Green Mountain
Chapter 184: Fierce

In the winter, clothing soaked with water clung to one’s body like leeches, slowly sapping your life away.

But Chen Ji and his companions couldn’t stop to dry their clothes; they had to keep running for their lives.

He remembered the expression of the Executive Officer on the canopy boat; the man didn’t panic when he saw Chen Ji escape to shore, as if Chen Ji was already hanging by a thread with no room to struggle.

But what was there on the opposite side of the river? Wasn’t this place just a wild and desolate region?

At that moment, Zhang Xia, following behind him, suddenly asked, "Chen Ji, who exactly are you?"

Without turning his head, Chen Ji replied, "A Medical Hall apprentice."

Zhang Xia was full of doubts, "Can a Medical Hall apprentice sink a boat?"

Chen Ji, while chopping down a large Ilex, casually explained, "That boat was already old, a few chops and it broke open."

Zhang Xia glanced at Chen Ji’s back, then turned to Bai Li, "Don’t you have anything you want to ask him?"

Bai Li shook her head.

Zhang Xia was surprised, "You and the Princely Heir knew already, didn’t you? That’s why you’re not surprised at all!"

Bai Li nodded and gave a hum in affirmation.

Zhang Xia fell silent.

After a while, she said nonchalantly, "Sorry, I was the one babbling earlier, telling you to strive harder. Now it seems you’re far stronger than your second brother! If you want to curse at me, go ahead. I won’t talk back!"

Chen Ji chuckled, "Why would I curse at you?"

Zhang Xia sincerely said, "Thank you, thank you for saving us."

Chen Ji thought for a moment before saying, "Actually, you didn’t have to jump into the river. Those assassins weren’t after you. Even if you hadn’t run away, they wouldn’t have laid a hand on you. I guess they planned to kill everyone at first, but when they saw the Prince, they changed their minds."

Bai Li, puzzled, asked, "Why did they change their mind?"

Chen Ji answered, "Because they need the Prince alive."

Bai Li inquired, "Chen Ji, have you guessed the identity of the person behind the scenes?"

Chen Ji didn’t answer.

Who needed the Prince to stay alive?

Those plotting a rebellion.

Rebels needed the Royal Family’s bloodline as a banner. If Prince Jing died, they would lack a justifiable cause to rise up.

Just then, the sound of dense horse hooves arose from a distance. Chen Ji quickly pulled everyone to crouch behind the underbrush, quietly observing the dirt road outside the forest.

Shortly after, dozens of riders dressed as bandits sped past the road, followed by hundreds of men in leather armor, leading hounds.

Chen Ji’s heart sank. How could there be so many bandits here?

No, not bandits.

Bai Li moved closer and asked, "Chen Ji, are those Dragon King Village’s bandits?"

"No," Chen Ji said with grave emphasis, "displaced people who turn to banditry only have kitchen knives, hoes, and rakes as weapons. How could they have regular cavalry and leather armor? Dragon King Village’s displaced have already been exterminated, and now, these are private soldiers bred by the officials."

Bai Li and the Princely Heir exchanged a glance, both revealing shock in their eyes.

Now, this group of private soldiers was obviously searching for them. Thus, whoever had bred these private soldiers was the one who wanted them dead.

This place was only a little more than fifty li from Luocheng and was still governed by Luocheng’s nine counties. There were only two people with the capability to breed private soldiers here, one was Liu Gun and the other was Prince Jing.

The Princely Heir said with difficulty, "It can’t be my father wanting us dead, he’s not that kind of person."

Bai Li was about to defend her own father, but saw Chen Ji nodding, "I also don’t think it’s Prince Jing."

Both were taken aback.

Chen Ji continued, "With the Prince’s methods, if he wanted to kill us, why would he give us a chance to live? It’s precisely because the enemy didn’t know the Prince was traveling with us that we are still alive now."

Therefore, the ones who wanted to kill them could only be the Liu Family.

"Let’s get moving," Chen Ji stood up, "they are searching from the riverbank, and with the hounds, they might catch up soon."

Chen Ji turned around and was startled to see Bai Li’s cheeks flushed, resembling one drunk, almost stumbling as she tried to stand.

Chen Ji looked at the Princely Heir, "Princely Heir, feel the Commandery Princess’s forehead."

Bai Li raised her hand to stop him, "I’m fine, don’t worry about me!"

The Princely Heir pressed down her arm and reached out to check, "It’s hot!"

She had a fever.

They had all been exposed to the cold wind on the ox cart yesterday and soaked in the icy river water for half a day today, still having to run for their lives in wet clothes. It was only a matter of time before the Princely Heir and Zhang Xia fell ill too.

In the midst of thought, barking sounds came from the distance.

Chen Ji glanced at the sky, "We can’t wait any longer. We need to leave now...Commandery Princess, pardon me."

Having said that, he picked up Bai Li on his back and started running wildly toward the southwest. That was the territory of Lu Hun Manor, the Laojun Mountain Dao Court’s branch at the foot of the mountain.

Bai Li’s head dangled weakly on Chen Ji’s shoulder, asking softly, "Chen Ji, are we going to die here?"

Chen Ji affirmed, "No, we won’t."

"Okay," the girl slowly closed her eyes, resting comfortably on his shoulder, breathing softly, "Chen Ji."

"Hmm?"

Chen Ji turned his head slightly, his cheek tickled by Bai Li’s hair which had become a bit disheveled. Just when he wanted to ask why Bai Li had called him, she had already fallen asleep.

...

In the woods.

More than ten soldiers dressed as bandits and with stern expressions were leading hunting dogs on a chase. The dogs quickly found where Chen Ji had cut through the bushes.

They turned back and gestured to those behind them: Found it!

On the other side, Chen Ji heard the dogs’ barking drawing nearer, seemingly only a few hundred steps away. The barking, like a death knell, was irritating and unsettling.

The next moment, the barking abruptly ceased.

As if the incessant cicada hum that had plagued the entire summer suddenly vanished, the world seemed a bit more refreshing. Yet Chen Ji’s heart sank: the only reason the dogs had stopped barking was that the hunters must have released their leashes, and the dogs were now hurtling at full speed towards their prey.

No escape.

Once hunting dogs locked onto their prey, they would not stop until they bit into it.

Chen Ji suddenly turned his head to the princely heir, "Princely Heir, you carry the Commandery Princess and run. I’ll hold off the dogs. We won’t ever get away unless we kill these dogs."

Zhang Xia paused, "You..."

The princely heir took a deep breath, "You carry my sister and run. I’ll stay behind to deal with these people. You’re faster, and even if I ran, I wouldn’t get far. Chen Ji, bring my sister back alive."

Chen Ji spoke sternly, "Stop being sentimental. I don’t have time to waste on your nonsense right now, carry Bai Li and run fast..."

Before he could finish, woeful howls from the dogs suddenly echoed through the woods.

One howl, two, three.

The cries of the dogs were incessant and eerily miserable.

Chen Ji abruptly turned back, someone had killed the dogs!

Who?

Could it be Jin Zhu had already arrived?

No, even if one rode as fast as possible from Luocheng City, one wouldn’t arrive until after sunset. Jin Zhu couldn’t possibly come this quickly!

As Chen Ji pondered, a dark and furry shadow flitted through the trees ahead.

A hunting dog, charging at full speed, was caught off guard as a black shadow raised its paw and struck it on the head with a punch, flipping the dog head over heels.

The punch was ferociously powerful. The dog collapsed, limbs twitching, clearly not long for this world.

Wu Yun?!

Incredible!

Zhang Xia asked uncertainly, "What was that black shadow that just flashed by?"

With Bai Li on his back, Chen Ji turned and continued fleeing to the southwest, "I didn’t see it clearly either. Don’t worry about what it was, saving our lives is what’s important!"

Fifteen minutes later, several soldiers arrived at the site where the dogs had been killed.

One soldier crouched down, lifted the back of the dog’s neck, and carefully examined how the dog had died.

First, he lifted the eyelid to check, only to see blood vessels filled with red. He then felt the dog’s skull, finding a fragmented spot on it.

"A single blow to the head."

The soldiers exchanged glances.

Good hunting dogs were said to have heads as tough as bronze and loins as tender as tofu, with the loins being the only weakness; not even a shot from firearms would necessarily kill them if it hit the head.

But now, someone had slapped a dog on the head, killing it instantly.

One soldier said gravely, "Executive Officer!"

As the words fell, rustling sounds moving away could be heard from the southeast. The soldiers immediately drew their waist knives, "Chase!"

...

Chen Ji, leading the princely heir and Zhang Xia, moved through the woods to avoid being encircled and killed by mounted troops. They had been fleeing from noon until sunset, until they crossed over a small hill and their view suddenly opened up.

Below the hill, a small, unnamed town lay nestled in a valley.

In the town, strong men were pushing wheelbarrows back and forth along the street made of mud, which was covered with coal slag, dark as ink.

Beside the street, smokestacks of workshops stood tall with thick smoke billowing out...

Surrounding the workshops were rows upon rows of civilian mud houses, enough to accommodate a thousand families!

Chen Ji crouched low, "What town is this?"

The princely heir was puzzled, "I’ve never heard of a town here. I remember that there are only four small towns on the way to Lu Hun Manor, and this one is definitely not included... What are these people doing?"

Chen Ji saw the blast furnaces and spoke solemnly, "Smelting iron!"

No wonder there were organized troops of private soldiers and cavalry here. Someone was secretly smelting iron in this place.

This was a capital offense!

"What do we do now?" asked the princely heir.

Chen Ji thought for a moment, "We enter the town!"

The princely heir was shocked, "Isn’t that walking right into a trap?"

Chen Ji said, "We need to get in and change into clean clothes, or else the Commandery Princess won’t be able to hold on."