Book 13 Chapter 07 – Hope At Death’s Door
Lu Buwei insisted on sending Xiang Shaolong home. Resistance is futile and he joined him in his luxurious carriage.
His carriage drove past the almost completed new Premier Residence. Lu Buwei proudly pointed: “After the hunting fair, I will move to this place with the best Fengshui in Xianyang City. But Mister Zou mentioned that after eight years, the Fengshui will move into Xianyang Palace. Ha! That is the same time as the Crown Prince coronation. What a coincidence!”
Xiang Shaolong knew nuts about Fengshui and acted according to his knowledge of history. Upon hearing this news, he was in shock and dare not belittle Zou Yan the astrologer and philosopher.
Lu Buwei stretched lazily and smiled: “With eight years of good luck, I can accomplish many things!”
Xiang Shaolong was full of admiration. Lu Buwei had just been defeated but he is truly not bothered. Like a shrewd businessman, he did not mind losing out this once as he has other means of fighting back.
Lu Buwei suddenly hugged his shoulder intimately and smiled: “The new Premier Residence has everything except a good son-in-law. Shaolong should understand my intention! Now that you have seen Niang Rong, I believe you would agree with me that she is an excellent catch! She is my favourite daughter.”
Xiang Shaolong sighed to himself. This is the last time he can mend fences with Lu Buwei.
Originally a businessman, this Qin Premier cooperated with him because there are benefits to be reaped. Next, he tried to kill him because he will benefit from his death. Presently, he is trying to secure his loyalty again to benefit himself.
He is a man who is focused on benefits and power. Everything else is unimportant.
If it was anybody else, that person would bear some grudges after being defeated. Lu Buwei did not bear any grudges at all but treated Xiang Shaolong even better than before.
From these, he concluded that even if he became his son-in-law, he can still be a sacrificial pawn in the political game. Lu Xiong is an example.
Xiang Shaolong can almost feel that Lu Buwei wanted to turn Qin into his own country via Xiao Pan. He may even want to be the King of Qin one day.
Lu Buwei saw that he did not reject outright and thought that he was tempted. Patting his shoulder, he added: “Think about it! Give me an answer the next time we meet. No matter what, I will punish Lu Xiong that idi0t.”
The carriage came to a halt and they have arrived at the main gate of the Command Centre.
Xiang Shaolong gave his thanks and dismounted from his carriage. He is very confident that Lu Buwei will ask him for his reply during the hunting fair. If his answer is ‘no’, he will proceed to assassinate him.
Back at the Command Centre, everyone is full of praise and respect for him. Xiang Shaolong realised that Xiao Pan had gained the respect of the Qin Court and he had gained the respect of the Imperial Army. In the future, no one will dare to question his authority.
Teng Yi and Jing Jun had returned earlier. The moment they saw each other, they could not help but have a good laugh. Lu Xiong’s career is over and it is more satisfying than killing him.
Teng Yi stopped laughing and officially state: “Even Guan Zhongxie the Infantry Commander has been demoted. This kid must have a lot of scores to settle with Lu Buwei.”
Xiang Shaolong bitterly laughed: “We will soon be fighting him openly as he had just brought up the marriage proposal again. He must have an answer by the next time we meet.”
Jing Jun blinked: “That Lu Niang Rong is quite attractive. Why don’t you marry her first for fun and take revenge at the same time?”
Teng Yi furiously barked: “What kind of person do you think Third Brother is?”
Jing Jun shut up at once.
Xiang Shaolong sighed: “This is a troublesome issue. If we reject him, Lu Buwei will attack us but I cannot be bothered anymore.”
Teng Yi was about to say something when an attendant reported that Ying Ying and Lu Dan’er are here to harass him again.
Xiang Shaolong and the two girls rode out of the city along the official roads. Riding down a slope, they came to a piece of flat grassland. It is the middle of Spring and the grass is jade green. With these two stubborn but beautiful girls accompanying him, all his worries disappeared and he was in high spirits.
Ying Ying rode cheerfully to his side and pointed to a hill nearby, stating: “That is Horse-resting hill. On the hill is a tall and ancient cypress tree with a spring beside it. That shall be our finishing line and whoever reaches first shall be the winner. For the next three months, the loser must pay obeisance to the winner every time they meet.”
On his other side, Lu Dan’er giggled: “Of course it is not a simple horse race. You can use any method to prevent your opponent from winning but the rider and horse must not be injured. Do you understand?”
Xiang Shaolong was astounded: “The horse will sprint very quickly and how can there be any time to attack the opponent?”
Ying Ying shot him a look and used her long legs to dig into her horse’s stomach and rode off. She smiled like the Spring wind: “How would I know?”
Lu Dan’er sped off at the same time.
Xiang Shaolong is used to their ‘ruthless methods’ and did not have time to complain about their ‘false start’. He rode Jifeng and began to chase them.
In terms of horse riding, he only learnt about it when he came to these ancient times. Compared to Wang Jian who can eat and sleep on horseback, he is far behind. But in terms of speed, he can easily win them with Jifeng. He thought about the girls helping him to trap Lu Xiong and did not mind losing to them and make them happy in the process. After all, paying respects to pretty girls is something fun to him.
With this mindset, he lost the will to fight and rode leisurely towards the goal, trailing the tails of the two horses in front of him.
He gradually left the grasslands behind.
Xiang Shaolong could not help but think about Zhao Ya.
If he can really kill Tian Dan and avenge Shan Rou, she should be in Xianyang City by the time he comes back.
After so many twists and turns, he must treat her well and provide her with a comfortable life for the rest of her days.
In front of him, the two girls rode into a forest.
Xiang Shaolong turned his thoughts to Qin Qing.
Love is a funny thing. Opposites do attract which best describes their relationship. They need not be in an official relationship; all they need is the special feeling whenever they meet and the excitement of eating the forbidden fruit. If they can stay like this forever, it would be perfect. The problem is one day, they may cross the line and it will be too late for regrets.
In the 21st century, he would never stutter in front of a beautiful girl. But the inevitable has happened, showing how much he has changed.
Deep in his thoughts, he came to the forest and entered it.
Occasionally, he caught sight of the back of the two girls.
Ladies of these historical times mature very early. It may be due to them getting married at fourteen years old which is very normal. Ying Ying and Lu Dan’er are barely fifteen or sixteen but are like flowers in full blossom. Moreover, they have picked up horse riding, sword fighting and archery skills. With a good figure, they are more enticing compared to girls from the six states. He would be lying if he said he is not tempted by them.
But Xiang Shaolong had no desire to be involved with them.
Firstly, he had no desire to get involved in new relationships, especially with Lu Dan’er. She is one of the girls shortlisted to marry Xiao Pan. If he gets involved with her, it is equivalent to him competing with Xiao Pan.
This is not the 21st century where people have one night stands. Additionally, she comes from a prestigious family. Anyone who made love to her must be responsible for marrying her. What Xiang Shaolong fears the most now is responsibility to pretty ladies. The only exception is Qin Qing, whom he is troubled over.
Still thinking about her, he suddenly felt something was amiss.
He caught sight of a black figure from the corner of his eye and he looked over in that direction. A net was thrown towards his head and the attacker was hiding behind a short tree.
Xiang Shaolong could have unsheathe Bloodwave and chopped at the net.
But the net suddenly tightened and was intertwined with Bloodwave. The net continued to pull Bloodwave away from him.
Xiang Shaolong was amused. Even if the two girls combined their strength, they are no match for him.
Without thinking, he pulled hard at the sword and wanted to cut the net into two.
Like a bolt out of nowhere, an unbeatable strong force pulled back and Xiang Shaolong was flabbergasted. He fell down his horse with his sword and landed squarely on his face.
A rider-less Jifeng galloped a few steps forward and stopped. It turned back and looked at Xiang Shaolong with a quizzical look on its face.
The opponent continued to pull very hard. Helplessly, Xiang Shaolong had to let go and lost his sword.
Shrill giggles of the two girls can be heard from the bushes.
Xiang Shaolong realised that they had used the horse’s strength to steal his sword. Exasperated, he continued to lie on the grass and gazed up at the blue sky and white clouds.
Soon, the two attractive girls appeared by his side. Bending down to look at their defeated opponent, they were still laughing hysterically with satisfaction.
Ying Ying chirped: “You are so useless. Next time, we will not be bothered with you.”
Xiang Shaolong could feel that his body is tired. Lying comfortably, he smiled: “You are ignoring me for good? Nothing can be better than that.”
Lu Dan’er placed Bloodwave beside his face and unhappily retorted: “ Do you think we longed after you? I wonder why Ji Yanran married you. You cannot even protect your own sword.”
Ying Ying stomped her feet whining: “Dan’er! Why are you still talking to him? Are you deaf? He said it would be great if we ignore him. Let’s go! I never want to see him again.”
Lu Dan’er is still hesitating when the incensed Ying Ying dragged her away.
When the galloping sounds have faded, Jifeng came back to him. It lowered its head and stared at him.
Xiang Shaolong sat up with a bitter smile. It is better this way but he still feared that they will make trouble for him.
Ying Ying could not stand his joke as she had high regards and expectations of him. Therefore, she was especially angry.
In this instant, Jifeng was alerted and its ears straightened.
His sixth sense told him something was wrong. He slapped Jifeng on the rump and roared: “Go!”
Jifeng could understand him due to their constant interaction. It galloped non-stop away from him.
Simultaneously, Xiang Shaolong rolled behind the small tree where the two girls were hiding earlier.
The crossbow mechanism can be heard.
Ten over arrows whished through the forest.
By then, Xiang Shaolong had rolled out from the other side and is now behind a giant tree. From his waist, he retrieved two flying needles.
His attackers must have followed them from the city. When the two girls have left, they made their move.
He was caught unprepared as he did not expect Lu Buwei to ambush him right now. If he was killed, he will be the main suspect.
Swishing sounds were heard and an arrow came flying at him from the left.
Xiang Shaolong quickly evaded. The arrow flew past his face and embedded itself in the tree behind him. It was a close shave.
He somersaulted and continued to roll toward the archer.
Hiding behind a tree, the masked attacker was about to load another arrow when Xiang Shaolong’s Bloodwave has pierced his body.
From the corner of his eyes, he saw some human silhouettes. He did not have time to turn around and shot out his flying needles. Two tragic cries were heard one after another.
Xiang Shaolong knew he cannot stop moving and rolled into another bush. Four arrows shot past the place he used to stand, showing how ruthless and desperate his attackers are.
Listening to the footsteps behind him, Xiang Shaolong counted at least twenty enemies.
He sheathed his long sword and retrieved two flying needles in each hand. He shot the needles behind him based on the footsteps he heard.
A tragic cry was heard behind him. Out of the four needles, one found its target.
The enemies hurriedly took cover.
Until now, they have only used crossbows against him. It is fortunate that they feared his flying needles and dared not act rashly. Otherwise, he would have been killed.
But this is not good enough. With so many enemies against him, he will also die if they managed to surround him.
His only escape is through Jifeng whom he had chased away. If he can get on horseback, he has a chance to escape.
Xiang Shaolong continued to roll forward and was about to reach another tree when his thigh was in excruciating pain. An arrow had grazed his thigh, taking away large chunks of his pants, skin and flesh. Fresh blood began to pour out of his wound. He grunted and moved behind the tree.
Loud footsteps can be heard.
Xiang Shaolong looked behind him and saw another masked man pouncing at him with his crossbow. He frantically shot out another flying needle.
The man was hit on the face and fell backwards. His arrow shot aimlessly into the air.
Another three arrows were shot at him. Luckily, he had shrank back in time.
Fresh blood flowed out of his wound uncontrollably and he was in great pain.
Xiang Shaolong knew that this is a crucial moment. He gathered his will to survive and forcefully rolled forward and hid behind a pile of rocks. His head started to swirl and he knew that it is a sign of losing too much blood. He quickly drew out a dagger and cut a portion of his long sleeve, using the sleeve to bandage his wound.
Rustling sounds were heard as the enemies neared his hiding place.
Xiang Shaolong was depressed. His injured leg will restrict his movement and he will be surrounded by the assassins before he can meet up with Jifeng.
In this instant, he saw a tripping rope tied between two trees.
Xiang Shaolong’s mind was turning over furiously. He guessed that this must be the second trap Ying Ying and Lu Dan’er had laid for him. He looked closer and saw another two tripping ropes further down the road.
The footsteps are getting closer.
Xiang Shaolong is exhilarated and annoyed at the same time. He was glad that Jifeng did not come this way and that this is his only chance of escape. Motivated, he jumped up and ran madly ahead. Concurrently, he whistled to summon Jifeng.
Swishing sounds were heard.
Xiang Shaolong leapt over the tripping ropes and rolled forward.
Arrows flew past his head.
He bounced up and Jifeng’s galloping sounds can be heard.
A whistle was heard behind him and the enemies begin to run after him without any reservations.
Xiang Shaolong weaved in and out of the trees and pushed his speed to the maximum, luring the enemies to fire their crossbows.
Reloading a crossbow is a troublesome chore which may even require using one’s legs. After firing a shot, the enemies must stop temporarily to reload. If they did not want to lose sight of him, they must put their crossbows aside and focus on the chase.
Without the threat of the crossbows, it is now a running competition.
Jifeng suddenly appeared a hundred yards ahead on his left and galloped towards him.
Due to his thigh injury, Xiang Shaolong was limping and his speed is dropping. Fortunately, the crossbows have stopped firing and only running sounds can be heard.
It was followed by cries of surprise. Obviously, they have been tripped by the ropes.
Xiang Shaolong took this opportunity to shout: “The enemies have been trapped. Attack!”
Behind him, the enemies are in chaos.
By now, Jifeng has reached his side. Xiang Shaolong leapt up his horse and galloped away horizontally.
He turned around for a quick glance and saw several masked men who had tripped down. Among those who are still standing, he saw a familiar figure. This figure drew out his long sword and attack Jifeng. His sword stances and strokes are perfect.
Xiang Shaolong used his own sword to block his attack and laughed loudly: “Dan Chu is indeed worthy of being Chancellor’s Tian top general!”
He dug his heels lightly into Jifeng and rode off like a fleeting cloud.