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"Princess, please go down first." Lian'er said.
Princess Ning'an nodded and descended slowly using the rope ladder.
Following her was Lian'er.
Carrying a bundle, she almost got stuck at the well opening.
"Throw the bundle down." Gu Jiao instructed her.
"Okay, Little Brother Gu, catch it!" Lian'er threw the bundle to Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao caught it effortlessly.
Carefully, Lian'er climbed down.
After steadying her figure, she looked up at the well opening and said, “Physician Tong, it's your turn!"
Physician Tong had one foot straddling the well's edge, but the other foot hesitated to move forward. "I-I-I-I'm… afraid of heights..."
"It's not high! There's also a ladder!" Lian'er reassured him.
Trembling with fear, Physician Tong almost burst into tears, "I can't do it..."
At that moment, shouts from soldiers nearby could be heard, "My Lord! They are there!" contemporary romance
In a split second, Physician Tong swiftly descended the ladder in a series of movements!
Everyone: "..."
Gu Jiao handed the flame stick to Physician Tong, then she swiftly climbed up the well and sealed the cover. The well cover was originally equipped with a mechanism. Gu Jiao turned the iron rod beneath the lid, locking it securely from the inside.
She then jumped down and urged the others, "Let's go!"
They entered the secret passage.
It was dark in the secret passage, and Gu Jiao used the flame stick to illuminate the path at first. However, after walking for a while, the flame stick couldn’t be lit anymore.
"Lian'er, bring out the night pearl!" Princess Ning'an instructed.
"Yes!" Lian'er retrieved a night pearl from the bundle, which was bigger than a fist.
Gu Jiao had never seen such a large night pearl before. She found it strange and .
Princess Ning'an lowered her gaze and smiled bitterly, "It was a gift from imperial mother on my birthday."
Gu Jiao didn't know what emotions Princess Ning'an harbored when mentioning her Grandaunt. Grandaunt had vehemently opposed this marriage, yet Princess Ning'an, blinded by love, resolutely married the Imperial Son-in-law. However, instead of happiness, what she got was a series of schemes and betrayal.
"I wonder if imperial mother still wants to see me."
"She does." Gu Jiao replied.
Grandaunt had never forgotten Princess Ning'an.
Tears shimmered in Princess Ning'an's eyes, but she held them back, restraining her emotions.
The echoes in the secret passage were loud. Gu Jiao could hear their pursuers prying open the well cover, closing in like a rushing flood.
The other three couldn't move fast enough unlike Gu Jiao. In the end, they were caught, trapped in a massive cave.
One mouth of the cave was connected to the secret passage they came from, while the other mouth led to a suspension bridge hanging on a cliff.
The moonlight and the reflected snow light on the cliff slowly penetrated into the cave, casting a glow inside.
Gu Jiao threw her back basket to Physician Tong, stood in front of the three, and looked coldly at the soldiers flooding into the cave, "You three go ahead."
"Not one of you is leaving today!"
Huangfu Zheng's voice came from behind the group of soldiers.
The soldiers in the cave immediately made way, creating a path for him.
Huangfu Zheng walked over with an icy demeanor. His gaze fell upon Gu Jiao, squinting slightly, "I underestimated you. Despite dealing with both the plague and frostbite, you still have the strength to struggle till here!"
"Plague?" Lian'er looked at Gu Jiao in disbelief.
Physician Tong also looked at Gu Jiao in shock.
Huangfu Zheng took in the expressions of the two individuals, and his gaze shifted to the expressionless face of Princess Ning'an.
However, Princess Ning'an did not look at him, as if she was no longer willing to even exchange a glance with him.
Huangfu Zheng clenched his fists. "Seems like you don't know yet. He's infected with a plague. He brought the disease here. He's dying. If you follow him, you'll be infected too, and you'll die from the plague."
Terrified, Lian'er moved closer to Princess Ning'an.
Physician Tong stared at Gu Jiao in disbelief. "You… The medicine you gave me... was it for the plague?"
Hearing that, Huangfu Zheng furrowed his brow. He glanced between the completely healthy Physician Tong and the active Gu Jiao. In a moment, a realization hit him!
He exclaimed in excitement, "You have medicine to treat the plague!"
"Even if I have, I won't give it to you." Gu Jiao said in a low voice.
She deliberately lowered her volume, and through the iron mask, her voice became indistinguishable, sounding like that of an androgynous youth.
Huangfu Zheng laughed three times, "Fortune favors me!"
No one knew the surging emotions within Huangfu Zheng at that moment. He thought they were inevitably doomed, yet this youngster had the medicine!
A genuine cure for the plague!
He and his uncle could be saved!
At this moment, Gu Jiao had nothing on her person, whereas Physician Tong carried his own medicine box and held onto a back basket belonging to Gu Jiao.
Huangfu Zheng coldly smirked, "I'll take care of this kid. The rest of you stop them!"
"Yes!"
His deep gaze locked onto Princess Ning'an, "Make sure the princess isn't harmed!"
"Yes!"
The soldiers swarmed forward.
Gu Jiao swung the red-tasseled spear, and Huangfu Zheng leaped up, engaging in combat with her.
Huangfu Zheng sneered, "Kid, I rescued you. If it weren't for me, you would've frozen to death out there in the snow! It's fine if you don't appreciate what I did, but to actually repay kindness with enmity, causing trouble for me and my uncle, and attempting to kidnap the princess!"
"It's not kidnapping, it's a rescue." Gu Jiao countered, striking with her spear!
Huangfu Zheng raised his sword to defend himself, and the clash of their strength turned the cave into a new battleground!
Huangfu Zheng scoffed, "Kid, you're not my match!"
Gu Jiao was still weakened by the illness, significantly reducing her strength. Even so, Huangfu Zheng, infected with the plague, wasn't much stronger than Gu Jiao either.
As Gu Jiao lunged forward with her red-tasseled spear towards Huangfu Zheng, he unexpectedly failed to block the attack and his longsword was cut in half!
Gu Jiao's red-tasseled spear pierced through his shoulder!
In an instant, Gu Jiao kicked him forcefully, sending him flying to the ground!
Huangfu Zheng immediately coughed up blood.
He hadn't anticipated that this youngster could fight so well!
No wonder he had managed to kill Tian Lang!
While Gu Jiao's martial arts might not have been as high as Huangfu Zheng's, Gu Jiao was fearless. Did Huangfu Zheng dare to risk his life like Gu Jiao?
Gu Jiao's gaze resembled that of a fierce wolf cub. She stepped forward, launching a ferocious attack against Huangfu Zheng.
Her energy was running out fast.
She had to deal with this trouble before that happened!
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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