"Hairy, pick your fastest man to follow! When I get back, not a single one of these devilish soldiers can escape!" he shouted the order again, letting me steer Changfeng around as I pleased. He trusted me completely, never considering whether I might lead him to the edge of a cliff. What if I was wrong, missing a crucial opportunity—something almost every military strategist dreads. Would he still offer his hand then, just once more?
There was no time to think anymore. We had come this far, and there was no turning back. He believed in me, and I had to do the same.
The wind was strong, and soon we arrived at a place where rocks and hills intertwined. This was the place where I had watched his army march. Hiding here was just right for me, as it provided shelter from the scorching sun.
Looking through the gap in the rock, under the moonlight, there was a path, and a line of dark figures were moving about.
That's really true!
What's missing from the map is this patch of rocks. Even the most detailed maps, with annotations for every stream, omit this rocky area. Even if someone were to compare it to the map, they would surely overlook this error—the terrain here is too steep; the Guifang, skilled riders, would find it impossible to traverse here. Yet, it is here, only here, that the path can be seen, hidden deep in the jungle, concealed in the night.
I looked back at him and saw that his eyes were sharp as an eagle's. He took the reins from my hand without the slightest hesitation, pushed off with his hind legs, and sped away in pursuit.
The night raid on the camp was just a ruse; the real target, Basiljiyu, is right before our eyes!
No horse could outrun Changfeng, not even the Guifang, renowned for its fine steeds. Yet, after such a long journey, a growing unease settled in my heart. Changfeng led the way, while Maotui'er and the others' horses, though undoubtedly top-notch, lagged far behind. We, on the other hand, were getting closer to Guifang. Although Basilji Yu had fled in haste, his forces still numbered in the hundreds and thousands, undoubtedly his trusted elite warriors. If only these two caught up, he might be able to rein in his horse and leave immediately. However, with me added to the mix, we would only be a burden. But if we slowed down and waited for Maotui'er's group to catch up, this golden opportunity would slip through our fingers. He had been locked in a stalemate with Guifang for so long, losing so many brothers' lives; could he simply watch such an opportunity slip away? He was a man who didn't value his own life, especially his own.
I struggled a couple of times, trying to remind him of the current situation and ask him to let me leave. Once I was off the horse, without him, the Guifang people wouldn't let me go, but I wouldn't be a burden to him anymore. But he held me down and whispered in my ear, "What? The white deer and white tortoise are auspicious omens from heaven, but you aren't? I don't believe that with you by my side, the King of Hell would dare send those demons and monsters."
From childhood to adulthood, some have called me a demon, some have called me a scourge, and some have even described me as one of the minions under the King of Hell. He was the first, but not the only one, to treat me like a normal person from beginning to end; then came the others from the mountain valley. And he was truly the only one who called me auspicious.
My mother protected me, but she treated me with extreme care, never as an ordinary child. She was always anxious, afraid that my father would come looking for me and discover that she had come to see me; afraid that if I saw her too often, I would become attached to her; afraid that if I stayed away for too long, my sister would notice something was amiss. She was so afraid that she had no time to pay attention to me anymore, so afraid that she avoided me like the plague.
Auspicious omen? No one thought that I was a demon, how could I be an auspicious omen?
Suddenly, a sound came from ahead, neat and orderly. Looking up, there were rows and rows of crossbows.
They're following too closely!
He suddenly supported me with one arm, turning it slightly to place me behind him. Just as I was about to speak, he turned back and smiled, "I'm still wearing my armor, it's alright."
He thinks I'm a fool. If I were fine just because I was wearing armor, why would I have suffered all these injuries?
Just as the Gui Fang group was about to give a command from Basilji Yu, a thunderclap suddenly ripped through the sky, and a flash of white light appeared before their eyes.
I blinked, gazing at the sky. The lightning bolt was fleeting. The moon shone brightly, without a single cloud in sight; otherwise, I would never have witnessed Basilji's escape. At this critical moment of life and death, such a bolt from the blue—could it truly be a sign of good fortune?
"Fire!" Basilji Yu hesitated for only a moment before immediately giving the order. It seems that if he were afraid of fate and karma, he would never have invaded the south.
Another bolt of lightning flashed, blinding everyone and making it almost impossible to see.
Too close, too close.
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