Chapter 83: Seizing Command on Horseback (Part One)

(1/3)

PS: The holidays are coming soon, and my recent workload has made updates less stable—apologies.

Although Sima Yuanxian was still young, the new army he had trained and drilled moved with such speed and precision that it left people astonished.

Though they had seized Shanyin, Sima Yuanxian was not about to let the Five Bushels of Rice Sect off so easily.

The Five Bushels of Rice Sect was well aware of this, and so they hurried eastward, intending to plunge into the sea.

Their failure to capture Shanyin and the court's immediate dispatch of a large army to encircle them had caught the sect entirely off guard. Though the land was vast, only the endless sea now offered them refuge.

They fled toward the ocean in desperation, like frightened dogs without a home, even setting up camp and cooking atop the mountain, intending to eat their fill and press on. But the Five Bushels of Rice Sect had not anticipated that the imperial army would, in such a short span, under the cover of night, lay ambushes on all sides. By the time those atop the mountain realized it, it was almost too late—they were trapped like fish in a barrel.

Fortunately, Sun En of the Five Bushels of Rice Sect had foresight; it was his idea to camp atop the mountain for its wide vantage—otherwise, they might never have noticed the imperial army's movements.

At this moment, Dao Xuan and Yan Yicao were still locked in combat, their martial skills evenly matched so that neither could gain the upper hand.

Meanwhile, the ghost soldiers were divided: one faction clamored to kill the captured women, while the other tried to stop them.

Sun En stood high above, scanning the distance, his brow furrowed. He shouted, "Everyone, stop!"

The ghost soldiers obeyed, ceasing their actions at Sun En's command. Only Yan Yicao, unwilling to back down against Dao Xuan, refused to stop until Sun En raised his voice again: "Matters within our sect can wait! The imperial army is encircling us—if we let them complete their siege, we will all perish, and none will profit! Our most urgent task is to unite and break through the encirclement!"

Sun En had no idea of Zhang Chi and Dao Xuan's true identities. If he had known Zhang Chi was the "Heavenly Mechanism," he would not have spoken so. To the Five Bushels of Rice Sect, the threat posed by Zhang Chi as "Heavenly Mechanism" was greater than tens of thousands of elite troops.

Now disguised as a ghost soldier of the sect, Zhang Chi had no other options. When the imperial troops saw him in Shanyin, they had attacked without question. Here again, if he were captured, no amount of explanation would save him; he would be killed outright.

Zhang Chi quietly called to Dao Xuan, "Stop fighting. Cease for now."

Dao Xuan listened only to Zhang Chi; hearing him, he pushed Yan Yicao's wrist and leaped away, returning to Zhang Chi's side, his eyes sharp and alert as he surveyed the scene.

Yan Yicao wanted to fight on, but Sun En grasped his hand, saying, "Grand Priest, the greater cause must come first!"

With his sinister disposition, Yan Yicao would never have spared Zhang Chi and Dao Xuan under normal circumstances. But the urgency of the situation was clear; he steadied himself with a deep breath, and at that moment, he heard Sun Tai, the Master, let out a wild laugh.

The laughter was chilling and shrill; though it was laughter, it sounded worse than crying. As Santong pondered whether it was laughter or tears, Sun Tai's laughter indeed turned to sobbing.

"Come! Come! Well come!" Sun Tai, clutching a corpse with one hand and his forehead with the other, stood beside the woman's body and wept loudly. "Qinru, after twenty years, I finally captured Shanyin! Yet within half a day, I am forced out again. My ambitions remain unfulfilled; I cannot bring you back to life. I might as well join you."

This Sun Tai was quite unlike the image Zhang Chi had of him, leaving Zhang Chi puzzled.

Yan Yicao and Sun En, seeing Sun Tai seemingly intent on death, were alarmed. "Master, do not seek death! The foundation of our sect remains, and the Jin Dynasty will soon fall. When we return, who knows what may yet happen!"

But Sun Tai seemed not to hear, his tears unending, his spirit crushed. Zhang Chi had not expected that Sun Tai—who had killed Du Zigong, seized the Master's position, and plotted in silence for nearly twenty years—would be so devoted to a woman. The corpse must be someone he loved deeply. What was her connection to Wine Maiden?

If sisters, it seemed unlikely. Sun Tai had said twenty years had passed, yet Qinru's beauty remained. By age, she could not be Wine Maiden's sister. Could she be Wine Maiden's mother?

(2/3)

If this corpse was indeed Wine Maiden's mother, the connection became clear. General Canghuai must have noticed Wine Maiden's resemblance to the corpse and suspected something amiss, which led to her being sent back to Kuaiji, and Sun Tai proclaiming her the Saintess.

But if this corpse was Wine Maiden's mother, why had it not decayed after nearly twenty years? And why did Wine Maiden know nothing of it?

Zhang Chi could not fathom it. Judging by Sun Tai's demeanor, perhaps he and the corpse were once a loving couple—could Sun Tai be Wine Maiden's biological father?

Following this line of thought, Zhang Chi grew ever more shocked, yet found some parts incongruent. He had intended to find an opportunity to capture and kill Sun Tai, but now, with so much uncertain, he hesitated. Perhaps there were things he did not yet know.

Yan Yicao, seeing the Master's spirit flagging, grew anxious. "The imperial army is about to encircle us, but the Master gives no orders—what should we do?"

"Perhaps the Master is thinking of the Holy Mother again, his mind in turmoil. The situation is critical; we should take the initiative and lead the Master to safety," Sun En, always the strategist beside Sun Tai, advised.

"I will be the vanguard! Even if I die, I will cut a bloody path—protect the Master at all costs," Yan Yicao declared fiercely.

Now, with the survival of the Heavenly Master Sect at stake, Yan Yicao, though venomous by nature, owed his life to the sect and was loyal to it, much like General Canghuai. He was intent on building a world of great harmony, willing even to lay down his life for this dream.

Yan Yicao prepared to muster the troops as vanguard, but Sun En stopped him. "The imperial army has us surrounded; a direct breakout may be impossible. We should split our forces—attack openly to draw the enemy's strength while letting the Master escape in secret. That may give us a chance."

A classic "sacrifice the chariot to protect the king" strategy. Yan Yicao understood and nodded resolutely. "Rest assured, I will lead the attack. Even if I die, I will draw the imperial troops to me, open a gap, and let the Master escape. I will not fail."

Zhang Chi had not expected such self-sacrifice within the Five Bushels of Rice Sect, and the one willing to die was the ruthless Yan Yicao. Suddenly, he realized that both General Canghuai and the Grand Priest Yan Yicao shared a dream—to build a world of harmony, even if it meant spending their lives or dying for it. Though their methods were harsh, it was hard to say they were wrong.

In chaotic times, who is right and who is wrong? It is all a matter of perspective. Miss Wang toiled for the Xie clan, General Canghuai devoted his life to the Heavenly Master Sect—who can say which is right or wrong?

Zhang Chi had always thought Yan Yicao a demon of chaos, slaughtering innocents and consuming the gentry and commoners alike. Yet now, seeing him risk himself for the sect, Zhang Chi finally understood him.

The "sacrifice the chariot to protect the king" plan meant Yan Yicao would attack openly, facing certain death against the imperial army's encirclement, but he did not so much as frown. Such a man, willing to disregard his own life for his dream, would hardly care for the lives of others—naturally, he would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

The followers of the Five Bushels of Rice Sect were scattered around the mountain, but as dust rose on all sides, it was clear from the summit. In the distance, cavalry could be seen, shrouded in dust, their numbers uncertain, but their presence was causing panic; they had already encircled the mountain, and voices filled the air.

Yan Yicao had ordered a horse brought and was about to mount up and muster the troops, intent on assembling a band of fearless fighters from among the ghost soldiers.

The burly man from earlier had been such a ghost soldier, but Dao Xuan had killed him. Now, one of his subordinates called out, "Of the women we captured earlier, many have not yet been eaten—what should we do?"

He referred not only to the few women Zhang Chi had saved, but to the many others the sect had captured. Zhang Chi had only rescued a handful; most had already been slaughtered and cooked, though some remained, hence the question.

"We are about to fight our way out—what use are these women? Kill them all," Yan Yicao replied coldly, without a hint of emotion, as if their deaths mattered not at all.

At Yan Yicao's command, the ghost soldiers under the burly man again rushed viciously toward the women behind Zhang Chi. The women were already terrified, especially the one who had been stripped naked; though now cloaked in Wine Maiden's robe, only her most vital parts were covered, and her pale thighs still trembled in the mountain wind.

Zhang Chi felt a pang of sympathy, acting without hesitation. "They must not be killed!"

If he saved people, he would save them to the end—a principle Zhang Chi always followed.

"I said kill, so kill!" Yan Yicao shouted.

(3/3)

Zhang Chi did not yield. "I said they must not be killed!"

"Insolence!" Yan Yicao pointed his whip at Zhang Chi. "I am willing to die for the Heavenly Master Sect, to risk all—what right do you have to interfere? Today, I will see them all killed!"

"That may be so. But today, I am determined to save them," Zhang Chi replied with a smile. Such was his nature—the more pressure, the more resolute he became. "If, as the Grand Priest says, I must accomplish something for the sect to have the right to save them, then so be it."

"What ability do you have? What can you do for the Heavenly Master Sect now?"

"If I do better than you, if I can ensure the sect's escape, what then?" Zhang Chi, his pride awakened, asked boldly.

Yan Yicao sneered, "Do you think your words alone can save the sect? Against thousands of troops, your so-called 'benevolence and righteousness' are worthless!"

Zhang Chi, his blood stirred, grew calmer outwardly. "The 'sacrifice the chariot to protect the king' plan is sound, but with so many enemy troops, your men will die without breaking the encirclement."

Sun En remained neutral. "What better plan do you propose?"

"The Grand Priest will attack openly as planned; so long as these innocent women are spared, I will attempt to assassinate their commanding general. A two-pronged attack—even if the Grand Priest cannot open a gap, if we succeed in killing the enemy general, their forces will be leaderless and lose their threat. Would that count as doing something for the Heavenly Master Sect?"

"Brother Zhang, if you wish to save all the women, let me go instead—I know martial arts. You must not risk yourself," Dao Xuan said.

"You have martial skills, but no horse. We go together, as brothers," Zhang Chi replied, meaning Dao Xuan. His words stunned everyone. To seize the enemy commander on horseback—such courage!

Even Sun En looked at Zhang Chi differently, sizing him up. Though he doubted Zhang Chi's abilities, he said, "I do not know if you will succeed, but your spirit commands my respect. Whether you succeed or not, I will not harm these women. So long as I live, I vow to protect them."

Dao Xuan was unafraid to charge out and assassinate the enemy general with Zhang Chi, but was confused. Hadn't they just planned to capture and kill Sun Tai, the Master? Why help him now? He whispered to Zhang Chi.

Zhang Chi replied quietly, "If the imperial army surrounds us and storms the mountain, the Five Bushels of Rice Sect cannot resist. The imperial troops will slaughter all, regardless of friend or foe. Not only will these women die, but you, me, Santong, Wine Maiden, and Miss Ruoshui will not escape death. Given that, why not seize the chance now, before their army is fully deployed? Sometimes, helping others is helping oneself."

"Brother Zhang, wherever you go, I go. If you seek to assassinate the general, I will go with you," Santong said.

After speaking to Dao Xuan, Zhang Chi turned to Santong. "You stay here, find an opportunity to help others escape, and protect the women." He then whispered, "Do not forget Miss Ruoshui and the young master of the Xie family. Dao Xuan and I will ride Snowy together; even if we fail to kill the enemy general, we can rely on Snowy's speed and Dao Xuan's skills to fight our way out."

"Then let me, on your behalf, go with Dao Xuan to assassinate the general. You stay!" Santong insisted.

Zhang Chi, seeing Santong's loyalty, patted his shoulder in gratitude. "Snowy cannot communicate with you; it may not obey."

Santong fell silent. Zhang Chi finished his instructions, then let out a long, piercing howl, like a dragon's roar. Instantly, a snow-white, majestic steed galloped from the distance and stopped at Zhang Chi's side—it was Snowy, the horse Zhang Chi had left nearby when he rescued the women.

Mounting the horse, Zhang Chi said to Yan Yicao, "Did you not claim that amidst thousands of troops, 'benevolence and righteousness' are worthless? Today, I will show you what it means for the benevolent to be invincible."