139. Fierce
Chen Ji stepped on the yellow rotten leaves in the forest, identifying the direction while wielding a knife to cut off branches and bushes on the road for the three people behind him.
In winter, water-soaked clothes stick to your body like leeches, sucking the life out of you bit by bit.
But Chen Ji and his friends couldn't stop to dry their clothes and could only keep running for their lives.
He recalled the expression of the officer on the black-sailed boat. The other party was not panicked after seeing him escape to the shore, as if his life was hanging by a thread and there was no room for struggle.
But what is on the other side of the river?
Isn't this a desolate wilderness?
At this time, Zhang Xia followed behind him and suddenly asked, "Chen Ji, who are you?"
Chen Ji replied without even turning his head: "Apprentice in the medical clinic."
Zhang Xia was filled with doubt: "Can an apprentice from the medical clinic sink a ship?"
Chen Ji chopped at the big-leaf holly that blocked his way and casually explained, "The ship was already old, so it was easy to break open with just two chisels."
Zhang Xia glanced at Chen Ji's back, then at Bai Li: "Don't you have anything you want to ask him?"
Bai Li shook his head.
Please close the browser reading mode before viewing this chapter, otherwise you will not be able to turn the pages or the chapter content will be lost.
Zhang Xia was surprised: "You and the prince already knew it, right? That's why you are not surprised at all."
Baili nodded and hummed.
Zhang Xia was silent.
After a long moment, she said casually, "I'm sorry for being so nosy and trying to get you to come in. Now I feel like you're at least much better than your two brothers. If you want to scold me, go ahead. I won't talk back."
Chen Ji smiled and said, "Why should I scold you?"
Zhang Xia said seriously: "Thank you. Thank you for saving us."
Chen Ji thought for a moment and said, "Actually, you didn't have to jump into the river. These killers weren't coming for you. Even if you hadn't run away, they wouldn't have attacked you. I guess they were planning to kill everyone at first, but the moment they saw the prince, they changed their minds."
Bai Li was puzzled: "Why did you change your mind?"
Chen Ji replied, "Because they need the prince to be alive."
Bai Li asked, "Chen Ji, have you guessed the identity of the mastermind behind this?"
Chen Ji did not answer.
Who needs the prince to be alive?
A person who plots rebellion.
Please close the browser reading mode before viewing this chapter, otherwise you will not be able to turn the pages or the chapter content will be lost.
Those who plotted rebellion needed royal blood as a banner. If Prince Jing died, they would lack a pretext to launch their campaign.
At this moment, the sound of horse hooves could be heard in the distance. Chen Ji quickly led everyone to squat behind the bushes, quietly observing the dirt road outside the forest.
A moment later, dozens of cavalrymen dressed as bandits galloped past on the dirt road.
After the cavalry passed, hundreds of people wearing leather armor and leading hunting dogs passed by.
Chen Ji's heart sank. Why were there so many bandits here?
No.
Not a bandit.
Bai Li came closer and asked, "Chen Ji, are these the bandits from Longwangtun?"
"no."
Chen Ji said in a serious tone, "The disaster victims have become bandits, armed only with kitchen knives, hoes, and rakes. How could they have a full-fledged cavalry unit and leather armor? The disaster victims in Longwangtun have already been wiped out by them. Now these people are private soldiers raised by the officials and nobles."
Bai Li and the prince looked at each other, horror in their eyes.
Now this group of private soldiers is obviously asking for them, so whoever raises this group of private soldiers is the one who wants to kill them.
Please close the browser reading mode before viewing this chapter, otherwise you will not be able to turn the pages or the chapter content will be lost.
This place is only a little over fifty miles away from Luocheng and is still under the jurisdiction of the nine counties of Luocheng. There are only two people who can afford to raise private soldiers here: Liu Gun and Prince Jing.
The prince said with difficulty
"It certainly wasn't my father who wanted to kill us. He wasn't that kind of person."
Bai Li was about to defend his father when he saw Chen Ji nod: "I also don't think it's Prince Jing."
The two were stunned.
Chen Ji continued, "With the prince's methods, if he wanted to kill us, why would he give us a chance to live? It is precisely because they don't know that the prince is with us that we are still alive."
Therefore, the only ones who want to kill them this time can be the Liu family.
"Let's go."
Chen Ji stood up and said, "They are searching from the river. If they have hounds, they may catch up with us soon."
Chen Ji turned around and saw that Bai Li's cheeks were red, as if he was drunk. When he stood up, he staggered and almost fell.
Chen Ji looked at the prince and said, "Prince, touch the princess's forehead."
Bai Li raised his hand to block it: "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."
The prince held her arm down and reached out to check it: "It's hot."
I have a fever.
We had been riding on the oxcart in the cold wind all day yesterday, and today we were soaked in the icy river for half a day, and had to run for our lives in wet clothes.
Please close the browser reading mode before viewing this chapter, otherwise you will not be able to turn the pages or the chapter content will be lost.
It was only a matter of time before the Crown Prince and Zhang Xia fell ill.
While I was thinking, I heard a dog barking in the distance.
Chen Ji glanced at the sky and said, "I can't wait any longer. I have to leave now. Princess, I'm sorry!"
After saying that, he picked up the white carp and carried it on his back, then turned around and ran wildly towards the southwest.
That is the territory of Luhun Mountain Villa, which is the branch courtyard of Laojun Mountain Taoist Temple at the foot of the mountain.
Bai Li leaned his head weakly on Chen Ji's shoulder and asked softly, "Chen Ji, will we die here?"
Chen Ji said firmly: "No."
"Um!"
The girl slowly closed her eyes, leaned on his shoulder, and panted softly, "Chen Ji!"
"Um?"
Chen Ji tilted his head, his cheek itching from being messed up by Bai Li's hair. When he wanted to ask Bai Li why he was called, he had already fallen asleep.
In the mountains and forests.
More than ten soldiers dressed in bandit clothes, with stern faces, led hunting dogs along the way to chase.
Please close the browser reading mode before viewing this chapter, otherwise you will not be able to turn the pages or the chapter content will be lost.
The hounds quickly found where Chen had cut the brush.
They turned around and gestured behind them: Found it.
On the other side, Chen Ji heard the barking of dogs getting closer and closer, as if they were only a few hundred steps away.
The dog's barking sounded like a death-threatening sound, making people feel upset and confused.
The next moment, the barking sound suddenly disappeared.
It was as if the chirping of cicadas that had troubled us all summer suddenly disappeared.
Even the world feels a little clearer.
But Chen Ji's heart sank: the hound suddenly stopped barking. There could only be one reason, and that was that the hunter had loosened the hound's reins, and the hound was flying towards its prey with all its might.
You can't escape.
Once a hound identifies its prey, it will never give up until it bites it.
Please close the browser reading mode before viewing this chapter, otherwise you will not be able to turn the pages or the chapter content will be lost.
Chen Ji suddenly turned around and looked at the prince: "Prince, you carry the princess on your back and run. I will stop the hounds. If we don't kill them, we will never escape."
Zhang Xia was stunned for a moment: "You..."
The prince took a deep breath and said, "You carry my sister and run. I'll stay and deal with these people. You run fast, but I can't get far even if I run. Chen Ji, take my sister back alive."
Chen Ji said in a deep voice: "Stop being so pretentious. I don't have time to waste on you right now. Carry the white carp and run quickly..."
Before he could finish his words, he heard the wailing and sobbing of a hunting dog suddenly coming from the forest.
A sound,
Two sounds, three sounds.
The wailing of the hounds was incessant and extremely shrill.
Chen Ji suddenly turned around and saw that someone had killed the hound.
who?
Could it be that the golden pig has arrived?
No.
Please close the browser reading mode before viewing this chapter, otherwise you will not be able to turn the pages or the chapter content will be lost.
If you want to get here from Los Angeles, even if you ride at full speed, it will take until after sunset. The Golden Pig cannot come so quickly.
Just as Chen Ji was wondering, a dark, furry shadow flashed past the woods ahead.
A hound was trying its best to fight, but was caught off guard by the black shadow, which raised its claws and punched it on the head, knocking it over.
The punch was so fierce that the hound fell to the ground, its limbs twitching, and it was obvious that it was dead.
dark clouds?
Fierce.
Zhang Xia asked in surprise, "What was that black shadow that just flashed by?"
Chen Ji carried Baili on his back and turned to continue fleeing southwest. "I didn't see it clearly either. Never mind what it was. The most important thing is to escape."
Half an incense stick later, several soldiers rushed to the place where the hunting dog was killed.
A soldier squatted down, lifted the hound's skin by the scruff of its neck, and carefully observed the hound's death.
He first lifted the hound's eyelids to check, and saw that it was full of red silk.
He touched the hound's head again and found a crack on the skull.
"Kill him with one strike!"
Please close the browser reading mode before viewing this chapter, otherwise you will not be able to turn the pages or the chapter content will be lost.
The soldiers looked at each other.
A good hunting dog has a head of steel, bones of iron, and a waist of tofu, but its only weak point is the waist.
Even if he was hit in the head by a musket, he would not necessarily die.
But now, someone actually hit the hound on the head and beat it to death.
A soldier said solemnly, "Sir."
Just as he finished speaking, a rustling sound came from the southeast and gradually faded away.
The soldiers immediately drew their swords: "Chase."
Chen Ji led the prince and Zhang Xia to walk through the mountains and forests to avoid being caught up and killed by the cavalry.
They fled from noon to sunset, until they climbed over a small hill and the view suddenly opened up.
I saw an unknown small town nestled in the valley at the foot of the hill.
In the small town, a strong man was pushing a wheelbarrow back and forth on the dirt road.
Please close the browser reading mode before viewing this chapter, otherwise you will not be able to turn the pages or the chapter content will be lost.
The streets were paved with coal slag, as black as ink.
Along the street, workshops stood with chimneys, from which billowing thick smoke rose.
Outside the workshop, there are hundreds of feet of earthen houses for the people, which are probably enough to accommodate thousands of families.
Chen Ji crouched down instantly: "What kind of town is this?"
The prince was puzzled. "I've never heard of a small town here. I remember there were only four small towns on the way to Luhun Villa, definitely not this one... What are these people doing?"
Chen Ji looked at the blast furnaces and said solemnly, "Iron smelting."
No wonder there are organized private infantry and cavalry here. It turns out someone is secretly smelting iron here.
This is a capital crime.
"What now?"
Please close the browser reading mode before viewing this chapter, otherwise you will not be able to turn the pages or the chapter content will be lost.
The prince asked.
Chen Ji thought for a moment and said, "Let's go into the town."
The prince was shocked: "Isn't this just walking into a trap?"
Chen Ji said, "We have to go in and change into clean clothes. Otherwise, the princess won't be able to endure it."
End of this chapter.
Please close the browser reading mode before viewing this chapter, otherwise you will not be able to turn the pages or the chapter content will be lost.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
