Beginning a Desperate Flight

Chen An knew at once that something was wrong. Moreover, the handwriting on this note was indeed Lord Ji's. The two of them had delivered quite a few letters for Lord Ji before. Though they did not know the contents, they often saw the writing on the envelopes. The handwriting on this paper was somewhat hurried, yet it was unmistakably Lord Ji's.

Chen An immediately put on a smiling face and secretly glanced at Li Yin at the same time. Li Yin gave him a slight nod, indicating that there was no problem with the note.

"Young master, listen to yourself. This humble one only felt that you had just returned, yet now you have to make another trip. If we had learned of this in the city earlier, you would not have had to suffer this hardship. How could this humble one have any other thoughts? I shall go prepare horses for you at once."

At the North City Gate, the soldiers on duty watched the backs of several riders entering the city. One soldier said, "Lord Li has been quite busy today. He only just went back, and now he has returned again. In the past, we would only see him once every month or two."

After the three entered the city, they rode straight toward the military camp. Li Yan was far from as calm inside as he appeared. He could not keep track of Strategist Ji's movements. Strategist Ji might return at any moment, or they might even run into each other face-to-face on the street.

They soon arrived outside the camp gates. Li Yan leapt from his horse, tossed away the reins, and strode straight toward the gate without a word. Chen An and Li Yin hurriedly led the horses after him. Li Yan glanced at them. "Once you enter the camp, tie the horses in the stables and wait here."

Chen An and Li Yin had also read the note. Knowing that Strategist Ji had summoned Li Yan alone, they were naturally utterly at ease. Now that they had entered the military camp, they were even happier to loaf about, and quickly answered in agreement.

Li Yan headed deeper into the camp. He had come here several times and was fairly familiar with the place. After circling around several tents, he encountered several patrols along the way. The soldiers merely checked his identity before letting him pass. He turned to look back down the road he had taken. Chen An and Li Yin were already out of sight, so he took several more turns and headed toward Liu Chengyong's tent.

Liu Chengyong was pacing back and forth inside his tent. By now, about three quarters of an hour had passed since noon. Suddenly, the light before his eyes dimmed. Looking up, he saw someone flash in through the entrance. Who else could it be but Li Yan?

"Brother Li, you finally came." Liu Chengyong spoke without preamble.

"Captain Liu, I kept you waiting. What happens next depends on you." Li Yan spoke quickly.

"Good. Come with me." Liu Chengyong's military manner showed itself at this moment. He did not waste words, turning and walking outside as soon as he finished speaking. After receiving the secret order, he had known that this was an important matter for the Marshal. He would not ask about the particulars. He only knew that outsiders could not learn the details. Li Yan followed closely behind him.

The two left the tent and headed farther into the camp. Following Liu Chengyong through twists and turns past tent after tent, Li Yan arrived at a heavily guarded area. Along the way, they had encountered quite a few patrol squads, but Liu Chengyong held a command token in hand. After checking it, the other side let them through.

Before them stood several large tents covering a vast area. These tents were broad and spacious, each draped in pitch-black felt. At this moment, a long crisscrossed fence of wooden spikes blocked their path. The soldiers here were clearly different from those they had met earlier. All wore dark black armor and stood expressionless, intensely wary of their arrival. Before the two could even approach, one of them shouted, "Halt! Military restricted area."

Seeing this, Liu Chengyong spoke quietly to Li Yan. "Brother Li, wait here a moment." With that, he took out half a tiger tally from his waist, raised it in his hand, and walked forward.

Li Yan saw Liu Chengyong hand the half tiger tally to a man who appeared to be their leader. The man inspected it carefully for quite some time, then exchanged a few quiet words with Liu Chengyong. Liu Chengyong then beckoned Li Yan over. Li Yan walked forward as well. Upon seeing him approach, the leader-like man turned and said a few words to a soldier beside him, then handed him the half tiger tally. The soldier walked out, glanced at Liu Chengyong and Li Yan, then turned without a word and continued deeper inside.

"Captain Liu, what is this place? It is guarded so tightly that even half of the Marshal's tiger tally is needed. Wouldn't the command token from before suffice?" Though Li Yan's heart was burning with anxiety, he was still somewhat curious and asked in a low voice. He had visited the military camp several times recently and knew a little about military regulations, roll calls, command arrows, and tiger tallies.

"This is where the army's supplies are stored. It is our lifeline." Liu Chengyong gave only that one answer.

Li Yan thought, So that was why security was so tight. Even if Chen An and Li Yin knew I was here now, they would still have no way to enter.

After following that soldier inward for a short while and turning several more corners, they arrived inside another camp gate. This gate was tightly shut, guarded by another squad of soldiers in black armor. Thick iron chains, as wide as an adult's arm, were wrapped around the gate, secured by a bronze lock the size of half a human head.

The soldier hurried forward and whispered with the black-armored soldier who came to meet him. He then took out the half tiger tally and handed it over. The black-armored soldier likewise examined it meticulously for a long while before beckoning Liu Chengyong and Li Yan over.

Once Liu Chengyong and Li Yan approached, the soldier returned the half tiger tally to Liu Chengyong and ordered his men to open the iron chains as thick as adult arms. Then, amid a chorus of creaks and groans, four soldiers strained to push the massive gate outward, looking as though they were exerting great effort.

Once the gate had been pushed open enough for one person to pass through, Liu Chengyong called to Li Yan and walked out.

The heavy gate began moving again, then slammed shut with a clang. Next came the rattling sound of iron chains. Li Yan surveyed the scene before him. He was standing in a broad alley, with a straight road stretching ahead before turning out of sight not far away.

Liu Chengyong smiled at Li Yan. "Brother Li, this is the exit from the military camp's supply warehouses. No one will come here. Walk a little farther ahead and there will be more guards. Once we get out, we will be not far from the entrance of the North City Gate."

Hearing this, Li Yan recalled that when they first entered through the North City Gate, there had been three roads paved with large bluestone slabs. The central main road was the one they usually took into the city. The other two side roads wound off toward either side of the city, and he had never known where they led. This place was likely the extension of one of those roads.

Seeing no one around, Li Yan asked Liu Chengyong, "What arrangements has Marshal Hong made for the next step?"

Liu Chengyong looked at him. "The Marshal said that once we leave the camp, I am to take you to the rear gate of the Marshal's residence. Someone will meet us there."

Upon hearing that, Li Yan shook his head. "Captain Liu, then I cannot go. Just deliver this bottle and letter to the Marshal for me." As he spoke, Li Yan took a small porcelain bottle and a letter from his robes and handed them to Liu Chengyong.

Liu Chengyong accepted the small porcelain bottle in confusion. It was no larger than a thumb, and its mouth was sealed with wax. He had no idea what it was for. The letter must have been something Li Yan had written for the Marshal. It was not the first time Liu Chengyong had delivered letters, but the order he had received was to bring Li Yan to the Marshal's residence today no matter what.

"Brother Li, you are making things difficult for me." After tucking the items into his robes, he stared at Li Yan and spoke one word at a time.

"Heh, Brother Liu, after these past few months, have you not realized that I am tangled up in troubles now?" Li Yan said solemnly.

This time, he did not even call him Captain Liu.

Liu Chengyong looked at him and said, "I do not know what entanglements lie between the Marshal, you, and Strategist Ji. But the order I received was to bring you to the Marshal's residence."

"Brother Liu, let us make a long story short. I definitely will not go. And here, you cannot hold me. Once we reach the exit ahead and there are more people around, you will be even less able to make a move. Otherwise, something that might still have succeeded could end with everyone parting on bad terms." As he spoke, Li Yan circulated the spiritual power within him. Power immediately surged from his body and pressed down upon Liu Chengyong.

Liu Chengyong instantly felt a force as heavy as a mountain weighing down on him. It was as though he had been struck by lightning. Just as he was horrified and about to raise his inner strength to resist, the pressure suddenly vanished. His entire body became empty and weightless, with no pressure remaining at all.

Li Yan naturally knew that whether it was Hong Linying or Strategist Ji, both would want to hold him in the palm of their hands. Yet he still needed Hong Linying's strength to carry out his plan. Therefore, no matter what, he had to pull Hong Linying into this affair, but he could not fall into his hands. This was only the beginning of his plan. Now was not the time to meet Hong Linying. He had to free himself first before speaking further.

At present, Li Yan had used Hong Linying to execute a secret crossing at Chencang, first shaking off Strategist Ji's spies. He had considered the situation now before him; he simply had not known when it would arise. Since he had reached this point and understood the environment he was in, he was gambling that Liu Chengyong would not dare make a move at the alley ahead. Doing so might draw Strategist Ji here.

Thus, this was a good place to lay his cards on the table. Suddenly gathering all his spiritual power to suppress Liu Chengyong, Li Yan was not entirely certain himself. What kind of man was Liu Chengyong? He was an expert in the army, and his methods of combat and killing were surely formidable. But Li Yan was only using spiritual power to suppress him, creating, in that release and withdrawal, the impression of an internal martial arts master, forcing Liu Chengyong to be unable to judge his depths for the moment. At the same time, he kept calling him "Brother Liu," using both carrot and stick.

Feeling the weight descend and then lift from his body, Liu Chengyong was utterly shocked. How could this Brother Li be so formidable? They had not met for only a few months, yet Li Yan's internal cultivation had already surpassed his by several times. How had he trained it? Liu Chengyong reckoned that he lacked the ability to take Li Yan down. He did not know that Li Yan was merely all show and no substance, possessing only magical power and putting on the appearance of an internal martial arts expert, when in truth he had not the slightest experience in combat. But Liu Chengyong did not see it that way. Among martial sects, who did not cultivate both internal and external arts? While practicing internal strength, they also trained martial techniques. Since Strategist Ji could impart such profound internal cultivation to Li Yan, he must have taught him no small number of methods for killing as well. The thought sent a chill down Liu Chengyong's back.

"Heh, Brother Li truly possesses fine martial skill. Liu admits that I cannot carry out this order." Liu Chengyong gave a bitter smile.

"Brother Liu, to be honest, the things I gave you are exactly what the Marshal needs. Once you hand them over, he will regard you as having completed your task. As for this brother of yours, I can only do things this way." Li Yan said earnestly.

Liu Chengyong looked into Li Yan's eyes. He felt that Li Yan did not seem to be lying, so he sighed. "Then it can only be this way. I only hope I do not receive that round of military caning." He felt immensely stifled inside. If he used force, he alone certainly could not win. If he called more men, the matter would be ruined, and more people would surely learn of it. Why, then, had he been so careful earlier?

"Then let us go." Li Yan extended a hand in a gesture toward the way ahead. Liu Chengyong let out a long sigh and walked in front. "Brother Li, you need not be so cautious about everything. Could it be that I would strike from behind?"

"Heh, Brother Liu, what are you saying? I do not know the way, and once we reach the front, I have neither command token nor tiger tally. How could I get through?"

A short while later, at the mouth of the alley, Liu Chengyong watched Li Yan's departing back as he galloped toward the North Gate. He sighed once more, then touched the porcelain bottle and letter in his robes before turning and walking toward the Marshal's residence.