Chapter 32: A Tiger Uncaged
A moment later, they arrived at a relatively secluded spot. Zhou He said emotionally, "I knew you wouldn’t abandon us."
"Never mind that," Lu Yuan said. "Do you have a place to go? My place is being watched, so we can’t go there."
"I have another courtyard that no one knows about. It has medicine for injuries, too. I’ll figure out a way to get him out of the city first thing tomorrow morning. He definitely can’t stay here; the sea arrest warrant has already been issued.
As long as he’s in Dayong, he’ll be a wanted man."
After he finished speaking,
Lu Yuan nodded. "Then let’s go."
After that, they cautiously wound through several streets and arrived at the courtyard Zhou He had mentioned. It wasn’t large—just a small yard with two rooms.
Once inside, the two of them took out Golden Sore Medicine and bandages and began treating Wu Han’s wounds.
Just then, Wu Han regained consciousness. He looked up at Lu Yuan and said, "Thanks, brother."
Lu Yuan nodded without a word, busy bandaging his wounds. A moment later, his hands were soaked in blood.
He then said, "You leave the city first tomorrow. I’ll bring you supplies in the afternoon."
Zhou He would have to sneak Wu Han out of the city, which meant warhorses, equipment, and weapons definitely couldn’t be brought along.
But without those things, the chances of a man surviving alone in the vast Northern Border were slim.
"Yeah." Wu Han didn’t stand on ceremony.
’He owed too great a debt this time; being polite would just feel insincere.’
’In short, from now on, my life belongs to him.’
After the wounds were bandaged, Lu Yuan stood up. "I’m heading back for now. Tomorrow, wait for me outside the pine forest thirty li from the city."
For the past two days, someone had been spying on the area near his house.
They were gone today, but there was no telling when they might return. He couldn’t be away for too long, lest they suddenly reappear and become suspicious.
"Alright, you head back first. Once he’s out of the city, he’ll be counting on you," Zhou He said, wiping his hands. "You know Wu Han and I are close. The Sun Family will definitely be watching me closely for the next few days."
"Don’t worry," Lu Yuan replied. Then, he walked outside, leaped onto the roof, and headed for home.
When he returned to his courtyard and saw that the spies weren’t there, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He then went back into his house, washed up, and went straight to bed.
The night passed without incident. The next morning, Lu Yuan had just finished breakfast.
Wei Yong and the others arrived one after another.
The dozen or so men were all in high spirits. Following Lu Yuan these past few days, they had gained a certain prestige.
Even though they weren’t Centurions, ordinary Centurions on the street would still have to show them some respect.
Upon seeing Lu Yuan, however, they were very respectful and polite. "Greetings, sir."
Lu Yuan waved his hand and looked at the men before him. "I’ve called you here today to teach you a new Array I’ve acquired. However, with just a dozen of us, our numbers are too few. After you go back, each of you should select some men from the Garrison Soldiers who are willing to leave the city. Just don’t exceed one hundred men in total.
Then, have them familiarize themselves with the Array. We’ll be leaving the city in a while."
After speaking, he handed the rough sketches he had drawn to the men. Each of them received a copy.
Wei Yong and the others had witnessed Lu Yuan’s formidable skill in commanding a Military Array, so they immediately grinned. "Yes, sir!"
Zhang Gun, however, stepped forward and asked, "Sir, how about we go for a drink at noon?"
"I have something to do this afternoon, so I can’t. Maybe in a few days."
"You got it. Whatever you say, sir," Zhang Gun said with a cheerful grin.
"Alright, all of you get back to practicing this Military Array as soon as possible. There’s no room for error. I’ll inspect your progress in half a month," Lu Yuan said, his expression turning serious.
"As you command!"
The dozen or so men cupped their fists, accepted their orders, and left one by one.
Once Lu Yuan was alone in the courtyard, he began to prepare his supplies: enough dried rations for one person for more than ten days, a battle saber, and a suit of armor with no markings indicating any affiliation.
It was even reinforced with iron plates.
He also prepared several canteens filled with boiled water and a few flasks of wine.
By the time he finished, it was already noon.
Lu Yuan led out a warhorse, loaded the supplies onto its back, and covered them with a tarp. After a quick bite to eat, he mounted another horse and, leading the packhorse, headed out.
He was dressed in a full suit of armor, carrying a Tiger-Head Long Saber in his hand.
The City Guard Army patrols that occasionally ran past on the street all carefully moved aside when they saw Lu Yuan. Forget about searching him; they didn’t even dare to get close.
They simply let him proceed toward the city gate.
Within the Sun Family estate, in Sun Qian’s bedroom, he lay on his bed, his silver-white hair hanging loose. Violent coughs wracked his body from time to time.
Losing two sons in a single night was a devastating blow for him.
"Have you found him? And who was it that killed my second son?"
As he spoke, he struggled to lift his head, his chest heaving with labored breaths.
Like a broken bellows.
"We haven’t found the man, and we still don’t know who killed Second Brother," said Sun Yun, the eldest son of the Sun Family, his tone helpless.
"Go and keep searching," Sun Qian said through gritted teeth.
Then, he collapsed back onto his pillow.
"Yes," Sun Yun replied and exited the room.
Just as he left, a mournful wail echoed from within the room.
Shaking his head helplessly, Sun Yun quickened his pace.
At that very moment, Lu Yuan was already riding his warhorse out of the city.
He made his way toward the pine forest thirty li away.
However, on the way, he encountered several squads of Dayong Scouts. They all looked battered as they rushed toward Icefield City, and some of the squads were short on men.
"Brother, did something happen?"
Finally, upon meeting the fifth incomplete squad, Lu Yuan couldn’t help but ask.
The leader of the squad was a Centurion who had seen Lu Yuan before. He immediately said, "The Manyan Tribe has gone mad. They sent out an elite scout unit that has been hitting our men for the past few days. Last night, several squads that left the city gathered to counterattack.
We were scattered in a single morning. I lost half of my men."
As he spoke, he licked his chapped lips. "Lord Lu, do you have any wine?"
Lu Yuan didn’t hesitate, tossing a wineskin directly into his hands.
"Thanks."
"Aren’t the Fortress Cities doing anything?" Lu Yuan asked.
"The nearby Fortress Cities are all said to be preparing to form elite scout teams to deal with this. Yun Mo of Huqiu Fortress, and Huangsha Fortress, where I hear a new Centurion was just transferred. Our Icefield Fortress will probably have to form one too.
When that time comes, I’m afraid the position will be yours for the taking," the Centurion said with a chuckle.
Lu Yuan tossed him a canteen of water before riding his warhorse onward.
In the afternoon, he finally found Wu Han in a secluded spot outside the pine forest.
He was in a sorry state, wearing a gray cotton-padded jacket. Perhaps due to the special method he’d used to get out of the city, he gave off a foul smell.
He was also covered in bits of withered yellow weeds.
Seeing him, Lu Yuan dismounted directly. "How are your injuries?"
"It’s nothing serious. I’m tough. It doesn’t affect my movement today," Wu Han said, rubbing his bald head.
He had taken a saber cut to the head yesterday.
For the convenience of bandaging it,
his hair had been shaved off.
"That’s good. This horse has armor, a weapon, Golden Sore Medicine, and dried rations. Enough to feed you for more than ten days. Take this bag of silver."
As Lu Yuan spoke, he stuffed a bag of silver into Wu Han’s hands.
"There’s also a map here. It roughly marks the locations of nearby villages and a few horse bandit camps. I pass by here every time I leave the city. If you need anything, leave a sign. I’ll be able to see it, and we can arrange a time to meet."
"Mhm." Wu Han listened to Lu Yuan’s instructions. Once everything was settled, the latter headed directly back to the city.
He believed that with Wu Han’s strength, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to survive outside the city.
「Meanwhile, in Yellow Sand City.」
Zhang Zhe had just entered the city when he received an assignment: to form an elite unit and ride out to annihilate the Manyan Tribe’s scouts.
Returning to his residence, he said with some dissatisfaction, "What is the meaning of this? The Helian Family gave me an assignment the moment I arrived."
Beside him, Bai Hong sat in the living room sipping tea. "This is a good thing. It shows the General of Yunzhou really put in a word for you. Getting such a mission right after you arrive is definitely a sign that you’re being entrusted with great responsibility.
As far as I know, there are three major fortresses nearby: Icefield, Huqiu, and Yellow Sand. Ever since Icefield Fortress wiped out a unit of the Northern Barbarians’ Iron Kites, these three fortresses have been competing with each other in secret.
This time, with the Manyan Tribe’s elite unit, they are all determined to be the first to annihilate it. The fact that you were given this mission shows how highly they regard you. As long as you succeed, you’ll have firmly established yourself in the Northern Border. After that, the road ahead will be smooth sailing.
Don’t be impatient. Now is the time for you to accumulate capital.
You’re still young. The more capital you accumulate, the more power you’ll have when it’s time to make your move."
After Bai Hong finished speaking, Zhang Zhe’s mood finally stabilized.
A gleam appeared in his eyes.