Chapter 482: 482: Sudden Accident_1

On the training ground, Lu Yuhong was solely focused on the archery competition.

“Brother Xiu, it’s your turn, come on!” Lu Yuhong called Xiu Fengyuan to step up and shoot.

Although Xiu Fengyuan had no desire to compete, since Lu Yuhong had invited him, he could not decline and went forward to shoot.

Out of ten arrows, nine hit the bullseye, while the last one veered off course.

Xiu Fengyuan laughed, then returned the bow to Lu Yuhong.

Lu Yuhong handed the bow and arrow to Qi Zhen, who had just arrived.

Qi Zhen put down his fan, accepted the bow and arrow from Lu Yuhong.

Just then, a middle-aged man in brown clothing walked up to the contestants’ stage.

The man appeared somewhat potbellied, as if something round was tucked in his shirt.

The crowd, busy watching the spectacle, paid no attention to the man.

“Sir Liang, would you like to try?” A guard from the Lu family respectfully asked.

The man was a low-rank official assisting the Ministry of Rites responsible for managing the harvest of meat, hides, bones, and feathers from the wild animals, supervising military equipment production, pottery and bronze casting, and other stuff.

The man calmly told the guard, “You may step back.”

The guard found the man’s words a bit strange. With so many guests present, they naturally needed to be at their service and couldn’t take any breaks.

Thinking that Sir Liang was just being considerate, the guard didn’t overthink it.

Instead, the guard saw Liang lean in towards Qi Zhen.

The guard quickly warned, “Sir Liang, please wait until the third young master Qi…”

Before the guard could finish his sentence, he saw Liang holding a fire tinder with its cap gone and glowing red at the top.

Realizing something was wrong, the guard shouted out loud.

Qi Zhen, who was about to shoot, stopped immediately upon hearing the outcry.

He turned around and saw Liang, who had been calm, now bearing a ferocious expression.

Sensing danger, Qi Zhen quickly retreated.

Qi Zhen’s servants and the Lu Residence’s guards stepped in front to defend him.

Although the man didn’t halt, the servants and guards immediately restrained him, but something in his arms began to burn.

Suddenly, a loud “bang” rang out as the contestants’ platform exploded into fragments.

The pavilion where Wei Ruo was located shook with the blast.

All the noble women present screamed in alarm.

We Ruo was stunned looking at the center of the training ground. Was that a… thunderbolt bullet?

But why would a thunderbolt bullet appear in the Lu family’s residence? Especially during their grand banquet?

We Ruo didn’t have time to ponder on this, her eyes remained fixed on the training ground.

When the dust from the explosion eventually settled, there was carnage. Bodies lay dismembered, blood and flesh were splattered all over the place.

Ladies and young girls who had never witnessed such a sight turned pale, some even fainting from shock.

The Bai family’s women and Wei Qingwan were all scared witless. Lady Yun fared slightly better.

Madam Lu ordered, “Come, protect all the ladies. The rest, follow me!”

Madam Lu, an experienced woman of the battlefields, showed a level of cool-headedness far beyond that of any common woman.

Wei Ruo quickly regained her composure after the initial shock and with Xiumei followed the old lady down from the pavilion and ran to the center of the field.

At the scene, everyone’s face was ashen, even those who had not been affected by the blast appeared paralyzed with fear.

Though most of these young lords were skilled in horseback archery, they had never experienced real warfare or seen such scenes of horror.

Only when Madam Lu arrived with her group, the crowd found some relief.

Wei Ruo, who arrived with Madam Lu, quickly began treating the injured above everyone else.

Wei Ruo knelt in front of Xiu Fengyuan, administering emergency treatment to stem the bleeding.

“Miss Wei…” Xiu Fengyuan gazed dazedly at Wei Ruo in front of him.

It was the closest he had been to her since they had been stranded together during the snowstorm.

Had he died? Or why else would he be seeing her?

“Don’t be afraid, you’ll be okay, you’ve just injured your hand. I’m bandaging it now to stop the bleeding. You will be fine,” she reassured him.

Wei Ruo quickly ripped a piece from her skirt to use as a bandage for Xiu Fengyuan, all while continuing to reassure him.

It was then that Xiu Fengyuan realized he was injured. Perhaps it was his body’s self-protective mechanism, but he didn’t feel much pain at the moment.

He was numb all over, not even aware that his arm was bleeding.

Xiu Fengyuan asked Wei Ruo, “Is my arm useless now? I can’t feel it.”

“No, your wound is not severe, your arm can recover,” Wei Ruo replied.

“Are you comforting me?” Xiu Fengyuan asked.

“No,” Wei Ruo firmly replied.

Jinyi and Yichen both approached Wei Ruo at the same time.

At the time of the accident, they were both far away from the blast and hence, unaffected.

They almost arrived at the same time, yet Jinyi, now disguised as Wang Jin, was unrecognizable to Yichen.

“How is brother Xiu?” Yichen asked, his voice trembling slightly at the sight of Xiu Fengyuan’s current state.

The gruesome scene was a horrifying sight. Compared to others, Yichen was relatively calm.

“Don’t worry, he’ll be okay,” Wei Ruo assured him.

Wei Ruo turned and saw seven people lying on the ground. The perpetrator was dead on the spot, his body blown to bits.

The guards of the Lu residence and Qi Zhen’s attendants who helped restrain the man were also dead, their bodies gruesomely mutilated.

Lu Yuhong was injured too, but he seemed to be entirely there, his expression twisted in pain.

We Ruo had chosen to come to Xiu Fengyuan first because, from her experience, Lu Yuhong’s injuries might be lighter.

Qi Zhen was still alive, it appeared that his leg suffered the most damage. His lower leg was gone, while his upper leg was mangled.

The other two men, whom Wei Ruo didn’t recognize, were not lightly wounded; one had his face disfigured, the other seemed whole, but that didn’t mean his injury was light.

Seeing Wei Ruo’s actions, Madam Lu asked, “Queen Rui, can you treat them?”

Wei Ruo said, “Madam, please follow my instructions.”

“Alright, I am at your command!” Madam Lu agreed without hesitation. At this moment, she chose to trust Wei Ruo.

Wei Ruo began directing people.

Wei Ruo started by saying to Madam Lu, “Please have everyone refrain from moving the injured. Help them stop the bleeding according to my method. I also need some herbs, but there’s no time to explain which ones. Please, gather all the herbs you can find in your residence.”