dognovel Chapter 492 Search
Chapter 492 Search
"People inside, come out! Search!"
A rough, hoarse roar swept in with the wind. Shi Wanxia took a deep breath, deliberately hunching her back, bending her once straight spine like a withered tree battered by frost. She reached out to tidy her disheveled hair, covering half her face, before slowly moving to the door and creaking it open a crack.
"Sir, sir, what are you searching for so late at night?"
She deliberately made her voice hoarse, with a timid tremor, and her eyes darted away, not daring to look at the few rebel soldiers standing outside the door.
The squad leader squinted, his gaze sweeping over her like a hook, then peering into the house—the dilapidated house was pitch black, with only a dim oil lamp on the stove illuminating the haystack in the corner.
"Cut the nonsense!"
The squad leader kicked the door frame, splattering wood chips all over Shi Wanxia.
“During the headcount, three people were missing. They died around here. Your house looks suspicious!”
Shi Wanxia's heart tightened, but her smile became even more obsequious. She reached out to stop him, saying, "Sir, you're joking. I'm just an old woman all alone; how could I possibly hide anyone..."
Before she could finish speaking, a soldier shoved her hard. She staggered backward, her back slamming heavily against the doorframe, causing her to gasp in pain.
Before she could even stand up straight, punches and kicks rained down on her—some kicked her legs, some punched her back, and others grabbed her arms and dragged her toward the door, trying to pull her away so they could force their way in.
"Stop! Don't touch this house!"
Shi Wanxia panicked and forgot all about pretense. She clung tightly to the door frame, her fingernails digging into the cracks in the wood, refusing to loosen her grip even when her fingertips were bleeding.
Behind the door were Brother Cui, Wang Ying, and Ya Ya. If she just took a step back, those unarmed people would be finished.
It felt like her ribs had been hit by a blunt object. A sharp pain shot through her bones and spread to every part of her body. Shi Wanxia groaned, but kept her mouth tightly shut, refusing to let a cry of pain enter the room.
She could hear suppressed sobs coming from behind the pile of firewood; it was Wang Ying trying to hold back. She could also imagine Ya Ya with her round eyes wide open, too scared to make a sound.
These thoughts were like a rope, pulling her tightly, making her hold on and refuse to fall even as her vision blurred.
In a daze, she seemed to see Choi Ji-ho's face.
At that time, he stood in front of her like that, shielding her from the stray arrows, and said with a smile, "Shi Wanxia, you have to live. I will protect you from now on."
But now, he is seriously injured, and she has to protect the person she needs to protect herself.
"team leader!"
Just as Shi Wanxia felt her ribs were about to break and even her breath tasted blood, a soldier came running over, panting, clutching a token in his hand.
"We've received orders! We must immediately go to the city gates to stand guard, because there are deserters trying to break out!"
The squad leader frowned, glanced at Shi Wanxia who was curled up by the door after being beaten, and then swept his gaze into the room—the light from the oil lamp flickered, illuminating what seemed to be a shadow behind the pile of firewood.
He took two steps forward, seemingly wanting to push the door open and go in. Shi Wanxia's heart jumped into her throat. She struggled to get up, but the soldier held her shoulder down.
"never mind."
The squad leader paused for a moment, then finally withdrew his foot. "The city gate is the priority. Don't waste time here."
He glanced at Shi Wanxia again, his eyes like ice, "If you dare to hide anyone, I'll skin you alive when I find out!"
After saying that, he waved his hand and turned to leave with his men.
The heavy footsteps gradually faded away until they could no longer be heard. Only then did Shi Wanxia feel as if all her strength had been drained away, and her body slid down the door frame.
She opened her mouth, wanting to tell the people inside that they were safe, but a mouthful of bloody sweetness surged up first, and bright red blood dripped onto the cold ground, spreading a small patch of dark color.
The scene before my eyes began to spin; the beams of the dilapidated house, the oil lamp in the corner, and the cold glint of the knife in my sleeve all gradually blurred.
Her last thought was that if Brother Cui knew she looked like this, would he frown and scold her for being stubborn, and then carefully apply medicine to her...?
"Lord Shi! Lord Shi!"
After an unknown amount of time, Wang Ying stumbled out carrying Ya Ya. When she saw Shi Wanxia huddled by the door, she screamed in fright.
Ya Ya broke free from Wang Ying's embrace, ran to Shi Wanxia's side, touched her face, and whispered, "Sister Shi, what's wrong?"
Shi Wanxia's eyes were closed, blood still clung to the corner of her mouth, but she was still tightly gripping the small knife in her hand, the handle damp from her sweat and blood.
Wang Ying knelt down and tremblingly checked her breath. She was still breathing, but the faint breath made her heart tighten.
This man, who was usually dressed in fine clothes and spoke with a touch of arrogance, was now lying on the ground like a leaf wilted by a storm, looking utterly pathetic.
The night breeze rustled through the paper windows, carrying a chill. Ya Ya nestled beside Shi Wanxia, sobbing softly. Wang Ying reached out and pulled the child into her arms, looking at Shi Wanxia's pale face, tears welling up in her eyes as well: "Lord Shi, please, please don't let anything happen to you..."
The oil lamp in the dilapidated house had been burning for half the night, the wick burned down to half, the dim yellow light flickered precariously, casting distorted shadows in the room, and even the air was filled with an unyielding smell of blood.
It wasn't the strong smell from the rebels before; it was faint and dull, mixed with the lingering scent of fine incense from Shi Wanxia, making one's nose feel stuffy.
Choi Ji-ho woke up first.
He moved his fingers, his wrist still wrapped with a piece of clothing that Shi Wanxia had torn off earlier. The rough cloth chafed his skin, but the pain in his chest was even worse.
The places where the rebels had kicked before now felt like they had a piece of red-hot iron pressed down on them, and every breath seemed to seep into the bones.
He struggled to open his eyes, his gaze first falling on the pile of firewood in the corner, where a strange woman was holding a little girl. Her eyes were red as if they were soaked in blood. When she saw that he was awake, she stiffened abruptly and shrank back into the pile of firewood with the child in her arms.
"Don't, don't be afraid..."
Choi Jiho tried to speak, but his voice was hoarse as if it had been sanded. He coughed after only two words, and the cough made his chest hurt even more. A layer of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.
His cough woke up Lin Yiyu, who was sitting next to him.
Lin Yiyu was more seriously injured than him, with a shallow cut on his leg. Shi Wanxia had given him a simple bandage earlier, but now the gauze was soaked with blood. He tried to sit up, but as soon as he exerted force, he gasped in pain. His gaze swept across the room, finally settling on a figure by the door—
Shi Wanxia was still lying there, but her position had changed slightly. Wang Ying was probably afraid that she would catch a cold, so she found a tattered blanket to cover her, but the blanket was too thin and could not cover her exposed hands at all.
That hand used to always hold a knife, its fingertips strong, its sharpness unmistakable even when smeared with stove ash. But now, its fingers are curled up, dried scabs clinging to their crevices, the back of its hand bluish-purple, and even its fingertips are bloodless.