Chapter 6

A large palm silently reached from behind and covered Shao Qing’s mouth. She quickly shut her mouth, then turned her head to exchange a glance with Wei Jing. Is there a person up there?

Wei Jing’s expression was as calm and still as water; he nodded lightly.

Shao Qing’s heart pounded “thump-thump” in her ears, her hands and feet growing numb as she dared not move. In perfect unison, both of them softened their breathing.

“Weren’t we told he was poisoned? And gravely injured too—so why haven’t they found him after searching all night?”

At the top of the steep slope, two groups stood in plain sight—one clothed in blue and the other in black. The middle-aged interrogator, dressed in ordinary blue martial attire with cuffed sleeves, stood with his legs habitually set in a slight outward “8” stance; his chest was thrust out, his abdomen pulled in, and the way he spoke exuded a certain official authority.

Behind him, a group of men in blue—dressed similarly—stood erect in identical postures, each holding a wild-goose wing knife. Their bearing was entirely different from that of the men in black opposite; rather than looking like assassins, they resembled the elite of a rigorously trained Imperial Guard.

Indeed, this group was an elite force drawn from the Imperial Guards. Their leader, Colonel Chou Zong of the Yulin Guards—a close confidant of the new Emperor—had been entrusted with the crucial mission of garroting Prince Qi, Wei Jing. He had deployed his two thousand elite men from the capital in dispersed groups, precisely for fear that the first wave of black-clad assassins might make a mistake so they’d be ready to surround and capture in time.

But who would have expected that after entering Qiandi territory, incessant heavy rains would prevent the scattered two thousand Guards from assembling on schedule? As Wei Jing and his party neared the crossing of the Qian River, and with the optimal moment about to slip away, Chou Zong and the leader of the black-clad men conferred—and finally decided to act.

Unexpectedly, events began to spiral in the worst possible direction.

Chou Zong’s tone was far from pleasant, and the leader of the black-clad men spoke coldly: “It rained heavily last night and we have only just a little over twenty men—how are we supposed to search?”

Undeniably, their failed assassination attempt was their own error, but they were not willing to bear the blame for this search.

“Then let’s conduct a proper search now!”

Grumbling in displeasure—mindful that the most urgent task was still to garrote Prince Qi, lest everyone present should suffer—Chou Zong had to hold back his irritation. He said, “My men are all here now; tell me in detail, which direction did he flee?”

“He’s severely injured and poisoned – he can’t run far, and he even brought a woman along.”

The man in black softened his tone as he unfurled the makeshift map he had drawn. He tapped a few spots and said, “Here, here, along these two directions, and right here beneath our feet – they must be here.” He was extremely confident in his own secret poison, his tone steady and assured.

At once, Chou Zong’s eyes sparkled with determination. “Good!”

He quickly summoned a dozen of his trusted aides and ordered his two thousand men to disperse into the various sectors, launching an all-out, net-like search.

“At the first hint of any sign, sound the alert.”

Chou Zong looked toward the man in black. “When that happens, everyone – come over immediately.”

Though Prince Qi was renowned for his extraordinary combat prowess, even while suffering from poison and grievous injuries, he wouldn’t be taken lightly. This mission, after all, concerned the lives and fortunes of their whole group.

The man in black dared not take it lightly either and promptly agreed, “Very well—hurry up and intensify the search!”

……

Wei Jing had kept his gaze lowered as he listened while Shao Qing watched him anxiously. After a long moment, he suddenly looked up and said, “We’re leaving immediately.”

The rain pattered steadily, and although the steep slope wasn’t very high, he hadn’t caught every word of the conversation above. However, judging by the commotion, there were quite a few people – far more than the remaining twenty or so assassins that had been present the other day. The enemy reinforcements had arrived. Moreover, there was now a group searching right above their heads.

They must leave without delay—take advantage of the fading night and the cover of tree shadows and rain sounds to depart.

Shao Qing immediately nodded and hastily rose beside Wei Jing. “Can you hold on?”

This little crevice wouldn’t need to be cleaned up; there’s no point—as soon as it’s discovered, it will be obvious that someone has been living here. Shao Qing was only worried that Wei Jing’s condition might not hold out. His movements while standing were somewhat sluggish, weighing on him from his grievous injuries and the lingering poison, while it continued to rain outside.

She stepped forward to help him, but Wei Jing shook his head. With one hand, he grasped his sword, and with the other, he encircled her waist. Tensing his Qi, he took a pointed step, cutting through the thatch, gliding beneath the shifting tree shadows, crossing a small creek, and swiftly dashing into the dense forest on the opposite side.

The soft, constant patter of rain fell on his face, a chill creeping in. Shao Qing clutched his waist tightly, feeling both relief and worry. Moving so quickly meant that those at the top of the steep slope wouldn’t have noticed them, yet his condition looked dire—it seemed he wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer.

In truth, Wei Jing’s state was even worse than she had imagined. Forcing his Qi, he raced on for about seven or eight li until his chest heaved violently, leaving him no choice but to stop.

“Let’s take it slow. Don’t use your Qi anymore.”

With his face growing pale, Shao Qing looked on in alarm. “Weren’t you trying to suppress the remaining poison? What if you can’t control it?”

“We’ve already put some distance between us, and they aren’t searching fast,” he replied.

They would likely encounter enemy patrols along the way, and as the main force, Wei Jing needed to preserve at least some of his strength.

Wei Jing nodded—this was exactly what he had planned.

At this point, it no longer mattered how well-acquainted they were. Shao Qing quickly moved forward; one hand supported his slender waist while the other gripped his arm, her shoulder bracing him. On the muddy mountain path, supporting each other was far easier than traveling alone.

Lowering his head, Wei Jing cast her a brief look without rejecting her assistance. Relying on one another, they continued on cautiously. They avoided muddy patches and areas with moss-covered stones, sticking to grass-covered paths instead. Even then, they would often glance back and adjust their trail to minimize any traces.

Shao Qing picked up a relatively straight branch, using it to beat the grass to ward off snakes and insects and as a makeshift walking stick.

The rain kept falling, and she became completely soaked, feeling increasingly cold. Fortunately, the rain washed away many traces, and no enemies from behind had managed to notice or track them.

Ahead, several groups of enemies appeared—about ten men per group, lined up in single file as they carefully searched. Recognizing the familiar gait of the men in blue, Wei Jing silently pulled Shao Qing aside to avoid them.

“Husband, are you running a fever?” she asked.

They continued winding their way along the path without regard for any particular direction until noon, when the rain began to intensify again. Shao Qing’s freezing body instinctively leaned against Wei Jing, and she suddenly noticed that his body temperature seemed a bit higher than before.

It is quite normal for one to develop a fever after an injury, yet now it was as if a leaky roof was caught in endless rain.

Her face marked with anxiety, Wei Jing replied, “It’s nothing, I…”

In mid-conversation, as they rounded a bend along the mountain wall, he had taken only half a step forward when he suddenly fell silent, quickly stepped back, and hauled Shao Qing back with him.

Ahead, another wave of men in blue appeared, and Shao Qing instantly caught sight of them—her anxiety mounting again.

Not long ago, the two had chosen this route to avoid the blue men. Now, with a mountain wall to the left, a deep ravine to the right, no possibility of retreating behind, and enemies appearing ahead, what were they to do?

Wei Jing didn’t hesitate for long. He murmured, “Step back a little—I’ll take care of them first.”

Since there was no option to retreat, advancing was the only choice. Yet, given his current condition, could he really take on them one against ten?

Shao Qing gripped his hand tightly and mouthed silently, “Please be extremely careful!”

Under the patter of the soft rain, she shivered so badly that her lips turned blue, and several strands of her wet, disheveled dark hair clung to her pale cheeks and neck. She watched him, her face etched with unabating panic and worry.

Wei Jing squeezed her hand in response and said, “It’s fine.” He then slightly lifted his chin and motioned for her to hide behind a small clump of bushes about seven or eight steps back.

This narrow path was littered with stones, and there were neither expanses of tall grass nor large boulders to provide cover. Shao Qing had no choice but to retreat behind the sparse, low bushes, crouching as low as she could. She could do nothing to contribute; all she could do was try her best not to hold him back.

Without charging forward, Wei Jing mustered a breath and leaped onto a slight protrusion along the cliff face. He waited silently. Behind the bushes, Shao Qing bit her lip tightly—whether from the cold or fear, her whole body trembled, though she strived hard to control herself.

Minute by minute, the rustling sounds grew closer. Shao Qing stared intently through the gaps in the bushes when she suddenly noticed three pairs of muddy, soaked black boots turning the corner ahead.

These three did not immediately catch on, and after a brief pause from Wei Jing, six or seven more of their foes turned the corner right behind them. In an instant, he dashed downward—a flash of silver sword light—and a streak of blood appeared on the throats of the last four of them as they crumpled to the ground.

The five or six in front, startled by the sound, quickly turned around. Like a streak of silver, swift as white silk, the sword light flashed, and Wei Jing, along with the first three men, faltered for a split second before clenching their throats and falling. In that brief burst, Wei Jing had felled six men. His face cold as ice, he leapt once more and charged toward those three who had been the first to turn the corner.

“Quick—release the signal arrows!” he shouted.

Among those three was a squad leader. In the brief moment, it took him to turn, more than half of his men were already lost, leaving him both shocked and enraged. As the snow-white sword light flashed again and with no chance of evasion, he decisively shoved two of his companions ahead of him on the left, causing them to lunge toward the tip of Wei Jing’s sword. Meanwhile, he himself struggled with every ounce of strength to retreat backward.

Two solid, burly bodies did indeed serve as a momentary barrier—even though Wei Jing immediately kicked the two away, the squad leader had already hurriedly retreated several steps.

With a misstep underfoot, he staggered backward abruptly, not sparing a thought for anything else as he quickly reached into his bosom.

Meanwhile, Wei Jing had already drawn his sword again and charged forward.

Releasing the signal arrow required a moment to pull the fuse—and now there simply wasn’t enough time. In a split-second crisis, the squad leader’s gaze pierced through the sparse bushes and locked directly onto Shao Qing.

“This is the woman who has always traveled with Prince Qi!”

In a sudden change of heart, he immediately raised his other hand, which gripped a long blade, and with all his might, hurled it toward the bushes.

To either kill him and intercept the signal arrow or to save this woman—there was no option but to choose one!

In that instant, splatters of bright red glinted on the cold, sharp blade. Everything happened in a flash. Even as Shao Qing desperately tried to lean back, she could only watch, helpless, as that long blade sliced through a gap in the bushes, whooshing straight toward her face.

She—would she die?

In the blink of an eye, Wei Jing’s mind flashed with the worried face he had seen moments before, overlapping with the image of a frail figure laboriously dragging a stretcher. His sword tip hesitated imperceptibly for a moment, then suddenly changed direction.

“Ding!”

With a crisp sound, he finally deflected that long blade.