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墨書 Inktalez
Thick smoke and raging flames rolled behind them as Zhang Rang and Duan Gui dragged Emperor Shao and the King of Chenliu, stumbling and crashing toward Beiman Mountain. They were panting heavily, their faces a mess, armor disheveled, with blood and dirt smeared across their skin. The sounds of shouting and the pounding hooves of pursuers grew ever closer, each step echoing like the footsteps of death.
“Faster, faster!” Zhang Rang urged as he pulled Emperor Shao along, glancing back at Duan Gui with panic in his voice. “If we get caught, it’s all over for us!”
Duan Gui gasped for breath, tightly gripping a short sword in his hand. His eyes darted around, searching for an escape route. “Zhang Rang, do you really think we can survive just by having the emperor with us? These people don’t care about the throne! We’re nothing but live targets!”
“With the emperor, we still have a chance!” Zhang Rang shouted back, sweat pouring down his face, his eyes reflecting a desperate stubbornness. “If we abandon him, do you think they’ll spare us?”
Emperor Shao, still young and exhausted, was being dragged along by Zhang Rang. Tears mixed with dirt blurred his vision. “Zhang Rang… help me… where are we going…” His voice trembled with fear and helplessness.
“Shut up!” Zhang Rang suddenly released his grip on Emperor Shao ’s hand in anger but realized that the boy had fallen to the ground in fright. He hesitated for a moment before pulling him up again, gritting his teeth as he whispered fiercely, “You listen to me! I still want to keep you alive!”
Duan Gui was already in a state of panic. As he saw the flames drawing nearer, the fear on his face was impossible to hide. He stopped in his tracks and looked around frantically before muttering under his breath, “I can’t do this anymore; I won’t die with you!”
“What did you say?” Zhang Rang turned back in shock, his eyes filled with disbelief and anger.
Duan Gui had already turned to run, even tossing aside the short sword in his hand. “Taking them along will only lead to death! If you want to fight to the end, go ahead; I’m not joining you!”
“Duan Gui! You bastard!” Zhang Rang gritted his teeth as he watched Duan Gui’s figure vanish into the thick fog, despair and rage swelling within him.
At that moment, the shouts of their pursuers were almost upon them; the flames illuminated Zhang Rang’s pale face. He tightened his grip on Emperor Shao ’s hand and suddenly pushed him into a nearby thicket, whispering urgently, “Hide and don’t make a sound!”
Emperor Shao curled up in the bushes, watching Zhang Rang with terror but unable to utter a word. He saw Zhang Rang draw a dagger and stand by the riverbank against the backdrop of fire and approaching soldiers. His body trembled slightly, yet there was a glimmer of mad determination in his eyes.
“Zhang Rang, don’t run!” In the distance, Min Gong’s furious roar echoed like thunder as the pursuers drew closer.
Zhang Rang let out a cold laugh as he stepped back to the riverbank, fixing his gaze on the soldiers coming after them. He pointed the dagger at his own chest and murmured softly to himself, “Living is just dying slowly; it’s better if I take matters into my own hands…”
Before his words could fade, he suddenly plunged the dagger into his chest, leaning back as he sank into the darkness, accompanied by the sound of the river churning.
Emperor Shao lay in the grass, covering his mouth to stifle his cries, his eyes filled with terror and helplessness. Beside him, the King of Chenliu curled up, sobbing softly, "Brother, are we going to die?"
The pursuers rushed past, the flames gradually receding. The two children clung tightly to each other, hiding in the tangled grass, afraid to make a sound. In the night of Beiman Mountain, only the whisper of the river could be heard, as if mocking this absurd escape.
The dew was icy and the night was deep. Emperor Shao and the King of Chenliu huddled together in the grass, their clothes already soaked through, shivering from the cold. They nestled closely together, their bodies trembling slightly, their hands tightly clasped yet devoid of warmth.
"Brother... I'm so hungry," the King of Chenliu's voice was barely audible, tinged with tears.
Emperor Shao fought against his own fear and whispered comfortingly, "Just hold on a little longer; someone will come looking for us when it gets light." Yet he knew that this was merely a consolation. His stomach was already empty, and the cold wind pierced through to his bones, making it nearly unbearable.
The two cried until their voices were hoarse but dared not wail aloud; they could only stifle their sobs among the grass. The King of Chenliu wiped his tears with his sleeve and looked up softly, saying, "We can't stay here forever... If we're discovered, we'll be caught and taken back."
Emperor Shao paused for a moment, looking up at the pitch-black sky before gritting his teeth. "You're right; we need to leave and find a way to survive."
He tore off a tattered sleeve from his clothing and fashioned it into a long rope, securely tying it around both of them. He whispered, "Stay close to me and don't fall."
One step at a time, they climbed up the bank, their hands scratched by thorns that drew thin lines of blood. The King of Chenliu winced but bit down hard on his teeth to suppress any sound. Surrounding them was an impenetrable darkness; faint insect chirps echoed from deep within the grass, as if something might leap out at any moment.
"Brother... which way do we go?" The King of Chenliu's voice trembled with fear.
Emperor Shao halted, feeling lost himself. He glanced around anxiously; all he could see was darkness and dense shadows of trees.
Just then, a faint light flickered in the dark, dancing before them like stars. Soon more lights appeared in succession—fireflies swarmed around them, their twinkling glow illuminating the night.
"Brother, look!" The King of Chenliu exclaimed with delight as he raised his head, eyes sparkling. "It's fireflies! They seem to be showing us the way!"
Emperor Shao looked at the dancing lights in the night sky, as if he had seen hope. He took a deep breath and softly said, "This is heaven helping us. Follow the fireflies!"
The two supported each other, struggling to follow the guidance of the fireflies. The lights leaped in the darkness, seemingly drawing a path for them. After walking for a while, they finally spotted a faint trail, bringing a glimmer of comfort to their hearts.
However, their steps grew heavier, and eventually, they could no longer hold on. They stopped beside a patch of grass at the edge of a hill. Emperor Shao sat down, panting heavily, his feet aching to the point of numbness. He whispered, "Let's... take a break..."
The King of Chenliu was utterly exhausted, lacking even the strength to speak. He simply collapsed onto the grass pile and closed his eyes. They curled up together, leaning against each other, drifting into a half-dreaming state in the cold night.
In the courtyard before the grass pile, a middle-aged man suddenly awoke from his dream, drenched in cold sweat. He had dreamed of two red suns falling behind his estate, their brilliance blinding him and startling him upright.
"What does this mean?" he muttered to himself, feeling an unsettling anxiety in his heart. He put on his outer robe and stepped outside; the night wind hit him face-on, bringing a chill. He looked around but saw only a faint red glow rising from the grass pile behind his estate, as if the dream had come to life.
With confusion, he approached the grass pile. When he saw the source of the red light, he took a step back in shock. There were two ragged children huddled by the grass pile, covered in mud and wounds. What astonished him even more was that despite their disheveled appearance, these children bore an innate nobility in their demeanor that set them apart from ordinary people.
"What happened?" mansion's Master murmured as he hurriedly crouched down to check on them. "Who are you? How did you end up here?"
Emperor Shao opened his weary eyes; his voice was as fragile as a feather. "We... we need help..."
mansion's Master was taken aback, sensing that these two children might be of extraordinary origin. After pondering for a moment, he draped his outer robe over Emperor Shao and said softly, "Come with me to my house; you'll freeze to death like this."
In the night, the courtyard door slowly closed behind them, leaving behind a profound silence. The fireflies continued to flicker in the distance, as if whispering ancient songs about a fateful encounter.
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