Chapter 120
Chapter 120
When Xiao Che saw the Ironfeather Sparrowhawk in the sky again, a dark gleam flashed in his eyes.
No wonder Lu Dachang knew their every move. This spy was responsible once again.
Unless they eliminated it, the Ironfeather Sparrowhawk would allow Lu Dachang to find Xiao Che and Jin Bao wherever they went.
But for now, they could use the bird to lure Lu Dachang away.
“Daughter, we can’t eat this bird yet. Do you see those mountains over there?”
Xiao Che pointed at the mountain range not far away.
If his guess was correct, those mountains were an extension of Black Pine Forest.
Jin Bao nodded her little head.
“Baby sees them. Daddy, are we going into the forest?”
“That’s right. Shall we lure the bad bird and the bad people into the forest?”
“Okay! Okay! The forest is Baby’s territory. All the trees and grass listen to Baby.”
Jin Bao clapped her little hands happily.
Xiao Che seated Jin Bao in front of him, wrapped her securely in his wolfskin cloak, and pulled the reins. The Snow Mastiffs raced toward the distant mountains with father and daughter aboard the sled.
They sped across the snow while the Ironfeather Sparrowhawk circled overhead and followed.
Mountains always looked closer than they were.
The range that had appeared near enough to touch took two full hours to reach.
The Ironfeather Sparrowhawk turned and flew back into the distance.
Xiao Che watched the spy leave but did not take Jin Bao any deeper. They needed Lu Dachang to fall for the trap and pursue them. Since they were bait, they had to let the great fish see them.
Lu Dachang would not escape this time.
“Daddy, the map is back in Baby’s head. This is Black Pine Forest.”
Xiao Che had guessed correctly. This truly was an extension of Black Pine Forest.
However, it lay in the opposite direction from Black Pine Valley, with one to the north and the other to the south.
At that moment, Lu Dachang stood on a sled with one arm suspended in a sling. From a distance, he saw the Ironfeather Sparrowhawk returning.
He hurriedly brought the sled to a stop and extended his uninjured arm.
The Ironfeather Sparrowhawk fluttered down and landed on his upper arm.
“Good bird, did you find the Star Maiden?”
The Ironfeather Sparrowhawk nodded, then glanced in Jin Bao’s direction.
Lu Dachang was overjoyed. He raised his arm and released the bird again.
“Good bird. Lead the way.”
This time, Lu Dachang had brought three thousand men to capture Jin Bao.
After his previous failure, Prince Cheng had reprimanded him harshly.
Prince Cheng had also ordered him to seize the Star Maiden at any cost. Even if they could not obtain her, no one else could be allowed to have her. This time, he must either capture her alive or kill her.
Someone had spread word of the Star Maiden, and now everyone in the Northern Frontier knew.
Portraits had even been distributed. Lu Dachang had not dared tell Prince Cheng about that.
Otherwise, Prince Cheng would probably replace him as Deputy Commander immediately.
How could Lu Dachang surrender the wealth and status he had nearly died to obtain?
The army of three thousand followed the Ironfeather Sparrowhawk to the place where Jin Bao and Xiao Che were hiding.
“Daughter, they’re here.”
From far away, Jin Bao saw thousands of soldiers and horses thundering toward them. A vast white cloud billowed in their wake, scattering on the northern wind like heavy flakes of snow.
Afraid Lu Dachang might not see her, Jin Bao deliberately ran in front of the Ironfeather Sparrowhawk and waved herself around.
Only then did she hurry into the forest with Xiao Che.
Lu Dachang followed the Ironfeather Sparrowhawk among the trees.
After two unpleasant experiences, he was clearly much more cautious this time.
He had brought three thousand men. If that still was not enough to capture one little girl, he might as well resign his commission and return home.
Three thousand people appeared like an enormous force, but the moment they entered the boundless forest, they seemed insignificant.
Lu Dachang followed the Ironfeather Sparrowhawk’s guidance step by step, moving deeper into the forest.
Jin Bao suddenly appeared behind the army.
She climbed a tall tree and used the living map in her mind.
Then she activated her ability.
Countless vines throughout the forest began twisting wildly.
The motionless forest came alive like an enormous beast suddenly awakened, ravenously beginning to feed.
Moments ago, the only sound had been thousands of feet crunching through snow. Now terrified cries for help rang out everywhere, mingled with the furious barking of Snow Mastiffs and the hacking of blades against vines.
In less than fifteen minutes, the vines wrapped all three thousand soldiers and hung them upside down from the trees like enormous cocoons.
Jin Bao gave a huge yawn and murmured, “So sleepy.”
Her tiny body pitched headfirst from the tree.
Fortunately, Xiao Che had remained at her side and caught his daughter perfectly.
“Daughter, sleep well. Leave the rest to Daddy.”
Xiao Che wrapped Jin Bao in his wolfskin cloak, secured her to his back, then raised his great saber and began cutting off heads.
Even for Xiao Che, beheading three thousand people by himself presented a challenge.
The soldiers roared without end.
They watched their companions’ throats slit one after another. The terror of waiting for death was even worse than death itself.
By the time Xiao Che had killed five hundred people, the ground had turned entirely crimson, without a single patch of white remaining.
At that moment, several hundred people began approaching the edge of the forest.
Xiao Che keenly sensed that something was wrong.
His hearing was extraordinary. The moment he detected the movement, he hid.
Before long, a force of several hundred hurried directly toward the scene.
“My lord, we’ve been following the Ironfeather Sparrowhawk. This is definitely the right direction. This subordinate personally saw Lu Dachang lead his people here.”
“The smell of blood is so strong. Can all of you smell it?”
Xie Chengyan wore a broad cloak that concealed his entire face, making his true appearance impossible to discern.
“Father, is my little cousin truly here? We’ve been searching for more than ten days, and the food we brought is nearly gone.”
Xie Yanhong also wore a broad cloak, but the marks of wind and snow covered his face. Frostbite had formed on his exposed cheeks.
His fair skin and attractive, peach-blossom eyes marked him as a handsome young man.
Xie Chengyan waved a hand. “Long Xia, go ahead and see what’s happening.”
Long Xia was the Commander of the Dragon Tiger Guard left to Xie Chengyan by the Emperor.
The Dragon Tiger Guard numbered five thousand in total. Xie Chengyan had brought them into the Northern Frontier in separate groups and now housed them at an estate in the region.
He had brought only five hundred men on this journey.
Long Xia immediately acknowledged the order and set out.
Instead of taking a sled, he went to investigate on foot.
Following the stench of blood, Long Xia reached the place where Xiao Che had been.
Long Xia had done plenty of dirty work for the Emperor, but even he had never witnessed such a bloody sight.
Even more terrifying than the crimson ground were the living people densely suspended one zhang above it, tangled in vines.
They were struggling desperately, but their efforts were useless.
Every vine was as thick as an arm. The men caught inside resembled insects trapped in spiderwebs, without the slightest chance of escape.
To Long Xia, it looked more like a one-sided massacre.
After carefully examining the scene, he discovered that these seemed to be the three thousand men Lu Dachang had brought.
What had happened to them? Who possessed the power to bind three thousand men in these vines before they could even struggle?
No method Long Xia understood could explain it. Had the vines become spirits?
Long Xia had also heard many stories about Black Pine Forest. Legend claimed enlightened spirits lived here.
Could Lu Dachang have angered some immortal?
While Long Xia concentrated on examining the scene, Xiao Che suddenly attacked from behind.
Long Xia immediately dropped and rolled aside.
The two traded dozens of blows within a few breaths.
But Long Xia quickly noticed that the man carried a child on his back and was not dressed like one of Lu Dachang’s people. Suddenly recalling something, Long Xia stopped.
“Are you Lord Xiao?”
Xiao Che forced his descending saber to halt.
“Who are you?”
Xiao Che’s face remained cold, and he did not lower his guard.
“I am Long Xia, Commander of the Dragon Tiger Guard. By order of the Emperor, I have come to protect the Princess.”
Xiao Che straightened, but kept his saber ready as he studied Long Xia.
“What evidence do you have?”
Long Xia hurriedly pointed toward the edge of the forest.
“The Lord Chancellor has come as well. This subordinate will bring him here immediately.”
Xiao Che nodded and allowed Long Xia to leave, but he did not fully trust him. This could all be another scheme by Prince Cheng. Xiao Che had indeed heard that the Emperor possessed a specially trained Dragon Tiger Guard said to rival an army of fifty thousand.
But even he had never seen this unit. Now the Emperor had supposedly deployed the Dragon Tiger Guard to protect the Princess, which meant the Emperor had learned everything about Jin Bao.
Then was the Emperor still alive?
Xiao Che did not dare dwell on it. He had to kill Lu Dachang immediately.
He had originally intended to kill the man last, forcing him to listen to enough terrified screams before taking his life as revenge against both mind and body.
But now he feared Long Xia might be lying. If the man was a spy, Xiao Che needed to be ready to flee at once.
Xiao Che had always known where Lu Dachang was hanging, so he easily found him among the densely packed “cocoons.”
“Xiao Che, you can’t kill me! I can help you. I’m the Deputy Commander of the Northern Frontier. I command troops. I can help you rebel against Prince Cheng.”
Lu Dachang’s face was now deathly pale with fear. He behaved no better than a dog.
Xiao Che had no intention of wasting words on him or listening to his endless lies.
“Sorry, but I don’t trust traitors. I’ll feel much safer with you down below.”
With that, Xiao Che killed Lu Dachang in a single stroke.
Now that this deadly threat was gone, no one in the Northern Frontier would likely continue hunting them.
Xiao Che immediately hid again.
When Long Xia led Xie Chengyan into the forest, the bloody sight made everyone’s scalp crawl.
Xie Chengyan and his eldest son, Xie Yanhong, could not restrain themselves and vomited on the spot.
“Boss, who did this? We’ve killed plenty of people, but we’ve never seen such a cruel method. This is practically torture.”
Long Xia shot him a look that told him to shut up.
“My lord, the Marquis was here just now. I don’t know where he went. Perhaps he doesn’t believe us.”
Not seeing Xiao Che, Long Xia deliberately raised his voice.
Xie Chengyan forced down the urge to vomit again. He looked at the soldiers bound throughout the forest, then cupped his hands toward the trees. “Marquis, I am Xie Chengyan. I have brought an imperial edict. Please reveal yourself and meet with me.”
Xiao Che slowly emerged from among the “cocoons.”
By now, Xie Chengyan had lowered his hood and removed his face covering, revealing a face covered in frostbite.
In Xiao Che’s memory, Xie Chengyan had been refined and elegant. Seeing him in such a wretched state stirred an indescribable feeling within Xiao Che.
“Lord Chancellor, it’s been a long time.”
Xie Chengyan stared at the tall man before him. Xiao Che was unkempt and dressed entirely in animal hide, resembling a wild man from the mountains.
If Long Xia had not told him this man was Xiao Che, the War God, he truly would not have recognized him.
“You’re Xiao Che? Your legs…”
What shocked Xie Chengyan most was that Xiao Che’s legs, paralyzed for two years, had recovered.
“As you can see, my legs have healed.”
When Xie Chengyan noticed the child on Xiao Che’s back, his expression immediately filled with excitement.
He hurried forward, only for Xiao Che to retreat several wary steps.
“What does the Lord Chancellor intend?”
Xie Chengyan knew he had acted rashly. After everything Xiao Che had endured to survive, he must now be as skittish as a bird startled by the bowstring, trusting no one.
Xie Chengyan understood that he had to explain every detail before he could earn Xiao Che’s trust.
“Marquis, I am no longer Chancellor. After disaster struck your family, Prince Cheng used the pretext of offering birthday congratulations to enter the Capital openly. The Emperor urgently summoned me and entrusted me with three tasks.
“First, resign my post and return home.
“Second, deliver the Treasure Map to the Princess.
“Third, lead the Dragon Tiger Guard in protecting the Princess. If there is any chance to rise again, I am to help the Princess inherit the throne.”
When Xie Chengyan finished, he drew a scroll of bright yellow imperial silk from his robes and handed it to Xiao Che.
“If the Marquis does not believe me, you may examine it. The Emperor wrote it personally, and it bears the imperial jade seal.”
Half doubtful, Xiao Che accepted and unrolled it. The contents were exactly as Xie Chengyan had said.
“Then how is the Emperor now?”
Xie Chengyan shook his head. “No one knows whether he is alive or dead. Prince Cheng’s people control the entire palace, and my agents cannot obtain any information. But the realm is already in chaos. Before Prince Cheng entered the Capital, the Emperor sent edicts to every vassal prince, ordering them to enter the Capital and defend the sovereign.
“Now forces from every region are converging on the Capital, while some vassal princes have directly declared themselves kings. The realm is in turmoil.”
Xiao Che had already learned some of this. Combined with Xie Chengyan’s new information, the Emperor’s intention became perfectly clear. He wanted to muddy the waters so Prince Cheng could not legitimately claim the throne, while branding the prince a rebel in the process.
That was also why Prince Cheng had not yet dared proclaim himself emperor.
If the Emperor had never issued edicts to the vassal princes, Prince Cheng could have forged an edict of succession. But the Emperor had blocked his final path. No matter how Prince Cheng obtained the throne now, he could never claim the Emperor had bestowed it upon him.
Seeing Xiao Che relax, Xie Chengyan pointed at Jin Bao behind him.
“Marquis, may I see my niece? My mother says she looks exactly like my ill-fated younger sister.”
Xiao Che looked behind him, then opened his cloak, lifted Jin Bao into his arms, and revealed her little face.