Chapter 79: Breakthrough
The pressure Lu Yuan was under at that moment was immense, but his Skill Level was skyrocketing at the same time.
Everyone had only one goal: to fight their way out. They knew that if they were bogged down, death would be all that awaited them.
Lu Yuan swung his Crescent Saber relentlessly. Any enemy who drew near was cut down in a single blow.
An azure glow flickered around his body, almost completely enveloping him.
Zhou Hongling, cradled in his arms, had fallen unconscious. She would sometimes struggle to open her eyes, only to quickly shut them again. Blood streamed down the side of the horse.
Lu Yuan had no idea how long they had been fighting. As the sky began to lighten at dawn, they finally broke through the encirclement.
He looked around. In the vast Wasteland, only he and Zhou Hongling remained. Everyone else had been scattered.
The only thing he was certain of was that Zhou He likely hadn’t died.
Zhou He had been following him the entire time, and he was still behind Lu Yuan even after they broke through the encirclement. Perhaps there was a difference in their horses’ speed, which was why he was still lagging.
Then, his gaze fell upon Zhou Hongling, whom he had propped up to sit at his side.
Her face was as pale as paper, and her lips were drained of color.
Her eyes fluttered open. When she saw Lu Yuan beside her, a spark of life returned to them. She tried to speak, but the words caught in her throat.
"Ma’am, your wounds must be treated. Forgive my impertinence."
Lu Yuan said through gritted teeth.
Zhou Hongling didn’t speak, but a faint blush crept onto her cheeks.
Lu Yuan paid no mind to the General’s expression as he retrieved a medical kit from his saddlebag.
"RRRIP!"
He tore away the fabric around Zhou Hongling’s wound.
After pulling out the broken arrowhead, he poured strong liquor from a flask and carefully cleaned the wound.
Zhou Hongling didn’t object, merely pursing her lips in silence.
Once he finished treating the wound on her shoulder, he moved on to her back.
By the time he had bandaged all her wounds and draped an outer robe over her shoulders, Lu Yuan was drenched in sweat.
It felt even more arduous than a charge on the battlefield.
"Ma’am, this is a Blood Replenishing Pill." Without waiting for a response, Lu Yuan placed the Elixir in her mouth.
She wrinkled her brow at the coppery, salty taste but said nothing more.
"We can’t stay here for long," Zhou Hongling gasped. "The Northern Barbarians will definitely pursue us. We need to leave now."
Her wounds were bandaged, but the pain was still immense.
"Right."
Lu Yuan agreed, helping Zhou Hongling back onto the horse. The two of them rode toward the Dayong border.
However, they had been riding for less than half an hour when...
"THUMP THUMP THUMP!"
The sound of hooves thundered in the distance.
Lu Yuan brandished his saber and spun around, only to see Zhou He and the others catching up to them.
Zhou Ming was with them, and he was not in good shape. His body was covered in gruesome wounds, and he was struggling just to stay on his horse.
He could manage to flee, but he was in no condition to fight.
Helian Shang was in slightly better condition than Zhou Ming, but not by much.
The one in the best shape, surprisingly, was Zhou He. His strength wasn’t high, so he didn’t stand out and wasn’t a primary target. Plus, Lu Yuan had been looking out for him the whole way.
So aside from some damage to his armor, he was unharmed.
The Personal Guard Camp still had over three hundred men.
They had suffered a devastating rout in this battle.
"When we get back, I’ll have my father petition His Majesty!" Helian Shang growled. As one of the Disciples of the General’s Family, he had never suffered such a humiliation.
Zhou Ming glanced at him and said coolly, "Enough with the useless talk. Even if we make it back, this incident will be swept under the rug. The Northern Barbarians brought reinforcements, Dayong’s relief forces didn’t arrive on time, and the entire right flank was annihilated. The only ones who will be punished are a few scapegoats at the bottom."
"As for the higher-ups? Do you think they’re so easily touched? They’ve already shirked all responsibility. The case of the city massacre back then still hasn’t been resolved. What’s a little disaster like this in comparison? The Northern Barbarians must have invested heavily this time, or something like this would never have happened."
Hearing this, Helian Shang lowered his head.
’He’s right. The city massacre back then shocked the entire imperial court. Even the surrounding kingdoms heard about it.’
’Hundreds of thousands of citizens died horribly, but in the end, nothing ever came of it.’
’The rumor was that a Noble Disciple, trying to curry favor with a top expert from some sect, allowed him to choose a city in his own fiefdom for Soul Refining.’
’He was punished afterward, but it was nothing more than house arrest.’
’You can’t win against the powers that be.’
’Even someone as powerful as the Marquis of Jiuse is ultimately expendable as long as he hasn’t entered the Central Hub of the imperial court.’
’The Dayong court is built around a core of nobles and powerful aristocratic families.’
’Their power is beyond the comprehension of common folk. They are like gods, perched high above, looking down on the masses as if they were nothing but ants and cannon fodder.’
Seeing the somber mood, Zhou Ming said, "I just saw a troop of Northern Barbarians heading in a different direction. We should be safe for now. Let’s eat something before we get back on the road."
"You got it, sir!" Zhou He said with a cheerful laugh.
The mere mention of food seemed to instantly restore his energy. He had his men start pulling out their dry rations.
"You prepared this much?" Zhou Ming asked, watching Zhou He pull item after item out of a large bamboo basket.
With the army annihilated, it would take them at least half a month to cross the Wasteland to get back. They had left all their supplies at the camp, so finding food was a serious problem.
"Heh heh, you don’t know, sir, but I have a habit of always carrying dry rations on my horse. My men all do the same. The food we brought is a bit stale and we don’t have much water, but if we ration it carefully, it’ll be enough to get us back."
Zhou He smiled as he pushed a large flatbread into Zhou Ming’s hand. These flatbreads were huge, nearly the diameter of the basket itself. One was almost enough to feed a grown man for an entire day.
With some meat, a man couldn’t even finish a whole one.
"I never realized the Zhou Family had a man of your talents," Zhou Ming said. "How about you come work for me in the future?"
"Sir, I’m a Centurion under Lu Yuan’s command. Since we’re all your soldiers anyway, it’s all the same, isn’t it?" Zhou He said with a cheerful laugh, tactfully declining the offer.
There was no way he would leave Lu Yuan’s side now.
’The man’s potential is immense.’
’And more importantly, Lu Yuan truly treated him as one of his own.’
’Take last night’s battle, for instance. If Lu Yuan hadn’t protected him again and again, he’d have died countless times over.’
’If he were following someone else, who would go to such lengths to keep him safe?’
"How does everything always come back to that kid, Lu Yuan?" Zhou Ming shook his head and said no more.
Meanwhile, Lu Yuan had taken some rations and water and was now by Zhou Hongling’s side, helping her drink.
In her injured state, she needed sustenance more than ever. Otherwise, even with her considerable strength, she would have a hard time making it back.
As the group rested,
stragglers and survivors began to appear, catching up from behind. When they saw Lu Yuan’s party, they immediately came to join them.
In less than an hour, their numbers had swelled to nearly five hundred.
Among the newcomers was Zheng Tong, from a General’s Mansion in the Imperial City. His face was ashen.
His Personal Guards clustered around him protectively.
They seemed to be speaking about something in hushed tones.
A moment later, Zheng Tong walked over to Zhou Ming’s group.
The sharp-tongued Helian Shang immediately piped up, "Well, well, if it isn’t the Crown Prince of the Zheng Family’s General’s Mansion from the Imperial City. Fancy seeing you in the same sorry state as us."
Zheng Tong shot him a look but didn’t respond, merely pursing his lips before saying, "The Marquis will be here shortly. He’s gravely wounded."
A jolt went through the group at his words. They all understood that the road ahead had just become even more treacherous.
The Marquis of Jiuse would undoubtedly be a primary target for the Northern Barbarians. But they couldn’t just brazenly abandon him now.