Wang Chong and Chen Jing raced through the dense forest.
Shouts and pounding footsteps followed without pause. By the sound of it, at least six or seven bandits were on their heels.
As they ran, Wang Chong lowered his voice and told Chen Jing:
"First, put some distance between us and the main force. Then we'll find favorable ground and cut off our tails. Got it?"
Chen Jing nodded.
He knew Wang Chong was teaching him in the middle of a real fight.
They ran a little farther. The terrain suddenly changed: the dense trees gave way to a rocky rise.
Several massive bluestones, each half as tall as a man, lay scattered across the slope. From above, they would have a clear view.
Wang Chong's eyes lit up. He gave Chen Jing a signal.
In a few strides, they charged onto the highest bluestone.
They turned and held their ground.
The pursuers arrived moments later.
There were seven bandits in all, panting after the chase. The two in front saw that their quarry had stopped running and stood atop the bluestone. They grinned viciously.
"Damn it! Let's see you run now!"
Before the words had left his mouth, one raised his saber and charged up the slope.
Wang Chong thrust his iron spear down from above, driving it straight through the first bandit's chest.
Chen Jing held the other side of the bluestone. His White-Shaft Spear darted out like a venomous snake. With his [Spear Like a Dragon] talent still driving it, the thrust plunged into the second bandit's chest.
The spearhead came free in a spray of blood, and the man tumbled backward down the slope.
Two exchanges. Two bandits dead.
The five behind them faltered in unison, plainly unprepared for these two fugitives to be such hard targets.
But the bandits still had numbers. The survivors quickly steadied themselves. Three feinted from the front while the other two slipped into the bushes nearby.
Chen Jing tightened his grip on the White-Shaft Spear, its tip aimed at the three in front, while the corners of his eyes kept sweeping the flanks.
A roar suddenly sounded behind him. Two figures burst from the bushes beside the bluestone.
They had circled around to the flank and swung their sabers.
Chen Jing had no time to pull back his spear. He made his choice in an instant, swept his right hand behind his waist, and drew the Butcher Knife, like a butcher descending upon the world.
The blade hummed as though it had come alive.
With a swish, the bandit's arm flew into the air.
Under the effect of his [Bone-Breaking] attribute, hacking off an arm was as easy for Chen Jing as chopping vegetables.
The bandit dropped to his knees with a shriek. Chen Jing turned his wrist and swept the blade across his throat, cutting the scream short.
Pig-Slaughtering Blade Technique proficiency +10.
The bandits below the bluestone recoiled a step at the sight, but it was already too late.
With the Butcher Knife in hand, Chen Jing's entire presence changed. He became a butcher who killed men as easily as slaughtering pigs.
He leaped down from the bluestone like a fierce tiger descending the mountain. His blade flashed twice, followed by two wet punctures.
One bandit took a stab through the heart; the other had his throat slit. Both fell onto their backs.
Wang Chong had already dealt with the bandits in front of him. With a flick of his iron spear, he sent the last one who had circled around sprawling.
He glanced back at Chen Jing.
Those last few cuts of the kid's had been fast and ruthless.
He had chopped through men as neatly as pork ribs. Compared with the fight against the marauders, he seemed to have improved by leaps and bounds.
Chen Jing wiped the blood from the Butcher Knife on a bandit's clothes and sheathed it behind his waist. His blood surged hot through his body, but his breathing remained steady.
Between thrusting and slashing, he had killed four or five bandits along the way, earning plenty of proficiency. But now was no time to study his panel.
More pursuers could appear on the mountain trail at any moment.
"Stop looking. Let's go."
Wang Chong lowered his spear and led Chen Jing away.
Chen Jing was grateful they had been traveling with the caravan. The large group had drawn the bandits' attention, allowing the two of them to escape.
If they had encountered Clear Wind Stronghold on their own, a hundred or so men closing in from every side would have meant certain death.
After shaking off Clear Wind Stronghold's pursuers, Wang Chong said, "The bandits have probably blocked the main roads in both directions."
"If we want to reach Green Mountain City, we'll have to take a detour."
He picked up a dead branch and drew a few rough lines in the dirt, sketching out the mountains and valleys near Green Mountain City.
"To be safe, we'll make a wide loop south, cross two mountains, and enter Green Mountain City from that side."
"Clear Wind Stronghold can't spread its men that far."
"Besides, they've always struck and moved on. The county office and the Six Gates aren't fools. They won't let them run wild for long."
"It'll add a day to the journey."
Wang Chong tossed aside the branch and stood.
"Save your strength as we travel. Tell me if you're tired. Clear Wind Stronghold is bound to send men out to search the mountains."
"We need to be ready to break through another encirclement at any time."
Chen Jing nodded. "I'll follow your lead, Uncle Wang."
They said no more. One behind the other, they slipped deeper into the forest.
Wang Chong led the way, stepping lightly. Every so often he stopped and listened.
Only when he was sure the way ahead was safe did he move on.
Chen Jing followed, watching carefully and learning as he went.
He used the footwork of the Fierce Tiger Stance, planting each step firmly on the thick fallen leaves while making as little noise as possible.
The forest was frighteningly quiet.
Even the occasional flutter of a bird taking flight made his heart seize.
After roughly four hours, the sun began to sink westward.
Wang Chong found a secluded hollow backed by a cliff, with dense bushes in front. No one outside could see in.
They sat, took out their rations and waterskins, and silently gnawed a few bites of coarse-grain flatbread.
After resting for an hour, they set out again.
They walked until dusk. Only when the light beneath the trees grew so dim they could barely see the path underfoot did Wang Chong stop.
"We can't go any farther."
He looked up at the sky, almost entirely hidden by the canopy, with only a few streaks of dusky purple afterglow showing through.
"Traveling through the mountains at night is too dangerous."
"We could run into a bandit sentry or a wild beast. And if one of us misses a step and falls into a ravine, that would be a miserable way to die."
He looked around, then led Chen Jing down the slope until they found a dry gully.
Weathered rock walls rose on either side.
The gully floor was strewn with gravel and dead leaves.
Wang Chong felt along the rock wall for a while and found a natural crevice behind a tangle of wild vines.
It was hardly more than a crack in the rock, just wide enough for two people to squeeze inside sideways.
There was little room within, but more than enough to hide. The vines covered the entrance so thoroughly that no one outside would notice it.
"We'll stay here tonight."
"No fire. We'll take turns keeping watch."
Wang Chong leaned his iron spear against the wall and sat cross-legged.
"Clear Wind Stronghold's men won't search the mountains all night, but just in case, you sleep first while I keep watch. We'll switch halfway through."
Chen Jing answered, laid the White-Shaft Spear across his knees, leaned against the rock wall, and closed his eyes.
But he could not sleep. It was not that he did not want to.
The string in his mind was still drawn taut. No matter what he did, he could not loosen it.
What had happened today had been even more dangerous than charging against the marauders at Creek River Village. Back then, the nine constables from the Six Gates had led the charge, with an expert like Li Dingfang holding the line. The Militia Instructors had only needed to follow behind and focus on killing the enemy.
Now, there was only him and Wang Chong.
No reinforcements. No fallback. They could rely on no one but themselves.
With his eyes closed, his breathing gradually slowed, but he never truly fell asleep. He drifted between sleep and wakefulness.
His body rested, but his ears stayed alert, catching every faint sound in the gully.
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