Chapter 64: The Embarrassing Escape

  In the Soul Valley, Choi Si-hyung once said that the Japanese, in order to win over the hearts of the Korean people, on one hand kept an eye on Kim Ok-gyun's remains, wanting to snatch them away and bury them in Japan. On the other hand, they searched everywhere for Kim Ok-gyun's wife and daughter, intending to turn Ryu Eon and Kim Soo-bok into their puppets, using them to command the Korean people.

  Now, the Japanese are mobilizing regular troops and surrounding this small inn. They must be after Jin Yu!

  Zhou Xuan Zhang arrived at the slot, untied the horse's reins, helped Jin Xiu onto the horseback, then mounted the horse himself, sat behind Jin Xiu, wrapped his arms around her and grasped the reins with both hands, saying: "Xiu'er, be careful, we're making a break for the front gate!"

  Zhou Xuan Zhang had expected that the Japanese would not think that Jin Shu would escape from the front door, and they would be caught off guard. The Japanese army did not dare to openly pursue them, and those plainclothes agents had not received orders, nor did they dare to open fire. By the time they came back to their senses, Zhou Xuan Zhang and Jin Shu had already rushed out of the city.

  "Didn't they protect them?" Jin Xiu hastily asked.

  "Don't worry, they'll be fine. The Japanese won't give them a hard time."

  "Why?"

  "They're after you!"

  Zhou Xuan Zhang shook the reins, and the horse spread its hooves, galloping along the small road towards the front gate of the inn.

  Going around the flat house, I only saw that the front door of the inn was wide open. Four Japanese plainclothes in Korean civilian clothes stood guard at the entrance, holding revolvers in their hands. On the second floor of the inn, there were loud noises and curses from Nahashiwa and Park Chung-ung.

  Zhou Xuan Zhang squeezed his legs together, the horse let out a loud whinny and charged forward, a Japanese soldier in plain clothes saw the horse and shouted loudly, standing upright to block the entrance, but was hit by the horse with a dull thud, the plainclothes soldier was thrown seven or eight meters away, apparently dead.

  The horse carried Zhou Xuanzhang and Jin Shu, rushing out of the gate. Inside the inn, there was a burst of "Ba Ge Ya Lu".

  As expected by Zhou Xuan Zhang, Japanese plainclothesmen rushed out of the inn and chased after them desperately without firing a shot.

  Zhou Xuan Zhang did not turn his head back and rode his horse at full speed. After a while, he left the Japanese far behind.

  Kai Cheng was a small town, Zhou Xuan Zhang rode his horse out of Kai Cheng for five or six miles, then under the moonlight, he galloped south for over twenty miles before finally stopping.

  There is a hillside by the road, with dense forests on the mountain.

  Zhou Xuan Zhang jumped off the horse, hugged Jin Xiu down, took the rifle off his back, and slapped the horse's buttocks with the gun holder. The horse neighed and galloped forward along the road.

  Zhou Xuan Zhang pulled Jin Shu and ran into the thicket by the side of the road, crouched on the ground, and listened with his ear to the ground for a while.

  "Big Brother Zhou..."

  "Hush..." Zhou Xuan Zhang pointed to his mouth, bent down, and carried Jin Shu on his back. With one hand holding the rifle and the other supporting Jin Shu's buttocks, he ran towards the depths of the forest.

  After running for three or four hundred meters, the two of them arrived at a commanding height. It was only then that Zhou Xianzhang stopped in his tracks and put down Jin Xiu.

  The area is densely forested and has excellent concealment, with a wide field of view. Under the moonlight, it's possible to observe the situation on the main road below the mountain.

  Zhou Xuanzhang sat on the ground with a thud, panting heavily, and looked up at Jin Xiu, who was still standing motionless.

  "You also sit down and take a rest." Zhou Xianzhang said.

  "I'm not tired," Jin Xiu said softly, her head bowed, her voice weak, like a fish at the bottom of the water.

  "Running all night, how can you not be tired? Come sit down." Zhou Xianzhang pointed to the side.

  "I'm really not tired, I..." Jin Shu bit her lip, looking worried.

  On the highway below, a thunderous sound of horseshoes echoed, and a Japanese cavalry unit holding torches galloped along the highway from the direction of the city.

  Jin Xiu hastily sat down next to Zhou Xuanzhang.

  "Don't be afraid, they won't find us." Zhou Xianzhang comforted.

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, that Japanese cavalry unit followed the hoof prints on the highway and headed south, disappearing from view in no time.

  Calm has been restored all around.

  The moonlight filters through the branches and falls down, casting a dappled pattern on the ground, accompanied by the chirping of summer insects.

  Jin Shu buried her head, with both hands embracing her knees, silent and still.

  "It's still not tired, and it's going to fall asleep." Zhou Xianzhang smiled.

  Jin Shu shook her head: "I'm really not tired." She lowered her head even further.

  "What's wrong with you?"

  "It doesn't matter."

  "Is something wrong?"

  "No."

  "Are you hungry?"

  "Not hungry."

  "Look up at me." Zhou Xianzhang tensed up.

  No!

  "Jiā ér, if you're unhappy, just tell me, don't keep it inside." Zhou Xianzhang said softly.

  Jin Shu's head buried deeper: "Brother Zhou, when you carried me just now..."

  "What's wrong?" Zhou Xianzhang scratched his forehead.

  "Why are you being so stubborn?"

  "How can I carry it if I don't carry it on my back?" Zhou Xianzhang was puzzled: "You can't even run."

  "Your hand..."

  Zhou Xuanzhang looked at his own hands, his left hand grasping a rifle, while his right hand was empty.

  Zhou Xuanzhang only then remembered that when they were climbing the mountain, his right hand hadn't been idle, but had been carrying Jin Xiu's buttocks.

  For a sixteen-year-old girl, this is an extremely embarrassing thing.

  "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Zhou Xuanzhang's face turned red and his ears were burning: "I didn't do it on purpose, at that time... I didn't know either... I just wanted to run a little faster... I... Rong'er, otherwise, you can slap me..."

  "Why should I hit you?"

  "I...I did that." Zhou Xianzhang couldn't find the right words. Strictly speaking, it was called sexual harassment, but Zhou Xianzhang didn't think of himself as a scoundrel.

  "Brother Zhou, will you treat me well?"

  "Of course!"

  "You swear!"

  "I swear, if I'm not good to Rourou, heaven will strike me with lightning!"

  Jin Shu lifted her head, under the moonlight, a rosy little face, with a shy smile.

  "Zhou Dage, how did you know they were going to catch me?" Jin Shu asked.

  "There are only two groups of people in the hostel today, one is us and the other is those two Japanese people. They must be here for us. And among our group, you're the only one that the Japanese want to catch."

  Jin Xiu nodded: "Then how did they find me? Brother Zhou, could it be the carbon powder on my face..." Jin Xiu felt a bit embarrassed. Zhou Xuanzhang said that Xiu'er was too beautiful, and even the carbon powder couldn't hide it.

  "That's one of the reasons, but not the main reason."

  "What is the main reason?"

  "Zhou Xuan Zhang asked: "Rou'er, were you and mom familiar with the Dongxue Sect people before?"

  "Not familiar, Dad never had dealings with Dongxuejiao people, he said Dongxuejiao is ignorant and only knows how to recite incantations, blindly excludes outsiders, doesn't know how to follow the world's trend. This time in Fenghun Valley, it was the first encounter."

  Zhou Xuan Zhang nodded secretly, Jin Yu Jun was indeed very insightful. In fact, the national conditions of Korea were extremely similar to those of the Qing Dynasty. The imperial court was corrupt and incompetent, the people were ignorant and unknowing, and in the face of the aggressive Western powers, the imperial court's response strategy was to close off the country even more, while the people's emotions were blindly anti-foreign, attributing the cause of their hardships to foreigners. As a result, the imperial court did not accept Western advanced ideas, the people did not accept Western advanced technology, and the entire society not only failed to make progress but became even more conservative and backward, forming a vicious cycle.

  Whether it is the Qing Empire or Korea, in order to become a strong country, the only way is to follow the trend of the world, open up the country and integrate into the progress of human civilization.

  However, there is such a person in North Korea, and his name is Kim Yu-geun. In the vast Qing dynasty, Zhou Xianzhang had never heard of him.

  "This is it! This time we came to open the city, only Donghak scholars knew, and you were disguised as a servant, with charcoal on your face, so no one should have recognized you. But as soon as we entered the city, we were discovered by the Japanese! The problem must be within the Donghak!"

  Jin Shu tensed up: "Big Brother Zhou, you're saying that the Dongxue Sect is evil, but my mother is still in Fenghun Valley!"

  "Sister, I didn't say that Donghak followers are bad people. What I said is that there are Japanese spies among the Donghak followers!"

  "Who?"

  "At least, Lu Wenjun and Park Chung-yung are the most suspicious. They have been with us all along and know your whereabouts most accurately."

  "They have always been good to us." Jin Shu didn't believe it.

  "Girl, I'm just guessing, maybe I'm being overly cautious, but it's possible the Japanese have other sources of information. However, we'd better still be careful."

  "So, in the backyard of the inn, you got Park Jeong-ung out of the way." Jin Shu said: "Big Brother Zhou, you are really good at deceiving people."

  "Heh heh," Zhou Xuan Zhang laughed: "In the world of rivers and lakes, one must have multiple hearts. Otherwise, you'll be sold out by others and still help them count the money."

  "Will you sell me?"

  "It's a pity to part with it!"

  "Why can't bear to part with it?"

  Zhou Xuanzhang poked Jin Xiu's nose: "Xiu'er is so beautiful, even with lanterns lit all over the world, she can't be found. If I were to sell our Xiu'er, that would be crazy!"

  "Pshaw!"

  The silver moonlight spilled down in patches, Jin Xiu's face was flushed with excitement, like a golden dahlia about to bloom.