Not only did Shen Yu and Wan Xueying become more vigilant, but Captain Hao, who was walking in the front, also ordered everyone, "Hurry up! Anyone who dawdles will be whipped!"
But with so many exiles, how could they all obey? Besides, the road here was narrow, and even if two or three people walked abreast, the line would be very long.
Wan Xueying and Shen Yu didn't rush to catch up. They made way for others at the mountain pass to go first. Some smart people stopped when they saw that they were not moving forward.
Gu Ming and his mother, as well as Lin Yingnan and Chunjiao, the master and servant, followed them closely.
This time, Lin Yingnan and Chunjiao had learned their lesson. As long as Wan Xueying didn't ask anyone to chase them away, they would follow her. Even at night, they rested close to their campsite, just like Gu Ming and his mother.
Besides them, there were several other small families who had always done the same thing. Being away from home wasn't easy, and if she were in their shoes, she might do the same. As long as it didn't disturb them, Wan Xueying would let them go.
It was still unknown when Nan Ying would return from her investigation, so Wan Xueying used her mental power to scan as far as she could. This search actually led her to discover something interesting: a dozen or so figures could be seen on the mountaintop in the distance to the left.
What were those people doing? Robbery? Or were they here to kill the Third Prince, as the Crown Prince had previously arranged?
Confused, Wan Xueying pointed to the top of the mountain on the left and told Shen Yu, "There are some figures over there. I wonder what they are doing here?"
Shen Yu tried his best but couldn't see the people above. However, he had great faith in Wan Xueying. While sighing at her extraordinary eyesight, he asked, "How many people are there?"
"About ten, no more than fifteen."
Shen Yu tapped his fingers on his leg, thought for a moment, and said, "It's very likely that they're here to disrupt things."
"A mess?" Wan Xueying looked up at him. "What mess?"
"Of course, it's to make the rumor more realistic."
"Are you referring to the rumor about the exiles being buried with the Third Prince?"
"That's right." Shen Yu nodded.
"I just don't understand why no one has stepped forward to stop this rumor, and why it has only grown stronger and stronger?"
Shen Yu sneered, "The Emperor simply wants to use this opportunity to help the Third Prince identify trustworthy individuals." So, it's hard to say who's using whom.
Wan Xueying understood. But honestly, such a test would certainly implicate many innocent people, and could even result in a heavy price to pay.
They couldn't intervene, so they could only wait and see what was happening while protecting themselves. Not long after, accompanied by the rumbling sound of heavy objects rolling, Wan Xueying saw a large number of rolling logs and rocks rolling down from that place.
"Oh no! There's an ambush!" Seeing the situation was not good, Captain Hao shouted to everyone, "Retreat quickly!" Then he was the first to turn around and run back on his horse, holding his sword.
His imposing presence was so overwhelming that, despite the narrowness of the road, the escorts and convicts behind him all moved closer to the foot of the mountain to make way for him. Then the escorts also ran back, fearing that if they ran too slowly they would be hit by rolling logs and rocks.
Unfortunately, the exiles who were walking in front were delayed and had no time to react. The few who ran slowly screamed and were crushed under the rolling logs and rocks.
"Oh no! Run! Someone is going to kill us!" Someone shouted this in the crowd. People became even more panicked and ran back in a swarm.
In fact, a careful observer would easily notice that no more logs or rocks were dropped after that. That move was truly a scare tactic, just as Shen Yu had said. But how could those inside be so sensible? They continued to run back frantically.
Someone in the crowd at the back of the group shouted, "Are we going to die if we don't run now?"
"This opportunity is rare, if not now, when?" someone chimed in. Someone else took the lead, breaking out of the crowd and sprinting madly back the way they came. The shackles on these people's hands and feet had been removed at some point, and they were running incredibly fast, showing both preparedness and agility.
Some people, regardless of whether others escaped or not, helped people open the shackles on their hands and feet one by one in order to make the situation more chaotic.
Those whose shackles were undone saw many people fleeing and instinctively followed suit. Shen Yu and Wan Xueying took their men and hid far away, fearing they would be caught in the disaster.
"Come back here! Do you want to die?" Captain Hao knew that some people wanted to escape, but he did not expect this situation.
"Listen up, brothers! Anyone who tries to escape or resist will be killed without mercy!" Seeing the situation getting out of control, Captain Hao used his ultimate killer move.
But these words seemed to confirm that he was here on a murderous mission, and more people fled. The gap in understanding blocked the exit, making it difficult to pass them. Some people simply ran towards the mountains on either side, including Wan Huqing.
After the shackles on his hands and feet were uncuffed, he ignored Wan Chengji and the others and ran towards the mountain on the left.
"Come back here!" To this day, Wan Chengji still hadn't decided whether to escape. Perhaps because of his experience, but more so because of fear, he simply felt that running away now was unwise.
"Dad, you guys should run away quickly! If you don't run away now, you will have no chance!" Wan Huqing continued to climb up the mountain without looking back.
"He Su, hurry up and bring him back to me!" Wan Chengji was really anxious. "If things go wrong, our whole family will be implicated!"
"Son, I'll go right away." Wan Hesu didn't want to be implicated by Wan Huqing. He had always felt that there was no need to escape. If he could honestly go to the northern border and join the military camp, perhaps he could redeem himself for his crimes and earn a position. Then he could let Lin Yingnan live a good life.
He had actually wanted to go to the military camp for training since he was a child, but Wan Chengji had always stopped him from going. Now that he had finally gotten this opportunity, he didn't want to miss it.
Compared to Wan Hesu, Wan Huqing's stamina was significantly inferior. He barely climbed high before he was already panting. The mountains on either side were steep and difficult to climb, and his shoes weren't suitable, so he slipped before he even reached halfway. But he didn't give up, continuing to climb using both hands and feet, only this time Wan Huqing grabbed hold of him.
"Come back with me!" Wan Hesu roared at him.
"I won't go back! I'll die if I go back, so I might as well give it a try." Wan Huqing was determined to escape.
"Do you think you can escape?" Wan Hesu has seen a familiar figure.
"Why can't you escape? Haven't you seen so many people have already escaped?" Before Wan Huqing could finish his words, Pei Xuanqing had already appeared on the top of the mountain with his men.
He had just dealt with the men who had ambushed them on the mountaintop, setting off rolling logs and rocks. Now, with his bow in hand, he fired a volley of arrows at the men who had fled halfway up the mountain, intending to give them a warning.
His archery skills were such that every arrow never missed its mark. The men fell to the ground, struggling for a few moments before dying.
"Why don't you come back with me?" Seeing this, Wan Hesu was also a little scared. He was afraid that he would also be regarded as a person who wanted to escape. After saying this, he pulled Wan Huqing back.
"I..." Wan Huqing was even more frightened than Wan Hesu. But just as he was hesitating whether to go back with Wan Hesu, Pei Xuanqing saw him offering himself to him. The corners of his lips curled up slightly, and he drew his bow and shot an arrow, aiming straight at his back.
As soon as Wan Huqing turned his head and looked at Pei Xuanqing, he realized that something was wrong. He turned around and blocked Wan Hesu, who was pulling him, in front of him.
When Wan Hesu felt something cold on his back and attacked him, he wanted to hide, but Wan Huqing held him tightly and he couldn't break free at all.
With a "puff" sound, the arrow penetrated his back and he fell straight towards Wan Huqing.
Wan Huqing subconsciously helped the man, repeatedly saying, "Second brother, I didn't mean it." Because he was too frightened and because he had survived a disaster, Wan Huqing's voice was shaking.
Feeling his life slipping away, Wan Hesu didn't want to argue with him. He wanted to tell him a few last words, asking him to tell Lin Yingnan to return to the capital. But as soon as he opened his mouth, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
While he was bleeding, Wan Huqing was afraid that Pei Xuanqing would shoot arrows at him again, so he let go of the hand that was supporting Wan Hesu and crawled down the mountain.
Pei Xuanqing glanced at Wan Huqing's back as he fled down the mountain in a panic. He really wanted to shoot him with another arrow, but out of the corner of his eye he noticed that there was another person who was about to escape beyond the farthest distance that his arrow could reach.
By the time he shot an arrow at the man and went to look for Wan Huqing, Wan Huqing had already mixed in with the other exiles who had not escaped at the foot of the mountain.
But his life or death was really not a big deal in Pei Xuanqing's eyes. If it weren't for the fact that Lian Zong wanted to use him to catch a few fish, and if he hadn't wanted him to be a witness to the Third Prince's vindication in the future, Wan Huqing would have died a lot.
Wan Huqing had just returned to Wan Chengji and Wan Jiangyuan, still feeling terrified. Wan Chengji slapped him in the face, then burst into tears, saying, "How could you be so cruel? Not only did you cause our uncle's family to be confiscated and exiled, but you also killed your second brother!"
They just watched Wan Hesu act as a shield for Wan Huqing.
Even though Wan Chengji usually showed less affection to Wan Hesu, a son who was neither the eldest nor the youngest, he was still his own flesh and blood, the one he had watched grow up. How could he not be heartbroken after witnessing his tragic death?
When Xu saw Wan Hesu spurting blood, she fainted and was now lying in the arms of her two concubines.
Jinzhi didn't even need to think about it; she had long since stopped hanging out with the Wan family. She had been hanging out with Ma Xiaoqi for a while, and from time to time she was assigned to serve other escorts. Her reputation had already become extremely bad.
"Dad, it wasn't me. It has nothing to do with me. It was Pei Xuanqing who killed my second brother." Wan Huqing defended himself weakly.
Seeing that he still hadn't repented, Wan Jiangyuan punched him in the face. He angrily asked, "It wasn't you? It had nothing to do with you? Then tell me, if you hadn't run away, would the second brother have chased you? If he hadn't chased you, would you have used him as a shield? If he hadn't been used as a shield by you, then who should be dead now?"
Wan Huqing wiped his nose which was bleeding from being hit by Wan Jiangyuan, and continued to argue with his neck stiff: "If you want to blame someone, blame his bad luck! Doesn't he pride himself on being a martial arts master? How come he couldn't dodge Pei Xuanqing's arrow?" He completely forgot that it was he who had just held Wan Hesu and didn't give him a chance to dodge.
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