0139 The Golden Winged Envoy (Part 4)
Zhan Yaoguang still followed Shi Yunkai up to Bamian Mountain, which was his original purpose. However, it would definitely arouse Shi Yunkai's suspicion if he rashly sought refuge there, so it was better to pretend that he had been captured by accident and had no other choice.
He remained silent the whole way, only putting on a cold and unapproachable expression, but in reality he was carefully observing the terrain.
Shi Yunkai, who was leading the way, kept glancing back. Seeing his behavior, alarm bells rang in his heart.
Just then, a cool mist began to swirl around the mountain, making it difficult to discern the path. Shi Yunkai paused for a moment, then turned back and smiled at Zhan Yaoguang: "We're almost at the temporary camp we've set up on the mountain. Just cross this cliff and you'll be on the other side."
Upon hearing this, Zhan Yaoguang raised her head, glanced at him, and nodded slightly.
Shi Yunkai added, "But the mountain path is muddy and the cliffs are steep, Zhan Shisan, be careful."
Zhan Yaoguang looked at him coldly, then suddenly smiled: "Of course."
Shi Yunkai entered the fog first, and his figure quickly disappeared into it.
Zhan Yaoguang stayed where he was and waited for the fog to thin out a bit before going inside. Once inside, he realized that what the other person had said was true. This mountain wall was extremely steep, and the only space that could accommodate a person was no more than half an arm's width. One had to lean sideways against the rock wall to barely pass through.
He recalled the time he and Shu Fu had spent together in Chang'an, nestled under the west window reading a book. There was a line in the book: "How winding is Qingni, with its hundred steps and nine turns around the cliffs." She read it aloud to him word by word, then suddenly lowered her eyes and sighed, "Qinglian Jushi's line is truly beautiful. When I first read it, I was only ten years old, and it made my legs go weak. I wonder if the real Shu region has such scenery?"
However, this is not the Shu region now, but its perilousness is not far off.
Zhan Yaoguang stepped onto the muddy, narrow path. The biting wind from halfway up the mountain whistled past his collar and sleeves, instantly cooling his burning body temperature.
But he had no time to think about anything else, focusing only on pacing forward.
Just then, a gust of wind came from the front and aimed straight at his calf. The boy's pupils contracted sharply, and he dodged with all his might, barely brushing past the man's shoe.
This guy wanted to kick him down the mountain!
His gaze turned icy as he looked into the thick fog. There he saw the man who had failed in his attack slip and fall off the cliff with a scream. (Hong Shaoyu added to group òo①)
That person was Shi Yunkai.
Zhan Yaoguang gritted his teeth, and for a moment he thought he might as well let Shi Yunkai fall down the mountain and be smashed into a pulp. He even wanted to kick him while he was down.
However, he was currently confined in both directions and could only go forward to Shi Yunkai's village. Although his martial arts skills were better than those of ordinary people, he was ultimately no match for the enemy's large numbers. If Shi Yunkai died here, the six hundred or so men he brought out would definitely not let him go.
Moreover, the most important purpose of this trip is to wipe out these six hundred men; the death of Shi Yunkai alone is far from enough.
In a flash, Zhan Yaoguang made a decision. He untied the red rope that bound his hair, tied it to his belt to make a long rope, and threw it down: "Shi Yunkai, catch it, I'll pull you up."
Shi Yunkai was exhausted and on the verge of despair when he heard Zhan Yaoguang's words. A glint of light flashed in his eyes, and he quickly said, "Okay, don't let go. After you pull me up, we can discuss any conditions."
Zhan Yaoguang remained silent, focusing solely on observing Shi Yunkai's actions. If the other party intended to use this opportunity to play any tricks, he wouldn't hesitate to loosen his grip; it would be Shi Yunkai's own fault.
Fortunately, Shi Yunkai was badly frightened. His dark face turned white with fright, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat. He clung to Zhan Yaoguang's arm like a lifeline and was barely pulled up.
Seeing that the person had been pulled up, Zhan Yaoguang began to re-tie her hair without saying a word.
Shi Yunkai glanced at his less-than-interesting expression and said with an awkward smile, "Thirteen Lang, I didn't mean to harm you, but you are, after all, a member of the Wu tribe. Even though you've fallen out with your tribe, I'm afraid you might still have some old feelings for them..."
Zhan Yaoguang glanced at him and said, "Don't talk. Keep walking. If you fall down again, I definitely won't help you."
The group arrived at Shi Yunkai's village without incident. This village was only built temporarily and was far inferior to the two tribes' usual residences. However, in this steep cliff place, it was like a paradise.
Shi Yunkai smiled and patted Zhan Yaoguang on the shoulder, saying that he had already prepared accommodations for him and was just waiting for him to arrive.
Zhan Yaoguang did not refuse, nodded and left.
After Zhan Yaoguang left, Shi Yunkai stared at the doorway for a long time until someone came up behind him and whispered, "Yunkai, do you really trust him?"
Shi Yunkai shook his head: "I didn't believe it at first, but when I came over from the stone wall just now, I wanted to push him down to prevent future troubles, but I accidentally stepped into the air instead. He pulled me up, so maybe, maybe it really is true."
"Besides... aren't we short of manpower? With Zhan Shisan fighting alongside me against the Wu tribe, even if we are defeated in the future, having him as a hostage will give us some room for negotiation."
"I'm afraid he's just pretending to be loyal, but actually colluding with outsiders."
"Don't worry about that. Our Eight-Sided Mountain is easy to defend and difficult to attack. As long as we guard the only mountain wall that we can enter and exit, even if he finds out our secrets, he won't be able to send the message out. So, these next few days, have a few brothers keep an eye on him at a distance, so that he doesn't have a chance to be alone."
"good."
"Oh, and put away all the knives in the village. He's most skilled with knives, and without a suitable weapon, even his best martial arts skills will be greatly diminished!"
...
Zhan Yaoguang slept soundly in the accommodations arranged for him by Shi Yunkai. When he woke up, he naturally noticed that someone was following him subtly.
The young man was outgoing and straightforward, so he went straight up and pointed out their mistake, while showing no concern whatsoever. Instead, he chatted and laughed with them, telling them some interesting stories from his journey north.
The young men quickly lowered their guard and apologized to him with guilty expressions.
Zhan Yaoguang waved his hand dismissively and continued chatting and laughing with them. Little did they know that in the short time he spent chatting and strolling with them, he had already roughly figured out the layout of the area.
At night, by the light of the clear moonlight on the mountain, he wrote down everything he had seen during the day, such as where the granaries were, where the weapons were stored, how many people were guarding them, and when the guards were changed—all of this was written on a sheepskin.
After all this was done, half of the moon fell, and thick fog rose in the mountains, gloomy and dark, almost eerily quiet.
He secretly peered down the cliff and, sure enough, saw that someone was guarding it.
but--
Who said he was going to go out here to deliver a message?
He chuckled, turned back to the village, and went out through the back gate. He walked along the mountain path higher and higher until he finally saw a babbling brook. He took out a sheepskin rolled up in a bamboo tube from his pocket, pushed it with his hand, and the white, dripping mountain spring water gushed and flowed far away.
At the foot of Mount Bamian, Zhan Yinyuanhou stood by the water, holding a finger in his mouth. Whenever he felt sleepy, he would bite it hard, hoping to keep his mind clear.
He volunteered to guard the area; otherwise, if his thirteenth brother went up to Bamian Mountain alone, he would not know any news and would not be able to eat or drink in peace.
The moon flows in the sky, and the stream flows on the ground, reflecting each other to create a bright and sparkling scene.
After an unknown amount of time, the young man's eyes lit up. Without even taking off his boots, he stepped straight into the water, pulled out a bamboo tube, and shouted, "Sisters, I got the stuff!"
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