Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Hijacked Halfway

He said they had met, but Liang Wan had no memory of it at all.

Lu Xiu furrowed his brow. "How do you want him to thank you?"

His casually cold question made the smile on her lips stiffen.

Liang Wan glanced at him tentatively. Lu Xiu happened to be giving her a sidelong look, the emotion in his eyes obscure and unreadable. ’He really thinks I’m trying to get close to the Lu Family on purpose!’

"Lu Xiu." Lu Xu’s voice was calm and steady, but it carried an elder brother’s reproach and warning.

It seemed that to the others present, Lu Xiu’s question carried a different implication.

Liang Wan understood perfectly. ’The Lu Family is afraid I have ulterior motives. They’re probably using this as a chance to sound me out.’

Master Lu, however, was completely unconcerned. His gaze swept over Lu Xiu, who stood before the couch, as he spoke nonchalantly to Lu Xu. "You know as well as I do that he’s had a rebellious streak since he was a child. The more you push him to do something, the less likely he is to do it. It’s better to just let him be. That way, he’ll give me fewer headaches."

Everyone knew Master Lu doted on this son born in his old age, and seeing it today proved the rumors were true. Liang Wan stole a glance at Lu Xiu.

"If you have something to discuss, then discuss it. Why bring me into it?" Lu Xiu’s brow tightened, and he suppressed the embarrassment and irritation in his eyes.

Liang Wan lowered her head, pretending she hadn’t seen his reaction. ’He really is different from the cold, bloodthirsty man I remember, the one who abetted the wicked.’

Master Lu showed not a hint of anger. "Then how should we go about thanking this Lady?"

He spoke as if any request, no matter what it was, would be granted.

Liang Wan raised her head. "It was merely a small effort on my part. Besides, a healer’s heart is benevolent. How could I demand a reward for my service?"

As she spoke, she glanced at Lu Xiu.

Her words were exactly what Lu Xu had expected. Seeing her and Lu Xiu seemingly in sync, he figured it wasn’t that she didn’t want a reward, but that she was likely angling for something much greater.

He smiled politely. "Please, Lady, feel free to ask for anything."

Lu Xiu raised an eyebrow at her, his cold gaze suggesting he didn’t believe she truly wanted nothing.

Liang Wan smiled and nodded. "In that case, I’ll dispense with the pleasantries. I ask that the Grandmaster gift me a bushel of pearls."

’I wonder if a whole bushel of pearls is considered an exorbitant demand for the Lu Family?’

Master Lu was taken aback for a moment, then smiled faintly. "Very well."

Lu Xu looked greatly relieved. He turned and ordered someone to prepare it. Compared to other things she could have asked for, mere wealth was nothing.

The others who remained now looked at her with disdain.

As if not expecting them to agree so readily, Liang Wan was overjoyed and bowed repeatedly in thanks.

Master Lu waved his hand. "I’m going to rest. Have someone escort her home."

Liang Wan gave a graceful bow. As she was leaving, she caught a glimpse of a pearl-white figure out of the corner of her eye, but it was just for a fleeting moment.

A steward from the mansion had the pearls prepared and escorted her out.

The moment Liang Wan stepped out of the main gate, she saw Qiuxi waiting not far away. Upon seeing her, Qiuxi rushed to meet her.

When she saw the servants following behind them, each carrying a wooden box, Qiuxi’s expression changed several times. She looked at Liang Wan in confusion.

Liang Wan simply said to the steward, "You don’t need to escort us any further. Just put them in the carriage."

At a look from the steward, the servants moved the wooden boxes onto the carriage.

Once the boxes were secured, the steward gave her a faint smile. "The Lady’s dowry is taken care of."

With that, he gave a slight nod and led his men away.

"What did he mean by that?" Qiuxi asked, pointing at the backs of the departing men, completely bewildered.

Liang Wan ignored the mockery in his words and simply pulled Qiuxi by the hand into the carriage. "He was right. *Your* dowry is taken care of."

’Come to think of it, these pearls are enough to feed several hundred people for a year.’

"My Lady, this can’t be the thank-you gift they gave you for saving the Grandmaster, can it?"

Qiuxi didn’t fully grasp the situation until the long-eaved carriage was on its way.

Liang Wan shook her head, then nodded.

Qiuxi’s face turned pale. "Th-this is a humiliation, isn’t it?"

Liang Wan smiled. "This is a tangible benefit. How could it be considered a humiliation?"

"My Lady, please don’t say such things."

Qiuxi felt a sting of injustice. The Liang Family’s ancestors, while not a family of fabulous wealth, were a clan of scholars and poets. To thank one of them with material goods—what was that if not an insult?

Qiuxi’s heart soured.

Liang Wan was completely unconcerned.

’Wronged? Humiliated?’

Liang Wan shook her head. Only those who had lived from hand to mouth, scrambling for survival, could understand that sometimes, integrity and pride were worth less than a full meal.

Liang Wan pulled Qiuxi closer and soothed her in a low voice, "Don’t overthink it. I’m the one who asked them for this."

Qiuxi was shocked and confused. "Why?"

’Her lady didn’t lack for money.’

Liang Wan laughed. "For your dowry."

’Actually, Mrs. Zhang was right about one thing: instead of dreaming about the impossible, it’s better to think about what’s achievable.’

’Besides, what others see as a humiliation not only let me return fully loaded, but it also saved my life. Killing two birds with one stone—why wouldn’t I do it?’

After speaking, she casually picked up a wooden box and opened it out of curiosity. ’I wonder what the quality of these pearls is like. They’re from the Lu Family, after all. The quality can’t be too bad, right?’

Qiuxi watched her and sighed silently.

Suddenly, the carriage lurched to a halt. The coachman’s cry was cut short. A moment later, with a WHOOSH, an arrow pierced the curtain, grazed past her face with a chill gust of wind, and embedded itself straight into the wooden partition behind her.

The feathered tail of the arrow quivered. The two of them stared, their faces instantly draining of color.

Before they could even react, a gleaming longsword thrust in right after it.

Liang Wan’s reflexes were sharp. She grabbed a wooden box and hurled it violently outside. The box was parried and flung aside, scattering pearls all over the ground.

Qiuxi yanked Liang Wan behind her for protection and shouted toward the outside, "Help! Someone, help!"

Liang Wan pushed Qiuxi away and said urgently, "Stop shouting! They’re probably all dead. Jump from the carriage! I’ll draw them away. You run to the Master’s Mansion and get reinforcements!"

With that, she threw open the curtain.

’The men in black are after me. Staying in the carriage will only get Qiuxi killed too.’

She came face-to-face with one of the men in black. Losing her balance, Liang Wan fell backward out of the carriage.

Spotting his target, the man in black steadied himself and immediately swung his sword down at her.

Liang Wan scrambled up in pain. A quick glance out of the corner of her eye revealed the bodies of the coachman and the servant boy lying on the ground.

It was a long alley. The Master’s Mansion was at one end, and the alley’s entrance was at the other.

Ignoring the pain, Liang Wan gritted her teeth and scrambled desperately toward the mouth of the alley. The main street was just beyond it, where there would be people.

Just as she was about to reach the entrance, a sharp pain shot through her back shoulder, and a powerful force slammed her to the ground.

Liang Wan cried out in pain and struggled to get up. Before she could even stand straight, a longsword was pressed against her neck.

"Don’t move."

Liang Wan’s lips were pale. She didn’t move an inch. "What do you want?"

The man in black ignored her. He reached out, grabbed the arrow embedded in her back shoulder, and ripped it out. Flesh tore, and an excruciating pain shot through her entire body. Liang Wan’s vision went black. Right before she passed out completely, she thought she saw a shadow moving toward them. ’I wonder if it’s Qiuxi...’

When she awoke again, Liang Wan had been jolted awake by violent shaking.

She struggled to move, only to realize her hands and feet were bound. She had been stuffed into a burlap sack and slung over the back of a horse.

The violent jolting not only pulled at her wound, causing unbearable pain, but it also felt as if her internal organs were about to spill out of her mouth.

Soon, her whole body felt damp and clammy. She couldn’t tell if she was soaked in blood or drenched in sweat.

Rather than wondering who had captured her, Liang Wan was more concerned with another question: how much longer until they arrived?

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.