Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Before the morning light completely dispelled the darkness of the night, the tranquility and peace of the mountain village was broken by the sound of hurried horse hooves. Before Wu Tao had time to savor the bitterness of saying goodbye to Hu Bugui, she was awakened by the hurried footsteps. She lifted the curtain of the simple thatched hut, and the scene in front of her stunned her.

The originally quiet village was now surrounded by densely packed soldiers. The soldiers in armor, holding cold swords, surrounded the entire village. The panicked villagers were driven to the open space at the entrance of the village, looking at these uninvited guests in horror.

"What's going on? What happened?" Wu Tao grabbed a villager next to him and asked anxiously.

The villager turned pale and trembled as he said, "It's... it's the imperial army. They... they said they want to capture Master Hu, otherwise... otherwise they will massacre the whole village!"

Wu Tao's heart suddenly sank, and an ominous premonition came to her mind. Before she could come to her senses, she saw Hu Bugui walking out of the crowd. He was dressed in a coarse linen shirt, but it couldn't hide his upright posture and resolute expression.

"I am Hu Bugui. If you want to arrest me, release these villagers!" Hu Bugui's voice echoed in the open space. His tone was calm but carried unquestionable majesty.

There was a commotion in the crowd, and the villagers cast grateful glances at Hu Bugui. Wu Tao looked at the familiar figure, feeling mixed emotions. She knew that Hu Bugui stayed to protect her, but now, he was putting himself in danger to protect the villagers.

A young general riding a tall horse and wearing silver armor rode out. He had a handsome face, but there was a hint of viciousness between his eyebrows. It was the prince. He looked down at Hu Bugui, and a cold smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Hu Bugui, you are treasonous and guilty of crime. I, the prince, have been ordered to arrest you. If you know what's good for you, surrender yourself, so as not to implicate innocent people!"

When Wu Tao heard this, she immediately understood that the prince was going to put Hu Bugui to death! She rushed out of the crowd and ran to Hu Bugui, shouting at the prince: "You are talking nonsense! Brother Hu did not rebel at all, don't slander him!"

The prince glanced at Wu Tao with contempt and sneered, "Who are you? Do you have the right to speak here?"

Wu Tao straightened his back, met the prince's gaze fearlessly, and said loudly: "It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that you can't wrongly accuse a good person! Brother Hu spent all his family wealth to help the victims of the disaster. He is wholeheartedly serving the people. How could he rebel?!"

The prince sneered and waved his hand impatiently, "Come here, catch him!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers approached Hu Bugui and Wu Tao, waving their swords.

"Protect Mr. Hu! Protect Miss Wu!" A roar broke out from the crowd, and the villagers picked up hoes, carrying poles, and even sticks, and rushed towards the fully armed soldiers without fear. They may not have weapons or martial arts, but they have the determination to protect their homes and benefactors.

"Kill!" The deafening shouts of killing resounded throughout the valley, and a battle between two teams with a huge disparity in strength broke out in the quiet village.

Hu Bugui drew out the sword from his waist, and with a flash of sword light, he pushed back several soldiers who were rushing in front. He was agile and his sword skills were sharp. Wherever he went, soldiers fell to the ground. Those chivalrous men who had fought side by side with Hu Bugui also showed their magical powers. With the flash of swords and shadows, they tore a hole in the encirclement of the imperial army.

Wu Tao had no martial arts skills and could only take care of the wounded in the rear, but she was extremely anxious. She had never seen such a cruel scene before, with blood staining the ground red and wailing incessantly. She knew that they had no chance of winning this battle, but she could not retreat. She wanted to stand with Hu Bugui and these kind villagers and fight to the last moment!

At this moment, a sharp arrow flew through the air and shot straight at Wu Tao. At the critical moment, Hu Bugui flew over and blocked the fatal arrow with his body.

"Brother Hu!" Wu Tao exclaimed, watching the sharp arrow pierce Hu Bugui's shoulder, and the blood instantly dyed Hu Bugui's clothes red.

“Brother Hu!” Wu Tao screamed, tears welling up in her eyes. She rushed to Hu Bugui regardless of everything and covered his wound that was constantly bleeding with her hands. “How are you? Are you okay?!”

Hu Bugui groaned, his face pale, but he endured the pain and held Wu Tao's hand with his backhand, his voice weak but firm, "I'm fine, don't worry..."

Before he finished speaking, the imperial army launched a new round of attacks, shouting and killing, and the situation became more critical. Although the villagers and the chivalrous knights fought hard, they were outnumbered and gradually fell into disadvantage.

"Are... we really going to die here today?" Wu Tao felt despair in his heart.

At this critical moment, a rumbling sound of horse hooves suddenly came from the distance, getting closer and closer, becoming clearer and clearer.

"Kill!" With deafening shouts of killing, a cavalry team in black armor swept down the hillside like a black torrent. They were well-trained, with sharp blades, like a sharp knife, fiercely stabbing into the rear of the imperial army.

The imperial army, which had originally had the upper hand, suddenly fell into chaos and responded in a panic.

"It's General Shen! General Shen is here!" The crowd burst into cheers of surprise.

At the front of the black cavalry, there was a young general wearing silver armor and holding a spear. He was heroic and unstoppable. He was Shen Fang, the most capable general under Hu Bugui.

Shen Fang led the way, his spear like a dragon, and wherever he went, the enemy soldiers fell off their horses. The cavalry behind him was like a tiger descending from the mountain, unstoppable, and soon the imperial army was slaughtered and routed.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" Seeing the situation was not good, the leading general hurriedly ordered a retreat. The imperial army retreated like a tide, leaving behind corpses and wailing wounded soldiers.

The crisis was temporarily resolved, and the villagers cheered and rejoiced, having survived the disaster. However, looking at the devastated village and the villagers and knights lying in a pool of blood, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui could not be happy at all.

Although they won the battle, they paid a heavy price.

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui stood at the entrance of the village, looking at their devastated home, feeling mixed emotions. The smoke had not yet dissipated, the air was filled with the smell of blood, and the villagers were searching for their loved ones in the ruins, with cries and wails coming one after another.

"All this is because of me." Hu Bugui lowered his head in self-blame, his clenched fists trembling slightly. He wanted to take Wu Tao away from the court disputes and live a peaceful life, but he didn't expect to implicate innocent villagers.

"No, it's not your fault. It's those people who are greedy for power. They won't let us go." Wu Tao gently held his hand and comforted him softly. Although she herself was afraid, she understood that Hu Bugui needed support more at this moment.

"Taotao, you are right. I can't run away anymore." Hu Bugui raised his head abruptly, his eyes flashing with determination. "I can't just watch them do whatever they want in the dark, and I can't let our homeland suffer such a disaster again!"

Wu Tao's heart trembled. She saw a kind of determination she had never seen before in Hu Bugui's eyes. She realized that a bigger storm was coming.

"What do you want to do?" Wu Tao asked softly, feeling a little uneasy.

Hu Bugui took a deep breath and looked into the distance, which was the direction of the prosperous Chang'an City. "I want to go back and take back everything that belongs to me!"

Wu Tao's heart sank suddenly. She knew that once Hu Bugui made a decision, no one could stop him. But she did not dissuade him. She just silently held his hand tightly, showing with her actions that no matter what he did, she would stay by his side and stick with him through thick and thin.

As night fell, the mountain village returned to a brief peace. Under Shen Fang's arrangement, the villagers were properly resettled and the injured were treated in time.

However, in a dilapidated thatched house deep in the village, there is a hint of uneasiness.

"What did you say? Did he really say that?" A low and cold voice came from inside the house, the tone full of disbelief and anger.

"It's absolutely true. I heard it with my own ears." A man in black knelt on one knee, his voice respectful and fearful, "Hu Bugui... he said he wanted... wanted..."

"What does he want?!" The voice suddenly rose in pitch, revealing a chilling murderous intent.

The man in black took a deep breath, mustered up his courage and said, "He said... he's going to rebel!"