The Double

She had not finished speaking when she suddenly saw Jih Heng’s expression change slightly. Puzzled, she heard some rustling sounds from the bushes, and then Wen Renyao appeared before her, drenched in sweat. As soon as he saw Jiang Li and the others, he shouted, "Run!"

But before he could finish, an even louder noise came from the bushes, and someone followed!

Wen Renyao ran to Lu Jiu in a sorry state, but Lu Jiu, along with Jih Heng and Zhao Ke, did not move an inch, as if they did not see Wen Renyao’s disheveled appearance. Soon after, several people emerged from behind the bushes, all dressed as soldiers. They were far from Huangzhou City, so these were unlikely to be people from the Military Defense General or the City Defense Army; they must be Prince Cheng’s soldiers.

The soldiers had taken the main road and were traveling faster than they were. They had not expected to encounter them here. It seemed these were stray soldiers who had fallen behind the main force following Prince Cheng.

In total there were five men, all tall in stature and carrying an aura of malice that came from having killed. Upon seeing Jiang Li and her group, the leader asked, "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Sir," answered Lu Jiu with a smile, "we are merchants traveling from Yongzhou, just passing by this place. We intended to go to Huangzhou, but the city gates were not open, so we have to head back to Yongzhou. We heard it was chaotic outside, so we took the mountain path."

As Lu Jiu spoke, his face bore a flattering smile, showing no trace of the scheming scholar he usually was, instead resembling a timid merchant. Zhao Ke and Wen Ji remained silent; since they were dressed as coachmen, they naturally did not draw attention.

"Leave the carriage," ordered the leading soldier. "The rest of you, get lost!"