HCAW 111

Chapter 111: Caught Between Advance and Retreat

Chu Kuang lay unconscious, bleeding profusely, the pool of blood soaking into the deck beneath him—a grim testament to how badly he was hurt. Zheng Deli, flustered, hurried to boil water, cleaning the wounds before stitching them shut with mulberry bark thread. When all was finally tended, he let out a long sigh but couldn’t help inwardly berating himself:

How had he neglected Chu Kuang? He was human, not a god—facing down a whole army alone, how could he have emerged unscathed?

Zheng Deli rummaged through the kit and found a bottle of high-grade wound salve—made from ground turtle bug and gall-star—it was the very one Xiao Jiao had once given Chu Kuang when she served as Divine Maiden. He moved to apply it, but Chu Kuang suddenly came to and grabbed his wrist, his voice barely a whisper, face drained of color:

“No need… don’t waste it on me.”

“But—”

“I’ve eaten too much of the meat slices already… my body’s broken. I don’t heal easily anymore. The medicine won’t work,” Chu Kuang said weakly. “It’s rare and precious—save it for His Highness.”

Zheng Deli saw how skeletal and deathly pale he looked, lips bluish, eyes dull, trembling as he curled into himself—yet still refusing the medicine. For a moment, Zheng’s heart twisted with guilt. Chu Kuang slowly let go and fainted again with a muffled breath. Zheng Deli hurried to the other cabin—only to find Fang Jingyu slumped against the wall, having collapsed from the turmoil of emotions and his heavy injuries after hearing Chu Kuang’s words.

He helped Fang Jingyu back to the bed, breathing deeply. Now both of their strongest fighters were severely wounded, and he was the only one left to care for them. It left him feeling overwhelmed.

Zheng sat at the bedside and called gently, “Miss Qin, are you there?”

A small nine-tentacled octopus poked its head from Fang Jingyu’s ear and grumbled, “What is it, Eggless Zheng? I can’t leave the gourd’s ear for long—Gu Bi Guard’s divine sense is still inside his body, and I have to keep it in check!”

“Chu Kuang is gravely injured too. With your divine power, can you heal him?”

Xiao Jiao hesitated. “Tight-lipped gourd’s dragon-bone spine is gone, but the fire-poison remains. If I leave him even briefly, Gu Bi Guard’s divine sense will gain the upper hand. I’m not unwilling, but if Gu Bi Guard takes over his body and finds out where we are, that would be disastrous. I’m sorry—I’ve done everything I can. I can’t spare the strength to heal someone else.”

“What about that pouch of black meat slices? I saw Chu Kuang use it a few times before—it seemed to heal wounds quickly.”

“That’s the remains of my own blood-flesh—cut from my people while they were still alive,” Xiao Jiao said flatly. “It can heal, yes—but it contains their hatred and resentment. Eating it causes excruciating migraines and even hallucinations. Chu Kuang’s already not all there—if he eats more, he’ll go completely mad. Besides, the worsening of his wounds might also be from that very meat…”

“No need to worry about me, Young Master Zheng,” came a faint voice.

Zheng turned—Chu Kuang had propped himself up with one hand against the wall, ghostly pale.

“Chu Kuang! You shouldn’t be moving—”

Chu Kuang stepped forward and patted Zheng’s shoulder but staggered halfway, nearly falling. He murmured, “Don’t tell His Highness.”

Zheng trembled. “You’re already this hurt! And you still want—”

“It’s because I’m hurt that I must hide it,” Chu Kuang whispered, gasping. “Stop His Highness if he tries to escape on his own. I can’t protect him now. I don’t even have the strength to follow.”

He limped away, muttering, “I’ll rest a bit longer. You go tend to His Highness.” Watching his lonely figure, Zheng Deli felt a bitter ache fill his chest.

Later, Zheng Deli quietly checked the next cabin—Chu Kuang was curled against the mast, holding onto Fan Ruo, brow furrowed in fevered sleep. Though his cheeks had color, it was the flush of a high fever. Around him lay half-cleaned arrowheads, swords, and one fire lance purchased from a smithy run by a young boy from Daiyu they’d saved.

Chu Kuang was skilled with bow and blade—the fire lance was just a novelty to him, crude and unreliable, prone to misfire. He had tossed it aside long ago.

Now Zheng Deli picked it up. The cold weight of the metal pressed into his palm like a burden. All this time, he had been protected by Fang Jingyu and Chu Kuang, but now—when it mattered most—he could not afford to falter.

He quietly stowed the fire lance into his robes for defense. Then he wrote a few lines on a piece of rough paper, brought out the birdcage, and released the tern. He tucked the paper into its foot scroll.

With a flutter of wings, white feathers scattered into the wind—like teardrops falling from the wide, empty sky. Zheng watched the fading shape in silence, thinking: if what the bone fragment foretold was true, then this was the very clash fated by destiny. And he must not retreat. He, too, was a chosen blade in this war.

_____

After several days of recovery, food and medicine aboard the boat began to run low. But Fang Jingyu and Chu Kuang’s injuries had improved somewhat—they could now sit and talk. So the group gathered in the cabin to discuss what they would do next.

Chu Kuang was wrapped in a reed-fluff coat, his face pale as paper, deep shadows under his eyes like coal smudges. His body swayed unsteadily as he stood. Fang Jingyu, startled by the sight, asked, “What happened to you?”

“Nothing.” Chu Kuang turned his face away, shifting aside.

“If it’s nothing, then why do you look so awful?”

“I’m still upset about what happened a few days ago, that’s all. Let’s not waste time, Your Highness. Let’s get to the point.” Chu Kuang was in so much pain that he didn’t even have the strength to joke. Forcing himself to stay alert, he said, “Right now Gu Bi Guard is searching everywhere for you. This place is too dangerous. I say we retreat in order to advance—let’s head back to Yuanqiao or Yingzhou for now.”

Zheng Deli hesitated. “But with Gu Bi Guard’s spies in every corner of the Three Xian Mountains, Yuanqiao might not be much safer.”

“The checkpoints back to Yingzhou are surely guarded by Gu Bi Guard’s men,” Chu Kuang replied. “We need to find a temporary place to hide and make our move when the time is right.” He turned to Fang Jingyu. “Your Highness, what do you think?”

Fang Jingyu sat silent, his head bowed, as if his soul had drifted elsewhere. Retreating at a critical moment wasn’t his way. His heart was heavy with frustration and worry. After a long pause, he gave a grave nod.

So the group rowed their boat to a secluded spot, changed into coarse hemp clothes, smeared their faces with ash, and posed as laborers quietly hauling goods. They made their way to Mule’s house—a weathered little seaweed cottage.

Mule was stoking the fire when he saw them, clearly alarmed. He quickly pulled the curtain shut and whispered, “Your Highness, what are you doing here?”

He pulled out a few stools and motioned for them to sit. Just as he was about to speak, Xiao Jiao suddenly poked her head out from Fang Jingyu’s ear and said, “Wait! Let me check whether he’s eaten any of Gu Bi Guard’s ‘Immortal Elixir’ first.” Fang Jingyu nodded—if Mule had eaten it, he might already be under Gu Bi Guard’s control and could betray their whereabouts. He told Mule, “This is the Great Immortal Yonghe. She wants to check your ear. Don’t worry, she won’t harm you.”

Mule was terrified by the non-human creature but still obediently let Xiao Jiao crawl inside his ear. A moment later, she emerged and declared, “He’s clean. Gu Bi Guard hasn’t tainted his mind.”

Mule was dumbfounded. Fang Jingyu explained, “Apologies. You probably know by now that Gu Bi Guard is hunting us across the city. Because so many people ate the ‘Immortal Elixir’ distributed under his orders, they’ve all become his eyes and ears. We have to be cautious.” Mule nodded and shuddered. “No wonder everyone in Daiyu’s been acting strange, like a hundred people with one mind.”

They gave him a rough summary of all that had happened. Mule pondered for a while, then sat upright and said solemnly, “In that case, I suggest you all return to Yingzhou via Yuanqiao and seek protection from Bi Bao Guard along the way.”

“Bi Bao Guard?” Xiao Jiao stammered. “She… she’s dead. Probably because of me. And that fat pig surnamed Ji even pinned her death on Tight-Lipped gourd!”

“If what you said earlier is true,” Mule replied seriously, “and Gu Bi Guard claimed the Bi Bao Guard who visited the palace was a fake, then there must be a real Bi Bao Guard still in hiding. I suspect she’s in Yuanqiao.”

Everyone’s eyes lit up. Mule smiled. “The one who died was a fraud—but the real one might still be willing to protect you. If she refuses to act, you can at least try to slip from Yuanqiao to Yingzhou. That’s her territory—Gu Bi Guard can’t act as boldly there.”

His suggestion suddenly lit a path before them, clearing the heavy gloom from their faces. Mule added with a grin, “I’ve also stashed some arrowheads, black powder, and medicine in the backyard—please help yourselves.”

He led them out back. An old woman in his house was sweeping the yard and greeted them with a smile. Mule moved aside a large flower urn, brushed away the dirt, and pried open a stone slab to reveal a tunnel.

On the stone steps were bundles of food and medicine. Mule handed them over and pointed down the tunnel. “I dug this myself, years ago when I first came to Daiyu. It leads to the outskirts of the city. The Langgan Guard had stationed here one or two contacts. Head north two li after exiting—you’ll see Wuda Lake. There are some boatmen there who can take you to Yuanqiao.”

Fang Jingyu and Zheng Deli sighed in relief, bowing in thanks. Without this experienced subordinate of the Langgan Guard, they might never have found a way out of the Xian Mountains. But just then, a heavy thump rang out behind them. They turned—and saw Chu Kuang collapsing face-first to the ground, pale as a corpse.

“Chu Kuang!”

Fang Jingyu panicked and rushed to help him up. Chu Kuang had lost consciousness. His body was burning hot, and blood had begun to seep through the roughly bandaged wounds beneath his clothes. Fang Jingyu felt the sharp angles of his bones and his heart sank.

But before he could speak, a deafening pounding came from the front gate.

“Is the resident of this home inside? Come out!”

Shadows flooded over the walls and fences—they were surrounded. A sharp pain stabbed through Fang Jingyu’s head as Xiao Jiao shrieked in his ear. Gu Bi Guard’s divine sense was pressing in from every direction like a mountain. If he could have looked from above, he would have seen crowds packed into the streets beyond the seaweed cottage, all wearing dark uniforms, their eyes dim and lifeless.

“You inside, you’re suspected of harboring fugitives! If you don’t open up now, we’re coming in!”

The shouting outside shook the walls. A suffocating wave of killing intent surged forward.

“Your Highness…” Mule’s face turned ashen. “Run! Gu Bi Guard’s dogs are here!”