511 The Lonesome Mountain (1/2)

Chapter 511: The Lonesome Mountain

Translator: TransnEditor: Transn

”Oh!”

The blood flowed out from Guo Yan's neck and splattered, finally landing on the bonfire where a slightly burnt smell arose. He collapsed on the ground, stretched out his legs desperately, and kicked up a pile of mud time and again. Still, he could not prevent death's arrival nor prevent the crotch of his pants from getting soaked with urine.

The retinue from the periphery of the bonfire stood up in shock, but with many years of accumulated majesty, no one dared to move.

Zi Mo's face emerged from the darkness of night. He used his hand, which was no longer strong but still stable, to retrieve the wire around Guo Yan's neck and wipe away the blood and flesh that was left on it.

He looked out at the bewildered retinue outside the bonfire and said with a poker face, ”Even if he is disabled, he still deserves your respect. Never underestimate the methods that we have learned in the Judicial Department. So, if you want to live, then you'd better stay calm.”

The retinue slowly sat back in their original places with their heads lowered down, and no one knew what they were thinking about, nor did anyone know if they had really calmed down.

The current crisis was solved for the time being, whereas the faces of the commanders in front of the bonfire were all still extremely pale and ugly, just like their moods. Their hopeless future accounted for one of the reasons, however, the most crucial point was that even today they still could not accept the reality because they used to be respectable cavalryman of the Divine Hall. Even the military generals of the South Jin Kingdom would give them enough respect. Now, however, a random state army in the South Jin Kingdom dared to encircle them, and to such a miserable extent. Even their retinue dared to be disloyal to them!

”General, what... what should we do?”

one of the commanders asked in desperation with his voice slightly trembling.

Zi Mo was the most senior man with the strongest abilities among these fallen cavalrymen of the Divine Hall commanders. He was elected as the leader, so it was natural for people to count on him to come up with a solution.

Zi Mo did not know what to do or where these disabled soldiers could go. In fact, if it was for not the punishment of the verdict of the Divine Hall, they could still become guests of all nations with their wisdom, strategies, and the ability of operation on the battlefield. However, the verdict of the Divine Hall had already cut off this possibility in advance. At the thought of this, his hatred for and fear of the Maiden God would grow stronger.

The only person that one could rely upon was oneself. Only by restoring one's ability and regaining strength could one survive in this world.

However, how could he regain his strength when his cultivation had been abandoned?

The legendary panacea was only a legend.

Zi Mo laughed at himself and then whispered, ”Get cleaned up and go to sleep.”

How could anyone get hot water in the wild mountain forest? During their escape, they had no time to enjoy life but could only sleep directly. Someone extinguished the bonfire with dirt and the forest suddenly became dark. The thick clouds in the night sky covered all the stars, indicating that there might be a torrential rain tomorrow.

Some of them could not stave off the exhaustion brought on by their escape and they fell asleep.

While others were unable to sleep, thinking about their desperate future.

Zi Mo looked at the gloomy night sky overhead, thinking about the heavy rain that would come tomorrow with an increasingly heavy heart. He slowly clenched his hands, which had been trembling quietly, and was in great pain.

He thought with desperation and unwillingness, ”If I can regain my strength and become as powerful as before, then I would be willing to sacrifice my entire life and everything to Yama.”

There were still many people praying in desperation in the silent night forest.

The sky was gloomy, but it did not rain, let alone rain heavily. However, it was cloudy, so the summer journey became much cooler. Since there was no sun, Sangsang did not need to bask in the sun through the skylight of the horse carriage, and Ning Que took that position for granted. He stepped onto the soft couch and leaned his upper body out of the skylight to meet the wind blowing on the state highway. He looked at the surrounding scenery and gave birth to such kind of pleasure as if he were a millionaire.

It had been a few days since they left Chang'an. The black horse carriage was following the mission in front of them from a distance. Although they had taken a few trips to the county road as they went ahead, he never feared that they would get lost. Because there were government officials, especially the secret guards of all areas, to inform them with intelligence. It was still the same case as they left the wilderness and entered the southern mountains.

A vast expanse of mountains emerged in the middle of the southern region of the Tang, dividing the territory into two regions. Maybe those mountains had a certain impact on the climate—the same fertile soil to the south of the mountains and the west of the mountains could produce quite different crops. But Ning Que and Sangsang had no special feelings as the black horse carriage progressed among those mountains.

Compared with the familiar Min Mountain, the mountains in the south of the Tang were not so lofty. However, due to the special water-soluble rocks, there were collapses and landslides occurring throughout the years, making these mountains strange and extremely steep. Therefore, they were difficult to climb. Fortunately, there was a canyon among these mountains that was densely planted, and at the bottom of the valley, there was a natural passageway. Otherwise, if you wanted to connect the north with the south, regrettably you would have to go more than a thousand miles away.