Undying Life

Chapter 231: The Beginning of the Frenzy

"Of course, I'm not joking," Zhongshan shook his head.

"But the Princess is currently weak. It's already difficult enough to escape while bringing the Princess along, and now you want to take more than eighty others with us? How could we possibly manage that?" Ah Da said in disbelief.

"If the King of Julu merely wanted to capture me, it might still be difficult. But now that he wants to kill me, we can definitely escape with everyone. Whether we have more or fewer people, it makes no difference," Zhongshan said with certainty.

Although Zhongshan had previously been able to anticipate the enemy's moves and handle situations perfectly, this time was different. It involved the safety of the Princess, and no matter how trustworthy Zhongshan was, he couldn't gamble with the Princess's safety.

"Sir, this decision must be approved by the Princess," Ah Da said, shaking his head.

"Very well," Zhongshan nodded and then walked to the side of the sedan chair.

"Princess," Zhongshan called toward the sedan chair.

"What is it, sir?" Princess Qianyou's voice came from within the sedan chair.

"Ah Da, you explain," Zhongshan said.

"Yes," Ah Da responded immediately.

Ah Da then recounted all the information they had gathered, leaving nothing out, and waited for Princess Qianyou's decision from inside the sedan chair.

"Sir, did you bring those people from the Lu family?" Princess Qianyou asked.

"I was entrusted to do so. I hope you understand, Princess," Zhongshan replied.

"Entrusted? Haha, the more I observe you, the more secrets you seem to have, sir," Princess Qianyou said with a smile.

"I hope you can forgive me, Princess," Zhongshan said again.

"Hmm, let me ask you this: How confident are you about taking all these people with us?" Princess Qianyou asked.

"Absolutely confident," Zhongshan responded with utmost certainty.

"Alright! I approve. Ah Da, Ah Er, follow Mr. Zhongshan's orders," Princess Qianyou's voice affirmed from within the sedan chair.

"Yes," Ah Da and Ah Er immediately responded.

With Princess Qianyou's approval, Zhongshan smiled slightly and said, "Let's go to that valley."

"Okay," Ah Da and Ah Er nodded in agreement.

Before long, Ah Da and Ah Er were gliding close to the ground on clouds, carrying Zhongshan and the sedan chair, as they arrived at a valley.

In the valley, dozens of people had set up simple shelters. Women were cooking over open fires, while men were chopping wood and helping out. It was like a scene from a tranquil, idyllic paradise.

Seeing these people, Ah Da and Ah Er raised their eyebrows repeatedly. This group hadn't even reached the level of being able to live without food; they would still need to eat every day. How could they possibly take them along?

As Zhongshan approached the valley with the large sedan chair, someone with keen eyesight spotted him and immediately went to the makeshift shelters to report.

"Senior!" Those who recognized Zhongshan immediately addressed him.

Soon, Lu Jianping and the elder of the Lu family arrived in front of Zhongshan.

"Senior!" Lu Jianping and the elder both greeted Zhongshan in the same manner.

"Are you ready? We're about to set off," Zhongshan said.

"Senior, we're fully prepared. But just now, some soldiers from the Great Yu Dynasty passed by. There were three of them. We captured one, but the other two got away," Lu Jianping reported.

"Oh, take me to see him," Zhongshan said.

"Yes," Lu Jianping complied.

Entering a small house nearby, they found a man tied up with a special rope, his eyes filled with fear.

"Did you get any information out of him?" Zhongshan asked.

"They're looking for us, and they've confirmed that the Princess and I are together," Lu Jianping said, frowning.

With a slight smile, Zhongshan walked over to the bound soldier, squatted down, and looked into his panicked eyes. "Don't worry. Your two comrades have already escaped, and they'll be back soon with reinforcements. I won't kill you. I just need you to deliver a message to the King of Julu."

The bound soldier, with his mouth gagged, nodded frantically.

"Tell him that Yi Yan intends to recommend me for the position of Grand Commander of the Great Yu Dynasty, and the Iron-Blood General heard it with his own ears," Zhongshan said with a smile, his eyes gleaming brightly.

Behind him, Ah Da looked utterly puzzled. What was Mr. Zhongshan trying to do? Wouldn't this only increase the King of Julu's determination to kill him?

"Did you hear that?" Zhongshan asked, staring at the soldier.

The soldier nodded his head vigorously, even more urgently than before.

"Let's move," Zhongshan said.

"Yes, sir," everyone responded in unison.

The group then left the valley. The women stopped cooking, packed up their stoves, and carried their children as they prepared to leave. Ah Da and Ah Er, riding their clouds, guided everyone.

They headed west.

Not long after they left, a troop from the Great Yu Dynasty arrived at the valley. After a thorough search, they quickly found the bound soldier.

"General, I saw Zhongshan. It was definitely him, along with the entire Lu family. And he asked me to deliver a message to the King," the soldier said as soon as he was untied.

"This way? Good. Inform everyone to search in all directions from here and recall the northern troops. You, come with me to see the King," the general ordered.

"Yes, sir," the soldiers responded.

The pursuit of Zhongshan became even more concentrated. The soldier was taken to see the King of Julu.

Inside a large tent, the King of Julu sat at the command desk, looking at the Iron-Blood General standing before him, with Wu An behind him and the soldier kneeling on the ground.

"Iron-Blood General, is it true what Zhongshan said? That Yi Yan promised Zhongshan the position of Grand Commander?" the King of Julu asked, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the Iron-Blood General.

The Iron-Blood General took a deep breath, feeling somewhat impatient with the King of Julu, but he still nodded and said, "Yes, the Grand Commander did say that."

Seeing the Iron-Blood General's discontent, the King of Julu paid no mind and said, "Very well. You may leave."

"Yes, sir," the Iron-Blood General replied, then turned and left.

Watching the Iron-Blood General leave, the King of Julu's eyes gradually narrowed, a cold gleam flashing in them.

"Your Highness, Zhongshan deliberately led our troops away. Such audacity! Doesn't he fear being captured by us?" Wu An asked, frowning.

"He not only saw Zhongshan but also Ah Da and Ah Er, which means Princess Qianyou is definitely with them. Since she is very weak right now and can't travel alone, they must all be heading in that direction. Since Zhongshan wants to court death, we won't hesitate to grant his wish," the King of Julu said coldly.

"Understood," Wu An nodded.

"Pass my order: All troops are to search the west. Whoever kills Zhongshan will be rewarded with a million high-grade spirit stones. I want to see how many wings this Zhongshan has to escape such a thorough search," the King of Julu said in a cold voice.

In a secluded valley, the Lu family had once again started cooking. Near the grand palanquin, Ah Da and Ah Er stood anxiously outside, while Zhongshan had been summoned by Princess Qianyou for a discussion inside.

"Sir," Ah Da finally couldn't hold back and spoke up.

"What is it?" Zhongshan asked, looking puzzled.

"I caught another soldier just now. After some interrogation, it's clear that the Great Yu army is concentrating their forces here. We are in increasing danger. What should we do now?" Ah Da expressed his concern from outside the palanquin.

Inside the palanquin, Zhongshan and Princess Qianyou were seated on separate couches. A small table stood between them, holding a teapot and two cups of tea, over which they were conversing.

"How much is the bounty for killing me now?" Zhongshan turned his head to ask.

Princess Qianyou smiled slightly but did not interrupt.

"Uh? A million high-grade spirit stones," Ah Da replied with a peculiar expression. He was bewildered by how Zhongshan seemed more interested in the value of his bounty than in the impending danger.

"Tut, that King of Julu is so stingy," Zhongshan shook his head and sighed.

Hearing Zhongshan's words, both Ah Da and Ah Er were left speechless and somewhat bewildered.

"Sir, you don't seem worried at all," Princess Qianyou chuckled.

"Blessings and curses come as they may. We can't avoid them if they come. Let them search; our people still need to eat," Zhongshan said nonchalantly.

"Very well, I am eager to see how you will lead this group through a sea of soldiers," Princess Qianyou smiled.

"Just wait and see, Princess," Zhongshan replied with a smile.

After the Lu family finished their meal, Zhongshan gave the order: "Head north."

The cloud carried everyone northward for over a thousand miles, when suddenly Zhongshan said, "Head west."

"Head south." "Head east." Zhongshan continued to give unpredictable directions. Over the next five days, they traveled in various directions, and remarkably, they didn't encounter a single Great Yu soldier.

Ah Da and Ah Er found this quite odd. Could it be that the Great Yu army had retreated? However, when Ah Da scouted ahead and investigated the surrounding areas, he discovered that they were completely surrounded by the Great Yu army. Soldiers were frantically searching everywhere, seemingly on the verge of madness.

Indeed, the soldiers of the Great Yu army were going insane, and so was the King of Julu.

In the central command tent, the King of Julu glared at a commander standing before him. "Speak, keep speaking!"

"Your Highness, it's been five days now. We've been sending patrols to those areas daily, constantly checking. We see signs of campfires and even abandoned stoves, but we can't find the people. Twice we arrived just moments after they had left, with their fires still smoldering, yet we couldn't see them."

"Idiots! I've given you so many troops, millions of soldiers, to search that area, and you can find everything except the people? You fools! If you don't find them soon, I'll make sure you join the ghosts you're talking about. Dig three feet into the ground if you have to, but find those mortals, you fools!" the King of Julu roared.

"Yes, Your Highness!" the commander quickly responded and left the tent in haste.

"Your Highness, there's something very peculiar about this. It's as if Princess Qianyou and her party know our search patterns. They always seem to pass through an area just after our troops have searched it. The places they've been through are precisely where our troops are currently searching. It's as if they know our search procedures, where the gaps are, and where the blind spots are. It's eerie!" Wu An said, frowning.