Chapter 682
Reckless
The Zhongwu Guards chased after the Lu family eastward.
Old Ears, with dark clouds overhead, carrying old traces on his back, and a bundle weighing over 60 pounds hanging around his neck, trudged through the snow-covered mountains, looking utterly miserable.
Old Ears looked back and said, "That woman must have lured all the Zhongwu Guards away. We've saved them for now, but she might not be able to. However, she's already determined to die, so dying can be considered a fulfillment of her wish."
Startled, Wuyun stood up from the top of the old man's head.
Old Ears suddenly looked up at the sky, so much so that the dark clouds were caught off guard and fell onto the snow. He pondered, "Qing Wentao has been exonerated, and all that's left on her mind is her son. Although she said that her departure twelve years ago was out of necessity, she still cares about her son very much... But how can she prove it? Anyone can talk nonsense. We Han people like to prove our innocence with our lives. They always think, 'I'm willing to die, so you should all believe what I say, right?' Ha, this is all just my old man's wild guesses."
Dark Cloud stood up and shook off the snow: "Did you do this on purpose?"
The old man ignored him and pondered to himself, "If we go any further, we'll reach Changbai Mountain Canyon, Magnolia Waterfall, Wangchi, and Songjiang River. After crossing Songjiang River and climbing another mountain, we'll reach Erdaobaihe Town. Let's find a place in Changbai Mountain Canyon first, so you can eat the ginseng."
He set off into the canyon, navigating the snow-covered mountains with ease.
Arriving at the canyon at dawn, Old Ears easily found a cave to stay in. Dark Clouds followed behind him, curiously looking around the cave, where there were rusty pots and pans.
Deep inside the cave, someone had built a fire pit with rubble, and there were several planks of wood used as a bed, with a tall stack of firewood piled up next to it.
Old Ears placed the artifacts on the wooden board and casually explained to Wuyun, "This is the residence of a few wandering knights. They came to the foot of Changbai Mountain to pay homage to the gate of the Martial Temple, hoping to go up the mountain to become a disciple and learn martial arts. After being rejected by the Martial Temple, they settled down in the mountain, thinking that as long as they had perseverance, they could eventually move the people on the mountain."
After putting Chen Ji down, Old Ears let out a long sigh: "But this world is unfair. Not everything can be accomplished with perseverance. There is no such thing as a late bloomer in this world, only a great talent who is born young."
The dark clouds looked up at the cave, where someone had written in charcoal on the cave wall: "Where there is a will, there is a way."
“If the Martial Temple won’t accept me, I will cultivate myself into a high-ranking official. If it takes ten years, I will take twenty. If it takes twenty years, I will take thirty.”
"Dad, Mom, I will definitely come home for Chinese New Year next year."
"Brother Zhao, who came with us, went down the mountain, saying he was going to Jingchao to find a job and would never come back."
"The mountains are blocked by heavy snow, and I haven't seen anyone for seventeen days. Last night I dreamed of my mother steaming locust flower buns, they smelled so good."
"Old Zhou from the next hill has gone mad."
"I'm going down the mountain today and won't be coming back."
Old Ears squatted by the hearth, pulled a few pieces of dry firewood from the woodpile and put them together, then took out a handful of peanut shells and firewood strips from his sleeve.
He crushed the peanut shells to start a fire. The firewood was dry and burned quickly, crackling and popping, illuminating the entire cave.
“They were all unwilling young people,” Old Ears added a piece of firewood to the fire, the flames dancing on his face. “Some left, some went mad, some died. They all had big ambitions, but none of them succeeded.”
He untied the bundle, revealing the ginseng inside. Wu Yun opened his mouth as wide as possible, picked up five or six ginseng roots at a time, and sent them to Chen Ji's side. The ginseng turned into crystal clear beads and fell to the ground.
The dark clouds bustled back and forth between the bundle and Chen Ji, watching as the ginseng visibly diminished and the chill emanating from Chen Ji gradually dissipated. The old man clicked his tongue in amazement: "Spending money like water! This old man suddenly understands many things from back then..."
He arrived at the cave entrance, put his hands behind his back, and looked at the sky outside.
Suddenly, a snowflake landed on Old Ear's lips, and a heavy snow began to fall at the foot of Changbai Mountain.
Old Ears reached out to catch the snow with some surprise: "That woman is quite resilient. She was clearly on the verge of despair when this heavy snow suddenly started. I wonder if it can save her life."
……
……
Under the cover of night, Lu ran wildly through the pine forest, his feet crunching on the snow, with the Zhongwu Guards relentlessly pursuing him.
She suddenly stopped and looked back. The shouts of battle, the barking of dogs, and the light of torches grew closer. Her footprints in the snow were deep, clearly visible even in the darkness, forming a trail for the hunters. She was upwind; the wind would carry her scent to the hounds.
She looked around and saw flames on both sides, and people were closing in on her. These loyal guards were driving her to a certain place like they were searching a mountain to catch a tiger, but she was unfamiliar with the area and did not know where they were going to take her.
Madam Lu pondered briefly. She had seen a map of Changbai Mountain, but only glanced at it in the corner of the maps of Jingchao and Goryeo. Changbai Mountain was located between Jingchao and Goryeo, dividing them in two.
Mr. Lu vaguely remembered that to the north was Tianchi Lake, and to the northeast was the Yalu River Grand Canyon that ran through the mountains...
But just then, a heavy snowfall began to fall. She looked up at the swirling snowflakes. Turning back, she knew that the snow would bury her footprints in just a few breaths, covering her scent beneath the snow. Moreover, the snow would reach knee-deep in just two hours; she could wade through it, but the Zhongwu Guards couldn't.
It seemed as if God had intentionally left her a way out.
Just as Madam Lu was about to seize the opportunity to escape the pursuit, she suddenly stopped. Looking at the firelight in the heavy snow, she resolutely stopped where she was and waited for the Zhongwu Guards to get closer.
Old Ears had previously mentioned wild boars protecting their cubs, tigers feeding their young, black bears sheltering their young from the snow, and wolf packs feeding their young with blood, but he hadn't mentioned what would happen to humans.
In the cold wind, Madam Lu waited, waiting for the Zhongwu Guards to catch up before continuing to run eastward. After running for a while, she stopped again to wait for the Zhongwu Guards to catch up.
They ran and stopped intermittently, the snow falling heavier and heavier. Madam Lu led the Zhongwu Guards searching the mountain eastward, further and further away from the ruins. Madam Lu ran past the trees; the pine branches were covered in frost, which rustled down in the wind, covering her head in frost, making her appear as if her hair had turned white in an instant. She didn't bother brushing away the frost, only carefully avoiding the tree roots that occasionally peeked out from under her feet.
However, just as she stepped over a tree root, a long knife came flying through the air, heading straight for her face.
Silent Mountain.
Lu barely managed to dodge the knife by twisting her waist in mid-air. Half of her black veil was chopped off, and she fell shakily onto the snow.
She landed on the snow and stood still, panting as she looked at Wu Kezhi, the Grand Master who had killed the Heartless Sword Daoist Caoxi Sect for twenty-eight years without daring to descend the mountain. He stood with his hands at his sides amidst the heavy snow, exuding composure.
Wu Kezhi was also observing Lu Shi. He saw that the swaying black veil revealed half of Lu Shi's chin, but her face was still not clearly visible.
The next moment, Jishan returned and struck at Lu's back. Lu turned around and clasped his hands together. His palms caught Jishan like iron clamps, and the force of his clasped hands sent the snow on the ground flying into the air.
The blade of the silent mountain twisted, and Lu let go, allowing it to fly back to Wu Kezhi's side. The two tested each other but stopped short of a full exchange.
Wu Kezhi did not rush to make a move, and said thoughtfully, "You are not the one who will cause the martial arts sound to resonate; you are here to help lure away the pursuers."
Lu remained silent, her eyes wary.
Wu Kezhi muttered to himself, "You refused to reveal your official position during both of our encounters. Were you afraid that I would recognize your position and then guess that person's identity? You clearly had a chance to escape, but you kept running and stopping. The person you were protecting must be very important to you."
As they spoke, the Zhongwu Guards, holding torches, caught up with Lu and drew their swords, surrounding her in a fan shape.
But Wu Kezhi suddenly said, "She's not the one I'm looking for. She's been running east... You guys go and chase her to the west."
The interpreter from the Loyal Guard, panting, pointed west and shouted, "Cho Cha Gala!"
Lu's heart sank. Just as she was about to step forward to intercept the Zhongwu Guard, she saw Uncle Changsheng and Aunt Qiubai emerge from the heavy snow and surround her with Wu Ke. She could only watch helplessly as the Zhongwu Guard chased after them to the west.
Uncle Changsheng watched as Lu's demeanor suddenly changed. She slowly straightened up, remaining steadfast and unwavering in the heavy snow.
Madam Lu looked around, her sharp gaze like a knife, slowly sweeping across the faces of Wu Kezhi, Uncle Changsheng, and Aunt Qiubai.
Uncle Changsheng cautiously took half a step back: "Be careful, he's a tough nut to crack."
Aunt Qiu Bai sneered, "Useless."
Lu's gaze fell on Qiu Bai's aunt: "Even the martial arts master of the world, the man from Wumiao Mountain, wants to gang up on the weak. Come on, let's go!"
Aunt Qiubai said in a deep voice, "No need to provoke me. I can take you down by myself."
Having said that, she stepped forward, her footsteps kicking up snow that surged towards Madam Lu like a tidal wave. When she reached Madam Lu, Aunt Qiubai used all eight extreme techniques—head, shoulder, elbow, hand, tail, hip, knee, and foot—each move exploding out like a blast, short, fierce, and clean.
Lu's figure was elusive, his feet stepping on the four cardinal directions (Qian, Kan, Gen, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kun, Dui), constantly moving around Qiu Bai's aunt, his feet rooted to the ground, his body like a swimming dragon. He used all eight techniques—piercing, moving, intercepting, blocking, pushing, supporting, leading, and guiding—each move like a snake, a gust of wind, his waist controlling his entire body, his power originating from the ground, emanating from his legs, controlled by his waist, and manifesting in his fingers.
The two clashed repeatedly, their footsteps kicking up snow that exploded around them, instantly enveloping the world.
Uncle Changsheng stood outside the circle, marveling at the two women inside—two extremes, one after the other. After observing for a moment, he looked at Wu Kezhi in astonishment: "Am I seeing things? My wife is at a disadvantage?"
Wu Kezhi watched quietly, remaining silent.
However, at this moment, Qiu Bai's aunt knew that she would not gain the upper hand in close combat, so she immediately leaned towards Lu Shi like an iron mountain. This time, Lu Shi did not dodge, but actually took the iron mountain lean head-on. Using Qiu Bai's aunt's strength, she flew out of the snow mist and also flew out of the encirclement of Wu Kezhi and the other two. She turned around and ran wildly to the northeast.
Uncle Changsheng yelled, "So cunning! Chase after him!"
Looking down at the snow-capped mountains from the sky, one person runs and three people chase after them. The four of them are like four small black dots on the magnificent snow-capped mountains, running all the way to the edge of the mountains.
Wu Kezhi heard the roaring sound of the water and his expression changed. It was the thunderous roar of the Yalu River as it passed through the canyon.
After chasing for several hundred more steps, they saw that Lu had reached the edge of the Yalu River Grand Canyon and jumped off a cliff hundreds of meters high.
Uncle Changsheng chased her to the edge of the cliff, then stopped abruptly. He swayed and almost fell off himself. After regaining his balance, he looked down and saw that Madam Lu's black dress had disappeared into the rushing white waves: "Damn it, where did this woman come from? Is she crazy?"
Aunt Qiubai looked down at the rushing river, her gaze burning.
Uncle Changsheng turned to look at her: "Hey, what do you want to do..."
Before she could finish speaking, Aunt Qiubai also jumped down into the turbulent Yalu River, where she was swept downstream by the surging current.
……
There will be another update tonight, please read it in the morning. (End of this chapter)