Chapter 47: River God Temple
“Who?!”
A sliver of moonlight pierced through the branches, dappled and broken, revealing a tall figure in the woods.
Xiao Yi lowered his dripping ring-pommel sword, knowing it wasn’t the short, stout Cao Dang.
Zhang Mantun hacked through the thicket and returned, covered in wounds, spitting out a mouthful of bloody phlegm.
“Damn it, the bastard escaped into the woods, and it’s pitch dark, I can’t find any tracks.”
Mid-sentence, he suddenly raised his voice, demanding of Xiao Yi, “Where’s the young master?! Where did you put him?”
“Let him go.”
Xiao Yi’s tone was indifferent, as if it mattered not.
Zhang Mantun immediately grew anxious, stepping closer and saying, “With his wound, how could you…”
Xiao Yi grabbed him by the collar, his voice sharp, and roared, “If Cao Dang lives, the matter will surely be exposed. You can take care of him for a while, but can you help him escape a lifetime of pursuit?”
“Then what should I do? I’ll go chase that fellow!”
“No rush.”
Zhang Mantun stopped immediately, urgently saying, “I’m dying of anxiety, how can I not be in a hurry?”
Xiao Yi said, “I plan to go to Ye Du to join Commander Guo and raise an army with him to remove corrupt officials. Tie Ya, if you truly wish to protect Shi Deyu’s life, if you truly wish for Shi Hongzhao’s injustice to be revealed and for him to rest in peace, then come with me. Only then will your loyalty and ambition not be in vain.”
This statement was not just for Zhang Mantun, but also for Lu You and Fan Si standing behind him.
As expected, he could hear Lu You and Fan Si’s breathing quicken.
Xiao Yi knew their surrender to him now was out of necessity, and then continued, “In Kaifeng City, corrupt officials are in power, fighting for power and profit, and framing loyal subjects. In my opinion, in this chaotic world, only Commander Guo is a mighty lord who can end these chaotic times. What do you think? Are you willing to follow me north for a bright future?”
Zhang Mantun asked, “How do you know Guo Que’er is a mighty lord?”
“I have been in the Shi Residence’s study for a long time, how could I not know the general trend of the world? Commander Guo has the hearts of the people, and his great undertaking is within reach. When the army enters Kaifeng, not only will your relatives not be implicated, but you will also be able to spare them from disaster. A Man of Integrity’s opportunity to achieve success and protect his family is fleeting. If you don’t seize it today, when will you?”
Saying this, Xiao Yi turned his head and looked at Lu You and Fan Si.
He saw that both of them showed signs of shock, and the hint of ambition ignited in their eyes was like a flame. They immediately clasped their fists, their voices trembling with emotion.
“We are willing to swear to follow Captain Xiao to the death!”
“Wherever Captain goes, Fan Si will go, through mountains of knives and seas of fire, without a frown!”
“Good!” Xiao Yi nodded heavily, “From now on, we will live and die together, and share riches and honor. Tie Ya, what about you?”
Zhang Mantun’s rugged face twitched a couple of times, and in the end, he mumbled softly.
“As long as you’re not lying to me.”
“Of course, I won’t lie to you.”
Xiao Yi raised his hand and patted the shoulder of the tower-like man.
“Don’t touch me. Just tell me how to chase that bastard. It’s hard to search for him in the dark, deep woods.”
“River God Temple,” Xiao Yi said decisively. “Since Cao Dang sent Xu Rang and two others to make a campfire and wait there, he will surely go there for support after being injured.”
Fan Si quickly said, “What Captain said is very true, I know the location of the River God Temple and can lead the way… Oh right, Wei Liang is my fellow villager, can I persuade him to surrender to the Captain?”
“The premise is that it doesn’t cause trouble. Tie Ya, Lu You, you two will be Xu Rang and Leopard later.”
“Understood.”
“Clean up the traces, strip off their armor and weapons and take them with you.”
“Yes.”
The four moved swiftly, collecting equipment and disposing of the bodies.
Back by the official road, Xiao Yi found a hand crossbow in Cao Dang’s war horse’s saddlebag and put it away.
They mounted their horses, led the ownerless horses, and galloped north along the official road.
The dark blue night sky was dotted with a few cold stars, and the wind on their faces felt like a knife cut, but Xiao Yi’s heart burned with much more fervor than before.
After only two or three miles, the silhouette of a dilapidated temple appeared in the deepening twilight.
The outer wall of the River God Temple had largely collapsed, but the main hall was still intact. The crooked, about-to-fall temple gate revealed a reddish-orange firelight, which was particularly striking in the night.
Xiao Yi pulled on the reins, slowed his horse, and said, “Lu You, Fan Si, you two ride over and wait at the temple gate. I’ll go around through the woods with Tie Ya, so that Cao Dang doesn’t see the horses and discover the ambush.”
He led Zhang Mantun away from the official road and circled through the woods to the back of the River God Temple, tying the loose horses in the forest.
The two walked quickly to the back of the ruined temple, but he stopped Zhang Mantun, not revealing themselves immediately. Instead, he observed for a while, and upon seeing that Lu You and Fan Si had not notified Xu Rang in advance, he then approached.
“Captain.”
“Go inside and say that Cao Dang and the others are behind dealing with their wounds and will arrive later. Be natural, don’t let them get suspicious.”
“Don’t worry, Captain.”
As they got closer, they could faintly hear voices from inside, and even a faint aroma of food wafted over.
“Speaking of which, you shouldn’t have hit Bu Hai with those military cudgels today.”
“Deputy Commander Xiao ordered it, there was no other way.”
“The Captain didn’t say anything, and you listened to that fledgling bird…”
“Tok, tok, tok.”
The four arrived at the old wooden gate, knocked, and deliberately complained loudly about the weather.
Lu You shouted, “Captain Xu, it’s us.”
The old temple gate was opened with an unpleasant creak, and a wary head poked out. Carrying the warmth of the campfire, it was Wei Liang.
“Why so long? The Captain said he was looking for you.”
Wei Liang’s gaze subconsciously flickered to the dark official road, and he asked, “Where is Captain Cao and the others?”
“Miss Shi’s injury is quite severe, she can’t move. The Captain ordered us to come first.”
“To help you unload the horses?”
“No need, it’s too cold, let’s go inside.”
With that, Fan Si pushed Wei Liang into the temple.
By the campfire, Xu Rang and Leopard had already removed their armor and were wrapped in felt blankets, warming themselves.
A copper pot was placed over the fire, with meat broth simmering inside.
“What’s cooking? Smells delicious!” As Fan Si spoke to Wei Liang, his local accent inadvertently slipped out.
“A weasel, I trapped it. I was idle, so I set up a trap.”
“Your skills haven’t gone down,” Fan Si said, bumping into him and chuckling, “Let me taste it.”
“Go on, Deputy Commander Xiao hasn’t tasted it yet.” Xu Rang cursed and looked at Zhang Mantun, asking, “Is this rascal really abandoning his master?”
“He has no choice,” Xiao Yi said with a faint smile. “If there’s good food, you won’t save any for the Captain. We’ll share it among ourselves.”
Zhang Mantun entered, shaking off Lu You, and spat, “It’s your ‘injury’ that’s severe.”
“Thank you, Deputy Commander Xiao.” Xu Rang said lazily, and then yelled at Lu You, “Newcomer, ignore him. Close the door tightly, it’s drafty and freezing.”
“Alright.”
The group shared the weasel soup from the pot, and huddled around the campfire, each lying down.
Wei Liang said, “I’ll keep watch tonight.”
“No need,” Xiao Yi said, “Lu You will keep watch tonight.”
“Yes.”
Xiao Yi and Zhang Mantun refused to stay by the campfire, saying it was too hot and dry, and found dark corners to lie down in.
This way, when Cao Dang returned, he would only see his subordinates through the cracks in the door and would naturally not suspect that Lu You and Fan Si had betrayed him.
The night grew deeper.
The others also fell silent, and the temple quieted down. At first, only the crackling of the campfire could be heard, and then, snores rose and fell.
Xiao Yi played with the hand crossbow, closed his eyes, and pretended to doze.
After an unknown amount of time, heavy, stumbling footsteps and suppressed breaths could be heard from outside the gate.
“Screeeech—”
The temple gate was pushed open, and a shadow staggered into view.
It was Cao Dang.
Cao Dang’s face was as pale as paper, his lips tinged purple, and blood from the wound on his shoulder had soaked through half of his armor.
As Xiao Yi stared at Cao Dang, the crossbow in his hand was already raised and aimed.
“Click.”
“Xu… Xu Rang…”
Cao Dang was still calling out to Xu Rang, and the look of relief and hope on his face instantly froze, transforming into extreme horror and disbelief.
His pupils contracted, and the cold glint had already arrived.
“Thwack.”
An arrow accurately embedded itself in Cao Dang’s forehead, the immense force causing his head to jerk back violently. Splattering red and white.
“Thud!”
His stout body crashed onto the threshold.
“Kill.”
As the arrow left the bowstring, Xiao Yi’s cold command also rang out.
Zhang Mantun, unable to hold back any longer, roared and snatched a saber, lunging first at Captain Xu Rang.
Lu You swung his saber at Baozi, who was still rubbing his eyes in confusion.
Xu Rang had just snapped out of the shock of Cao Dang being shot when the blade was already before him. He instinctively raised his hand to block.
With a crisp “crack,” one arm was brutally severed by Zhang Mantun.
The saber’s momentum did not diminish, and it deeply cleaved into Xu Rang’s neck.
“Splat.”
At the same time, the ferocious soldier nicknamed “Baozi” let out a scream as Lu You thrust his saber into his heart. His body twitched violently a few times and then went completely limp.
“Don’t move!”
Fan Si merely held his saber to Wei Liang’s neck and ordered, “Kneel, or don’t expect mercy!”
“Clang.”
Wei Liang’s face turned pale. He dropped the saber in his hand, his lips trembling, and said, “Xiao… Xiao Si, I surrender.”
“Listen to me finish before you surrender. We plan to follow Captain to Commander Guo and serve him with all our might for a great future. What about you? Don’t be so short-sighted.”
“I surrender, I’ll pursue a future with you… I’m willing to serve the Captain to the death!”
“Good,” Fan Si said, “Go chop off Cao Dang’s head as a token of your pledge.”
Wei Liang nodded, knelt on the ground, kowtowed to Xiao Yi, and then slowly picked up the saber from the ground and walked to the door.
Xiao Yi said, “First, strip off his armor. Give me his talisman and the items in his embrace.”
“Yes!”
Besides the talisman, Cao Dang also had a map, several gold ingots, and a very fine dagger. The scabbard of the dagger was engraved with the four characters “Yi Bu Yun Tian”.
Xiao Yi gave his dagger to Zhang Mantun and casually tucked it into his boot.
What he valued most was the silk scroll given to him by Li Ye.
Unfolding it, it turned out to be a secret edict.
“Wang Yin commands troops in Chan Prefecture, forming factions and gathering scholars, plotting rebellion and harming the nation. You are inherently loyal and righteous. I now command you to take advantage of the opportunity to apprehend him and execute him on the spot. The matter must be kept secret, not a single word shall be leaked. My mind is made up, you shall strive diligently.”
Even below, there was a conspicuous official seal. The seal was in seal script and read, “Receiving Heaven’s Mandate, Only Virtue Shall Prosper,” eight large characters.
Li Ye had said he was sending them to test Wang Yin’s attitude, but in reality, his intent to kill was already decided.
Xiao Yi put away the secret edict and held his hands towards the campfire, his eyes filled with contemplation.
After a while, the other four collected the armor and weapons, wiped away the bloodstains, carried the bodies into the woods to discard them, and brought back the horses.
“Captain, it’s all cleaned up.”
“You’ve worked hard. Rest well tonight.”
Lu You said, “Fan Si and I can take turns keeping watch.”
“Alright.”
The firelight illuminated Xiao Yi’s face, making him appear calm and decisive, as if everything that had happened was no big deal.
The others also relaxed.
Zhang Mantun even grinned, went to find a military robe to change into, and put on his armor. Although the fabric stretched taut, once his face was covered, he looked completely like a veteran soldier, no longer appearing to be a fugitive.
On a snowy night, the River God Temple was warm with the light of the campfire, and the five of them rested peacefully for the night.
