Chapter 5

Accompanied by two guards, Cao Shuo darted to the corner of the wall, quietly peering out. The other two Zhang Xiu soldiers were guarding the captured guards, chatting idly as they waited for their companions. Cao Shuo lowered his head, pretending to fiddle with the corner of his clothes as he walked toward the two men. Seeing him, they mistook him for a comrade, and one of them said, "You always have to go to the bathroom when something happens." Cao Shuo just kept his head down, fiddling with the corner of his clothes without a word. The two Zhang Xiu soldiers didn't suspect him and continued chatting about which women in the city were fun to play with and how enjoyable it was to touch their bellies. When he reached the two men, taking advantage of their lack of vigilance, Cao Shuo suddenly drew his short sword and thrust it upward into the officer's chin. The officer realized something was wrong too late; the short sword pierced his chin and penetrated his skull. The other Zhang Xiu soldier was taken aback. Before he could react, Cao Shuo had already pulled out the short sword and slashed across his throat. The two bodies fell straight to the ground almost simultaneously. Cao Shuo quickly cut the ropes binding the two guards. "This place is too dangerous, why did you come back, Young Master?" one of the guards said after the ropes were cut: "Don't worry about us, Young Master, just escape!" "So much nonsense?" Cao Shuo said: "Quickly move the bodies to the corner." The two guards, realizing the urgency, didn't dare to say more and each carried a body to a place where they wouldn't be easily discovered. After hiding the bodies, they each took a long sword and returned to Cao Shuo. "Go east," Cao Shuo gestured. "Didn't you go east with those people just now?" one of the guards asked in surprise. "Where can we go without encountering the enemy?" Cao Shuo said: "We'll go east first, and when they turn back, we'll climb over the wall. For a while, they won't think we'd dare to return there." Cao Shuo and the two guards hid in a dark place, watching the wall where the Zhang Xiu soldiers had climbed over. After a short while, he saw several people climb back over. Jumping down from the wall, one of them cursed: "Damn, where's Cao Shuo? If I see that messenger again, I'll beat him until he shits his pants." "A punch to the gut, you don't mind dirtying your hands," another said. Unaware that their comrades had been killed, the Zhang Xiu soldiers laughed heartily. One of them even added: "He's not afraid of getting dirty, he might even lick it!" The nine Zhang Xiu soldiers laughed and cursed as they walked away. Watching them leave, Cao Shuo gestured to the two guards. The snow on the ground was covered with footprints, but the falling snow would soon cover them. The time and place were all in Cao Shuo's favor for a successful escape! Cao Shuo and the two guards climbed over the wall and he gestured for them to hide at the base of the wall. The inner courtyard was searched more thoroughly, while the outer courtyard was relatively lax. Crouching in the corner, Cao Shuo observed the surroundings and heard the sound of many people running in the distance. "Hurry, gather everyone you can," a voice called out: "The general is leaving the city. Leave some people to continue searching for Cao Shuo, the rest follow me to battle!" The one shouting was Hu Che'er. Hearing his voice, Cao Shuo whispered to the two guards: "The chance to leave the city has come." "Young Master, you're not going to..." one of the guards asked in shock. "He's gathering troops," Cao Shuo said: "We can easily mix in now." As he spoke, Hu Che'er led a large group of soldiers over. Cao Shuo didn't leave the corner immediately, gesturing for the two guards to stay calm. The three of them held their breath, watching the Zhang Xiu soldiers run past. At least a hundred or two hundred soldiers ran past. When the last person ran past, Cao Shuo nodded to the two guards. The three of them left the wall and ran behind the group. When they reached the last Zhang Xiu soldier, Cao Shuo smiled at him. The Zhang Xiu soldier ignored him, glanced at him, and looked ahead. Following the group to the front courtyard, when Hu Che'er stopped, Cao Shuo and the others also stopped. "Have the horses prepared," Hu Che'er shouted. Soon, someone brought him a warhorse. Mounting the horse, Hu Che'er raised his weapon and shouted loudly: "Soldiers, follow me out of the city. Follow the general to kill Cao's traitors!" Cao Shuo and the two guards also shouted with the Zhang Xiu soldiers. Hu Che'er rode toward the main gate, and the group of Zhang Xiu soldiers he had gathered followed closely behind. Walking at the back of the group, Cao Shuo smirked at the two guards. The two guards were already sweating with tension. Seeing his expression, they were puzzled. Every time they saw the Young Master before, they thought he was a sickly man on the verge of death. In their view, Cao Shuo, who they thought wouldn't even dare to kill a chicken, had killed several people and rescued them in such a dangerous situation. That wasn't the most surprising part. What surprised and puzzled them the most was that Cao Shuo dared to mix in with Hu Che'er's Zhang Xiu soldiers... The group left the mansion and walked through the streets of Wan City. The ground was covered with thick snow, and the chaotic footsteps on the snow made a "crunching" sound. After leaving the mansion, Hu Che'er led the group to the city gate. More Zhang Xiu soldiers joined them along the way, and by the time they reached the city gate, their numbers had increased to five or six hundred. "Halt!" Hu Che'er reined in his horse and ordered the group to stop. The two guards, following at the back, looked at Cao Shuo. Their meaning was clear; they wanted to persuade Cao Shuo to leave quickly. Cao Shuo shook his head, his eyes fixed on Hu Che'er. Seeing that he had no intention of leaving, one of the guards whispered in his ear: "If you don't leave now, you won't be able to leave after we're out of the city." "How can we leave?" Cao Shuo whispered: "There are people everywhere. If we move, we'll be discovered immediately." "What should we do?" the other guard observed the nearby Zhang Xiu soldiers and asked him in a low voice. "Follow me after we leave the city. Wherever I go, you two follow," Cao Shuo said: "I'll ensure you two don't die!" Before today, if he had said this, the two guards wouldn't have believed him. After the experience in the inner courtyard and seeing Cao Shuo kill people, they couldn't help but believe him. Hu Che'er and his group waited near the city gate for a while, and a group of soldiers braved the wind and snow to arrive from the opposite direction. The approaching group numbered only a few hundred at most. The leader was a young general who looked to be in his late twenties, with a scholarly air. The fragments of memory in Cao Shuo's mind told him that he had seen this person when he entered Wan City. This person had personally welcomed Cao Cao at the time, and he was undoubtedly Zhang Xiu. When he reached Hu Che'er, Zhang Xiu asked: "Where is Cao Shuo's head?"