Chapter 199 To Protect His Family, the General Led the Enemy Alone
Mu Cheng rode his horse at breakneck speed, and the Qingyoutai spies protecting the carriage could barely keep up.
Suddenly, Mu Cheng stopped. When the carriage came up behind him, he looked at the distant border wall of the desolate country, his eyes filled with complicated emotions.
“General, you don’t have to be so hasty,” the scout leading the group rode up to him, pointed ahead and said with a smile, “Once we cross that mountain ahead, we will be completely safe.”
Mu Cheng then looked in the direction the scout had pointed.
In the distance, a mountain range stretches across the sky and earth, seemingly endless to the left and right. Bathed in the setting sun, it appears as if edged with gold, magnificent and awe-inspiring.
This is the border between the Xuan Kingdom and the Huang Kingdom.
Both countries have established border posts on both sides of this mountain range.
Mu Cheng's expression was solemn. "The further we go, the more complex the terrain becomes. We probably won't reach the foot of the mountain until dark. After crossing mountains and valleys, it will take a long time to reach your Xuan Kingdom's border city. If the border generals of the Great Wilderness learn of the news from the capital during this time, they will definitely lead their troops to pursue us. The Great Wilderness border city here is well-equipped with strong troops, and we will probably still have difficulty escaping."
The scout leading the group quickly replied, "General, please rest assured, as long as we cross that mountain—"
“You don’t need to comfort me,” Mu Cheng interrupted. “I will stay here to cover our retreat. Please protect my family and continue on our way.”
"What?!" the scout exclaimed in shock. "General, there's no need for this!"
"It must be so!" Mu Cheng's eyes hardened. "I can see that you are all chivalrous people, and your master must also be a hero. It's just a pity that I have no way to repay you in this life, and I have to shamelessly ask you to take good care of my family. In the next life, I, Mu Cheng, will serve you like a slave to repay you! Now you should leave!"
"Not good! There are pursuers!" A scout responsible for using drones to scout the situation rushed over to report.
He handed the drone remote control in his hand to the scout leading the team.
The remote control screen displayed footage captured by the drone, showing a large number of fully armed troops approaching. Roughly estimated, the number was as high as two thousand.
"Hmm, what is this?" General Mu stared wide-eyed at the strange object.
Before the scout captain could explain, he said to him, "It seems they received the news not long after we left the pass. General, let's hurry! As long as we go at full speed, we'll definitely reach safety before they catch up with us!"
Mu Cheng shook his head. "If I cover their retreat, it will buy you more time. Besides... what they want most is my life. Once I'm dead, they shouldn't pursue my family anymore."
"General!"
"Stop trying to persuade me! If I flee now, I will be letting down the people of the Great Wilderness. I will no longer be able to protect them. My only option is death... to atone for my sins! My mind is made up. You must leave now!"
Seeing that they could now see the large pursuing force behind them with their own eyes, the scouts were as anxious as ants on a hot pan.
They only had a dozen or so men. If they were caught up and surrounded by those two thousand soldiers, they would only face certain death.
Mu Cheng simply drew his knife and held it to his own neck. "If you don't leave, I'll kill myself on the spot!"
"No, no, no!" The scout captain was terrified. After a quick thought, he waved his hand and said, "Brothers, let's get the general's family out of here first!"
Without further ado, the scouts drove the carriage at full speed again.
The scout captain took out a black cube the size of a fingernail from his pocket and handed it to Mu Cheng. "General, please keep this close to your body and never lose it."
Mu Cheng took it and saw that it was another thing he had never seen before, and it had a sesame-sized dot on it that was glowing green, which was quite magical.
However, Mu Cheng was wearing armor and couldn't easily stuff the item inside. If he only tried to put it in the gaps in the armor or his belt, it would definitely be lost.
He didn't have time to ask what it was or what its purpose was; he only asked, "Is this waterproof?"
"Waterproof!" the scout captain said. "As long as the outer shell isn't damaged, sand and water won't get in!"
Mu Cheng threw the thing directly into his mouth and swallowed it whole. "That way I won't lose it, okay?"
The scout captain hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yes...yes, yes, then take care, General!"
Mu Cheng clasped his hands in a fist salute.
The scout captain pulled on the reins and chased after the carriage convoy.
Mu Cheng sat on his tall horse, watching the carriage caravan go further and further away. After waiting for a while until the pursuers could see him, he rode his horse and galloped in another direction to distract them.
Before long, a large number of border troops from the desolate country arrived.
A soldier dismounted to observe the ground and then said to his general, "General Liu, Mu Cheng just ran southwest, but the wheel tracks on the ground are heading west. Should we split our forces into two groups?"
"Mu Cheng must die, without the slightest mishap. Hunting him down is the most important thing!" Without the slightest hesitation, General Liu immediately led his troops to pursue him in the southwest direction.
Mu Cheng was not very familiar with this area, but with his rich combat experience, he managed to hold out until nightfall before General Liu's troops caught up with him.
"Mu Cheng! You have nowhere to escape! Dismount and face your death!" General Liu roared.
Mu Cheng was currently surrounded by a large number of soldiers, with rugged, steep, ancient forests behind him, making it impossible for him to ride a horse into the mountains.
But now is not the time for him to give in and die.
He knew that there were no accessible roads in the mountains along the border between the two countries, let alone carriages; even riding a horse would be difficult.
So he thought that even with the help of those dozen or so mysterious people, given his family's physical condition, it would probably take them all night to cross the mountain.
If he had been killed before that, the border troops of the Great Wilderness would have turned around and gone into the mountains to hunt him down, and his family would still be in danger.
"General Liu, do you also think I would rebel?" Mu Cheng asked as he dismounted and quietly observed the situation around him.
"The emperor has decreed that you are guilty of treason, and everyone has the right to kill you," General Liu said mercilessly. "You should immediately drop your weapon and not try to fight back in your death throes."
Even with two thousand border troops, General Liu dared not let his guard down.
He knew that Mu Cheng was not only good at leading troops in battle, but also had formidable personal combat strength. He once had a terrible record of breaking through the encirclement of thousands of enemy soldiers on his own, circling around to the enemy's rear and taking the head of the enemy general.
If he's not careful and Mu Cheng finds an opportunity, he might lose his head.
“You were someone I personally promoted, and even you don’t believe me?” Mu Cheng revealed a sorrowful expression. “Have you forgotten that I once saved your life?”
"Enough with the nonsense!" General Liu snapped, his face grim. "You saved my life and promoted me, but you almost beat me to death because I stole grain from the people! I still remember that! Before, you were the commander of the Great Wilderness, so I could only treat you politely. Now you're nothing but a dog abandoned by the lord, and you still expect me to repay your kindness?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Cheng felt even colder and colder. He wanted to say something more, but he couldn't find the words.
General Liu saw that although he had dismounted, he was still holding the hilt of his sword and seemed to have no intention of surrendering, so he reached out and said, "Bring me a bow and arrows!"
His subordinates immediately presented him with a bow and arrows.
General Liu drew his bow and aimed an arrow straight at Mu Cheng's chest, and sneered, "Once I shoot you dead with one arrow, I'll use your head to claim credit, and then I won't have to guard this desolate place anymore. Mu Cheng, you've given me quite a gift."
After saying that, he released the bowstring.
Whoosh!
Almost the instant the arrow left the bowstring, Mu Cheng drew his sword.
A flash of light appeared.
The arrow broke in two before him.
"I didn't expect you to be so skilled at nearly fifty years old." General Liu's eyes darkened. "I'd like to see how many arrows you can block."
"Archers! Shoot this traitor to death with a hail of arrows!"
General Liu gave the order.
Splash—
Hundreds of archers quickly raised their bows.
Mu Cheng slapped the horse's rump hard.
He didn't want the horse to die an innocent death.
The horse was startled and bolted away.
Mu Cheng then flipped over and plunged into the forest behind him. Immediately afterward, hundreds of arrows fell, piercing the spot where he had just stood.
"Fire again!" General Liu roared.
The archers raised their bows and fired again, a dense rain of arrows flying toward the location where Mu Cheng had fled.
Although Mu Cheng reacted quickly and moved nimbly, this was still the edge of the forest, without enough trees to provide cover. He hadn't run far when he was hit in the helmet and back by more than a dozen arrows.
The ground was uneven, and he was knocked off his balance by the arrow, stumbling and falling to the ground.
"Heh, trying to run away?" General Liu looked at the figure lying motionless in the tangled grass and a smug smile appeared on his face.
To be on the safe side, he ordered the archers to fire another volley.
Only when Mu Cheng's back was riddled with thorns did he dismount, walk over, draw his sword, squat down next to Mu Cheng, and prepare to cut off the man's head.
Just then—
Mu Cheng, who should have been dead by now, suddenly turned over and swung his sword.
General Liu was a seasoned general who had fought many battles. His mind didn't react in time, but his hand had already raised his sword.
Bang!
The two knives clashed, sparks flying, and General Liu's knife broke in two in that instant.
Mu Cheng's blade was parried of most of its force, but it still struck General Liu in the chest.
With a cracking sound, a large hole appeared in General Liu's bronze breastplate, and a piercing pain spread throughout his body like lightning.
General Liu was terrified and quickly rolled backward.
Mu Cheng seized the opportunity to get up and disappear into the woods.
Everything happened so fast that no one else had time to react.
General Liu collapsed to the ground, clutching his chest in terror, blood seeping from between his fingers.
"General!" Several subordinates rushed to help him up. "You're injured?!"
General Liu was still in shock. "Why...why is Mu Cheng's armor so sturdy, and his sword...so sharp? This is impossible..."
"General, we'll take you back to get treatment right away!" his men said, trying to help him onto his horse.
General Liu waved his hand, endured the excruciating pain, took off his armor, looked down, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness... the wound isn't very deep. You can bandage it for me, you don't need to go back."
His subordinates gave him basic first aid while reviewing what had just happened, and they found it hard to believe.
Why was Mu Cheng's armor able to withstand so many arrows while still being able to break through General Liu's armor with a single strike, even though they were both from the Great Wilderness Army?
This is simply outrageous.
"General... could the armor and sword that Mu Cheng is wearing be the equipment that the Great Wilderness traded for several cities from the Xuan Kingdom?"
"Are our bronze equipment so vulnerable to iron equipment?"
The group discussed the matter with trepidation.
General Liu's face was gloomy. He shook his head thoughtfully. "No, those are not Yu Kingdom's equipment and weapons. That batch of equipment was sent to the southern border of the Great Wilderness through our side. I saw it during that time, and the style is obviously different."
"Then... what about Mu Cheng's armor and sword?"
"I don't know either……"
General Liu slowly rose, staring in the direction Mu Cheng had fled. "Now is not the time to think about these things. No matter what, we must kill him! We were just careless and didn't expect him to have such powerful equipment, so we suffered a loss. Once we catch up with him, everyone attack together! With two thousand men, one kick each can crush him into mincemeat!"
"Yes, General!"
"Alright... let's keep chasing!"
...
In the pitch-black forest, only a few rays of moonlight shone through the treetops.
Mu Cheng pulled the arrows off his armor as he walked toward higher ground.
He hadn't expected that the armor those mysterious people gave him would be so sturdy. On the surface, it looked no different from the bronze armor commonly used in the Desolate Kingdom, but it was actually much more effective at defense than iron armor.
He had just taken two volleys of arrows; even iron armor, let alone bronze armor, couldn't save his life.
But now his armor only had a few dozen shallow holes pierced through it; the arrows hadn't completely penetrated it, leaving only minor scratches on his skin.
As for the knife in his hand...
When I first got it, I only thought it had a particularly good texture and was very easy to handle; I never imagined it would be so sharp.
"These are all treasures..." Mu Cheng couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "They really went to great lengths to give me such divine weapons... Just who is their master?"
A rustling sound came from behind.
Mu Cheng stumbled along, his steps uneven, struggling to keep his body from collapsing.
He had long been prepared to die, but as long as he could buy his family more time, he would hold on until the very last moment.
The higher you go in the mountains, the more complex the environment becomes.
This remote place is full of wild animals, and you can hear the growling of wild beasts from time to time.
Mu Cheng didn't know how long he had been walking in the dark. The sounds of those chasing him came from near and far, but he never managed to shake them off.
Sometimes, when he was confused, he would narrowly escape right under the noses of his pursuers, even seeing the light of their torches and hearing General Liu directing his men and the voices of his soldiers.
"General... it seems to be past midnight now. If we go any further in, we might encounter wild wolves or even ferocious beasts like bears and tigers."
"Mu Cheng ventured into this primeval forest alone. Even if he could evade us, he couldn't escape the wild beasts. He is doomed."
"Maybe we should stop looking? Otherwise, I'm afraid we'll get eaten by wild animals too..."
The pursuers were numerous, but the more they searched, the more frightened they became.
But General Liu insisted that he wanted to see the person alive or dead, and anyone who dared to back down would be beheaded.
A subordinate leaned closer and whispered, "General, judging from the tracks we've been following, Mu Cheng must be lost. He's just circling around in this area. He's definitely not far from us."
General Liu said irritably, "Isn't that obvious? I can see that too."
"I have a plan that will surely make him show himself," the subordinate whispered in General Liu's ear.
After hearing his subordinate's suggestion, General Liu's furrowed brows quickly relaxed, and he patted his subordinate on the shoulder, "Good, let's do it this way, go and prepare quickly."
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