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Chapter 1 – Escaping Dragon From The Battlefield
writer:huang.yi      update:2022-06-28 17:33
  Just as Xiang Shaolong got rid one batch of enemies, a scream came from his side. He turned around in shock only to see Zhou Liang falling over his horse, with a long spear piercing through his armor from the back and exiting to the front. Obviously the enemy who threw that spear was very strong. 

  He let out an earth shattering roar and was about to rein his horse to kill his way back but his followers on either side of him tugged at his reins hard, pulling him along as they escaped. 

  One of the enemy generals, leading a group of soldiers ran after them and shouted, “Xiang Shaolong, where can you run!” 

  Xiang Shaolong took a look at the surroundings only to see that only less than a hundred of his personal guards are left and the forests around them are all burning bright. He has no idea how many more enemies are out there. 

  Now that the enemy has caught onto him, it’ll be difficult for him to avoid them in this situation. Just as he was about to turn back and avenge Zhou Liang right before he died, there was a shrill screech as Eagle King swooped down from the sky, right into the face of that Zhao general, its sharp beaks pecking at that general’s eyes madly. 

  The Zhao general let out a frightening scream as he abandoned the spear that he was about to throw and grabbed Eagle King with his hands and both bird and human fell off the horse. 

  Because their general has met with misfortune, the pursuing army was sudden thrown into sudden chaos. 

  Xiang Shaolong knows that the Zhao general and Eagle King is as good as dead and felt that this opportunity should not be missed as he urged his horse to give chase. 

  He has just gone out about seven to eight feet when about a dozen Zhao soldiers came up from the left and right, raising their spears as they yelled and stabbed madly at their horses. 

  His personal guards on the left and right fell, becoming the target of massacre for the enemy. 

  At this point in time, Strong Wind executed its extraordinary ability and could actually suddenly pick up speed and dash out of the encirclement. Suddenly, Xiang Shaolong felt that he is all alone. 

  Hot blood coursed through Xiang Shaolong’s veins as murderous thoughts welled up in him. He killed his way past the dozen odd Zhao soldiers who were charging from the left. 

  Luckily in this dense forest, arrows are of not much use. Otherwise he won’t even have the chance to fight before he’s taken down by arrows. 

  Cries and screams surrounded him, the atmosphere was extremely bleak. 

  From behind a clump of trees, Xiang Shaolong leaned on one side of Strong Wind as he charged into the enemy formation, waving his blade and slashing towards the opposing soldiers. 

  His target is the one right in front holding the torch and illuminating the path. Hundred Battles Blade slashed diagonally at that person’s shoulder and fresh blood spewed immediately as he fell off his horse. 

  The torch fell to the grass and immediately started burning. 

  As the enemy were still screaming, Xiang Shaolong’s strength seems to increase as he charged into their midst and waved his blade as he chopped and slashed. 

  The enemy hurriedly pulled out their swords to block him but did not expect their long swords to immediately break into halves as Hundred Battle Blade sliced through with an icy sheen. The Zhao soldiers fell. Xiang Shaolong dispersed the enemy and naturally killed his way towards where the light is the weakest. 

  By now the enemy has gained an overwhelming advantage. Although there are still skirmishes around him, it can no longer change the situation at hand. 

  A feeling of fatigue welled up in Xiang Shaolong. 

  Witnessing the death of Zhou Liang and so many of his men, he had the thought that he will not live alone. He gritted his teeth, turned his horse around as he ran back towards where the battle cries are the loudest. In a short instant he is out of the woods into the open plains. 

  Amidst the scattered trees, a group of a few hundred Qin soldiers were right in front, surrounded by thousands of enemy and fighting to their last breath. 

  Fury welled up in Xiang Shaolong as the murderous intent magnified again and he decided to go all the way out, slashing anyone in his way. The enemies who met him only ended up dead in an instant. 

  The Qin army saw that their Commander has returned and their morale was greatly boosted. Following in his bravado, they actually managed to fight their way out of the enemy’s encirclement and ran towards a small hill up ahead. 

  Just as war cries were rising behind them, the small hill up ahead were suddenly lit with hundreds of torches. 

  Countless Zhao soldiers swarmed down from the top of the hill, each of them carrying weapons for long distance fighting, which are precisely the weapons that are the bane to cavalry like Xiang Shaolong and his men. 

  Xiang Shaolong secretly sighed, knowing that Li Mu has covered all bases in his plan and have set up one obstacle after another in the woods long ago with the sole goal of apprehending and killing him. 

  By this time anyone would know that it is over for them and without waiting foe his orders, half of his men started escaping towards the two sides. 

  Xiang Shaolong could not stop them in time but knows in his heart that the enemy is deliberately forcing them to run towards the south. 

  Suddenly, he knows very clearly that as long as they can charge their way up to the top of the hill, there’ll be a chance where they can escape into the hilly terrain and extricate themselves from danger. 

  By now there are only 50 odd men by his side. He immediately shouted, “If you want to live then come with me!” 

  He kept Hundred Battles Blade back into its sheath on his back and pulled out the flying needles around his waist as he clasped the horse with his thighs and charged, both his hands continuously throwing out needles. The enemy soldiers all fell to the ground as they were hit by the needles. 

  Amidst the chaos, Xiang Shaolong had thrown out close to a hundred flying needles, until both his arms were numb. By then he had used up all his needles and behind him corpses filled the ground, a distressing sight. 

  By now only about a dozen odd med was with him but they have successfully gone up the top of the hill. 

  Hundreds of enemy soldiers were attacking them madly like preying wolves and tigers. 

  Once again Xiang Shaolong tool out Hundred Battles Blade. 

  By now his body was filled with a dozen odd large and small bleeding wounds but he could not feel any pain at all. 

  As he waved his precious blade, screams were heard and the corpses of his enemy on the fight filled the ground. 

  Without even looking, Xiang Shaolong slashed behind him and killed another enemy who was coming up on him from the back. 

  In front of him, a person ran up on foot with a spear and aimed it straight at Strong Wind’s neck. 

  Xiang Shaolong had no choice but to throw his precious blade and aimed it instead at that person’s chest and pin him to the ground. 

  He felt a sudden heart-rending pain behind his shoulder blade, something had struck him. 

  Xiang Shaolong was in so much pain he collapsed on the back of his horse and his guards risked their lives to charge their way to him and cover him. 

  Xiang Shaolong was thinking to himself that this is the end. 

  In that instant, he thought of his beloved wives and concubines far away in Xianyang, and also thought of Lady Ni, Zhao Ya, Zhao Qian and countless people and incidents. 

  Just at this moment of life and death, he could feel Strong Wind dodging left and right as it kept increasing its speed and ran. 

  The battle cries were gradually getting fainter behind him. 

  Darkness was surrounding him. 

  He held Stong Wind’s neck in a death grip, feeling as one with his horse. He consciousness gradually faded and he finally lost all senses. 

  He regained consciousness slowly and suddenly woke up in shock, only to feel his entire body racked with pain and felt extreme thirst. 

  He can’t help but groan and open his eyes. 

  The autumn sun hung in the middle of the empty sky. 

  For a brief moment, not only does Xiang Shaolong have no idea where he is, he’s also not sure what had actually happened. 

  He sat up with much difficulty and was shocked to see Strong Wind collapsed on its side a few feet away, it’s neck twisted in an unnatural position, it’s nose and mouth filled with foamy fluids which had solidified. 

  Xiang Shaolong felt his whole body shaking as he finally remembered what happened last night before he fainted. 

  Strong Wind had carried him and escaped from the battlefield and sacrificed its own life in order to save his. 

  Ever since Ji Yanran gave him the horse, he has spent more time with Strong Wind than with any of his beloved ladies. 

  It’s loyalty to him has never changed and reduced at all. 

  Xiang Shaolong can no longer control his emotions as he hugged Stong Wind’s body and cried manly tears! 

  He has lost. 

  Lost to the most famous general of that era, Li Mu. 

  That’s not because he has planned poorly, but because Li Mu is too smart. 

  Now his only hope is that he has successfully hindered Li Mu from catching up with the troops led by Teng and Jing before they can reach Zhongmou, otherwise their decoy troops that was meant to look like they’re attacking Handan will be totally wiped out. 

  Luckily this time around the person in charge is the mature and stable Teng Yi who is capable of handling any situation. 

  If it was Jing Jun, he’ll definitely turn back to save them and it would be akin to suicide. 

  It’s a miracle that he’s able to survive this time. 

  He can imagine that Li Mu will certainly dispatch his men to search for his whereabouts. 

  Once he thought of this, Xiang Shaolong felt a surge of instinct to survive. He first checked his injuries and can’t help but thank Uncle Qing for making, and Qin Qing for sewing this armor for him. Although he was struck by a few arrows and hit by swords many times, there were only three spots which split open and he only suffered superficial injuries, with the would behind his shoulder blades to be the deepest. The other injuries were all on his arms and limbs and were all superficial injuries which will not hinder his movement. 

  He removed his bag from Strong Wind’s body and took out the clothes inside. He beared with the pain as he peeled off his armor and clothes which had stuck to his flesh and dried blood. He tore off pieces of cloth and bandaged his wounds. After changing into the daily wear that warriors usually wear and securing the climbing equipment around his waist, his mood turned a little for the better. 

  After emptying the clean water in the bottle that Strong Wind was carrying, he took off the precious sword ‘Blood Wave’ that was tied around the reins and remembered that this is a famous sword that was once given to him by Li Mu. Conflicting feelings surged up in him unexpectedly. 

  By now it is getting dark. He had wanted to spend some effort to bury Strong Wind, or at least cover him with some soil but he could hear hooves-beat coming from somewhere far away. He had no choice but to bow respectfully at Strong Wind’s body to express his thanks before starting on his escape with feelings of devastation and extreme sadness. 

  He is extremely familiar with travelling in the wilderness. Initially, whenever he ascends to a high point, he’ll be able to see the torches of his pursuers. 

  They are like the grim reaper, entangling him in such a way that he is unable to determine what is the correct direction to Zhongmou. 

  By dawn, although he has temporarily thrown off his pursuers, he was totally lost and could only run towards the mountain cliffs. 

  When he was sitting down and resting at a dense forest at the top of a hill, his whole body felt as if it’s falling apart. Not only is his mind in turmoil, his body is extremely exhausted. 

  Blood was oozing out of many of his wounds and the pain was unbearable. The feeling of utter defeat is enough to make anyone despair. 

  If not for the fact that he had undergone strict special task force training in the past, he surely will not be able to pull himself together at this point in time. 

  But he knows that this moment is the most important point in the route of escape. 

  Because it’s easy for the enemy to find out where Strong Wind had collapsed and died, so they’ll definitely make use of the opportunity that he is on foot and unable to travel far to push on the search for him. If he were to fall asleep now, he may end up in the hands of the enemy by the time he wakes up. 

  Xiang Shaolong gritted his teeth, gathered his spirits and after a short recovery of his energy, meditated according to the Mohist meditation method. 

  In a short while, he was calm and his whole body relaxed and during that time his energy was recovered swiftly. After about an hour of such meditation, he jumped up and used his strong sense of willpower to overcome the exhaustion his body is feeling and continued on his flight for life. 

  He deliberately picked routes at the cliffs where beasts and men will find difficult to cover and used his climbing gear to move along. This is surely a move that his enemies will never expect. Otherwise if he were to choose to travel on flat open wilderness, how can he ever outrun horses on four legs. 

  Once it’s dark, he rested next to a waterfall, his whole body in so much pain that he can’t even move his fingers. 

  In a short instant he was fast asleep and by the time he woke up the sun was gradually rising. 

  His ears first heard the swooshing of the waterfall, mixed with the sounds made be insects and birds. The scene around him was serene. Xiang Shaolong opened his eyes and sat up only to see the waterfall on his left coming down from the cliff high above in a silvery cascade, the lake next to him foaming with white bubbles as the water crashed down on its surface, crashing back to the side of the cliff again in tight circles. The scene was magnificent. 

  He looked at his surroundings again to see countless mountains surrounding the area with trees growing wildly. 

  Xiang Shaolong can’t help but be impressed and wondered why had he not noticed that the scenery here is so special yesterday? 

  Inspired by the surroundings where opportunities for survival abound, he felt a strong surge of drive and vowed to live to return to the people who love and care for him. 

  In the past, when he lost contact with Tao Fang at the Zhao border after they ran into horse thieves, there was a period of time where he was roaming around in the wilderness. So now he is of course familiar with it and is able to pick wild vegetables to curb his hunger. 

  He thought that he may be the first human to ever step foot in this desolate wilderness and a sense of satisfaction welled up in him. 

  The place where Li Mu ambushed him is around the borders of Zhao and Wei, north of the city walls of the state of Zhao, so it’s a higher possibility that he is right now within the borders of Wei. Once he ascends the peak nearby and can have a further look, he would be able to find the easily identifiable Yellow River or maybe the route he took in the past when he went to Wei from Zhao. From there he will be able to determine his plan to return to Zhongmou. 

  Once he thought of this, his spirits lifted and once he decided on the highest mountain peak nearby, he gritted his teeth and climbed his way up. 

  He can’t help but be thankful that he had been practicing martial arts every day for the past few years, otherwise by now he won’t have the stamina to go on further. 

  But when he saw the wild eagles circling around the top of the mountains, he can’t help but be reminded of Zhou Liang who died in the battle and the loyal Eagle King who died for its owner and he could feel hot tears brimming in his eyes. 

  Are humans naturally selfish creatures? For various gains, they will rally around the excuse of protecting the country and the people and keep on killing one another. What’s the point of all these? 

  What is most hateful is that he is part of such killing wars. 

  In a war, there’s no one who can truly win. Even the victorious will have to pay a terrible price to win. 

  Such an outcome has been laid down in stone since time memorial and no one can change it but wars are still continuing without a stop. 

  Even if under a unified power, power struggles and murders have never really stopped. 

  Before dusk, he has ascended one of the peaks and the great land lay before his eyes. 

  He was immediately stunned by what he saw. 

  The remaining light from the setting sun cast a sad yet beautiful glow upon the vast land below as it stretched into the horizon. 

  Behind it there were grand mountains and cliffs, looking dangerous yet magnificent. 

  Although he could see a river winding along the valley, he is certain that it is not the Yellow River. 

  Far away towards the left he could vaguely make out terraced fields on a hilly slope. As it is now autumn, the harvesting period, the golden fields look especially outstanding when framed against the lush green wilderness. 

  Behind the hill, smoke was rising from chimneys, and it looks as if there could be a small village of sorts over there. 

  Xiang Shaolong was hesitant. He was sure he’s never been to this place and the only way now is to ask for directions along the way but that may also reveal his whereabouts. 

  That night, he slept among the crevices of a huge stone and the next morning he tried to look for a route down the mountain. Only then did he understand why there is a saying, ‘going up the mountain is easier than coming down the mountain’. 

  After much difficulty, he finally managed to arrive at the foot of the mountain after noon. 

  He has finally decided to go to that village and have a look and travelled towards there through the night. By now his clothes are tattered and torn in many places and he has not shaven for days. He looked absolutely like a destitute vagabond. 

  Although he is on the run, but amidst the wilderness, looking at the rivers and streams with the vibrant yellow and red colors of the autumn forests, the scene is extremely beautiful. The scenic route also helped to elevate his feelings of loneliness. 

  From the top of the mountain, those chimney smokes looked very near but after walking for half a day, there was still no sight of the village. 

  Before the sky got dark, he plucked some wild vegetables to stave his hunger and spent the night next to a small lake. 

  He slept until the middle of the night when suddenly there were sounds of dogs barking and human voices. 

  Xiang Shaolong woke up in shock and knew that something is amiss. He hurriedly broke off a hollow reed nearby and hid amongst the weeds in the lake, breathing thru the reed. 

  He had just hidden himself when a team of a hundred odd men came right to the edge of the lake with hunting dogs. 

  The dogs were frantically sniffing the area where he was sleeping. 

  He heard someone say, “Xiang Shaolong must have been here and ran away when he heard the dogs barking. If we can capture him this time, just the reward alone is enough for us to spend for the rest of our lives.” 

  Xiang Shaolong heard the Han accent in their speech and was stunned. Now he knows that when Strong Wind ran, he actually brought him within the Han border so if he just continue travelling towards the West, he’ll reach the Qin borders sooner or later. 

  But then he thought about it again. Since the Hans are certain he is within their borders, they’ll naturally barricade the paths leading towards Qin so if he travel Westward, he’ll just be falling right into their trap. 

  The only way now is to hide until the danger is gone, until the enemy relaxes their guard before trying to find a way to return to the Qin border. 

  At this point in time, someone came right up to the edge of the lake shining a torch, reflecting the surface of the lake into a sea of red. 

  One of the men laughed, “If you were him, won’t you try to run away quickly?” 

  Someone else answered, “But the dogs keep barking, maybe he’s still hiding nearby. Why don’t we release the dogs and let them run after him, won’t that save us much effort?” 

  Such a suggestion was immediately met with agreement by everyone else. 

  The ropes were loosened and five to six hunting dogs shot towards the forest next to the lake like arrows, followed by the sounds of a fight between a howling wolf and the barking dogs, the sound gradually getting fainter. 

  Only now did the pursuing soldiers realize that they have been misled, the hounds were running after a nearby wolf and not Xiang Shaolong. They all ran shouting after the dogs. 

  Xiang Shaolong climbed up back to shore, all wet and knows that he has now become the number one war criminal which the six states have all put a bounty on. Unless he returns to Qin, otherwise no matter how big the world is, there won’t be a place for him. He dare not stop and gave up the thought of going towards the village to ask for directions. He turned around and went towards the east, going further and further away from Qin. 

  That night, he escaped back to the mountainous regions and started climbing cliffs and mountains again. Luckily most of the state of Han is filled with mountainous terrain, otherwise his enemies would have caught up with him long ago. 

  Now that he knows that he is in the state of Han, he took a closer look at his surroundings and could slowly make out some recognizable mountains and rivers. He was ecstatic and travelled towards the Jing family village, the place where Jing Jun was born. 

  Three days later, the familiar scene of the Jing family village appeared before his eyes. 

  By now he is skinny beyond recognition and weak but he is finally relieved and could no longer hold on as he collapsed into a dead faint.

  Book 21 Chap 2 – Risky Moves

  When Xiang Shaolong work up, he realized he’s lying on a wooden bed in a village hut. Medication was applied to the wounds on his body and he’s changed into clean clothes. Such a feeling of comfort is really indescribable. 

  The village lady who was waiting by his bed saw him wake up and ran out in shock to call the others. 

  In a short while, the village leader Jing Nian and a few village elders came. They all treated him with the respect due to a deity. After listening to him relate what happened, Jing Nian said, “We did send out our men to find information. The soldiers are still searching for Master Xiang. We heard that if Master Xiang is captured, there is a reward of a hundred pieces of gold so they are all trying their best. 

  Xiang Shaolong sat up, eating the food on the bed and asking at the same time, “Does the whole village know that I am here?” 

  Jing Nian replied, “We won’t be so careless, a person’s heart is unfathomable. Luckily the person who found Master Xiang unconscious outside our village is my son, so only the few of us know about Master Xiang.” 

  Another elder Jing Xiong added, “Master Xiang, just rest assured and stay here to tend to your injuries. Once the matter dies down a little, we’ll assign men to send you back to Qin.” 

  Xiang Shaolong shook his head, “To return to Qin from here is even more difficult than ascending heaven. Also, I can’t stay here for long or I will bring you catastrophe.” 

  Jing Xiong said, “In that case our whole clan might as well accompany Master Xiang back to Qin.” All the elders nodded their head vigorously in agreement. 

  Xiang Shaolong said, “Of course I will welcome all of you to Qin, but now is not the right time. It’ll have to wait until I return to Qin, that’s the only way to ensure nothing will happen.” 

  Another elder asked, “Then what should we do now?” 

  Xiang Shaolong thought hard for a while before answering, “I’ll have to trouble you to send out someone who is agile and totally trustworthy to go to Zhongmou and inform Teng Yi and Jing Jun that I am safe but can only go back after a period of time. Tell them to lead the army well and wait patiently.” 

  Jing Xiong said, “That is easy, our villagers frequently go to Zhongmou to pick herbs. Not only are they familiar with the route, they are also friendly with the people there so they definitely won’t raise any suspicion.” 

  Xiang Shaolong was relieved of one issue and said, “The soldiers will search their way here sooner or later. There are a lot of talents amongst the people after me. You can use my clothes and items to create an illusion that I have ran somewhere else. This will buy us another two to three days and I can take this time to recover and start my escape.” 

  After some discussion, Jing Xiong and the elders all left the room. 

  Xiang Shaolong fell into a deep sleep and by the time he woke up it was the middle of the night and all was quiet except for the howling wind outside and the barking dogs. He can’t help but feel his emotions go on a roller coaster ride. 

  The first time he came to this place, it was the middle of winter and with him at that time was the royal Zhao Princess, Zhao Qian. They spent a loving night in each other’s arms them but how can they predict that their destiny will end with Zhao Qian’s horrible death. 

  He can’t help but feel a deep hatred for Lu Buwei welling up inside him. 

  He screamed in his heart: No matter what! I, Xiang Shaolong must return to Xianyang alive and witness Xiao Pan’s ascension to the throne and Lu Buwei’s horrible end. 

  When day broke, Jing Nian came with news that will make him glad. 

  Turns out that although his 2,000 strong army was totally exterminated, but their sacrifice was worth it, for it allowed the main bulk of the Qin army to return to Zhongmou safely. Right now Li Mu’s army is surrounding and attacking Zhongmou but there are news that he has suffered quite a lot of casualties as well. 

  Xiang Shaolong was relieved. They had predicted that the Zhaos will launch a counter-attack at Zhongmou so they’ve already stocked up on grains and fortified the city walls. Besides, with Huan Qi’s army to support them, even if the enemy is Li Mu, he’ll not find it easy to reclaim Zhongmou. 

  With Li Mu’s intelligence, the only way for him ultimately is to retreat back to Changcheng. 

  Jing Nian added, “I sent someone to Zhongmou yesterday, so there won’t be any problem with this issue. Hai!” 

  Xiang Shaolong knows that something is on his mind and said with a smile, “You’re elderly, please speak your mind.” 

  Jing Nian said, “Master Xiang is right. Another troop of soldiers went to the Shang family village 50 miles from here yesterday and they were searching and snatching things, even injuring a few of their people. The Shang family village saw that there were a lot of soldiers so they dare not make any comments although they were furious.” 

  Xiang Shaolong secretly sighed and asked, “How long will it take to travel from there to here?” 

  Jing Nian said, “At least 2 days. Master Xiang can wait until tomorrow morning before you leave.” 

  He paused and added, “It seems that the Han Wang’an have sent out a team of people from Nanzheng of Ducheng who are expert in tracking in the wilderness to search for Master Xiang. Some of our people came back from Nanzheng and said that the two states of Zhao and Han already have secret meetings to discuss how to capture you.” 

  He took out a map from his sleeve and passed it to Xiang Shaolong, saying, “I drew this map personally over the last two days. It may be a little rough but I daresay that it’s generally correct.” 

  Xiang Shaolong was overjoyed. He got dressed and came down the bed, feeling more than half of his energy coming back. If he have another day’s rest, he’ll have higher confidence that he will be able to escape. 

  The two of them sat down at the corner of a table and opened up the map to study it. 

  Jing Nian pointed at a cross in the middle of the map and said, “This is our Jing family village. On the upper right corner at the northeast, about a hundred miles away is the Capital of Han, Nanzheng. Another 200 miles northeast from there, that’s the Capital of the state of Wei, Daliang.” 

  Xiang Shaolong said, “I’ll burn this map immediately after I’m done seeing it. Otherwise if someone else gets a hand on this map, they’ll know that you have been protecting me.” 

  Jing Nian’s expression changed slightly, for this is a point that he had never considered. 

  After Xiang Shaolong let Jing Nian explain in detail the river and mountain terrain drawn on the map, he kept the map and said, “It’s best that even Grandpa Nian doesn’t know my escape route, then you won’t be able to accidentally reveal anything and incur other people’s suspicions.” 

  Jing Nian nodded his head gladly. 

  Xiang Shaolong made the best use of time to rest and when he woke up, he memorized the map. After much thought and deliberation, he finally decided to take the risky route and go towards the Wei border before returning to the Sate of Zhao where he is most familiar with. After that he will travel west towards Tunliu and meet up with Huan Qi and he’ll be able to accomplish his grand plan of thousand miles escape. 

  Once he’s sure that he has remembered all the details on the map, he burned it. 

  After dinner, Xiang Shaolong decided to travel while it’s dark. Jing Nian has already prepared rations, water, clothes and also collected a small amount of money for him as well. 

  Most interestingly, Jing Xiong gave him a rabbit in a bamboo cage and explained, “This is a simple way to deal with the hounds. As hunting dogs are very sensitive to a rabbit’s scent, their scent can cover the scent emitted from a human body. If the hunting dogs sniff out the rabbit and come after you, just release the rabbit and let it lure the hunting dogs into a wild chase.” 

  Jing Nian added, “We’ve discussed, after Master Xiang leaves, we’ll abandon the village and move to the middle of the mountains to avoid trouble. Regarding Xiao Jun’s move to the State of Qin, some news have more or less leaked out. Since the officials have gone to the Shang family village, maybe they’ll find out about this so even if Master Xiang has never been here, they may still vent their anger on us.” 

  Xiang Shaolong felt apologetic and asked, “When do you plan to leave?” 

  Jing Nian replied, “We will delay no further. Once Master Xiang leaves we’ll pack up immediately and move.” 

  After bidding one another farewells, Xiang Shaolong carried the possible scapegoat, the rabbit and once again started on his escape journey. 

  Xiang Shaolong rode on the healthy horse that Jing Nian gave him and travelled a distance towards Daliang in the northeast. As he did not want the horse to be over exhausted, he stopped to let the horse rest. 

  He can still make out the lights and lanterns in the Jing family village a distant away. 

  This horse is very intuitive as it just breathed quietly on the plains, not making any whinnying sounds at all. 

  He plans to spend 3 days with this horse. 

  Once they pass the flat plains, he will go into the mountainous area on foot. That would be much safer. 

  Honestly, he does not believe that anyone will be able to follow him in a mountainous area. 

  But if not for the Jing family village offering him refuge and a chance to take a break as well as getting food, horse, bows and arrows and some necessities, the Hans may very well have caught up with him by now. 

  After all there is a limit to one’s endurance. 

  He can’t help but feel positive as he thought of the scene when he’s finally reunited with Teng, Jing and the rest, until his safe return to Xianyang to be welcomed by his beloved wife, maids and son. 

  Suddenly he could hear hoofbeats coming from the front. 

  Xiang Shaolong was alarmed as he flew up his horse and galloped up to the top of a nearby hill so that he can take a good look at the situation. 

  About 5 miles away, what looks like a fire dragon that was made up of torches was snaking its way here, their destination must likely to be the Jing family village. 

  Xiang Shaolong’s limbs went cold immediately. 

  Jing Nian’s concern is not for nothing, the enemy has indeed gotten news from the Shang family village and knows that someone from the Jing family village has gone to Xianyang. 

  In this era there’s not a lot of people with the family name Jing and it’ll be easy to guess their way to Jing Jun and Jing Shan. Otherwise why would the enemy rush there in the night? 

  If Xiang Shaolong is a selfish person, he will run away with no hesitation at this very moment, the further he can run the better. But how can he escape by himself. 

  Just as he was feeling at a loss, he suddenly had an idea. He got hold of an opportunity and galloped towards a dense forest that the enemy must pass through to go to the Jing family village and took out his fire starter to start fire on several spots. 

  If it’s spring or summer, this plan would not have worked. But now the wind is blowing and the atmosphere is dry. The light from the stars illuminated the plains and in a short while the fire spread and thick smoke rushed up to the sky. 

  Not only can this fire prevent the enemy from moving forward, it can also convey a most powerful message to the people at the Jing family village and urge them to leave faster. 

  Xiang Shaolong was worried that they won’t run after him so he deliberately made the horse ran loudly and swiftly on the plains towards the northeast. 

  He’d rather lose his own life than to let anyone in the Jing family village come to any harm. 

  By the time it’s dawn the next day, Xiang Shaolong is still riding on the endless plains but he has already slowed down. 

  This time, he deliberately revealed his whereabouts to lure the enemy to ran after him so that they will have no time to deal with the people in Jing family village. If his opponent has expert trackers, this plan of his will be a very dangerous one. 

  From time to time he will come across rivers or streams in his way. Such pretty scenery which during normal circumstances is a feast to the eyes, have not become his obstacles instead. 

  Luckily right until now there’s no sight of the pursuing enemy. If such a situation continues, he will be able to safely reach the unpopulated mountainous areas at the Han and Wei border. 

  The Weis will never expect that instead of going west towards Qin, he’d actually travel east towards the Han border so they certainly won’t put up their guards there. By then he’ll be able to travel back to Tunliu via the Han border. 

  The horse is foaming at the mouth by now and Xiang Shaolong had no choice but to stop and stand guard at a high area to let the horse graze and drink at a small stream below the slope. 

  He has no appetite for food at all but to preserve his energy, he had no choice but to force himself to swallow two mouthfuls of dried meat. 

  The taste is actually not too bad. 

  These past few years, there were very little occasions for him to be roaming in the wilderness alone and he can’t help but think about his strange time travel encounter. 

  In a blink of an eye, it’s been seven years. 

  During these years, even those closest to him like Ji Yanran, Teng Yi etc does not know his secret. He can only keep this piece of earth shattering secret that he is actually from the 21st century deep in his heart. 

  As for Xiao Pan’s secret, there’s still Teng Yi and Wu Tingfang who knows. 

  He is very clear on what Xiao Pan’s fate will be, because Xiao Pan will become Emperor Qin, the one who built and unified China. 

  But he is totally unclear about his own fate. 

  Even the question of returning to Xianyang alive is an unknown right at this moment. 

  Just as he was pondering, he could hear hoof beats coming from afar again. 

  Xiang Shaolong was shocked and looking over, his countenance changed immediately. 

  He saw that near the woods about two miles away, about 50 odd healthy horses were galloping at full speed but only half of the horses have riders while the others were without saddles. 

  From the way that the horses can run so neatly and swiftly behind the main group without being leashed, he knows that, not only are these horses quality horses but also well trained warhorses. 

  After so many years of experience, he has learnt how to differentiate people by their riding skills. 

  These 27 riders could still weave left and right effortlessly in such mountainous and unfamiliar terrain, he knew that they are all first rated riders. 

  The worst thing is that his riding and archery skills are still his weakest. On such flat terrain and with them having back up horses to switch to, if they manage to catch up with him, he won’t even have the chance to retaliate. The enemy can catch up with him so quickly, so they must be expert trackers. Maybe these are the ones that Jing Nian heard, the experts under specific orders by Han Wang’an to arrest him. 

  Xiang Shaolong surveyed his surroundings, gritted his teeth and dashed down the slope. He jumped onto the horse’s back and quietly muttered ‘Sorry, horse’, as he urged the horse to gallop around the small hill and run for his life. 

  His destination is the dense forest at the end of the flat plains. If he can make his way there, he’ll be able to make use of the surroundings there to have a life and death battle with the enemy. He will not sit there and be killed and sully the reputation of the best special task force warrior of the 21st century. 

  Xiang Shaolong removed his gear from the horse and used a cloth to tie two heavy stones which is about his weight and hung it on the horse’s saddle. After that he used a sharp knife and pierced into the horse’s buttock. 

  The horse screamed and galloped into the dense forest with the stones on it. 

  By now the pursuing enemy is about half a mile away. If not for the fact that Xiang Shaolong stepped into the stream and travelled about half a mile along it so that the enemy will not be able to find his footsteps, they may already have caught up with him. 

  But since the enemy can still follow him, it means that they obviously have very outstanding trackers among them. 

  He dare not hesitate and hurriedly carried his luggage and ran deep into the forest. 

  After walking for a while, he could hear hoof beats passing him from behind and quickly fading away. 

  Xiang Shaolong heaved a sigh of relief as he sped up and ran towards a tall hill in the forest. 

  Even if he came upon vines or roots blocking his way, he dare not use his sword to cut them away for fear of leaving traces behind. 

  He has gone for about a hundred odd feet when he could hear the hoof beats hurriedly returning from the way they left, straight towards his position. 

  Xiang Shaolong calmed down instead at this time. 

  As a member of the special task force, it is a requirement and an iron rule that one must keep calm in the face of impending danger. 

  He quietly analyzed the situation and thought that since the enemy could tell that it’s a trap, he is sure that they are not only relying on hoof prints to pursue him. Just as he was feeling perplexed, he heard barking coming nearer and nearer and from the sound of it, there’s only one dog. 

  Xiang Shaolong was suddenly enlightened and was feeling ecstatic instead of shocked. He hid himself among some thick bushes, squatted down and removed the bamboo cage with the rabbit from his back and waited patiently. 

  By now the sky is slowly getting darker. Xiang Shaolong took out his dagger and peeped through the leaves, totally concentrating on the movements outside. 

  The dog barks stopped only to hear hasty footsteps coming nearer as the enemies abandoned their horses to go on foot. 

  In a short while, more than ten odd black shadows that were spread out came slowly towards him from about 30 feet away, with one of them holding on to a leash with a small dog at the other end, barking madly as it strained towards his hiding place. 

  Xiang Shaolong quietly opened the cage. 

  The rabbit was already trembling in fear when it heard the barks earlier and now that it saw an escape route, it shot out like an arrow and ran off towards the left. 

  That dog was indeed instantly alert and turned towards that direction, barking and running madly. 

  The person holding the leash shouted, “Hurry! Spot is running towards that direction!” 

  The enemy all ran after it. 

  Once Xiang Shaolong has made sure that all the enemy has retreated, he jumped up and followed after them, quietly thinking to himself, ‘Don’t blame me for being ruthless but in such a situation, there’s no place for mercy at all.’