Chapter 558: A Sudden Downpour
"No. We’re going back."
"Back?"
"There’s a cave below the broken peak up ahead. We can take shelter from the mountain fire there."
Hearing this, Zhan Chi was elated and immediately headed upwind. As long as they had a place to hide, they would be safe once the mountain fire burned out.
"Find Gu Shuo. If we want to take that cave, we have to eliminate the men from East Shu first."
"Right."
Zhan Chi acknowledged.
He knew what to do, but he was still worried. "Where is the cave?" he pressed. "I’ll take you two there, then I’ll go help Gu Shuo."
"Don’t. There isn’t enough time."
The fire behind us will reach Gu Shuo’s position in about an hour.
"The location." All Zhan Chi wanted right now was to get the two of them to safety.
’As for us, even if we die, we’ll take the men from East Shu down with us!’
Ye Qianning frowned and looked up at Zhan Chi’s grim face. His usual playful smile was gone, and his stern expression, combined with his disheveled hair, seemed to age him several years in an instant.
When she didn’t answer, Zhan Chi lowered his head to meet her gaze. His face was grave as he raised his voice. "The cave’s location."
"It’s too far. The most important thing right now is to deal with East Shu’s men," Ye Qianning said, looking away.
"You..."
"If I told you to take Sang Zhi and hide in the cave, would you obey?" Ye Qianning cut him off.
Zhan Chi froze for a moment. He looked down at Sang Zhi, his grip on the boy’s clothes tightening.
"I’m not going! If I’m going to die, I want to die with you!" Sang Zhi, groggy from being carried around, began to struggle at her words.
"COUGH, COUGH... See?" Ye Qianning coughed, covering her nose with a small hand. "If we delay any longer, we won’t make it anywhere."
Zhan Chi fell silent for a few seconds. He stopped arguing and swiftly moved back in the direction of the fight.
「Up in the mountain forest.」
Thick smoke billowed as flames burned with a furious CRACKLE.
"CLANG!"
"SWISH, SWISH..."
Amid a flurry of flashing blades, Qian Fanji and Gu Shuo stood back-to-back, longswords in hand, their robes stained red.
Three men in black—all elite Hidden Guards—had them surrounded, and it was a grueling fight.
"Never thought I’d see the day we’d be fighting side by side," Gu Shuo said, his voice ragged. His eyes were cold steel.
"Nor did I."
Qian Fanji replied nonchalantly. But then his eyes hardened, and with a push of his feet, he flew forward, his sharp longsword leading the way.
At the same instant, Gu Shuo moved as well, his longsword flashing in a wide arc to intercept an attacking man in black.
Instead of dodging, the man in black met the attack head-on. But just as Gu Shuo’s blade was about to find its mark, another assassin parried it away. The blow threw Gu Shuo off balance, and in that moment, the first attacker was upon him.
"SHINK!"
The longsword plunged deep into Gu Shuo’s left shoulder, and he plummeted toward the ground.
The two men in black gave him no respite, instantly moving in for the kill.
"THUD!"
"GACK..."
Two sounds rang out at the same time.
The moment Gu Shuo hit the ground, Ying Yuan came crashing down from above as well. Chu Yue landed right after, stomping a foot onto her chest.
Ying Yuan sprayed out a mouthful of fresh blood.
"Pathetic little clown." Chu Yue scoffed and kicked Ying Yuan aside, turning to look at the fire raging down the mountain.
The fire was CRACKLING loudly, and the flames seemed ready to leap up and scorch her face at any moment.
The two Hidden Guards pursuing Gu Shuo closed in, their longswords thrusting at him from both left and right.
With no time to look sideways, Gu Shuo slapped his palms on the ground and kicked out, propelling his body several meters backward just as the Hidden Guards’ longswords plunged into the earth where he had been.
"We’re out of time! Finish them quickly so we can retreat to the cave!" Chu Yue shouted. ’I hope the Prince Consort is alright,’ she worried, ’I wonder if he’ll think to go to the cave.’
’In a situation like this, there’s nowhere else to hide.’
’Being unable to fight is such a liability!’
"Yes."
The three Hidden Guards responded in unison.
Gu Shuo flipped to his feet and shot a cold glance at the fire. ’I hope the back of the mountain isn’t surrounded yet,’ he thought. ’That’s the only way Zhan Chi can get Pangtuan down safely.’
’As for me... the people of East Shu hurt my daughter this badly. I won’t be satisfied unless I take them down with me, even if it costs me my life!’
"Qian Fanji, we can’t let them get away!" Gu Shuo shouted. He didn’t know where the cave was, but he knew their only hope was to hold out until they could escape down from the broken peak.
’We have to hold on until the fire sweeps past the peak!’
"I know," Qian Fanji answered.
A sudden surge of energy coursed through Gu Shuo. The thought of his daughter’s injuries was like a shot of adrenaline, and his fighting spirit flared.
"SWISH." Having received their orders, the Hidden Guards attacked with lethal intent.
They moved much faster than before, the very air seeming to warp from the force of their strikes.
Gu Shuo leaped into the air, his Soft Sword a blur as he moved to block the intersecting longswords.
As longsword met Soft Sword, an ear-splitting SCREECH tore through the air, sending sparks flying.
The Hidden Guard channeled his Inner Strength into his wrist. His longsword suddenly felt immensely heavy, pressing down on the Soft Sword inch by inch. The force behind the blade threatened to cleave Gu Shuo in two.