Ambush in the Ravine, Xiao Wu Holds Tight and Won't Let Go

The moment that whimper escaped the carriage, the air tightened in response.

The wind howled at the mouth of the desolate gully, where the covered wagon was wedged against a pile of jagged rocks. Its front wheel was trapped in a muddy rut, the shaft tilted at an awkward angle, while the horse snorted white mist and pawed the ground in agitation.

Two men stood by the wagon; one was cursing, the other pulling desperately at the reins.

"Damn it, hurry up!"

"If they catch up to us, we're both dead!"

"Dead my ass, just get the cart out first!"

The words had barely left his lips when a dark shadow sliced through the night.

It wasn't Su Chen.

It was Xiao Wu.

She had been suppressing her rage, and upon hearing that muffled, tearful sound from inside the carriage, her eyes turned instantly cold. With a push from her toes, she surged forward like a pink blur skimming the ground, heading straight for the man holding the reins.

The man felt a flicker before his eyes; before he could even draw his blade, Xiao Wu had already slammed into his chest.

Lowering her shoulder.

Closing the distance.

Hooking his leg.

Throw.

Bang!

The man flew sideways, his back slamming against the hard rocks at the edge of the gully. His chest collapsed, and before he could finish his scream, he spat out a mouthful of blood.

The other man reacted quickly, his wrist flicking to reveal a cold glint as he lunged, aiming straight for Xiao Wu's side.

"You're courting death!"

Xiao Wu twisted her waist, shifting half an inch to the side. The blade grazed her skirt, slicing off a piece of the fabric.

Her eyes grew even fiercer.

If that strike had landed, it wouldn't have been as simple as just drawing blood.

The man missed his first strike and immediately followed with a second. He was clearly an old hand; his blade path was ruthless, his angles venomous, targeting only joints and vital points.

But he was fast, and Su Chen was faster.

A golden thread descended from the night.

The Judgment Holy Sword did not cut horizontally with any flourish; it struck the short blade directly.

Clang—

The blade snapped.

It broke cleanly into two pieces right in the middle.

The broken blade spun into the mud, and the man, clutching the remaining hilt, stared in disbelief.

In the next instant, Su Chen was already before him.

No wasted words.

One kick.

To the chest.

Bang!

The man was sent flipping through the air, crashing into the side of the covered wagon. The entire vehicle shook, and from within, a burst of uncontrollable struggling and crying erupted.

"Don't be afraid!"

Xiao Wu turned back to shout into the carriage, her voice softening significantly.

Just as she was about to rush over and pull back the curtain, the man on the ground who had been spitting blood suddenly raised his hand, a short arrow whistling from his sleeve.

It was black.

As thin as a poisonous bee's stinger.

The angle was incredibly treacherous, aimed not at Su Chen, but at Xiao Wu's back.

Xu Tinglan's expression shifted, and just as she was about to call out a warning, Su Chen moved.

He didn't turn around; he simply reached back and gripped.

Two fingers caught the black arrow with absolute steadiness.

The tip was only three inches from Xiao Wu's back.

Xiao Wu turned to look, a layer of cold sweat instantly breaking out on her back.

It wasn't fear.

It was fury.

She hated these kinds of underhanded, backstabbing tricks more than anything.

"Are you ever going to quit!"

Xiao Wu's eyes were slightly reddened. She turned and lunged forward, not even bothering with a formal stance; she simply raised her leg and delivered a crisp, clean downward strike that slammed directly onto the man's shoulder.

Crack.

This time, the bone was truly broken.

The man shrieked and rolled in the mud, his shoulder collapsed, unable to crawl back up.

Su Chen looked down at the black arrow in his hand; the tip shimmered with a blue hue, indicating it was poisoned.

"The same old recipe."

He rubbed his fingertips together, and the arrow shaft shattered into powder.

Xu Tinglan had already stepped forward by then, reaching out to pull back the carriage curtain.

Sure enough, two children were curled up inside.

A boy and a girl, both quite young, their hands and feet bound with hemp rope and their mouths stuffed with cloth, their eyes filled with terror. Upon seeing the light from outside, the little girl couldn't hold back, and tears immediately rolled down her cheeks.

"It's alright now, it's alright."

Xiao Wu immediately climbed into the carriage, her movements instantly softening.

She first pulled the cloth out of the little girl's mouth, then moved to untie the ropes on her wrists. The ropes had been pulled so tight that the girl's wrists were chafed raw, looking alarmingly red.

Xiao Wu gritted her teeth, her movements becoming even gentler.

"Tell me if it hurts, I'll go slower."

The little girl was trembling violently, tears streaming down in strings, her voice quivering.

"Si... sister..."

"I'm here."

Xiao Wu pulled her into an embrace, her rabbit-ear hair accessory swaying along with the motion.

"Don't cry, no one can take you away anymore."

Su Chen stood outside the carriage, his gaze pinning the two fallen men to the ground.

Xu Tinglan rummaged through a small box at the back of the carriage, her expression growing colder by the second.

"It wasn't just two children."

She pulled a stack of thin papers from the bottom of the box; they were all crudely forged identity documents, still bearing blank spaces for official seals.

"They planned to make one trip, then return to pick up the next batch."

Shen Zhi arrived just then with his men in pursuit. He vaulted off his horse, and upon seeing the scene, his face darkened instantly.

"These animals."

He waved a hand, and the men from the Ministry of Justice immediately rushed forward, pinning the two men on the ground and stuffing their mouths shut.

"Take them back, interrogate them separately."

"Yes!"

Su Chen paid no mind to the cleanup, his gaze fixed on the interior of the carriage.

Xiao Wu had already untied both children.

The boy was a bit older; although his face was pale, he was holding up, gritting his teeth to keep from crying, though his eyes remained vacant—clearly, the effects of the drugs hadn't fully worn off. The little girl was different; the moment she was unbound, she clung tightly to Xiao Wu, as if grasping the last lifeline.

Xiao Wu had always been a soft touch for the vulnerable, and as the girl hugged her, her heart tightened.

"Alright, alright, it's okay now."

She patted the little girl's back while looking up at Su Chen.

"They need to get back to a Healing Soul Master immediately."

"Mm."

Su Chen walked over, bent down, and picked up the little boy who was still trying to hold himself together.

The boy instinctively flinched, as if afraid.

Su Chen's tone was much gentler than usual.

"Don't struggle, I'm taking you back."

The boy froze, looking at Su Chen's face, which remained calm even in the night. His tense shoulders slowly relaxed, and his eyes suddenly turned red.

Xu Tinglan watched this scene, her fingertips tightening slightly.

She had seen too many people wield blades.

She had also seen too many people wield power.

But this was the first time she had seen someone like Su Chen—who could grind Han Su into the dirt one moment, and the next, steadily cradle a terrified child.

Shen Zhi had already ordered the carriage to be cleared.

"Get the children back to the city first."

"I'm keeping an eye on the branch hall; Han Su isn't getting away tonight."

Su Chen nodded, helped the boy into the carriage, and turned to take the little girl from Xiao Wu.

But the moment he reached out, the little girl clung to Xiao Wu's neck, refusing to let go.

Xiao Wu felt a mix of helplessness and soft-heartedness.

"She's terrified."

"Then carry her into the carriage."

Su Chen said.

Xiao Wu had just nodded and taken a single step when her calf suddenly spasmed.

Between the arena fights during the day, the car chase at night, and the brutal brawl just now, she had been running on nothing but adrenaline. Now that she had finally relaxed, the soreness and numbness surged up all at once.

Her body swayed, and she nearly fell, taking the little girl in her arms down with her.

The next second, a strong hand had already firmly steadied her waist.

Xiao Wu looked up.

Su Chen was very close, his gaze heavy.

"Still going to say you're not tired?"

Xiao Wu opened her mouth, instinctively trying to stay tough.

"I—"

"Shut up."

Su Chen didn't give her a chance to force it; he reached out to take the little girl, handed her to the female Deacon nearby, and then turned to scoop Xiao Wu up in his arms.

Even more skillfully than before.

Xiao Wu went completely rigid.

"Su Chen!"

Even Xu Tinglan was stunned for a moment.

Shen Zhi instinctively turned his head away, pretending to be interested in a ditch in the distance.

Xiao Wu's face burned, and with people everywhere, she couldn't even struggle.

"Put me down!"

"If you wiggle again, I'll make you walk yourself."

Su Chen's tone was flat, but his grip was steady.

"Take your pick."

Xiao Wu was choked into silence.

If she really tried to walk, she would almost certainly collapse and give herself away.

In the end, she could only bite her lip and lower her voice.

"Just you wait until we get back."

"We'll talk about that when we get back."

Su Chen carried her toward the carriage.

Xiao Wu was so angry she wanted to bite him, but with nowhere to sink her teeth in, she could only bury her face lower, her ears burning red like fire.

With her arms empty, the little girl started fussing, reaching out toward Xiao Wu and crying to be held.

Xiao Wu's heart melted, and she quickly reached out.

"Give her to me, give her to me, I'll hold her."

Su Chen glanced at her, not calling her out for just wanting to use the child as an excuse to catch her breath, and smoothly placed the little girl back into her arms.

Now, it was even worse.

Xiao Wu was being carried by him while holding a child, making her even more unable to move.

She looked up and glared at Su Chen, her eyes watery; there wasn't much fire left, replaced instead by an indescribable, bashful annoyance.

"You did that on purpose."

Su Chen raised an eyebrow.

"I'm saving people."

"You absolutely did that on purpose."

"Then remember it."

Xiao Wu was so angry her teeth ached, yet the chaotic heat in her heart refused to be suppressed.

Xu Tinglan stood by the carriage, watching the scene, and suddenly looked away.

She finally understood why Xiao Wu had never truly panicked from start to finish.

Because Su Chen was there.

As long as this man stood tall, she knew the sky behind her would not collapse.

The light carriage turned around.

The two children were settled safely, and with the Legal Department escorting the captives behind them, the chilling wind in the desolate ravine finally dissipated a little.

Before boarding the carriage, Su Chen looked back at the pitch-black mouth of the ravine.

"Tonight's business is not over yet."

Shen Zhi nodded.

"Han Su has already started silencing the branch hall."

"But it's too late."

Xu Tinglan handed over the original transfer ledger.

"With this, it's enough to flip his table."

Su Chen took the ledger and flipped through to the final pages.

The names listed above were densely packed.

Beyond the two children saved tonight, there were many more to follow.

One page was not enough.

Two pages were not enough.

The last trace of warmth in his eyes slowly faded away.

"Return to the city."

"First, raid the branch hall."

"Then, pull out this thread, one root at a time."

Xiao Wu, holding the little girl, heard these words and looked up at him.

The night wind stirred the carriage curtains, and the play of light and shadow fell across Su Chen's profile, sharp as a blade.

She suddenly reached out and gently tugged at a piece of his sleeve.

Su Chen lowered his head.

Xiao Wu spoke in a hushed voice.

"Su Chen."

"Hm."

"Tonight... thank you."

She said this very softly, devoid of her usual clawing, aggressive spirit.

Su Chen looked at her and raised his hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

The movement was very gentle.

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Didn't you say during the day that, following me, I couldn't possibly let you suffer?"

Xiao Wu's eyelashes trembled.

She didn't speak again, only gripped his sleeve a little tighter.

The light carriage rushed all the way back to Suotuo City.

The lights at the city gate were already ablaze.

And the true reckoning for tonight had only just begun.