Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Wu Tao was pushed away by Hu Bugui, staggered a few steps, and fell to the ground. She watched Hu Bugui rushing towards the man in black, her heart seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible hand, almost suffocating.

"No return!" Wu Tao shouted at the top of his lungs, but was unable to stop the battle.

Swords flashed, flesh and blood clashed, Hu Bugui fought ten people alone, but he was not afraid. He was agile and fierce, like a lone wolf forced into a desperate situation, bursting out with amazing strength.

However, two fists are no match for four hands, not to mention the fact that the other side outnumbers them. Soon, Hu Bugui had several wounds on his body, and blood stained his clothes red.

"Hahaha, Hu Bugui, you now have your day!" The leading man in black laughed wildly, waving the big knife in his hand and slashing at Hu Bugui.

At this critical moment, a black shadow descended from the sky and appeared in front of Hu Bugui like a ghost. He was seen holding a long sword and gently waving it to dissolve the attack of the man in black.

The man in black was startled by this sudden change. When he looked carefully, he saw that the man was dressed in green, with a stern face and an intimidating aura emanating from his whole body.

"Who are you? How dare you interfere in our affairs!" the leading man in black shouted sternly.

"As a wandering man in the martial arts world, I will draw my sword and help those who are injustice-stricken." The man in green said coldly, with unquestionable majesty in his tone.

"Hmph, what a big tone!" The leading man in black was furious and ordered his men to attack the man in green.

The man in green remained calm, his sword was unsheathed, flashing with cold light. His figure was as fast as lightning, shuttling between the men in black, his swordsmanship was sharp, and every move was deadly.

In a blink of an eye, the ground was filled with the bodies of the men in black, and only the leader was still struggling. Seeing that the situation was not good, the leader decided to retreat and turned to escape. How could the man in green let him do so? He flashed and blocked his way.

"Want to leave? Too late!" The man in green snorted coldly and thrust out with his sword, aiming straight at the throat of the man in black.

The man in black was terrified and raised his sword to block, but he was no match for the fierce attack of the man in green. With a crisp "clang" sound, the man in black's sword was knocked away and the long sword pierced his chest.

The man in black opened his eyes wide, looking at the man in green in front of him in disbelief, blood gushing out of his mouth, and he finally fell to the ground powerlessly, dying.

Upon seeing this, the other men in black were already frightened out of their wits. They dropped their weapons and weapons and fled in all directions.

The man in green did not chase after them. Instead, he turned around and walked in front of Wu Tao and Hu Bugui, bowed and said, "My name is Lu Yunqi, nice to meet you two."

Hu Bugui struggled to stand up and clasped his fists in return: "Thank you, Young Master Lu, for your help. May I ask your name?"

Lu Yunqi smiled slightly: "It's just a small favor, not worth mentioning. I am just a wanderer in the martial arts world, I don't have any sect."

Wu Tao also came back to her senses at this time, and hurried forward to thank him: "Thank you, Young Master Lu, for saving my life. I am very grateful."

Lu Yunqi looked at Wu Tao, with a hint of admiration in his eyes: "Miss Wu, there is no need to be polite. I have admired you two for a long time. It is a great honor to meet you today."

"Admire us?" Wu Tao and Hu Bugui looked at each other, not understanding what Lu Yunqi meant.

Lu Yunqi explained, "I have been traveling the world for many years, and I admire you two deeply when I hear about your deeds. Miss Wu is a skilled doctor who saves the world; Mr. Hu is a chivalrous man who cares about the people. Your deeds have long been known throughout the world."

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui then realized that Lu Yunqi had been paying attention to them, and a warm feeling suddenly surged in their hearts.

"Thank you for the compliment, Young Master Lu. We are just doing what we can." Wu Tao said modestly.

Lu Yunqi shook his head: "You two don't need to be modest. What you have done deserves everyone's admiration."

As he said this, he turned to look at the unconscious doctor beside him and asked with concern, "Who is this old gentleman?"

"This is our friend. He unfortunately contracted the disease while trying to treat patients," Hu Bugui explained.

"I see." Lu Yunqi nodded, walked to the doctor, examined him carefully, and then said, "The old man's illness needs to be treated as soon as possible, otherwise his life will be in danger. I have some healing medicine here, which may be able to help him."

After saying that, he took out an exquisite porcelain bottle from his arms, poured out a pill, and fed it to the doctor.

The pill melted in his mouth, and the doctor's complexion improved visibly, and his breathing became much steadier.

"Thank you, Mr. Lu." Wu Tao said gratefully.

"You're welcome." Lu Yunqi waved his hand, "Old man, you are blessed by heaven, I believe you will recover soon." Wu Tao and Hu Bugui looked at each other, their eyes full of gratitude and admiration. During this period of time, they ran around to treat the people, but they were also stuck in the quagmire and could not get out. The appearance of Lu Yunqi undoubtedly lit a beacon for them and brought a ray of hope.

"Young Master Lu, you are so chivalrous and kind-hearted. We are so grateful to you." Hu Bugui clasped his fists and said, "May I ask if Young Master Lu knows the current situation in Chang'an City?"

Lu Yunqi nodded slightly, his expression solemn: "I know a thing or two. The Crown Prince and the Prime Minister have evil ambitions and are trying to usurp the throne. Now the people in Chang'an are in a panic and the situation is unstable."

"That's right." Wu Tao sighed, "We fled this time because we discovered the conspiracy of the crown prince and the prime minister. We wanted to pass the news to the emperor, but we were hunted down and almost lost our lives."

After hearing this, Lu Yunqi pondered for a moment and said, "Don't worry, I have always been on good terms with several of my friends in the martial arts world. They are all loyal and righteous people and will definitely do their best to help you."

He paused, took out a jade pendant from his bosom, and handed it to Hu Bugui: "This is my token. With it, you can go to Luoxia Valley to find a good friend of mine. His name is 'Flying Eagle'. He is very good at Qinggong and can help you two pass the news back to Chang'an."

Hu Bugui took the jade pendant with both hands and said solemnly: "Young Master Lu, you are so kind and generous. We will never forget it! When the clouds and mist clear in the future, I will definitely come to your house to thank you!"

"It's just a small favor, not worth mentioning." Lu Yunqi smiled carefreely, "You two are chivalrous and brave, and you care about the people. I admire you very much and am willing to do my best to help."

"Young Master Lu, it's a long journey to Chang'an, please be careful." Wu Tao frowned slightly, her worry was evident. Lu Yunqi laughed loudly and said, "Don't worry, Miss Wu, I have been in the martial arts world for many years, and this little thing is not difficult for me. But you have a heavy responsibility, so you must take care of yourselves." Hu Bugui patted Lu Yunqi on the shoulder and said solemnly, "Brother Lu, when you go to Chang'an, you must inform the emperor of the conspiracy of the prince and the prime minister. Please be careful and return peace and prosperity to the people of Chang'an as soon as possible!"

"Okay, I'll take note." Lu Yunqi nodded, his eyes firm, "You two stay here and recover from your injuries. I'll send the news to Chang'an and then meet up with you two." After he finished speaking, he jumped on his horse and galloped away. Watching Lu Yunqi's figure going away, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui felt mixed emotions. They knew that going to Chang'an was extremely dangerous, and Lu Yunqi's move was tantamount to going deep into the tiger's den, and they couldn't help but sweat for him.

"Taotao, we have to hurry up too." Hu Bugui held Wu Tao's hand, his tone firm, "Brother Lu has bought time for us, we must not let him down." Wu Tao nodded and looked towards the small village not far away, where many people infected with the disease were struggling and waiting for treatment.

After the two arrived at the village and explained their purpose to the villagers, the villagers extended a helping hand, vacated their houses, provided food and water, and helped them build a temporary medical camp. With the help of the villagers, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui quickly devoted themselves to the intense rescue work. They worked tirelessly and treated patients day and night. With their superb medical skills and selfless dedication, they won the respect and love of the villagers.

The simple medical camp was filled with the strong smell of herbs and the light of hope. Whenever they saw the patients' condition improve and their happy smiles, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui felt a sense of accomplishment. They seemed to have forgotten the hardships of escaping and the confusion of the road ahead, and just wanted to do their best to bring a little warmth and hope to these suffering people. Wu Tao gently put on a clean bandage for an old lady. The old lady held her hand, and her cloudy eyes were full of gratitude: "Girl, you are really kind-hearted. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid our old bones would be..."

"Grandma, don't say that. You'll get better soon." Wu Tao's eyes were slightly red, and she gently patted the back of the old lady's hand to comfort her.

Hu Bugui, who was standing by, handed over a bowl of freshly boiled medicine. Looking at Wu Tao's tired but determined expression, he felt distressed. He put down the medicine bowl, walked behind Wu Tao, and gently massaged her sore shoulders.

"Taotao, take a rest. You haven't slept for three days and three nights." Hu Bugui's low voice was filled with deep concern.

Wu Tao shook his head and looked at the increasing number of patients in the distance, his eyes full of determination: "I'm fine, I'll save as many patients as possible."

At this time, the atmosphere in Chang'an City was completely different from this simple medical camp. In the magnificent palace, Emperor Li Longji was sitting on the dragon throne with a solemn expression, tightly holding a letter in his hand. The letter paper was soaked with sweat, which showed how much effort he put in.

"How outrageous! How outrageous!" Li Longji slammed the letter on the dragon table, stood up angrily, paced back and forth in the hall, his face ashen.

Seeing this, Gao Lishi, the old eunuch chief, stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, what happened to make you so angry?"

"Gao Lishi, take a look for yourself!" Li Longji pointed at the letter on the dragon table, his tone filled with suppressed anger.

Gao Lishi carefully picked up the letter, unfolded it and read it carefully. The letter was sent by the chivalrous hero Lu Yunqi at the risk of his life. It described in detail the various evidences of the collusion between Crown Prince Li Ying and Prime Minister Li Linfu, the frame-up of loyal officials and the intention of rebellion, as well as how Wu Tao and Hu Bugui were forced to flee Chang'an.

The more Gao Lishi read, the more frightened he became, with cold sweat on his forehead. He knew the weight of this letter. If what was said in the letter was true, it would be a major event that would shake the government and the public!

"Your Majesty, this..." Gao Lishi put down the letter and didn't know how to start for a moment.

"I have treated these traitors well, yet they are so bold and presumptuous!" Li Longji was so angry that he punched the dragon table with a loud noise.