Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 262: Four Cavalry Equivalent to a Thousand

“You, why are you here?” Yue Hongling asked with a voice filled with surprise, quickly withdrawing her sword.

She had been wandering in the northern wilderness for quite some time now. She had run out of supplies and had decided that she would simply give up and return if she failed to get more supplies this time. But then, on this one final attempt to get supplies, she ended up running into Zhao Changhe.

The unexpected delight of finding a companion amidst solitude, and the sudden loosening of tightly wound heartstrings, was simply indescribable.

It turns out that you’re here too... And we end up running to each other among countless carriages and caravans within the vast deserts and grasslands.

At this moment, she had forgotten that she had also crossed paths with several others. The presence of a merchant caravan from the Great Xia here was like a beacon for trouble. Regardless, even if others were here, she encountered Zhao Changhe first.

She said, “Why did you disguise yourself so well? I almost killed you.”

Zhao Changhe said, “Well, never mind. I guess it’s time to wipe off my disguise now. I can’t let Wang Daozhong get hold of the credit for this good deed. I’ll just get back to dealing with other stuff once this is done.”

Yue Hongling had no idea what he was talking about.

Zhao Changhe quickly wiped off his disguise and went into the carriage. “I’m happy you’re here. Come and help. Rescue these brothers first, and then go pick up Situ Xiao and Old Han immediately.”

Yue Hongling put away her thoughts first and followed him into the carriage. Inside, she saw six people lying unconscious. Their bodies were covered in dried blood, indicating that they had been in quite a fierce battle earlier. Without needing Zhao Changhe to even tell her anything, Yue Hongling already figured out what was going on. She realized that Zhao Changhe had come to rescue these people.

She did not ask any questions and quickly stepped forward to help one of them up. She pressed on their acupoints to stimulate their blood flow, and soon, the person slowly regained consciousness. However, he seemed to be unable to make sense of the situation for a moment. “What’s going...”

Meanwhile, Zhao Changhe was also assisting one of the others and stimulating their blood flow, but he soon realized that he was not as efficient as Yue Hongling. The person on Yue Hongling’s side had begun sobering up, while the one he was helping had not even responded. He felt embarrassed and began explaining, “These guys are from the martial artist camp at Yanmen. My brother-in-law... I mean, Cui Yuanyong sent me out here to rescue them.”

Yue Hongling glanced at him before quickly going and helping the others.

The man who just sobered vaguely heard Zhao Changhe’s words and immediately became ecstatic. “I knew the martial artist camp wouldn’t just stand by and let us die! Those are the kind of people we are fighting for!”

Just the thought of the martial artist camp sending someone to rescue them was enough to pull back a man who was on the brink of despair.

Zhao Changhe felt relieved. Just as the person he was assisting woke up, he threw out a few pills and said hurriedly, “Please help explain what’s going on to the one who just woke up, I’ll continue saving the others. Those pills can help you restore some strength. See if you can unleash some of your power after taking them.”

The man said, “Even if I can’t exert much strength, if I can kill Qiao Er, I’m willing to die with him!”

“There’s no need for that. Your priority is to retreat. You only need to recover enough strength to ride a horse. I’ll take care of Qiao Er for you, and I’ll intercept any pursuers. Can you trust me?”

The people who woke up looked at each other in confusion. Looking at Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling, who were busy saving their companions, their fuzzy minds became clearer and clearer. “Are you two... Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling?”

Yue Hongling glanced at Zhao Changhe again, amused. This is what you meant by not giving Wang Daozhong any credit, huh?

Zhao Changhe cupped his fist and said, “Exactly, if you can trust us, just leave this matter to us. Your priority is to return alive.”

After they swallowed some pills, they looked at each other a few times and said, “Of course we trust Heroine Yue!”

Zhao Changhe’s jaw dropped.

Yue Hongling laughed out loud.

Although she had not talked with Zhao Changhe about this matter, Yue Hongling understood what he was thinking and took over the conversation. “While we distract the camp, the six of you can take six horses and leave quickly. Just leave the rest up to us.”

The six stood up and bowed deeply. “We owe you a great debt of gratitude. If you ever need our help in the future, just give us the order.”

Zhao Changhe returned the gesture. “We are fighting for the same cause. There is no need for thanks.”

Everyone laughed. “Haha! The Bloodthirsty Asura is much better than we thought! Until we meet again!”

At the gate of the camp, Han Wubing had already killed his way out and joined Situ Xiao.

“Han Wubing?”

“Situ Xiao?”

“There’s no time to talk. The situation is only getting worse. We need to make our way out of here immediately.”

Qiao Er originally had a lot of men moving goods outside the camp. Now that these people were being called back, the two of them were getting trapped at the gate by those returning.

Situ Xiao had been here for a while, and knew that the garrison under Ubalu’s command, responsible for maintaining order here, was not one to be trifled with. The longer they stayed here, the more likely they would have to deal with the garrison once they were alerted. At that time, the situation would genuinely turn dire.

At that moment, chaos erupted within the camp once again.

Six horses burst out from the back of the camp, their neighs echoing clearly in the noisy night. As they passed, torches were knocked over, causing a blaze to erupt not only at the front of the camp but also at its back, plunging the area into utter chaos.

Qiao Er’s voice rang out in shock and anger. “Stop them! Stop them!”

Countless people within the camp mounted their horses and chased after the six who were trying to escape, but someone unexpectedly got in their way.

Under the moonlight, a red figure moved gracefully like a swan, darting past the riders in the lead. With a flash of red, screams erupted as people fell off their horses, utterly outmatched.

A solitary swan flying through the dim light of the setting sun...

Blood spilling in the night, riderless horses rushing through the light of flames...

It was a scene of chaos, and the people found it difficult to even find the gate of the camp, let alone leave in an orderly fashion.

“Yu... Yue Hongling! It’s Yue Hongling!!!”

Dread filled the heart of the pursuers. They had heard that she was terrifying, but they had not expected her to be this terrifying. With each flash of red, more than a dozen people fell off their horses. She moved so quickly that they could not even clearly see where she was.

It felt as though as long as she stood alone at the gate, she could hold off an army of a thousand!

Qiao Er’s voice resounded in a frantic rage, “No matter how strong Yue Hongling is, she’s just one person. What are you all afraid of? If they escape, we’re all—”

Before he could finish speaking, an arrow flew like a shooting star, piercing through Qiao Er’s mouth just as he uttered the word “all,” and exiting through the back of his head.

It was only then that the others in the camp heard the twang of a bowstring. The arrow had shot through the air at a speed faster than sound!

Even the barbarian merchant who had been watching the spectacle beside Qiao Er was dumbfounded.

Which master archer is here?!

The guards around Qiao Er were also dumbfounded.

Did our second master really die just like that?

When they turned their heads to look at the direction from which the sound of the shot came, they saw a burly man carrying a broad saber. “The martial artists of Great Xia shall take the heads of traitors. Death shall befall those who stand in our way!”

With those words, heads rolled as he swept through the air his saber, cleaving in half anyone blocking his path.

Shit!

The barbarian merchant came to the conclusion that elites from the Great Xia were attacking with the coordinated chaos at the front and back of the camp. Only fools would continue to meddle in such matters. Immediately, he turned and ran away with a few guards, hiding behind a tent and not daring to show themselves until this whole mess was over.

Zhao Changhe hacked his way through, overwhelming anyone who stood in his path. At this point, none of the guards were willing to risk their lives anymore. They all screamed in fear as they ran even faster than the barbarian merchant.

Zhao Changhe made his way to Qiao Er, chopping off his head with one swift swing. He lifted his head up in the air and shouted angrily, “The chief culprit has been killed! Who else dares to resist!”

His voice echoed far and wide, reaching even the distant camps where other barbarian merchants were.

Right outside the cap, Situ Xiao and Han Wubing felt the pressure on them suddenly lighten. They looked up and saw, amidst the raging flames, a burly man holding a broad saber in one hand and a severed head in the other. He was drenched in blood, causing him to look particularly ferocious and frightening.

“Damn it, we’ve been working ourselves to the bone and this guy steals the spotlight in the end?”

Han Wubing, catching his breath, smiled slightly. “Let him have it if he likes it. Aren’t we at least safe now?”

In the chaos, only a few had been able to see that Qiao Er had died. But now, with Zhao Changhe holding his severed head up high as his voice spread out far and wide, panic swept through the camp. Which one of them would still have the will to fight? Many screamed and ran back into the camp to grab some things before running away.

With a severed head in hand, Zhao Changhe just stood there dumbfounded. Some people rushed past him, ignoring him completely as they headed straight toward the carriages to grab whatever they could.

Before long, a fierce battle erupted at the carriages and horses, with everyone fighting each other. The scene was even more spectacular than when they were under attack earlier.

Zhao Changhe was speechless.

Yue Hongling drifted to his side, holding a young man by the collar. “This guy tried to escape from the back of the camp. Judging by his attire, he seems to hold some status. Should we capture him alive?”

Zhao Changhe glanced at the pale-faced young man, recognizing him as the one he slapped at the inn.

He grinned. “Hand him over to Situ Xiao. He’s a great piece of evidence we can use to uproot these traitorous scum.”

Situ Xiao’s voice sounded, “What the hell? Why are you giving him to me? I didn’t sign up for whatever mission you’re doing from the martial artist camp!”

Zhao Changhe smiled apologetically. “I’ve got some other matters to attend to. Anyway, we should talk later. We need to get out of here immediately. The barbarian army is approaching!”

In the distance, clouds of dust rose as an army drew nearer

“To hell with it all!” Situ Xiao snatched the head from Zhao Changhe’s hand. “Let’s just enjoy this!”

The four of them exchanged glances before bursting into laughter.

Amidst the raging flames, the chaotic camp, the clamor of fighting, and the distant sound of hooves thundering, laughter echoed under the moonlight, spreading over Huangsha.