flstandardbreds Chapter 1326 Rest
Chapter 1326 Rest
The carriage slowly came to a stop, and Lin Yiwan's worried voice rang out from outside: "Miao'er, what's wrong?"
Zhan Miao was almost in tears. She said helplessly, "Mother, look at Sister Qing Ning. She has such bad morning sickness. What should we do?"
A hint of self-reproach flashed across Lin Yiwan's face. It was truly her fault; she had only been focused on getting there and had overlooked the fact that Qing Ning was pregnant.
If anything were to happen to her, she would have no face to explain to Madam Xie.
She quickly climbed onto the carriage to check Zhan Qingning's pulse, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that she was alright.
She said apologetically, "Qingning, it's my fault. I didn't take your health into account. I apologize!"
Zhan Qingning's eyes immediately reddened, and she threw herself into Lin Yiwan's arms, saying, "Mother, Qingning was fine before, please don't blame yourself!"
Upon hearing the news, Xie Jianshu arrived just in time, asking with concern, "Mother, how is Qingning?"
Lin Yiwan said, "Fortunately, she's alright. Why don't we rest in this town for a few days until Qingning's condition is completely stable before continuing our journey?"
Zhan Yan agreed, and said solemnly, "Everything should be done with Qing Ning's health as the priority!"
After reaching an agreement, the group temporarily settled in an empty house in the town.
Zhan Miao would take the white wolf to the back mountain to catch wild animals every day, so Lin Yiwan and the others never lacked wild game to eat.
That day, she was strolling around in the woods again.
In late spring, the grass and trees on the back mountain grew wildly, and dappled sunlight filtered through the intertwined branches, falling on Zhan Miao's shoulders and making the silver wolf pendant at her temple gleam coldly.
The white wolf led the way, its sharp claws rustling as it stepped over the decaying leaves, its nose twitching as it vigilantly sniffed the forest air.
"Zhan Xiaobai, slow down." Zhan Miao chuckled and took a step to catch up with the white wolf.
Zhan Xiaobai is incredibly fast; sometimes when they get to the back mountain, he runs wild, making it impossible for Zhan Xiaobai to catch up.
The sun was shining brightly today, and a warm breeze blew through the forest, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees, so it started shaking its head and running wildly.
Zhan Miao walked for a while, a thin layer of sweat appearing on her forehead. She stopped and rested against an old locust tree. The white wolf squatted at her feet, tilted its head back and rubbed against the back of her hand, making a low whimpering sound.
Zhan Miao raised his hand to stroke the white wolf's smooth fur, his gaze sweeping around as he asked in surprise, "What's wrong? Did you sense any danger?"
The forest remained quiet, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind and the occasional chirping of birds in the distance.
But for some reason, a strange unease suddenly welled up in her heart, as if something was watching her from the shadows.
This feeling made her tense all over, and she subconsciously gripped the short sword at her waist.
This short sword was specially prepared for her by her father. It was thin and extremely sharp, making it easy for a woman to use. Although she was not as skilled in martial arts as Zhan Xuan, she had learned some basic self-defense techniques from him, which were enough to deal with ordinary petty thieves.
Just then, the white wolf suddenly stood up, its fur bristling, and bared its teeth at the dense forest on its left, letting out a fierce growl.
Zhan Miao's heart skipped a beat. Following the white wolf's gaze, she saw the vegetation in the dense forest suddenly shake violently, and several dark figures darted out like ghosts, instantly surrounding her and the white wolf.
"Who are you people?" Zhan Miao forced himself to remain calm, gripped his short sword tightly, pressed his back against the old locust tree, and warily scanned the uninvited guests in front of him.
There were about seven or eight people in front of me, all of them masked, with only their sinister eyes showing.
They were dressed in black, close-fitting outfits, with identical curved swords at their waists. The scabbards were engraved with a strange symbol—the emblem of the Heavenly Mandate Palace!
They were from the Heavenly Mandate Hall? Zhan Miao's heart sank. Hadn't the Heavenly Mandate Hall been wiped out by her father's forces long ago? How could there still be remnants?
"You must be Zhan Miao, the most precious daughter of Marquis Zhan Yi of the Sheng Dynasty, right?" The leader of the men in black sneered, his voice hoarse and unpleasant, sounding quite terrifying.
"What do you want to do?" Zhan Miao's voice trembled slightly, not from fear, but from anger.
She hadn't expected the people from the Heavenly Mandate Palace to be so bold, taking advantage of her being alone to quietly surround her.
So shameless!
The leader of the men in black seemed quite satisfied with her reaction, and he chuckled maliciously, "Naturally, we invite you to our stronghold. Your father, Zhan Yan, killed our temple master and even beheaded the Great Protector Rong Jue. Do you think we'll let this go?"
Zhan Miao roared, "You are despicable! The Heavenly Mandate Hall has committed countless evil deeds, and Rong Jue has done even more wicked things. They all deserve to die!"
A chilling glint flashed in the eyes of the leader of the men in black. He said in a cold voice, "Now that you're about to fall into our hands, we'll torture you to death first, and see if you still dare to be arrogant!"
Before he could finish speaking, the leader of the men in black gave a signal. The others immediately understood, drew their curved swords, and pounced on Zhan Miao and Bai Lang.
"Little White, charge!" Zhan Miao shouted, brandishing his sword as he charged forward.
Not to be outdone, the white wolf leaped forward and pounced on the nearest man in black, its sharp fangs biting fiercely at the man's neck.
Although Zhan Miao's swordsmanship was not particularly refined, each move was sharp and fierce, carrying the fearless spirit of a newborn calf.
She knew she couldn't back down. If she were caught by these people, not only would her life be in danger, but she would also become a bargaining chip to threaten her father.
However, the enemy outnumbered them and each of them was highly skilled. Zhan Miao managed to withstand a few blows before gradually losing his strength.
A man in black slashed her arm with a curved blade, and blood gushed out instantly, staining her sleeve red.
"Girl, surrender now, or you'll suffer!" The leader of the men in black looked coldly at the disheveled Zhan Miao, his tone laced with mockery.
"Don't even think about it!" Zhan Miao gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain, and once again swung his sword at the man in black in front of him.
Just then, a man in black circled behind Zhan Miao and, taking her by surprise, struck her hard in the back. Zhan Miao felt a sharp pain in her chest, her blood surging, and she could no longer hold onto her short sword, which clattered to the ground.
Seeing this, the white wolf roared angrily, abandoned its prey, and turned to pounce on the man in black who had ambushed Zhan Miao.
The man in black was prepared; he dodged the white wolf's attack by sidestepping it, and at the same time kicked the wolf in the stomach. The white wolf howled in pain, flying through the air and crashing heavily to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Little White!" Zhan Miao's eyes were bloodshot as he tried to rush over to help the white wolf up, but two men in black held his arms down.
She struggled desperately, but the other person was so strong that she couldn't move at all.
The leader of the men in black slowly walked up to Zhan Miao, looking down at her with a sinister gaze, and said, "Zhan Miao, you are bait. We need you to expose Zhan Yihou and his wife, and then we'll send you both to the underworld in one piece!"