Chapter 154 True Understanding Through Life and Death

"Oh, that's right, hasn't that young man surnamed Yun been caught yet?" Yang Su sucked lightly on his wine cup, casually asking Yang Xiong who stood by his side. Yang Xiong's sixtieth birthday had been full of dramatic twists and turns. In the morning, he had been ecstatic over acquiring a child prodigy who had pledged allegiance to the Yang family, only for that same prodigy to vanish by nightfall. Interwoven with all this was the grand spectacle of Yuwen Shu suffering the crushing loss of his beloved son and fainting on the spot right there in the Yang estate. Having lived through countless birthdays, this was certainly one he would never forget.

"The men dispatched this morning sent back word that they seem to have avoided the main road. Search parties have already been sent to comb the lesser paths. Once he is located, we will immediately muster our forces and retrieve that young man surnamed Yun for you before anyone dispatched from Jinyang can arrive." Yang Xiong bowed deeply, dutifully serving the supreme patriarch of the Yang family.

"Ah... The falling blossoms are eager, yet the flowing water is indifferent! There is no need for that now; bringing him back and forth is merely troublesome. If he can be disposed of, end it right where he is. Since he cannot be used by me, he shall be destroyed." Yang Su sighed. Giving the personal order to eliminate such a person filled his heart with reluctance. Yet for the sake of the Yang family's future, he had to do it.

In this world, talents were always a scarce commodity. If Li Yuan acquired them, his strength would grow that much greater. Li Yuan must never be allowed to rise to power; the Yang family would forever hold the supreme seat among the Eight Pillar Families... forever!

"Understood! What a pity for that child." Yang Xiong offered a regretful nod, then supported Yang Su as he rose from his couch.

"There is nothing to pity. If the Yang family is to secure its position as the premier aristocratic clan, this is the only way. Those who cannot be used by me must be eliminated!" Yang Su spoke in a flat tone, yet his words carried a biting murderous intent. Little did he know, hundreds of li away, someone was holding back precisely because he had not heard these words.

Yang Huan was a distant collateral relative of the Yang family. Having been robust and strong since childhood, he had been groomed as an elite enforcer. This time, he was leading one of the search parties tracking Yun Hao.

A day ago, he had discovered the target's whereabouts, but the reason he did not immediately strike was twofold. First, they numbered only a little over thirty, failing to form an overwhelming numerical advantage. Second, Yang Huan had heard that the patriarch was quite fond of that exquisitely carved doll of a child; in a fierce scramble, blades and spears have no eyes. Should the child be accidentally harmed, how could he answer to the patriarch upon his return? To minor figures like them, who were like mere mustard seeds, Yang Su was nothing less than the heavens.

Third, Yang Huan feared that if these people were driven into a desperate corner, they might kill Yun Hao out of hand. If a talent could not be acquired, it must be destroyed—this was the guiding principle of the great aristocratic families. Just as the Yang family would do this, the Li family would do likewise.

Yang Huan had outflanked Chai Shao and his men, seizing the manor ahead of them. They disguised themselves as common villagers, with the old man in hemp garments being Yang Huan in disguise.

The clashing of weapons and cries of agony rose in waves, punctuated occasionally by the snapping of crossbow mechanisms. However, out of fear of accidentally injuring Yun Hao, Yang Huan had not dared deploy crossbows inside this courtyard of blue-brick and tiled houses.

"Charge! Make sure not to harm the boy!" Yang Huan ignored everyone else around him, his eyes locked entirely on Zhangsun Wuji, who was cradling Yun Hao in his arms. The patriarch wanted that child; as long as he snatched the boy back, it would be a monumental achievement. As an unvalued warrior from a distant collateral branch, he would instantly win the patriarch's favor!

Chai Shao had never expected to encounter danger here after traveling all this way. The guards who had been dispatched in various directions had clearly met a grim fate, but the horses were right outside the gates. Only by charging out to seize the horses would there be a glimmer of survival.

"Kill... Charge out!" Chai Shao's eyes were completely bloodshot now. His arm had just taken a slash from the old man in hemp garments, and a burning pain flared through it. Fortunately, he was wearing inner armor; otherwise, that single strike would have severed his shoulder entirely!

Hou Junji hacked down a fellow directly in front of him, a burst of hot, intensely foul-smelling fluid splashing across his entire face. With no time to wipe it away, he whipped his blade back to parry an iron ruler swung from behind. As the weapons collided, his horizontal saber slid upward along the iron ruler. Before his opponent could even scream, several fingers had already dropped to the ground.

Chai Shao led a few men, attempting to force a breakthrough, but Yang Huan ordered his men to block the doorway tightly. This had been a calculated strike against the unprepared, and as long as they held out until the rest of the guards were eliminated, Chai Shao would have no choice but to force his way through.

Flames rapidly licked up outside the courtyard wall. It seemed some of the guards had reacted swiftly, slaying the men who had come to eliminate them and now holding their ground within the thatched huts. Little did they know their enemies had planned for this: a single torch ignited the thatched huts, trapping the Li family's retainers alive within, where they would be baked to charcoal within moments.

Hou Junji moved like a fierce tiger in the wind, his horizontal saber slashing left and right, completely ignoring the weapons hacking toward him. Had he not been wearing armor, he would have been hacked into pieces long ago.

This desperate, life-or-life trading combat forced the Yang family retainers to step back in retreat. Two men fell to the ground amid miserable shrieks—one of them being the fellow who had lost his fingers.

"Useless trash, all of you!" Yang Huan bounded up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He had not anticipated such fierce resistance from an unexpected ambush, nor that Chai Shao could evade his strike, let alone that the Li family retainers would remain so cool-headed and fiercely valorous in the face of mortal danger. In the span of just a moment, two of his best men had been wounded and brought down.

Blood streamed from several wounds on Hou Junji's body, but he paid them no mind. Behind him, Chai Shao wore an equally frantic expression, and together the two men managed to brutally drive the defenders guarding the doorway back outside.

"Mount up!" Reaching the doorway by the skin of their teeth, Chai Shao roared and vaulted into the saddle. At this moment, mounting horses was their only lifeline.

With the half-conscious Yun Hao strapped to his back, Zhangsun Wuji proved exceptionally agile. He sprinted a few paces, planted his left foot in the stirrup, and swung his right leg over to mount the warhorse. With a casual wave of his horizontal saber, the tethering reins were sliced in two. He kicked his heels into the horse's flanks, and the steed surged forward like an arrow released from a bow.

Hou Junji and Chai Shao guarded the flanks on either side, the three of them charging forward for dear life. The retainers of the Tang State Duke's estate who managed to break through also fought desperately, locked in mortal combat with the Yang estate retainers. Cries of agony, the clashing of iron, and the sickening *thud* of blades biting into flesh echoed without interruption.

Yang Huan felt an overwhelming wave of regret. Why had his mind gone blank, leading him to come up with such an idea? Had he simply notified the other search parties hunting Yun Hao, the outcome would not have looked like this.

Chai Shao and his two companions rode at breakneck speed, ignoring everyone else as they surged straight toward the manor gates. The Yang estate retainers stationed here had been completely unprepared, never expecting anyone from inside to break through. Three or four of them were currently lingering around a burning thatched hut, roaring with laughter while holding crossbows to prevent anyone from coming out. Seeing the three galloping figures, they froze in place, uncertain whether to unleash their crossbow bolts. Yang Huan had given strict orders: the child must never be harmed by mistake!

While they hesitated, Chai Shao and his men certainly did not. Hou Junji grabbed his reins with one hand while wielding his horizontal saber with the other. Utilizing the momentum of his charging horse, the blade easily parted heavy armor, carving a massive gash across an enemy's chest! Just then, Hou Junji heard a furious roar from Laisheng inside the thatched hut.

Two men, their bodies engulfed in flames, seized the opportunity to hurl themselves outward. Their hair and eyebrows had been singed into curls, and their clothing was ablaze. The two men rolled desperately on the ground; fortunately, snow had fallen just two days prior, allowing them to quickly extinguish the flames on their bodies.

The moment their horses cleared the manor gates, Hou Junji wheeled his mount back around. Chai Shao's expression shifted in alarm. "Are you out of your mind?!" They had finally broken through, yet this fellow had lost his mind and dared to charge back in. Any fool knew that with the enemy holding the advantage of numbers and preparation, returning meant certain death.

"They are my brothers!" Hou Junji did not look back as he plunged once more into the melee.

The sound of pounding hooves rang out as Yang Huan led his horsemen in rapid pursuit. Chai Shao hardened his heart and also turned his horse around. "Wuji, take Master Hao back to Jinyang. I will cover your rear!" Without waiting for Zhangsun Wuji to reply, he charged like a madman straight toward the incoming cavalry!

Zhangsun Wuji cast a single glance backward, then spurred Yun Hao onward, galloping away without looking back.

Chai Shao pushed his warhorse to its absolute limit, a light wave of his horizontal saber carving a massive wound across an enemy's chest. Before the blood could even spray, he brought the sharp blade down in a vertical chop, severing the arm of another Yang family retainer! Having slain two men in quick succession, Chai Shao exhaled a plume of white mist. The earth trembled—over thirty more horsemen were charging in from outside the manor!

The warhorses flew like arrows as the sky gradually darkened. Yet Zhangsun Wuji showed no intention of stopping; time was precious, and Chai Shao's life could not buy them much delay. Zhangsun Wuji knew that the reaper was right behind them; the moment he stopped, another stiff corpse would be added to the wilderness by tomorrow morning.

Night descended completely, and the howling of wolves echoed across the open plains. Under good eyesight, one could even catch the faint, shimmering greenish glow of predatory eyes.

The steed beneath him was pushed to its ultimate speed, yet Zhangsun Wuji continued to whip the horse frantically. He no longer cared if the mount ran itself to death, as long as they could put more distance between themselves and their pursuers.

With a heavy *thud*, the exhausted warhorse finally collapsed to the ground. It had not been properly fed for days, and now, pushed to its absolute limits by Zhangsun Wuji's relentless urging, it could go no further. Zhangsun Wuji painstakingly pulled his leg out from beneath the heavy carcass of the horse, casting a glance back at Yun Hao. Fortunately, the heavy snow from earlier days had left a thick blanket on the ground; otherwise, taking a fall like that in the dead of winter might well have broken their bones.

Disregarding his own aches and pains, Zhangsun Wuji checked to make sure Yun Hao was unharmed, picked up his horizontal saber, and gazed up at the Big Dipper in the night sky before pushing northward at a rapid pace.

"Water..." "Water..." Yun Hao murmured continuously in his delirium. Zhangsun Wuji reached out to touch his forehead; despite the freezing cold, the boy was burning up with a terrifying fever. Zhangsun Wuji's heart sank—even if he managed to bring the boy back to Jinyang, he feared it would only be as a corpse. At this thought, despair washed over him all the more.

He grabbed a handful of snow and shoved it into his mouth, but the burning fire raging within his chest refused to be quenched. His legs felt as though they were filled with lead, and every single step consumed a massive amount of physical energy. A mere two hours ago, he had still been dreaming of hot food and a good night's sleep. Now, there was every likelihood he would freeze to death in this anonymous wilderness.

He dared not continue walking along the open road; being overtaken by cavalry meant dying a worse death than a pig. Zhangsun Wuji carried Yun Hao toward the mountains; only high peaks could block the tracking path of horsemen.

There was no sound of hooves behind them—thank the heavens, that was the only piece of good news for today.

Heaven meant not to starve the blind sparrow. Just as Zhangsun Wuji felt he could walk no further, he suddenly spotted a cavern. Zhangsun Wuji was so overjoyed he nearly burst into tears. To him, this was a sign that the heavens refused to let him die.

Sattling down and lighting a fire was the only way to keep them both alive. Without hesitation, Zhangsun Wuji ducked into the cave. In his heart, he thanked every deity he had ever known. As long as he could return to Jinyang alive, he vowed to express his utmost gratitude to the gods.

The moment he stepped into the cave, a pungent, gamey stench rushed over him. Zhangsun Wuji immediately retracted his gratitude to the deities and instead cursed their ancestors.

Damn it, this wasn't a cave at all; it was a wolf's den! In the darkness, Zhangsun Wuji could even make out several pairs of glowing green eyes. Drawing his horizontal saber, he began hacking wildly at those green apparitions. Following a series of whimpering, miserable cries, the cave fell silent once more.

Gathering some dry grass and firewood, Zhangsun Wuji managed to ignite a fire. He felt as though he were freezing solid; if he could not warm up quickly, not only would Yun Hao die, but he would perish as well.

More importantly, wolves feared fire. As long as a fire burned in the cave, the wolves would not dare enter.

The fire caught, casting a warm, yellowish glow. Light returned to his vision, and Zhangsun Wuji felt a wave of psychological warmth. Yet that warmth remained purely psychological—this tiny campfire was nowhere near enough to warm the cavern quickly.

Taking a closer look, the cave was not large. He spotted a few bones belonging to some unknown animal, and in a pool of blood lay three wolf cubs. One of them was still twitching faintly.

Snatching up a cub, Zhangsun Wuji immediately pulled out his dagger and began skinning it. His stomach had long since begun beating like a war drum; appeasing his hunger was the primary task at hand.

"Water... Water..." Yun Hao's voice was very weak, yet exceptionally clear within the silent cave. Zhangsun Wuji sighed, walked over to the cave entrance, scooped up a handful of snow, and pressed it into Yun Hao's mouth. Then he threaded the wolf cub meat onto pieces of firewood and placed it over the fire.

The moment his frostbitten fingers neared the fire, they swelled red like water radishes. A numbing, itchy sensation pricked from his fingertips straight into his heart, which Zhangsun Wuji endured through clenched teeth. Uncomfortable as it was, it was still better than having no sensation at all. After consuming a few bites of half-raw wolf meat, he selected a better-roasted piece, shredded it finely, and fed it bit by bit into Yun Hao's mouth. Whenever Yun Hao failed to swallow, he would scoop up a handful of snow, melt it in his palm, and slowly drip the water into the boy's mouth.

It was the only method Zhangsun Wuji could think of!

After tending to him for who knows how long, Yun Hao finally seemed to fall asleep. His breathing was no longer ragged, though his forehead remained searingly hot. Cold snow placed upon it turned instantly to water, forcing Zhangsun Wuji to wipe it away with his sleeve over and over again.

His eyelids gradually grew heavy, feeling as though they were weighed down with lead. No matter how much he willed them open, he could not manage it. Finally, his eyelids dropped like iron gates, refusing to lift ever again.