Chapter 87
Chapter 87
Old Han was sitting right beside Xiao Che. He tore off a piece of rabbit meat and offered it to him, only to notice how grim Xiao Che looked. His heart skipped a beat. After traveling together for so long, he had gained some understanding of Xiao Che’s temperament. Unless something truly difficult had happened, the man’s expression would not have changed like this.
“Marquis, has something happened?”
Xiao Che nodded. He had lost all appetite and asked in a low voice, “Old Master Han, I remember you once said that the man who harmed you had the surname Lu. Is that right?”
At the mention of that man, Old Han’s teeth clenched with hatred. How could he possibly forget? Even now, the man’s face was etched clearly into his mind.
“That’s right. His name is Lu Dachang. He’s Prince Cheng’s lackey and a traitor to the imperial court-the first person to pledge allegiance to Prince Cheng. I secretly looked into him afterward. He is now the Deputy Commander of the Northern Frontier Army. If the Commander weren’t Duke Dingguo, that Lu bastard would have seized control of the entire Northern Frontier long ago.”
After Old Han finished, he saw Xiao Che’s expression darken even further and realized what was happening.
“Marquis, have you heard something? Is that Lu bastard coming after us?”
Xiao Che nodded. “Yes. He’s on his way here from Bei’an City, and he’s coming for my daughter.”
Old Han had long known that Jin Bao was extraordinary. Now that Lu Dachang was coming to seize her, he had to be acting on Prince Cheng’s orders.
Lu Dachang was sure to bring many men. No matter how powerful Jin Bao was, how could she stand against an army of thousands alone? Every human being had a limit to their strength.
“We must leave the Garrison as soon as possible. There’s something you don’t know, Marquis. Warhorses are of little use during winter on the Northern Frontier, especially to the army. They’ve trained Snow Mastiffs capable of traveling a hundred li a day in extreme cold. It’s only a little over four hundred li from Bei’an City to here. With the Snow Mastiffs, they can arrive in four days.”
Xiao Che pressed his lips together and slowly clenched his fist as he looked at the crowd eating roasted rabbit meat.
The Xiao Family had barely found their footing at the Garrison, yet they were about to be forced to flee again.
But they had only arrived at the Black Pine Forest today and had done little more than linger along the edge. They had not even surveyed its outer reaches. Rashly venturing into the forest’s depths would expose them to countless dangers. Even if Lu Dachang failed to catch them, they might still die inside the Black Pine Forest.
He lowered his gaze to Jin Bao, hesitation stirring in his heart.
“Marquis, there’s no time to lose. We must leave the Garrison immediately and find somewhere else to live. We cannot fall into that Lu bastard’s hands. He’s a monster wearing a human face. If the Xiao Family is captured by his men, none of you will even be left with an intact corpse.”
Old Han was growing anxious.
Xiao Che knew that Old Han was right. If death waited either way, they might as well take their chances.
He raised his head and stared into the pitch-black forest. It resembled an enormous devouring beast, swallowing whole anyone who dared trespass within.
Xiao Che stood, holding Jin Bao in his arms.
“Everyone, I have a matter on which I’d like your opinion. Whatever you decide, your choice is entirely voluntary. I, Xiao Che, will not force anyone.”
Xu Huaijin set aside his roasted rabbit meat and rose as well, cupping his hands. “Marquis, please speak frankly.”
“To tell you the truth, bringing everyone here to cut timber was only a pretext. My real purpose was to survey the terrain of the Black Pine Forest.”
“I’ve received word that Bei’an City will soon send people to inspect the Garrison. Once they discover the garrison soldiers dead and the buildings collapsed, they will undoubtedly suspect all of you.”
“I intend to take my family away from the Garrison and hide deep within the Black Pine Forest. What do you think?”
“If you’re unwilling to follow me, I won’t force you.”
Everyone instantly grew nervous when they heard this. Even the roasted meat in their hands seemed to lose its flavor.
They whispered among themselves for a long while before turning to Xu Huaijin.
“Brother Jin, what do you think? The Black Pine Forest devours people. If we go inside, we’ll surely die.”
“That’s right, Brother Jin. We’ll listen to you. You’re the smartest one here, so whatever you say must be right.”
All fifty or sixty exiles looked at Xu Huaijin at once. They all meant the same thing: they would wait for his decision before making their own.
If Xu Huaijin had not spent these years matching wits with Yama Zhao, they would have frozen or starved to death long ago.
Xu Huaijin had already made his decision while the others were discussing the matter.
He straightened his back and faced the crowd with a resolute gaze and solemn expression. “I’ve decided to follow the Marquis into the Black Pine Forest. I, Xu Huaijin, would rather be devoured by wild beasts than die after being persecuted and humiliated by the imperial court’s lackeys. Now that we have this chance, why shouldn’t we risk everything?”
“If both paths lead to death, then I choose to put my faith in Lord Xiao and Miss Xiao. If we travel with them, we may yet have a chance to survive. If we stay here, however, we will certainly die.”
Xu Huaijin’s words shook everyone. He was right. Staying meant certain death, while fleeing might give them a chance to live. They did not appear to have much of a choice.
“Then we… we’ll follow Lord Xiao into the Black Pine Forest.”
“That’s right! We’ll follow the Marquis.”
The crowd surged with emotion, as though each person had found the courage to stake everything on this one desperate gamble.
Xiao Che responded with equal solemnity. “As long as I, Xiao Che, have a bite to eat, I will never let any of you go hungry. Everyone, eat your fill today. We’ll head back shortly and bring the rest of the group into the Black Pine Forest first thing tomorrow morning.”
The roasted rabbit and pheasant that had tasted like sawdust moments before suddenly seemed far more flavorful. Everyone tore into the meat in large bites, storing as much energy as possible for the journey ahead.
As everyone immersed themselves in the meal, Jin Bao suddenly pointed into the forest. Tilting her little head, she asked curiously, “Daddy, Grandpa Han, look! What’s that? It’s so pretty!”
Xiao Che and Old Han turned at once to look where Jin Bao was pointing.
The instant Old Han saw clearly, he leaped to his feet in excitement, dropping his roasted rabbit meat to the ground.
“Marquis, those are reindeer! Reindeer! We’re saved now!”
Xiao Che had never seen a reindeer before, but he had heard of them. A nomadic people in the north made their living by raising reindeer. They were mysterious and rarely appeared before outsiders.
Could they have encountered that nomadic tribe?
“Old Master Han, what can these reindeer do?”
Old Han was so excited that his words came out in a jumble. It took him a long while to calm down.
“Marquis, reindeer are similar to my Snow Camel, only nimbler. They are better at traveling across snow, and a trained reindeer pulling a sled can cover seventy or eighty li in a day.”
Looking at the reindeer lowering their heads to root through the snow between the trees, Xiao Che asked, “Are these wild or domesticated?”
Old Han answered with certainty, “They’re wild. The nomads never leave domesticated reindeer without clansmen nearby to watch over them.”
Xiao Che stroked the beard on his chin. If they were wild, they had no owner. Capturing and taming them alive would indeed be a tremendous help to the group’s survival in the days ahead.
“But reindeer can’t be easy to catch, can they? And taming them will take time. We don’t have enough of that.”
Xiao Che did not believe this would be easy.
“Marquis, as long as we can catch these reindeer, I guarantee that I can tame every last one within three days.”
Old Han had experience taming the Snow Camel, so he was confident he could tame reindeer too. The difficult part would be catching them.
“Grandpa Han, look at Baby! Baby can catch the deer-deer! Then can they pull flat-flat carts like those doggies?”
Old Han understood only the first half of Jin Bao’s question. The second half left him completely baffled.
Xiao Che understood and explained with a smile, “The ‘flat-flat cart’ Jin Bao mentioned is a sled. As for the doggies, she must mean the Snow Mastiffs.”
Enlightened, Old Han chuckled. “Of course. When the time comes, Grandpa will prepare a sled just for you, little girl. Reindeer are far gentler than Snow Mastiffs. They’re intelligent, too. In the Black Pine Forest, they can serve as guides and help us avoid danger.”
Jin Bao’s little mouth fell open, her face adorably blank.
“Wow-the deer-deer are weally amazing! Baby wants the deer-deer to pull Baby’s sled. Baby’s gonna catch the deer-deer now!”
As she spoke, Jin Bao began struggling to get down from Xiao Che’s arms.