Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Wu Tao was pushed into the secret passage by the villagers, and her ears were filled with chaotic footsteps and panicked shouts. She shook off the crowd and tried to rush out, but Chuntao held her tightly, "Miss! It's too dangerous to go out now!" Wu Tao's eyes were red and her voice was trembling, "Chuntao, let me go! I want to find him, I want to be with him!" Chuntao's tears also flowed, "Miss, calm down! Mr. Hu will be fine, we are all waiting for him to come back here!"

Wu Tao knew Chun Tao was right, but when she thought of Hu Bugui fighting alone outside, her heart felt like it was cut by a knife and she couldn't breathe. The air in the secret passage was filthy and filled with damp and musty smells, but Wu Tao didn't care about that at the moment. She held onto the wall and stumbled forward. She wanted to find a place where she could see what was happening outside.

Finally, she found a narrow ventilation hole at a corner. Through the gap, she could vaguely see the flames rising to the sky outside. Wu Tao's heart sank suddenly. The offensive of the imperial army was more fierce than she had imagined. The defense line of the village had been torn open. The flames illuminated half of the sky red, and the thick smoke obscured the brilliance of the stars and the moon.

"Not coming back..." Wu Tao leaned weakly against the wall, tears sliding down silently.

Suddenly, she saw a familiar figure moving through the firelight, waving his sword like a dancing silver snake, taking a life with every strike. It was Hu Bugui! His clothes were already stained with blood, but he still fought like a wounded beast, bursting out with amazing fighting power to protect his homeland.

Wu Tao's heart suddenly shrank. She wanted to rush out and fight alongside him, but her mind told her that she would only be a burden to him. All she could do was pray silently here, praying for his safe return.

However, fate always seemed to like to play jokes. Just when Wu Tao was relieved, an accident happened. In a fierce battle, Hu Bugui was accidentally stabbed in the arm by the enemy's spear, and blood instantly stained his sleeves red.

"No return!" Wu Tao screamed, trying desperately to rush out, but Chun Tao held her tightly, "Miss! Calm down! You can't go out!"

Wu Tao struggled desperately, but to no avail, and could only watch as Hu Bugui was surrounded by more and more enemies. His movements slowed down significantly, and his originally fierce offensive also became sluggish, but he still gritted his teeth and persisted, refusing to fall down.

"Bugui! How are you? Hang on, I'll come and save you!" Wu Tao's voice was hoarse, and tears blurred her vision. Hu Bugui groaned and staggered a few steps, but he quickly stabilized his position and waved his sword to drive back the enemy in front of him. However, his physical strength was severely overdrawn, and the wound on his arm was bleeding profusely, and everything in front of him began to become blurry.

"Mr. Hu, how are you?" a soldier asked anxiously.

Hu Bugui shook his head, holding back the pain, "I'm fine, don't worry about me, just hold the line!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a sharp arrow flew through the air and shot straight at Hu Bugui's chest. At the critical moment, a figure flashed by like lightning, grabbed the arrow, threw it backhandedly, and nailed the sneak attacking archer to the tree trunk.

"Who is it?!" the general of the imperial army shouted sternly.

I saw more than a dozen men in black falling from the sky and landing around Hu Bugui. They were all agile, with sharp eyes, and the weapons in their hands flashing with cold light.

"A chivalrous hero?!" someone exclaimed.

The leading black-clad man was tall and had a stern face. He glanced at the battlefield and said in a deep voice, "Brothers, the imperial court has gone too far. Today we will enforce justice on the behalf of heaven and kill all these damned officers and soldiers!"

"Kill!" The knights roared in unison, rushing into the enemy camp like a tiger descending from a mountain, with swords flashing and blood flying everywhere. They were highly skilled in martial arts and had a tacit understanding of cooperation, like a tiger among a flock of sheep, killing the imperial army and forcing them to retreat step by step.

Hu Bugui looked at the group of chivalrous knights who suddenly appeared in front of him, and a warm feeling surged in his heart. He didn't know who they were, nor why they wanted to help him, but he knew that he and the villagers were saved.

"Thank you all for your help!" Hu Bugui said with a fist salute.

The leading black-clad man glanced at him and said in a deep voice, "Mr. Hu, you don't have to be polite. When we see injustice, we draw our swords to help. This is the chivalrous way of our generation!"

Wu Tao slowly woke up, feeling sore all over. The last image in her mind was Hu Bugui trying to block the enemy's attack with his body. She struggled to sit up and looked around, and found herself lying in a simple wooden house, with a faint scent of Chinese herbal medicine in the air.

"Taotao, you're awake!" Chuntao's surprised voice came from my ear. She carried a bowl of hot soup and walked quickly to the bedside. "How do you feel? Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?"

Wu Tao shook his head, took the bowl of soup, and drank it in small sips, while asking: "Where is Hu Bugui? And... where are those men in black?"

"Master Hu is outside discussing things with those knights," Chun Tao replied, "They said they want to track down those who attacked the village and seek justice for us."

"Investigate?" Wu Tao felt a little uneasy. She thought of the mysterious man in black, the one who appeared repeatedly in her dreams but whose face she couldn't see clearly. "Chun Tao, have you seen a man... in black and a mask?"

Chun Tao thought about it and shook her head: "No, those knights all wore the same black night clothes, and their faces were not covered. What's wrong?"

Wu Tao did not answer, but frowned, the feeling of uneasiness in her heart became stronger. She always felt that the mysterious man would not help them for no reason. He appeared too suddenly and disappeared too strangely. All of this revealed a hint of unusual taste.

When Hu Bugui came back, he saw Wu Tao frowning and looking serious. He walked quickly to her side, held her hand, and asked with concern: "Taotao, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Wu Tao shook his head and told him about his worries. Hu Bugui hesitated for a moment and comforted him, "Don't worry, I have sent people to investigate. Those knights are all righteous people from the rivers and lakes. They came this time to help us fight against the court."

Wu Tao wanted to say something else, but was interrupted by Hu Bugui: "Okay, don't worry about these things, just focus on healing. I still have something to discuss with those knights, you can rest for a while."

After saying that, he turned and left the wooden house. Wu Tao looked at his departing figure, but the uneasiness in his heart did not dissipate, but became stronger.

Sure enough, not long after, Hu Bugui came back with a serious look on his face. He handed a letter to Wu Tao and said in a deep voice, "This is what those knights found when they were tracking down the attackers. Take a look."

Wu Tao took the letter, unfolded it, and turned pale. The letter said that those who attacked the village were not ordinary bandits, but from a mysterious organization, and the target of this organization was the legendary treasure hidden nearby - the treasure of the previous dynasty!

Hu Bugui told the knights the contents of the letter, and they were all shocked. The leader of the knights slammed the table and said proudly: "I didn't expect that there is such a secret behind this small village! Brother Hu, don't worry, since we are here, we will definitely help you protect the treasure and prevent those villains from succeeding!"

"Yes! We fight alongside you!" Other knights also responded.

Wu Tao looked at the excited crowd in front of her, but she felt even more uneasy. She always felt that things would not be so simple. What secrets did this treasure hide? What was the identity of the mysterious man in black? All of this was like a fog that made her unable to see the direction clearly.

However, before they could sort out their thoughts, a greater crisis had quietly arrived.

As night fell, the village was shrouded in an eerie silence. Suddenly, the sound of rapid horse hooves broke the silence, followed by deafening shouts of killing from afar.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"Get ready to fight!"

Hu Bugui and the knights reacted quickly, picked up their weapons and rushed out. Wu Tao also struggled to get up, but Chun Tao held her down tightly, "Miss, your injury is not healed yet, you can't go!"

"No, I can't just sit here and do nothing!" Wu Tao looked out the window anxiously, seeing flames rising into the sky and shouts of killing deafening. The entire village had fallen into chaos.

At this moment, a tall figure suddenly appeared at the door. He was wearing a mask and his face could not be seen clearly. It was the mysterious man in black who had saved Wu Tao before. He glanced coldly at everyone in the room and said in a cold tone: "If you want to live, follow me."

After saying this, without waiting for anyone to react, he grabbed Wu Tao's hand, pulled her out of the cabin, and disappeared into the night.