Chapter 42 Split into Factions and Escape

Chapter 42 Split into Factions and Escape

Their expressions changed instantly. They tried to remain calm and continued what they were doing, but secretly quickened their pace, their hearts pounding.

Jiang Yutang's hands trembled uncontrollably as she washed the pot; cold water trickled down her fingers, but it couldn't extinguish the panic in her heart.

The figures behind the bushes were most likely the assassins hidden within the group! Cheng Lanzhou had previously mentioned that those people seemed to be trained in martial arts and their aim was assassination. Now it seems they were indeed after their own group, and they weren't even willing to spare the three vulnerable women.

Zhu clutched the hem of her clothes tightly, her voice trembling and her face turning pale: "Little sister...should we call for help? There are people around, maybe they can hear us..."

"Don't shout!" Jiang Yutang immediately lowered her voice to stop them, her eyes scanning warily towards the bushes. "Even if the sound gets through, if those people make the first move when my brother and the others arrive, the three of us won't be able to handle it!"

Mu was also pacing anxiously, cold sweat beading on her forehead: "What can we do? We can't just sit here and wait to die, can we?"

Jiang Yutang took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

The more critical the situation, the less room there is for chaos.

She quickly scanned her surroundings. The riverbank was empty, with only a few crooked trees, though occasionally refugees would come to fetch water.

"Don't be afraid." She tried to keep her voice steady. "The riverbank isn't a secluded place. People pass by occasionally. Those people don't dare to come out rashly. They're definitely waiting for us to go into the woods, trying to lure us to a secluded place to attack us. As long as we stay here and guard the riverbank, after a while, when our brother and the others see that we haven't gone back, they'll definitely come looking for us."

This was the only option at the moment, and the three women could only stand trembling by the riverbank.

Mu kept muttering, "May the Bodhisattva protect me, may the Bodhisattva protect me... Please don't let anything happen..."

Zhu's face grew paler and paler, and her breathing became rapid. Suddenly, she clutched her stomach and groaned, and a fine layer of cold sweat instantly appeared on her forehead.

"Second sister-in-law, what's wrong?" Jiang Yutang quickly went over and supported her arm.

"My stomach... my stomach hurts a little..." Zhu's voice was trembling with tears.

"It's alright, Second Sister-in-law, don't panic." Jiang Yutang gently rubbed her stomach while softly comforting her, "Take deep breaths, relax, the baby will be fine, and we'll be fine too. Eldest Brother and the others will be here soon..."

Just then, a slight rustling sound came from the bushes, as if someone was slowly moving.

Jiang Yutang's heart jumped into her throat.

Those hiding in the shadows seem to be getting impatient and are showing signs of stirring.

The commotion behind the bushes was getting closer, and Jiang Yutang knew she couldn't wait any longer.

She gritted her teeth and suddenly spoke, her voice firm and unwavering: "I'll run into the woods to distract them. You two run along the river to the camp and find my brother and the others as soon as possible to rescue me!"

"No!" Mu refused immediately, her eyes reddening. "How can I let you go on this adventure alone? Going into the woods now is a dead end! We'll go together or stay together!"

Despite her stomach pain, Madam Zhu shook her head and said, "Little sister, let's wait a little longer. Maybe our eldest brother and the others will arrive soon..."

"There's no time to wait!" Jiang Yutang interrupted them, her tone urgent. "If we wait any longer, they'll come out on their own! I'm fast enough to run and still have a chance to maneuver, but one of you is pregnant and the other is weak; you can't outrun them at all! If the three of us stay here, we'll all die here in the end!"

Her words were like a bucket of cold water, waking the two flustered sisters-in-law from their daze.

The two women exchanged a glance, both seeing despair and reluctance in each other's eyes, but they also knew that Jiang Yutang was telling the truth.

After hesitating for a moment, Mu finally nodded with tears in her eyes: "Okay...okay, we'll listen to you. You must be careful, we will definitely find someone to rescue you as soon as possible!"

Jiang Yutang nodded vigorously, then reached for her waist.

Of the two folding knives he had brought with him, he gave one to Jiang Songzhi and kept the other hidden on his person.

She took out the knife, put it into Mu's hand, and solemnly instructed, "If you encounter any danger on the road, use this to protect yourself."

"And what about you?" Mu Shi gripped the knife, tears streaming down her face. "You have nothing in your hands, how can you fight them?"

Jiang Yutang shook the small bronze mirror in his hand and smiled defiantly, "I have this, it might come in handy. Get ready, I'll count to three and run into the woods, you all immediately follow the river!"

After saying that, she took a deep breath, gripped the bronze mirror tightly, and fixed her gaze on the other side of the woods.

The trees there are relatively sparse, which might provide more room to escape.

"one two three!"

The moment the words left her mouth, Jiang Yutang took off running into the woods, shouting as she ran, "Help! Someone's trying to kill me! Help!"

She deliberately shouted loudly and urgently to help the assassins pinpoint her location and attract their attention.

The person hiding in the shadows panicked. Several dark figures darted out from behind the bushes and chased after her in the direction she had fled, their footsteps chaotic and hurried.

Seeing this, Mu and Zhu immediately helped each other up and ran along the path by the river towards the camp.

Jiang Yutang ran through the woods, the branches scratching her arms painfully, and the fallen leaves under her feet were slippery and soft, almost causing her to fall several times.

She could hear the footsteps behind her getting closer and closer, her heart pounding in her chest, but she dared not stop. Every second she ran, the other two would be safer, and the chances of finding help would increase.

She gripped the bronze mirror tightly in her hand, with only one thought in her mind: she must hold on until Jiang Songzhi and the others arrive!