Knowing that Luo San couldn't maintain his peak condition for long and that his strength would naturally wane, Shen Tang knew he would be the first to lose his patience. So they had to act fast. She finalized the plan and began making arrangements that very day.
The moon was dark, the wind high, and the night deep and still.
A shadow stumbled in panic through the dense mountain forest.
"Ah—" The shadow missed a step and fell. He had barely scrambled back up before something tripped him again, sending him tumbling forward twice. His knees and elbows scraped against the rough gravel, drawing blood. Ignoring his bleeding wounds and the suffocating pressure in his chest, which felt ready to burn and burst, he scrambled to his feet. As pinpricks of firelight drew closer behind him, the shadow was soon driven to the edge of retreat.
"To hell with it!"
The shadow peered over the cliff, gritted his teeth, and jumped.
Only after the footsteps had faded did the shadow, his hands bloodied from clawing at the rock face, finally manage to climb back up. He didn't dare linger. He glanced up at the moon to check its position, confirmed his direction, and continued his escape. By the time the morning fog had set in, a scout stopped him. He had gone a whole night without sleep and narrowly escaped death. Seeing the scout's uniform, he hurriedly pulled a bloodstained token from his shirt. "Take me to your governor!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he collapsed unconscious.
When he came to again, he was in an unfamiliar place.
From the furnishings around him, it was clearly a place where prisoners were held. First, he confirmed he was still alive, then ran his hands over his body in search of