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墨書 Inktalez
Thick smoke and fierce 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 picture of disarray, armor askew, with blood and dirt smeared across their skin. The shouts of battle and the sound of pursuing horse hooves grew ever closer, each step echoing like the footsteps of death.
"Faster, faster!" Zhang Rang urged, pulling Emperor Shao along while glancing back at Duan Gui, his voice laced with terror. "If we get caught, it’s all over for us!"
Duan Gui gasped for breath, gripping a short sword tightly in his hand as he scanned the surroundings for an escape route. "Zhang Rang, do you really think bringing the emperor will save us? To these people, there’s no such thing as a sovereign! We’re just living targets!"
"With the emperor, we still have some leverage!" Zhang Rang shouted back, sweat streaming down his face, his eyes reflecting a desperate stubbornness. "If we abandon him, do you think they’ll spare our lives?"
Young and exhausted, Emperor Shao was being dragged along by Zhang Rang, tears mingling with dust blurring 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 the boy's hand in anger but quickly realized that Emperor Shao had fallen to the ground in fright. After a moment's hesitation, he pulled him back up, gritting his teeth and whispering fiercely, "You listen to me! I want to keep you alive!"
Duan Gui was already in a panic; seeing the flames draw closer made his fear impossible to hide. He stopped in his tracks, looking around wildly 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, disbelief and anger flooding his eyes.
Duan Gui had already turned to run, even throwing down the short sword he held. "Taking them along means certain death! If you want to fight to the end, go ahead; I’m not joining you!"
"Duan Gui! You bastard!" Zhang Rang ground his teeth in fury 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 firelight illuminated Zhang Rang's pale face. He tightened his grip on Emperor Shao's hand and suddenly pushed him into a nearby thicket. "Hide here and don’t make a sound!" he commanded in a low voice.
Crouching in the bushes, Emperor Shao looked at Zhang Rang in terror but could not utter a word. He watched as Zhang Rang drew a dagger and stood by the riverbank, facing the firelight and the advancing soldiers. His body trembled slightly, yet there was a glint of mad determination in his eyes.
"Zhang Rang, don’t run!" came Min Gong's thunderous shout from afar as the soldiers drew nearer.
Zhang Rang sneered coldly, stepping back to the riverbank while fixing his gaze on the approaching soldiers. He pointed the dagger at his own chest and murmured softly to himself, "Living is just dying slowly; I might as well take matters into my own hands..."
Before his words could fade, he suddenly plunged the dagger into his heart, arching his body backward as he sank into the darkness, accompanied by the sound of the river churning.
Emperor Shao lay hidden 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 in a ball, sobbing softly, "Brother, are we going to die?"
The pursuers rushed past, the flames gradually fading into the distance. 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, mocking this absurd escape.
The dew was icy and the night 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 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 to find us when dawn breaks." Yet he knew that this was merely a consolation. His stomach was empty, and the cold wind pierced through to his bones, 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 someone finds us, we'll be 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 unfastened his tattered sleeve and tore it into strips to make a long rope, securely tying it around both of them. He whispered, "Stay close to me and don't fall."
They climbed step by step up the bank, their hands scratched by thorns that drew thin lines of blood. The pain made the King of Chenliu gasp quietly, but he bit down hard on his teeth to keep from crying out. Surrounding them was an impenetrable darkness; from deep within the grass came faint sounds of insects, 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 stopped in his tracks, feeling just as lost. He glanced around anxiously; all he saw was darkness and dense shadows of trees.
At that moment, a faint light suddenly appeared in the darkness, flickering like stars before them. More points of light followed suit—fireflies swarmed around them, their twinkling glow illuminating the night.
"Brother, look!" The King of Chenliu exclaimed in delight as he looked up with shining eyes. "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 of them supported each other, struggling to follow the guidance of the fireflies. The flickering lights in the darkness seemed to carve out a path for them. After a short while, they finally caught sight of a faint trail, bringing a glimmer of comfort to their hearts.
However, their steps grew heavier, and eventually, they could not hold on any longer. 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... rest for a moment..."
The King of Chenliu was utterly exhausted, lacking even the strength to speak. He simply collapsed onto the grass 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 woke from his dream, drenched in cold sweat. He had dreamt that two red suns fell behind his estate, their brilliance blinding him and startling him awake.
"What does this mean?" he murmured to himself, feeling an unsettling anxiety. 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 curiosity, he approached the grass pile. When he saw the source of the red light, he took a step back in shock. It was two ragged children huddled by the grass pile, covered in dirt and wounds. What astonished him even more was that despite their disheveled appearance, there was an innate nobility in their demeanor that set them apart from ordinary people.
"What happened?" the 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..."
The mansion's Master was taken aback, sensing that these two children might be of extraordinary origin. After a moment of contemplation, he draped his outer robe over Emperor Shao and said softly, "Come with me inside; you'll freeze to death out here."
As night fell deeper, the doors of the courtyard slowly closed behind them, leaving behind an eerie silence. The fireflies continued to flicker in the distance, as if whispering ancient songs about a fateful encounter.
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