Chapter 2728: The Capital (Part 85)

Winter nights stretched endlessly. Even after the fifth watch, no hint of dawn graced the horizon. Only as the Hour of the Dragon approached did a pale glow finally seep into the eastern sky.

Li Rufeng turned to Little Bazi. "Stay close to me. Don't go charging off on your own."

Little Bazi nodded, his face grave. A trace of unease flickered in his eyes.

"What's the matter? Scared?"

Little Bazi swallowed hard. "No!"

By now, visibility had improved enough to see clearly. The escort masters lying in ambush outside the temple had lost all cover. There was no time to waste. Li Rufeng drew his bow, nocked a whistling arrow, and loosed it skyward.

The signal arrow soared into the air, its piercing shriek slicing through the still winter morning.

The escort masters, already in position, sprang to their feet. Each wielded an improvised wooden staff as they charged toward Ningyou Temple.

Shrill bamboo whistles sounded simultaneously from the mountain gate and the main hall roof. Li Rufeng shouted, "Move!" A scream rang out from the gate tower—one man, struck by an arrow, toppled and crashed heavily to the ground before them.

The mountain gate was surrounded. The escort masters worked in pairs: one braced a wooden pole from behind while the other used it to vault off the wall. In two or three swift movements, they were atop the gate tower. Immediately, the clash of steel erupted behind the gate—shouts, screams of the wounded. Within moments, the mountain gate swung wide open. Li Rufeng led his men pouring through.

Three or four bodies lay strewn across the front courtyard. One man, already wounded, struggled weakly at the base of a wall.

"Two men hold the gate; everyone else, push forward!" Li Rufeng raised his saber, and the escort masters surged eagerly toward the main hall.

Chen Cui was the first to scale the main hall roof, but Liu Chang's wolf-fang arrows proved faster still. One sentry drew his blade to fight, only to be shot down instantly, rolling along the eaves before crashing to the ground below. Another had been about to meet the attacker with his sword but suddenly lost his nerve and retreated toward the corner of the roof. Chen Cui ran across the rooftop as if traversing level ground. In a few strides, he caught up and swung his saber, severing the sentry's lower leg in one clean stroke. The man screamed and tumbled from the roof, leaving a long trail of blood smeared across the tiles.

Liu Chang had now joined him on the roof. Armed with his carved bow and a full quiver, he took only a moment to survey the battlefield. He crouched low, waved his bow with his left hand, and nocked arrows with his right. Where the bowstring sang, arrows flew like meteors. In the span of a breath, he had loosed twelve wolf-fang arrows.

Over a dozen people had gathered in the rear courtyard, but Liu Chang's twelve arrows descended upon them like a meteor shower. The arrows found their marks before the twang of the bowstring or the whistle of their flight could reach their ears. Four men fell in rapid succession. Amid screams and cries, the others scattered in panic, only to be caught in a pincer attack by escort masters led by Sun Changtou, who had stormed in through the rear gate. Sabers chopped, spears thrust, and all were slain.

Li Rufeng led his escort masters in a room-by-room search. Several chambers still harbored remnants of bandits making desperate last stands. Each room they burst into erupted with the clash of blades. They fought their way to the second room at the eastern end. Three bandits were resisting fiercely on the corridor. Even Sun Changtou, with his formidable strength and expertise at breaching doors, found himself entangled and unable to break free. Li Rufeng sensed something was amiss in that room. Taking advantage of the chaos in the corridor, he slipped past under the eaves with Little Bazi and burst through the door.

The room was dim, making it difficult to see. The moment he crossed the threshold, he felt a fierce rush of wind toward his face. Li Rufeng dodged reflexively—a sleeve arrow thudded straight into the doorframe behind him. Gauging by sound and position, Li Rufeng slashed backhanded into the darkness. His blade met resistance, and a hot, sweet-smelling liquid sprayed across his hand. A scream followed.

He blinked rapidly, forcing his eyes to adjust. On the kang inside, a figure lay curled up. The features matched Leng Ningyun. He shouted, "Manager Leng!"

The person on the kang stirred and turned toward him. Li Rufeng felt a surge of elation and was about to leap onto the platform when someone emerged suddenly from the corner of the room. With a sinister laugh, the figure said, "The 'God of Wealth' I brought—no one's taking him!" and thrust his sword at Leng Ningyun.

Li Rufeng's heart seized with horror. The room was cramped; if he struck, he would have no room to maneuver. Just as cold sweat broke across his brow, a dark shadow darted from beside him, blocking the attacker and parrying with a blade. He looked closer—it was Little Bazi.

But the enemy's force was overwhelming. Though Little Bazi had blocked the sword, he could not withstand the momentum behind it. Li Rufeng watched helplessly as the sword point plunged into Little Bazi's chest.

"Little Bazi!" Li Rufeng cried out. He rushed forward and forced the enemy back with a fierce slash. Blood gushed from Little Bazi's chest; he collapsed instantly beside the kang. There was no time for rescue—the enemy was already slashing horizontally again. Li Rufeng barely managed to parry in time. His heart tightened: this man's martial arts were no less formidable than his own.

He shouted, "Tough target!" to call for reinforcements. This was no place for a fair duel. He had to protect Leng Ningyun, which put him at a severe disadvantage in the fight.

Fortunately, the enemy had no desire to linger. Seeing that Li Rufeng dared not close in, he kicked open the window lattice and leaped out. Immediately, shouts and the sounds of fierce combat erupted from outside.

Li Rufeng had no time to join the melee. He hurried to examine the kang. It was indeed Leng Ningyun. He wore an ill-fitting cotton robe, slightly too large for him. His hair was somewhat disheveled, though otherwise he appeared clean. Yet he showed no spirit at all—his face blank, his body reclining listlessly on the bedding. Even the intense fighting seemed to hold no interest for him.

Li Rufeng recognized the signs—the man had likely been given some drug that weakened the body and dulled the mind. Fortunately, such drugs were rarely fatal. He quickly propped up Little Bazi. Finding him still breathing, he tore open the shirt on his chest and poured wound medicine from his personal supply onto the injury. The wound was not bleeding profusely, but foam bubbled from it. His heart sank.

During his training in Lingao, he had learned that chest wounds either ruptured the heart—causing instant death—or damaged the lungs, which was equally dangerous without prompt treatment.

Right now, he had no means to save him. And the fighting outside continued. He could only lay Little Bazi on the kang for the moment and rush out with his blade.

Outside was chaos. Li Rufeng charged out to see the man in black had already wounded two more people and nearly broken through the encirclement. But Sun Changtou had engaged him, and the two were locked in fierce combat. After just three or five exchanges, the man in black launched several aggressive thrusts, actually forcing Sun Changtou backward. With a single leap, he was already atop the wall, and in an instant had vaulted over to the other side.

"Chase him!"

Before Li Rufeng's words had faded, the whistle of arrows filled the air, followed by the heavy thud of a body falling. The escort masters gave chase. Moments later, Sun Changtou dragged the man back: one wolf-fang arrow through the spine, another embedded in his lower leg.

The arrow in the back was unmistakably Liu Chang's handiwork. Li Rufeng had long heard tales of the man's exceptional archery—this was the first time he had witnessed his true skill.

"He's still alive..."

"Bandage him and bring him!"

By now, the fighting inside the temple was dying down. Escort masters searched every corner. Li Rufeng leaned against a corridor pillar, gasping for breath as though all strength had drained from his body. The others had come simply to fight; only he bore the weight of a thousand jin. If they had not found Senator Leng today, or if something had gone wrong, he would have had to take his own life in atonement.

A lead escort master approached to report that the battle was over and all areas had been searched.

"...Seventeen bandits killed, five captured alive—two of them women. Also three Daoists from the temple, all seized."

"What are our losses?"

"Two killed, nine wounded..." He hesitated. "And Little Bazi—I'm afraid he won't make it."

Li Rufeng nodded. Since taking up this line of work, he had experienced the deaths of many comrades. His heart had long grown calloused. But this boy's fate touched him deeply.

"As long as he hasn't stopped breathing, bandage him." He gave his orders: "Have everyone search this place thoroughly—especially for documents. Pack everything and take it with us. Our people, dead or alive, all come with us. Those who can't walk ride horses or mules. Prisoners who can walk, bring them along; those who can't, kill them." He glanced at the sky—already fully bright. "We shouldn't linger here."

"What about the bodies..."

"Leave them. Someone will take care of it." Li Rufeng stretched his aching back.

Departing from Nanyuan, Li Rufeng did not head straight back to the bureau, nor did he follow the main road east. Instead, he took the western route. About ten li away, in a market town, stood a mule-and-horse inn belonging to Heliansheng. They rested there while treating the wounded. He also ordered the kitchen to prepare mung bean and licorice soup. Once it was ready, he personally carried a bowl to Leng Ningyun's room.

"Chief, this is mung bean and licorice soup. It clears heat and removes toxins. Please drink a bowl; it will calm and soothe your nerves. Here is also a Niuhuang Qingxin pill—take it after you've had some porridge later."

This was not sycophancy but the escort bureau's accumulated wisdom in rescuing hostages.

Most rescued "tickets" had suffered greatly. Even if treated well during captivity, they had still endured days of terror. Suddenly rescued, their emotions were bound to fluctuate wildly—going mad, sudden death, acute illness—all were common occurrences. Thus escort bureaus kept medicines on hand to calm nerves and reduce internal heat.

Leng Ningyun recognized Li Rufeng. He nodded slightly. "Thank you for your trouble."

"I would not dare claim credit, Chief. Your ordeal is also my failing." Li Rufeng remained humble, showing no trace of pride. "This is merely my small atonement."

"You people from the escort bureau are all quite articulate." Leng Ningyun managed a faint smile. "Last night, these bandits gave me something. My body is weak, and my mind drifts in and out of clarity. Just now on the road, the cool wind actually helped me feel somewhat better."

"Please do not worry, Chief. It is merely an anesthetic the bandits commonly use. Once the effects wear off, you will be fine."

Li Rufeng thought to himself: That was far too close! The temple had horses, mules, and even a mule sedan. They had drugged Leng Ningyun beforehand in preparation. If he had arrived even a step later, the Chief would have been moved today. Not only would he have come up empty-handed, but finding him again would have been virtually impossible.

Seeing that Leng Ningyun had nothing more to say, he asked, "Are there any further orders, Chief?"

"Send someone immediately with a letter to Delong. Notify Wu Kaidi that I have escaped danger. Have him make the necessary preparations."

"Yes, I will see to it at once."

"Also, find someone to brief me in detail on everything that has happened during this time. I need to regain my bearings..."

(End of Chapter)