Chapter 77 The purpose of kidnapping them was to take Feng Tan away!
The Luo River, flowing from the northwest, meanders through Yangchuan Prefecture like a giant dragon. To the east and west of the river lie vast, fertile plains, a land of plenty known since ancient times as the lower reaches of the Yangtze. Yangchuan Prefecture is bordered by Jiangding Valley to the east, the Linzhang Sea to the south, the Han and Mian Rivers to the north, and the Dahua River to the west. With convenient waterways and land routes, it was a hub of commerce, a place of refined culture and prosperity, and the most flourishing region south of the Yangtze River.
Over three days, the prison cart traveled day and night, heading south from the capital of the Great Huang Dynasty, passing through two provinces. By the time it reached Jiangding Post Station in Yangchuan Prefecture, it was already pitch black.
Because of the local wealthy connections, the Jiangding Post Station never skimped on food and lodging for visiting officials. The Ministry of Justice jailers, who were responsible for escorting prisoners, were exhausted after a long day of work. They quickly ate their meal and went to their rooms at the post station to rest.
The middle and lower reaches of the Luo River are prone to rain. After a sunny day, dark clouds slowly gathered at night, and a light drizzle began to fall. The fine rain felt refreshingly cool on the cheeks in the hot summer night. Two guards, holding large swords and watching over Feng Tan by the prison cart, were awakened by the raindrops on their faces. They rubbed their sleepy eyes and went to take shelter under the eaves.
The prison van was drafty on all sides, and the falling rain poured down on the people inside without any obstruction. Feng Tan was unconscious inside, delirious from a high fever, trapped in a bizarre dream from which she could not escape.
The Floating Pagoda Prison is eighteen stories high. Gao Yu's laughter is ferocious. The prison guards torture the girls imprisoned inside to the point of death. She moves through it all, her body ethereal, and nothing can stop her. The lights spin wildly before her eyes like a revolving lantern. At the thirteenth floor, she grabs Wan Niang's fingers as she tries to jump off the high prison, but Wan Niang pries them off one by one. Wan Niang tells her that only death can bring freedom. Later, on a trip to the Linzhang sea area, the young girls are used as objects of abuse by the powerful and wealthy. After being rescued, their reputations are ruined, and they dare not go home. Under the shadow of the Yellow Millet, in the prison cage, the teacher is killed to save her, Hu Shu commits suicide, and the heads of the eight girls of the Red Sleeve Pavilion bleed profusely, giving birth to the fiery red lotus.
Dead, dead, all dead...
No one who tried to overthrow the system survived.
Beneath the Buddha's feet bloomed countless red lotuses, their graceful forms rustling, once the epitome of human beauty. Now, stripped of their physical forms, they had returned to the Western Paradise. The crimson blossoms that covered the mountains and seas burned into Feng Tan's eyes. She saw Feng Youming sitting silently on a lotus throne, with nine other transmigrators who had come with her behind her.
They asked, "Feng Qinghuang, you were born with the body of a phoenix, destined to be the one who saves us from suffering. You have witnessed their hardships and know the sorrows they have endured in this world. Now, are you willing to walk with us?"
Feng Tan looked up at them, her eyes filled with confusion.
Who is Feng Qinghuang? And who is Feng Tan?
Looking back, Feng Qinghuang was a child who had lost her mother, and Feng Tan was a lonely traveler who had lost everyone. In the deepest darkness, she was completely lost. For seventeen years, she had lost everything she had learned. Her armor, once covered in thorns, had been worn down to nothing. She curled up her fragile body. In truth, from beginning to end, Feng Tan had never thought of changing the feudal system of male superiority and female inferiority. All she wanted was to rescue her teacher.
Feng Tan transformed into a white crane, wading into the Red Lotus Pond. He brushed past them and saw the mud on the lotus petals. The white crane carried water and dripped it onto them. Suddenly, the water droplets turned red. The white crane looked around and saw that the ten generations of time travelers had retreated, the Buddha statue had collapsed, and the Western Pure Land had been eroded by the blood-red sea of sin. All that could be seen was a vast expanse of crimson.
A massive barbed wire net descended from the sky, trapping the white crane in the sea of evil, causing it to thrash about. The Dark Night Asura, hidden in the shadows, emerged from the water after succeeding, its cold, woody scent tightening around the white crane's neck. It threatened, snipping its ear: "Look at all these scars. What's the point of saving them? What's the point of changing the world? You can't do it anymore."
The white crane's wings were cut off, and its feathers were torn clean. It became the most delicious meat in the mouth of the Dark Night Asura, who could never get enough of it.
Cold sweat dripped down her cheeks, yet she remained trapped in the terrifying dream. A sharp pain shot through Feng Tan's forehead, finally pulling her out of the nightmare. She slowly opened her eyes and saw the gyrfalcon lying beside the prison cart railing.
Qingcang, with its entirely black feathers, was not easily spotted in the darkness, especially since the guards closest to the prison cart had taken shelter in the corridor due to the rain. It looked at Feng Tan, slowly raising its paw to indicate that it had come carrying a secret message.
In the dim light, the Windwalker's mark was not obvious. Feng Tan could only make it out with the faint light reflected from the Warden's Greatsword. After unfolding the letter, she quickly read it, pricked her finger to write a few words, and then put the letter back under Qing Cang's claws, waving it away.
No one noticed her movements. After she finished, Feng Tan leaned back against the railing, her body covered in sweat. She had been running a high fever and hadn't eaten or drunk anything all day. Her body was already severely depleted. She wanted to ask Yu Dian for some water, and when she spoke, her voice was hoarse: "Brothers, could you please get me a cup of water?"
Yu Dian was awakened by her voice, his tone choked with emotion, "Let's talk about it tomorrow! It's so late, don't disturb my sleep!"
Before he could finish speaking, someone kicked him in the chest and said, "You've completely forgotten what I told you during the day, haven't you! Go get some water!"
Mu Long's kick instantly snapped him to his senses. He hunched over and scrambled to his feet from under the eaves, muttering sheepishly, "I'll go... I'll go..."
The drizzle intensified, and Mu Longjian waved his arm, covering the prison cart with an oiled paper cloth. He then took out two fever-reducing pills from his pocket and said, "Lord Feng, please take them quickly. If something happens to you on the way, Miss Yu will blame me!"
Feng Tan stared at the pill in his palm, then looked at Mu Long's rugged and wild face, took it from him and said, "Thank you."
"No need to thank me," Mu Long said, gazing at the night sky behind his back. After a moment, he said, "When Lord Feng went against the world's will to do this, did he foresee the consequences today?"
Mu Long was truly puzzled. Feng Tan passed the imperial examination at a young age and made two great contributions by solving the Dragon Fall Case and the National Treasury Theft Case. He abandoned his promising future to save the culprit of the Female Calamity Case and so many prostitutes from the Red Sleeve Pavilion. What was his purpose?
A haze hung over Feng Tan's head as she looked back at Mu Long's earnest questioning expression and said, "No."
The initial plan was that even if the case failed to be overturned, she could still rescue her husband by allying with the Shen family army.
Mu Long was taken aback, then asked, "If you had known beforehand that it would fail, would Lord Feng still have tried to save him?"
"There are no 'ifs'." Feng Tan's lips tightened, and after a moment of silence, she asked again, "General Mu...does he like Yu Ruxi?"
Mu Long was taken aback by her question, and his face flushed slightly in the darkness. He quickly waved his hand and said, "I dare not! Miss Yu is the daughter of a military family. Her future husband will surely be a noble and upright official. I am just a military man. I cannot win Miss Yu's favor."
Feng Tan accepted Mu Long's kindness and returned the favor, saying, "Don't worry, Yu Ruxi's affection for me is not romantic."
"That's good, that's good..." Mu Long said, then waved his hands repeatedly, "No, I mean..."
Knowing that he would only make things worse by explaining, he simply gave up and said, "Okay, I like her very much and want to marry her."
Despite having only met a few times, Feng Tan could tell that Mu Long was a passionate young man. She said softly, "Yu Ruxi likes to eat ice, especially ice cream with fresh grapes; she likes to collect fine horses, and she keeps all kinds of horses from different regions in her stable; she also likes to ride on the battlefield, which makes her feel like she is making great achievements and her blood is boiling... Actually, she is also a bit of a crybaby, her eyes are easily reddened..."
Due to social conventions, Mu Long was unaware of Yu Ruxi's preferences, nor did he know how to pursue such a fiery and passionate young woman. As Feng Tan recounted Yu Ruxi's likes and dislikes, he was filled with gratitude and astonishment, asking, "Lord Feng, how do you know such private matters about young women?"
Feng Tan's gaze flickered, the leisurely years in the palace slipping through her fingers, and she did not answer Mu Long's question.
***
Exiled to Lingnan, the caravan had to pass through Jiangding Valley. It was the hottest time of summer, and as the sun rose, the valley was filled with the fragrance of green willows and wildflowers, a vibrant scene of life. The mountains on both sides rose and fell, layer upon layer, like a green screen, and the mountain streams gurgled, crystal clear, with a few fish swimming among them.
After a brief discussion, Mu Long, a member of the Imperial Guard, and Yin Jian, the prison captain escorting Feng Tan, calculated that it would take at least two days to cross the valley that stretched for hundreds of miles. Since there were no more post stations along the way, they took more than a dozen tents from the Jiangding Post Station and carried them with them in case of the rainy conditions in the middle and lower reaches of the Luo River.
Their prediction was correct; at dusk, a heavy rain began to fall in the valley. Lightning flashed and thunder roared in the sky, and trees were blown about by the wind and rain, stirring up clouds of dust.
Feng Tan had been waiting for her chance. With a flick of her finger, she shot a slender silver needle into the rump of the two horses pulling the prison cart. The horses, startled and in pain, reared up, let out a long neigh, and charged forward.
"The horse is startled!"
"Where's the groom?! What are you doing looking after the horse?!"
"You, you, you, and all of you who are good at riding, get on your horses and chase after them!"
The sound of hooves came from behind. In the dim darkness, Feng Tan pricked the horse's rump twice more, and the two horses pulling the prison cart ran even faster, creating a small distance between themselves and the pursuers.
Feng Tan took out her sniper rifle and fired several shots at the chains binding her hands and feet. After several days of high fever and little food intake, she felt dizzy when she stood up and was already exhausted. She stepped out of the prison cart, jumped onto a horse, cut the reins that were attached to the cart shaft, and galloped wildly down the valley.
The pursuers behind them were startled when they saw the young official escaping ahead and immediately sent a signal to the main force behind them to give chase.
As the pursuers drew ever closer to Feng Tan, just as they were about to catch up with her, an army slowly emerged from the dust in front of her. It was Feng Bingzhu leading the Imperial Dragon Camp to block her way.
An arrow struck from behind Feng Tan, piercing the hind hoof of the horse beneath him. The horse lurched forward, throwing Feng Tan off its back.
Feng Tan winced in pain as her knee struck a hard rock. She turned around and saw Wei Shengxian holding a longbow, poised to fire an arrow amidst the swirling dust.
A fierce wind whipped up yellow dust, and Feng Bingzhu rode a white horse, breaking through the enemy lines. Behind her, the elite troops of the Imperial Dragon Camp gleamed in armor. They held red-tasseled spears and charged towards the Imperial Guards.
The two sides clashed fiercely, swords flashing and spears clashing. Feng Bingzhu rode his horse to shield Feng Tan in front of him, bent down and stretched out his palm, shouting, "Feng Tan!"
Feng Tan endured the dull pain in her knees as she got up from the ground. As their fingers clasped together, four rollers suddenly struck her injured arms and legs with pinpoint accuracy from behind. Pain shot through her entire body. Feng Bingzhu's outstretched hand brushed against Feng Tan's fingertips, and Feng Tan leaned back.
Just then, a densely woven net descended from above, catching Feng Tan's backward-falling body and pulling him and the net horizontally into the dense forest behind.
Feng Bingzhu's brows furrowed, and he looked toward the place where Feng Tan had been abducted. Amidst the lush greenery, countless soldiers wearing half-black fang masks had thrown off their turf and were entrenched in the dense forest. Their eyes were like those of hawks, their bodies were strong and muscular, and they had skull totems on their left shoulders that symbolized their status.
Upon seeing the skull totem, Feng Bingzhu's pupils constricted sharply; this was the Rakshasa Army of the Great Hua Dynasty!
The Raksha Army was the most terrifying armed force in the Hua Dynasty. This army was loyal only to the royal family, and wherever they went, only corpses remained. Their cruelty was unparalleled in the Central Plains. Legend has it that this army disappeared after the death of the previous Hua Dynasty emperor, but unexpectedly, they hid in the territory of the Dahuang!
Behind him, the sounds of the Imperial Dragon Army and the Embroidered Uniform Guard clashing continued, while in front of him, the Rakshasa Army filled the deep valley. Feng Bingzhu realized something was amiss. They weren't hiding in Dahuang; rather, they were temporarily stationed in this valley! They had come prepared, coldly watching the Imperial Dragon Army and the Embroidered Uniform Guard fight, waiting to reap the rewards... Feng Tan?
Their goal is to take away the sandalwood!
Feng Bingzhu gripped her red-tasseled spear tightly. As the commander of the Imperial Dragon Camp, she had brought enough men today to deal with the Embroidered Uniform Guards to prevent being followed, but not enough to deal with Cheng Gu's Luosha Army. She knew that under these circumstances, for the safety of the Imperial Dragon Camp, she could not fight them head-on. When she met the eyes of the person in front of her, the message they were trying to convey was already clear.
She saw the thin lips of the man in front of her curl slightly beneath his mask, sealing the entrance of Feng Tan, who was about to break free from the net of essence in his arms. Then he turned his horse around, with the Luosha Army protecting his back, and gradually disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.
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