Return of the Swallow
Chapter 290: Swept Apart
Qin Yining froze, unable to react!
She never thought that a convoy of surrendered Yan officials would run into a group of bandits!
The trip had been very smooth up until now. As they’d surrendered, they had a contingent of Valiant Tiger escorts that was only a hundred men strong.
Most of the Valiant Tigers had already left to return to the Great Zhou capital ten days ago. Weichi Yan wasn’t allowed any troops with him at all, just a few loyal attendants.
The Qins were a bit better off. The emperor emeritus’ Silver Masks had lost their former master, but didn’t have a new one due to lack of trust from above. They were now beholden to Qin Huaiyuan, but most had been sent out on missions. There were only four following the caravan — five if they counted Cao Yuqing. How would that number possibly protect the everyone?
Qin Yining scrambled to put on her soft-soled boots. Another group of bandits came swinging at the front on the backs of horses, murderous light glinting coldly off their blades.
There were old, young, women, and infirmed all traveling together. A din rose of screams, shrieks, and agonized wails. People scattered helter-skelter, while others whipped their horses into a frenzy and steered their carriages elsewhere.
The entire convoy was swept apart. The three carriages in front of the Qins had panicked and run off in some unknown direction.
Through the carriage window, the Qin fourth miss happened to glimpse that Cao Yuqing had leapt onto née Sun and Qin Huaiyuan’s carriage. A crisp snap of the reins sent the carriage careening off into the northwest.
As for Jiyun, still standing in front of their own carriage, the guard was adroitly dodging the first arrow that was coming their way. “Miss, be careful!”
The enemies were firing arrows! This was a slaughter without discretion. They weren’t here for the goods and neither did they want to leave any survivors!
Inside the carriage, Qin Yining quickly turned a square table onto its side and grabbed a shrieking Qiulu and Bingtang to take shelter behind it together.
“Jiyun, you be careful!” Qin Yining tried to curl up as much as possible. Continual thuds rang out, as arrows embedded themselves into the carriage ceiling and walls. Her hands also shook a few times when the square table also took several hits.
Qin Yining’s horrified eyes were as wide as saucers. She screamed anxiously, “Jiyun, hide! don’t mind me!”
Outside the carriage, Jiyun tumbled several times over the snowy ground and made it to the shelter of a large tree with much difficulty. However, a dense rain of arrows forced her to keep her head down.
Unfortunately, Qin Yining’s groom was shot dead by a random arrow. When he toppled over, his grip loosened on the whip and reins.
Qin Yining’s silvery-white Ferghana horse, a gift from Pang Xiao, spooked and struggled free of its halter, galloping frantically into the distance from sheer fright. The horses pulling the carriage also spooked and charged haphazardly, overturning the carriage from their maddened efforts.
