Chapter 441: In the Forest

"Stop right there — take one more step and I'll shoot you dead!"

Deep in the elm forest, Yang Guangdi held the Lumi Gun leveled, gasping for breath. Twenty paces ahead was Qin Jiuze, leading two horses. The moment he'd noticed Qin Jiuze was gone, he'd given chase, calling twice for his mount Da Huo, and by following the whinnying had tracked down the fleeing Qin Jiuze.

Qin Jiuze didn't even turn his head. "If fire lances could actually hit anyone, the Tartars would never have fought their way past the border. Just don't blow yourself to pieces."

"I've hit a Bright Armor Tartar before!"

"Your fire rope flew off just now. You've been chasing me the whole way — you haven't had time to reload."

Yang Guangdi's face flushed crimson. His Lumi Gun truly didn't even have a fire rope attached.

Qin Jiuze hadn't followed the forest road at all, but was heading east through the trees — clearly trying to avoid the fighting, clearly intending to flee with the horses.

Qin Jiuze slowly turned around. Yang Guangdi threw his fire lance to the ground and with a sharp rasp drew his waist saber. "You've already been enlisted in the Anqing Cavalry Camp's ranks. This isn't Xuan-Da — you can't just leave whenever you please."

"I didn't join your Anqing Battalion. I just came along for the horse fodder. I look down on you Southern Troops." Qin Jiuze studied Yang Guangdi for a long moment. "Kid, every camp head's the same. No matter how hard you lot work, it's useless. My old Point Scout Squad worked just as hard as you. Don't believe in those military laws. The General Officers are all liars — not worth dying for. Even if you win this one little skirmish, it won't matter. In the end you'll just die without ever knowing why. You'd be better off going home early."

Yang Guangdi gripped his saber and said firmly, "Anqing Cavalry Camp Military Law, Article Three, Section Two: Any soldier or officer of this camp, regardless of unit, who encounters a deserter from this camp must arrest him. Anyone who permits escape shall be punished as a deserter."

Qin Jiuze stood where he was and said indifferently, "You can't beat me. If you want to kill someone, go find the Tartars."

Yang Guangdi's chest heaved. His eyes stared fixedly at Qin Jiuze. The two faced off for a moment, then Yang Guangdi lifted his foot and stepped forward.

In the silent depths of the elm forest, only the occasional birdcall sounded. The rustle of Yang Guangdi's footsteps was still jarringly loud. Sweat beaded on his forehead, but he kept closing in on Qin Jiuze. Qin Jiuze watched him coldly, still making not the slightest move.

Only five paces remained between them. Qin Jiuze placed his hand on his saber hilt. "Yang Guangdi, keep your life and go home."

Yang Guangdi's cheek twitched. He took another step closer. A flicker of surprise passed through Qin Jiuze's eyes. His right hand gripped the saber hilt. Just then, from the elm woods to the west came the sound of birds fluttering up in alarm.

Qin Jiuze immediately retreated two steps. Seeing that Yang Guangdi did not advance further, he turned aside and tied the horse's reins to a nearby tree trunk, then swiftly took down his bow case and hung his arrow quiver at his waist. Bending low, he crept westward — paying no attention whatsoever to Yang Guangdi behind him.

Yang Guangdi stood stunned for a moment, then hurriedly followed.

After about thirty paces, they could already hear the faint sound of hoofbeats, and the sound of voices speaking, filtering through the layer upon layer of elm trees into their ears.

Qin Jiuze tilted his head and listened for a moment, then turned and looked at Yang Guangdi for a long while, as if hesitating over something. After a good long pause, he finally beckoned with his hand, signaling Yang Guangdi to follow him.

Yang Guangdi had no mind for anything else now. Knowing that Qin Jiuze had confirmed they were Tartars, he hurried after him.

Using the trees as cover, the two made their way toward the sounds.

At last Qin Jiuze stopped, hiding behind a large elm tree, and observed from beside the trunk.

Yang Guangdi looked up. On the branches above perched some fairly large birds — crows, it seemed — starkly conspicuous against the bare branches. He cautiously peered out from the other side. Through the overlapping tree trunks in his field of vision, a figure in Bright Armor flickered past ahead.

Yang Guangdi's throat made a gulping sound, but his mouth held no saliva. Through the gaps in the tree trunks, mounted figures flashed by — three of them, it seemed. Only one wore Bright Armor; the other two were likely in Dark Armor or padded cotton coats. At least two of the horses had arrows stuck in them, their bodies stained with blood.

It looked like the horses were wounded. These few Tartars, after fleeing the market, planned to hide in the forest to avoid being overtaken once out of the woods due to their mounts giving out. That was why they hadn't followed the forest road, but had entered this stretch of woodland.

"Weren't you the one who wanted to kill? Go kill some Tartars."

Yang Guangdi froze for a second, then panted heavily twice. He bit his lip and was just about to stand up when Qin Jiuze said in a low, deep voice, "Three of them. You take the White Armor. I'll take the other two."

"But my saber..."

Before he could finish, Qin Jiuze had already taken down his arrow quiver and drawn three arrows from it, gripping them between the fingers of his right hand. "In this terrain, men are faster than horses. When I shout, that's when you charge."

Yang Guangdi nodded. Qin Jiuze turned back, leaned against the tree trunk, and silently waited for the hoofbeats to draw near.

Yang Guangdi's heart was tense. His hands and feet all felt the urge to move. His right hand gripping the saber simply felt wrong. He pulled his hand back slightly, and suddenly heard a clang at his waist. Yang Guangdi snapped his head down to look — the saber hilt had struck the copper kettle holding his priming powder. He stood there dumbstruck.

At the sound of that impact, the flapping of wings came from overhead. The hoofbeats halted abruptly. The forest seemed to freeze solid.

Qin Jiuze suddenly stepped out sideways from behind the tree trunk, his body angled toward the direction the Tartars were coming from. His right hand drew the bow with lightning speed, pulling it full almost in an instant.

The bowstring twanged with a crisp ring. Overhead, the sound of beating wings erupted in a dense flurry. A shower of snow powder drifted down, floating through the quiet elm forest.

A scream of agony rang out ahead. Qin Jiuze had already loosed a second arrow. A sharp, clear metallic ding echoed back. He was just about to draw the third arrow when he suddenly released it and darted back behind the tree.

A whistling sound shot past the tree — a flying arrow flashed by. From outside came incomprehensible shouting and the neighing of horses.

Qin Jiuze shouted fiercely, "Go!"

It had all happened so suddenly. Yang Guangdi knew nothing of the situation outside, but the moment Qin Jiuze's shout rang out, he charged out headlong. From the corner of his eye, he saw that Qin Jiuze had already burst out a step ahead from the other side.

Ahead in the forest was a small clearing. A riderless horse appeared before his eyes. The Bright Armor Tartar had already dismounted and was crouched on the other side of the horse, taking out his bow. His right hand was reaching for an arrow. Yang Guangdi charged out blindly. Now, whether he wanted to fight or not, there was no path of retreat.

At Chujiaquan, he had witnessed the marksmanship of the Tartars' White Armor Soldiers. At this distance, if he stopped, the White Armor Soldier would quickly loose an arrow, and he would never be able to dodge it no matter what. His only option now was to close the distance and force the Tartar to abandon his bow.

He accelerated recklessly, charging forward. In his shaking field of vision, a thin mist of snow hung in the air. Tree shadows streaked past on both sides. From the corner of his eye, he still tracked Qin Jiuze's side. A few elm trees separated them; Qin Jiuze's figure flickered in and out of view among the trees. He was indeed going for those two Dark Armor Tartars. Yang Guangdi could only rely on himself to deal with the Bright Armor Tartar.

In mere moments, he rounded the horse's head. The White Armor Soldier appeared before him, wearing a metal mask just like the Tartars at Chujiaquan. It was covered with scratch marks — proof that this mask had seen many battles.

Without the slightest hesitation, the White Armor Soldier threw down his bow, drew his waist saber with a sharp rasp, and slashed diagonally at Yang Guangdi's left side.

Yang Guangdi's mind went blank, but saber duels against the roving cavalry were a daily drill. Almost on pure reflex, he gripped the hilt with both hands and angled the blade to parry. A sharp clang rang out. A tremendous force struck him, driving the back of his own blade against his left arm, nearly exceeding the limits of what Yang Guangdi could endure.

The instant the pressure ended, Yang Guangdi immediately rotated the blade with practiced skill. Just as he had done in countless drills, he sidestepped, the blade swinging to his right, entering the gap in the Bright Armor Tartar's defense.

Yang Guangdi rotated his body to the left, simultaneously turning his wrist and swinging his arm. The blade cut through the swirling snow powder. Amid a piercing scraping sound, the saber's edge traced a line from the Tartar's left ribs all the way across his chest, leaving an inconspicuous cut on the scale armor.

Against an unarmored Roving Bandit, this single exchange would have already won the fight. But this opponent was a heavily armored Tartar — it had caused virtually no damage at all.

The Bright Armor Tartar, instead of retreating, pressed forward. Ignoring Yang Guangdi's waist saber entirely, he brought his blade straight down in an overhead chop. Yang Guangdi parried and slashed again. This time he struck the Tartar's right shoulder — still utterly useless.

The Tartar seemed to have no intention of defending at all. He pressed forward another step. Yang Guangdi had already retreated past the horse's head. The bow and arrows still lay on the ground. Yang Guangdi couldn't even run. Two slashes had been completely ineffective, and a wave of dejection swept over him.

Yang Guangdi rounded the horse's head and ducked to the other side of the animal. The Bright Armor Tartar, encased in heavy armor, was far less agile than Yang Guangdi, and was kept at bay by the horse's body.

The White Armor Soldier roared in fury and bent to pick up the bow and arrows from the ground. Seeing this, Yang Guangdi slashed at the horse's rump. The horse let out a long neigh and bolted forward, quickly vanishing among the trees.

With nothing left between them, the White Armor Soldier was just grabbing the bow. A powerful urge to flee seized Yang Guangdi. If he just dodged into the woods, the White Armor Soldier wouldn't be able to shoot him. But the sound of clashing blades still came from Qin Jiuze's side. If he ran, and the White Armor Soldier got his bow and went over there, Qin Jiuze would surely die.

Yang Guangdi let out a great shout of his own, summoned his courage, and charged at the White Armor Soldier again. The White Armor Soldier had no choice but to abandon the bow once more and fight Yang Guangdi with his waist saber.

The White Armor Soldier's attacks grew increasingly ferocious. Yang Guangdi, terrified of the bow and not daring to pull away, was under such extreme tension that he couldn't control the engagement distance properly. He remained constantly on the defensive, and his few counterattacks were still utterly ineffective.

Under the immense mental pressure, Yang Guangdi's stamina drained rapidly in just a short time. He was panting heavily, and his movements began to slow. The White Armor Soldier's stamina was also flagging, but with the advantage of his armor, he was in a relatively safe and superior position. His stamina was depleting noticeably slower than Yang Guangdi's. He pressed Yang Guangdi into combat, yet never strayed far from the bow and arrows.

After yet another parry, Yang Guangdi staggered back two steps in succession. His footing was unsteady, and he nearly fell. The White Armor Soldier seized the opportunity and rushed forward two steps, raising his waist saber to strike him down.

Yang Guangdi's right hand lifted weakly, but he knew he could no longer block it.

Suddenly, the sound of rapid footsteps approached swiftly. Before the White Armor Soldier could even turn around, a loud crash rang out. A human figure slammed violently into the White Armor Soldier from the side. Caught completely off guard, the White Armor Soldier tumbled to the ground together with the figure.

The cotton armor on Qin Jiuze's left arm was torn, the gash revealing blackened cotton wadding. He and the White Armor Soldier rolled on the ground. Both their waist sabers had fallen. The White Armor Soldier drew a short dagger, but Qin Jiuze pinned it back with all his strength.

Yang Guangdi's arms were weak. He barely managed to hack at the Tartar's leg, but the blow was stopped by the leg armor.

Qin Jiuze roared, "Pin him down! Don't let him get up!"

At that moment, the Bright Armor Tartar actually flipped to the top and made to raise his sword to stab Qin Jiuze. Yang Guangdi screamed, lunged over, and hooked an arm around the Bright Armor Tartar's neck. The Bright Armor Tartar's strength was also greatly drained, and he was immediately dragged tumbling back down.

Qin Jiuze used the momentum to flip up and instantly pressed down on the White Armor Soldier. The White Armor Soldier sensed the danger and let out a sharp howl, struggling violently. Yang Guangdi was on the left side now; his strength failing, he simply pressed down on the White Armor Soldier's left shoulder, both hands gripping the opponent's left hand.

Qin Jiuze pressed diagonally across the White Armor Soldier's chest. He too was panting like an ox. His right hand braced against the White Armor Soldier's right hand, which still gripped the sword, his body suppressing the White Armor Soldier's struggles. His left hand drew that dark, blackened little knife, but he did not rush to stab.

The White Armor Soldier was underneath, and the struggle was draining his strength at an extreme rate. A brief round of thrashing ended, and his body settled slightly. Qin Jiuze raised his body a little and drove the little knife in his left hand toward a gap in the scale armor.

A grating screech of metal friction rang out. The sharp, thin little blade slid into a gap in the scale armor. Blood immediately gushed out from between the armor plates.

The White Armor Soldier let out a harrowing shriek and struggled fiercely once more, but his strength had long been exhausted. After a brief burst of power spurred by pain, he sank into helplessness again. Now, clad in heavy armor over his entire body and pinned by two men, he could not break free at all. He could not even prop himself up. His agonized howls echoed dully within the Face Armor.

Qin Jiuze pushed with force. The little knife's blade slowly sank deeper into the gap between the armor plates. Blood spread along the seams, covering the surface of the bright armor.

The agonized howls turned into an ugly, sobbing wail. The force of the struggling gradually weakened. Qin Jiuze's hand was still slowly twisting the little knife's handle. Blood kept welling up, overflowing the armor's surface and gradually streaming to the ground, sending up wisps of hot vapor. Only the cold metal mask still wore that unchanging expression.

Yang Guangdi gasped violently, both hands still tightly gripping the White Armor Soldier's left hand. He felt the White Armor Soldier beneath him twitching rhythmically. Before his eyes, through the faint hot vapor, scattered flecks of snow drifted past.

He did not know how long it had been. Beneath him, there was no movement at all. Yang Guangdi's breathing had also calmed somewhat. At last, he released the White Armor Soldier's left hand.

Beside him, Qin Jiuze slowly sat up. He regulated his breathing for a moment, then said, "You see, little one? No matter how many layers of armor he wears, no matter how mighty the armor looks, once he's on the ground, he's easier to kill than a pig."