Untouchable Lovers

Chapter 176: Chapter 159: The Bird Dies for Gluttony

Chu Yu sat in the tightly concealed carriage, not far ahead of her was Sun Li. Also in the carriage was Boss Ren of the trade caravan, except now Boss Ren’s caravan had been reduced to nothingness.

Constantly under the watchful eye of Sun Li, Chu Yu dared not make any rash moves and behaved as a captive. Only after a full day of travel did Sun Li lift the carriage curtain to let them get out and rest.

Three days passed in this manner, and when the carriage entered a more spacious road on flat land, Sun Li ordered the horse thief driving the carriage to stop.

Sun Li hopped down from the carriage first, along with another horse thief, they unhitched the two fine horses pulling the carriage. He didn’t hurry to mount them, instead, he took out two purses and handed one to Chu Yu and one to Boss Ren, “This is some money for both of you to spend on your way,” he said as he handed over the sustenance. After finishing with the money, he passed over two short swords, one for each of them, just like the money, “This is for self-defense on your journey.”

Although the money he gave was only a very small fraction of the ransom, and the short swords were a courtesy after they had been robbed by his men, it could still be reluctantly considered ‘honor among thieves’; it was at least better than giving nothing at all.

Shivering, Boss Ren accepted it, thanking Sun Li repeatedly, while Chu Yu hesitated for a moment and did not reach out to take it. She looked at Sun Li, her lips moved slightly and, in the end, she couldn’t help but ask, “You won’t harm Yu Rong, will you?”

Although she wanted to believe in Rong Zhi, the actions he took before when he entrusted her with the token made her feel uneasy, an unease she had never felt before, especially now that she couldn’t see Rong Zhi, which deepened this feeling.

Sun Li glanced at Chu Yu. Though he shared the surname Yu and belonged to an aristocratic family, in Sun Li’s eyes, Rong Zhi was like a glittering, fine pearl, while Chu Yu at best was an inferior piece of jade. The grace, talent, and upbringing of the two couldn’t have been more different. This was not only the result of Rong Zhi’s deliberate actions but also a natural consequence of the gap in their innate abilities.

After having someone investigate the Yu Family of Jiangling, Sun Li originally intended to kill both Rong Zhi and Chu Yu. The Yu Family was considered a lower-tier aristocratic family, which did not base its status on deep cultural heritage or noble standing but had rapidly risen through military exploits. To describe them with a crude term—they were ‘nouveau riche.’

Such upstarts, while not as renowned as the traditional aristocratic families, could prove stronger in warfare, and Sun Li and his men did not wish to provoke such enemies, let alone extort them. With little money to gain and much trouble to invite, after learning the details about the Yu Family, Sun Li’s first thought was to kill them both.

However, by then, he no longer had the heart to kill Rong Zhi. The initial offer of poison was his first probe, but as the days went by, Sun Li found himself increasingly reluctant: Rong Zhi was too rare. Every conversation with him felt like uncovering a new treasure trove—geography, schools of philosophy, from military strategy to local customs, there seemed to be nothing Rong Zhi didn’t know. This rare appreciation for talent made Sun Li want to keep Rong Zhi for his own purposes.

This was precisely Rong Zhi’s calculation. He knew that the identity he had assumed for himself from the Yu Family would provoke Sun Li’s murderous intentions, so he used another method to preserve both their lives. He negotiated with Sun Li, expressing his willingness to stay but on the condition that they let Chu Yu leave unharmed. The more exceptional Rong Zhi appeared, the more lackluster Chu Yu seemed, and thus Sun Li did not care about releasing a Chu Yu, as long as Rong Zhi was willing to obey.

Seeing Chu Yu as an ignorant and wasteful scion, Sun Li reluctantly nodded and placated her, “I naturally won’t harm him.” After saying this, he threw down the short sword and mounted his horse to leave.

As Chu Yu picked up the short sword, Boss Ren had already opened the money bag, which was much heavier than he expected. On inspection, he found that beyond the coins, there was also a glittering gold bar and two pearls the size of longan fruits.

He hadn’t expected Sun Li’s provision to be so generous. Boss Ren’s breath quickened—his caravan had been looted, and his family had paid a hefty ransom; they were stripped of wealth. But with this, he could use it as capital to continue doing business. At that moment, he saw Chu Yu also opening her money bag, and immediately thought how wonderful it would be if that money bag were his as well.

Boss Ren instinctively gripped the short sword given to him by Sun Li.

Chu Yu did not notice the change in the man beside her; she was still somewhat bewildered by her separation from Rong Zhi. Picking up the short sword out of reflex, she suddenly felt a strong gust behind her. Her sharp instincts warned her of danger, and almost without thinking, she swung the sword behind her to block, just in time to intercept the blow from Boss Ren’s short sword.

It was only when she finally realized the situation she was in that Chu Yu became slightly panicked. She took two steps back, turning around and eying the ferocious-looking middle-aged man with caution, “What do you want to do?”

How could it be that she’d barely escaped from the tiger’s den, only to encounter a wolf?

Chu Yu didn’t believe she had any enmity with Boss Ren, and found it odd that he was attacking her. Following his gaze to the purse in her hand, she suddenly realized: it was all due to greed.

Following that thought, she also understood that Sun Li leaving money and a short sword behind was ill-intentioned. He deliberately sent them off together, giving each a short sword and a sum of money that wasn’t small. If one of them were greedy, they would kill the other to get the money. Even if both survived, they would harbor resentment against each other.

In this way, their hatred for the horse thieves would be somewhat dispersed, shifting instead to their equally unfortunate companions.

This move was undeniably sinister.

Chu Yu sighed silently and casually threw the purse she was holding onto the ground, saying, “If you want it that much, take it.” As for her, being from the Princess Mansion, she wasn’t concerned about this amount of money. Hence, her first thought was to mitigate calamity by yielding wealth, hoping to avoid conflict with anyone. However, no sooner had she dropped the purse than she realized her mistake.

Boss Ren’s eyes reddened slightly. He didn’t go for the purse but instead charged over, aiming to kill Chu Yu. In a panic, Chu Yu fled, understanding Boss Ren’s intent: since he’d robbed her, he feared retaliation and thus decided to silence her permanently. Chu Yu’s initial inclination to avoid conflict was terribly wrong. Not only did it fail to bring her safety, but it made her appear weak and a target for further aggression.

Greed could indeed turn a person into a devil.

Without hesitation, she turned and ran. Chu Yu didn’t raise her sword to clash directly with Boss Ren, since she hadn’t learned swordsmanship. Engaging in combat could result in a loss of limbs, so running seemed the best of the thirty-six strategies.

Boss Ren quickly picked up the purse Chu Yu had discarded and stuffed it along with his own into his chest, then proceeded to chase her with a short sword in hand.

As a girl, Chu Yu was naturally weaker, but Boss Ren, having been detained in the horse thief village and quite emaciated, was still weak despite having replenished some of his strength. Moreover, carrying two not-so-light purses added to his burden. The two of them, one chasing the other, didn’t close the distance between them for a while.

Chu Yu desperately wanted to stop and rest, but every time she slowed down and looked back to see Boss Ren, with a face full of hatred, chasing her, she was forced to muster her energy and continue running.

The road was deserted. After running for a long time without seeing a soul, both of them were gasping for air, exhausted. Chu Yu saw Boss Ren closing in on her and felt a sense of despair. She had lost her short sword during a previous fall and had forgotten to pick it up; without a weapon, she couldn’t even think of resisting.

Her legs gave way, and Chu Yu collapsed under a tree by the road. Turning over to sit up, she leaned against the trunk, watching Boss Ren draw closer. Perhaps too fatigued to feel fear, she felt a sense of absurdity and irony instead.

It must have been hard for Rong Zhi to let her go. He probably had not anticipated Sun Li’s trick or Boss Ren’s greed, had he?

Closing her eyes to await death, she didn’t feel the expected pain but instead heard the thud of a heavy object falling and a grunt. Opening her eyes in confusion, Chu Yu saw Boss Ren face up on the ground five or six paces before her, his eyes bulging. And in his chest, a feathered arrow was lodged, with a large dark stain spreading slowly from where the shaft had entered.

From whence came the arrow?

Chu Yu turned and looked behind her, only to see a person on horseback about fifty meters away, holding a longbow, indicating the shot had come from him. The knight’s features were unclear at that distance, but his bearing was impressively brisk.

As the horseman approached slowly, Chu Yu could see that he was in his thirties, dressed in fine clothes with faint lines at the corners of his eyes, yet he retained a handsome and mature charm. Upon seeing Chu Yu, he dismounted with a friendly air and asked, “May I ask if on your way here, you’ve come across a beautiful young man who calls himself Yu Rong?”

After a pause, he seemed to realize he had forgotten to introduce himself, and with an apologetic smile, he said, “May I inquire about your name? My surname is Yu, and my given name is Yu Wen.”