Wuwuwu, A Jiu struggled hard, but she clearly felt her small body being lifted and carried away with swift steps, jumping over the backyard fence in an instant.
"Jiu'er..." Liu Cai'er chased a few steps, and as she frantically grabbed the horizontal bar to open the wooden door, in the night, that person had already disappeared into a black speck:
"A Jiu."
Without delay, Liu Cai'er quickly returned to the room, grabbed her outer coat, and rushed to the back door. She had to report to the yamen.
At night, the yamen's gate was pounded noisily. Liu Cai'er, unwilling to give up, even beat the drum.
The sound of dong dong dong struck terror into people's hearts. In times of war and chaos, even the slightest mistake could be fatal.
After three strikes of the drum of grievance, Liu Cai'er immediately noticed people from the yamen and a large number of soldiers rushing through the streets and alleys.
"The enemy is at the city gates. Those who don't want to die, evacuate immediately."
"Bang bang bang."
The sound of doors being smashed open from house to house was endless.
The footsteps were more intense than the drumbeats, and in an instant, the entire city of Nanming lost its peace from yesterday.
Liu Cai'er's drumstick fell to the ground, but it was clearly nighttime, and too few doors could be opened instantly.
However, this news came too suddenly. Liu Cai'er's eyes darted around. Her in-laws, grandmother, and Tongzi were still unaware. She bolted towards the medical clinic. kuAiδugg
All along the way, all she heard were the panicked cries of the common people. The emotion between the disparity and tension was suffocating.
"How could they attack Nanming City?"
"Officer, you're not lying, are you?"
"Yes, two of my three sons went to join the army. What kind of military strength do we have, and we still can't defeat those bandits?"
The only response from the official was: "Everyone who wants to live, evacuate from the south gate and head towards Nanzhou County."
As soon as she heard Nanzhou County, even Liu Cai'er's steps trembled. She gritted her teeth and made a bold decision.
Evacuate to Nanzhou County? That place lacks basic resources; wouldn't that be a dead end?
At this moment, the north city gate was heavily guarded by troops stretching for two to three li both inside and outside the city. Only the south city gate was heavily guarded and open for people to exit.
One after another, ox carts and horse-drawn carriages left the city overnight. Thousands of common people formed a dark, long line heading towards Nanzhou County, and widespread wailing ensued.
A Jiu's mouth was covered, and tears streamed from her eyes in desperation. Accompanied by the jostling of the horse, she saw the large stream of refugees begin to grow from few to many as if in a blur.
The person was at least over 1.8 meters tall, with a sour smell all over him. Even his clothes were an ill-fitting vest, but A Jiu's body was slender, and with her hands held behind her back and pressed against the saddle, she couldn't move.
She didn't know how long the horse had been running until just before dawn, with only the dazzling morning star remaining, the path became exceptionally rugged.
After traversing several barren hills, A Jiu finally couldn't bear the bumps and vomited.
The man's large hand immediately felt it and he quickly let go.
Unexpectedly, A Jiu lost the pressure and slid off the horse's back.
A Jiu, without bothering to get up, lay on the ground and vomited several mouthfuls of bitter water. The man, fearing A Jiu would escape, dismounted and grabbed her arm, lifting her up.
"Ah!" A Jiu's shoulder nearly came off, and she couldn't help but cry out.
"If you want to live, shut up."
A Jiu was covered in cold sweat, but this person's voice was clearly more afraid than hers.
A Jiu looked up with difficulty. It was a vast expanse of mountains and forests stretching as far as the eye could see. In the distance, the clanging sounds of soldiers fighting could be heard.
Based on the direction they came from, this was likely the Qi Ming Mountain area.
"Come with me obediently."
With another pain that felt like her arm was about to be torn off, she was lifted back onto the horse.
This time, A Jiu was in a state between fainting and consciousness due to the pain.
It wasn't until an unknown amount of time had passed, and the neighing and screams of warhorses could no longer be heard, that A Jiu heard someone speaking.
"Chu Lin, you're finally back. Where are the other brothers?"
The man called Chu Lin dismounted the horse, casually pulled A Jiu off, and threw her to the ground. He panted and said:
"My brothers sacrificed themselves to help me hold off the city guards. They're dead, but, boss, I brought the person back this time."
A Jiu, lying on the ground, remained motionless, but in reality, she was trying to carefully tuck her trembling arms into her embrace.
With a swish, a dark shadow flashed by.