As the sun sets behind the mountain ridge and evening bells toll, crows returning to their nests create a noisy cacophony deep in the forest.
Inside the stone cell of the Eighteen Linked Fortresses, the second-in-command, Yan Biao, had been imprisoned for many days. He couldn't remember when he last drank and ate meat; he only remembered that during these days he could only lick the stagnant water on the ground and survive by eating grass roots and mountain rats that had wandered in by mistake.
Now Yan Biao sits on the cold, hard stone slab, his shackles pressing down on his body, which is on the verge of death.
He began to wonder whether his elder brother hadn't given him a quick death out of brotherly affection, or whether he didn't want him to die too easily and wanted him to suffer more to atone for his sins.
Yes, he betrayed his master for personal gain, revealing to the Imperial City Guard that their master was none other than Prince Xiaoqiaochuan, Li Qingchen! But in this world, everyone looks out for themselves!
Half asleep and half awake, Yan Biao used his last bit of strength to think about these things. Just as he was about to fall into a deep sleep, the sound of keys clinking together woke him up, giving him a renewed burst of energy.
Yan Biao looked up and, as expected, it was that scarred-face man again. These past few days, the scarred-face man had been coming to him every day to ask who had ordered him to do this. His answer was always the same as today:
"have no idea."
Scarface sighed and advised, "Second Master, why are you doing this? If you reveal who instructed you to report to the Imperial City Guard, perhaps the First Master will calm down and give you another chance."
Yan Biao was too lazy to say anything more, so he lowered his head, closed his eyes again, and ignored him.
The reason he couldn't name that person was because if he did, his life would be completely over. But by holding back, he might still have a chance to survive.
That man had said that he had informants in both the Imperial City Guard and the village, and that as long as he could hold on, he would definitely protect his life.
Yan Biao felt that he was more willing to trust this man than his lord, who had always been loyal to him. After all, this man had shown his true face from the beginning and offered real money, unlike his lord, who had always kept a mask between him and his brother.
Over the years, he had served his lord alongside his elder brother, risking his life for him, yet his lord still remained wary of them! If it weren't for this man's appearance, he would never have known that his lord was none other than Li Qingchen, the Prince of Xiaoqiaochuan!
I am a citizen of Da Ye, yet I have to serve a foreign tribe from Qiao. What a joke!
Therefore, when the man handed him a thousand-tael silver note, asking him to pretend to be captured by the Imperial City Guard and then reveal Li Qingchen in exchange for his freedom, he readily agreed. The man promised to give him another three thousand taels once the matter was settled.
A total of four thousand taels of silver! This is something they've never seen in all the years they've risked their lives following Li Qingchen.
At that time, Yan Biao thought that after getting the four thousand taels, he could lay down his butcher's knife, lead his brothers to reform and no longer be a bandit! Who would want to hide in the deep mountains every day and not dare to go out to spend money when they could live a life of luxury?
He just didn't expect that Li Qingchen would be able to escape the net that night and even accurately determine that he was the traitor.
Now Li Qingchen can't tolerate him, and his elder brother doesn't acknowledge him as his younger brother anymore. He doesn't know how much longer he can live...
As Yan Biao was feeling dejected, a mountain wind blew in, and the prison door clanged as if something was hanging on the iron bars. Yan Biao rolled his eyes, initially not paying much attention, but after noticing what was hanging on the iron bars, he suddenly snapped to attention and sat up straight!
"key?"
Could it really be that person who came to save him?
Overjoyed, Yan Biao quickly climbed forward and took the bunch of keys, comparing them one by one to the shackles on his wrists. Finally, with a "click," the shackles were unlocked!
His eyes widened as if he couldn't accept this reality for a moment. After a brief pause, he quickly went to try the other locks on the door. Sure enough, they opened quickly too!
"There's always a way out! There's always a way out!" Yan Biao muttered to himself as he crawled out of the stone cell using both his hands and feet.
...
Beside a huge rock above the stone prison, Yan Sandao, the leader of the Eighteen Linked Villages, stood there, followed by the scarred man who had deliberately left the key for Yan Biao earlier.
From their vantage point, the two men had a clear view of Yan Biao's escape route.
Scarface tried to persuade him: "Chief, perhaps you could ask the Lord again to give the Second Chief another chance to make amends?"
Yan Sandao sighed helplessly, "I know my second brother better than anyone. Even if I gave him a hundred more chances, he would still betray his master for personal gain! Just wait and see if this time everything is within the lord's calculations."
...
The wind blew through the old forest, rustling the leaves. Yan Biao, who was already too exhausted to continue running, finally stopped, panting, and glanced around at his surroundings.
Unbeknownst to him, he had run into a camphor forest. It was already dark, and a crescent moon hung on the treetops. It seemed he wouldn't be able to get down the mountain tonight.
However, spending the night in the forest was certainly not safe enough, so Yan Biao had no choice but to drag his heavy legs forward, thinking of finding a safe place first. Suddenly, he heard some strange noises behind him. His expression tightened, and he immediately lay down to listen. Sure enough, it was the sound of horses' hooves! Judging from the noise, there must be quite a few people chasing after them!
Yan Biao didn't care about his fatigue and kept running forward with all his might. However, how could two legs outrun four? Soon he was surrounded by a group of people riding tall blue horses.
"Who...who are you people?" Yan Biao had initially thought the people chasing after them were his brothers from the village, but now it seemed they weren't. These people were dressed in black, well-trained, and definitely not bandits.
One of them, mounted on horseback, pointed his longsword at him. "Second Master Yan, you betrayed our lord. Did you really think he would let you leave Yandang Mountain alive?"
"You are... Li Qingchen's people?!" Yan Biao's eyes widened.
"Hahahaha~" The men in black around them all burst out laughing, as if they were watching a joke.
"What are you laughing at!" Yan Biao roared. "If you want to fight or kill, just come at me! Do you think I'm afraid of you?!"
As soon as he finished speaking, three claps rang out. Yan Biao followed the sound and saw a carriage slowly approaching. The clapping was coming from inside.
He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Are you the Prince of Xiaoqiaochuan?"
The person inside didn't respond to him this time, which made him furious: "Li Qingchen, I'm not afraid of death! I just didn't expect you to be such a coward, not daring to show your true colors in front of a dying man! Bah! All these years I've been working for you!"
The carriage curtain was slowly lifted from the inside, revealing a face wearing a ghost head mask, just like the lord who had appeared before Yan Biao over the years.
To Yan Biao's surprise, he was actually provoked by his own words and took off the ghost head mask...
However, the face beneath the mask once again surprised Yan Biao.
"You are... the second young master of the Jing Prince's Mansion?!"
My lord, it's not Li Qingchen!
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