Chapter 119

Chapter 119: Escape The enemies pursued relentlessly. The carriage driver was scared to tears. "Who exactly are you? Why are so many people trying to kill you? I don't want your money anymore—can you just get off the carriage?" Cui Zeyu didn't want to implicate an innocent person either, but if he got off the carriage now, he would die for sure. He pushed the driver aside and took the reins himself. "I'm truly sorry for dragging you into this. But even if you abandon me, they won't let you go either." The driver couldn't even cry inside the carriage. This was the first time he'd encountered something like this, and all he could say was, "Then what do we do?" Cui Zeyu glanced back and saw the pursuers closing in on horseback. He had to reach the town quickly. Where there were people, there was hope of rescue. He hadn't expected the Qian family to hold such a grudge against him, chasing him without mercy. The carriage turned corner after corner, but the men behind were getting closer. Cui Zeyu's brows were tightly knit as he told the driver to throw everything they could spare out the back. But the driver's face was deathly pale, his legs too weak to do anything. Seeing a man thrust a sword at him, Cui Zeyu dodged to the side. Another man climbed up from the other side, and Cui Zeyu kicked him hard, sending him tumbling off the carriage, then snatched the sword away. "You're from the Qian family?" Cui Zeyu gripped the hilt. "You're determined to kill me, is that it?" The man opposite furrowed his brow but said nothing, continuing to attack Cui Zeyu. Just then, the carriage wheel ran off the road, and the entire carriage rolled down the slope. The driver tumbled several times inside the carriage, and when Cui Zeyu pulled him out, he had wet himself in terror. Cui Zeyu had no time to check on him—he grabbed the man and ran down the mountain. Meanwhile, Xie Yunting, returning to Bianjing after suppressing the bandits, was leading his troops. His campaign had gone smoothly, and he was returning to Bianjing even earlier than expected. Most of the brothers who had enlisted with him were dead. Only Shuanzi remained by his side, and a few others had been disabled and sent back to their hometowns. Xie Yunting had a dried dog-tail grass stalk between his lips. He ordered the troops to halt—he wanted to relieve himself by the roadside. "It's almost noon. Everyone, rest for half an hour." He and Shuanzi stepped to the side of the road. Shuanzi said, "Big brother, we suppressed the bandits so smoothly this time. What do you think the Emperor will reward us with?" "You rascal, always thinking about the good stuff, aren't you?" Xie Yunting adjusted his trousers and smiled at Shuanzi. "Alright, I know what you're thinking. When we get back to Bianjing, I'll find a matchmaker for you, so you'll have someone to warm your bed at home. Deal?" For these brothers, Xie Yunting was willing to give anything good. Even now, he still sent money every quarter to the brothers who had returned home disabled. Any brother who had followed him would never be left to starve. Shuanzi chuckled. "Thank you, big brother. My parents died early, and I have no siblings. I just want a family of my own." "Got it. When we return, I'll give you a promotion so you can marry a good wife." After Xie Yunting said this, someone brought over a waterskin and dried rations. He ate a few bites casually, then led the troops back toward Bianjing. Not long after, sounds came from deep in the mountain forest. Shuanzi instinctively said, "By the sound of it, might be a herd of wild boars. Big brother, how about we hunt them down and give the brothers a proper feast?" They'd been eating dried rations the whole way and were already craving meat. At the thought of wild boars, everyone grew excited. Xie Yunting said it was fine and led the men toward the distant woods. He himself wouldn't make a move—just a herd of wild boars, his men could handle it. He leaned against a large tree by the roadside. Before long, he heard someone shout, "It's not wild boars—it's people!" Hearing it was people, Xie Yunting turned and sprinted over. Halfway up the mountain, behind Shuanzi stood two men with torn clothes. Looking closely—it was actually Cui Zeyu! Blood seeped from Cui Zeyu's wounds, dripping one drop at a time onto the green grass. His martial arts were mediocre—he could beat one man, but not a whole group. Just when Cui Zeyu thought he was done for, he encountered a group of government soldiers. Thankfully, heaven hadn't led him to a dead end. His vision went dark, and he collapsed unconscious. "Brother Cui!" Xie Yunting rushed over and ordered his men to take Cui Zeyu to the rear. As for those who had been chasing him—"Take them alive!" Now the assassins were few, and the soldiers were many. Seeing the situation was hopeless, the assassins tried to flee but were surrounded. Xie Yunting's eyes were filled with murderous intent. "Speak. Who sent you?" From the brief exchange just now, he could tell these men were no ordinary bandits—they were trained professionals. The last two surviving assassins exchanged a glance. One drew his sword and killed the other, and before Xie Yunting could react, the survivor swallowed poison and died as well. Not a single one left alive. Xie Yunting frowned deeply and ordered his soldiers to search the mountains. Someone tended to Cui Zeyu's wounds while Xie Yunting questioned the carriage driver, who was trembling like a leaf. "R-... Report, General, I truly... truly have no idea what's... what's going on. I'm just an ordinary carriage driver. This man hired... hired my carriage and asked me to take him to... to the next town. Then on the road... on the road we ran into these people chasing and killing us." The driver's clothes and trousers were soaked through, and even now, his breath still came in ragged gasps. Just thinking about how he'd nearly lost his life made him want to cry. Xie Yunting lowered his gaze to look at Cui Zeyu, who was still unconscious. As for what exactly had happened, they would only know once Cui Zeyu woke up. But Cui Zeyu was just a merchant—why would someone be hunting him down? Xie Yunting's brows furrowed tightly. Could it be because of what happened with the Qian family last time? If so, then that old man Qian was truly despicable! He couldn't help but think of the Qian family as well. At this moment, at the Duke of Dingguo's residence, Madam Qin looked at the servant who had returned to deliver the message, her brows knitted tightly. "Just a mere merchant, and you let him get away? What do I keep you lot for, if you can't even catch one man?" The servant knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed tightly against the floor, not daring to breathe too loudly. "Reporting to Madam, that fellow was truly cunning. He seemed to realize we were after him, turned tail and ran—didn't even care about his caravan's goods." "He ran, so why didn't you chase him? Every last one of you is a fool. I keep you to get things done, not to bring me trouble!" The more Madam Qin spoke, the angrier she grew. She had planned to kill him and leave no survivors, so that even if Lu Zhong tried to investigate, he'd find nothing. But now the man had gotten away. "Rest assured, Madam. We've already sent men to pursue him with full effort. The man was wounded, so he shouldn't have gotten far." "Don't be so quick to boast. If you let him return to Bianjing alive, you'll all answer for it." Madam Qin took a deep breath. She had thought it was a sure thing, yet the matter had failed. Madam Qin narrowed her eyes. Lu Zhong stubbornly refused to agree on who should be chosen for adoption, and several of the clan elders were backing him as well. She absolutely could not give Lu Zhong any hope. "Remember this: Cui Zeyu must die." Whether or not Cui Zeyu was Lu Zhong's son, if he wasn't, then it was simply Cui Zeyu's bad luck. Better to kill a thousand by mistake than let one slip through. Madam Qin dismissed the servant, and her headache began to throb again. What she didn't know was that just as she had placed her people around Lu Zhong, Lu Zhong had also planted spies around her. When the Duke of Dingguo learned that Madam Qin had sent men to hunt down Cui Zeyu, he blurted out, "Madwoman—she's nothing but a madwoman! Once I find my son, I will divorce her!"