233 All a Coincidence!
The three of them returned to the inn.
Dang Gui first handed the herbs she had bought to Lo Pingsha before running to look for Yu Niaoniao.
She repeated her conversation with Lu Yao and asked.
“Sister, is Young Master Lu suspecting us?”
Yu Niaoniao nodded. “Yes.”
Their disguise was not rigorous. As long as Lu Yao had the heart, he would definitely suspect something.
Dang Gui hurriedly asked, “Then what should we do next?”
Yu Niaoniao comforted her.
“Don’t be nervous. Since he didn’t ask us directly, it meant he had no intention of confronting us for the time being. In that case, we pretended that nothing had happened and continued mingling. When we reach Xingning, we’ll part ways with him.”
Dang Gui nodded. “Yes.”
The night passed quickly.
The next morning, they ate breakfast and prepared to continue on their way. Unexpectedly, just as they pushed open the door, they saw many people standing outside the inn. The leader was the local county magistrate.
As soon as he saw Lu Yao, he immediately went forward and bowed.
“Young Master Lu.”
Lu Yao frowned in dissatisfaction.
“Didn’t I tell you not to disturb me? Why did you bring so many people to me?”
The county magistrate hurriedly apologized. “Young Master Lu, please forgive me. I didn’t mean to disturb you. The county governor sent someone to deliver a secret order and asked me to let you stay here for two days. Two days later, the people from the County Governor’s Mansion will rush here to pick you up.”
If it were before, Lu Yao would have agreed to stay and wait obediently for someone to pick him up.
But now he was anxious to go home and ask his father about what he had heard and seen. He did not want to waste any more time here.
So he refused without hesitation.
“There’s no need to mobilize so many people. I know the way back. I can go back myself. Move.”
The county magistrate was in a difficult position. “But we can’t explain it to the county governor.”
Lu Yao said in a low voice, “I’ll make it clear to him. Even if he wants to pursue the matter later, I’ll bear the responsibility alone. It has nothing to do with you!”
At this point, the county magistrate knew that the other party was determined to leave. He could only step aside and make way.
Lu Yao, Yu Niaoniao, and the others sat in the carriage.
Two carriages and a donkey moved forward and quickly disappeared from view.
The magistrate looked away and instructed his advisor.
“Write a letter immediately and send someone to Xingning to tell the county governor about the eldest young master.”
“Yes!”
The carriage moved steadily along the official road.
Along the way, they encountered three more robberies.
Without exception, those bandits were all emaciated. They were originally good citizens. After their land and property were snatched away, they could no longer live. In their desperation, they could only become bandits.
The first two groups of bandits were sent away by Yu Niaoniao with money.
Only the last group of bandits rejected the arrangements.
They had clearly killed before. There was ferocity in their eyes.
They were not satisfied with just taking a mere 100 taels of silver and insisting on killing and robbing, taking all the money and food.
In that case, Yu Niaoniao, Lu Yao, and the others had nothing more to say. They all joined the battle.
Although those bandits were fierce, they had never undergone formal training. They fought without any order and relied on brute force.
After a fierce battle, the bandits were defeated. They either died or fled.
Yu Niaoniao and Lo Pingsha were fine. Only Dang Gui was slightly injured in order to protect Lu Yao.
There was a long, thin cut on her arm and slow seeping blood stained her sleeve.
Lu Yao was anxious. Without thinking, he picked Dang Gui up and placed her in the carriage.
Lo Pingsha washed his hands, opened the medical kit, and began to bandage Dang Gui’s wound.
There was limited space in the carriage, so the others could only wait outside.
Lu Yao kept pacing back and forth, his eyes fixed on the carriage. He was extremely vexed.
He hated himself for being so careless just now. He was only concerned with dealing with the bandits in front of him, but he did not expect someone to ambush him from behind. As a result, he implicated Dang Gui who threw herself at him to save him.
It was all his fault! At the thought of this, Lu Yao raised his hand and slapped himself hard.
Yuan Shu was shocked and hurriedly pulled him back.
“Young Master, what are you doing?”
Lu Yao said with red eyes, “It’s all my fault. If it weren’t for saving me, Dang Gui wouldn’t have been injured.”
Yuan Shu comforted him. “Don’t think like that. Those bandits are too shameless. You don’t want to become like this. Don’t take all the blame.”
Lu Yao clenched his fists and made up his mind.
Dang Gui could risk her life for him. He definitely could not let her down. When he returned to Xingning, he would tell his family about the engagement.
Lo Pingsha jumped out of the carriage and spoke to Yu Niaoniao.
“The wound isn’t deep. It’s been bandaged. Be careful not to let her move her arm for the next few days. Change the dressing on time every day. Don’t let the wound touch water.”
Yu Niaoniao nodded in understanding.
At this moment, Dang Gui’s head popped out of the car window and said to Yu Niaoniao.
“Sister, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
Yu Niaoniao looked at her energetic appearance and knew that she was really fine. She could finally relax.
Lu Yao walked quickly to the carriage and said to Dang Gui.
“Rest well. Let me know if you need any help. You were injured because of me this time. I’ll definitely repay you.”
Dang Gui felt a little ashamed.
At that time, when she saw that Young Master Lu had been ambushed, she immediately rushed over and wanted to repel the bandits. Unexpectedly, she slipped and fell, her body colliding with the bandit’s blade.
In short, she had no intention of using her body to block the knife for Young Master Lu.
It was all a coincidence!
She tried to explain. “Actually, I didn’t expect to be injured. I accidentally ran into the man’s knife. It had nothing to do with you. You don’t have to blame yourself.”
She was telling the truth, but Lu Yao felt that she was saying it on purpose to relieve his psychological burden.
Lu Yao was even more touched, his eyes filled with tenderness.
“You don’t have to say it. I know. I understand your intentions.”
Dang Gui was confused. What kind of intentions? What did he understand now?
When the carriage started again, Dang Gui still did not understand what Lu Yao meant.
She could not help but ask Yu Niaoniao for advice.
“Sister, did Young Master Lu misunderstand something?”
Yu Niaoniao was a discerning observer and smiled ambiguously. “He probably thinks that you love him, so you risked your life to block the knife for him. He must be very touched.”
Dang Gui’s face turned red and she was so embarrassed that she could not speak properly.
“I-I’m not in love with him! Sister, don’t spout nonsense!”
Yu Niaoniao’s smile widened.
“Then why are you blushing?”
Dang Gui covered her face with her uninjured hand and forced herself to explain. “I feel hot!”