Chapter 5: 第二章 死里逃生

The blades of the Beiying soldiers pierced through the gale, leaving no room for mercy.

At the critical moment, the heavily wounded man suddenly lunged upward, using his arms to forcefully push Zhen Yue away. He took the fatal blow in his stead. A mouthful of blood sprayed out, splashing against her face and neck amidst the wind. Trembling with terror, she struggled to steady her pushed-away body, as shock and fear spread from her damp soles to her scalp.

She did not know who this man was, but he had protected her ever since she woke up; her heart could not help but fill with grief.

"Run!" the man roared. In a desperate, all-or-nothing move, he thrust a short knife into the horse's belly.

The brown steed let out a long neigh and leaped up frantically. The Beiying soldier on its back was startled, but being well-trained from years of warfare, he quickly and forcefully pulled the reins to avoid being thrown. With a distorted, ferocious expression and a surging sense of rage, the soldier swung his blade down.

The man had exhausted his strength and had no power left to fight back. He turned his head to look at the stunned child not far away, a faint smile lifting the corners of his mouth as he murmured softly.

The setting sun was like blood, piercing through his entire body like a sharp arrow, making him feel as though he could no longer be grasped. Above the firmament, crows flew past with piercing cries.

Zhen Yue saw with her own eyes that blood-stained blade pierce through his chest like it was cutting through tofu—so fast, so clean.

Her heart churned violently, as if a single thread were pulling at her, making it feel as though the sword had pierced her own chest. Gritting her teeth, she bolted away, sobbing uncontrollably. She cast one last glance back at the man's magnificent body as it collapsed heavily. The scent of blood was too thick, making his face so blurred, yet the shape of his mouth, which had not yet fallen, was exceptionally clear. It was the phrase: "Don't be afraid."

A child barely three feet tall ran frantically through the field of corpses, like a trapped small beast using every ounce of strength to find a chance at survival.

The Beiying soldiers pursued on horseback, their hoofbeats and leering laughter sounding like the summons of demons from an endless hell, interspersed with mocking whistles. This was a game of cat and mouse, fueled only by the pleasure of slaughter.

*Thud!* Zhen Yue ran too hastily and was tripped by a severed arm submerged in a pool of blood. Her feet were injured in the fall; she glared at the approaching Beiying soldiers with furious eyes and shouted sharply, "Even if I become a ghost, I will never let you off!"

A Beiying soldier in green armor and black plating reined in his horse, narrowing his eyes as he raised his blood-stained blade. Before she could even scream, a white shadow flashed past like lightning, breaking the wind like thunder with precise force. It was a silver flying dagger. With a soft *pa!* sound, the sharp blade had already buried itself in his throat. The Beiying soldier clutched his spurting throat in disbelief and fell heavily from his horse, twitching a few times before falling still. The startled horse bolted toward the east of the city.

Facing this sudden escape from death, Zhen Yue's heart felt stuck in her throat. She let out a long sigh, patting her chest as she gasped, "That was close, so close... you scared me to death."

She hurriedly stood up and looked toward her savior with immense gratitude. He wore coarse linen clothes with a small black vest over them and appeared to be about thirteen years old. He possessed an indescribable air of elegance; his temples were as if carved by a knife and his brows were like ink paintings. Despite his young age, he appeared remarkably hardened, his eyes shining like cold stars. Without even looking at the bewildered Zhen Yue, he walked straight over to pull out the silver flying dagger, seemingly long accustomed to killing. The boy wiped the blood-stained dagger with extreme disdain, scanned his surroundings warily, and then ran toward the alley with agile steps.

Before he had even exited the deep alley, the boy turned back impatiently. "What are you following me for?"

Zhen Yue tried her best to ignore the decaying corpses by the roadside and said through gritted teeth, "You look quite powerful; following you should help me live a bit longer." Although she had spent a few years in the army, it had only been simple physical training; back then, she had been playing around and merely going through the motions to appease her uncle. Being as clever as she was, she knew deeply that in these chaotic times, one had to rely on others.

The boy raised an eyebrow slightly. "I saved you once; that doesn't mean I'll save you a second time. If you keep following me, I'll kill you. In this chaotic world, useless people are just burdens."

Zhen Yue hadn't expected an ancient child to be so lacking in sympathy—they were both just growing children, yet his words were so cold and hard. However, she had made up her mind to follow him and stick to him stubbornly; since he had stepped in to save her, his heart couldn't be truly cold.

Though the boy's pace was fast, he could not shake Zhen Yue off. In a fit of irritation, he cornered her against a wall, pressing a knife to her neck, and said coldly, "Stop following me! The entire Didu is filled with Beiying soldiers. I don't want to be implicated by you."

"I absolutely won't implicate you. All my relatives are dead; just think of it as seeing a blessing through to the end. Once we reach a safe place, I will definitely leave." She blinked her misty, watery eyes, putting on a pitiful appearance.

"What is a man crying for!" He pulled away in disgust.

*A man!* Zhen Yue confusedly reached for her hair bun—she was disguised as a boy!

Suddenly, the boy pulled the bewildered Zhen Yue into a street corner, swiftly blocking a pile of dry firewood in front of them and covering her lips with lightning speed. She struggled in surprise and indignation.

"If you don't want to die, don't move."

The stern voice in her ear terrified her nakedly. She cursed inwardly, *“Stinky brat.”*

Footsteps approached from a distance. Zhen Yue's heart sank; it seemed this kid was not simple, possessing even better vigilance than she did.

"Did you find them?" a low, dark voice asked.

"Reporting to the Lord, all boys around thirteen years old in the city have been slaughtered. It is impossible for them to have left Didu alive. You may return to report your success, My Lord." The voice was fawning, then paused hesitantly. "However, there is something strange."

"Speak!"

"Not only were the boys slaughtered, but not a single girl was left either. It seems the fall of Didu is merely the surface; there is much more going on beneath."

"I will report your merit to the superiors myself."

"Yes, yes, thank you, My Lord. This servant will surely have a bright future following you."

As the footsteps receded, Zhen Yue saw out of the corner of her eye that the boy's expression was dark, his handsome brows furrowed tightly as if he were contemplating something very serious. She impatiently broke away, wiping her lips as she said, "It seems both you and I are lucky ones. Let's get out of here quickly; who knows what kind of cold-blooded killers might jump out from somewhere else."

The boy gathered his thoughts, glanced at her a few times, and said coldly, "All the mountain paths out of Didu are blocked. I will take you out through the small paths of Yanming Mountain. If you follow me again after that, I will show no mercy."

Zhen Yue sincerely reached an agreement with him.

The night was filled with fading stars, and the north wind was biting.

Zhen Yue followed closely behind him, weaving through the deathly silent deep alleys and streets. Facing the corpses strewn everywhere, her reaction had shifted from horror to slowly attempting to avoid them, and finally to forced acceptance. This was an era of constant warfare where millions of bodies lay fallen; if she wanted to live and find a way to survive, she had to be strong!

The boy was exceptionally familiar with the city and always managed to skillfully avoid the patrolling Beiying soldiers.

In less than an hour, he led Zhen Yue into a lush, leafy forest. A gentle night breeze blew, and the withered trees rustled in the cold wind, making the breath of the two figures following one another turn to frost. The lonely, waning moon pierced through the blood-soaked air, yet it could not cast even a sliver of light upon the dead city of Didu.

"What are you doing?" the boy asked in a cold tone as he found a dry spot to sit down.

The silvery-gray moonlight fell upon the boy's face, making his facial contours appear even more rugged. Zhen Yue grabbed some dry wood she had just picked up and asked in confusion, "It's freezing cold. If we don't start a fire at night, we'll freeze to death. You should know how to make a fire, right?"

The boy frowned. "Fire produces smoke. We haven't completely left Didu yet; Beiying soldiers are lurking everywhere. If you want to die, I won't stop you, but if you want to make a fire, go far away."