Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 206 Wind Erosion Buries Bones
A cool breeze swept through the crevice in the rock, brushed against Shentu Zhuo's cheek, and woke him up.

He was still a little dazed when he opened his eyes, not understanding why he was sleeping in such a place. Turning his head to look around, he saw a few fine pieces of incense ash scattered around his ears, still retaining a slight aftertaste.

Having overcome the brief dizziness, Shentu Zhuo stood up, supporting himself against the rock wall.

Memories gradually flooded back—

Oops!

His elder brother had betrayed him and used sleeping potion to prolong his unconsciousness. He must have been determined to abandon him and assassinate the general who was making contact with the caravan!

What's going on outside?

As dawn broke, the desert wind, carrying sand, swept across his face. He had been too disoriented to discern the scent earlier, but now, after taking a few deep breaths, he could faintly smell the stench of blood.

Shen Tu Zhuo leaped down from the crevice dozens of feet high and ran towards the camp of the Fengtai caravan.

There was an unusual silence there.

The once bustling and noisy camp was now littered with people lying haphazardly on the ground. However, upon closer inspection, they were all men who couldn't help in the situation; the team leader and several key figures were nowhere to be seen.

All the porters temporarily hired from Tazichang were unconscious. Judging from the earthenware bowls that had fallen beside them, they had likely eaten food and soup laced with drugs. It wasn't fatal, just a deep sleep. The long-term laborers and workers of the Fengtai caravan weren't so lucky. Most of them noticed the strangeness in the camp and tried to find the person responsible. They could see obvious signs of resistance, but to no avail.

A thin line appeared on the neck of each of these people, and the gushing blood congealed into a dark brown color on the yellow sand.

They were all dealt with cleanly and efficiently, killed with a single blow.

During the conflict, camouflage crates overturned, and silks were spread out, some buried by yellow sand, others soaked in blood. Several camels, however, seemed oblivious, licking large chunks of salt.

From this scene, Shen Tu Zhuo could almost deduce what had happened.

At dawn, the leader, accompanied by a few trusted men, delivered the fine iron weapons to the crossbowmen. Shen Tu Heng drugged him and returned to the camp, poisoning the remaining porters and killing any who resisted to silence them. Judging by the time, he should have caught up with the leader by now, intending to assassinate him during the handover.

Can't wait any longer!
Following the camel tracks and cart tracks left by the camels carrying goods, Shentu Zhuo headed to the trading location. It was a "windy city," surrounded by mushroom-shaped mounds formed by wind erosion and winding rock walls, like a strangely shaped maze with intricate paths, where it was easy to go astray if one was not careful.

Fortunately, there was no severe sandstorm today. After wandering around, Shen Tu Zhuo finally saw the caravan's camels and cargo boxes outside a stone hollow in Fengcheng.

However, he arrived too late.

The crates had been opened, inspected, and hastily used. From deep within the stone hollow came the clanging of metal and the argument between the team leader and the crossbowmen.

He heard someone angrily cursing in a crossbow: "You've cheated us! The people of Daxuan are indeed untrustworthy!"

The team leader was speechless: "No! We didn't! I don't know where that person came from! Really, believe me, he's not one of ours!"

However, the enraged crossbowmen refused to listen to him: "The assassin came with you. The general has been killed, and none of you will escape. You will all stay and pay with your lives!"

Then came another wave of chaos, mixed with the team leader's desperate cries.

The general is dead? My brother succeeded in the assassination? But the enemy has too many people, can he still escape? Shen Tu Zhuo was extremely anxious. He rushed towards the depths of the stone cave, cutting down the remaining soldiers as he passed over the many cargo boxes and corpses.

"Catch the assassin! He stole the general's secret letter!"

"Chase him! Don't let him get away!"

Fengcheng was too big. Shentu Zhuo could only hear the echoes blocked by the rock walls, but could not distinguish the direction. He soon lost his target and could only wander around in circles among the mounds.

"Here! The assassin has accomplices! Hmm!"

He would kill any lone crossbowmen he saw, his face splattered with blood.

While searching for his way, Shen Tu Zhuo was suddenly grabbed by the hem of his clothes, forcing him to stop.

The team leader, stabbed through the chest, still tried to survive: "Ah, Ah Zhuo... save me..." He looked down and asked, "Where's Ah Sha? Where did Ah Sha run off to?"

The team leader's eyes widened: "You, you and he... are in cahoots..."

"I'm asking you! Where did he go!"

"You...you are the Crown Prince..." The leader's pupils dilated from the blood loss, and he could no longer utter a sound.

"You bastard!" Shen Tu Zhuo threw him aside and continued searching.

Several fresh trails of blood stretched across the sand, extending into the distant rocky hills. Shen Tu Zhuo immediately recognized that this was the escape route his brother would choose.

But where are the others? Why haven't they left yet?

Shen Tu Zhuo clenched his fists, his throat bitter. At this moment, he realized that his brother might not have wanted to escape. He had lured the enemy with his own body to exhaust all their fighting strength.

He is clearing all obstacles for him.
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Shen Tu Heng was already exhausted and was fighting on instinct. He knew he was powerless to break through, but he believed that Shen Tu Zhuo could finish what they had left unfinished.

Finally, he found his only hope.

Shen Tu Zhuo charged in, tearing a bloody path through the enemy lines.

If a knife gets dull, just get a new one; what's there to fear if it adds to the wound? The two brothers were almost soaked in blood, but they didn't give up. The terrain of Fengcheng provided natural escape routes, and the crossbowmen were scattered throughout the city. Not many of them were facing them head-on. Shen Tu Zhuo fought and retreated, temporarily dragging his brother to a safe place.

My brother has too many wounds and they must be treated first, otherwise he will bleed to death before he even gets out of here.

“Brother, don’t worry, we can get out of here.” Shen Tu Zhuo put him down, tore at his own clothes, and bandaged him up.

"Don't waste your energy." Shen Tu Heng smiled. "There are two big holes in your heart that can't be plugged."

"No, brother, hang in there. I still have some medicine that Fufeng gave me, brother..." Pushing aside his clothes, Shen Tu Zhuo looked at the two shocking wounds and his eyes immediately turned red.

"You've come at the right time. It seems Fufeng calculated the dosage of the sleeping incense very accurately." Shentu Heng let him try to heal him in vain, looking up at the dawning sky. "It's a pity it doesn't smell as good as hers, does it? Cough cough, um..."

Seeing him cough up large mouthfuls of blood, Shen Tu Zhuo's hands trembled: "Brother, don't speak."

Patting his hand reassuringly, Shen Tu Heng took out a silk scroll sealed with wax from his bosom: "This is a secret letter from General Ti Nu and Grand Minister of Works, detailing their collusion. The transaction records can be found at the caravan camp. Take this back with you..."

The wax pellet was stained a glaring red with blood.

Fresh blood kept gushing out, and it was impossible to stop it.

Shentu Zhuo released his grip, took the wax pill, and calmed down: "I understand, don't worry."

Shen Tu Heng coughed a few more times, his body quickly weakening, but his eyes shone even brighter.

He said, "It's good, Xiao Zhuo, I can finally be free..." His voice gradually weakened, "I should have died in that valley long ago, I only lingered on for a few more days..."

"I'm just glad that my mother doesn't know... I've been given a second chance at life..."

"And then there's her... all this time, I've only ever been her deceased husband, and she and I... I've never even met..."

"Xiao Zhuo, don't tell her... don't say anything, that's fine."

"There's no need for another person... to be sad for me."

As the morning sun shone brightly over the desert, Shentu Zhuo carried his brother's corpse, trudging through the yellow sand.

Cai Zhu'er woke up with a start from her dream.
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　Next chapter: He was saying goodbye to me.

　　(End of this chapter)