Qiang Jin Jiu (Author : Tang Jiuqing 唐酒卿)

Chapter 109 : Jingzhe

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Qiao Tianya led the men out of the inn in pursuit. There were already no traces of both men on the streets. Fei Sheng mounted the horse from behind, pointed to the west, and said, “Since he has been alerted, he should know that he can’t remain here for long; he definitely won’t be able to escape our eyes if he’s in town. In all probability, he will choose to leave the town and take a detour to hurry towards Cizhou.”  

According to the information Qiao Tianya knew of, Shen Zechuan should still be in Cizhou. He stuffed that silver ingot back into his bosom. Before he could speak, he heard Ji Gang’s voice behind him.  

Ji Gang gathered the cloak around him and drank up the bowl of medicine in his hand in one gulp. “Don’t stop for my sake tonight. Let’s head for Cizhou now. No matter what, we have to inform Chuan-er of this matter first.” 

As this concerned Shen Zechuan’s safety, Qiao Tianya knew that Ji Gang would definitely not rest tonight, so he motioned for the Imperial Bodyguards at the back to lead the horse over. Ji Gang got onto the horse and straightened his back. Then, with a jerk of the reins, he led the men in a charge towards the town gate. 

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Kong Ling was miserable beyond description. Both his legs had been scraped until they were burning with pain. He did not say a word and followed with a frown behind the man’s horse. Just as Fei Sheng predicted, they did not linger further in the town, but left the town quickly with the man leading the way as they took a detour.

“Mister, please bear with it for a few more hours.” As the man spurred his horse on, he looked back to shout. “We will be able to reach the foot of Cizhou’s city gate before daybreak!” 

Kong Ling panted as he nodded and said, “Seems like the road is full of forked paths around here. I don’t think they would be able to catch up even if they wanted to?” 

“But the rain has already stopped.” The man’s stamina was so good that he did not even gasp for breath once the entire journey. He continued, “Mister, there’s no way our trail can be covered up now. They are bound to speed up their pursuit of us!” 

Kong Ling pulled at the robe on his knees. He gritted his teeth and said, “Continue on! Warrior, we’ll continue on our way! As long as we can reach the foot of Cizhou’s city gate, we can avert disaster.”  

That might be the case. But the path they had been taking was very muddy after they diverged from the public road. With their hooves stuck in the mud, the horses could not run at their original speed, and so it was with difficulty that both men traveled. Looking at the man’s back, Kong Ling sighed and said emotionally, “It’s all thanks to your help this time. If you still insist on returning to Lei Changming after we arrived at Cizhou, I’ll select the best horse for you.” 

The man let out a hearty laugh and said, “Mister, there’s no need to stand on ceremony. This is what I should do. I’m just a soldier who only knows how to fight and kill. There are some things that need to be done by lofty scholars like you. I hold you in great esteem, and I’m already content to be able to travel with you tonight.” 

Kong Ling was taken by surprise. He found this man to be a righteous man and felt a lump in his throat. Then he remembered Shen Zechuan, the turncoat who switched his allegiance to the enemy at the critical juncture, and could not help but wipe his eyes with his sleeve and said, “To think there are still such good men like you in Zhongbo. There’s hope for Zhongbo’s rejuvenation yet! Warrior, may I know how I should address you?”