EWRN - Chapter 16
Chapter 16: Rescuing the West City Blacksmith (II)
Although Huo Jinyu's fishing skills were lacking, her swordsmanship was not. After a while, she finally managed to hack several fish to death with her sword. Rolling up her sleeves, she fumbled around in the water and pulled out a few fish that had been chopped into several pieces. With a slight blush, Huo Jinyu cleaned them, built a bonfire in front of Yan Xi, and skewered the fish chunks to roast over the flames. Before long, the fragrant aroma of cooked fish wafted through the air, and even Yan Xi couldn't help but lean closer to see how they were coming along.
It had to be said, while Huo Jinyu's fishing technique was subpar, her fish-roasting skills were quite impressive.
After everyone had finished their noon meal, they sat on the grass, basking in the sun.
Suddenly, the sounds of a fierce battle erupted from nearby. Huo Jinyu's heart tightened. It couldn't be that coincidental, could it?
As the saying goes, plans change. Huo Jinyu had never expected to run into the assassination squad so soon.
"It's probably not them, probably not," Huo Jinyu chanted silently. She had wanted to spend a couple more quiet days with Yan Xi.
But as the current emperor of the Great Yuan Kingdom, she couldn't just sit by and watch the "slaughter of her countrymen." Huo Jinyu led a group of guards on horseback toward the source of the sound. Her original intention was to leave a few guards behind to protect Yan Xi, but unexpectedly, Yan Xi had a hidden love for watching a commotion. After Yan Xi repeatedly promised she wouldn't get involved in the chaos, she too spurred her horse and followed.
When the group arrived at the scene, Huo Jinyu slapped a hand to her forehead. It was, of course, the guards she had sent to assassinate Zhai Yao. What kind of mess was this? Wasn't the plan to "rescue" him at Baili Mountain, outside the Imperial City? How was she supposed to handle this now…
The black-clad assassins engaged in the "fierce battle" were also stunned to see Huo Jinyu emerge from the woods. Why was His Majesty coming from this direction? They had clearly taken a side path!
In that moment of hesitation, two assassins were kicked to the ground. The others immediately raised their swords and "charged" forward again. Fortunately, the blunder lasted less than a second. No one, apart from the head guard, Huo Jinyu, and the black-clad assassins, noticed anything amiss. Just then, a loud clang echoed from the midst of the melee. "Clang!" An assassin's sword was actually sliced in two by Zhai Yao's blade!
Everyone was shocked!
Huo Jinyu thought: Such fine iron! A divine weapon indeed! I must have it!
With a wave of Huo Jinyu's hand, the guards behind her swarmed forward. Outnumbered, the black-clad assassins fled in disarray.
Seeing that the assassins were gone, Zhai Yao suddenly collapsed onto the ground. Just as Huo Jinyu was about to step forward and comfort him, Zhai Yao began to wail. "Mama… boohoohoo… I almost died… boohoo…"
Huo Jinyu: Did I overdo it?
Yan Xi: ⊙⊙!
The guards: …
After a good while, Zhai Yao finally composed himself. He slowly stood up, walked over to Huo Jinyu, and dropped to his knees with a thud, his forehead touching the ground. "This humble one will never forget the great hero's life-saving grace. I am but a coarse man with no way to repay you, so I offer myself to you! Please, Young Master, accept me!"
Offer himself?!
Huo Jinyu: …You're not my type…
Yan Xi: Why am I suddenly a little unhappy?
The guards: Is His Majesty going to take a male favorite?
"Ahem… offering yourself is unnecessary. Please, rise, Young Master," Huo Jinyu said with a dry cough.
"Please, Young Master, take me under your command! Otherwise, I will kneel here forever!" Zhai Yao was a stubborn one and refused to get up.
"Alright, as long as you're not offering yourself, anything can be discussed." This was perfect. Taking him under her command was easy. Huo Jinyu's heart bloomed with joy, but her face remained impassive as she emphasized her point.
"So the Young Master agrees? Excellent! Those men in black might come back. I am the Young Master's man now, I beg you to protect my life!" Hearing Huo Jinyu's agreement, Zhai Yao finally offered his thanks.
Huo Jinyu: So you had that little scheme in mind.
Yan Xi: What do you mean you're Huo Jinyu's man now!
The guards: Are we going to have to protect a liability for the rest of the journey?
Zhai Yao finally rose from the ground, overflowing with gratitude. He didn't forget to pick up the tip of the broken sword. "There's a snake engraved on this sword. I wonder which power wants me dead so badly!" Zhai Yao said angrily.
"Ahem. In the Great Yuan Kingdom, only the army carries swords engraved with snakes. And the army is controlled by the General of the State, Hou Weijiang." Huo Jinyu coughed again, silently shifting the blame onto the Great General while giving her guards a pointed look: Keep a close watch on your swords!
The guards all tightened their grips on their swords, terrified one might accidentally fall out.
Huo Jinyu thought to herself that once she had completely won over Zhai Yao, her own private army would need its own symbol as well.
Zhai Yao didn't notice the guards' subtle movements. He lowered his head to carefully study the snake engraving. The symbol of the Great Yuan army was a snake; his mind must have been rattled not to have thought of it sooner.
Seeing him still pondering, Huo Jinyu added more fuel to the fire. "I've heard that the Great General dotes on his son, Hou Yuwen. Perhaps Hou Yuwen sent these assassins. What is your status, Young Master, to attract an assassination attempt from the army?"
Zhai Yao then remembered he hadn't introduced himself, which was very disrespectful to his savior. He quickly said, "In reply to the Young Master, this humble one is from the west side of Yuan'an City in the Great Yuan Kingdom. I run an ancestral blacksmith shop. I am not sure why someone would want to assassinate me." Zhai Yao still didn't mention the Reinforced Iron Armor. He was still unsure of this person's identity and didn't dare to rashly entrust his life and livelihood to them.
Huo Jinyu nodded upon hearing this, not minding Zhai Yao's concealment. Sooner or later, she would make this blacksmith tell her himself.
With the matter settled, Huo Jinyu's party prepared to depart. Before leaving the woods, Huo Jinyu gave the head guard a few hand signals. The head guard deliberately slowed his pace, and once the group had left the forest, he made a few marks on the ground before leaving.
Zhai Yao, who had sustained some minor injuries, was arranged by Huo Jinyu to ride in the carriage that had been empty all along.
Zhai Yao asked, "…Is the lady not taking the carriage?" Only after Yan Xi clearly expressed her refusal did Zhai Yao get into the carriage with peace of mind. Now there was a spare horse, so the two guards finally didn't have to ride together anymore, though the one sitting in front had been rather enjoying it.
The convoy ambled toward the Imperial City. Since his life now depended on Huo Jinyu's protection, Zhai Yao couldn't be bothered to care about the carriage's destination. With an injured person in the carriage, the party slowed down, but this was also on Huo Jinyu's orders.
Due to the slow pace, Huo Jinyu began to converse with Yan Xi. They spoke of everything from poetry and verse to the philosophy of life, from zither and chess to calligraphy and painting. Their relationship clearly made good progress, though Huo Jinyu never saw that breathtaking smile again, which she found a great pity.
The next day, the convoy's pace quickened slightly. Zhai Yao, feeling himself a subordinate of Huo Jinyu, felt rather uneasy sitting in his master's carriage.
Suddenly, the carriage came to an abrupt halt. Zhai Yao poked his head out to see several black-clad assassins charging out of the woods ahead. They looked like the same group as last time. This time, the assassins were brimming with killing intent, shouting, "Kill him!" Zhai Yao shrank back in fear. The assassins fought with the guards for a short while before retreating again.
Over the next two days, the assassins came several more times, and Huo Jinyu was even "accidentally" wounded on her forearm. Seeing their master injured, the guards were overcome with rage, directly wounding the black-clad assassins and forcing them to flee.
The sleeve of Huo Jinyu's robe was torn. Blood gushed from her forearm. Her lips grew pale.
Zhai Yao got out of the carriage on his own accord and silently moved to the side. He hadn't expected the assassins to be able to injure the master with so many guards present. It seemed the assassins were indeed highly skilled, and their previous failure to kill him was merely because they wanted to capture him alive. Watching his savior suffer a serious injury for his sake, Zhai Yao's heart filled with guilt.
Inside the carriage, Yan Xi applied the finest golden wound powder for Huo Jinyu, staunching the blood. She then tore off Huo Jinyu's sleeve and used it to bandage the wound. Huo Jinyu's arm was as white as jade. It was smooth to the touch, too—truly befitting someone pampered by the royal family of Great Yuan, Yan Xi thought.
"Jinyu, why must you use yourself as bait and get hurt?" Yan Xi asked, her face cold. Although she didn't specify who the bait was for, they both knew full well who she meant. Yan Xi was no fool. From the day they left Yuan'an City, she had sensed that ten of Huo Jinyu's guards were missing. She hadn't thought much of it at the time, but when they encountered ten assassins besieging Zhai Yao in the woods, suspicion had bloomed in her heart. She just hadn't voiced it. It wasn't until the assassins began to harass their party with illogical frequency that she became certain they were sent by Huo Jinyu. And then, she had watched as Huo Jinyu deliberately put her own arm in the path of a sword wielded by one of her own assassins.
Silence filled the carriage. Huo Jinyu was quiet, at a loss for what to do. Yan Xi simply watched her, also saying nothing.
"Is Xi'er angry?" Huo Jinyu forced a smile. Seeing Yan Xi just staring at her without a word, she could only rub her nose awkwardly.
"Young Master, Zhai Yao requests an audience!" Just as the atmosphere was growing increasingly awkward, Zhai Yao's voice came from outside the carriage.
Hearing him, Yan Xi stood up, lifted the carriage curtain, and stepped out, carrying a frosty air with her. A shiver ran down Zhai Yao's spine as the chill washed over him.
After Yan Xi left, the warmth seemed to return to the carriage. "Come in," Huo Jinyu's voice drifted out. Upon hearing her, Zhai Yao lifted the curtain and entered.
Zhai Yao knelt inside the carriage, his head bowed as he formulated his words. "Zhai Yao, what is it?" Huo Jinyu asked faintly.
Zhai Yao clenched his fists as if he had made a great decision. "Forgive me, Young Master! I have concealed something from you. The truth is, I am being hunted because I possess the formula for forging Reinforced Iron Armor. That General Hou must have learned of it and wants to seize the secret formula! I should have told you sooner. I have caused the Young Master to be so gravely injured. Please forgive me, Young Master. I am willing to hand over the formula to you!"
"You need not blame yourself. I said I would protect you, and I will. Keep the formula for yourself. As it happens, I have a private army. If you are willing, you can stay and make swords and blades for me." Huo Jinyu's expression was unreadable, and she wasn't entirely certain of the outcome as she stared at the man kneeling before her.
"Of course I am willing! Thank you for taking me in, Young Master! It's just… my family property back in Yuan'an City…" Zhai Yao agreed in a heartbeat. As long as he followed this Young Master, his life would be secure. Judging by the Young Master's apparent wealth, his needs for iron forging would be met, and he could even improve the formula along the way!
Seeing Zhai Yao agree so readily, Huo Jinyu knew he was hers now; there was no getting away. She replied, "As for your property, I will send my men to retrieve it for you. You can rest assured. Since you are one of my people now, just work for me diligently, and you will be well-rewarded. From this day forward, feel free to make any requests you have."
Overcome with gratitude, Zhai Yao kowtowed a few more times before exiting the carriage.
How the tables had turned. They were almost at the Imperial City, but because of her self-inflicted wound, Yan Xi forbade Huo Jinyu from riding a horse. Huo Jinyu had no choice but to ride in the carriage with the rest of the convoy.
The Imperial City was just ahead.
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