Waiting for death with unresolved bitterness is painful, and not knowing when it would co is even more excruciating. Trapped in this tornt, unable to live or die willingly, Kuntai completely broke down, feeling his blood draining away, drip by drip, falling to the ground. The faint sound seed like the malevolent laughter of the Death God. Kuntai struggled desperately, forcing his blood to flow faster and faster, just to shorten the impending arrival of death.
Luo Zheng saw Kuntai's desire for death and guessed that Kuntai probably really didn't know Lan Xue's whereabouts. He did not go to stop him, but rather found a place to sit down. Looking up through the gaps in the leaves into the sky, beams of sunlight shone through, squinting his eyes. Luo Zheng's face turned sorrowful as he thought to himself, "Xue Er, where on earth are you?" His mind was filled with images of her, her smile and her frown, all vividly clear.
Despite a search by nearly ten thousand troops, there was no news. Ah Hu, the person most likely to know Lan Xue's whereabouts, had been killed. Kuntai was also clueless. Lan Xue had vanished into thin air, seen neither in life nor found in death. Deep down, Luo Zheng knew that Lan Xue was definitely not dead and was waiting for him to rescue her. This torture was unbearable.
He didn't know how much ti had passed when he felt soone pushing him. Turning around, he saw it was Shi Qingshan, and he was taken aback. He saw Shi Qingshan pointing towards Kuntai hanging from the tree, now silent. Luo Zheng sprang to his feet and walked over, checking for breath with his hand, but there was none; Kuntai's body had turned cold, and the blood from the wound on his neck had stopped flowing.
"He's dead," said Shi Qingshan.
"How long has it been?" Luo Zheng asked in reply.
"About an hour," Shi Qingshan answered.
Luo Zheng's eyes narrowed, and after a mont of reflection, he said, "Leave the body hanging here, lay mines around it. When the enemy arrives and discovers the body, they will surely try to take it down. A large number of pursuers gathering around could give us a chance."
"Understood!" Shi Qingshan looked startled but then smiled. The assault on Kuntai's camp had cost them five lives and left over twenty wounded. Everyone was holding back anger, waiting for revenge; naturally, they wouldn't miss such an opportunity. Shi Qingshan imdiately went to make arrangents.
After ten minutes, mines were laid around, and a bonfire was lit, with wet branches placed on top, sending up a column of black smoke. The smoke signal was sure to lead the pursuers here quickly. Everything was set, and once again the group hastened their march. The pangolin was at the back, looking at the fallen and injured being carried on stretchers. He felt a strong sense of guilt and wanted to help but was also afraid of slowing down the team.
Luo Zheng saw the pangolin lagging at the rear of the team and stopped to wait. He handed command of the troops to Shi Qingshan. Before long, the pangolin caught up, giving Luo Zheng a wry smile, not knowing what to say. Luo Zheng, equally burdened with a heavy heart, was at a loss for words of comfort himself. He patted the pangolin on the shoulder and continued walking forward.
Only those who have lost a loved one can truly understand the feeling. The pangolin could sense Luo Zheng's deep sorrow and wanted to say a few words of consolation but found his mind blank, not knowing what to say. Instead, he said nothing, following closely behind Luo Zheng, determined not to fall behind and beco a burden.
An hour into their rapid march, a loud explosion sounded in the clear sky, obviously not thunder. The group thought of the enemies pursuing them and realized they had co so soon. They had covered the distance in just one hour. Luo Zheng dared not delay, urging the troops to quicken their pace. He knew there would be many opponents, and although they could handle one or two encounters in their current state, Luo Zheng did not want to see any more casualties. He was consud with guilt over the losses they had already suffered for his cause.
The team's pace had increased a bit, and before they knew it, noon had arrived. Everyone stopped to rest on a mountain ridge, ate so dry food and water, and each found a spot to relax their bodies and recover their strength. Seeing Luo Zheng's solemn expression, the pangolin ca over and said quietly, "Thinking about her, aren't you?"
"Mhm," Luo Zheng humd softly.
Surprised at grasping the basic situation, the pangolin thought for a mont and then said quietly, "I don't know how to advise you, but I want to remind you of two things. First, your mood is affecting the team's morale. Seeing you in so much pain, everyone else is feeling even more distressed. This will impact our marching speed. Secondly, I want to remind you of a saying once told to by a religious master, 'Where you have lost, there you shall find again.' Whether it's correct, I don't know, but I now pass it on to you, hoping it helps."
"Where you have lost, there you shall find again?" Luo Zheng was taken aback, suddenly gaining so insight. He nodded gratefully and replied, "Thank you for the reminder, I know what I must do now. This forced march, can your body take it? Otherwise, I could have the brothers make a stretcher to carry you."
"No need. I've already been enough trouble for you all. I still have so strength left—rest assured, I promise not to slow you down. There's sothing I'm not sure whether I should ntion," the pangolin said softly.
"What is it?" Luo Zheng asked curiously.
"Kuntai's n include the nine great Vajra, and after Ah Hu's death, there are still eight great Vajra left. They are a discordant group, always covertly fighting each other for power and profit, and no one really respects the others. Now that Kuntai is dead, I estimate they will embark on a frenzied pursuit to kill us, as whoever succeeds will beco the new leader," the pangolin said quietly, his insights into human nature quite accurate, given his intelligence background.
Luo Zheng's expression changed and he fell into deep thought. After a while, he asked softly, "If that's the case, we'll be in great trouble. It seems we need to co up with a strategy. Your reminder is very tily." Saying this, Luo Zheng called over Shi Qingshan and the team leaders and shared the pangolin's analysis with them.
As everyone listened, their expressions beca grave. Normally, the pursuers would halt their pursuit upon seeing Kuntai's body, resuming their internal struggles. However, with the elimination of their group as the criterion, the intensity of the pursuit was bound to be different. Precautions must be taken. Luo Zheng looked at Shi Qingshan, who after so thought said, "We must split the forces. Have the slower brethren carrying the wounded leave first. We'll keep the faster ones. It doesn't have to be a large number, just the fittest. We'll find an opportunity to strike them a blow, then withdraw in another direction to divert the pursuers."
"What do you all think?" Luo Zheng asked the other team leaders, seeing that Shi Qingshan's thoughts were similar to his own.
Everyone nodded in agreent. The battlefield has its own rules; sacrificing a small part to save the majority was one of them, and using the most elite forces to draw away the enemy while covering others' retreat was another. There were no reasons to object. One of the injured team leaders said with fervor, "Brothers, I'll be moving out first. Please take care of everything. When I return, we'll have a drink."
Seeing no objections, Luo Zheng left the details of splitting the team to Shi Qingshan and stepped aside, pondering over the pangolin's words. Where you have lost, there you shall find? His anxious heart had found so peace.
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