Chapter 43-1: A Suspicion
The young man, appearing to be around seventeen or eighteen
years old, had blood smeared all over his head and face, presenting a pitiful
and embarrassed sight.
"Biaoge, are you injured?" Luo Sheng asked.
Sheng Sanlang shook his head and replied, "I'm fine.
Biaomei, how did you know the people who attacked us weren't a large group? Is
it possible that someone is still hiding outside?"
Luo Sheng glanced towards the wide-open temple door, where
an endless curtain of rain poured outside, shrouding the surroundings in
darkness despite it being only noon. "If there were many attackers, they
wouldn't have needed to conceal themselves in the dark to strike."
Sheng Sanlang breathed a sigh of relief, but his relief was
short-lived as he heard Luo Sheng change her tone. "However, we can't be
certain that no one else will come to pursue and finish what these two people
failed to do."
Furious, Sheng Sanlang exclaimed, "I never expected the
world to descend into such chaos, with bandits coming one after another!"
Just a few days ago, they had encountered bandits attempting to rob them of
their pork knuckles. Now they found themselves facing an even more ruthless
group. Back home, he used to envy those who traveled freely, but he never
imagined that his own journey would become so perilous.
Luo Sheng stared down at the corpse lying not far away. It
was one of the two assailants, a young man with an ordinary face. She suddenly
bowed apologetically to Sheng Sanlang, saying, "I'm sorry to have brought
you harm, Biaoge."
Sheng Sanlang hurriedly stepped aside to avoid her curtsy,
saying, "Biaomei, what are you talking about? This incident has nothing to
do with you. It's because my family didn't consider the dangers properly. If we
had known how lawless the outside world could be, we would have hired a team of
escorts. You are not to blame, Biaomei."
Luo Sheng shook her head: "This incident is likely
connected to me." Startled, Sheng Sanlang asked, "Biaomei, what do
you mean?"
In a low voice, Luo Sheng explained, "The attackers we
encountered were most likely targeting me specifically."
Sheng Sanlang was shocked. "Why would they do
that?" Luo Sheng gazed at the lifeless body on the ground, her expression
complicated. "
She had long felt that something was amiss.
Though Jinsha County was just an ordinary county, it fell
under the jurisdiction of Jinling Prefecture, where Commander Luo's
subordinates should have been stationed. Even if these people didn't pay
attention to Commander Luo's two children in Jinsha County daily, they should
have watched them to some extent.
When she left the Sheng Family and journeyed back to the
Capital, if these people received the news, even if they didn't appear because
they were unaware that she had forged Commander Luo's letter, they should have
secretly sent someone to protect her.
Alternatively, even if they didn't send anyone to protect
Miss Luo, why would someone want to kill Miss Luo? Luo Sheng couldn't figure it
out for the time being, but she knew it might be difficult to reach the Capital
smoothly.
There were only two assassins this time, but what if there
would be more next time? She still had a lot of things to do and was very
afraid of death.
Despite the fear of what might come next, Luo Sheng, who
cherished her life dearly, managed to maintain her composure. "Biaoge,
let's bury our guards together," she suggested calmly.
Sheng Sanlang agreed solemnly. Only one of the four guards
in their party had survived, while the other three had become cold corpses. The
rain had softened the soil, making it easier for them to dig three graves.
Together, they laid the three guards to rest.
Standing before the slightly raised burial mounds, Luo Sheng
spoke softly, "Once I return to the Capital, I'll arrange for your remains
to be sent back to Jinsha County so that you can rest in your homeland."
Upon hearing this, Sheng Sanlang's heart grew heavier, and
he reached out to pat Luo Sheng's shoulder but hesitated, eventually putting
his hand down quietly. "Biaomei, your clothes are all soaked. Let's go
inside the temple."
They returned to the temple, where the bonfire still blazed,
and the smell of blood lingered. Glancing at the two assailants' corpses that
remained in their original place, Sheng Sanlang hesitantly asked, "Should
we bury them as well?"
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