Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 211 Dark Night

Seven days was neither long nor short. It was enough time for Hu Bugui to arrange everything, and it was also enough time for Wu Tao's anxiety to be magnified countless times. The dilapidated temple on the outskirts of the city had been in disrepair for a long time, and it was desolate everywhere, which was very consistent with the location agreed in the letter. Hu Bugui rode a horse, and Wu Tao, dressed in men's clothes, followed closely behind. The two deliberately kept a distance and entered the village on the outskirts of the city one after the other.

In early spring, everything should be revived and the fields should be busy, but this village is strangely quiet. There are a few houses scattered on both sides of the path leading to the village, and the doors of every house are closed. No human voices can be heard, and no smoke can be seen.

"Something seems to be wrong here." Wu Tao lowered his voice and looked around anxiously.

Hu Bugui reined in his horse and stopped, looking around sharply, and said in a deep voice: "Be careful, there is something strange in this village."

The two slowed down their pace, led the horses, and walked cautiously into the depths of the village. When they reached an old crooked locust tree at the entrance of the village, Wu Tao suddenly stopped and pointed at a house not far away and said, "Look, there seems to be something stuck in the crack of the door of that house."

Hu Bugui followed Wu Tao's gaze and saw a piece of red cloth stuffed in the crack of the door, which was particularly eye-catching in the gray scene. His heart tightened, he got off the horse, walked quickly to the door of the house, stretched out his hand and gently pushed, and the wooden door opened silently.

A foul smell hit him in the face, and Hu Bugui quickly covered his mouth and nose. He saw that the room was in a mess, with tables and chairs overturned, and some daily necessities scattered on the ground, but there was no one in sight.

"Is anyone there?" Hu Bugui called out tentatively, but the only response he got was an empty echo.

Wu Tao also walked in. Looking at the messy scene in front of him, the feeling of uneasiness in his heart became even stronger.

"Something must have happened in this village." Wu Tao's voice trembled slightly, "Let's get out of here quickly."

Just then, there was a sudden sound of chaotic footsteps outside the door, accompanied by a few suppressed coughs.

Hu Bugui and Wu Tao looked at each other and saw solemn expressions in each other's eyes. They walked slowly to the door with light steps and looked out through the crack. They saw a group of ragged villagers staggering towards them. Their faces were flushed with sickness and their eyes were empty and lifeless, like zombies.

"What... happened to them?" Wu Tao covered his mouth and looked at the scene in front of him in disbelief.

"Don't make any noise." Hu Bugui whispered, "Something's wrong. Let's hide first."

Hu Bugui pulled Wu Tao into a woodshed, where the old wooden door swayed in the wind, making a creaking sound. The two of them watched the situation outside through the crack in the door. The villagers moved mechanically, heading towards the village entrance with a clear goal, without any reaction to anything around them.

"They seem to be controlled." Wu Tao lowered his voice, with a hint of fear in his tone, "Could it be some kind of poison?"

Hu Bugui didn't say anything, but frowned, with a cold light flashing in his eyes. He clenched the hilt of the sword in his hand, feeling vaguely uneasy. At this time, a burst of hurried horse hooves came from a distance, breaking the strange silence of the village.

"Oh no, it's them!" Wu Tao's face changed and he recognized the identity of the people who came.

I saw dozens of men in black riding fast horses galloping from the direction of the village entrance. They were holding sharp blades and looked murderous. They were the members of the mysterious organization.

"Let's go!" Hu Bugui made a prompt decision and pulled Wu Tao out of the back door of the woodshed.

The two fought and retreated, heading out of the village. Hu Bugui's swordsmanship was sharp and deadly, and he could kill an enemy with every strike. Wu Tao flexibly shuttled between the men in black, and the silver needle in his hand was like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue, accurately piercing the enemy's vital points.

However, the men in black were numerous and very familiar with the terrain. They gradually formed an encirclement, trapping Hu Bugui and Wu Tao in an open space in the center of the village.

“Hahaha, Hu Bugui, Wu Tao, you can’t escape!” A cold voice came from behind the man in black. The leader of the mysterious organization walked out slowly with a cruel smile on his face. “Just surrender. I can kill you!”

"Dream on!" Hu Bugui snorted coldly and swung his sword to block the attack of a man in black.

"Look what this is?" The leader of the mysterious organization clapped his hands, and several men in black came over with several villagers. There was a shining knife on the necks of those villagers, and they had obviously been taken hostage.

"Stop! Let them go!" Wu Tao shouted anxiously. Looking at those innocent villagers, her heart seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible hand.

"If you want them to live, put down your weapons!" the leader of the mysterious organization sneered.

Hu Bugui and Wu Tao looked at each other, their eyes full of helplessness and pain. They knew that if they resisted, those villagers would surely die.

"Okay, we promise you!" Hu Bugui took a deep breath and slowly put down the sword in his hand. Wu Tao also threw away the silver needle in his hand, his eyes filled with despair and anger.

At this moment, the mysterious organization leader's mouth curled up into a sinister smile, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly raised his right hand...

 Dark Night

The mysterious organization leader's right hand stretched out like lightning, aiming straight at Wu Tao's throat. Hu Bugui's pupils shrank suddenly, and he almost instinctively pushed Wu Tao to the side, but he himself took the blow.

"puff--"

The sound of the blade piercing flesh was particularly harsh in the silent night, and a bright red instantly stained Hu Bugui's clothes. He groaned, and his body swayed, but he did not fall down. He just protected Wu Tao behind him and stared at the leader of the mysterious organization with a sharp look.

"Despicable!" Wu Tao exclaimed. Seeing Hu Bugui injured, her heart seemed to be grabbed by an invisible hand, and she could hardly breathe due to the pain. She struggled to move forward, but was held down by two men in black.

“Hahaha, the winner goes to the king and the loser goes to the bandit, how can it be despicable?” The leader of the mysterious organization laughed arrogantly, his eyes full of pride, “Hu Bugui, you have come to this day! I have said long ago that there will be a battle between you and me, and you are destined to be defeated by me!”

"You..." Hu Bugui covered his wound, a trace of blood oozing from the corner of his mouth, but he still stood straight with a firm look in his eyes, "Don't even think about succeeding!"

"Really?" The mysterious organization leader sneered and waved his hand, "Catch him for me!"

The men in black rushed forward, and Hu Bugui endured the severe pain and swung his sword to meet the enemy. However, he was seriously injured after all, and his movements were inevitably slow. He soon fell behind, and several more scars appeared on his body.

Wu Tao watched Hu Bugui fight bloody battles to protect her, her heart filled with self-blame and despair. She struggled desperately, but to no avail, and could only utter weak cries.

"Stop! Let him go! Come at me!"

However, her voice was drowned out by the din of swords and sabers and seemed insignificant.

In the end, Hu Bugui was outnumbered and was subdued by the men in black. He was covered in wounds, and his blood dyed the ground red, but he still raised his head stubbornly, staring at the leader of the mysterious organization, with an unyielding flame burning in his eyes.

"Hu Bugui, did you see that? This is your end!" The mysterious organization leader looked down at him, his tone full of sarcasm and pride, "Do you think you can stop me? You are too naive! I will let you watch with your own eyes how your woman, your friends, and your country are destroyed step by step!"

"Don't even think about it!" Hu Bugui gritted his teeth and spat out these words, his eyes filled with anger and despair.

The leader of the mysterious organization ignored him and turned to look at Wu Tao with a sinister smile on his lips.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you, at least not now." He walked up to Wu Tao, stretched out his fingers and gently lifted her chin, and said in a grim tone, "I want you to see with your own eyes how he died for you!"

After saying that, he shook Wu Tao off violently, turned around and ordered his men, "Take them back and keep them under strict watch! I want them to become part of my plan and a stepping stone to my ultimate victory!"

"Yes!" the men in black answered in unison, taking Hu Bugui and Wu Tao with them and disappearing into the night.

The empty village returned to a deathly silence, with only the shocking bloodstains on the ground silently telling what had just happened. The night wind blew by, as if with a sigh, mourning for this catastrophic failure...

The dark cell was filled with a damp and moldy smell. Wu Tao curled up in a corner, her clothes soaked with tears. The scene of Hu Bugui falling to the ground with injuries kept replaying in her mind, and her heart was broken.

"It's all my fault, it's all my fault..." She murmured to herself, self-blame and regret gnawing at her heart like a poisonous snake, "If I hadn't trusted that person so easily, if I hadn't been so impulsive, Hu Bugui wouldn't have been hurt, and we wouldn't have ended up like this..."

She hugged her legs tightly, trying to draw a little warmth from the cold reality. However, the cold stone walls and endless darkness surrounded her, making her feel suffocated and desperate.

"Is this it? Are we really going to become pawns of the leader of that mysterious organization and be manipulated by him?" Wu Tao bit her lip, trying hard not to let her tears overflow.

Just when she felt desperate, a faint light came through the crack in the corner of the wall. She seemed to have grabbed a life-saving straw, and crawled to the corner of the wall, carefully observing the crack.

"What is this?" Wu Tao found that next to the gap, there was a brick that was slightly different in color from the surrounding walls. She tried to push it with her hand, but the brick didn't move at all.

"Am I overthinking?" Wu Tao was a little disappointed, but the desire to survive in her heart drove her to continue trying. She took a deep breath, put her fingers into the gap, and groped for the brick.

Suddenly, her fingers touched something cold and hard. It was very small, like... a mechanism!

Wu Tao's heart began to beat violently, and an inexplicable hope rose in her heart. She held her breath and carefully pressed the switch.

"Click——"

There was a slight sound, and the floor of the cell where Wu Tao was located shook slightly. The torches on the wall flickered, as if something was being awakened.

"Who is it? Who is there?" An old and hoarse voice came from the darkness, with a hint of vigilance and confusion.

Wu Tao's heart was in her throat. She didn't know what was waiting for her, hope, or an even more terrifying abyss...