Seeing that Zhou Gu still had the spirit to reassure him, the Nanchu King thought that Su Rong had a good eye for talent. Despite Zhou Gu still being a teenager, years away from reaching adulthood, he was responsible and cautious. He had gotten him through the whole ordeal all safe and sound, truly a person worth of being the one the Crown Prince of Dawei and the Grand Tutor jointly trained.
How lucky for Zhou Gu.
He said to Zhou Gu: "Though apart from secretly raising an force of fifty thousand at the western ridge, I have not built my own strength due to the lack of time. To build a power base, in addition to raising a private army, I had to choose one and avoid biting off more than I can chew, which could result in betraying my intentions. Hence, I chose to raise an army with Ye Xiang, then support Ye Guixue to grow, with the aim of borrowing the power of the Ye Xiang Residence. As long as the Ye Xiang Residence could match the Nangong Family, it would be a success. But unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time. In only five years, it took an incredible amount of effort for Ye Guixue to win over the hundred thousand troops stationed in Western Capital amidst the chaos caused by the Nangong Family. Any more than that, and the Ye Xiang Residence would be exhausted from handling it, after all, the Nangong Family has deeply rooted, has been entrenched for too long. On this land, the Nangong Family bloomed earlier than the royal family of Nanchu."
Zhou Gu nodded.
The Nanchu King continued, "However, I did do something. I implanted some people in the Nangong Family, and also turned some others against it. But, whatever I did, it was insignificant compared to the full force of the Nangong Family, like trying to put out a burning cart of firewood with a cupful of water. The capacity to resist was sorely lacking."
Zhou Gu sighed, hugged the Nanchu King, and said, "Father-in-law, it hasn’t been easy for you either. When we survive and see Xiaoqi, you should hand over the reign of Nanchu to her and let her take on the burden."
The Nanchu King stiffened when he was suddenly hugged, and it took him a while to react. He admonished Zhou Gu, "Why did you suddenly hug me like that? It scared me. If I die of fright, how will you explain it to my daughter?"
Zhou Gu chuckled, "Hasn’t anyone ever hugged you? You seem so stiff. I’m not trying to scare you. I’m just trying to share some of my trust in Xiaoqi with you, to cheer you up. It’s not a big deal."
The corner of the Nanchu King’s mouth twitched, he stiffly replied: "It isn’t just about handing it over to her, and you too. You think it’s easy to be the king of Nanchu? If you don’t do well, there will be countless people ready to run you down. If you can’t compete with Ye Guixue, you’ll be ridiculed all your life."
Zhou Gu rolled his eyes, "I’m sure I can do a good job and make everyone praise me."
The Nanchu King laughs, "Good, it’s a good thing to have ambition."
Zhou Gu would have liked to continue the hug, but hearing movement in the distance, he swore under his breath, "Damn it, they’re already here again."
He drew his sword and said to Zhang Yun, who had been listening silently to the two of them, "Same rules apply, Brother Zhang Yun, I’ll entrust the king’s safety to you."
Zhang Yun sat up straight; his usually capricious demeanor gone, "Just go."
A round after a round of fighting. Day after day of hiding. With the entry of a large number of assassins from the Nangong family into the Death Valley of Wanren Mountain, the bodyguards around Zhou Gu and Zhang Yun began to fall one after another.
Ziye and Lang Ying seriously injured, Fang Yue also had light injuries, Zhou Gu was naturally injured too. The only two who were entirely unscathed were the Nanchu King and Zhang Yun, who were always protected and had not actually engaged in combat.
That day, after another wave of killing started, Zhang Yun asked Zhou Gu, "Brother Zhou, how many days have passed since the news was sent by Fang Yue?"
"Five days." Zhou Gu glanced at him, checked the sword wound on his arm by tearing off a piece of his sleeve, and said, "You’re not getting forgetful, are you?"
"I’m just making sure." Zhang Yun sighed long, "This feels like a lifetime."
Seeing Zhou Gu’s deep wound on his arm, Zhang Yun took the initiative to bandage it. After applying the medicinal powder, he watched Zhou Gu take out a pill out from a bottle and swallow it. He sighed, "Brother Zhou, you were really foresighted. If we hadn’t gathered these medicines and made them into life-saving pills, we wouldn’t be able to hold out for this long. "
At least, it could have reduced the number of casualties among the bodyguards. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺
Zhou Gu raised an eyebrow, "There’s no wasted effort in this world."
After Zhang Yun finished bandaging him, he lifted his arm and saw the sky growing dark. He breathed a sigh of relief, "I now prefer the night."
Because at night, the Death Valley of Wanren Mountain was pitch black, making it easier to hide. Unlike during the day, no matter where they hid, they were always quickly found, with tracks so obvious that they couldn’t be concealed. When night came, they could finally find a place to take a breather. Even if the rabid dogs carried torches, finding them would be much tougher than during the day.
"I’ll take over tomorrow. You look after His Majesty." Zhang Yun suggested.
Zhou Gu glanced at him, "Please, even if I were injured in one arm, I’d still be stronger than you! I’ll do it!"
Zhang Yun was speechless.
Midnight came, and suddenly there was the sound of footsteps from all directions, very hurried as if many people had found them.
Zhou Gu’s face changed instantly and he jumped to his feet, "Liu’an Prince’s men... they’re here. "
Zhang Yun’s face also changed, "What do we do?"
Zhou Gu gritted his teeth, remaining silent.
Zhang, too, was silent.
What could they do now? Fight? Their fear was that they would be worn down by the fighting. There were fifty thousand soldiers, a war of attrition was bound to exhaust them. Escape? There was nowhere to run. They were already surrounded by the soldiers, like a trap, once someone enters, they can’t get out.
At this moment, Fang Yue walked in and said to Zhou Gu, "Fourth Young Master, there is one way."
"What way?" Zhou Gu asked.
Fang Yue gritted his teeth, "We were able to find a cave mid-way up the Wanren Mountain that can hold about ten people. You, Brother Zhang and His Majesty leave, and we will set the mountain on fire."
"No way." Zhou Gu rejected the suggestion immediately.
They currently had hundreds of bodyguards when only ten or so people could hide in the cave. Doesn’t that mean these hundreds of bodyguards would be burned to death?
"We have no other choice." Fang Yue said, "It’s better than letting Liu’an Prince reap the benefits from killing us all. Isn’t it better to take them down with us?"
He looked at Zhou Gu, "I know Fourth Young Master feels remorse, but our survival is the most important. The others are not afraid of death."
Zhou Gu shook his head firmly, "We can’t. We need to hold on. Xiaoqi will surely come to save us."
"We can’t hold on any longer." Fang Yue said, "They are only a few hundred steps away. Once the fight starts, we would not even be able to flee. Now, we still have the opportunity to run, to climb the cliffs halfway up the mountain "
Zhou Gu refused, his voice firm, "No, whether it’s my bodyguard, the King’s, or Zhang Yun’s bodyguard, or even you, Xiaoqi has scrimped and saved to sponsor you all these years. We can’t just die together like this."
His face was icy as he declared, "Fang Yue, give up this idea, follow me. Even if we fight until the last drop of blood is drained, we cannot commit suicide by fire."
Once the fire starts, the dense forests here and the dry winter weather will definitely cause everyone to die.
Fang Yue was a bit anxious, "Fourth Young Master, someone who wants to accomplish big things must not be bound by the trivial."
"Even then, it’s not okay." Zhou Gu snapped back, "How do you know that the cave on the cliff is safe? Do you know, once a fire is started, the whole mountain will burn. How can the people hiding in the cave in the middle of the mountainside be safe? Whether it’s by smoke or fire, either can kill. If Xiaoqi comes, she would also be helpless to save us. "
Hearing this, Fang Yue’s face turned pale. He had not thought of this before. He lowered his head, "I underestimated this."
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