Chapter 1055 Nighttime Stealth
A suffocating silence fell over the tent.
After an unknown amount of time, Shan Tong'er finally raised her head as if admitting defeat, meeting Nie Chong's calm gaze in his reddened eyes: "Brother Nie, your ears are too sharp."
Nie Chong said, "Let's get down to business."
"All right,"
Shan Tong sighed and said, "That Shan Shiyu seems to be my elder brother."
Although he already had some guesses in his heart, Nie Chong still couldn't help but show a surprised look when he heard Shan Tong'er say it herself. He frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "But, isn't your family name 'Shan'?"
When they were brothers in Wanggang Village, everyone only knew that the Ninth Leader was called Shan Tong'er. Even when they told jokes, they would not talk about it in depth. Later, after they followed Shen Tu Tai to join the Yuwen family, they became closer and learned about each other's backgrounds and origins. Nie Chong also learned that Shan Tong'er's original surname was "Shan," but he changed his surname for some reason and changed it to "Shan," which is a homophone.
But, Master Shan Yu's surname is indeed "Shan," so how could he be Shan Tong'er's elder brother?
Shan Tong'er said in a low voice, "I don't know what happened. Actually, after being away from home for so many years, I thought they were all gone... I really didn't expect to see them again."
Nie Chong asked, "Is he really your older brother? How long have you been separated?"
The kind boy said, "It's been almost ten years."
"That……"
"Although we've been apart for a long time, I still vaguely remember what he looks like. He looks a lot like the one I just saw."
"..."
"Moreover, when he saw me, I felt like he recognized me too."
"..."
Nie Chong fell silent.
Just now on the battlefield, although he only had time to hear Shan Tong'er's very soft, almost mosquito-like murmur of "Big Brother", he did not hear what Shan Shiyu said. In that split second, there was no time to say anything, and Shan Shiyu did not immediately attack after knocking him down, as if he had some reservations.
He remained silent for a long while before asking, "So, what are your plans?"
Upon hearing this, Shan Tong'er propped himself up and looked outside. It was already dark, and he could only faintly see the light of some campfires. There was no one else outside, so he said softly, "Brother Nie, I need you to accompany me—take me to Hulao Pass."
"What!?"
Upon hearing this, Nie Chong's eyes widened in shock: "What are you going to do?"
Shan Tong'er lowered her voice and said, "I think he recognized me too, and I want to acknowledge him as my father."
Nie Chong gasped, "Are you... are you crazy? Even if he recognized you, we're enemies now, our two armies are facing off. So what if you're brothers? You... you want to defect to the enemy?"
Upon hearing the words "defect to the enemy," Shan Tong'er was startled and quickly waved his hand, saying, "Of course not!"
"Then what are you going to Hulao Pass for?"
"If he is my older brother, after we recognize each other, will I be able to convince him?"
"What?"
"Persuade him to join us."
Nie Chong felt like he was hearing something unbelievable and refused to agree no matter what, but Shan Tong'er grabbed his sleeve and wouldn't let go: "Brother Nie, please, if you can really persuade him, we can avoid a big battle."
Nie Chong was both amused and annoyed, and said, "What if you can't convince them?"
"..."
"I'm just a nobody, I don't care if I live or die, but what if he detains you?"
"..."
"What are you going to do about His Highness the King of Qin? What are you going to do about Brother Shentu?"
Upon hearing this, Shan Tong'er thought for a moment and immediately said with a solemn expression, "If that's really the case, you can rest assured that I will absolutely not let him use me to threaten His Highness or Brother Shentu."
"..."
"Besides, Brother Nie, you're not some nobody."
"..."
"I just need you to ride me to Hulao Pass. You don't need to get close, just take me there. I can't ride a horse by myself right now."
"..."
"Brother Nie, I'm begging you..."
Hearing Shan Tong'er's desperate pleas, Nie Chong's heart softened. Besides, Shan Tong'er was so certain that Shan Shiyu was his family. If they could really persuade him through this relationship and take Hulao Pass, it would be a good thing for them.
But this is a high-stakes gamble.
He hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "Alright, I promise you. But I won't abandon you. If you're going to Hulao Pass, I'll go with you. Life or death, we'll be together!"
Upon hearing this, Shan Tong'er's eyes lit up with delight.
He gripped Nie Chong's hand tightly and said joyfully, "Brother Nie, don't worry, as long as I'm here, I'll protect you with my life!"
Time passed quickly, and soon the deep night enveloped the camp, as if a pitch-black curtain had been drawn around it, so dark that one could not see their own hand in front of their face. Only the twinkling stars overhead and the light from a few scattered campfires illuminated the vague outlines of the undulating tents, resembling an endless mountain range.
From among these shadows, two figures, one tall and one short, quietly emerged.
Having fought for many years, they were already familiar with the patrol rules in the camp, so they easily evaded the two patrol teams of soldiers. Before long, they slipped into the stable. Nie Chong stepped forward, untied the reins of his warhorse, and then carefully led it out by pinching its muzzle.
After leaving the camp, the two men did not dare to mount their horses. Instead, they continued to lead their horses for a long time until the camp behind them was completely blended into the night and even the firelight could not be seen. Only then did they breathe a sigh of relief.
Upon catching his breath, Shan Tong'er immediately cried out in pain.
Nie Chong asked, "Does it hurt?"
Shan Tong'er quickly waved his hand: "It doesn't hurt."
Seeing his forced smile, Nie Chong sighed, picked him up around the waist and put him on the horse, but placed him face down on the horse's back like a satchel, and then said, "Tell me if you feel unwell."
Shan Tong'er shook her head: "I'm not feeling unwell. Brother Nie, please be careful. It's too dark, don't fall."
"I'm fine, don't worry."
Nie Chong took a deep breath, finally shook the reins, and led Shan Tong'er forward at a trot.
Although his horsemanship was quite superb, it was still such a dark night, and he dared not light a torch to avoid attracting attention, so he could only trot slowly. Fortunately, the Yellow River flowed not far away, and the sound of its waves guided them eastward. Finally, after two hours, when the night was so deep that it seemed to solidify into ink, they saw Hulao Pass ahead.
Strangely, Hulao Pass is brightly lit tonight.
The soldiers on the city tower held torches high, and the light illuminated almost the entire sky above Hulao Pass. By the light of the torches, they could also see that the city gate seemed to be half open.
It seemed as if it was waiting for something.
Nie Chong took a deep breath and spurred his horse to continue forward.
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