ZiShu rode the horse for a full day without any problem. He spent another night at a local tavern, and then the rain poured again that night, around midnight. He woke up in agony, his knee killing him. Since it was in the middle of the night, he took his pain pills and slept through the night. In the morning, when he awoke, the rain had not stopped, and pain had re-emerged. He could not take another pill since he had to hurry back to the palace for his own safety. But his leg was hurting too much and he knew he would be unable to ride the horse. Just as he was wondering what to do, he heard a loud shouting downstairs at the tavern's dining floor.
He took a quick look from his door, opening just a gap, and could see several soldiers inspecting each table, under each table, perhaps looking for crutches, and then when they were done with the dining floor, they rushed upstairs to the bedroom floor.
ZiShu knew his fate was sealed this time.
He sat on the edge of his bed, wreathing in pain, yet thinking hard what to do next, how to get away. A group of soldiers had pushed every bedroom door open and started searching the rooms. As soon as the soldiers kicked his door down and saw him, they attacked. He used his sword (the one he collected at the coffin house), to fight back, but they were targeting his left knee, and he struggled to defend himself. Just when he figured he would die in this room and never see Lao Wen again, breaking their mountain promise, he noticed the soldiers attacking him suddenly froze, and fell to their death. Somebody had thrown daggers on the back of their heads, instantly disabling them. He looked behind the dead soldiers, and noticed a masked person wearing all black clothes and a black cape. From the body shape, he could immediately tell that it was a curvy woman. She quickly approached him and helped him get up.
"I can't get up, I can't walk" ZiShu explained.
She used her shoulder to carry his left body weight, so he only had to jump on his right leg. "Let's use the side window, there's a carriage right outside, you will be safe once you're in it. ZiShu nodded and with the masked woman's help, they flew out the window and landed on the streets. She lifted the left half of his body again, while he jumped into the carriage using his right leg, and then he fell into the carriage seat, and she immediately jumped on the horse and rode away. A large group of soldiers were shooting arrows at them and chasing behind. But her carriage was reinforced with metal plates all around, and therefore arrow-proof.
Qian Qian rode the horse expertly, successfully evacuated the dangerous street. Soldiers continued chasing them for several more li, and when they finally got rid of all the attackers, Qian Qian rode the horse towards the shore, where she had purchased a boat. She exchanged clothing with the boat owner, also a curvy female, and gave her the mask. The two of them helped ZiShu get into the boat cabin, then the boat owner rode the horse carriage away, wearing Qian Qian's clothes and mask, misleading the attackers. Qian Qian on the other hand, now dressed as boat owner and wearing a straw coat, quickly paddled away in the rain storm.
ZiShu lied down inside the cabin of the boat, in extreme pain. Seeing how the two people just helped him get out of danger, he knew he could trust them, and so he quickly took a painkiller to ease the knee sufferance. Soon, he dozed off from the medication.
When he awoke, it was a few hours later, and the woman had finished crossing the shore. She went to check on him. She was soaking wet and wearing her rain hat made of straw. It was still raining. It was raining this whole time that he was sleeping and she was paddling. "How are you feeling?" She asked.
"A little better, thank you very much for saving my life today." ZiShu bowed to her, showing his utmost respect. He could not get up but he bowed in his sitting position.
"I didn't think you're the kind of person who would fear death." She said as she sat next to him.
"I'm not. Death is nothing to be afraid of. Eighteen years and I'm a newborn man again. 十八年后一条好汉" ZiShu said.
