CH 59: Hidden Experts

Han Ruzi wrested himself free from Cai Xinghai’s grasp, stood up, and drew the Founding Emperor’s sword. He stared nervously at the top of the wall; the agonizing screams from over the wall likely came from the three eunuchs left behind.

Cai Xinghai also got up, his right foot in even more pain. But it seemed like a twisted ankle rather than a fracture, so he ignored it. The long bamboo pole was left inside the wall, but his belt still held a short blade he had snatched. He drew it and stood shoulder to shoulder with the Emperor.

Zhang Youcai, being small and light, jumped down from the wall over six meter high without a scratch. However, he had no weapon in hand and could only clench his fists, ready for a desperate fight.

The three of them looked up at the top of the wall together.

The screams inside the wall stopped quickly. Zhang Youcai said, “If we could attract the nearby guards…”

Before he could finish his sentence, a hand appeared at the top of the wall, knocked down a tile, and fell back down.

Cai Xinghai breathed a sigh of relief. At least none of the pursuing blade-wielders were true martial arts experts. “Let’s go, Your Majesty. We must leave quickly.”

Han Ruzi nodded, and Cai Xinghai led the way, limping with gritted teeth while Zhang Youcai followed behind. As they walked, Zhang Youcai kept looking back, occasionally catching a glimpse of a hand appearing above the wall. After about a dozen steps, he could not help but say, “These people are really stupid. They can jump so high; why don’t they just form a human ladder to climb up?”

Zhang Youcai remembered this idea since that was what he had done before.

Cai Xinghai paused, looked back, and immediately quickened his pace, limping even more noticeably. Han Ruzi caught up and supported the eunuch’s arm with his left hand. “Are you injured?”

Cai Xinghai hastily transferred the short knife from his right hand to his left and said, “Your Majesty need not worry. It’s just a twisted ankle, and I can bear it. On the battlefield, this wouldn’t even count as an injury.”

To prove that he was fine, Cai Xinghai walked even faster. After a few steps, beads of sweat appeared on his face. Han Ruzi looked around as they walked down a very long alley. On one side was the wall of an inner palace, and on the other was a similarly high red wall, behind which was an unknown palace garden.

There was nowhere to escape.

Zhang Youcai, from behind, shouted, “They’re climbing up!”

The blade-wielders finally figured out how to scale the walls. They sprang up one after another, some jumping into the alley to give chase, while others ran atop the wall, causing the tiles to rattle.

Cai Xinghai looked ahead and saw no end to the alley. With his injured leg, he would not be able to outrun the pursuers. He decided to stop and said to the Emperor, “I have led Your Majesty into danger, and my crime is unforgivable. Please allow me to stay behind and fight these traitors to the death. Your Majesty…”

“I shall stay behind too.” Han Ruzi also knew that escape was impossible. He gripped his sword and faced the pursuers, saying reassuringly, “They would not dare kill me.”

In his heart, he was not entirely sure. With the Empress Dowager and Prince Donghai in Luo Huan-zhang’s hands, they might truly want to kill the puppet Emperor to eliminate future troubles.

Ashamed and grateful, Cai Xinghai held his blade and stood in front of the Emperor, staring at the blade-wielders at the forefront of the pursuers.

Zhang Youcai stood beside the Emperor, wanting to find a stone or something, but the alley was so clean that there wasn’t even a single straw. He had no choice but to clench his fists and raise them in front of his chest, muttering, “Come on, let’s see who’s stronger.”

There were ten blade-wielders chasing on the ground, five running on the wall, and several more who had not climbed up yet. The wall was covered with uneven tiles, but those running on them were even faster than those on the ground, perhaps to demonstrate their extraordinary skills. The broken tiles kept falling, forcing even their allies in the alley to dodge.

Cai Xinghai did not spot any martial arts experts and felt somewhat relieved. He secretly calculated how many he could defeat but found the situation difficult. He regreted not bringing more people with him.

The blade-wielder running at the forefront on the wall was now less than ten steps away. He leaped high sideways, aiming to defeat the enemy with an overwhelming force and secure the great merits of a ‘first kill’.

Cai Xinghai suddenly let out a loud shout. Though he was a eunuch, his roar still retained seventy or eighty percent of its imposing presence. It was as if he had returned to the borderlands, this time facing not the Xiongnu cavalry but a pack of wild wolves.

The blade-wielder who leaped on the wall appeared to be startled by the shout, swayed, and fell off the wall to the other side.

Zhang Youcai used his sharp voice to yell as well, intending to echo Cai Xinghai’s roar. Unexpectedly, it was effective too. Another blade-wielder fell from the wall, and he too fell off the wall to the other side.

“Haha, cowards!” Zhang Youcai was ecstatic.

However, Cai Xinghai was puzzled. Even if their roars were truly that powerful, the blade-wielders should have fallen over to their side of the wall. Why did they fall to the other side?

While he was still perplexed, the blade-wielders in the alley arrived. Two of them reached him at the same time. They did not wait for their companions behind and directly charged with their blades.

Cai Xinghai roared, “Protect His Majesty!” He then took big strides to meet them. As an experienced soldier, he had no fancy moves like those in the pugilist world. He swung his short blade at the head with great speed, force, and momentum. The oncoming blade-wielder was taken aback, stopped, and dodged. Cai Xinghai’s blade lifted upward, striking the second blade-wielder.

The two blades collided, and the blade-wielder, running too fast and with an unstable footing, failed to grip his blade with sufficient force. His short blade slipped out of his hand, and he was frightened. It scared him into rolling on the ground to narrowly escape the deadly strike.

Zhang Youcai cheered loudly, and Han Ruzi also shouted. He raised his sword and wanted to rush forward but was firmly held back by Zhang Youcai, “Your Majesty, don’t worry. Let Brother Cai handle it for now.”

More blade-wielders caught up, spreading out, and only one or two went forward to fight the plump eunuch at a time. If they did not land a hit, they immediately retreated, and another person took their place.

The sun had set, and the alley quickly darkened. Cai Xinghai roared and swung his blade like a mighty lion. At first, he had the upper hand, but gradually his movements slowed down. His leg injury prevented him from pursuing his enemies, wasting many opportunities.

The surrounding blade-wielders sensed they had the situation under control and began to converse.

“Don’t rush, the eunuch is almost out of energy.”

“Send a few people to block the back.”

“Don’t hurt the Emperor.”

“What happened to those two on the wall earlier?”

“They must have run too hastily.”

The sky darkened, and the alley became especially dim and lightless. Only vague figures could be seen. Cai Xinghai stumbled and staggered without killing a single blade-wielder, all the while putting himself in constant danger. Growing more anxious, he forced himself to endure the pain in his leg and pursued one of the blade-wielders.

The blade-wielder was prepared and dodged to the side. Unexpectedly, he slipped and fell. Before he could brace himself with his hands, a blade struck his neck, and he collapsed without making a sound.

The other blade-wielders were shocked, and Cai Xinghai’s spirits were lifted. He brandished his blade and charged towards the second blade-wielder. The blade-wielder did not want to fight head-on and tried to retreat. However, for some reason, his knee buckled, causing him to kneel forward and offer his head to the eunuch’s blade.

With two blade-wielders taken down, the others retreated. Finally, someone who understood the situation shouted, “Be careful, the eunuch has help!”

Cai Xinghai knew that his victory was not normal, but he could not worry about that now. He swung his short blade, limping as he chased his enemies. Whether they tried to run or face him, they always lost their balance at the last moment, becoming ghosts under his blade.

By the time he cut down the fifth blade-wielder, his short blade was bent and stuck in the enemy’s shoulder, unable to be pulled out. The blade-wielder screamed, turned around, and ran away with the blade still embedded in his shoulder.

Cai Xinghai was now unarmed.

Han Ruzi could no longer stand by and watch. He pushed Zhang Youcai aside, shouted, and charged forward.

The Emperor’s martial arts were even more miraculous. While Cai Xinghai had to swing and strike with his blade, actually cutting into his enemies, the Emperor merely had to raise his sword. Whomever he charged at would fall, either clutching their leg or covering their stomach, rolling on the ground and screaming in pain.

“There are martial arts experts in ambush!” The remaining blade-wielders could not locate the enemy and had no idea how many opponents they were facing. Their fear intensified, and they turned to run. Even the injured on the ground tried to crawl away, leaving behind four corpses, all killed by Cai Xinghai.

Han Ruzi was not satisfied since his sword had not even been stained with blood. He wanted to chase an injured blade-wielder, but Zhang Youcai held him back tightly, “Your Majesty, do not pursue.”

Cai Xinghai panted heavily and bowed to the surroundings, “May I ask which brothers from the Imperial Guards are here? His Majesty is present, and you all have done a great service in protecting him. Please come forward and meet him.”

There was no response, only the whistling of the wind.

Cai Xinghai picked up a short blade from the ground and looked around a few more times before speaking to the Emperor, “Your Majesty, let’s leave. These guards… might not want to reveal themselves.”

“They won’t claim credit for such a great service?” Zhang Youcai found it hard to believe.

Han Ruzi also found it strange. He turned and walked a few steps before suddenly shouting, “It’s you! I know it’s you!”

Cai Xinghai looked surprised and asked, “Your Majesty, do you recognize… It was just one person?”

Still, no one responded or appeared.

Han Ruzi shook his head, “I was just guessing.” He remembered that the person did not wish to be revealed.

Zhang Youcai wanted to help the Emperor, but Han Ruzi told him to assist Cai Xinghai instead. The three of them walked out of the alley and saw two roads ahead: one extending to the south and the other pointing east.

Cai Xinghai said, “Let’s head east; it should lead us to the Ancestral Temple.”

“You know the way, right, Brother Cai? I’m lost,” Zhang Youcai had entered the palace when he was just over ten years old and only had a limited understanding of the palace layout.

Cai Xinghai nodded, “I once participated in ceremonial proceedings at the Ancestral Temple. At that time, I still had… I was still an army officer. We entered the temple from the south main gate, which leads to the Hall of Diligent Administration.”

“We need to find a place to rest for a while,” Han Ruzi said.

“I’m fine, Your Majesty. We shouldn’t stay here for long. The rebels will surely catch up with us again,” Cai Xinghai said, trying to show that he was fine. To prove it, he jumped lightly, but the pain made him grit his teeth and he couldn’t help but let out a couple of groans.

“We need to find a place to rest for a while,” Han Ruzi said.

“I’m fine, Your Majesty. We can’t stay here for long, the rebels will definitely catch up again,” Cai Xinghai said, trying to show he was fine by hopping lightly. However, the pain made him grimace, and he could not help but groan twice.

“There will not be any senior officials at the Hall of Diligent Administration at this time, so going there would be useless. Let’s hide until morning. What is this place, and why is it so deserted?”

Cai Xinghai was not very familiar with the palace. He could only estimate their general location but not pinpoint their exact whereabouts. So, he shook his head.

The three continued on, and suddenly Zhang Youcai slapped his forehead with his free hand, “I remember now, isn’t this the Eastern Palace, the manor of the Crown Prince?”

“Huh? The Crown Prince’s Manor is not here,” Han Ruzi, who had lived in the Crown Prince’s residence with his mother for several years, remembered it very clearly.

“This used to be the Crown Prince’s Manor,” Zhang Youcai recalled the palace rumors and talked about it excitedly, “Previous crown princes used to live here. After the Martial Emperor killed two crown princes, this place was left vacant. At first, there were still guards who kept watch, but later…” Zhang Youcai shivered and didn’t dare to continue.

“What happened later?” Han Ruzi asked curiously.

“The dead crown princes started haunting the place, so no one has lived here since. No wonder there were no guards coming when we made so much noise just now,” Zhang Youcai whispered, his voice trembling, “Could it be… the ones who saved the Emperor just now were…”

“Nonsense, those who saved the Emperor were martial arts experts,” Cai Xinghai did not quite believe in the ghost stories. And it was would be even more improper to believe in such tales in front of the emperor.

“Let’s hide here tonight,” Han Ruzi did not believe in ghosts either and thought this was an excellent place to hide.

Zhang Youcai was reluctant, but he did not dare object.

Just as Cai Xinghai was about to speak, a figure suddenly appeared from the dark wall ahead, standing straight, seemingly floating in the darkness. Zhang Youcai was frightened and clung tightly to Cai Xinghai’s arm.

“Who’s there?” Cai Xinghai shouted.

The figure stopped and said, “It is late, Your Majesty. Please return to the palace.”