Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

Chapter 141: Chance encounter

ZHANG LIAO BAO

IN A FOREST

OUTSIDE THE FORBIDDEN CITY

He has successfully escaped the imperial city with the letter hidden under his clothes.

Just thinking about it again, he did not think he would have escaped. But he guesses the Heavens still have eyes and let him escape.

He said to himself

'This letter is probably the most important letter I have ever held in my hands' he muttered to himself.

He I pat the letter again, checking it again, just in case. It would be such a cruel joke if he lost the letter now after escaping the Imperial Guards.

He then checks the pouch of coins on the inside pocket of his clothes.

'I guess this is enough' he said to himself.

With the coins he got working as a scribe in the Palace he has about enough to buy a horse outside in a recluse village around the outside of the Capital.

He is now around Xinjiang, just outside the cities. He once heard that around here lies the Yellow Waterfall.  It is said that the yellow waters pour down like tea from a giant teapot.

It is famous as a spectacular waterfall among the nobles, and the only famous yellow waterfall in the continent.

'Vern' he sighed as he looks behind him with a hard to read expression. The wind blows his long hair and he shook his head.

Vern is vast and he doesn't know how many people are instructed to capture him but surely there is a lot.

'Wait!' Liao Bao suddenly stop himself to think of another possibility. One that gives him hope.

If the Emperor want rumours to spread that he is amassing such force to capture only one person, and that person is a scribe surely such moves will attract suspicion.

People might be asking, why the interest in one insignificant scribe of the palace and his despicable acts might be revealed.

Instead of mobilizing a lot of people searching for him, the Emperor no matter how idiotic will not send an army to capture him. And Liao Bao smiles.

He might choose a unit to chase him, believing he is a weak person and will be caught easily. Well, that will prove to be a mistake soon enough.

He doubts everyone in the palace would support the Emperor acts if they are known.

Heaven! Heaven! I guess you still want me to live! He thought to himself.

His horse moves in a uniform pace in the bamboo forest as he ease himself with this thought. Then he thought about that woman imprisoned in the Imperial palace.

To think that the Emperor is such of a...lecherous Emperor.

He might have the blood of George the Wise, but he must surely inherit William the Lecherous personality more than the wise Emperor.

Liao Bao look at the wide forest in front of me.

Maybe he will stop and take a rest in one of the waterfalls. To rest a little while before resuming his journey.

But then he shakes his head. No, he must stop delaying. This letter must be sent fast.

If the Dark Lord believes that his fianc is raped, or worse death, maybe a calamity will happen to the entire Human Continent.

Liao Bao did not know much about the Dark Lands but he heard the story when he was little from his mother and the storytellers in the tavern about the Demon Lords.

They are cruel and evil and they eat human for breakfast.

But the waterfalls...and he sighed as he said to himself.

'I guess this is not the time.'

Vern has a lot of beautiful waterfalls, mountains, hills and beautiful scenery owing to Alexander the Divider descendant who move their capital from Vangua to Vern when the revolt happens.

They build many things, villas and summer retreat castles all around the Empire.

Unfortunately, even after he had went out from the Imperial Palace, he still hasn't had the chance to visit these places.

'Just my luck' he complained.

For now, he must go to the Dark Lands, or someone who have sympathy to the Princess and then he will entrust the letter to them.

He knows little about the kingdoms in the continent but since becoming a scribe he has heard many gossip and stories from the handmaiden.

He knows of the House of the Dragon that rules in Alan, that guarded the high wall to the Dark Lands, and the region around the bridge repairing the Bleeding Wall, enforcing security and stability around their region, a strong ruler with a powerful military force

Maybe he could persuade him to give the letter to the King of the Dark Lands?

After all, if the Dark Lands started to move wouldn't it be disastrous for the very family that is in the closest proximity with the Dark Lands.

As he was thinking of this, he smells the refreshing scent of the forest. Better check his inventory. There is the Enochian steel he stole from that man.

There is also the mechanical invention by the Prince Articon, that hide the dagger under his sleeve connected with the dagger, so that when he throws a punch and release some of his internal energy to the device, the dagger will pierce the enemy for a split second before returning back to the inside of his sleeve and kill them if it were targeted on a vital place.

But to the uninitiated view it seems that the resulting result of their unfortunate death is from his strength.

He always like this dagger.

It is a handy weapon, can be concealed easily and deadly. And he really like the way it sometimes glimmers when a light shine son it.

He also steals some armour from the passage when he was running out of the palace.

There are also the poisons that he concocted and the other inventions from Prince Articon that he believes will be important for him.

For days he roams the forest. Usually in the night he will camp inside a cave or some well concealed area of the forest

It is an uneventful week. And he too had a plan now

After Xinjiang he decided that he will go to Changjing and then Yuan, and then he would pass Jiang then Tai.

From Tai he will reach Shanhai Pass defended by House of Austen, the great commander of the Pass, Archibald Austen.

Then he would get out of Vern and reach Alan.

He looks around him and today seems a good day.

He thought to recite a poem. It is a habit he had when he tries to pretend like he is some kind of a refined scholars when he is meeting with the scholars in the Court

Today I Ride Against Another Forest.

Yellow Mountains and Fresh Air,

Magnify Everything that Nature has to offer

My Feeling Unrestricted and Free,

Bamboo Trees Stands Like Soldier Guarding the Forest,

The Sound of Chirping Birds and the Breeze of the Wind,

Beautiful Scenery Wherever I Look.

He sings a poem that he remembered as he looks around the beautiful forest with its leaves in variety of colours and the refreshing breeze.

The water, the valley, he sees them as he rides slowly in the forest, enjoying life because maybe tomorrow won't come.

Then suddenly as he was passing a hill, his horse neigh like it senses something.

Why the sudden aggressiveness? He pats the horse head, while scanning the forest looking for suspicious activity.

Then he hears it.

'YAH,YAH.'

The sound of swords and shields can be heard and Liao Bao eyes narrowed. He dismounts himself from the horse and tied his horse into the trees.

He then approached the sound and in the distance he can see something. He saw a lone man is fighting thirty people all dressed in black and purple.

The swords clashing against each other producing sparks of fire in the air as each one of them is trying to kill the man.

'Alright this is not my problem' Liao Bao thought to himself. He was about to run away.

Since this matter does not involve him he would just burn paper money to the dead souls that will die here today alter.

After all this seems to be a martial arts world matters. He should not interfere. Maybe that people have life and death enmity with those people.

he has already begun to move away, ready to ride his horse away

'Senior Brother. Help me!' suddenly Liao Bao could hear the scream of a girl.

'Hmm?' Liao Bao eyes widened and then his steps halted.

'That is a girl voice' He said to himself.

And he turned back and look toward the direction of the sound. There he spotted a cute girl.

She is beautiful but she seems naive. She is wearing a beautiful dress and did he mention she was cute?

A few men are trying to attack her but at least she seems to have learn a few martial arts but she doesn't look proficient in it.

The man keeps slashing toward her, weakening and trapping her in every move.

'Hmm' he thought to himself.

Defending himself is hard enough but to also help the girl? He is not an expert in martial arts and as he knows himself the best, he is not a very good swordsman either.

'PRINCESS ZHENGPING! PLEASE SAVE YOURSELVES. I WILL TRY TO HOLD THEM OFF!' the other man in the distance yelled.

'Hmm?' This time Liao Bao hmm is a little bit longer like he is pondering on something.

He looks toward that man in the distance

Judging by his abilities, he could not hold them off. Should he leave? Then Liao Bao look at the woman and his retreating feet begun to feel heavy.

'Aish, fuck this.'

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A slighlty long chapter. Hope you like it and please do read it. Else you might be left out of some details