0138 The Golden Winged Envoy (Part 3)
Several young men and women discussed and devised a strategy to wipe out Shi Yunkai and his gang in the stilted house, and all that was missing was a bait.
Zhan Yuheng clapped his hands: "Let me go. As the elder of the clan, it is my duty to take on this responsibility."
"No!" everyone in the room said in unison.
Zhan Yaoguang smiled and took a step forward: "Since you are the young clan leader, the safety and direction of the entire clan depends on you, so we can't let you go. I have no heavy burden, and I am also Grandma's grandson. My martial arts skills are also decent, so let me go."
Moreover, since he needed the help of the Dali court, he should also accumulate some bargaining power for himself.
"Thirteen--"
Zhan Yuheng wanted to persuade him, but Zhan Qing stopped him: "Eleventh Sister, just let him go."
“Thirteen is no longer a child, and you don’t need to worry about him anymore. Besides, he does have some talent in martial arts. Even if he can’t gain Wu Yunkai’s trust, he won’t put himself in danger.”
Zhan Yuheng turned his face and took a deep look at the boy's determined eyes. Suddenly, he chuckled. The girl stepped forward and patted his shoulder, her tone solemn: "Brother," she hadn't called him that in a long time, "take care of yourself and everything will go smoothly."
...
After the discussion that day, Zhan Yaoguang went to Bamian Mountain and lived alone in the dense forest near the foot of the mountain for several days. He drank from mountain springs when thirsty and ate berries when hungry, pretending to be hiding from being tracked. Finally, on the sixth day, he attracted Shi Yunkai's attention.
On the morning of the sixth day, the sky was pale, with only a faint crimson glow on the mountaintop. The shadows of the trees in the forest were dark and slender, appearing like wild beasts devouring human souls in the dim light.
But the boy was not afraid. He leaned against the treetop, half-closing his eyes, listening to the cacophony of insects and crickets, counting the beats in his mind.
Finally, on the sixty-sixth strike, there was movement under the tree.
"When the clouds part, that's it."
A rustling sound of footsteps on branches and leaves arose in the woods, indicating that about a dozen people were heading in his direction.
Zhan Yaoguang kept his eyes closed, one leg dangling in the air, swinging back and forth, looking rather carefree and irresponsible.
Shi Yunkai led his men over, and upon suddenly looking up, he caught sight of his movements.
"Don't move, be quiet!" He raised his hand to signal the people behind him to stop, then looked up and called out to the boy in the tree, "This is at the foot of Bamian Mountain, who is that person in the tree?"
Zhan Yaoguang did not answer, but simply withdrew her leg.
Shi Yunkai saw that the person in the tree had clearly heard his question but pretended not to know and remained calm. Shi Yunkai was furious and turned to his companions, saying, "Bring me my iron fork."
The man dared not delay and quickly handed over the spear that Shi Yunkai usually used for fishing and hunting in the mountains.
Shi Yunkai held the iron fork in his hand and waited for two more breaths. Seeing that there was still no movement from the tree, he gritted his teeth and threw the iron fork away.
A sharp, tearing sound flew rapidly towards him. Zhan Yaoguang's expression hardened, and he narrowly dodged it, the iron fork plunging deep into the tree trunk behind him.
The boy climbed down the tree, walked to the trunk, pulled out the iron fork with his palm, and without looking back, knocked the iron fork back.
The sharp iron fork flew towards Shi Yunkai's face, carrying wood chips. Shi Yunkai couldn't dodge in time, and a bloody gash was cut on his cheek.
"You!" Shi Yunkai was furious and was about to draw his iron fork to fight him again when the young man turned around, revealing a very familiar and beautiful face. "Zhan Yaoguang?"
Zhan Yaoguang feigned surprise and raised an eyebrow: "Shi Yunkai?"
The two were both from southern Xinjiang, so they naturally had a connection, but they weren't very familiar with each other.
Shi Yunkai had always known that he was skilled in martial arts, so he abandoned his thoughts of revenge. He directed the people behind him to remove the fork from his face and had someone tear off a piece of cloth to cover his bleeding cheek.
His skin was slightly dark and his features were rather plain, but he still took good care of his appearance!
"Didn't you say that your grandmother wanted to send you to marry a foreign ruler, and you ran away to the north in a fit of anger? Your sisters and brothers went north to chase after you, but they never expected that you were hiding right under their noses."
Shi Yunkai, having figured out his weakness, relaxed his expression and looked at him with a leisurely air.
Zhan Yaoguang's expression changed drastically: "What a noisy person! What's it to you? If you want to fight, then fight. If you can't win, then let me leave. I don't have time to waste here with you."
Shi Yunkai frowned and secretly glanced behind him, only to see that the dozen or so men were all turning their heads away in a disheveled manner, as if avoiding snakes and scorpions. He couldn't help but curse them inwardly as cowards.
If they are afraid of even Zhan Yaoguang, why would these people follow him to Bamian Mountain? How can they possibly fight against the Dali Dynasty?
He puffed out his cheeks, then threw away the blood-soaked handkerchief and grinned.
“Hit you? Why would we hit you? You are unwilling to go to the previous dynasty for a marriage alliance, and I am unwilling to lie low in the previous dynasty so easily. In that case, we are the ones on the same side, so why would I push you away?”
Shi Yunkai took two steps toward Zhan Yaoguang and reached out to pat his shoulder, but Zhan Yaoguang dodged and grabbed his wrist.
"Hiss—let go. I didn't mean to harm you. I really just wanted to brush a leaf off your shoulder."
Zhan Yaoguang followed his gaze to his shoulder and saw a withered green leaf fluttering in mid-air due to his large movement before finally sinking heavily into the mud.
Shi Yunkai continued to laugh: "How about that? I didn't lie to you, did I? Even if we don't have a relationship, you should trust my character."
Zhan Yaoguang sneered inwardly, but raised an eyebrow and said cryptically, "The Dali Kingdom is strong and its army is powerful. Your few hundred men can't make a ripple."
Shi Yun waved his hand: "I know my own strength. I don't want to do anything to change the dynasty. I just want to gain some advantages."
"All the emperors of previous dynasties gave annual tributes to the southern border to pacify the southern states, but only this Emperor Chongde, relying on the strength of the country, wants to abolish this expenditure. How can I not resent him?"
Zhan Yaoguang's gaze was calm, but he tilted his head slightly, as if he was interested.
Thinking he had persuaded him, Shi Yunkai seized the opportunity to add, "In any case, you should come back to Bamian Mountain with me first. Whether you want to join me in this uprising or not, you should at least have a good meal and drink. Wouldn't that be better than staying down the mountain, exposed to the wind and sun, hungry and cold?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com