After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 125: Chapter 126: He Didn’t Want to Be That Kind of Person

Many people in this group hadn’t drawn the Water Spirit’s lot, but Hee Lingchuan knew they were all doomed to die tonight.

Shouldn’t they also know to retreat in the face of such an impossible task?

Hee Lingchuan let out a long breath. When Zeng Feixiong passed by again, he called out to him. ”You just keep your eyes on the front. I’ll bring up the rear.”

Zeng Feixiong, his head beaded with sweat, froze at the words. ”Eldest Young Master?” ’Can you even do this?’

Although they had been through life and death together in the desert, wasn’t a specialized task like covering the rear better left to the professionals?

Of course, in the heat of the moment, he couldn’t think of anyone else who could handle such a great responsibility.

”Don’t worry.” Hee Lingchuan knew that, even now, he could still coast along with the group, acting like a lord and watching others risk their lives for him. But then he remembered the group of refugee commoners in the Panlong Dream Realm, and the guilty look in Liu Sanjiu’s eyes as he fled.

Who didn’t have a family? Who couldn’t weigh the pros and cons? Who didn’t have to think about their future?

Liu Sanjiu wasn’t wrong, but Hee Lingchuan never wanted to be that kind of person again.

So, he smiled at Zeng Feixiong and said, ”I have experience!”

His combat skills were decent; it would be a shame not to use them. But Zeng Feixiong didn’t entirely believe him, especially since he had no idea where the Eldest Young Master’s claim of having ”experience” came from.

’He’s never been on a battlefield. What kind of experience could he have? Did he get it in his dreams?’

Just then, Hee Chunhua’s voice came from the front. ”It’s fine. Let him!”

He had been watching the exchange the entire time.

Since the leader had spoken, Zeng Feixiong immediately dispatched two men: Zhao Qinghe, sent over by Hee Chunhua, and Fuzzy Peach.

”Protect the Eldest Young Master!” he whispered, giving them a few meaningful glances. He was telling them that they could act on their own and didn’t necessarily have to listen to the Eldest Young Master.

The two nodded frantically.

Fuzzy Peach was still worried. ”Eldest Young Master, are you sure you want to stay? But those two ’bottom of the barrel’ lots...” He had been there at the time.

”That stuff can’t be trusted,” Hee Lingchuan cut him off, then turned to Zeng Feixiong. ”Protect my family!”

”It’s my duty!” Zeng Feixiong hurried back to the front of the column and soon disappeared from sight.

Over four hundred members of the Personal Guard Corps and more than two hundred villagers, nearly seven hundred people in total, were all racing along the mountain path. Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream echoed from top to bottom.

Hee Lingchuan craned his neck to see. Some unlucky soul had missed a step and fallen.

Everyone was frantic, but with such a bloody example right before them, they finally stopped pushing and shoving.

The scream also woke Mrs. Zhu, who was unconscious in the carriage.

She opened her eyes and stared blankly for a few moments, then suddenly covered her face with her hands and burst into tears.

Madam Ying patted her on the back. ”Go on and cry. Just let it out. Sigh!” It seemed Mrs. Zhu’s child had been thrown off the cliff right around this spot.

”Blessings never come in pairs. Though you’ve lost your child, you’ll soon be reunited with your closest kin once we escape this place. That’s a great comfort, isn’t it?”

She comforted her for a long time until Mrs. Zhu’s sobs slowly subsided, eventually turning into quiet whimpers.

Mrs. Zhu’s eyes were swollen like walnuts, but her gaze was firm. ”Your family has saved my life. When I return to the Capital City, my Zhu Family will surely repay you handsomely!”

”Saving a life is its own reward. All this talk of repayment is so crass.” Madam Ying poured her a cup of water herself. This wasn’t just polite talk. In Madam Ying’s view, while the Minister of the Ministry of Imperial Stables, Zhu Xiyan, was still in his post, doing well, and trusted by the Emperor, he and his granddaughter hadn’t seen each in seven years. Their familial bond had likely grown distant.

Most importantly, Zhu Xiyan had more than just this one granddaughter.

So, would the Zhu Family repay them with a gushing spring of gratitude, or just a trickle? She wasn’t holding her breath.

Of course, all of this was predicated on them successfully escaping the rebels’ pursuit.

Madam Ying sighed and lifted the curtain to look outside. The carriages were all hugging the inner side of the path, while the outer half of the road teemed with people. Just a few feet beyond that was a cliff—extremely dangerous.

She had heard every word of the conversation between her eldest son and Zeng Feixiong, and she felt a little emotional.

’That little bastard... seems he’s finally grown up a bit.’

The mountain path was rugged, and everyone had to carry torches for light. As a result, the two bandit factions in the village quickly discovered that the torches were concentrated on the Western Route, which was clearly where the crowd was gathering.

Hee Lingchuan and his two adjutants drew their blades, leading a rear guard of about thirty men and a dozen horses.

The faces of these thirty-odd soldiers from the Supporting Army were grim. Some secretly regretted not fostering a better relationship with their superiors; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been pushed out as cannon fodder at such a critical moment.

Other than a fool like Hee Lingchuan who volunteered for the task, who would want to stay behind and cover the rear? One wrong move and your life was over.

Fleeing with the main group offered a chance of survival. Staying behind to form a rear guard meant you were very likely to stay behind forever.

It wasn’t that Hee Lingchuan didn’t want to bring more men, but the mountain path was steep and narrow. Too many people would just get in each other’s way.

Of course, this kind of single-track terrain was not only unfriendly to those fleeing, but it was an even greater obstacle for the pursuers. The few scattered bandits who came after them were intercepted, either retreating in the face of difficulty or being cut down with a single stroke.

At first, it wasn’t too difficult. But as the full-blown brawl in the village escalated, more and more bandits started heading for the Western Route. After all, judging by the numbers, Lui Yao’s men were facing odds of one against five—a far too difficult proposition.

After losing more than twenty men, the Lui Bandits quickly collapsed. At least half of them instinctively fled west. There were a lot of people on this path; as long as they outran most of the others, they themselves would be safe.

In contrast, Wu Shaoyi’s forces were charging from the east, and the village entrance was a chaotic free-for-all. Any bystander who went there could easily be killed by a stray arrow.

Thus, the pressure on Hee Lingchuan’s rear guard suddenly intensified.

And at this point, not all of the soldiers and villagers had made it onto the Western Route.

Too many people, too many carts, and the road was too narrow!

If the bandits managed to mix in with the crowd, there would be endless trouble. Hee Lingchuan made a swift decision, pointing at six or seven large carts that had yet to pass. ”We can’t take these! Abandon them! Unhitch the oxen and horses!”

Nanny Qian was nearby and was shocked to hear this. ”Eldest Young Master, those belong to the Madam!”

Hee Lingchuan heard this and breathed a sigh of relief. ”That’s great!”

Nanny Qian: ”...”

”Just grab the most valuable jewelry—it’s surely just a small box,” Hee Lingchuan said quickly. ”Leave the rest here. I have a use for it!” ’We’re about to die, so what’s the point of holding onto this stuff?’

Nanny Qian couldn’t disobey. She had no choice but to find the jewelry box, get up, and go report to her mistress at the front.

Madam Ying listened with a frown and asked in return, ”Is the Eldest Young Master injured?”

”Ah...” Nanny Qian thought back carefully. ”No, the Eldest Young Master looked very formidable.”

Madam Ying leaned against the window and glanced back. She didn’t know what to feel.

Back there, Madam Ying’s luggage carts had already been unhitched, blocking the middle of the mountain path.

Of course, Hee Lingchuan still left an opening for his own people to pass through.

The soldiers were anxious to close the gap, constantly urging the villagers, ”Faster, faster! Stop dawdling!”

A panting villager ran over. He was wearing a thick leather hat and didn’t look up, just ducked his head and tried to squeeze through the gap in the caravan.