CH 62

“Leave two people here to look for Yun Wu and Yun Si. The rest will continue on with us,” Xiao Chengjun said. He didn’t ask Lou Jing for his views before giving this order.

Yun Jiu looked up in surprise; he hadn’t thought any of them would be spared to look for the missing two. “We thank Dianxia for his magnanimity, but…” Yun Jiu said, his voice trailing off. As guards, it was expected that they would catch up with their masters on their own if they got left behind. It was highly unusual for anyone to be allowed to go and look for them. 

Lou Jing waved a hand dismissively. “Do as Dianxia says,” he instructed. He and Xiao Chengjun had nearly lost their lives last night even though they were tied together, but his Youyun guards were very hardy and might have survived. These guards were a treasure left to him by his Grandfather after all, and he didn’t want to lose any of them if he could help it.

Yun Jiu did his best to tamp down on his excitement as bowed and left. He went to discuss with Yun Yi the persons who should be left behind to look for their missing brothers.

“This probably wasn’t the work of those assassins from the Capital,” Xiao Chengjun said, moving his hand toward Lou Jing’s shoulder blades. There was a huge bruise there, and it looked to be getting worse – the colour was getting darker and darker. Xiao Chengjun felt his heart ache whenever he looked at it, and his hands were gentle as he caressed the ugly injury.

Lou Jing wrapped his arms around his husband’s waist and closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation of Xiao Chengjun’s hand on his skin. This kind of injury was nothing to him, but it was a rare opportunity to eat some of Xiao Chengjun’s tofu, and he wasn’t going to pass it up. “Which road did An Shun and company take?” he asked. 

Xiao Chengjun should have been able to fool the people who’d tailed him from the Capital when he allowed the entourage to continue on and quietly slipped away on his own. As such, the logical conclusion was that the persons who had tried to harm them this round were a separate group of people.

“They’re taking the route that passes through the east of Jiangzhou, and will enter Minzhou from Xuanyang,” Xiao Chengjun said, his brows creasing slightly.

Xunyang, where they were now, was in the western parts of Jiangzhou. It was not ordinarily somewhere one would pass through on the way to Minzhou, and that sharp bend in the river rapids was not an ideal river crossing location. That was why An Shun and the rest had taken the path of least resistance and gone by the usual route one would take to Minzhou. Xuanyang and Xunyang were about three hundred li apart, and those assassins from the Capital were extremely unlikely to have chased them all the way here.

There were no leads on this river crossing matter, so the two of them shelved it for now. They cuddled in bed for a day and got a good rest, then started their journey again toward Jiuchang County.

Jiangzhou was divided into four counties in the south, north and west. The four Western counties were close to Bashu, and the land there was barren. The four Southern counties were close to Minzhou and Lingnan, and had mountainous terrain. Jiuchang County was the largest of the four Southern counties, and the military camp of the Nansi Prefectural Troops was situated at the cross-junction between Jiuchang and its three adjacent southern counties.

Lou Jing’s purpose in coming out here was to look for his husband, but he still had to do the task the Emperor sent him here to do. As such, the two of them headed to the Jiuchang Military Camp to record Lou Jing’s attendance there and also let them know that the General Zhennan had arrived. After that, Lou Jing happily went off with Xiao Chengjun to Minzhou to eat some fish.

There were very few refugees after they crossed the river. Their journey was smooth, and the Imperial road was full of little makeshift shops selling tea and snacks along the way.

“Does your arm hurt?” Xiao Chengjun asked, reining in his horse. He instructed the Youyun guards to buy some tea from the little roadside shops, then wrapped his arm around Lou Jing’s waist to steady him. Lou Jing was sitting in front of him on the horse. 

“It doesn’t hurt,” Lou Jing said, leaning back comfortably on Min Wang Dianxia’s chest. He couldn’t ride his own horse because his arm was injured, so they had simply decided to ride together. Thankfully, Lou Jing’s Ferghana horse and Xiao Chengjun’s Qingcong horse were all of superior stock, and they had no trouble carrying two people on their backs at all.

“Master, we’re now about twenty li from Jiuchang City,” Yun Ba said, coming back to report after getting some information from one of the tea shop owners.

“Ofa’r tjnf beg wfji lc atf mlas atfc,” Wljb Jtfcupec rjlv, lcvlmjalcu ab atf Tbesec uejgvr ab ufa bc atflg tbgrfr. Lf abbx bea rbwf vgs gjalbcr ogbw tlr yju jcv boofgfv la ab Obe Alcu. “Po sbe’gf tecugs, sbe mjc tjnf atlr olgra.”

Obe Alcu bqfcfv tlr wbeat jcv yla tjqqlis lcab atf mglrqs ylrmela ktlira ralii mbrlis fcrmbcmfv lc Wljb Jtfcupec’r jgwr. Wljb Jtfcupec rtbbx atf gflcr rilutais jcv atf Mfgutjcj tbgrf yfibk tlw rajgafv ab ujiibq. 

They were still surrounded by vast mountains on both sides even though they were very near to Jiuchang City. Green mountains, blue waters and charming bird calls were all about them, and it felt like they had come out for a spring excursion. Suddenly, the Ferghana horse reared up and whinnied loudly, flinging the biscuit of of Lou Jing’s hands with the impact.

Xiao Chengjun reacted quickly, pulling back hard on the reins and wrapping an arm firmly around Lou Jing’s waist to prevent him from falling off.

The road they were on was a small one that was sandwiched between two mountains. Two rows of huge stones had suddenly appeared around the bend, blocking their way completely. If they hadn’t reined in their horses in time, they’d probably have careened headfirst onto the rocks.

“You’re absolutely certain it’s them?” a burly, shirtless fellow asked. He was eight feet tall and very well muscled. He was holding on to a short, thin man in shabby robes, and he used his nine-ringed broadsword to point at Xiao Chengjun as he spoke. 

“That… that’s them…” the fellow stuttered, trembling from head to foot.

“Good sir, is there a reason why you’re blocking our path?” Yun Yi asked, urging his horse forward. Yun Shisan and Yun Shisi moved forward as well, putting themselves between the burly fellow and their two masters.

“I’ll get straight to the point. Let me ask you, four nights ago, were you in a temple in the outskirts of Xunyang City?” the burly man asked. A thick gold chain hung from his neck, and it flashed brightly in the sun.

Just as he finished speaking, thirty or forty people emerged around them. They were all wearing sleeveless shirts and pants. They carried swords and clubs in their hands and wore fierce expressions on their faces. 

Xiao Chengjun was shocked. He looked at the thin man whose collar the burly man was grabbing. He looked very familiar. He was probably one of the refugees who had hidden in the temple that day!

“I don’t know what you’re saying, good sir – do we need to pay a toll to cross?” Yun Yi asked, looking for all the world like a seasoned old martial artist. He pointed a thumb at his chest. “Brother, just state your price, and we can discuss from there.”

Yun Jiu glanced sideways at Yun Yi, slightly surprised by his acting ability. He shot Yun Shi’er and Yun Liu a meaningful look, and the two of them moved back a few steps, surreptitiously taking hold of their bow in their hands.

“This good sir isn’t after money today. I want your lives!” the burly man roared, tossing the refugee to the side and brandishing his nine-ringed broadsword. 

“Old Fourth, leave me the beauty in that little fair-skinned chap’s arms,” another man said, jumping down from one of the high rocks and clapping the burly man on the shoulder. He had an evil-looking face, and he looked covetously at Lou Jing.

Xiao Chengjun’s face darkened the moment he heard this. He pulled out Scarlet Cloud from its sheath and pointed it at them. Anyone who coveted his Consort would die a thousand times over!

“Hmph,” the burly man who had been addressed as Old Fourth snorted. Lou Jing was huddled in Xiao Chengjun’s arms, and Old Fourth gave him a disdainful glance before speaking again. “Brothers, leave that sissy alone. I want the rest of them dead!”

The mountain bandits around them shouted loudly and started charging at them. 

Yun Shi’er and Yun Liu immediately swung off their horses. They leapt lightly onto the hillocks to the side of the road and shot arrows at the two leaders.

The burly, sword-wielding fellow turned to avoid the first arrow, then brought his broadsword up to block the others. The arrowheads clanged against the solid metal of his sword. The burly fellow was enraged now, and he charged at Xiao Chengjun, roaring loudly. Yun Yi leapt off his horse, turned gracefully in the air and brought his weapon down on the burly man’s skull.

Burly Fellow tried to dodge, but he wasn’t fast enough, and could only bring his broadsword up to block. His shoulder was still sliced open nonetheless, and he and Yun Yi started fighting each other in earnest. Yun Yi hadn’t thought that someone who only practiced external gongfu would be able to wield the broadsword with such force. He was able to take on Yun Yi using brute force alone.

The one who coveted Lou Jing didn’t have such good luck; he had been shot right in the chest by Yun Liu. “Second Boss!” one of his lackeys shouted in shock, dragging him off quickly to the side. 

The Youyun Sixteen hadn’t brought any long weapons with them that were suitable for use on horseback because their master was not being sent to war. They were supposed to function as escorts, and it would not have been appropriate for them to bring war equipment along. It was extremely difficult to fight on horseback with regular weapons, and so they all leapt off their horses and formed a circle around Xiao Chengjun and Lou Jing, fighting off the mountain bandits furiously.

Most mountain bandits were commoners who had fallen on difficult times, and they didn’t have much martial arts training, if at all. The Youyun guards cut through them like a hot knife through butter, but the bandits had the advantage of vastly superior numbers. More bandits kept swarming in to fill the ranks of those who fell.

“Everyone, retreat! Stone them!” Old Fourth bellowed at his lackeys. At the same time, he used the brass rings on his broadsword to trap Yun Yi’s slim blade.

Those lackeys obeyed his instructions immediately, pulling back into the hillocks to the sides of the road. Lou Jing felt that something was off. He pulled the reins hard to turn their horse around, and his Ferghana horse leapt up and onto a steep slope to the east. At that very moment, round stones rained down from the west slope, and Lou Jing and Xiao Chengjun avoided this by the skin of their teeth. The Youyun guards disappeared up the slope in a trice, chasing after the lackeys who had thrown the stones. 

Xiao Chengjun carried Lou Jing in his arms as he leapt off the horse. As he set Lou Jing down on a tall stone where Yun Shi’er was, some of the bandits charged in their direction, and they were all killed by Yun Shi’er’s arrows.

“Go and ask the Big Boss for reinforcements!” Old Fourth shouted. His nine-ringed broadsword was heavy and powerful, but Yun Yi’s swordsmanship was superb, and he moved so swiftly that Old Fourth found it difficult to keep up with him. He was already bleeding from a number of cuts inflicted by Yun Yi’s sword, and was so furious that he’d roared with rage a few times. He was still full of energy, however, and was able to yell at his lackeys situated on higher ground to get more men.

“How dare you!”

Right at this moment, a shout came from someone nearby, and a troop of men dressed in government uniforms rushed over. 

“The Imperial troops are here!” the lackeys yelled, fleeing in all directions.

The covetous fellow who had been hit by an arrow was running up the mountain with the help of one of his lackeys. Yun Liu shot another arrow, and it hit him squarely in the knee. He collapsed to the ground immediately. His lackey shouted in fright and left him behind.

“RARRRGH!” Old Fourth roared in fury. He used all his strength to push back at Yun Yi’s sword, then charged desperately at Xiao Chengjun, not caring that he might get attacked by Yun Yi in the process.

Xiao Chengjun raised his own sword to block this heavy blow, and at the same time, Lou Jing raised a foot to kick him down. 

That big, burly fellow fell right over. He didn’t stay to fight anymore, and flung himself onto a horse to flee. Yun Shi’er drew his bow and shot an arrow at him, but that fellow seemed to have eyes on his back, and he leaned low on his horse’s back to avoid the arrow, then disappeared around the bend.

Quite a few of the Youyun guards’ horses had been hurt in the rain of rocks earlier. Everyone had been concerned with protecting Lou Jing and Xiao Chengjun, which was why no one had thought to shield the horses. They decided not to give chase to the bandits as well, so that they could keep their two masters safe.

The Imperial soldiers managed to catch the man who had taken an arrow to the knee, as well as several of his lackeys who hadn’t managed to run away in time. Yun Ba immediately went to explain to the Imperial soldiers that they were innocent passers-by who had been waylaid by the bandits.

After listening to what Yun Ba said, the leader of the soldiers turned to Xiao Chengjun and clasped his fists respectfully. “We are government officers from Jiuchang County, and we were only passing by the area on an errand. Please come with us to the local government office to speak with the Prefectural Magistrate,” he said. 

The Jiuchang Prefectural Magistrate? The corners of Lou Jing’s mouth twitched in amusement. Wasn’t that the same Prefectural Magistrate who was supposed to send his daughter to marry the Anguo Gong – Yang Xin? He’d nearly forgotten all about this little side errand of his to help his father chase Prefectural Magistrate Yang to send his daughter to the Capital!

“Did your arm get hit earlier?” Xiao Chengjun asked Lou Jing, a concerned frown creasing his brows. Lou Jing’s expression didn’t look right.

Lou Jing shook his head, then whispered into Xiao Chengjun’s ear. “I just so happen to have some business with that Prefectural Magistrate,” he said.

Xiao Chengjun nodded briefly. “Given this, we’ll go with you to the local government office,” he said to the leader of the soldiers.