Chapter 45: On the Run Again

"Duan Hu."

"Present."

Zhang Ting said in a haughty voice, "Everything in heaven and earth belongs to you only when my husband and I bestow it upon you; if we do not give it, you shall not seize it. The high platform is round, and the table is square. What is this called? This is called the round heaven and the square earth, patterning after the heavens and establishing the earth, thereby forming rules and standards. Within this square and circle, each of you stays in your proper place. This is the rule."

As she spoke, her overwhelming pressure descended like a tidal wave from the sky.

It felt as though the entire firmament were pressing down upon him.

Duan Hu felt as if his entire body were about to be crushed flat.

The misery made him wish he could die on the spot.

Whereas Duan Hu had previously harbored thoughts of turning against his masters, he now lost not a single shred of such intent.

The gap in power between them was simply too vast.

"The immortal's teachings shall be kept firmly in Duan Hu's heart at all moments."

Duan Hu pressed his head against the ground.

Thud, thud, thud...

The sound was loud and heavy.

"Have you encountered any formidable enemies in these past years that you could not handle?"

Zhang Ting's voice suddenly softened considerably compared to before.

It seemed as if the haughty figure from just moments ago were an entirely different person.

"Apart from Wang Wu's fleeting appearance, there have been no formidable enemies," Duan Hu answered honestly.

"Wang Wu? Oh, I remember. That ninth-rank blade-wielder from the capital back then. I shall place a curse upon him that will ensure his death."

"Thank you, Immortal."

As Duan Hu kowtowed once more, his heart trembled violently.

So Zhang Ting was capable of killing someone from afar with a curse.

"Return."

A repelling force surged toward him.

The next moment, Duan Hu's consciousness uncontrollably returned to his physical body.

"These two hounds—"

Duan Hu clenched his fists so tightly that bulging veins stood out like cords, though he quickly relaxed them again.

"I will simply have to plunder from the south."

Before he knew it, the end of the month arrived.

The Yanshan Mountains near the capital.

Located inside a cave nestled within a steep cliff face.

The wind whistled with a mournful sound.

Qin Yuan frowned slightly.

Today was the death anniversary of Wang Wu.

Or perhaps it wasn't.

He had too many old acquaintances and had mixed up the dates.

Damn it!

He would simply consider today to be the day.

Qin Yuan sprinkled some wine before Wang Wu's remains.

The wine was called Autumn Dew White.

According to those who knew Wang Wu, it was his favorite wine to drink.

Qin Yuan then produced some fruits, cooked meat, and an incense burner.

Lighting the incense.

Done.

Hm?

The poisonous powder on Wang Wu's body had lost its effect.

Previously, to prevent birds or other creatures from feeding on Wang Wu's corpse, Qin Yuan had sprinkled poisonous powder over him.

He took out some more poisonous powder and sprinkled it over Wang Wu's body and the surrounding area.

Just as Qin Yuan was about to leave.

An abrupt, muffled sound echoed out.

Qin Yuan initially thought Wang Wu's corpse had returned to life.

Turning back to look, he saw a thumb-sized hole right between Wang Wu's eyebrows.

It looked precisely as though he had been struck by an arrow.

Qin Yuan cautiously stepped forward to inspect it.

It had nothing to do with his own previously applied poison.

There was nothing left inside the skeleton.

Qin Yuan's brain worked at high speed.

His thoughts finally settled on the scene from when he had previously impersonated Wang Wu to disrupt the execution grounds.

Could it be that the Five-禽 Immortals had launched an attack from afar?

In an instant, Qin Yuan's scalp tingled and his hands and feet grew ice-cold.

With such methods, if they were to target him, he would likewise have no path to survival.

"From now on, I must be cautious beyond caution, and whenever possible, let others do the work for me," Qin Yuan muttered under his breath.

Two months later.

News of Zhao Luoting's assassination spread to the southern border.

The anger of the advancing Volunteers Army was thoroughly ignited.

One must realize that a vast number of disciples, or disciples of friends, belonging to Zhao Luoting were within the ranks of the Volunteers Army.

In less than two months, the momentum of the Volunteers Army was like a rainbow as they fought their way to South Jingzhou.

A horde of martial artists risking their lives was something alchemists had witnessed before, but tens of thousands of martial artists risking their lives was the first time alchemists had ever seen it. After paying a certain price, the alchemists retreated overseas.

Half a year later, the Volunteers Army successfully captured the entire south.

Because the Northern Army adopted the scorched-earth tactic of fortifying the countryside and drawing the enemy deep, a year later—namely, in the sixteenth year of the joint reign, autumn—an army of eight hundred thousand from the Volunteers Army arrived in the heartland of Qingzhou.

They were a mere few hundred miles away from the capital.

At the same time, the Northern Army, composed of six hundred thousand troops from the three major northern garrisons, also prepared itself for a decisive battle.

The capital, naturally, had descended into utter chaos.

To the people of the capital who had survived generations amidst turmoil, natural disasters were not terrifying—if one gritted their teeth, they would get through it; what was truly terrifying was the scourge of war.

Any fool knew that regardless of whether the Volunteers Army or the Northern Army emerged victorious, the capital would inevitably be plundered.

West Third Alley.

The Qin Family residence.

Qin Yuan packed his few belongings, preparing to run for his life once more.

Who knew whether the Five-禽 Immortals—who had struck just once (Qin Yuan had long since lost all sense of time)—would step in to avenge their puppets?

Who knew if an even more ruthless figure might emerge from the south?

For the sake of safety, it was best to withdraw first.

He could always return after the fighting concluded.

After inspecting everything to ensure nothing was left behind, Qin Yuan mounted his beloved little donkey and departed from his home.

Qin Yuan did not allow himself to repeat the mistake of starving his little donkey to death.

Passing by Little A-Qiao's breakfast stall.

Qin Yuan lingered with an extra glance or two.

Little A-Qiao's stall had closed last month.

The reason was simply that the taxes were too exorbitant.

To raise military funds, the Northern Army had concocted a pile of harsh and demanding taxes.

Many medium-sized merchants could hardly endure it, let alone Little A-Qiao, who ran a tiny shop.

In truth, if the Northern Army levied taxes on the major merchants, the upper echelons tightening their belts slightly could have resolved the military funding issue; yet how could they bring themselves to cut their own flesh?

"Time to go."

Qin Yuan urged his donkey forward a few steps.

Turning his head back abruptly, the familiar street was marked everywhere by the traces of time.

To all things in existence, time never stops.

Yet to him, time remained stagnant.

"Uncle Qin."

Li Shoumin and his entire family emerged from an alley.

Some sitting in carriages, some riding donkeys, some riding mules—a long procession of people.

This was the disadvantage of having a family; even running for one's life became inconvenient.

Qin Yuan rode his donkey over and said, "Is my wise nephew planning to head to the countryside to lie low for a few days?"

"No," Li Shoumin shook his head and replied, "I plan to go seek refuge with my eldest brother-in-law."

The eldest brother-in-law Li Shoumin referred to was not the one who had reported him to the magistrate's office, but rather a distant branch of the Sun family named Sun Laodian, nicknamed Sun the Pockmarked. Born into poverty, he had been unruly and mischievous since childhood, grew up neglecting proper work, and excelled at gambling. Having roamed the jianghu, he extensively befriended ruffians, villains, soldiers, bandits, and petty officials, opening gambling dens and swindling money.

Later, he joined the army, and over a dozen years, climbed to the position of a regional commander of the lower third rank, with several thousand men under his command.

On one occasion, Sun Laodian went to deposit money at the Dachang Money House and chatted idly with Li Shoumin's father-in-law, Sun Dachang, only to discover that the two men were actually members of the same clan.

Sun Laodian immediately knelt down and called him "Eldest Uncle."

Sun Dachang, who was always adept at human relations, went with the flow and acknowledged this nephew.

From then on, the two formed a mutually beneficial alliance.

The money Sun Laodian acquired through various means was all deposited in the Dachang Money House, and any goods that were inconvenient to sell openly were brought to Sun Dachang to be fenced.

Even greasing palms for promotion required Sun Dachang's assistance.

When it came to connections in the capital, three Sun Laodians combined could not match Sun Dachang, who ran the money house.

With great ease, he helped Sun Laodian secure the position of a senior brigade commander of the regular third rank.

Not long ago, Sun Laodian was ordered to march south, but his force of twenty thousand men was routed in one fell swoop by the vanguard of the northward-moving Volunteers Army in Cao County. Since he was not part of the core imperial faction, no one cared about him, so he led his remaining troops to take up station at Malanyu, right beside the Eastern Imperial Tombs.

Qin Yuan's heart stirred slightly.

Was this Sun Laodian not the absolute best candidate to serve as his guide?

"The road ahead is likely unsafe; I shall escort you all."

"That would be best of all."

Li Shoumin beamed with joy.

With Uncle Qin's manpower, they wouldn't need to worry about bandits along the way.

In recent years, outside the city walls had hardly been safe.

Every few days, marauding bandits of unknown origin would rob and kill travelers.