"Young Master, we’ll be out of Yunmeng Mountain in another ten li. The Second Master has surely sent men to lie in wait for us there. And this man... it’s been three days and he still hasn’t shown any sign of waking. What do you think...?"
The three of them had been trekking through the mountains for three days, taking turns carrying Chu Fan. They were already exhausted. Fortunately, their pursuers hadn’t appeared during that time.
Most of the vast Yunmeng Mountain was primeval forest. One can only imagine the hardships they had endured over the past three days, weighed down by such a burden.
Their already tattered clothes were now torn to shreds, and they even gave off a foul stench.
At that moment, the three of them were by a stream, washing down stale, foul-smelling rations with spring water.
The young man forced down the hard-to-swallow rations, took a large gulp of spring water, and said, "Let’s go another five li, build a shelter for him, and leave him there. We’ve done all we can."
Seeing that their young master was no longer stubbornly insisting on carrying this burden, Qi Wei and Wang Xing both breathed a sigh of relief.
However, the thought of inevitably facing their pursuers upon leaving Yunmeng Mountain brought worried looks back to their faces.
"Let’s do our best and leave the rest to fate. If heaven insists that my life must end here, then I accept it. When the time comes, I’ll give them the Bone Flute in exchange for your freedom. Here are some silver banknotes. Take them, find a faraway town, and live a good life."
As he spoke, the young man pulled two silver banknotes from his robes.
Qi Wei hurriedly refused. "Young Master, you have your principles, and we have our convictions. How could we just run for our lives and watch you go to your death?"
"If we really run into them, the three of us will surely die. It’s my life they want. Why must you insist? Isn’t it better to live?" the young man said helplessly.
"If it weren’t for the Eldest Young Master back then, we would have died long ago," Wang Xing said resolutely. "We’ve kept our lives only to repay you, Young Master. If you must die, then we will walk ahead of you. We’ll even scout the path for you on the Yellow Springs Road."
Seeing that he couldn’t persuade the two of them, the young man was deeply moved.
After filling their stomachs, the three set off again. The five-li journey took them a full hour because of the burden that was Chu Fan.
Beside a towering tree, they built a crude shelter out of dead branches and fallen leaves, and placed the still-unconscious Chu Fan inside.
The young man placed the two silver banknotes he had taken out earlier next to Chu Fan, weighing them down with a rock.
He said softly, "It’s just your bad luck. If I weren’t in a position where I can’t even protect myself, I would definitely hire a Physician to treat you. This is as far as we can take you. You’ll have to fend for yourself."
Qi Wei and Wang Xing looked at their young master, their eyes filled with sorrow.
’Heaven is truly unfair. The Young Master is so pure and kind, yet at such a young age, he has already experienced the cruelest of familial tragedies.’
’Even in such a desperate situation, he still holds onto the kindness in his heart, treating a complete stranger like this.’
"It’s a pity we’re not skilled enough to protect the Young Master." Qi Wei punched a nearby tree in self-reproach, his knuckles immediately becoming slick with blood.
Just then, a rustling sound came from all directions.
"Not good! Protect the Young Master!" Wang Xing reacted, drawing the long saber from his waist and quickly shielding the young man behind him.
In a moment, about thirty men dressed in black had surrounded the three of them.
"You lot can sure run. You’ve had me sleeping in the wild for over half a month," a bushy-bearded, middle-aged man said as he stepped out from the crowd, cradling a long saber. He sized up Qi Wei and the other two.
Cold sweat poured down the faces of Qi Wei and his companions, and the hands holding their sabers trembled uncontrollably.
They claimed not to fear death, but when death truly came knocking, how many could really face it with composure?
"I don’t know if you’re just lucky or what, managing to cross Yunmeng Mountain without ending up in the belly of a beast." The bushy-bearded man shook his head arrogantly.
"Wang Hu, you treacherous dog! Have you forgotten who saved everyone in your Wang Family Manor from the flood ten years ago?" Wang Xing roared.
The bushy-bearded man ran a finger under his nose, then chuckled. "Of course I remember. But haven’t I already sold ten years of my life to the Ye Family? That debt was paid long ago. Besides, Master Ye is already dead."
The young man stepped forward from behind Wang Xing and the others, facing the bearded man. "Wang Hu, I’ll give you the Bone Flute. I can also go with you. Just let them go, will you?"
"Young Master, don’t!" Qi Wei said hurriedly.
"Little Young Master, what right do you have to negotiate terms with me now? But whether they’re let go or not isn’t my call. Let’s just wait."
Wang Hu said to wait, and that wait lasted for two days.
They noticed the unconscious Chu Fan under the shelter, but no one paid him any mind.
It wasn’t until Noon on the third day that a lavishly dressed young man arrived, leading four Guards.
"Young Master, the person is here," Wang Hu said fawningly as he welcomed the newcomer.
The moment the newcomer saw the young man, a mocking smile spread across his face.
"Xiaohan, my dear younger brother, why must you put yourself through all this?"
"Ye Xiaolin, you will all die a horrible death!" the young man snarled, his eyes practically splitting with rage as he stared at the newcomer.
Ye Xiaolin walked slowly toward Ye Xiaohan. Two Guards behind him rushed forward, pinning Ye Xiaohan’s arms from both sides.
The moment Qi Wei and Wang Xing moved, two blades were pressed against their necks.
Ye Xiaolin gently patted Ye Xiaohan’s cheek and said in a soft, silky voice, "I just love seeing this expression on your face. You probably don’t know this, but your mother... I had a wonderful time with her right before she died."
"I’ll kill you!" Ye Xiaohan erupted in a rage, baring his teeth. But his enemy was right in front of him, and he was utterly powerless.
"Who told you to be so disobedient? If you had just given us the Bone Flute earlier, none of this would have happened, right?" After saying this, Ye Xiaolin burst into loud laughter.
"And I have more good news for you. Just five days ago, your second uncle was thrown into the Celestial Prison for molesting the Princess while drunk. HAHAHA!"
When Ye Xiaohan heard this, it was as if his soul had left his body. In that instant, all hope was extinguished.
"Alright, Xiaohan, hand over the Bone Flute, and you can be on your way. Cooperate, and I’ll leave all three of you with intact corpses. I’ll even dig you a grave. Otherwise, your bodies will be abandoned in the wilderness... and in this jungle, well, you know how it is. HAHAHA!"
"I curse your entire family to fall into the Avici Hell, never to be reborn for all eternity," Ye Xiaohan said through gritted teeth.
What else could he do?
"It seems you still haven’t learned how to behave!" As Ye Xiaolin spoke, his gaze hardened. He reached out and grabbed Ye Xiaohan by the neck with one hand, while the other began to search his body.
"To be so utterly and completely shameless... you’re really something else."
The sudden voice put everyone on high alert.
"Who—who’s speaking?"
Everyone searched around until they saw that the man in the shelter, the one who had been unconscious all this time, was now standing.
He was walking slowly toward Ye Xiaohan and the others.
"Kill him!" Ye Xiaolin ordered the men in black.