The Ugly Empress by Yun Guo Shi Fei / 丑娘娘 by 云过是非

Chapter 22 - Assassination

Teng Yun shrunk in among the grasses, covering his nose and mouth while trying to calm his breathing.

He hid at a good timing, as right the next moment he heard voices coming, closing in to where he was hiding. Teng Yun held his breath, fearing they would find him there.

When those people walked pass his hiding place, Teng Yun relaxed a tiny bit. His sight had started to dim and he could feel the world spinning. He collapsed on the ground.

Those assassins seemed to be well-trained. When they heard the smallest sound of someone falling, they immediately turned back, cutting the grasses with their blade as they went.

Teng Yun used his hands to force himself get up but they were shaking. His body had no strength whatsoever. Then suddenly, he was pushed by someone.

Teng Yun fell into the slope behind him. The slope was not too steep, but the fall was very deep. The base of the slope was well into a deeper part of the forest it was too dark to see.

When he was pushed down, Teng Yun couldn't put out resistance. Then he felt he was being held firmly inside someone's embrace as the both of them rolled down the slope.

The other person clasped a hand over the back of Teng Yun's head; protecting Teng Yun from protruding blocks of stones.

Their descent was chaotic and dizzying. Teng Yun squeezed his eyes shut as if that could stave off the churning in his stomach and the urges to throw up.

When they finally landed on a flat ground, Teng Yun exhaled loudly. He kept his eyes closed because he felt as if the world hadn't stop spinning. When he felt the spinning eased, he pushed himself off the ground. He was pulled up, and before he could take two steps, he was dragged into some kind of hole in the ground.

After some time, the urge to throw up gradually calmed down enough for Teng Yun to open his eyes. Xue Junliang was the first thing he saw.

Xue Junliang's tasseled-crown was gone. His hair-band was still on, but most of his hair had escaped and was loose messily. His black robe was now grey with dirt and had scrapes and scratches in many places. He looked like a mess but the expression on his face was calm as always.

With one hand, Xue Junliang pulled Teng Yun deeper into the pit, while the other hand was place on Teng Yun's mouth, gesturing not to make a noise.

The assassins saw someone fell down the slope and naturally followed. Fortunately it was very dark down here. Fallen trees and weeds littered the ground, and there was a small river that emitted foul odor. The assassins searched for some time, but fearing their targets had ran away, they dared not linger too long and eventually moved on deeper into the forest.

Xue Junliang didn't retract his hands. Long after the assassins had gone far, he finally released Teng Yun.

Teng Yun gulped in deep breaths. For a time there, he'd thought he'd be suffocated to death.

Watching the other person blushing with exertion, Xue Junliang chuckled lowly. They were crouching very closely, Xue Junliang's hot breath brushed by Teng Yun's earlobe, making him shiver. Teng Yun turned around and sat facing away from Xue Junliang.

By a tacit understanding, the two didn't move, they would wait longer to make sure the assassins wouldn't return before they could come out of the pit.

Xue Junliang had open and bloody wounds all over his body obtained in their fall; the wounds looked awful, fortunately they were not very serious. But his right hand seemed unusually stiff.

Not perturbed by dirt and dust, Xue Junliang casually sat on the ground next to Teng Yun and said, "Aifei, what to do? Seems like I broke my hand."