Chapter 25: Sending Off the Soul (III)

After riding at full speed for nearly two hours, Yao Si believed they had escaped danger. Glancing briefly at An Qingen, Yao Si dismounted indifferently. He casually took An Lushan off the horse, his gaze toward An Qingen filled with coldness.
“He’s your sworn brother.”
“Yes.”
“You actually intend to kill your own sworn brother with your own hands?”
“No, I didn’t.”
An Qingen stared in horror at the handsome young man before him. He felt he couldn’t face this young man—his eyes were so cold, as if they wanted to tear him apart.
“Didn’t? Haha!” Yao Si laughed in anger, his finger pointing at An Qingen trembling with rage.
“I didn’t. I only stabbed him three inches below his ribs, where there are fewer blood vessels, so it shouldn’t be life-threatening.”
“Are you sure?”
A flicker appeared in his once-cold eyes—there was no greater sorrow than a broken heart. Learning that his elder brother still had a chance of survival, all of Yao Si’s hatred seemed unimportant now.
Just as they were about to help Yan Xu up and treat his wounds, they heard the sound of horse hooves approaching from afar.
“Bad news!”
They shouted almost simultaneously.
The faint sounds grew clearer as nearly a thousand cavalry riders emerged from the darkness of the night.
Pulling Yan Xu onto the horse, An Qingen shouted, “You two go first. I’ll hold them off.”
After a brief pause, he added, “But you have to let him go. After all, he’s my grandfather.”
“Fine. I’ll do you this favor, but I hope you can persuade him not to defy fate again.”
Touched by An Qingen, Yao Si nodded slightly.
Without waiting for Yao Si to say more, An Qingen spurred his horse back in the direction they came from.
Under the ink-black night sky, a cold crescent moon cast its dim light over the land. A handsome man dressed in black, wielding a fine steel sword, stood alone on horseback in front of thousands of armored cavalry.
“Third young master, step aside.”
Tian Chengsi glanced at An Qingen disdainfully and snapped. If it were anyone else, they would never dare treat the third son of the military governor so rudely, but Tian Chengsi simply refused to show this kid any courtesy.
He was a loyal follower of the second young master, Qingxu, and the rivalry between the second young master and Qingen was well-known—nearly irreconcilable. As a loyal follower of the second young master, he naturally had to do his duty. It was already good enough that he didn’t deliberately cause trouble for An Qingen—how could he expect him to treat him kindly?
“Uncle Tian, don’t force me. Once they’re far away, you can go and bring Grandfather back.”
“Haha. I thought you were wronged, but it seems you really betrayed the military governor.”

Tian Chengsi snapped, “You traitor, won’t you step aside quickly? Do you really want to force me to kill you right here on the battlefield?”
“Uncle Tian, as long as I’m here, I won’t let you pass—unless you kill me first.”
An Qing’en’s tone was icy, and under the starlight, it carried an even more deadly aura.
“Very well. Since you’re so stubborn, let me eliminate you, this traitor, on behalf of the military governor.”
An Qing’en’s words suited Tian Chengsi’s plans perfectly. Since the military governor wasn’t here, he could kill An Qing’en first to rid the second young master of this great threat. If the military governor questioned him later, he could shift all the blame onto Yan and Yao—likely without suspicion.
With that thought, Tian Chengsi waved his hand, and several archers nocked their arrows. The buzzing sound was somewhat annoying, but soon a net of arrows rushed toward An Qing’en.
An Qing’en was truly remarkable. Facing such a deadly threat, he remained calm, skillfully blocking the arrows with his sword and emerging unharmed despite being under a barrage of shots.
Seeing this, Tian Chengsi grew frustrated. He drew his own powerful bow, nocked an arrow, and with a swift sound, an arrow flew through the night sky, striking the right eye of An Qing’en’s horse. The horse neighed and collapsed, and An Qing’en, unable to dodge, fell to the ground as more arrows surrounded him.
In that instant, the image in An Qing’en’s eyes was crystal clear—he could even see the patterns on the arrow shafts and the fin-like designs on the arrowheads.
Blood seeped from An Qing’en’s chest. Gently holding his dead horse, he struggled to stand. Using all his strength, he drove his steel sword into the ground. The handsome man, covered in arrows, wore a faint smile as he stood firm in the ink-black night, facing north.
At that moment, he felt nothing but joy。……
Racing across mountains and ridges through the night.
Having traveled from Fanyang for over ten days, Yao Si dared not relax for even a moment. After all, Hebei was An Lushan’s stronghold, and the local officials were all his loyal followers. Once An Lushan learned he had escaped, he would surely order his subordinates to hunt him down. Any delay could mean being caught by them.

However, ever since entering Hedong Circuit, the pressure he faced had significantly decreased. Although An Lushan also held the position of military governor of Hedong, Hedong was after all located in the Central Plains, not in a border region. After over a decade of careful efforts, An Lushan had largely taken control of the military forces in that area, but he couldn’t buy over every official. As long as he didn’t act too ostentatiously, An Lushan probably wouldn’t dare openly lead his subordinates to the northern capital of the Tang Dynasty…

After rushing through Loufan, the two had reached the territory of Taiyuan Commandery. Yan Xu’s injuries had mostly healed, and with frequent stops along the way, the atmosphere was quite relaxed.

The light gray night sky began to turn pale at dawn. Yao Si glanced back at Yan Xu, who was lying on the horse’s back. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he sighed softly—feeling quite ashamed inside.

Recalling his farewell with An Qingen the previous night, Yao Si was deeply troubled. The handsome man rode away with his long sleeves fluttering, his three-foot-long sword emitting a terrifying cold glow under the moonlight.

Yao Si could clearly see the determination in An Qingen’s bright eyes—he was willing to sacrifice his bright future for his sworn brother. Yet, after all, he was An Lushan’s own son. Surely, even a fierce tiger wouldn’t harm its own offspring; An Lushan wouldn’t do anything to him.

It was unexpected that such a traitorous thief as An Lushan could produce such a loyal and righteous son. Truly, fate was capricious.

The young man was able to act with righteousness and suppress his own desires at such a young age, which Yao Si greatly admired. Although filial piety was considered the foundation of the state, it was based on loyalty. An Lushan’s attempt to rebel was a grave crime.

As a son, An Qingen should fulfill his filial duties to his parents to repay their kindness in bringing him into the world. But his grandfather was nothing but an ambitious traitor. Since ancient times, it has been impossible to balance loyalty and filial piety—only he himself could understand the pain involved.

Yao Si took a deep breath, calming his thoughts. Even for the sake of An Qingen’s feelings, he couldn’t allow Brother Yan Xu to encounter any further danger.