The sounds of fighting outside were diminishing, and Gu Chengyu estimated that the battle was almost over.
"Miss! Are you all right? You scared this old servant to death. If anything happens to you, how could this old servant face the old master and the madam?" The old woman was Yao ngxian’s nursemaid, who had watched her grow up and was utterly loyal to her. If anything happened to the young lady, her heart would break.
"Mrs. Gao, I’m fine now!"
Qing Dai hurriedly stepped forward to support her lady. She had truly been frightened out of her wits just now. It was all her fault; if she hadn’t made noise, the River Bandits wouldn’t have broken in. If anything happened to the young lady, she would be culpable no matter how many deaths she suffered.
Yao ngxian couldn’t guess what Qing Dai was thinking. She had already realized that these were benefactors she had mistaken for River Bandits.
"I truly apologize for the misunderstanding earlier! Thank you, benefactor, for saving my life!" Yao ngxian felt extrely embarrassed; the person had saved her, yet she had injured them.
She stole a glance at Gu Chengyu, her face blushing with embarrassnt over her previous actions.
"As long as the young lady is unhard. The River Bandits might not have been cleared out yet; you should move to another room. Stay indoors and do not wander. I need to go help in the front!" Gu Chengyu said, clutching his sword, and quickly left.
"Wait!" The old woman hastily called out to the departing Gu Chengyu.
"What is it?" Gu Chengyu, concerned about the River Bandits at the front and worried about Ye Zhiqiu and Sun Xian, who couldn’t fight, beca anxious. Though they had Ming Mo and others to protect them, he wasn’t reassured without seeing them himself.
"Thank you for saving us today, benefactor. May I ask your na? We would like to visit your residence later to express our gratitude!" In fact, Mrs. Gao also wished for Gu Chengyu to stay. With just the four won and one fainted on the ground, they wouldn’t stand a chance if the River Bandits returned.
"No need!" Gu Chengyu hurriedly took a few steps forward, but Mrs. Gao’s voice stopped him again.
"Benefactor! There’s a maid here who fainted. No one knows dicine, and we don’t know if she’s all right. Could you please have a look?" Mrs. Gao didn’t know Gu Chengyu was in a hurry. She was worried about Lianxin, who hadn’t woken after being kicked.
Gu Chengyu was speechless. Did he look like a doctor? Although this maid fainted, he knew she had been kicked by a River Bandit, for which he had internal injury pills that could help. He retrieved a porcelain bottle from his space and threw it over, containing just two pills.
"Just give her one!" Leaving those words, Gu Chengyu hurriedly left.
Mrs. Gao wanted to say more, but Yao ngxian stopped her. She noticed Gu Chengyu’s hurried steps and guessed soone familiar was outside, realizing they shouldn’t hold him back.
"Miss! Uncle Li hasn’t co back yet; what on earth is he doing, not even coming to check on us?"
Mrs. Gao knew they couldn’t keep bothering the benefactor and sighed. Then, the topic shifted to Uncle Li.
Yao ngxian knew Uncle Li wouldn’t truly abandon them; maybe he was caught up elsewhere or injured.
Yao ngxian picked up the dicine bottle, removing the cork to shake the pills onto her palm. There were only two. Rembering the young man’s words that one would suffice, she quickly instructed Mrs. Gao to lift Lianxin and pushed the pill into her mouth.
"We can’t stay here any longer. Let’s go to your room." Yao ngxian felt the priority was to switch rooms. She had Mrs. Gao carry Lianxin, quickly tidied up, and moved to the adjacent room with Qing Dai. They secured the door with a cabinet.
Though this wouldn’t prevent the River Bandits from breaking in, it might delay them for a while.
anwhile, Gu Chengyu descended the stairs with his sword to the deck. He saw there were only a few River Bandits left, being dealt with by Ming Mo and the others, while Uncle Li, ntioned by Yao ngxian, was indeed injured.
Uncle Li, dragging his injured leg, felt extre anxiety. It had been so long, and he didn’t know how the young miss was doing. Though they guarded the deck, ensuring no River Bandits entered the cabins, unexpected incidents could still happen.
If only he hadn’t listened to the young miss; how could a few weak won possibly fend off the River Bandits?
So when Gu Chengyu appeared, he imdiately called out, "Young man! Please help by checking on my young miss upstairs. Our household will surely reward you generously!"
Uncle Li’s legs had been cut, making it difficult to even stand, let alone crawl there. The surrounding River Bandits would surely not hesitate to strike him.
Gu Chengyu glanced at him, deducing that he was referring to the young miss he had just encountered.
"I passed by earlier; they’re fine!"
Ming Mo and others finished off the last two bandits, finally catching their breath. Their bodies were drenched in blood, and their hands, clutching short swords, still trembled slightly.
Gu Chengyu glanced at Sun Xian and Ye Zhiqiu, noting they were unhard. However, their knives still dripped with blood, a clear sign they had taken lives.
Ye Zhiqiu was now sitting limply on the ground, unaware of where he found his courage to join the fight. Although Ming Mo and others were with him, his legs still shook with fear.
Sun Xian, being older, naturally felt fear, but forced himself to hold on.
Gu Chengyu instructed the remaining crew to bind the wounded, immobile River Bandits. The ship’s steward suddenly appeared, although Gu Chengyu hadn’t seen them during the fight.
This ti, there were quite a few River Bandits, roughly forty or fifty. Gu Chengyu was puzzled why so many had co; this was a passenger ship, not a rchant ship, one that had long been placated. Why had they violated the agreent? Was there sothing or soone on the ship they wanted?
The dawn was breaking, and mist rose from the river. Gu Chengyu glanced at the bodies surrounding the ship, noticing the waters were dyed red. Both the deck and the stern were covered in blood. There were boatn, passengers, and mostly, River Bandits.
"They’re dead, all dead! We survived!" One of the passengers suddenly cheered, thrilled to have survived what seed like an inevitable disaster. What could be more fortunate than escaping with their lives?
The remaining passengers and crew cheered too, having been complacent during calm tis on the river and not having practiced enough. Who’d have thought such a massive incident could occur? Several of their companions had died.
Thinking of this dampened the crew’s celebratory spirit.
"Steward, so many died on this ship; you cannot shirk responsibility," Gu Chengyu remarked, as those remaining, having released their initial elation, slumped down in exhaustion.
The steward and the ship’s master wore grim expressions. They knew they were finished. This would have to be reported to the governnt, and they surely couldn’t sail for months. Moreover, dealing with the dead posed an uncertain challenge.
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