Members of the Shan Family, the royal household, were soon captured. Jiang Xi also discovered a secret passage in the royal palace. Two sons of Shan Congli’s, both of whom he thought highly of, were not in the capital, presumably having fled through the secret passage.
According to the eunuchs who were the last to have seen the two princes, it had been only two hours since the princes had taken flight.
That had been the time when the city gates had been opened and the troops had started flooding into the capital. None of the members of the royal family had bargained on someone colluding with the enemy and opening the city gates. Caught flat-footed, Shan Congli had only had time to have his two most valued sons escorted into the palace and whisked off. It had been done with such haste that they had left with only a couple of guards.
Jiang Xi wanted to take some men and go into the secret passage to pursue the princes. Ling Zhang decided to go with him. “There are sure as hell some defensive measures and divergent paths in there. If you fall victim to any of the defensive measures or go the wrong way, you’ll never be able to catch them. I’ll lead the way.”
“Young Master, Liu Yi and I can handle it,” said Wang Dashan.
Ling Zhang shook his head. “I’ll do it myself.
By the way, it’s best if you send some men to search the north of the city right away. They’ll definitely flee to the north after getting out of this secret passage, because there’s a border garrison there, and it’s the only place where they can find shelter.”
Yuwen Tong said, “I’ll have He Xiao and Yuwen Jin take some men and search that area. You need to be careful down there. Take Yao Yi and Xie Shi with you.”
Ling Zhang nodded, raising no objections, then hastened to lead them into the secret passage.
It was almost dawn, and the sky was beginning to lighten in the east, but the moment they entered the secret passage, they found themselves in pitch-blackness. Wang Dashan and Liu Yi, holding lighted torches, were leading the way, followed by Yao Yi and Xie Shi protecting Ling Zhang, Jiang Xi and his men in Yao Yi and Xie Shi’s wake.
The secret passages were indeed labyrinthine. They frequently found themselves at a fork while progressing. Fortunately Ling Zhang was cool-headed all the time, and with his high proficiency in Formations and his amazing sixth sense, he always knew which path to take.
There were also many defensive measures which could do people severe harm. There were even two thick stone doors blocking the paths at a fork.
Opening one of them took a lot of doing. They all felt thankful that Ling Zhang was with them, who knew a special method of lifting that kind of stone door.
After that, the secret passage led them straight north. Judging from how long it had been since their departure, they should have some time ago traveled past the north ramparts from underground.
It was in a wood to the north-west of the Wan capital that they got out of the passage. Between the wood and the capital city stood a hill. It was not easy to get to this area which was desolate as far as the eye could see, and there were no paths or national roads in sight.
Ling Zhang’s brow corrugated in a slight frown. The search parties, after exiting the city through the north city gates, would continue the hunt along the national road, because it would be quicker for Shan Congli’s two sons to get to the north if they took the national road.
“Hoof prints,” said Jiang Xi, pointing at the prints on the ground.
It was full daylight when they got out of the passage, and the trees in this spot were relatively sparse, so they could distinctly see the hoof prints on the ground in bright sunlight.
Those were marks left by horses which had trampled on the ground agitatedly. Jiang Xi observed for a while before he spotted a place nearby which seemed to be a temporary stable. Judging from the size of it, there should be over thirty horses there. He also found a wide trail of hoof prints leading north-west. Left by a large group of horses, the marks were very obvious.
Pointing north-west, he said, “They fled that way.”
Ling Zhang looked in that direction, recalling the map of the Wan capital and nearby areas that he had carefully read before the battle started. Then the expression in his eyes went grave and he said, “Ten li (a Chinese unit of length, equal to 500 meters) of this place is a village which is connected by a road with Zhangfei City to the west of it. It seems the two sons of Shan Congli’s are pretty smart. They know that they could well be caught if they travel north alone, but if they go to Zhangfei City, they’ll find shelter and be in a much safer situation, no matter whether their next move is to stay in Zhangfei City or to exit the city through the north gates and then detour to the encampment of the border garrison. In addition, we haven’t taken the northern prefecture of Zhangzhou yet, which means they could unite the troops garrisoned in the three cities of Zhangzhou along the way.
It’s a whole day’s ride from here to Zhangfei City. I’m sure they haven’t reached Zhangfei City yet, no matter how fast their horses are. Yao Yi, Xie Shi and I will set off first to pursue them. The others are to travel to Zhangfei City as quick as possible. And don’t forget to send a message back to the capital.”
Ling Zhang, after explaining why the two princes had fled that way, promptly left to pursue the targets with Yao Yi and Xie Shi without saying anything else. The three of them, with their consummate Lightness Skills, could travel much faster than the others.
Jiang Xi had a team of soldiers with him, and it was inappropriate to leave his men behind, so he set off with his men, heading in the same direction the three of them had gone.
Wang Dashan and Liu Yi were wounded, and their Lightness Skills were not as good as Xie Shi’s or Yao Yi’s, so they decided to return to the city to report the situation to Yuwen Tong.
…
Ling Zhang, Yao Yi and Xie Shi, following those hoof prints, soon reached the small village but did not enter it. Jiang Xi and his men would come to this village and search it. It was most likely that the two princes had directly fled west instead of staying in this village risking being caught.
The nice thing about having superb Lightness Skills and powerful internal energy was that he could travel non-stop at a very fast speed for a long time.
Shan Congli’s two sons, along with their bodyguards, had been fleeing on horseback and were over two hours’ ride ahead of the three of them, but it was not difficult to catch up with them.
Ling Zhang wanted to catch the targets before they could flee into Zhangfei City, because letting them enter the city was no different from letting the tiger return to the mountain.
Therefore, he was swooshing forward at full pelt.
…
Half a day later, they approached Zhangfei City, but the targets were still nowhere to be seen.
Ling Zhang told Yao Yi and Xie Shi to stop.
“There’s no way they could’ve traveled that fast. We must’ve passed them without noticing. Xie Shi, I want you to stay here and wait. This is the only national road connecting Zhangfei City and the eastern areas. There’s no way they could reach Zhangfei City without passing this place. Yao Yi and I will double back and look for them.”
Xie Shi nodded. “Please be careful, Your Highness.”
Yuwen Tong had sent Xie Shi to accompany Ling Zhang because Xie Shi could offer Ling Zhang medical treatment if he got hurt, but what with the urgent situation, Xie Shi had no alternative but to stay and guard the national road.
Ling Zhang and Yao Yi retraced their steps. They had passed several villages during the previous trip. This area was sparsely populated, and there were no towns, so the two of them concentrated their efforts on searching the couple of villages.
“They’re running for their lives, so they would never stay in a place for long. If they enter a village, it’ll probably be for food and water, and they’ll leave immediately after getting what they need. Keep your eyes peeled. There’s a very high chance we’ll encounter them right on a street,” Ling Zhang cautioned Yao Yi.
Yao Yi inclined his head, his vigilance bolstered.
…
He Xiao and Yuwen Jin, along with their men, had turned around and headed for Zhangfei City when they received the message delivered by Wang Dashan and Liu Yi. They chanced upon Jiang Xi and his men halfway through the journey and spared a horse for Jiang Xi. The soldiers who did not have horses were commanded to search nearby areas.
“His Highness and the other two can travel very fast. I think they’ve reached the suburbs of Zhangfei City by now,” said Jiang Xi.
At these words, He Xiao and Yuwen Jin spurred their horses and galloped even faster.
Snowflake was in their company. She hurtled forward, soon was a long distance ahead of them and, after a few moments, disappeared from view.
Yuwen Jin and He Xiao were also riding thoroughbred horses, but the two of them still couldn’t help but feel envious at the sight of this. Snowflake was so fast!
…
At this time, Ling Zhang and Yao Yi spotted their targets.
Ling Zhang’s words turned out to be a prophecy. They came almost face-to-face with the two princes.
Shan Congli’s two sons both looked very much like him, so Ling Zhang recognized them at first glance. The two of them were under the protection of around thirty cavalrymen, which tallied with Jiang Xi’s conjecture.
At the sight of them, Ling Zhang directly uprooted two trees on the roadside and used them as barricades, blocking the targets’ path. Standing on a treetop, he watched the group of horsemen approaching, his sword unsheathed.
“The road ahead is blocked. Someone’s there!”
“Be careful, Your Highnesses!”
“Protect His Highnesses!”
Soon those horsemen noticed the obstacles on the road and Ling Zhang standing on a treetop and came to a halt, watchful looks on their faces.
“Identify yourself!” someone demanded.
“Stop wasting time. He’s from the Great Wen. Just kill him already!” said the man in charge.
In order to travel fast, Ling Zhang was not wearing armor, but his clothes were of Great-Wen style and different from those of common Wan people, which was why those men could tell where he was from.
“I’ll spare your lives if you surrender yourselves and kill these two men,” said Ling Zhang, looking flintily down at them.
He mobilized his internal energy, radiating a palpable sense of power which instantaneously made the air within a 100-meter radius feel heavy and suffocating. The powerful emanation also enveloped the two princes and their bodyguards immediately.
They promptly felt weighed down and began to have difficulty breathing.
The two princes had enjoyed high status for many years and their father had valued them very much. Even the air emanated by Shan Congli had never made either of them feel afraid, but at this moment, Ling Zhang’s brooding air was actually striking fear into their hearts.
“Who the hell are you?” demanded the elder one of the two princes.
Ling Zhang guessed that he was probably the Third Prince, the one that Shan Congli had valued the most, that the man beside him must be the Fifth Prince.
“Ling Zhang.” It was now unnecessary for Ling Zhang to keep his identity secret.
“Ling Zhang?! You’re the empress of the Great Wen?!” The Fifth Prince eyed Ling Zhang resentfully, gnashing his teeth against the sense of power radiating from him, but when his eyes met Ling Zhang’s which were as cold as blade, he couldn’t help but flinch. “You and Yuwen Tong killed my father, and now you’ve actually tracked us down alone. I’ll kill you to avenge my father’s death!”
There was a reason why he dared shout such words. He had observed the surroundings and found that there did not seem to be anybody lying in ambush. Ling Zhang was the only enemy in sight, so he was emboldened.
“Go and restrain Ling Zhang, all of you. We could use a hostage to force Yuwen Tong to withdraw his forces!” commanded the Fifth Prince aloud.
The Third Prince did not raise any objections. The thirty cavalrymen, though scared by the sense of power radiating from Ling Zhang, felt a jolt of hatred and an urge to take revenge after hearing the Fifth Prince’s words and immediately charged at Ling Zhang.
“Humph. Since you people want to meet your ends, I shall grant all your wishes!” snorted Ling Zhang, brandishing his sword which then turned into a blur of movement with great ease. The next moment, he leaped off the treetop and, like a giant bird, swooped down towards the group of cavalrymen galloping at him, dodging their arrows.
There were a dozen cavalrymen coming at him. The rest of them were still standing guard beside the two princes. A gleam flashed across Ling Zhang’s eyes and with that he decided to slaughter these men so that the rest of the bodyguards would leave the two princes and come to attack him.
