Chapter 78

Lu Shixin returned through the wind and snow. His decision to turn and leave was not due to any foresight or insight into Li Yuncun's schemes, but rather his own extraordinary alertness.

Night had already fallen, and visibility in the forest was almost zero. If the forest was indeed the enemy's base, it would be riddled with traps and filled with hidden sentries. In such an environment, venturing into a perilous forest, even with his superior skills, Lu Shixin had to weigh the consequences.

After retracing his steps for nearly a thousand paces, Lu Shixin was surprised to find that his footprints had been covered by the snow, leaving no trace. The vast wilderness was visible only within twenty to thirty meters, and he could no longer distinguish the directions.

Lu Shixin felt somewhat embarrassed, as he had been so focused on following that he had not paid attention to his direction and now had no idea how to return.

Looking around, Lu Shixin noticed a large rock covered by the snow. His eyes lit up with relief, grateful for his 21st-century knowledge, which would have otherwise left him in a very awkward situation.

He quickly approached the rock, digging away the thick snow on both sides. Moss grew on all four sides of the rock, but the moss on the right side was clearly more abundant than on the left. The other two sides were similar. According to the laws of plant growth, moss thrives in dark and damp places, while areas exposed to the sun have sparse moss. Therefore, the side with more moss was the north, and the side with less moss was the south.

Having determined the north and south, the east and west were naturally clear.

Mount Taibai was located to the east of the small village. As long as he headed west, he would surely leave Mount Taibai and return to the village.

Lu Shixin chose the west and walked resolutely. Along the way, trees and rocks could guide him, and even when he had to take a detour, he could quickly correct his direction and maintain the right path.

After about half an hour, Lu Shixin's view suddenly opened up, and he found himself at the foot of Mount Taibai.

"This... Could it be? Was I discovered!" Lu Shixin realized. He had followed Li Yuncun for over an hour, but now, alone, he had only taken half an hour to descend the mountain. It seemed that Li Yuncun had been leading him in circles on the mountain.

Lu Shixin pondered this and suddenly laughed. In the wind and snow, he could vaguely see a dozen figures and seven or eight torches approaching him quickly.

Without hesitation, he walked forward, preferring a direct confrontation.

Ten steps away!

The two sides met, and Lu Shixin saw the leader, the valiant man he had been following for a long time.

"Come at me all at once!" Lu Shixin casually brushed the snow off his clothes, showing no intention of explaining and instead preparing for a fight.

"Arrogant!" Li Yuncun was secretly furious. He had been monitoring Lu Shixin's movements from a distance using an eagle, and the more he followed, the more he felt something was off. Looking at the path he had taken many times, he suddenly realized it was the shortest route down the mountain. He thought he had trapped Lu Shixin with the complex terrain, but Lu Shixin had unexpectedly found the shortest path and headed directly down the mountain.

With no choice, Li Yuncun had to bypass Lu Shixin and rush ahead to intercept him. He now considered Lu Shixin a Goguryeo spy, and with the current crisis, he needed to seize every opportunity. This breakthrough was too valuable to miss.

"Attack! Take him alive!" Li Yuncun held his twin halberds and struck at Lu Shixin with the flat of the halberds.

Lu Shixin smiled lightly, dodged the halberd, and charged at a thin, monkey-like figure holding a torch. His movements were lightning-fast, and he snatched the torch using an empty-hand technique, then threw the man away.

The thin man, weighing about a hundred pounds, seemed like a small chicken to Lu Shixin.

"Whoosh!" The wind blew again!

Li Yuncun's first strike missed, and he followed up with a double halberd attack, one after the other.

Lu Shixin took a small step back, the halberd tip grazing his clothes, and then moved diagonally, causing the second halberd to miss.

"Great! It's been dark all the way! A torch would be nice, let me borrow it!" Lu Shixin politely thanked him.

Another person approached, using the torch as a weapon and thrusting it forward.

Lu Shixin moved first, pressing the torch against the man's hand, scalding him and making him drop it.

Lu Shixin caught the torch in mid-air and said with a smile, "Too enthusiastic! One in each hand, a bit extravagant!" He stepped forward, using his shoulder to push the man, sending him flying.

Li Yuncun attacked again!

Lu Shixin dodged once more, his feet moving like lightning, and the two men were sent flying.

While dodging Li Yuncun's attacks, he walked as if he were strolling in a garden, using only his feet to knock down the others one by one.

"What... What do you want?" Li Yuncun finally stopped attacking, looking at his comrades lying on the ground, helping each other up, and feeling a sense of helplessness.

"I don't want anything! I just want to show you that I have no ill intentions." Lu Shixin spoke sincerely.

Li Yuncun was speechless. If Lu Shixin had tried to explain at the beginning, even with his silver tongue, he would not have believed him in this critical moment. But now, he believed him, had to believe him.

The method was so simple, yet so cruel!

Sealing his hands, using only his feet, he not only dodged all of Li Yuncun's attacks but also easily knocked down everyone Li Yuncun had brought.

If Lu Shixin had harbored ill intentions, he could have directly used the weapon at his waist to fight them, and Li Yuncun believed none of them would have survived.

The young man in front of him was strong, stronger than he had ever imagined.

None of his teachers or uncles could match him, let alone come close.

"Let's get to know each other again!" Lu Shixin stuck the torch into the ground and stepped forward, saying, "I am from Licheng, Shandong, and I am Lu Shixin, a general of the Right骁Wei of the Tang Dynasty."

Li Yuncun hesitated for a moment and said, "I am Li Yuncun from Xiabang, Guanzhong..." He introduced himself and then asked curiously, "Licheng, Shandong, I know, but what is the Tang Dynasty? What is the situation in Central China now? Is the tyrant Yang Guang still on the throne?"

Lu Shixin was not surprised. Goguryeo was hostile to the Tang Dynasty, and Li Yuncun and his group had hidden in Mount Taibai to avoid Goguryeo's attacks, isolated from the world. They naturally had no knowledge of the changes in the world.

"Yang Guang was killed by Yuwen Huaji long ago. The heroes vied for power, and in the end, the Duke of Tang secured the empire. Central China is now ruled by the Li family, not the Yang family. As for the Sui Dynasty, Yang Guang's grandson, Yang Zhengdao, relies on the support of the Turks to barely maintain a pitiful state."

Li Yuncun stood there for a long time, recalling how he had been forcibly conscripted by Yang Guang and had survived in the mountains for years. The world had changed so much, even the dynasty had changed. He could not help but say, "Years of living in the mountains have made me a frog in a well."

Lu Shixin understood the implications and said honestly, "You don't need to worry about that. You are still strong, just not as strong as me."