Chapter 199

Mu Cheng rode his horse at a gallop, and the Qingyou Platform scouts behind, guarding the carriage, were barely keeping up.

Suddenly, Mu Cheng stopped, and after the carriage passed behind him, he gazed toward the distant Wasteland Nation Border City walls, his eyes filled with complexity.

"General, you needn't be in such a hurry," the lead scout rode up to him, pointing ahead and laughing, "once we get over that mountain ahead, we'll be completely safe."

Mu Cheng looked again toward the direction the scout indicated.

In the distance a mountain range stretched across the sky, its edges invisible on either side; bathed in the setting sun, it seemed gilded, magnificent and grand.

This marked the boundary here between Xuan Guo and the Wasteland Nation.

Both nations had established border passes on either side of the range.

Mu Cheng's expression grew solemn, "The farther we go, the terrain becomes more complex; we probably won't reach the mountain foot until nightfall. After crossing the mountains we still have a long way to the Xuan Guo Border City. If during that time the Great Wilderness border commander learns of the message from the Royal City, he will surely lead troops to pursue. The Great Wilderness Border City is heavily fortified with strong soldiers and sturdy horses; we will likely still be unable to escape."

The lead scout hurriedly said, "General, rest assured, once we get past that mountain—"

"You need not comfort me," Mu Cheng interrupted, "I will stay here to cover the rear; please see that my whole family continues onward."

"What?!" the scout exclaimed, "General, you don't have to do that!"

"It must be so!" Mu Cheng's eyes hardened, "I can see you are righteous men, and your lord must be a hero as well. Regrettably I have no reward to give in this life, yet I must boldly ask you to see to my family's safety. In the next life, I, Mu Cheng, will become a beast of burden to repay you! Hurry and leave."

"Bad! Pursuers!" a scout tasked with constant Drone surveillance hurriedly reported.

He handed the Drone controller in his hand to the lead scout.

On the controller's screen, the Drone's footage showed a large force of fully armed troops and horses advancing toward us; a rough estimate put their number at up to two thousand.

"Hmm, what is this?" General Mu Cheng stared at the strange device, his eyes widening.

The scout captain, unable to explain, said, "It seems we've only just left the pass when they received word. General, we should hurry! If we press at full speed, we can reach safety before they catch up."

Mu Cheng shook his head, "If I stay behind, I can buy you more time. Moreover… they want my life above all; once I'm dead, they shouldn't pursue my family."

"General!"

"Stop trying to persuade me. If I flee now, I would betray the Great Wilderness people and could never protect them again. The only recourse is death… as atonement! My mind is made up; you all must go quickly."

Seeing that the pursuing army behind was now visible to the naked eye, the scouts were as frantic as ants on a hot pan.

They numbered only a dozen or so; if the two thousand troops caught up, there would be no way out.

Mu Cheng simply drew his sword to his throat and said, "If we don't leave now, I'll kill myself on the spot!"

"No, no, no!" the scout captain's face turned pale with fear, he thought quickly, then waved his hand, "Brothers, let's first escort the General's family away!"

Without delay, the scouts drove the carriage at full speed again.

The scout captain pulled a black square about the size of a fingernail from his chest and handed it to Mu Cheng, "General, please keep this close to you; absolutely, absolutely do not lose it."

Mu Cheng took it and saw it was another unfamiliar gadget, with a sesame‑sized spot on top that glowed green—truly wondrous.

But Mu Cheng, clad in armor, could not immediately fit the item inside; if he slipped it only into a seam or his belt, it would surely be lost.

He didn't have time to ask what it was or its function; he only asked, "Is this item waterproof?"

"Waterproof!" the scout captain replied, "as long as the shell isn't broken, sand and water won't penetrate."

Mu Cheng tossed the item into his mouth and gulped it down, "Now it won't be lost, okay?"

The scout captain was stunned, "It's fine… fine, fine, then General, take care!"

Mu Cheng clasped his fists in salute.

The scout captain tugged the reins, chasing after the carriage convoy.

Mu Cheng, mounted on a tall warhorse, watched the carriage convoy recede, waited a moment longer until the pursuers could see his figure, then spurred his horse and galloped in another direction to draw them away.

Before long, a large force of Wasteland Nation border troops arrived.

Some soldiers dismounted to survey the ground, then reported to their commander, "General Liu, Mu Cheng just fled toward the southwest, but the wagon tracks here point west. Should we split our forces?"

"Mu Cheng must die; no room for error, pursuing him is paramount!" General Liu said without hesitation, immediately leading troops southwest in pursuit.

Mu Cheng was not very familiar with this area, but relying on his extensive combat experience, he kept ahead until night fell, when General Liu's troops finally caught up.

"Mu Cheng! You have no escape! Dismount and meet your death!" General Liu barked.

Mu Cheng was now half‑encircled by a large force, with rugged, towering ancient forest behind him, making it impossible to ride through.

But now was not the time for him to simply surrender to death.

He knew that within this border mountain range there was no passable road; even riding a horse would be arduous, let alone a carriage.

Thus he thought that even with the dozen mysterious allies, given his family's condition, it would likely take a night to cross the mountain.

If he were killed before then, those Great Wilderness border troops would turn into the mountains to hunt, and his family would still be in danger.

"General Liu, do you also think I'm committing treason?" Mu Cheng said as he dismounted, quietly observing his surroundings.

"His Majesty has issued a decree: if it says you rebel, you are a rebel, and everyone may execute you," General Liu said ruthlessly, "Drop your weapon at once; do not imagine you can struggle to the death."

Even with two thousand border troops, General Liu would not lower his guard.

He knew Mu Cheng excelled not only at commanding troops but also in personal combat; he once broke through a thousand‑strong enemy encirclement alone, slipped behind enemy lines, and beheaded a commanding officer.

If he were careless and gave Mu Cheng a chance, he might lose his head.

"You were the one I personally promoted; you still don't trust me?" Mu Cheng showed a trace of sorrow, "You've forgotten I once saved your life."

"Enough idle talk!" General Liu scowled, "You saved my life and promoted me, yet you once seized the people's grain and almost beat me to death! I still remember that debt. Before you were the Great Wilderness commander; you could only be polite to me. Now you're just a dog abandoned by His Majesty, still expecting me to repay you?"

Mu Cheng heard this, his heart growing colder, and though he wanted to say something more, he found no words.

General Liu saw that although he had dismounted, he still gripped his sword's hilt, showing no sign of surrender, and said, "Bring me a bow and arrows!"

The subordinates promptly handed over a bow and arrows.

General Liu drew his bow, nocked an arrow, aimed at Mu Cheng's chest, and sneered, "When I shoot you dead and take your severed head as a trophy, I'll no longer have to guard this broken border pass. Mu Cheng, you've given me a great gift."

Having said that, he released the bowstring.

Whoosh!

Almost the instant the arrow left the string, Mu Cheng's battle sword flashed from its scabbard.

The blade's flash streaked through.

The sharp arrow broke into two pieces before him.

"I didn't expect you, nearing fifty, to still be so skillful," General Liu's gaze darkened, "I want to see how many arrows you can block."

"Archers! Shoot this rebel to death with a hail of arrows!"

General Liu gave the order.

Whoosh—

Hundreds of archers swiftly raised their bows.

Mu Cheng gave the horse beside him a hard pat on the rear.

He didn't want the horse to die innocently.

The startled horse spurred its legs and bolted.

Mu Cheng flipped and dived into the forest behind him, and then hundreds of arrows rained down, thudding into the spot where he had just stood.

"Fire again!" General Liu roared.

The archers raised their bows again, and the dense rain of arrows flew toward Mu Cheng's fleeing position.

Though Mu Cheng reacted quickly and moved agilely, this was still the edge of the forest with insufficient cover; barely a short distance out, a dozen arrows struck his helmet and back.

The ground was uneven, and the arrows knocked his balance, causing him to stagger and fall.

"Ha, still trying to run?" General Liu looked at the motionless silhouette sprawled in the tangled grass, a smug smile on his face.

To be thorough, he ordered the archers to fire another volley.

Only after Mu Cheng's back was bristling like a porcupine did he dismount, draw his side sword, crouch beside Mu Cheng, and prepare to slice the man's head off.

At that moment—

Though he should have been dead, Mu Cheng suddenly flipped and swung a sword.

General Liu, a veteran commander, didn't think fast enough, but his hand raised the blade in time.

Clang!

The two swords clanged together, sparks flying, and General Liu's blade snapped into two pieces in an instant.

Mu Cheng's sword deflected most of the force, yet still struck General Liu's chest.

A cracking sound was heard as General Liu's bronze breastplate split open, a searing pain shooting through his body like lightning.

General Liu turned pale with shock and rolled backward hastily.

Mu Cheng seized the chance, scrambled up and vanished into the woods.

Everything happened so fast that the others couldn't react at all.

General Liu slumped on the ground, terrified, clutching his chest as blood seeped from his fingers.

"General!" several subordinates hurried to support him, "You're wounded?!"

General Liu, still shaken, "Why… why is Mu Cheng's armor so sturdy, his sword… so sharp? This can't be…"

"General, we'll take you back for treatment right away!" the subordinates said, moving to lift him onto a horse.

General Liu waved his hand, endured the pain, removed his armor, looked down and let out a sigh, "It's okay, it's okay… the wound isn't very deep; just bandage me, no need to return."

The subordinates, while giving him a quick wound dressing, recalled the scene and were also incredulous.

Even though it's equipment of the Great Wilderness army, how could Mu Cheng's armor stop so many arrows and still cut through General Liu's armor with a single slash?

That's absurd.

"General… could Mu Cheng's armor and sword be the Yu Guo equipment that Great Wilderness traded for several cities from Xuan Guo?"

"Are our bronze arms so fragile against iron gear?"

Several people whispered anxiously.

General Liu's face darkened as he pondered and shook his head, "No, that's not Yu Guo equipment or weapons; that batch was sent by us to the Great Wilderness Southern Region, and I saw it; the design is clearly different."

"Then… what's up with Mu Cheng's armor and sword?"

"I don't know…"

General Liu rose slowly, staring at Mu Cheng's retreat, "Now's not the time to think about this. Whatever it is, we must kill him! We were careless earlier, didn't expect his powerful gear, and suffered. When we catch up later, everyone attacks! With two thousand of us, even a single foot can crush him into mush!"

"Yes, General!"

"Alright… keep the chase!"

…

In the pitch‑black forest, only slivers of moonlight filtered through the treetops.

Mu Cheng pulled the arrows out of his armor while climbing toward higher ground.

He hadn't expected the mysterious benefactors' armor to be so sturdy; on the surface it resembled the bronze armor commonly used by the Wasteland Nation, yet its defense far surpassed iron armor.

Just now he endured two relentless volleys of arrows; not even bronze, let alone iron armor could have saved his life.

Yet now his armor bears only dozens of shallow punctures; the arrowheads haven't fully pierced, at most leaving slight scratches on his skin.

As for the sword in his hand.

When he first obtained it, its texture felt exceptional and it fit his grip perfectly; he never imagined it could be so sharp.

"All are treasures…" Mu Cheng couldn't help but sigh, "They were so meticulous, sending me such Divine Weapons… Who exactly is their master?"

Rustling sounds came from behind.

Mu Cheng took uneven steps, forcing his exhausted body onward.

He had long prepared for death, but as long as he could buy his family more time, he'd endure to the very end.

The higher he climbed into the forest, the more complex the terrain became.

This scarcely traveled place was filled everywhere, and occasional low roars of beasts could be heard.

Mu Cheng didn't know how long he'd been walking in the dark; the pursuit behind ebbed and flowed, but never lost.

Sometimes, disoriented, he narrowly hid beneath the pursuers' very eyes, even seeing the torchlight in their hands and hearing General Liu's commands and the soldiers' chatter.

General…… it seems we're already past midnight; if we go further in, I'm afraid we might run into wild wolves or even beasts like bears and tigers.

Mu Cheng ventured alone into this primitive forest; even if he could evade us, he couldn't escape the beasts—he's sure to die.

Why don't we just stop looking? Otherwise, I'm afraid we'll be eaten by beasts……

The pursuers are many in number, yet the more they search, the more afraid they become.

But Liu insisted, 'dead or alive, I want to see the person or the corpse'; anyone who dares to speak of retreat will be cut down immediately.

A subordinate stepped close, lowered his voice, and said: 'General, judging from the footprints we've been tracking, Mu Cheng must have lost his way; he's just wandering around this area, he's definitely not far from us.'

Liu snapped, 'That's nonsense; I can see that too.'

'I have a plan that will surely draw him out,' the subordinate whispered, leaning close to Liu's ear and muttering a few words.

After hearing the subordinate's suggestion, Liu's furrowed brows quickly relaxed; he patted the subordinate's shoulder and said, 'Good, let's do that—hurry up and prepare.'