Chapter 115 - The Fates (Part 2)

The road inspections gradually slackened, nowhere near as stringent as they had been within a dozen or so li of Bianshui Town. The presence of the Imperial Guards dwindled, and by the time Lei Jingzhe passed through the Vegetable Field Hamlet, no trace of them could be seen. It was not until nightfall that they rested beside a stream, where Li Xiong skewered several fish to roast for Lei Jingzhe. With neither condiments nor aromatic herbs, the fish tasted exceedingly fishy and bitter, yet Li Xiong devoured it with relish, promptly falling asleep after a full meal.

Not daring to leave a bonfire, Lei Jingzhe covered it with soil. After being awake for an entire day and night, he could no longer hold on and leaned against a tree, falling asleep. It was unknown how long he had slept when Lei Jingzhe suddenly jolted awake. He first propped himself up, gathering his breath and attentively listening to the sounds within the forest.

The wind howled fiercely tonight, swaying the branches and rustling the leaves in waves. Li Xiong still slumbered, his snores echoing like rolling thunder. Lei Jingzhe listened for a while, though he didn't detect anything amiss, suspicion had already taken root in his heart. He kicked Li Xiong awake and signaled for him to fetch their horses using hand gestures.

In the brief moment Li Xiong was untying the reins, he suddenly felt an urgent need to urinate. Having been busy all day and then sleeping straight through the night, he couldn't hold it in any longer. Whispering to Lei Jingzhe, he said, "Brother, I need to relieve myself."

Lei Jingzhe clicked his tongue, gesturing to Li Xiong with a mock-slapping motion, urging him to hurry. Li Xiong quickly retreated behind the tree and loosened his pants. The sound of trickling water echoed, and Lei Jingzhe, reassured by the lack of response, began to relax. He held onto his horse, but as the horse exhaled, he suddenly realized something was amiss – where were the sounds of birds and insects?

Before Li Xiong could finish, Lei Jingzhe whispered urgently, "Go!"

Li Xiong responded with an "Eh," hastily tying his pants and dashing after Lei Jingzhe. With fierce whip cracks, Lei Jingzhe raced through the shadows, the swaying branches appearing like bony fingers of ghosts closing in from all directions.

Sweat dripped down Lei Jingzhe's face, though he couldn't explain why. The wind chilled his back, and he didn't dare look back at Li Xiong, only focusing on escaping the woods. His horse, exhausted from running, couldn't match its daytime speed despite his persistent urging.

The pounding of footsteps echoed around him, and Lei Jingzhe felt as if he was being chased by something that shook the ground beneath him. He burst through the tree line, then abruptly pulled hard on the reins, catching his breath and staring intently ahead.

Xiao Chiye's sleeves billowed behind him in the wind as an oriental eagle perched on his shoulder, tilting its head curiously. It seemed as if the darkness spread out from behind him, overwhelming Lei Jingzhe's limbs and rendering him immobile, his entire body stiff on the horse.

A hoarse sound escaped Lei Jingzhe's throat. He realized he needed to turn back but found himself surrounded by imperial guards. Xiao Chiye had deliberately concealed his men in the woods, leaving Lei Jingzhe guessing at the size of their force – a retaliation for the deceit they had suffered earlier, making Lei Jingzhe experience the same absurd feeling of being toyed with.

"Run," Xiao Chiye said in a deep voice.

Lei Jingzhe released the reins and raised his hands. "You win. I surrender."

Liang Taixue tossed his head and snorted, but Xiao Chiye remained silent.

Lei Jingzhe slid off the horse slowly, his arms still raised to show he had no intention of fighting to the bitter end. He seemed to be quite pragmatic, undoing the sword at his waist after landing on the ground. He looked at Xiao Chiye and placed it on the floor, saying, "We can still talk."

Xiao Chiye appeared intrigued. "Go on."

Lei Jingzhe caught his breath, beads of sweat trickling down his temples in the icy glow. "If you return to Libei, you won't stay long in Cizhou. Killing me now won't stop the Luo Mountain bandits from resurfacing. On the contrary, it will plunge the newly stabilized Dun and Duan Provinces into chaos. Why not let me go and maintain stability in both provinces, giving Cizhou ample time to rebuild its defense forces?"

Crows cawed in the sky, stirring themselves up before darting into the wind and disappearing into the rustling trees. The tension below escalated. Lei Jingzhe kept his gaze fixed on Xiao Chiye, trying to prove that he still had a plan and was not yet at the end of his rope.

Xiao Chiye raised his palm, resting it on his hip.

The two of them stood in confrontation, and in the instant they pounced on each other, Lei Jingzhe suddenly kicked his knife up, shedding its scabbard. He did a forward roll followed by a powerful explosion of force from his legs, launching his entire body upward. The blade slashed towards Xiao Chiye's face. The blades clashed fiercely, sparks flying amidst the immense resistance.

The sweltering heat of several days dissipated in the wind, and the clear blue sky of the day was now covered with dark clouds. Large raindrops began to fall, followed by a sudden downpour as if an impatient god was washing away the filthy world from the scorching heat.

Li Xiong had lost track of Lei Jingzhe but after circling around for a while, he finally heard faint sounds of combat through the rain. He pushed aside the branches and leaves, splashing through the mud as he pursued the noise. Just as he tumbled out, he found himself facing a palace guard with a sword. Weaponless, he saw Lei Jingzhe struggling in the rain and, in a fit of desperation, roared and turned to hug the thick, bald tree trunk, lifting it up.

"Big Brother!" Li Xiong was like a reckless bull, his boundless strength sending the guards reeling.

Xiao Chiye had not expected Li Xiong to possess such strength; he was knocked off balance by the swinging tree. Lei Jingzhe had already been struck by the blade, so he immediately retreated to Li Xiong's side. Li Xiong's innate strength was even more intimidating than Xiao Chiye's. With the tree in hand, he blocked the swords and yelled, "Brother! I'll carry you!"

Lei Jingzhe leaped onto Li Xiong's back. Li Xiong leaned against the tree, let out a roar, and charged straight through the gap. He was fearless of both swords and Xiao Chiye; like a calf unafraid of tigers, all that mattered to him was his big brother, Lei Jingzhe! Even though he had been slashed on his arm, Li Xiong felt no pain. He kicked down the wall of people in front of him and, braving the downpour, dashed away with Lei Jingzhe on his back.

Blood flowed from Lei Jingzhe's wounds, staining Li Xiong's back red.

Li Xiong wiped his face and cried, "Big Brother! Don't die!"

Lei Jingzhe was not someone who accepted his fate. He had been unhappy living with the Zhu family in Duanzhou, and when his biological father betrayed his mother, he changed his surname to Lei and became Lei Jingzhe. In Luo Mountain, he had encountered danger multiple times but always managed to find a turning point. However, Xiao Chiye was like the sudden rainstorm that night – an unforeseen deadlock. He believed that his luck had not run out, but helplessly watched the situation slip out of control.

"Dammit…" Lei Jingzhe covered his wound and said, "Shut up!"

Li Xiong heard the galloping hooves behind him and gritted his teeth, bolting forward with his face to the sky. He was swift, and it was truly remarkable that even ordinary horses could not catch up with him. However, Xiao Chiye's Tidewater Snow Robe was extraordinary, and in the blink of an eye, it had caught up with the two of them.

With all his might, Li Xiong leaped over a stream but suddenly cramped up mid-air. As he was still growing, his footing wobbled, causing him to fall to the ground. While gasping in pain, he dragged Lei Jingzhe up and tried to run away with him on his back.

"Xiao Chiye!" Lei Jingzhe knew they couldn't escape now, so he said, "If you spare my life, the bandits of Luo Mountain will swear allegiance to you! My influence still exists, and I can still be of use!"

Xiao Chiye flicked the blood off the Wolffang Blade. Tidewater Snow Robe took two steps forward and charged at them fiercely.

Lei Jingzhe twisted Li Xiong's face around. His voice was already strained from the exertion as he panted. He did not want to die. Gripping Li Xiong's fingers tightly, he said, "Cub, kill him, kill him!"

Li Xiong wiped the rainwater off his face. Hobbled by one leg, he spread his arms wide and braced himself, actually attempting to overturn Tidewater Snow Robe. His sturdy body trembled as he stared at Xiao Chiye. With a loud cry, he lunged forward. He wrapped his arms around Tidewater Snow Robe's neck, making the horse whinny. He didn't know many tricks, but his footwork clearly resembled the wrestling techniques of the Bashan Tribe as he sent Tidewater Snow Robe tumbling into the mud.

Xiao Chiye grabbed Li Xiong's collar. Li Xiong was standing on one foot, his face still young and unlined. Struggling, he pounded Xiao Chiye's arm and shouted, "Brother, run!"

Xiao Chiye dragged Li Xiong along as he watched Lei Jingzhe roll down the slope. He did not pursue them, but Li Xiong continued to bite at him. Xiao Chiye twisted the back of Li Xiong's collar and slammed his face into the ground, burying his nose and mouth in the mud, causing him to thrash about violently.

"Bind him."

Hearing Xiao Chiye instruct the Imperial Guards who had arrived later, Li Xiong was knocked out by the hilt of a sword.

The rain didn't last long before it ceased. Tan Taihu rode up from behind. Xiao Chiye was wiping the mud off Langtaoxuejin's chest when he saw him arrive. He withdrew the half-sleeved cloth with one hand and waved at Tan Taihu.

"Master," Tan Taihu said, "I'll lead the men to surround him from the southeast. He can't have gone far."

But Xiao Chiye asked, "Have all the bandits in the forest been caught?"

Tan Taihu thought Xiao Chiye wanted to take inventory and was about to call for his subordinates to bring a ledger. To his surprise, Xiao Chiye wiped the mud off his fingers and said, "It's fine as long as they've been caught. There's no need to show them to me. Get ready; we're heading back to the city."

Tan Taihu was taken aback. Seeing that Xiao Chiye had already lifted the saddle to put it on Langtaoxuejin, he took a few steps forward and said, "Master, aren't you letting him off too easily? Isn't this like releasing a tiger back into the mountains?"

Wiping the mud off the saddle, Xiao Chiye replied, "Not only am I letting him go, but I'm going to send him off with a grand ceremony. Have a few groups of brothers follow him. If he's injured, make sure he doesn't die on the way. Keep escorting him all the way to Dunzhou. Don't worry about anything else."

Tan Taihu quickly understood. He grinned and said, "Then I'll go, Master. I'll take a dozen brothers and ensure he's safely escorted back to Dunzhou within three days."

Xiao Chiye gazed coldly in the direction Lei Jingzhe had fled. The falcon landed drenched on his shoulder once more, grooming its bloodied feathers. Using the cloth he had wiped Langtaoxuejin with, Xiao Chiye cleaned the falcon's claws and said, "Hold still, let me clean you properly. Otherwise, when you meet Lan Zhou, you'll step on him with muddy feet, and I'll have to wash his robe."