Chapter 59: Hidden Experts
Han Ruzi wrested himself free from Cai Xinghai’s grasp, stood up, and drew the Founding Emperor’s sword. He stared nervously at the top of the wall; the agonizing screams from over the wall likely came from the three eunuchs left behind.
Cai Xinghai also got up, his right foot in even more pain. But it seemed like a twisted ankle rather than a fracture, so he ignored it. The long bamboo pole was left inside the wall, but his belt still held a short de he had snatched. He drew it and stood shoulder to shoulder with the Emperor.
Zhang Youcai, being small and light, jumped down from the wall over six meter high without a scratch. However, he had no weapon in hand and could only clench his fists, ready for a desperate fight.
The three of them looked up at the top of the wall together.
The screams inside the wall stopped quickly. Zhang Youcai said, “If we could attract the nearby guards…”
Before he could finish his sentence, a hand appeared at the top of the wall, knocked down a tile, and fell back down.
Cai Xinghai breathed a sigh of relief. At least none of the pursuing de-wielders were true martial arts experts. “Let’s go, Your Majesty. We must leave quickly.”
Han Ruzi nodded, and Cai Xinghai led the way, limping with gritted teeth while Zhang Youcai followed behind. As they walked, Zhang Youcai kept looking back, asionally catching a glimpse of a hand appearing above the wall. After about a dozen steps, he could not help but say, “These people are really stupid. They can jump so high; why don’t they just form a humandder to climb up?”
Zhang Youcai remembered this idea since that was what he had done before.
Cai Xinghai paused, looked back, and immediately quickened his pace, limping even more noticeably. Han Ruzi caught up and supported the eunuch’s arm with his left hand. “Are you injured?”
Cai Xinghai hastily transferred the short knife from his right hand to his left and said, “Your Majesty need not worry. It’s just a twisted ankle, and I can bear it. On the battlefield, this wouldn’t even count as an injury.”
To prove that he was fine, Cai Xinghai walked even faster. After a few steps, beads of sweat appeared on his face. Han Ruzi looked around as they walked down a very long alley. On one side was the wall of an inner pce, and on the other was a simrly high red wall, behind which was an unknown pce garden.
There was nowhere to escape.
Zhang Youcai, from behind, shouted, “They’re climbing up!”
The de-wielders finally figured out how to scale the walls. They sprang up one after another, some jumping into the alley to give chase, while others ran atop the wall, causing the tiles to rattle.
Cai Xinghai looked ahead and saw no end to the alley. With his injured leg, he would not be able to outrun the pursuers. He decided to stop and said to the Emperor, “I have led Your Majesty into danger, and my crime is unforgivable. Please allow me to stay behind and fight these traitors to the death. Your Majesty…”
“I shall stay behind too.” Han Ruzi also knew that escape was impossible. He gripped his sword and faced the pursuers, saying reassuringly, “They would not dare kill me.”
In his heart, he was not entirely sure. With the Empress Dowager and Prince Donghai in Luo Huan-zhang’s hands, they might truly want to kill the puppet Emperor to eliminate future troubles.
Ashamed and grateful, Cai Xinghai held his de and stood in front of the Emperor, staring at the de-wielders at the forefront of the pursuers.
Zhang Youcai stood beside the Emperor, wanting to find a stone or something, but the alley was so clean that there wasn’t even a single straw. He had no choice but to clench his fists and raise them in front of his chest, muttering, “Come on, let’s see who’s stronger.”
There were ten de-wielders chasing on the ground, five running on the wall, and several more who had not climbed up yet. The wall was covered with uneven tiles, but those running on them were even faster than those on the ground, perhaps to demonstrate their extraordinary skills. The broken tiles kept falling, forcing even their allies in the alley to dodge.
Cai Xinghai did not spot any martial arts experts and felt somewhat relieved. He secretly calcted how many he could defeat but found the situation difficult. He regreted not bringing more people with him.
The de-wielder running at the forefront on the wall was now less than ten steps away. He leaped high sideways, aiming to defeat the enemy with an overwhelming force and secure the great merits of a ‘first kill’.
Cai Xinghai suddenly let out a loud shout. Though he was a eunuch, his roar still retained seventy or eighty percent of its imposing presence. It was as if he had returned to the bordends, this time facing not the Xiongnu cavalry but a pack of wild wolves.
The de-wielder who leaped on the wall appeared to be startled by the shout, swayed, and fell off the wall to the other side.
Zhang Youcai used his sharp voice to yell as well, intending to echo Cai Xinghai’s roar. Unexpectedly, it was effective too. Another de-wielder fell from the wall, and he too fell off the wall to the other side.
“Haha, cowards!” Zhang Youcai was ecstatic.
However, Cai Xinghai was puzzled. Even if their roars were truly that powerful, the de-wielders should have fallen over to their side of the wall. Why did they fall to the other side?
While he was still perplexed, the de-wielders in the alley arrived. Two of them reached him at the same time. They did not wait for theirpanions behind and directly charged with their des.
Cai Xinghai roared, “Protect His Majesty!” He then took big strides to meet them. As an experienced soldier, he had no fancy moves like those in the pugilist world. He swung his short de at the head with great speed, force, and momentum. The oing de-wielder was taken aback, stopped, and dodged. Cai Xinghai’s de lifted upward, striking the second de-wielder.
The two des collided, and the de-wielder, running too fast and with an unstable footing, failed to grip his de with sufficient force. His short de slipped out of his hand, and he was frightened. It scared him into rolling on the ground to narrowly escape the deadly strike.
Zhang Youcai cheered loudly, and Han Ruzi also shouted. He raised his sword and wanted to rush forward but was firmly held back by Zhang Youcai, “Your Majesty, don’t worry. Let Brother Cai handle it for now.”
More de-wielders caught up, spreading out, and only one or two went forward to fight the plump eunuch at a time. If they did notnd a hit, they immediately retreated, and another person took their ce.
The sun had set, and the alley quickly darkened. Cai Xinghai roared and swung his de like a mighty lion. At first, he had the upper hand, but gradually his movements slowed down. His leg injury prevented him from pursuing his enemies, wasting many opportunities.
The surrounding de-wielders sensed they had the situation under control and began to converse.
“Don’t rush, the eunuch is almost out of energy.”
“Send a few people to block the back.”
“Don’t hurt the Emperor.”
“What happened to those two on the wall earlier?”
“They must have run too hastily.”
The sky darkened, and the alley became especially dim and lightless. Only vague figures could be seen. Cai Xinghai stumbled and staggered without killing a single de-wielder, all the while putting himself in constant danger. Growing more anxious, he forced himself to endure the pain in his leg and pursued one of the de-wielders.
The de-wielder was prepared and dodged to the side. Unexpectedly, he slipped and fell. Before he could brace himself with his hands, a de struck his neck, and he copsed without making a sound.
The other de-wielders were shocked, and Cai Xinghai’s spirits were lifted. He brandished his de and charged towards the second de-wielder. The de-wielder did not want to fight head-on and tried to retreat. However, for some reason, his knee buckled, causing him to kneel forward and offer his head to the eunuch’s de.
With two de-wielders taken down, the others retreated. Finally, someone who understood the situation shouted, “Be careful, the eunuch has help!”
Cai Xinghai knew that his victory was not normal, but he could not worry about that now. He swung his short de, limping as he chased his enemies. Whether they tried to run or face him, they always lost their bnce at thest moment, bing ghosts under his de.
By the time he cut down the fifth de-wielder, his short de was bent and stuck in the enemy’s shoulder, unable to be pulled out. The de-wielder screamed, turned around, and ran away with the de still embedded in his shoulder.
Cai Xinghai was now unarmed.
Han Ruzi could no longer stand by and watch. He pushed Zhang Youcai aside, shouted, and charged forward.
The Emperor’s martial arts were even more miraculous. While Cai Xinghai had to swing and strike with his de, actually cutting into his enemies, the Emperor merely had to raise his sword. Whomever he charged at would fall, either clutching their leg or covering their stomach, rolling on the ground and screaming in pain.
“There are martial arts experts in ambush!” The remaining de-wielders could not locate the enemy and had no idea how many opponents they were facing. Their fear intensified, and they turned to run. Even the injured on the ground tried to crawl away, leaving behind four corpses, all killed by Cai Xinghai.
Han Ruzi was not satisfied since his sword had not even been stained with blood. He wanted to chase an injured de-wielder, but Zhang Youcai held him back tightly, “Your Majesty, do not pursue.”
Cai Xinghai panted heavily and bowed to the surroundings, “May I ask which brothers from the Imperial Guards are here? His Majesty is present, and you all have done a great service in protecting him. Pleasee forward and meet him.”
There was no response, only the whistling of the wind.
Cai Xinghai picked up a short de from the ground and looked around a few more times before speaking to the Emperor, “Your Majesty, let’s leave. These guards… might not want to reveal themselves.”
“They won’t im credit for such a great service?” Zhang Youcai found it hard to believe.
Han Ruzi also found it strange. He turned and walked a few steps before suddenly shouting, “It’s you! I know it’s you!”
Cai Xinghai looked surprised and asked, “Your Majesty, do you recognize… It was just one person?”
Still, no one responded or appeared.
Han Ruzi shook his head, “I was just guessing.” He remembered that the person did not wish to be revealed.
Zhang Youcai wanted to help the Emperor, but Han Ruzi told him to assist Cai Xinghai instead. The three of them walked out of the alley and saw two roads ahead: one extending to the south and the other pointing east.
Cai Xinghai said, “Let’s head east; it should lead us to the Ancestral Temple.”
“You know the way, right, Brother Cai? I’m lost,” Zhang Youcai had entered the pce when he was just over ten years old and only had a limited understanding of the pceyout.
Cai Xinghai nodded, “I once participated in ceremonial proceedings at the Ancestral Temple. At that time, I still had… I was still an army officer. We entered the temple from the south main gate, which leads to the Hall of Diligent Administration.”
“We need to find a ce to rest for a while,” Han Ruzi said.
“I’m fine, Your Majesty. We shouldn’t stay here for long. The rebels will surely catch up with us again,” Cai Xinghai said, trying to show that he was fine. To prove it, he jumped lightly, but the pain made him grit his teeth and he couldn’t help but let out a couple of groans.
“We need to find a ce to rest for a while,” Han Ruzi said.
“I’m fine, Your Majesty. We can’t stay here for long, the rebels will definitely catch up again,” Cai Xinghai said, trying to show he was fine by hopping lightly. However, the pain made him grimace, and he could not help but groan twice.
“There will not be any senior officials at the Hall of Diligent Administration at this time, so going there would be useless. Let’s hide until morning. What is this ce, and why is it so deserted?”
Cai Xinghai was not very familiar with the pce. He could only estimate their general location but not pinpoint their exact whereabouts. So, he shook his head.
The three continued on, and suddenly Zhang Youcai pped his forehead with his free hand, “I remember now, isn’t this the Eastern Pce, the manor of the Crown Prince?”
“Huh? The Crown Prince’s Manor is not here,” Han Ruzi, who had lived in the Crown Prince’s residence with his mother for several years, remembered it very clearly.
“This used to be the Crown Prince’s Manor,” Zhang Youcai recalled the pce rumors and talked about it excitedly, “Previous crown princes used to live here. After the Martial Emperor killed two crown princes, this ce was left vacant. At first, there were still guards who kept watch, butter…” Zhang Youcai shivered and didn’t dare to continue.
“What happenedter?” Han Ruzi asked curiously.
“The dead crown princes started haunting the ce, so no one has lived here since. No wonder there were no guardsing when we made so much noise just now,” Zhang Youcai whispered, his voice trembling, “Could it be… the ones who saved the Emperor just now were…”
“Nonsense, those who saved the Emperor were martial arts experts,” Cai Xinghai did not quite believe in the ghost stories. And it was would be even more improper to believe in such tales in front of the emperor.
“Let’s hide here tonight,” Han Ruzi did not believe in ghosts either and thought this was an excellent ce to hide.
Zhang Youcai was reluctant, but he did not dare object.
Just as Cai Xinghai was about to speak, a figure suddenly appeared from the dark wall ahead, standing straight, seemingly floating in the darkness. Zhang Youcai was frightened and clung tightly to Cai Xinghai’s arm.
“Who’s there?” Cai Xinghai shouted.
The figure stopped and said, “It iste, Your Majesty. Please return to the pce.”Advertisement