Black Sheep Village, an inconspicuous and remote village.
Behind the village lies the Dahang Mountains, the largest mountain range in the north.
This place is not far from Guixiong Pass, so when the incident occurred, it was the first to be trampled by the iron hooves of the northern barbarians. The entire village was either dead or fled, and was now empty.
A half-moon hangs in the sky, and all is silent.
Suddenly, more than a dozen figures appeared from a distance. They moved swiftly and arrived in just a few breaths.
The leader stopped and looked up at the sky, then covered his ears to listen. After confirming what it was, his face lit up with joy. "It's it! It's calling us! Quick!"
The group was dressed in the clothes of ordinary people in Dasheng, but they seemed to be ill-fitting, with some of their trousers being too short.
As they were passing through the village, suddenly, a joyful voice rang out from a thatched hut:
"But... it's Lord Taimu!?"
"Who?" The leader's gaze turned icy as he looked toward the source of the voice.
"My lord! It is I, Archie, my lord!"
Archie, clutching a long sword and covered in blood, led the others out joyfully, tears welling in his eyes.
"You don't recognize me, but I have seen you from afar in Khan's capital."
Taimu remained wary. Aqi?
The name sounds familiar. Also, how come this person has such good eyesight that they recognized me at a glance?
Archie hurriedly presented the long sword in his hands, saying, "I am a junior officer temporarily appointed by His Highness the Dragon King. This is a token."
Taimu finally remembered this person; the information they had gathered did indeed confirm the existence of such a person.
Why are you here? How many of your 20,000 troops remain?
"The Dasheng people are pursuing and intercepting us. There are 15,000 left. I've ordered everyone to disperse and sneak back to the grasslands. As long as we don't pass through Guixiong Pass, we'll have a chance to survive. As for me, I've come to see Your Highness."
Archie looked up at the sky. "I can't be mistaken for the White Eagle King's voice. His Highness is nearby. Are you here to see His Highness as well?"
Taimu nodded slightly. "The Khan ordered me to find His Highness at all costs. They say His Highness perished on the Four Rivers Plain. We don't believe it, and neither does the Khan."
“The White Eagle King is still alive; he is guiding me. Your Highness must also be alive.”
Archie straightened his thin frame. "Let's go find him quickly."
Taimu looked him up and down, his doubts still not completely dispelled.
Archie had no choice but to pretend he didn't know about Archie's suspicions and waved towards the thatched hut.
Dozens more people poured out of the house, including four or five Dasheng people who were tied up and looked disheveled.
Seeing Taimu's confusion, Aqi explained, "We encountered these people hiding here as soon as we entered the village. Judging from their clothes, they are the family members of officials from Dasheng. We were about to kill them."
"Then kill him, so he won't get in the way!"
"Oh no, someone's coming again!"
Archie's expression changed drastically; his ears were sharp, and he had already heard the sound of horses' hooves.
Taimu sensed it too, and he made a decisive decision:
“They are members of the Huo family. They are skilled at tracking. These people are perfect bargaining chips for me. You quickly take your men into the mountains to find His Highness, and I will hold them off.”
Archie didn't hesitate, "Okay! Be careful, sir."
He led a dozen or so people into the mountains and forests, and behind them, in the distance, came the clear laughter of a young boy:
"General Taimu, I've been searching for you for ages. Tsk tsk, I never expected to encounter such a big fish as you."
The hazy moonlight reflected a round, shiny bald head. More than a hundred riders quickly rushed over, surrounded Tai Mu and his men, and then sent seven or eight men to chase after them into the woods.
Taimu hesitated for a moment before deciding not to stop him. He couldn't show too much concern or anxiety, otherwise he risked exposing His Highness.
Now I don't have time to think about where I went wrong and my identity was exposed.
Only by stalling them can we buy time for His Highness.
Archie didn't look back, leading his men on a wild run through the mountains and forests. The White Eagle King was already in sight, leading the way.
"Stop the people behind you."
Archie divided into ten men, saying, "I beg you to save His Highness."
"Yes, Lord Archie, take care." They faced the pursuers without hesitation.
Archie led the remaining four men onward, running over a small hill.
The White Eagle King stopped at the entrance of a hidden cave, its low cries filled with anxiety and agitation.
Archie didn't dare to delay. He left the two outside and led them into the cave. The strong smell of blood made his heart sink.
"Who?" The familiar, hoarse voice brought tears to Archie's eyes.
“Your Highness! Your Highness, Archie, it’s me, the old soldier Archie.”
Archie spotted a figure in the darkness and hurriedly lit a tinderbox. "Your Highness, how are you?"
Xiao Long leaned weakly against the stone wall. His eyes behind the mask were not focused for a while due to excessive blood loss, and his consciousness was very sluggish. "A...Qi?"
Seeing his master covered in blood and barely clinging to life, Archie couldn't help but shed tears:
"Your Highness, Your Highness, Archie will take you away immediately. We're going back to the grasslands. The Khan is also looking for you."
He reached out to help him up, but "Xiao Long" shook his head slightly, squinting at him in the dim light, then suddenly revealed a bleak smile, "Go...go back? Heh...heh, cough cough...there's no going back, hahaha..."
Archie knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly, his face streaked with tears.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood. Let's return to the grasslands and make a comeback in the future. With Guixiong Pass in our hands, sooner or later we will..."
"Archie, listen... cough cough, I don't have much time left. Listen carefully, please tell Father Khan and Mother for me, cough cough..."
As if in a final burst of energy, "Xiao Long" interrupted him, his eyes filled with bloodlust and hatred:
"I don't hate anyone else, sigh, sigh... I only hate Xiao Chi!"
"He tricked me, haha... haha, I trusted him so much! I trusted him so much—"
"Archie, Archie, I'm not reconciled, I... I have a thousand grievances, cough cough cough cough cough—"
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