Chapter Eighty-Four
In the sleeping quarters of the Crown Prince's residence, Jiang Deqing, eyes reddened, helped Qi Xiao don his armor, constantly urging: "Your Highness must take care of yourself. And if you see the World Prince, please persuade him well—please, don't actually resort to blades and weapons..."
Qi Xiao smiled faintly: "Uncle needn't worry. I won't die, and neither will he."
Jiang Deqing's clouded eyes glistened with tears. He shook his head and sighed: "This old servant knows, this old servant simply hates... hates that Heaven is blind, to have Your Highness and the World Prince at sword's point. This... alas..."
Qi Xiao lowered his gaze without speaking. Jiang Deqing wiped his eyes, clenched his teeth, and said in a low voice: "The Emperor has gone too far, giving Your Highness only a thousand men, and deliberately holding back many of our own. Now they're pressing urgently about the secret territory, ordering an immediate march. Your Highness can only gather another seven or eight hundred men at most. This..."
Qi Xiao coldly smiled: "Seven hundred is more than enough."
Qi Xiao took the ceremonial tiger-head golden helmet from the maid and quietly asked: "Has Shunzi returned?"
Jiang Deqing shook his head: "No, ever since the fire at the Prince's mansion, we haven't seen him. He probably... went with the World Prince."
Qi Xiao nodded: "Good."
Qi Xiao put on the golden helmet, left the mansion, mounted his horse, and led over a thousand soldiers straight south.
It was five days later when Bai Ren learned that Qi Xiao was in pursuit.
The Emperor had issued arrest warrants, so to avoid trouble, Bai Ren's group avoided the official roads, making their way through mountains and valleys along hidden paths. Fortunately, it was the seventh month. Apart from suffering from insects and pests, everything else was manageable. That night, there was a commotion outside. When Bai Ren emerged from his tent, he saw flames blazing across the sky—someone had launched fire arrows, burning more than half the tents!
Shunzi's eyes immediately turned red. He drew his blade and was about to charge forward when Bai Ren grabbed him. Shunzi turned to look at Bai Ren, bewildered: "World Prince?"
Bai Ren stared into the distance, his voice heavy: "Look..."
Shunzi followed Bai Ren's gaze. Through the flames, the great banner bearing the character "Xiao" fluttered violently. Shunzi froze. Cen Chaoge stumbled out of the tent and scrambled over, crying in despair: "The Crown Prince! The Crown Prince has come to capture us!"
Bai Ren gritted his teeth tightly. He turned and shouted for everyone to break camp immediately. Cen Chaoge rushed forward and seized Bai Ren's arm, panicked: "Bai Ren, should we... should we fight? Can we even escape?"
Bai Ren's voice was cold: "Can you defeat the Crown Prince?"
Cen Chaoge had no answer. Bai Ren pushed him aside roughly, mounted his horse, and continued shouting orders. Helpless, everyone abandoned tents and much of their supplies, fleeing in panic.
In the days that followed, Bai Ren felt each hour like a year.
When they first spotted Qi Xiao's soldiers, Bai Ren had actually felt relieved inside. He thought Qi Xiao had come to help him. But that same night, he was first robbed of his tents by Qi Xiao's fire, then chased southward nearly two hundred li in one night. By dawn, when Bai Ren thought they had finally escaped, they were ambushed by two hundred elite soldiers Qi Xiao had already laid in wait. Bai Ren's group was completely scattered, broken into several segments. Fortunately, they had the Lingnan method of regrouping. After another five hundred li south, they finally reconvened. But when they took count, over a hundred of their five hundred men were gone.
Shunzi casually brushed the dust from his clothes and said quietly: "World Prince... not all hundred are dead. Many were just scattered. In time... they may catch up again."
Bai Ren was also covered in dust. He didn't bother to brush it off. Being chased by Qi Xiao for days, he hadn't closed his eyes for a moment or drunk a drop of water. Now that he'd finally shaken off the pursuers, Bai Ren didn't care about anything. He uncapped his waterskin and drank deeply. After a long while, he caught his breath and spoke haltingly: "It doesn't matter. Even if I only have one soldier left, one horse left, I'm going back."
Hearing this, Shunzi felt a pang in his heart. He said softly: "World Prince, don't speak that way. Our horses are better than the Crown Prince's. As long as we don't walk into another ambush, we'll be fine. Didn't a message come from the south? There's someone in Ningdu ready to help us. Once we cross the Southern Frontier, we'll have our lives."
Bai Ren nodded, unconsciously repeating: "Once we cross the Southern Frontier..."
Bai Ren raised his head to look at Shunzi. After a moment of silence, he said: "You... could stay behind. You're the Crown Prince's milk brother. He won't kill you. You... go back."
Shunzi was stunned. He lowered his gaze and shook his head: "The Prince told me to stay and guard the World Prince always. I can't leave."
Shunzi thought about Qi Xiao's relentless pursuit these past days, and couldn't help but find his own words laughable. He forced a bitter smile: "I truly didn't know... that the Prince would actually make a move against you."
Bai Ren turned his head away and shook his head: "He has his difficulties. Besides, this was what I said I would do. From now on, whatever I do has nothing to do with him. The Emperor ordered him to pursue me—what could he do?"
Shunzi hesitated, then said quietly: "But I heard... that the Crown Prince volunteered himself before the Emperor."
Bai Ren's heart felt as if it were being sliced by knives, yet he instinctively continued to make excuses for Qi Xiao: "The entire court was watching him. What else could he do?!"
Shunzi was stunned. He forced a bitter smile. After a long while, he couldn't help but ask: "What if... we're caught up with again by the Prince? If it comes to swords, what will the World Prince do?"
Each of Shunzi's words stabbed directly into Bai Ren's heart, every cut drawing blood.
Bai Ren didn't answer. He stood up and called everyone to move. Along the way, Bai Ren set traps to delay Qi Xiao's forces. Five days later, they finally reached the Kurmo Wasteland.
When they saw this yellow, barren land, everyone wept. Several older elite soldiers slid from their horses, knelt on the ground, and clutching the yellow earth, wept bitterly. Just one hundred li more—just one hundred li more and they would have crossed the Southern Frontier. Once across the Southern Frontier, three hundred more li would bring them to Ningdu. There, their families were waiting for them. If they could just make it there, their elderly and children back home would still have hope of survival!
The group cheered loudly, embracing each other and weeping. Bai Ren turned to look north. One hundred more li, and he might... never see Qi Xiao again.
One year in the capital, and in the end, it was all just a dream.
Shunzi was not as excited as the others. He turned to look at Bai Ren, his heart aching. He rode closer and quietly persuaded: "World Prince, don't look anymore."
"Shunzi..." Bai Ren's dark eyes reflected the horizon of the desert. On that blurred horizon line, terrifying silhouettes slowly grew larger. Bai Ren's voice turned hoarse. "Look... what's that..."
Shunzi's heart lurched. He turned to look north and cried out: "Crown Prince!!"
Shunzi clenched his fists tight, shouting in despair: "Why does he keep chasing?! Why did he come all the way here?!"
Everyone froze, turning to look north. At the other end of the desert, the great "Xiao" banner fluttered violently. Several thousand elite soldiers, like demons from hell, slowly advanced southward. People screamed. Bai Ren closed his eyes briefly, then raised his long blade and shouted sharply: "What's all the noise?! We're not dead yet!!"
Bai Ren wheeled his horse around and said fiercely: "We've reached Kurmo now! Ahead—less than five hundred li ahead—is our home! What are you afraid of?!"
The horses whinnied. Bai Ren gently stroked his mount and said loudly: "Now we cannot run anymore! If we run now, we'll only lead them straight to our homes! Men! Would you rather die in battle?! Or lead them home and let them kill our fathers! Our wives! Our children!"
Everyone had been on edge the entire journey, finally arriving here thinking they'd escaped with their lives, only to be overtaken by Qi Xiao at the last moment. Now with the enemy before them and their families behind, their blood boiled. They shouted their assent loudly. Bai Ren raised his long blade high and declared: "Now we stand here! We make our stand here! Even if only one of us remains, no outsider shall enter Ningdu!"
Everyone shouted their agreement. Bai Ren turned to look at the soldiers advancing slowly forward. Silently, he removed the life-token from around his neck and casually tossed it into his pack.
Qi Xiao coldly regarded the Lingnan men in the distance. He said: "Halt!"
The Imperial Guard commander He Hongluo rode forward on his horse and smiled: "What is it?"
Qi Xiao ignored him. He Hongluo continued speaking to himself: "To tell you the truth, I truly admire the Crown Prince's wisdom. Several times he found ways to avoid the Lingnan ambushes. Only then could we catch up."
He Hongluo shook his head with a smile: "Honestly, when I first left the capital, I thought Your Highness might show favoritism. Looking now, it seems I underestimated Your Highness. The Crown Prince has a noble heart, doesn't abuse personal connections. I truly admire it!"
Qi Xiao raised his eyes to glance at He Hongluo, coldly smiled, and said nothing. This man was the Emperor's confidant. This pursuit was ostensibly assistance, but in truth he was here to spy. Qi Xiao looked at the thousand Imperial soldiers behind He Hongluo, then at his own seven hundred personal guards. A trace of mockery flickered in his eyes.
Qi Xiao ignored him entirely, but He Hongluo didn't mind in the slightest. He understood perfectly. As long as he brought Bai Ren back, he would have achieved great merit. What was a few cold looks from the Prince?
He Hongluo smiled: "They've lost so many men along the way and only have these few people left. They'll be easily defeated... Why bother Your Highness's personal guards? Your Highness wait here. I'll lead these thousand men to take their lives directly and capture the World Prince. How about it?"
Qi Xiao raised his hand and slashed it downward sharply. The banner-bearing soldier acted accordingly. Everyone shouted their assent and charged south like wild horses breaking from their reins. He Hongluo fell half a step behind, coldly smiling to himself. Desperate to claim credit now—what use was that!