Eternal Night - Chapter 76
Yongye's hand trembled, and the cakes scattered all over him.
Yi Hong chuckled and said, "Is my imitation of Young Master's voice alright?"
Yongye was deeply impressed by her father's wisdom. She pinched Yihong's cheek hard and exclaimed, "I really love you!"
"Young Master!" Yi Hong said reproachfully, rubbing her face.
Yongye chuckled. She ordered the pass sealed. No matter how skilled Feng Yangxi was, as long as he fell behind her, he wouldn't be able to leave. Those who followed, whether from Youli Valley or Li Tianyou and Li Tianrui, wouldn't be able to escape either. In ten days, Yuepo and Qiangwei, under Lord Jie's escort, should be able to safely reach Song and then head towards Qi.
What she had to do was face the bandits that might appear in Chen State, or rather, Yi Zhongtian, who wanted to marry the princess.
Ordinary bandits wouldn't dare clash with government troops, much less easily hijack an envoy's convoy. But General Yi was a different story. Even if he didn't want her life, simply having his troops arrive in disarray in Chen Du Zeya would be enough to vent his anger. If he wanted to kill her, he'd probably do it on her return journey. He'd find a scapegoat, like the Song Kingdom, or some other excuse that wouldn't provoke An Kingdom to rebel.
Without Feng Yangxi, these hundred elite Leopard Cavalry would be no match for Yi Zhongtian. Would tonight truly be peaceful? Yongye didn't know; she had to secretly appear to protect the entourage that had accompanied her on this mission. Even if she didn't care about the lives of the hundred Leopard Cavalry, she would never appear disheveled in the golden palace of Chen.
Plan before you act
The sun has set, and weary birds have retreated into the forest.
The path through the woods was bathed in a pale light from the moonlight.
The night wind was silent, with the occasional hoot of an owl.
The only sounds in the mountains were the clatter of horses' hooves and the creaking of cart wheels. In the distance, a row of flickering lights appeared in the dark forest, like snakes slithering through the woods.
The Leopard Cavalry remained silent, on high alert, a chilling atmosphere thick with tension.
After Yongye finished dressing, she looked at Yihong, who had changed into her clothes, and smiled, "You don't know martial arts, just remember the three steps I taught you."
Yi Hong nodded, gripped the short crossbow tightly, and turned up the lamp in the carriage a little brighter. A figure wearing a golden cicada-shaped hair ornament appeared faintly in the window.
Yongye pulled up his mask, pushed open the carriage's inner compartment, and crawled inside. He pulled open another layer to reveal the bottom of the carriage, and was about to jump down when he heard Yihong whisper, "Young Master, please be careful."
She turned and winked: "If you need anything, go to the mezzanine. Don't worry about anything else. Got it?"
"yes!"
Yongye took a deep breath and dove down, securing himself with the harness and rolling into the tall grass as he rounded a bend. The accompanying leopard riders noticed nothing amiss, and after the caravan passed, Yongye used his lightness skill to follow the group.
It had been a long time since she had run through the forest like this, and Yongye felt very happy. The caravan couldn't keep up with her speed, and before long she had caught up with the group.
She had carefully studied the map before setting out. There was a wooden bridge ahead of this forest, and beyond the bridge, the trees became even taller and denser. If an ambush was set up, the convoy emerging from this forest would be exposed to the enemy's crossbow bolts as soon as it left the woods. Once the convoy crossed the bridge, it could be blown up, leaving the convoy with no way to retreat.
She quickened her pace, drifting past like a wisp of wind.
The wooden bridge stood quietly under the moonlight, with the stream flowing gently below. Yongye descended into the stream, using the large rocks to conceal his figure, and in a short while, he approached the bottom of the bridge.
As expected, she spotted four dark figures under the bridge. How could she ensure their deaths were silent? The convoy would arrive within half an hour. She took a deep breath, focusing intently on the scents mingled with the sound of flowing water. With a swift movement, she grasped three steel needles and silently approached. When they were still two zhang away, the needles flashed like moonlight, instantly piercing the throats of three men. One of them turned around in horror, his neck meeting the blade in Yongye's sleeve. His trachea was severed, and he stopped breathing. He opened his mouth, desperately trying to inhale, hissing as he clutched his throat.
Yongye stared coldly at him and waved his hand. He felt a chill in his chest, like a mountain stream rushing into his heart. The paper-thin sleeve blade had already been withdrawn from his body, so fast that he fell down before even the blood could flow out.
"Not bad!" Yongye shrugged, examining their clothing in the moonlight. They were all dressed in black, without any markings. Even their weapons were just ordinary knives and crossbows that could be bought anywhere from a weapons shop. Yongye smiled; she didn't expect bandits to have uniform clothing and weapons, especially not brand new ones.
Yongye was certain that the people who came were General Yi Zhongtian's men. It seemed that the caravan wouldn't be in mortal danger; their real intention was to steal the gifts and embarrass her.
She stood up, touched the bridge, picked up a damp, slippery substance with her fingers, sniffed it, and sure enough, it was some kind of kerosene. She hesitated for a moment, then, instead of entering the woods, she picked up several corpses and threw them into the tall grass of the forest, quickly turning back.
When she emerged from under the carriage, she hurriedly ordered Yihong, "Turn off the lights and summon Commandant Lin!"
Before he could change his clothes, Yongye heard the sound of hooves, and Lin Duwei's voice came from outside the carriage: "What is it, my lord?"
"Slow down the procession!" She quickly changed her clothes, and Yihong hurriedly put the golden cicada crown on her head. Yongye whispered some more instructions through the sedan curtain.
Lin Hong nodded in agreement.
Yongye breathed a sigh of relief, changed his robes, and began to tidy his appearance.
"Young Master, what happened?" Yi Hong asked quickly.
Yongye took a sip of tea, closed his eyes, and said, "I'm exhausted. I'll keep my head down in a bit so someone doesn't see it and steal it."
In the blink of an eye, the caravan had crossed the bridge and was slowly passing through. Just as they entered the woods, a whistling arrow whistled and pierced the carriage with a whoosh. This was a whistling arrow commonly used by mountain bandits; the arrow was fitted with a bamboo whistle, which would sound in the wind as a warning when it was shot.
"This is the convoy of the Anguo envoy to Chen! What kind of scoundrels are so audacious!" Lin Hong roared with a powerful voice.
"Haha! If you want to pass through here, leave some money behind. I'll rob you but not hurt you!" A boastful voice rang out from the woods, and instantly, men appeared ahead, torches illuminating the forest. Looking around, it seemed as if the entire forest was filled with enemies.
The leader, a man with a full beard, was around forty years old, wearing a square turban, and wielding a nine-ringed broadsword. Yongye lifted the sedan curtain and burst into laughter; wasn't this the legendary mountain king?
Lin Hong coldly asked, "Who are you from in the mountains?"
If they were bandits, they would usually reveal their names and only rob money. However, Yongye shook his head. If they robbed an envoy's money, no one would dare to say a word, so why bother announcing their names?
The burly man burst into laughter again: "I left my name, do you think I'd wait for you to come knocking on my door demanding it back?!"
Enraged, a lieutenant of the Leopard Cavalry spurred his horse forward and shouted, "Captain, this subordinate will go and kill him!"
"Wait!" Lin Hong tossed something from his robes and laughed, "This chivalrous gentleman seems to recognize this wooden plaque, doesn't he?"
The burly man glanced at it and threw it back: "Feng Yangxi is nothing! I don't buy that stuff. This is my territory, and I'm in charge!"
Lin Hong admired Yongye's accurate prediction, but then sneered and became extremely embarrassed, stammering, "Feng Yangxi, the great hero Feng... Does the hero not know his name?"
"Enough with the nonsense! Leave your gifts and we'll let you leave!"
Lin Hong appeared extremely distressed, and his soldiers drew their swords and shouted, "Captain, let's fight!"
"Shut up! Even if we risk our lives, can we defeat their overwhelming numbers?" His attitude became extremely respectful: "My lord said that money is just an external thing; consider it as making a few friends. Leave your gifts, and let's go!"