Chapter 43: We Were Wrong
“You can choose not to forget. I can send your entire family of three straight to the underworld, and this secret will remain a secret forever.”
Just when Lady Lan was explaining earnestly to her daughter, there were not many bandits left over there. Yu Luo looked back and aimed his crossbow at Yu Meiyao’s chest. Her voice was light but full of murderous intent.
For the first time, Yu Meiyao truly saw the difference in Yu Luo.
This was a stark contrast from before. Yu Luo’s eyes were clear but filled with a chilling frost. The unfamiliar weapon aimed at her chest, reflecting the cold firelight, was far more terrifying than the bandits’ machetes!
In the past, she used to bully Yu Luo to vent her frustrations and assert her status. But now, faced with Yu Luo’s threat, Yu Meiyao was so scared that she trembled uncontrollably, yet she stubbornly refused to admit defeat or beg for mercy!
“Whoosh!”
An arrow shot from Yu Luo’s crossbow, and the stunned Yu Meiyao, who thought Yu Luo was just bluffing, suddenly saw the arrow whiz straight toward her!
Lady Lan’s eyes were fixed on Yu Luo. The moment she saw Yu Luo pull the trigger, she instinctively shoved Yu Meiyao to the ground!
The arrow missed Yu Meiyao’s chest but struck her shoulder blade with precision!
Even though she was wearing a thick cotton coat, the speed and force of the crossbow bolt caused her body to lurch backward. A sharp, agonizing pain shot through her shoulder, making her open her mouth to scream. But before she could, Lady Lan, who had grabbed her, quickly covered her mouth!
“No, don’t kill her! Xiao Luo, please, we won’t tell! We really won’t tell! From now on, we’ll be your people—whatever you want us to do, we’ll do! Xiao Luo, please, we swear we won’t say anything!”
Seven-year-old Yu Xiaoyun, who had been thrown aside by Lady Lan, was as pale as a sheet.
Seeing his aunt kneeling before Yu Luo’s family in terror, young Yu Xiaoyun was so scared that his small body trembled uncontrollably. Unable to hold back his fear, he followed his aunt’s lead and knelt down, pleading.
“Big Sister Xiao Luo, it was our fault before! We really won’t say anything! Please don’t kill my big sister! Don’t kill me and my aunt!”
Ye Jiamai couldn’t believe it. In just a few days after arriving in this ancient world, the brutal environment had turned her gentle daughter into a merciless killer!
But she knew that now was not the time for mercy. Ye Jiamai quickly adjusted her crossbow, aiming it at the kneeling trio.
“Lady Ye, no, please don’t kill us! We swear that everything that happened tonight will stay buried in our hearts! Even if we told, it wouldn’t do us any good! With you secretly helping us, we couldn’t be more grateful!”
Lady Lan’s tone was panicked but sincere, her forehead pressed firmly against the ground as she kowtowed repeatedly.
Yu Luo knew that Lady Lan was a pragmatic woman. Even young Yu Xiaoyun was much more sensible than his sister.
But that fool Yu Meiyao! If Lady Lan hadn’t reacted quickly enough to shove her, that crossbow bolt would have silenced her forever!
Yet even now, she was still glaring at Yu Luo defiantly, her eyes full of unwillingness despite her fear.
“Please, Second Aunt, Second Uncle, Xiao Luo—don’t kill me, my aunt, or my brother! I… I was wrong before. I really won’t say anything. Please forgive me.”
“Heh, you’ve come to your senses? But that look in your eyes is full of defiance! You never imagined that one day you’d be kneeling before our family, begging for mercy, did you?”
“You’re right—I never imagined it! But now I see things clearly. Xiao Luo, let’s reconcile! I was wrong before. I won’t be so stupid as to take pleasure in bullying you anymore.”
“In the past, I was always bullied by Yu Yingying and the others. I only picked on you to find some balance. But now I realize my mistakes. Xiao Luo, please forgive me.”
“What are you doing?!”
Suddenly, a voice approached from the darkness. Yu Haojie and Ye Jiamai quickly shoved the crossbows into Yu Luo’s hands, and she hurriedly concealed them behind her back.
By the time the two soldiers with torches arrived, Yu Meiyao was already pretending to be in pain, leaning weakly against Lan Shi’s arms.
The soldiers lifted their torches, examining the scene with disdain.
“What’s going on here?”
“Reporting to the officer, she was knocked out by a bandit just now.”
“And her?” The soldier’s eyes narrowed as he noticed the arrow lodged in Yu Meiyao’s shoulder.
“Officer, my daughter was accidentally hit by an arrow. I don’t know if you have any medicine for wounds…”
“Medicine? For you criminals? Just bear with it! You think you’re some sort of royalty? Quit dreaming! Now hurry up and clean up the battlefield!”
“Ah! Commander Wu is truly a kind-hearted man! Thank you for the reminder, Officer!”
Lady Lan, ever the smooth-talking merchant’s daughter and former noble concubine, immediately knelt down and kowtowed gratefully, her voice humble and submissive.
“Alright, get out of there! The bandits are all dead. This time, someone secretly helped us again. Without them, those bandits would’ve been tough to deal with!”
“Yes, yes! We’ll come out immediately!”
Lady Lan quickly agreed, then turned around and kowtowed repeatedly to Yu Luo’s family.
Seven-year-old Yu Xiaoyun, though young, had already lost all his young master’s pride after the hardship of the journey. Seeing his aunt kowtow, he quickly followed suit, his small head knocking against the ground repeatedly.
“This is to thank you for secretly saving us time and again. Lady Ye, Haojie, and Xiao Luo—don’t worry. I, Lan, am not one to bite the hand that feeds me. Even if we worked ourselves to death, we couldn’t repay your kindness.”
“From now on, we are one family. If you’re safe, we are safe. We’re all in this together.”
With that, Lady Lan hurriedly pulled up Yu Meiyao and rushed out from behind the rock.
If they moved any slower, she feared that the bandits’ clothes would be stripped clean by others. She also feared that if she delayed, Yu Luo’s crossbow might once again be aimed at them!
