The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 47 River God Temple

"Who?!"

A sliver of moonlight pierced through the branches, dappling and fragmented, revealing a tall figure in the forest.

Xiao Yi lowered his blood-dripping ring-pommel sword, knowing that it was not the short and stocky Cao Dang.

Zhang Mantun slashed through the bushes, dragged his wounded body back, and spat out a mouthful of thick, bloody phlegm.

"Damn it, that dog escaped into the woods and got away. It's completely dark now, and I can't find any bloodstains."

He suddenly raised his voice and questioned Xiao Yi, "Where is the young master?! Where did you take him?"

"Let them go."

Xiao Yi spoke in a calm tone, seemingly unconcerned.

Zhang Mantun instantly became anxious, took a step closer, and said, "How could you...?"

Xiao Yi grabbed his collar and shouted sharply, "If Cao Dang doesn't die, the truth will definitely come out. You can take care of him for a while, but can you help him escape being hunted down for a lifetime?"

"Then what should I do? I'll go after that guy again!"

"Not urgent."

Zhang Mantun immediately stopped and said anxiously, "I'm so anxious, how can I not be?"

Xiao Yi said, "I plan to go to Yedu to join General Guo and raise an army to purge the court of corrupt officials. Tieya, if you really want to save Shi Dechong's life and if you really want Shi Hongzhao to be exonerated and die in peace, then come with me. Only then will your loyalty and ambition be worthwhile."

He said this not only to Zhang Mantun, but also to Lü You and Fan Si behind him.

Sure enough, you could hear Lü You and Fan Si breathing rapidly.

Xiao Yi knew that their surrender was only out of desperation, so he continued, "The corrupt officials in Kaifeng are in power, fighting for power and framing loyal ministers. In my opinion, only General Guo is the rightful ruler to end this chaos. What do you think? Are you willing to follow me north to seek a bright future?"

Zhang Mantun asked, "How do you know that Guo Que'er is the Xiong Zhu?"

"Having spent so long in the Shi family study, how could I not know the general trend of the world? Commander Guo has the support of the people, and his great cause is just around the corner. When the army enters Kaifeng, you will not only avoid implicating your relatives, but you will also be able to save them from disaster. The opportunity for a great man to achieve success and protect his family is fleeting. If you don't seize it today, when will you?!"

As he spoke, Xiao Yi turned around and looked at Lü You and Fan Si.

Both men were visibly shaken, a flicker of ambition ignited in their eyes like a flame. They immediately clasped their hands in a fist salute, their voices trembling with excitement.

"I am willing to follow Commander Xiao to the death!"

"Wherever the captain goes, Fan Si will go; even if it means going through fire and water, he will not flinch!"

"Alright!" Xiao Yi nodded heavily. "From now on, we'll live and die together, share wealth and honor. Tieya, what about you?"

Zhang Mantun's rugged face twitched twice, and finally, he muttered something under his breath.

"As long as you're not lying to me."

"Of course I won't lie to you."

Xiao Yi raised his hand and patted the shoulder of the tower-like man.

"Don't touch me. Tell me how you chased the dog. It's dark and the forest is deep; it won't be easy to search him."

“The River God Temple.” Xiao Yi said decisively, “Since Cao Dang sent Xu Rang and the other two to make a fire and wait there, they will definitely go there to seek support after being injured.”

Fan Si hurriedly said, "What the captain says is absolutely right. I know the location of the River God Temple and can lead the way... Oh, right, Wei Liang is from my hometown. Could I persuade him to surrender to the captain?"

"Assuming it doesn't cause any problems. Tieya and Lü You, you'll be Xu Rang and Leopard by then."

"Yes, sir."

"Clean up the traces, and take the armor and weapons with you."

"Here."

The four men moved swiftly, collecting the equipment and disposing of the body.

Back on the official road, Xiao Yi found a crossbow in Cao Dang's warhorse's saddlebag and put it away.

They mounted their horses, led the unclaimed steeds, and galloped north along the official road.

The dark blue night sky was dotted with a few cold stars, and the wind felt like a knife cutting into his face, but Xiao Yi's heart was burning much hotter than before.

After only two or three miles, the outline of a dilapidated temple appeared in the thick twilight.

The outer wall of the River God Temple had collapsed, but the main hall was still relatively intact. The crooked gate, with its orange-red flames shining through, was particularly conspicuous in the night.

Xiao Yi pulled on the reins, slowing the horse down, and said, "Lü You, Fan Si, you ride over there and wait in front of the temple gate. Tie Ya and I will go around through the woods to avoid Cao Dang seeing the horses and discovering the ambush."

He led Zhang Mantun away from the official road, around through the woods to the back of the River God Temple, and tied the empty horse in the woods.

The two walked quickly to the back of the dilapidated temple, but he stopped Zhang Mantun and did not show himself immediately. Instead, he observed for a while and only stepped forward after seeing that Lü You and Fan Si had not notified Xu Rang in advance.

"Captain."

"Go inside and tell them that Cao and the others are treating their wounds in the back and will arrive later. Behave naturally and don't arouse their suspicion."

"Don't worry, Captain."

As you get closer, you can vaguely hear voices coming from inside, and even a faint aroma of food wafts over.

"Speaking of which, you shouldn't have hit Bu Hai with those military sticks today."

"Deputy Captain Xiao gave the order; there's no other way."

"The captain hasn't said anything, so you're listening to that young bird..."

"Tuk, Tuk, Tuk."

The four of them walked up to the dilapidated wooden door, knocked, and deliberately complained loudly about the weather.

Lu You called out, "Captain Xu, it's us back."

The dilapidated temple door was opened with an unpleasant creaking sound, and a wary head peeked out, warmed by the campfire—it was Wei Liang.

"Why did it take so long? The captain said he was looking for you."

Wei Liang's gaze unconsciously drifted to the dark official road, and he asked, "Where are Chief Cao and the others?"

“Miss Shi’s eggs are badly cracked and she can’t move them. The captain ordered us to come over first.”

"Help you unload your horses?"

"No need, it's freezing. Let's go inside and talk."

As he spoke, Fan Si pushed Wei Liang into the temple.

By the campfire, Xu Rang and Leopard had removed their armor and were wrapped in blankets to keep warm.

A copper pot was placed over the fire, simmering with meat broth.

"What did you cook? It's so bland!" Fan Si said to Wei Liang with a slight local accent.

"Itachi, I set this trap. I was just killing time anyway, so I set a trap."

"Your skills haven't declined," Fan Si said cheerfully, shoving him aside. "Let me try some." "Go away, Deputy Chief Xiao hasn't even had a taste yet," Xu Rang spat, looking at Zhang Mantun and asking, "This good-for-nothing actually abandoned his master?"

"He has no choice." Xiao Yi smiled faintly and said, "If there's good food, we won't leave any for the captain; we'll share it among ourselves."

Zhang Mantun entered, broke free from Lü You, and spat, "Your egg has cracked."

"Thank you, Deputy Chief Xiao." Xu Rang said lazily to Lü You, "New guy, ignore him, close the door tightly, it's freezing cold."

"Okay."

The group shared the weasel meat soup from the pot, then lay down around the campfire.

Wei Liang said, "I'll take the night watch."

"No need," Xiao Yi said. "Let Lü You guard the area tonight."

"Yes."

Xiao Yi and Zhang Mantun refused to stay by the campfire, saying it was too hot and dry, and each found a dark corner to lie down.

Thus, when Cao Dang returned, he would only see his subordinates through the crack in the door, and naturally would not guess that Lü You and Fan Si had betrayed him.

The night is getting darker.

The others then fell silent, and the temple became quiet. At first, only the crackling of the bonfire could be heard, but later, the sound of snoring rose and fell.

Xiao Yi fiddled with the crossbow and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep.

After an unknown amount of time, heavy, unsteady footsteps and suppressed breathing came from outside the door.

"squeak--"

The temple door was pushed open, and a dark figure stumbled out.

It was Cao Dang.

Cao Dang's face was ashen, his lips were purple, and the blood from the wound on his shoulder had soaked through half of his armor.

As Xiao Yi stared at Cao Dang, he raised his crossbow and took aim.

"despair."

"Xu...Xu Rang..."

Cao Dang was still calling for Xu Rang when the slight relaxation and hope on his face froze in an instant, turning into extreme horror and disbelief.

Pupils contracted; a chilling glint was already in their eyes.

"puff."

The arrow pierced Cao Dang's forehead with pinpoint accuracy, the force of which jolted his head back violently, sending up sprays of red and white foam.

"Oh!"

His short, stocky body slammed onto the threshold.

"kill."

As the arrow left the bowstring, Xiao Yi's cold command rang out.

Zhang Mantun could no longer contain himself. He roared, snatched a single-edged sword, and charged at Captain Xu Rang.

Lu You swung his sword at the leopard, which was still rubbing its eyes in confusion.

Xu Rang had just recovered from the shock of Cao Dang being shot when the blade was already in front of him. He instinctively raised his hand to block it.

With a crisp "crack," an arm was cleaved open by Zhang Mantun.

The blade's momentum didn't diminish; it slashed viciously into Xu Rang's neck.

"puff."

At the same time, the fierce soldier nicknamed "Leopard" screamed as Lü You plunged a knife into his heart. His body convulsed violently a few times before going completely limp and motionless.

"do not move!"

Fan Si simply held the knife to Wei Liang's neck and shouted, "Kneel down, or you'll get stabbed!"

"Clang."

Wei Liang's face turned pale. He dropped the knife in his hand, stammered, and said, "Little...Little Si, I surrender."

"Let me finish speaking before you surrender. We plan to follow Captain Guo to serve him wholeheartedly and make a great future for ourselves. What about you? Don't be so short-sighted."

"I surrender, I'll fight for your future... I'm willing to die for you, Captain!"

"Alright," Fan Si said, "Go and chop off Cao Dang's head, and use that as a pledge of loyalty."

Wei Liang nodded, knelt on the ground, kowtowed to Xiao Yi, and then slowly grasped the knife on the ground and walked to the door.

Xiao Yi said, "First, remove his armor, and give me the tokens and the things in his arms."

"Here!"

Besides the token, Cao Dang also had a map, several gold ingots, and a very fine dagger with the four characters "Yi Bu Yun Tian" engraved on its scabbard.

Xiao Yi gave the dagger to Zhang Mantun and casually tucked it into his boot.

What he valued most was the silk scroll that Li Ye had given him.

Unfolding it revealed a secret edict.

"Wang Yin commands troops in Chanzhou, has formed a clique and gathered followers, plotting rebellion and harming the country. You have always been loyal and righteous. I now order you to seize this opportunity to capture him and execute him on the spot. This matter must be kept secret. Do not leak even a little bit. My mind is made up. Do your best."

Furthermore, there was a large, bright seal stamped below, in seal script, bearing the eight characters "Received the Mandate of Heaven, May Virtue Prosper".

Li Ye claimed he sent them to test Wang Yin's attitude, but in reality, he had already decided to kill him.

Xiao Yi put away the secret edict, reached out to warm his hands by the campfire, and pondered deeply.

After a while, the other four men collected the armor and weapons, wiped the bloodstains clean, moved the body into the woods and disposed of it, and brought the horses back.

"Captain, it's all cleaned up."

"You've worked hard, get some rest tonight."

Lü You said, "Fan Si and I can take turns keeping watch at night."

"can."

The firelight illuminated Xiao Yi's face, making him appear calm and resolute, as if nothing that had happened was of any great importance.

The others then relaxed as well.

Zhang Mantun even grinned, went to find a military robe to change into, and put on his armor. Although the fabric was stretched taut, once his face was covered, he looked exactly like an old soldier, and you couldn't tell that he was a fugitive.

On a snowy night, the firelight in the River God Temple provided warmth, and the five of them spent a peaceful night there.

(End of this chapter)