Fish Meat – Chapter 212
by Little PandaThe Fifth Year of Zhao Wu
Jointly Chasing The Lost Deer (8)
Among all the bedtime stories Ah Mu told, Zhen Wenjun’s favorite was about famous battles throughout history, followed by stories of founding emperors’ southern and northern expeditions. In these stories, any emperor who later ascended the throne and ushered in a golden age had auspicious omens at birth. It was nothing unusual to be bathed in golden light or for their mothers to dream of dragons.
What was unusual was “Tianyi” [天意 | tiānyì | the will of heaven].
The so-called Tianyi referred to the Mandate of Heaven.
To become the Son of Heaven, besides possessing absolute military power, a legitimate claim to power, and outstanding talent and strategy, the most important thing was luck. To put it simply, it was having a great destiny.
Almost all emperors who seized the throne through military force had a widely circulated story about their fortunate destiny. If Wei Tingxu truly ascended the throne and ruled the world in the future, today’s miraculous event would probably also become a popular tale, exaggerated by storytellers in taverns and teahouses, narrated with much gusto.
“My life is once again entrusted to you.”
Wei Tingxu’s words warmed Zhen Wenjun’s heart. Ah Mu was behind her, but reinforcements were outside the city. The Wei family seemed to have only about twenty people left. Even if she had the extraordinary ability to go in and out of the enemy army repeatedly, it would be difficult to carry the wounded and children through the encirclement and reach the well fifty bu [≈ 50 cm ≈ 1.6 ft] away.
Zhen Wenjun forced a smile: “Although I know a glimmer of hope lies not far away, how can we get there? I’m afraid I have no solution.”
Seeing the gleaming blade flashing before his eyes, Li Feng clutched Ah Qiong’s clothes tightly: “Ah Po, Ah Po, I don’t want to die!”
Ah Qiong’s eyes were vacant, as if she was lost in thought.
Hearing Zhen Wenjun’s words, Wei Tingxu was not disappointed but smiled: “Since there’s no way to escape, then forget it. There’s no need to struggle in vain.”
Wei Tingxu was not pretending to be calm; she truly sat down, no longer enduring, letting her long-tense legs relax: “I was just afraid that if we were trapped for too long and news couldn’t get out, my family would come to save me and be sacrificed in vain. I didn’t expect you to arrive even faster than my family. Today, I’ve implicated you… Come to think of it, you have suffered a lot because of me. Wenjun, I’m sorry.”
Glancing at Wei Tingxu, whose eyes were red and brimming with tears, Zhen Wenjun quickly looked away, not daring to look any longer.
Wei Tingxu: “I can only repay your kindness in the next life.”
Standing on high ground, Cao Fei knew that the soldiers were afraid of Zhen Wenjun’s blade. He feared a change in the situation if this continued, so he immediately ordered the execution of Wei’s rebel faction.
The soldiers shouted, encouraging each other, eager to advance.
Zhen Wenjun and the Wei family were also prepared to fight to the death.
At this moment, something strange happened.
A fierce wind suddenly arose from nowhere, whipping up sand and stones that blinded everyone.
The soldiers, intent on killing, couldn’t see the path ahead, and their movements slowed.
Cao Fei had a bad feeling and roared: “Kill!”
Zhen Wenjun’s blood boiled! A godsend! If not now, when?!
She had indeed planned to use the strong wind as cover to reach Yanxing, and the wind hadn’t stopped all night, but it had never been as wild as this.
The north wind howled, threatening to tear the small Yanxing apart. Rubble and debris were swept into the air, as dangerous as the blades in the hands of Zhen Wenjun and the Wei family. If it hit someone’s head, it could easily knock them unconscious or even kill them instantly.
The wind blew from behind Zhen Wenjun, dishevelling her tightly bound hair, which danced wildly in the wind. Moving with the wind, she fought with increasing ferocity. The enemy troops facing the wind were completely disrupted, unable to even maintain their formation.
Cao Fei, whose hat had been blown away, watched Zhen Wenjun and the others desperately fight their way out, and couldn’t help but sigh—fate. Today, even the inescapable net of Yanxing couldn’t eliminate the Wei clan. They were so close, could she truly be the chosen one?
The well was right in front of them. Zhen Wenjun pushed Li Feng, who was running at the front. Li Feng screamed and tumbled down, luckily the well wasn’t deep and there was a thick rope hanging down, which he grabbed.
Reaching the bottom of the well, Li Feng immediately turned and groped around. Soon, he found the familiar stone slab, overjoyed, and pushed it open. A dark passage appeared before his eyes.
“Ah Po! Aiqing [爱卿 | àiqīng | affectionate title]! Come down quickly! There’s a rope!” Li Feng shouted.
Zhen Wenjun was covered in wounds, so focused that she hadn’t noticed where she’d been cut again. She pulled the thick rope up, tied it around Ah Mu’s waist, and lowered her down.
“Untie the rope!” Zhen Wenjun shielded Wei Tingxu behind her, brandishing her blade while shouting down the well.
Li Feng helped Ah Qiong down and quickly untied the rope: “Done!”
By now, all the Wei family guards were dead, and only Zhen Wenjun remained, fighting.
Her long blade was broken, the edge full of nicks, blood from her tiger’s mouth flowing down the back of her hand. A soldier chased Ah Qiong down the well, one leg already inside, when Zhen Wenjun pulled him back and kicked him away. At that moment, a blade swung down from behind, unavoidable. Zhen Wenjun gritted her teeth, prepared to take the blow, but the blade’s momentum was broken mid-swing. The soldier cried out and collapsed crookedly.
Zhen Wenjun struggled to open her eyes and look back. She saw Wei Tingxu leaning against her back, clothes billowing like waves in the wind, using Zhen Wenjun’s back to support herself. Her hands gripped a blood-drenched blade that had just pierced a heart.
It was she who had blocked the deadly attack.
“Does this move have your style?” Wei Tingxu asked.
Zhen Wenjun laughed. The rope was now free. She pulled it up again and tied it around Wei Tingxu’s waist.
Wei Tingxu’s heart surged, and she pulled Zhen Wenjun in for a kiss.
Zhen Wenjun hadn’t expected her to have the heart for a kiss at such a critical moment. She felt an itchy and unbearable sensation from Wei Tingxu’s unexpected action.
Cao Fei couldn’t bear it any longer and ran towards the well, shouting as he ran: “Absolutely do not let the tiger return to the mountain!”
Before descending into the well, Wei Tingxu’s last glance was at Cao Fei.
“Cao Zimao, I will make you experience this pain a hundredfold in the future.” With that, Wei Tingxu disappeared into the well, taking Cao Fei’s heart with her as it plummeted from the heights.
Zhen Wenjun, leaning over the well, swept her long leg, knocking down the approaching soldiers. Just as she was about to jump down, she felt a chill on the back of her neck. She immediately jerked her head. A cold arrow grazed her skin and thudded into the side of the well with a whoosh.
The arrow was poisoned.
Almost as soon as her skin was grazed, a burning sensation made Zhen Wenjun cry out. With no time to investigate, she clutched her neck and jumped into the well.
“Loose!” A powerful female voice commanded amidst the strong wind. Archers, who had just arrived, immediately surrounded the well and fired several arrows.
Unfortunately, they were too late.
Zhen Wenjun had already reached the bottom. Wei Tingxu and Li Feng worked together to lift a stone to block the opening. Even more arrows would be futile.
By the time Cao Fei considered using fire, the well was empty…
They sent people down to pursue, but countless arrows and a large stone blocked their path. Zhen Wenjun and the others had wedged the stone firmly against the escape route’s entrance. They had to use considerable effort to remove the slab. Crawling through the tunnel, bent over, only one person could pass at a time.
The woman who had fired the poisoned arrow walked to the well. Between the low brim of her hat and her dark blue face mask, a pair of almond-shaped eyes scanned the well opening. She quickly gave the order: “No need to chase. They must have prepared an ambush on the other side. Chasing them one by one is simply courting death.”
The woman spoke with a clear southern accent. Her face wasn’t fully visible, but judging by her voice and physique, she appeared to be a young person in her twenties.
Cao Fei said: “Young Lady, Wei Zizhuo was caught off guard this time, hence the success of the plan. After today, she will definitely be doubly cautious. It won’t be so easy to kill her again.”
The fierce wind still swept across the land, filling Cao Fei’s eyes, nostrils, and beard with sand. He still regretted failing to eliminate Wei Tingxu.
The woman quickly let it go: “If we can’t kill her, we can only blame our Yao clan for being a step behind. This is Wei Tingxu’s destiny. If we are counterattacked in the future, that is our Yao family’s destiny. There’s nothing to regret. Once Wei Zizhuo escapes safely, she will definitely attack Yanxing again; this is a place she must capture. By then, if Wei Jing’an and Zhangsun Wu attack together with the main force, I’m afraid we’ll be trapped. Leaving this place now is the priority.”
Cao Fei nodded: “Young Lady is right.”
“Yanxing can’t trap Wei Zizhuo, but it’s not a total loss.” The woman sheathed her bow as she walked into the house. “At least we killed Wei Zizhuo’s capable assistant, which is like cutting off one of her arms. Zhen Wenjun was also hit by an arrow; the poison on that arrow is enough to make her suffer.”
Cao Fei followed her into the house, shutting out all the wind and sand. He washed the sand from his face and finally regained his vision.
Cao Fei said: “There’s another significant gain.”
The woman took off her hat and mask, revealing her true face. Her almond-shaped eyes should have been expressive, but she possessed an aloof coldness. Her unpowdered face was slightly rough from constant exposure to the wind and sun. She placed the bow on the table, removed her gloves, revealing fingers covered with scars from years of archery.
The woman understood what Cao Fei meant by another significant gain.
“Uncle Zimao, your strategy of diverting the tiger from the mountain was indeed brilliant. Zhen Wenjun led her troops away from Huiyang to seize Runing, but she didn’t expect that our Yao family had already set our sights on her base, attacking her rear while her forces were fully deployed. However, I expect Zhen Wenjun must have taken some precautions and left some troops in Huiyang. Moreover, Uncle Zimao, don’t forget, Huiyang also has Guan Xun and Jiang Wang stationed there. Both of them are seasoned veterans. It won’t be easy to gain an advantage against them.”
Cao Fei nodded in agreement: “The Zhen-Guan faction has expanded so rapidly. We must seize every opportunity to take back what we can. Granaries, ironworks, and weapon shops, destroy as much as possible. To dismantle the Wei-Zhen alliance, we must cut it off at the root.”
The woman said: “I’m not worried about Huiyang, but I am worried about Runing. Once Wei and Zhen join forces and send Li Feng back to the capital to return to the Forbidden Garden, it will be even more difficult to shake the new central authority. If Li Feng ascends the throne with Wei Zizhuo’s support, if they are close, he will greatly reward Wei Zizhuo, and then the Wei family will hold immense power. If they are estranged, Wei Tingxu can still control Li Feng’s lifeline and manipulate a puppet young emperor from the shadows. As long as they can return to Runing, I fear the dynasty will change hands. Whether the Da Yu Dynasty’s two-hundred-year reign will be destroyed or not depends on the battle of Runing!”
“This is an era of contending heroes. If the Yao family doesn’t fight, we will only be slaughtered. Moreover, our Yao family may not lack the strength to reach the top.” Cao Fei earnestly persuaded, “Young Lady, you shouldn’t only focus on the Yu Dynasty…”
The woman nodded thoughtfully, a slight hesitation before a murderous intent flashed in her eyes.
If it weren’t freezing, it would be nearly impossible to navigate the dark mud tunnel smoothly. Li Feng crawled through the frozen earth, remembering when he had stolen a jin [0.5kg ≈ 1.1 lbs] of meat, tucked it in his bosom, and happily returned home this way. It was much more enjoyable than being a hapless emperor.
But Aiqing had said that as emperor, he could eat meat anytime, as much as he wanted, and no one would dare to stop him.
For the sake of meat, Li Feng had to endure.
“We’re here!”
Li Feng pushed open a wooden cover above his head and pulled Ah Qiong up. Her clothes, meticulously tailored and worth hundreds of liang [两 | liǎng | traditional unit of weight, varies historically], were covered in mud. Her whole body ached. She collapsed on the ground, unwilling to get up.
Wei Tingxu was exhausted. Zhen Wenjun, behind her, finally managed to pull her to the surface, but when Wei Tingxu waited for her to climb up, she found Zhen Wenjun clinging to the exit, wanting to climb up but lacking the strength.
“Wenjun!” Wei Tingxu cried anxiously, “Where are you hurt?!”
Her vision blurred, the wound on her neck burned like fire, and her ears seemed to be plugged. Just as Zhen Wenjun was about to speak, a pain stabbed her heart, and she lost consciousness.
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