who was eavesdropping, felt his heart in his throat.

These pirates came from Hukou County, right? What were they going to do? Weren't they going to attack Xunyang Grottoes and destroy the Donglin Buddha? How did they contact the Wei family guards around Princess Anhui? They also mentioned Xunyang Palace, which meant...

In an instant, Li Dalang had a myriad of thoughts in his mind, and his mouth became dry.

"Oh no." He lowered his voice and whispered.

Wei Anhui whispered with concern: "Are you okay?"

Li Dalang raised his head, his eyes were red, and his face looked a little anxious:
"I will go back immediately and inform my father."

Wei Anhui fell silent. She also heard what was said outside.

Wei Anhui is not a fool.

Li Dalang couldn't help but whispered:
"Have you always known something?"

Wei Anhui shook his head and then nodded.

Grab his palm and write on it:
I am afraid

Li Dalang asked back: "Then why are you hiding me under your skirt? Aren't you afraid?"

Wei Anhui turned his head and whispered:

"You also went back to find me and gave me the news, even though I didn't need it."

Li Dalang frowned: "That's different. I am brave, but you are different. You used to be like a little white flower, where did you get the courage from?" Wei Anhui said softly:
"An elder sister recently said something to me. She said... In this life, you will always meet someone that you are willing to protect, even if it means risking the world's condemnation. Don't ask why. There is no reason, and there is no reason at all."

Li Dalang was stunned.

Wei Anhui's hand had been on the back of his hand since the beginning, and at this moment, she held it tighter.

"It's very dangerous for you to go back now. You can get on the boat with me and hide for a while. We can leave when we reach Hukou County and it's safe. Okay? I will ask my father for help on our matter when I get back. You should protect yourself first..."

Li Dalang immediately shook his head:
"We'll talk about the future later. Now I have to go back. I must go back. I can't abandon my parents and sister. We came out of Longcheng together. We agreed that no matter how far or how high we go, our family must be together! And I believe in Tan Lang. If we act according to the plan, they should be safe for the time being, and I can meet them..."

Wei Anhui looked at him blankly.

Just then, the footsteps of a tall maid were heard outside.

Wei Anhui immediately held down Li Dalang's head, and the latter reacted and got under her skirt again.

This time, he was more skilled at getting under the skirt.

Perhaps realizing this, Li Dalang's face turned red again, but he couldn't care less at the moment. He remembered that the governor of Hongzhou, Zhu Lingxu, once ran away dressed as a woman. It was not shameful for a real man. Moreover, women in formal attire usually wore tight underwear under their long skirts, not completely naked.

"The princess?"

The tall maid came closer to the curtain and called out tentatively.

Wei Anhui did not respond.

The tall maid then asked in a low voice: "Did the princess rest?"

Wei Anhui still didn't answer.

He deliberately waited for three breaths before stretching lazily and saying "hmm".

She propped her head up with her hands and asked as if she was half asleep: "I felt a little tired just now. What's wrong? Is the boat ready?"

As she spoke, she took the initiative to lift the car curtain.

The tall maid glanced at the confused little princess in the car, who was dressed in a long dress, and nodded:
"Yes, I'm already waiting at the dock, just waiting for you to come over."

"Then go ahead."

"Yes. But there is one more thing. Please wear this, little princess."

"This is... isn't the mourning over?"

"It was left by the military officer, who asked me to give it to you before you boarded the ship. The military officer said that this was a request from the King of Wei, and all the children of the Wei family must wear it today."

"it is good."

Wei Anhui took the white cloth strip held in front of him by the tall maid, took a look at it, and lowered his head to put it on his forehead.

The tall maid was about to leave when Wei Anhui suddenly spoke:
"and many more."

"What else do you want, my lord?"

Wei Anhui covered her abdomen with her hands, blushing slightly as she said:

"I have a stomachache. I need to go to the bathroom before I get on the boat. Please drive the car to the woods ahead and move away. I hate being disturbed."

The tall maid nodded obediently:

"it is good."

The tall maid went to the back of the carriage to get the chamber pot, put it in the carriage, and took the initiative to lower the curtain.

As a princess, the interior space of the carriage she sat in was very large, with a special space reserved for the toilet, and she would also bring a chamber pot with her.

Not long after, Wei Anhui felt the luxurious carriage start moving again, slowly heading towards a lush forest not far away.

The carriage stopped and the tall maids seemed to leave one after another.

Wei Anhui and Li Dalang under her skirt both heard the footsteps outside gradually fading away. There was no more sound, only the rustling sound of the treetops caused by the river breeze.

Wei Anhui did not lift up her skirt immediately, but reached out calmly to take the chamber pot.

Li Dalang roughly guessed the purpose of Wei Anhui's coming to the woods to use the toilet, and his face was filled with gratitude.

However, when he noticed her taking the chamber pot, he froze and dared not move.

Wei Anhui couldn't help but pat his head through his skirt, "Idiot, what are you standing there for? Go now."

"oh oh."

Li Dalang hurriedly lifted up the long skirt that covered her head.

Wei Anhui lowered his head, took out a porcelain bowl, filled it with seven-tenths of water, and handed it to him.

She took off the white cloth on her forehead, gently placed it in his hand, and whispered:
"I'll give you water instead of wine. Sorry I can't send it far. Wear it. This may be a token of trust given by Uncle Wu. If you encounter danger on the road, you can use it to hide..."

Just then, there was a sudden noise outside.

Wei Anhui retracted his hand as if his fingers were burned by charcoal fire, and sat up straight. Li Dalang also quickly retracted his head and hid himself again.

He didn't have time to put down the bowl of water in his hand, and half of it spilled, wetting the hem of his skirt.

Then, with a "whoosh" sound, the curtain was lifted open by someone outside.

It was the tall maid who had talked before. There was not only one of her, but three others standing beside her.

The four tall maids looked coldly at the little princess who was sitting in the carriage in her gorgeous attire.

Wei Anhui's expression changed slightly. She turned her head and saw four other tall maids standing in the distance, looking at her.

Wei Anhui immediately realized that only four maids had left, and four others stayed outside, deliberately hiding their movements!
Wei Anhui frowned, pointed at the wet hem of her skirt, and pretended to be angry:

"I was using the toilet. What are you doing? You made my skirt wet. I will report it to my father..."

The tall maids turned a deaf ear to her and didn't even look at the wet skirt. When they saw that the little princess was neatly dressed, they confiscated the chamber pot and silently made way for her.

I saw a cold-looking man in a green robe walking out of the woods ahead.

It’s Wei Jin.

Go and come back again.

Wei Jin held the sword in one hand and came to the front of the shaft, staring coldly at Wei Anhui's wide, trailing skirt.

"I give you three breaths to get out from under the princess's skirt. You can keep your body intact, but you will have to gouge out your eyes and chop off your head. You will be my chamber pot. You are a noble lady of the Wei family, and your innocence cannot be insulted."

Wei Anhui's face turned pale instantly.

"do not want!"

Four tall maids stepped forward and held down Wei Anhui who was struggling to resist.

"three……"

"two……"

There was no sound under Wei Anhui's skirt.

Wei Jin was too lazy to read any more, sneered disdainfully, and drew his sword with one hand.

The fiery red spiritual energy flowed from the back of his hand and poured into the knife. The blade trembled and hummed softly, like a bloodthirsty and gluttonous beast.

"Another useless Li. Is this all the descendants of Emperor Taizong Wen are? They still need the protection of the noble lady of the Wei family. The Li family deserves to be wiped out... Hold down the princess and don't move."

Wei Jin raised his knife indifferently, and the light was cold and dazzling in the sunlight filtering through the gap in the woods behind him.

“Don’t…”

Wei Anhui was pulled by four maids and her mouth was blocked. Her eyes turned red and she bent down resolutely to block the knife.

At this moment, a call came from under the skirt, and Li Dalang's voice sounded somewhat helpless:
"Your Majesty, please don't go under my skirt next time. Please don't, please don't."

The whole audience was silent.

In full view.

A bearded young man, wearing a white cloth on his head, holding a bowl of water in one hand, walked out from under the skirt. He... looked at all the "living beings" with equal respect.

(End of this chapter)