Adhere to the gentleman's principles

Zhao Junning nervously opened the door, leaned forward slightly, and carefully looked out. Her eyes were full of vigilance, closely watching the bandits patrolling the mountain village. The bandits walked left and right, front and back, maintaining a high level of vigilance.

Zhao Junning looked around and finally found the location of the mountain stronghold gate. She walked out of the house quietly, carefully avoiding the bandits, and sneaked all the way to the mountain stronghold gate.

She didn't dare to relax at all and ran as fast as she could. However, a shout suddenly came from behind her: "Oh no, my brother has been drugged, hurry up and chase him, the woman ran away!"

Zhao Junning's heart tightened, and she moved her legs and ran faster. She felt a strong pressure, as if the pursuers were just behind her. Her heartbeat accelerated rapidly, and her breathing became rapid.

When she ran to the deep forest, she was already out of breath, but she didn't dare to stop. Looking at the fire gradually approaching behind her, Zhao Junning's eyes flashed with determination and resoluteness. She ran towards the cliff without hesitation.

Standing on the edge of the cliff, she looked back at the fire that was chasing her, and a feeling of despair surged in her heart. Then, she decisively took off her shoes and placed them on the cliff, as if that was her last connection with the world. She picked up the hairpin and gently scratched her wrist, and blood gushed out instantly. She dripped the blood on her shoes and the stone cone on the cliff, then tore off a sleeve and hung it on the blood-stained stone cone. She covered the wound tightly to stop the blood from flowing, and then quietly hid in the cave next to her.

In the dark cave, Zhao Junning's body trembled slightly. She closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down, but the fear and pain in her heart surged into her heart like a tide. She didn't know if she could escape, nor did she know what the future would be like. However, in this desperate situation, she still gritted her teeth and persisted, guarding the last glimmer of hope.

Soon, the bandits from Wudao Village chased after them like vicious wolves. Zhao Junning's heart almost jumped out of her throat. She covered her mouth tightly, not daring to make a sound, and even not daring to breathe too hard. She stared at the people chasing after her, fearing that they would find her hiding place.

The young bandit ran to the leader Xu Biao and said breathlessly: "Second brother, the woman must have fallen down." Xu Biao picked up the bloody shoes and cloth, and after a careful inspection, he frowned and cursed in his heart: "Damn it, she just fell down like that, what bad luck! Let's go back first."

After the bandits retreated, Zhao Junning still covered her mouth, not daring to relax. Sure enough, as she expected, the villains came back again. Her heartbeat became more and more intense, as if it was going to burst through her chest. "It seems that he really fell down." Hearing this, Zhao Junning's heart was slightly relieved. But she still did not dare to take it lightly and continued to wait silently.

Zhao Junning finally let go of her hand after making sure the bandits had really left. She felt the blood on her wrist, the pain was unbearable, and her face was also stained with blood. She didn't care much, and after simply bandaging the wound, she walked out of the cave with difficulty, and walked back along the way she came. With every step, she felt extremely tired and scared, but she had only one thought in her mind: she must get out of this deep forest alive.

Xu Biao and the others dragged their tired bodies back to the village. From a distance, they saw Yan Zhantian standing upright. His figure looked particularly tall in the sun. When they walked into the house, they saw a woman sitting there quietly. Looking closely, it turned out to be Xiao Yufu. Beside her stood two masked, black-robed guards with swords.

Yan Zhantian saw Xu Biao and quickly stepped forward, asking anxiously, "Where is he?" Xu Biao gasped for breath, as if trying to calm his fear. He answered in a low voice, "He fell off the cliff." Xiao Yufu's face turned pale when she heard this. She widened her eyes and asked in disbelief, "He fell off the cliff?"

The two guards looked at each other and took off their masks at the same time. They turned out to be Xu Wenhe and Li Ziyan. Li Ziyan took two steps at a time and grabbed Xu Biao's collar. His voice was full of anger and doubt: "What did you say?"

Xu Biao struggled to break free from Li Ziyan's restraints, his eyes revealing a hint of helplessness: "I said that woman fell off the cliff, maybe she died."

After hearing this, Xu Wenhe and Li Ziyan were shocked and their bodies trembled uncontrollably. Xu Biao struggled to break free from Li Ziyan's hand, then took out the shoes and the bloodstained cloth. He said angrily, "I found them on the cliff. I guess she accidentally fell down." His eyes showed that Zhao Junning had died and it had nothing to do with him.

Xiao Yufu was extremely panicked at this time. Her face turned pale and her lips trembled slightly. Li Ziyan frowned and his eyes were red. He held the knife tightly in his hand and pointed his angry eyes directly at Xu Biao.

"Jun Ning wanted to go home. If you hadn't chased her, she wouldn't have fallen!" Li Ziyan's voice was full of grief and anger.

Xu Biao was not a good-tempered person. He snorted disdainfully and retorted: "A woman is dead, so who else can be the one to blame if not you?"

"That woman is stupid, who can you blame? She's dead, people die every day in this world, what's the big deal?" He then said coldly, "You're so anxious, that's your wife, right? If this one dies, you can just marry another one."

Xiao Yufu's panic was not caused by Zhao Junning's death. To her, Zhao Junning's death did not have much impact. What she feared most at this moment was Li Ziyan's anger and the possible consequences.

However, Li Ziyan's anger could no longer be contained. His hand trembled as he slashed across Xu Biao's neck. When the knife fell, he was stunned. He looked at the body on the ground, his heart filled with fear and shock. He... killed someone! He stared at his hand in disbelief, trying to tell himself that this person deserved to die.

After a while, Li Ziyan calmed down. He took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth: "You are a bandit. If you think that one person's death is nothing, then it doesn't matter if you die." There was a hint of determination in his voice, as if he was trying to find a rationale for his behavior.

Yan Zhantian watched his brother fall in a pool of blood, endless anger welling up in his chest. His eyes were wide open and his voice trembled with anger: "You killed my brother! I will kill you..." However, before he could finish his cruel words, Li Ziyan kicked out with a swift and powerful kick that knocked Yan Zhantian to the ground.

Li Ziyan's eyes were burning with anger. He stared at Xiao Yufu, as if he could see through her. Then, he turned to Xu Wenhe and said, "Wenhe, deal with these people, and leave the leader behind. I'll go find Jun Ning." Xu Wenhe responded without hesitation, "Don't worry, I will definitely find Jun Ning."

Xiao Yufu was full of fearlessness at this moment. She straightened her body and questioned Li Ziyan: "Li Ziyan, Zhao Junning is already dead. What are you still looking for? Do you want to find a corpse to live with?" Li Ziyan's voice became low and suppressed: "Shut up!" After that, he walked out of the house without looking back, and shouted to Lin Hai behind him: "Lin Hai, take some people and follow me." His steps were firm and resolute.

In the deep forest, Zhao Junning stretched out her hands tremblingly and fumbled for the tinder from Yan Zhantian and others who were lying on the ground. Her heartbeat accelerated rapidly, and every step was filled with fear. With the weak light of the tinder, she ran forward desperately until the last tinder went out. At this moment, the forest was pitch black, and the endless darkness enveloped her. Her heart was swallowed by fear, her hair was disheveled, and her feet were covered with mud.

Zhao Junning took staggering steps, praying silently in her heart as she walked. Fear made her breathing quicken, and her heartbeat seemed to burst through her chest. She could hear the terrifying sound of wild beasts foraging for food, which echoed in the silent forest, making her even more horrified. Her steps became faster and faster, as if there was an evil ghost chasing her.

Suddenly, three wolves appeared in front of her, blocking her way. Their eyes flashed fiercely in the darkness, their fangs were exposed, and saliva dripped from the corners of their mouths. Zhao Junning stepped back in fear, tears pouring out like a flood. She kept repeating in her heart: "Zi Yan, I'm so scared, where are you?" She closed her eyes tightly, not daring to imagine what would happen next.

However, after a while, she did not feel the wolf rushing towards her. Zhao Junning slightly opened her eyes and saw three arrows in front of her, with burning flames on them, scaring away the wolves. She looked at the blazing fire, and a surge of joy surged in her heart for surviving the disaster, and she was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

The owner of these three arrows was Li Ziyan, who came on a fast horse. His appearance was like a ray of light in the darkness, giving Zhao Junning hope of life.