Chapter 7

【Monday, please vote and add to your favorites!】

-----

General Yu Jin heard that Zhao Yun was in the army and secretly rejoiced. Last night, nearly two thousand men died in the attack on the stronghold, and he was worried about how to explain it to his lord. If he could capture Zhao Yun, perhaps he could atone for his sins. At this moment, he made up his mind and immediately ordered, "Capture Zhao Yun alive!"

Cao's soldiers surged from all directions, but Zhao Yun was fearless. He shook his silver spear and charged into the enemy ranks like a storm, causing chaos wherever he went.

However, Zhao Yun, with two others, did not engage in prolonged battles. He did not rush into the dense enemy formations but tried to find a way out where there were fewer enemies. Behind him, Wu Xiu tightly clung to the horse's neck, urging the horse to follow Zhao Yun closely. Zhao Yun was meticulous and did not leave any danger behind, ensuring that Wu Xiu was not attacked.

But this also increased the danger Zhao Yun faced several times. Many enemies he could have ignored had to be dealt with because they threatened the people behind him, making his situation extremely perilous.

At this moment, Liu Jing played a crucial role. Though he was not skilled in horse riding, he was agile and used his shield to block several cold attacks, saving Zhao Yun several times.

"General, be careful, there are tripwires ahead!"

Liu Jing's keen eyesight spotted several taut ropes on the ground that Zhao Yun had not seen. He was startled and pulled the reins, making the warhorse leap over the tripwires. In mid-air, he used his spear to flick the tripwires away, ensuring the horses behind were not affected.

The warhorse galloped away, and Zhao Yun broke out in a cold sweat. He was not afraid of fair battles but feared such unexpected traps.

"Thank you, young master!" He expressed his gratitude to Liu Jing for the first time.

Liu Jing felt a bit proud and said, "I'm not useless, am I!"

"Young master has very sharp reflexes and is a good candidate for martial arts. I suggest you learn martial arts; you will surely achieve something."

Liu Jing laughed, "With these words from Changshan's Zhao Zilong, I, Liu Jing, have decided to learn martial arts."

"But first, you need to learn how to ride a horse!"

Both of them laughed. Zhao Yun rallied his spirit, called out to Wu Xiu, and urged the horse to charge towards the northwest corner. This was the last obstacle; once they passed it, they would be safe.

At the northwest corner, Yu Jin had been waiting for a long time. He took off his strong bow, reached for an arrow from his quiver, but hesitated for a moment. He then turned to another soldier, "Give me a poisoned arrow!"

The soldier handed him a poisoned arrow, which Yu Jin nocked and aimed at the rapidly approaching Zhao Yun. Standing under a large banner, he slowly drew the bowstring.

At this moment, Zhao Yun roared and charged into the enemy ranks. His silver spear swirled like pear blossoms and seemed to attract a hundred birds. In an instant, he killed over a dozen men, and Cao's soldiers, terrified, retreated.

"Go ahead first!"

Zhao Yun shouted, and Wu Xiu, pale-faced, spurred his horse and galloped away towards the northwest.

Zhao Yun thrust his spear at several more enemies, blocking the pursuing soldiers. Suddenly, a tall officer rode up, raised his arm, and threw a long spear at Zhao Yun's right side. It was so fast that Liu Jing saw it and raised his shield to block.

Zhao Yun, noticing Liu Jing's action out of the corner of his eye, was shocked and shouted, "Don't block it!"

But it was too late. With a 'snap,' the shield was shattered, and Liu Jing's arm felt as if it had broken. He screamed in pain, and the impact almost knocked him off the horse.

Zhao Yun, with one hand, deflected the spear and, with his left hand, grabbed Liu Jing, who was about to fall off the horse. Yu Jin seized this rare opportunity.

The bowstring released, and a cold arrow shot from the left, aiming for Zhao Yun's left chest. Zhao Yun, holding Liu Jing, could not dodge and only managed to shift slightly, avoiding the vital spot.

With a 'thud,' the arrow hit Zhao Yun's left shoulder, and he shuddered, almost falling off the horse.

Yu Jin was overjoyed and shouted, "Zhao Yun is hit! Capture him!"

Over a thousand Cao soldiers charged from all directions. At the critical moment, Liu Jing stabilized himself, thrust his short sword into the horse's flank, and the horse, in pain, galloped away towards the northwest.

Yu Jin, seeing his plan fail, was furious and shouted, "Pursue him! Bring him back alive or dead."

Hundreds of Cao cavalry followed in hot pursuit.

...

The golden glow of the sunset gradually faded, and the sky, dyed red by the evening clouds, turned dark. The endless mountains and forests became a dark black.

Night fell over Rang Mountain, and the mountain path was quiet. Tall trees lined both sides, and the half-lit moonlight filtered through the saddle-shaped mountain ridges and valleys, casting the trees, rocks, and peaks in deep, dark, and eerie shadows.

'Clippity-clop! Clippity-clop! Clippity-clop!'

The sound of galloping hooves came from the distance, clear and distinct on the quiet mountain path. In the dim moonlight, a warhorse, exhausted, carried two people who were desperately fleeing.

They were Zhao Yun and Liu Jing, who had escaped from the battlefield. Wu Xiu had become separated from them and was nowhere to be found. They had been pursued by Cao's army from afternoon to night, running for over two hours, and the warhorse could no longer continue.

At this moment, the poison from the arrow had taken effect, leaving Zhao Yun weak and semi-conscious. It was a slow-acting poison that, while not immediately fatal, left him with no strength.

The warhorse, unable to continue, suddenly neighed and fell heavily to the side of the path, throwing Liu Jing and Zhao Yun over ten feet away.

On the right side of the mountain path was a deep ravine, and on the other side was a slope covered with shrubs. Fortunately, they landed in the soft shrubs.

Liu Jing felt intense pain between his legs, as horse riding required strong thigh muscles, which he lacked. Despite the pain, he knew the situation was urgent and quickly got up, running to the fallen warhorse. The horse, lying by the path, was convulsing and foaming at the mouth, clearly dying.

Liu Jing returned and shook Zhao Yun's shoulder, "General Zhao, you must hold on!"

The bleeding from Zhao Yun's shoulder had stopped, but the arrow was still embedded, and the smell of blood was strong. He had been hit by a poisoned arrow.

Liu Jing, in a panic, had many urgent tasks to do but did not know where to start.

Suddenly, a loud sound of galloping hooves came from the distance. The pursuers were already hundreds of steps away.

In the critical moment, Liu Jing remained calm. He ran to the warhorse and, with great effort, pushed it into the ravine. He also threw some debris into the ravine.

Liu Jing returned to Zhao Yun, half-carrying him up the slope. There was another mountain path on the slope.

The pursuers were already dozens of steps away, and a group of cavalry blocked their escape route.

With pursuers on both paths, there was no time to waste. Liu Jing carried Zhao Yun and hid in a cluster of shrubs, lowering his head as much as possible. The half-grown shrubs just covered them, and Liu Jing's heart was pounding.

The sound of galloping hooves grew louder, and a gust of wind passed by them. They could smell the intense killing intent as a group of cavalry rushed past and gradually disappeared.

After the cavalry had gone, they slowly raised their heads. Zhao Yun groaned in pain; his wound had reopened, and blood was flowing again.

Liu Jing quickly laid him down, placed his left arm in Zhao Yun's mouth, and, with a deep breath, pulled out his short sword and cut out a large piece of flesh and the arrowhead.

Zhao Yun let out a muffled cry, almost biting through Liu Jing's arm. After several heavy breaths, he weakly said, "I have golden wound medicine in my chest."

Liu Jing was overjoyed, endured the pain in his arm, and found a packet of medicine from Zhao Yun's chest. He thickly applied the medicine to the wound and used a silk cloth from his satchel to bandage it. Zhao Yun's face was pale, and he looked very weak.

After bandaging the wound, Liu Jing thought for a moment. He had no water or clean bandages and needed to leave immediately, or Zhao Yun would die from the poison.

Liu Jing slowly helped Zhao Yun up, seeing how weak he was and how difficult it was for him to walk. He decided to carry him and ran up the slope in the direction they had come from.

Zhao Yun, standing at eight feet two inches tall and with a robust build, was heavy for Liu Jing to carry. He had only taken a few steps when he heard hooves in front of him. A voice shouted, "General Zhao Yun, Lord Liu Bei is here. Where are you?"

Liu Jing was overjoyed. This was Liu Bei, and Zhao Yun's spirit was lifted. It sounded like Mi Fang's voice, and he whispered, "This is my lord."

Liu Jing quickened his pace, and in the darkness, he saw a group of cavalry ahead. Suddenly, he realized something was wrong.

How could they call their lord by his name? That was disrespectful. They should have said, "General Zhao, Lord is here!" Adding "Liu Bei" was clearly suspicious. This was not Liu Bei but a Cao army trick.

Liu Jing stopped abruptly, but in the darkness, someone had already seen him and shouted, "Who is there?"

Liu Jing's face turned pale. He quickly placed Zhao Yun in the shrubs, "Hide quickly!"

He turned and ran, as fast as a leopard. The cavalry pursued him like a whirlwind, shouting, "Stop!"

Zhao Yun knew that the young man was trying to draw the pursuers away to save him. He sighed, "This young man is finished. What a pity."

Liu Jing had run about eighty steps when an arrow grazed his scalp. He stopped; if he continued, he would surely die.

At this moment, dozens of cavalry surrounded him, and General Yu Jin arrived. A cavalryman reported, "General Yu, it's a young man."

Liu Jing saw Yu Jin for the first time. He wore an eagle-crested helmet, iron armor, and was tall and muscular with deep-set eyes and a high nose. His eyes were like lightning, and he held a golden-backed tiger-toothed saber.

Yu Jin looked the young man up and down. Liu Jing had been behind Zhao Yun, his face covered in blood, and Yu Jin had not noticed him. The other cavalrymen, Yu Jin's personal guards, had watched from a distance and had not approached.

More importantly, it was night, and the blood on Liu Jing's face had been washed away by sweat. For a moment, no one recognized him.

Yu Jin waved his saber, pressing it against Liu Jing's throat, and shouted, "Who are you?"

...