Chapter 359 - 357: Would Miss Xu Still Care About That? (Part 1)

Chapter 359: Chapter 357: Would Miss Xu Still Care About That? (Part 1)

Hand over the madam to him? How can that be!

Cheng Xiao was absolutely unwilling, but the situation did not allow him to say no. As soon as Jiang Yu finished speaking, the men in black behind them had already caught up. He quickly tightened the reins, turned his horse around with the other two guards, and blocked those chasing after them.

Seizing the opportunity, Jiang Yu led Xu Jing to turn and dash into the nearby forest. After running a short distance, he raised his hand to signal Xu Jing to stop her horse. He also reined in his horse, dismounted quickly, and walked up to Xu Jing, stretching out a hand, "Get down."

Xu Jing was slightly stunned.

"They are after you, and they’re not acting recklessly. Judging by the current situation, they are very methodical. If they can split their people into two groups, there is no guarantee they won’t split into three or four."

Jiang Yu said in a deep voice: "While they haven’t caught up yet, it’s safer for us to hide."

Upon hearing this, Xu Jing’s expression darkened as well and she said, "Alright."

Saying that, she didn’t take Jiang Yu’s extended hand but dismounted on her own.

Jiang Yu’s eyes grew dim, and he withdrew his hand that was left hanging mid-air. He stepped forward to give their horses a forceful pat on their rumps, causing the horses to neigh before continuing to run forward.

Snow still covered the ground. Jiang Yu led Xu Jing to walk behind a large rock while following her footprints backward. With each step, he used a branch picked up from the ground to roughly sweep away their tracks.

Though, if looked at closely, the snow still appeared disturbed, the men in black wouldn’t notice such details amidst the tension. Moreover, there were two very clear sets of hoof prints on the ground, which would suffice to distract them.

After hiding behind the rock, Xu Jing’s heart was still pounding wildly. Unconsciously, she glanced at Jiang Yu, who was stealthily peering out from behind the rock next to her.

Since arriving here, the only ones who had ever chased her so relentlessly were people from Prince Xing’s faction.

Judging by Jiang Yu’s performance, this group should have nothing to do with the Jiang Family.

If this group was indeed sent by Prince Xing’s faction, then the Jiang Family was likely not the force backing Prince Xing.

But this precondition holds only if this group does belong to Prince Xing’s faction.

After all, ever since she arrived in the Western Capital, it seemed she’d earned more enemies, such as Wang Qilang, whom she only recently met.

She needed to figure out who sent this group that attacked them before drawing further deductions.

Just as Xu Jing was pondering over this, Jiang Yu suddenly said, "Is Miss Xu cold?"

Xu Jing was taken aback, turning to speak, but suddenly realized that the man nearby was looking down at her slightly. His breath, faintly stirring the hair at her temples, was so close.

Xu Jing frowned slightly and inconspicuously moved a bit to the side, responding calmly, "I’m not cold, thank you, Jiang Erlang, for your concern."

Noticing her small gesture to distance herself, Jiang Yu fell silent for a moment, suddenly curving a faint smile, saying, "Come to think of it, this seems to be the first time I’ve been alone with Miss Xu. Actually, for a long time, I’ve been hoping for an opportunity to be alone with Miss Xu."

His words were incredibly suggestive.

Xu Jing frowned and cast him a sideways glance, replying indifferently, "I am already a married woman. Jiang Erlang saying such things would only lead others to develop some improper thoughts about me."

But Jiang Yu seemed to find it amusing, letting out a soft laugh, "Does Miss Xu still care about such things?"

Xu Jing: "..."

She really didn’t care.

If she cared about public opinion, she wouldn’t have agreed to remarry Xiao Yi in the first place.

Jiang Yu turned to look at the woman’s delicate and aloof profile, his lips tightening slightly, and he murmured, "Those unreasonable words I said yesterday, Miss Xu seemed dismissive of them, but they came from my heart."

Xu Jing was slightly taken aback.

Was he referring to those remarks where having Jiang San as a close friend could come to her aid once more?

"Miss Xu might not understand me. I rarely say what’s truly on my mind to anyone, not even to my family."

The more Xu Jing listened, the more off it sounded, compelling her to retort, "So, should I feel honored then?"

Jiang Yu couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. Just as he was about to speak, a series of urgent hoofbeats sounded nearby, instantly putting an end to their idle chatter and causing both their expressions to tense.

Xu Jing was attentively listening to the hoofbeats outside when suddenly the man beside her turned and shielded her completely in his shadow. One hand rested beside her cheek while the other arm encircled her waist, pulling her into his embrace.

Xu Jing’s mind seemed to explode with a loud bang. Instinctively, she raised her hands to push against his chest but, wary of being discovered by those outside, dared not exert too much force.

With such limited strength, how could she push the man in front of her away?

In the next instant, she felt him bend down slightly, his lips brushing lightly over her hair. His voice, tinged with a sigh, sounded in her ear, "Rest assured, it’s not them outside. Miss Xu, I actually didn’t finish what I was saying yesterday."

"If the person you fancied wasn’t Xiao Yi, but me, that would be nice."

He could roughly guess what they intended to do next.

Such opportunities to be alone with her might never arise again.

Sooner or later, they would become adversaries. The moment she chose Xiao Qi Lang, she was destined not to be from the same world as him.

There was just a bit of dissatisfaction on his part; dissatisfaction that burgeoned during the past couple of days with her.

In this world, there’s no such thing as absolute justice or injustice.

Everyone merely stands by their respective positions.

And she had already stood against him.

Xu Jing was filled with absurd disbelief that such thoughts would even cross his mind!

Moreover, how did he know the ones outside weren’t enemies? Did he discern that?

Xu Jing had heard of trained soldiers discerning allies from hoofbeats but never imagined it to be true.

Suddenly, the anxious voice of Cheng Xiao came from outside, "Madam!"

It’s Cheng Xiao!

Xu Jing’s heart leaped with joy, free from any concerns. She pushed the man in front of her away and ran out, shouting, "I’m here!"

She saw that it was indeed Cheng Xiao, with several guards accompanying him, none of whom were the ones who had accompanied her to Jingyuan Temple today.

Instantly guessing something, she asked, "We brought reinforcements?"

Seeing Xu Jing unharmed, Cheng Xiao quickly reined in his horse, dismounted, and excitedly approached her, saying, "Madam, it’s truly great that you’re alright! While I was tangled with those men in black, the lord suddenly appeared. He got off work early today, knowing that madam was at Jingyuan Temple, and intended to pick you up personally. Unexpectedly, he ran into us fighting the men in black on his way."

Indeed, those men in black are extremely cunning and had even hidden a third group!

If not for the lord and the others arriving just in time, and if that third group chased after madam and the rest, it’s uncertain if Jiang Erlang alone could adequately protect madam!