novelaction Chapter 413 Drag away
Chapter 413 Drag away
Chapter 413
The Third Prince's heart, which had just been at peace, rose to his throat again, but he maintained a forced composure. He slowly stopped, turned back, and asked in a calm tone, "I wonder if this lord has anything else to say?"
He suspected they were deliberately deceiving him. After all, he thought his disguise was flawless and impossible for anyone to see through. Suddenly, he heard the leader sternly demand, "Since you said all your money is gone, why are you still wearing this ebony hairpin?"
This sudden questioning left the Third Prince speechless. He simply couldn't fathom how the dissipation of his wealth could possibly be connected to this ebony hairpin. Born into the royal family, the Third Prince had lived a life of luxury, accustomed to rare treasures. To him, this hairpin was nothing more than an ordinary, insignificant object. Little did he know that, for ordinary people, an ebony hairpin of this quality was a rare and precious item. Furthermore, his silky black hair was a stark contrast to the dry, coarse hair of ordinary men. Furthermore, he had previously claimed to be penniless, yet he had just been seen drinking tea in a private teahouse room – each and every one of these details was a flaw. The leader's thoughts grew increasingly suspicious, and he was certain that there was something fishy about the man before him.
Thinking of this, the leader suddenly shouted: "Catch him!"
Before the Third Prince could react, the command resounded like thunder. He instinctively stepped back, and in his panic, he blurted out the words "Protect the Emperor."
This exclamation instantly froze the atmosphere - "Oh no! He is the third prince!" The leader's pupils suddenly shrank, and his five fingers swooped down like eagle claws.
At the critical moment, a black shadow flashed like a ghost. The man in black was agile and his moves were fierce. In just a few moves, he knocked the leader to the ground.
Seeing this, the other men were shocked by the fighting power of the black-clad warriors, but they were all fearless and surrounded them like a tide, roaring.
The third prince did not dare to stay any longer and turned around and ran in the opposite direction.
The leader, lying on the ground, was already on the verge of death, but he still gritted his teeth, pulled out his hidden arrow, and with his last breath, shot it at the Third Prince. The arrow flew past him, the sharp tip slicing through his arm, and blood instantly seeped out, staining his coarse cloth with a glaring red.
The Third Prince felt a sharp pain in his arm, and he stumbled half a step. However, his instinct for survival prevented him from checking his wound. Instead, he ran forward with all his might. To avoid attracting attention, he deliberately avoided the main road and fled along the narrow alleys between the houses, heading towards the river.
Lu Zhaozhao, hiding behind a tree, saw it all clearly. She watched the figure gradually recede in front of her, then glanced at the crowd caught in the melee. She gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, and quietly followed.
Two figures, one in front and one behind, disappeared at the end of the winding alley.
The Third Prince ran desperately for who knew how long. Having been pampered since childhood, he always looked down on those who practiced martial arts. Although he was somewhat skilled in riding and shooting, this desperate run had already exceeded his physical limits. The wound on his arm oozed blood, leaving a dark red trail behind him. With every step, his vision was filled with black mist. How could his delicate body withstand such torment? Until he stumbled into a patch of dense grass, he could no longer hold on. His vision went black, and he fell heavily to the ground, falling into a coma.
Lu Zhaozhao chased after the Third Prince relentlessly, following him for as long as he ran. Following the bloodstains that snaked along the ground, she finally found him deep in the bushes.
The Third Prince was already unconscious, collapsed on the ground. Lu Zhaozhao slumped beside him, panting heavily. The veil covering her head had slipped away, her hair was disheveled, and she looked as disheveled as a madman.
After a long while, the burning pain in her throat finally eased slightly. She forced herself to stand up, half-knelt in front of the Third Prince, and gently patted his face. "Third..." She was about to blurt out the name, but she swallowed it back before it came out.
She reached out and felt the Third Prince's jaw. The texture of the skin her fingertips touched was noticeably different from that of his neck. Instantly, she had made a decision—the Third Prince didn't want to reveal his identity, and she couldn't explain why she recognized him.
"In that case, let's take advantage of their situation."
Lu Zhaozhao secretly made up her mind, patted the Third Prince's face again, and said softly, "My lord, are you okay?"
However, after calling out to him several times, the Third Prince showed no response. If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of his heart and the warm breath brushing against the back of her hand, Lu Zhaozhao would have almost thought he was dead.
This was a bit of a dilemma. If the pursuers followed the blood trail, both of them would be in trouble. But she couldn't just leave the Third Prince here. Lu Zhaozhao thought again: if she could save the Third Prince's life and make him feel good about her, she would definitely not suffer any loss in the future. She immediately came up with an idea.
She ignored her usual dignified demeanor and reached out to brush the tangled hair away from her face. Her almond-shaped eyes stared at the mottled bloodstains on the ground, then carefully examined the bloody wound on the Third Prince. Finally, she found it. She quickly pulled a handkerchief from her bosom, hurried to the river, scooped up some clean water, and carefully wiped the wound.
"Ouch..." The coolness seeped into the wound, and the sleeping Third Prince let out a soft hiss, his arm twitching subconsciously.
This sudden reaction startled Lu Zhaozhao so much that his fingertips trembled, and he almost spilled the water in his hand. "Sir, are you awake?"
The Third Prince frowned, his pale lips showing no response.
Lu Zhaozhao called out several times without receiving a response, realizing it was merely an unconscious action. She steadied her trembling hands and wrapped the water-soaked handkerchief tightly around his wound. Looking at the wound, where the flesh was twitching and bluish-white, Lu Zhaozhao's stomach churned. She fought back the nausea in her throat, her trembling hands bandaging it repeatedly until the crimson blood stopped seeping.
After treating the wound, the most urgent task was to get the Third Prince away. Lu Zhaozhao knew she had to act before anyone else could find her. Whether they were pursuers or reinforcements, they couldn't easily find her. If the pursuers arrived first, they would both be in danger. While the Third Prince's wounds were not serious, clearly showing mercy and his life was safe, the same couldn't be said for her.
Even if the reinforcements arrived first, it wouldn't work - the Third Prince was still unconscious and didn't know it was her who saved him. The two of them only spent a short time together, so she wouldn't gain any benefit.
She was a weak woman, and while the Third Prince wasn't particularly strong, his immense stature made it impossible for her to move him alone. Lu Zhaozhao bit her lower lip, anxiously looking around for help. To her surprise, she actually found it—a small bamboo raft tied to the riverbank, looking like something children might use for play. It was true, considering this place wasn't far from the village, and the children nearby were all adept at swimming. It wasn't unusual for the elders to be concerned about their children and prepare a raft for them to play on. Even more coincidentally, the raft was tied with a rope.
She quickly stepped forward to untie the rope, pulled the bamboo raft and tried it out. She found that it was easier to walk along the river bank. The rolling stones under her feet actually helped a lot.