A Step into the Past

Book 25 Chapter 11 - Exacting Sweet Vengeance

At the darkest hour before dawn, a long procession of nearly three thousand human beings is entering Windstorm Valley in silence. Their only source of illumination and guidance is a few torches.

From the appearance of the procession, it is evident that these refugees are in a state of panic and disorder. Intermittently broken up into several sections, each batch of travellers are moving in an uncaring manner. Leaving the women and children to their own devices at the back of the procession, no assistance is rendered to the fallen.

Although everybody detests Lu Buwei to the core, they are filled with sympathy at the sight before their eyes.

Xiang Shaolong pondered: “I only wish to take the life of Old Traitor Lu. Is there a way of singling Lu Buwei out from so many people?”

Xiao Yuetan coldly chortled; “Given Old Traitor Lu’s self-seeking character, he would definitely be at the head of the pack.”

Pointing to the front of the convoy, he indicated: “There are a few human-pulled carts. Old Traitor Lu must be inside one of them.”

Xiang Shaolong instructed: “In this case, once the first batch of hundred odd individuals exit the valley, we can seal the valley with wood and stones. It’ll be easier to capture him this way! Except for Old Traitor Lu, the others can go free!”

The minute Lu Buwei and his immediate group of hundred-odd refugees left the mouth of the valley, several tree trunks and countless giant boulders came crashing down suddenly from the top of a cliff. Momentarily, the area was engulfed by a huge cloud of dust and the booming noises of the falling objects shocked everyone out of their wits.

The wood and rocks that are pushed off the cliff instantly separated the procession in the most heartless manner. Falling into disarray, the refugees on both sides of the obstruction fled for their lives in opposite directions among the cries and shouts for help.

Some of them naturally fell down and were trampled all over by their fellow travellers. It felt like the apocalypse.

For those who managed to leave the valley, they are blindly running away when scores of torches are being lighted. As two hundred Wu Family Warriors rode towards Lu Buwei from all directions, they did not harm any of the porters and followers. They simply encircled the wretched-looking Lu Buwei who is presently protected by ten odd bodyguards.

In a split second, Lu Buwei is completely surrounded and he has reached the end of his tether.

Standing in the centre of a protective circle formed by his family warriors, Lu Buwei’s face is deadly pale and he is panting non-stop.

Together with Tu Xian, Xiao Yuetan, Teng Yi, Jing Jun and Ji Yanran, Xiang Shaolong rode out from the crowd. Perched high up on his horse, he thundered: “Lu Buwei, years ago when you ambush my forces and murdered my wife and maids, did it ever cross your mind that there will be a day like today?”

Noticing Tu Xian and Xiao Yuetan, Lu Buwei was bristling with anger and hatred. As his body shook uncontrollably, he pointed his finger at them and bellowed: “Well done! To think that I, Lu Buwei, have been treating you two with benevolence, how dare you conspire with outsiders against me.”

With a ‘pui’, Tu Xian spat a glob of saliva on the ground. Clenching his teeth, he cursed: “Shut your smelly mouth. I should be the one using these words against you. Despite my unwavering loyalty, you chose to sacrifice my bosom buddies in order to direct suspicions away from yourself. You are not fit to be human.”

Xiao Yuetan scorned: “In the face of death, you are still incorrigible and full of shameless nonsense. Today, I am personally here to witness your demise because I want to prove the justice and righteous ways of Heaven. How dare you dispute the truth and make willful accusations?”

Lu Buwei was briefly dumbfounded. Noticing the hundreds of arrows aimed at his heart and waiting to be released, he lost his tongue.

In her shrill voice, Ji Yanran admonished: “The late King has always treated you with kindness. However, you cold-bloodedly poisoned him to death. Lu Buwei, you are worse than a beast.” Teng Yi roared: “The deaths of Xu Xian and Lu Gong were all because of you. Heaven must be blind for keeping you alive for the past few years.”

Jing Jun instead bellowed: “You bunch of fools, are you thinking of accompanying him to his deathbed? Throw down your weapons at once and scram as far as your legs can carry you.”

The family warriors exchanged glances with one another. After the first weapon is discarded, everyone disappeared in a flash. What’s left is a freshly betrayed-by-his-men Lu Buwei standing alone in the centre of their encirclement.

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Xiang Shaolong and his companions leapt off their horses and advanced towards Lu Buwei.

JIANG!

Xiang Shaolong unsheathed Hundred Battle Sabre.

Within a second, his mind has experienced countless flashbacks of the most heart-wrenching moments of his life, and they are all triggered by Lu Buwei.

Chunying and her fellow maids, his trusted subordinates, one by one, they started bleeding and eventually collapsing on the ground; in the prime of her youth, Zhao’s Third Princess turning into a lifeless corpse in his arms; the look of grievance in King Zhuangxiang’s eyes as he passed away; Lu Gong dying with his eyes wide open, these images simultaneously recurred in his vision.

Feeling as if a huge boulder has been casted into his tranquil, mental lake, he is now overwhelmed by turbulent waves of grief.

Out of the blue, he discovered the Hundred Battle Sabre in his hand has penetrated the abdomen of Lu Buwei.

It was Lu Buwei’s body that suddenly lunged forward and pierced itself against his Hundred Battle Sabre. Actually, Lu Buwei was smacked in the back by Teng Yi’s Mozi Sword, causing him to stumble forward. In the ears of Xiang Shaolong, he could hear Teng Yi praying: “Princess Qian, this is for you. May your soul in heaven be appeased.”

By the time Lu Buwei slumped against the body of Xiang Shaolong, he has turned into a lifeless corpse. All the fame and fortune of the world has nothing to do with him anymore.

Although Xiang Shaolong personally killed his nemesis, his heart is feeling empty. His mind totally blank, he did not experience any joy from exacting sweet vengeance.

He has grown to detest the mutual killings of humans.

The sky is finally brightening.

After three days and two nights of continuous riding, Xiang Shaolong and his followers could not withstand the fatigue anymore. Pitching tents, they took a break.

They are one day’s journey away from the farms.

During their voyage, Xiang Shaolong is extremely quiet.

That very night, the weather is excellent. Accompanied by a new crescent moon, the sky is star-studded. Spreading over the entire horizon, the stars are twinkling in clusters of varying sizes.

Leaving the campgrounds, Xiang Shaolong and Ji Yanran ascended a small hill. Leisurely sitting back to back on a turf of grass that is tall enough to reach their knees, they soak in the ambience of genuine and deep love as husband and wife.

Xiang Shaolong started to relax. Presently, Lu Buwei’s issue seems to be miles away and the threat of Xiao Pan is literally non-existent.

He suddenly recalled a movie about Qin Shihuang that he watched in the 21st century. Lu Buwei certainly did not die the way he did.

After being implicated for recommending Lao Ai into officialdom, he was stripped of his Premiership by Yingzheng and exiled to Shiyi, Henan Province.

Nonetheless, still bearing malicious intentions, Lu Buwei remains in cahoots with the rich and powerful of the six States. Eventually, he was forced by Yingzheng to move to Zhuo Jun and was served with a warning letter.

Knowing that he cannot escape the gallows, Lu Buwei chose to commit suicide by drinking poisonous wine.

However, Xiang Shaolong was obviously the one who killed Lu Buwei with his sabre. Did he unconsciously change the course of history?

In the midst of his wild reflections, Ji Yanran’s shrill voice sounded beside his ear: “Hubby, a penny for your thoughts?”

In the spur of the moment, Xiang Shaolong nearly wanted to make a full confession of his ‘background’ to his lovely wife. Ultimately, he suppressed the urge and bitterly smiled: “Even I do not know what I am thinking about.”

Ji Yanran comforted: “Yanran understands Hubby’s emotions. Human beings are really bizarre. Sometimes, we spare no effort and go all out to achieve a goal but once we succeeded, we would feel so empty and lost inside. Fortunately, this is not the trend for everything. For example, friendship between humans will get better with time and deeper as the days go by. Of course, there are also friends who would become your enemies!”

Xiang Shaolong nodded his head: “Listening to Yanran speaking is one of the greatest pleasures of my life. Being able to grow old together with Yanran at the borderlands, what more can I ask for?”

Snaking into Xiang Shaolong’s bosom and using his shoulder as a pillow, Ji Yanran gazed intensively at the flickering stars in the sky with her pretty eyes. She faintly remarked: “Yesterday is the day Yingzheng becomes the official King of Qin. I wonder if Lao Ai and Empress are still... Aye... Yanran should not have brought this up.”

Xiang Shaolong bitterly smiled: “My virtuous wife, I do not mind it one bit. In fact, I have come to terms with it. With our limited abilities, we can only achieve so much; we cannot possibly accomplish everything we set out to do. Concerning Empress, it is beyond my powers to protect her. For the time being, my only wish is to find Wu Guo and the others safe and sound when we arrive at the farms.”

Ji Yanran sighed: “Yanran also wishes to leave this place as soon as possible and never come back.”

First thing next morning, everybody packed their tents and resumed their journey. Following a predetermined secret route, they rode in the direction of the farms.

As evening approaches, the farms can be sighted from afar.

Riding at the head of the convoy, Jing Jun suddenly turned back. The expression on his face is horrendous.

Knowing that something is not right, everyone started to panic.

In a deep voice, Jing Jun reported: “The farms are surrounded by multiple layers of enemies.”

Under the limited glare of the moon and stars, the land is dimly illuminated. Perching on a higher elevation, they scanned the environment.

Entering their sights were tens of thousands of Qin soldiers who are laying siege at the perimeter of the farm. They are located outside the arrow firing range of the farm battlements.

Surprisingly, the battlements are in good condition. It is evident that the enemies have yet to launch an attack.

The Wu Fortress is completely dark, resembling a ferocious beast that is fast asleep.

From the side of the Qin troops, sounds of chopping wood and felling trees can be heard. Unmistakably, they are constructing war machines that are meant to attack the fortress.

In a fierce tone, Teng Yi wondered: “Logically, they should fake an attack in order to deplete our supply of arrows and wear us out physically. Why are they completely immobile instead?”

Remembering Qin Qing and the limited warriors within the fortress, Ji Yanran bit her lower lip in agitation, causing a trickle of blood to emerge. In a deep voice, she explained: “Wei Liao is waiting for our return. Luckily, they are not familiar with the terrain and did not expect us to use this secret path.”

Hit by a brainwave, Xiang Shaolong added: “That is not the main reason. Most importantly, he is waiting for Yingzheng to personally attack us in secret. This is the only way to prevent news from leaking out.”

After careful scrutiny, Xiao Yuetan confirmed that the entrance of the secret tunnel is situated far away from the enemies’ tents and war machine construction yard. Heaving a sigh of relief, he declared: “Before Yingzheng’s arrival, we must fully utilize whatever precious time that remains. Using the secret passageway to return to the fortress, we must immediately grab everyone and depart at once.”

Of course no one will object to his suggestion and everybody quickly jumped into action.

An hour later, they have entered the fortress without being detected. By the time Xiang Shaolong embraced Qin Qing’s petite frame, it felt as if an entire lifetime has passed by.

As the warhorses have been trained to pass through the tunnels, no noises were generated and the enemy is still in the dark about their presence.

Out of the blue, Teng Yi stammered: “What? Wu Guo and the rest are not back?”

Xiang Shaolong is badly shaken. Lightly pushing Qin Qing away, he muttered in shock: “This is impossible.”

Initially speaking with Teng Yi, Tao Fang sadly conveyed: “Looks like Wu Guo is in trouble.”

Pausing for a while, he added: “Last night, the enemies abruptly appeared at the perimeter of the farms. In fact, they have surrounded us and advanced towards us from all directions. Fortunately, they did not harass us; otherwise, we would be in a dilemma: Should we defend the farms with our lives or simply flee?”

With a heavy expression, Xiao Yuetan asserted: “We must retreat at once, for they will discover the secret tunnel sooner or later. When that happens, we would be trapped.”

Xiang Shaolong decided: “Let’s leave in batches. No matter what, I must stay put until the last minute and leave only when the enemy is finally attacking. Zhou Wei has already lost her only kin, her elder brother. I cannot allow her to lose her beloved husband too!”

Tu Xian burst out laughing: “If we must leave, let’s leave together. Let this be a test of Heaven’s goodwill.”

Mounting the fortifications, Xiang Shaolong and the others examined the enemy formations that are spread before their eyes like a tree of fireflies.

The difference in their strengths is mind-blowing. Any resistance would be futile.

Furthermore, Xiang Shaolong and his team have been riding for days and nights. In their weakened state, engaging the adversaries can only result in defeat.

Teng Yi analyzed: “Judging from the battle formation, Wei Liao is truly a military genius.”

Xiao Yuetan sighed: “Yingzheng is thoroughly prepared for this assault. By deploying these border guards who are not related to Shaolong, I believe they themselves are unaware that they are attacking Wu Fortress.”

At this juncture, Jing Jun ran up to them and announced: “We are all set. Shall we bring the horses to the secret cave? With them, it would be easier to make our getaway.”

Ji Yanran proposed: “Why don’t we place the horses near the entrance of the secret tunnel? Take it as our last effort to assist Wu Guo and the others. After all, it is better than being surrounded and without a means of escape.”

Everybody kept quiet and stared at Xiang Shaolong.

Xiang Shaolong acknowledged the wisdom of his pretty wife.

If they wanted to transport six hundred people, horses and provisions through the passageway in complete silence, they would require at least four hours.

He reluctantly agreed: “All right!”

Jing Jun left to execute his order.

Out of a sudden, Teng Yi violently shuddered: “Yingzheng is here; Wu Guo and the rest are finished.”

Reeling with shock, the rest of the group followed his gaze. Together, they witnessed a never-ending procession of torches that resembles a fire dragon. From afar, these new entrants proceeded straight into the tent of the enemy General.

Xiang Shaolong conclusively barked: “Retreat at once.”

DONG! DONG! DONG!

The sound of war drums echoed throughout the air.

Everyone exchanged glances with one another. Yingzheng had obviously travelled nonstop throughout the night. Without even stopping for a break or a drink, he instantly commenced the attack, clearly demonstrating his determination in killing Xiang Shaolong.

In a distressed tone, Xiang Shaolong vexed: “Xiao Pan! You are too heartless!”

Ji Yanran hollered: “Abandon the horses! We can only rely on our feet to make our escape. Otherwise, it will be too late.”

Acknowledging her command, everyone started moving accordingly.

Watching the enemy soldiers advance from all directions in an overwhelming manner, their hearts sank straight to the bottom.