A Step into the Past

Volume 11 8

Book 11 Chapter 08 – An Earth-Shaking Conspiracy

After journeying for more than twenty days, Huang Lung Ling was within sight. Situated on the Zhao-Qi border, the tall mountain protruded out of the flat plains surrounding it. The mountain peak is covered with thick layers of snow.

Everyone is feeling burdened emotionally and can hardly find any reason to be happy. They no longer enjoy the same energy as when they first left Xianyang City.

The only conversation going around was how to cover their tracks or counter the enemies’ spying.

Halfway through the trip, they have shaken the pursuers off their trail.

Xiao Yuetan is surprisingly quiet and seems to have a lot on his mind.

After the night of chatting with Xiang Shaolong, he seems to be hiding something.

He may be oversensitive, but the closer he got to Hung Lung Ling, the more uneasy Xiang Shaolong feels.

Last night, he even had a dream. He dreamt about Zhao Qian and the four maids. They were dressed up beautifully and were smiling like blossoming flowers. They insisted on bringing him back to Xianyang. When he woke up, his face is wet with tears and his heart was akin to being sliced apart.

So although Teng Yi wanted to cover more distance, Xiang Shaolong insisted on camping on a flatland with their backs to mountain. He wanted more time to rest and think.

Before evening, Jing Jun, the Meng brothers and the hunters came back with prey and cooked them over a burning fire. To evade detection, they put out the fire at nightfall. In winter, sleeping at night without fire in the open wilderness is most unbearable.

With their goal in sight, everyone is excited and was chatting with joy.

Ji Yanran and Wu Tingfang were chatting secretly in their tents.

Xiao Yuetan got Li Si to chat with him at a nearby waterfall. They have a serious expression on their face.

Teng Yi and Xiang Shaolong were sitting among some scattered rocks near the campsite. Dazed, they watch the sun slowly set into the horizon.

Out of the blue, Li Si came over and invited them to join him.

Xiang Shaolong and Teng Yi exchanged looks. Their heartbeat began to quicken at the same time. With Li Si, they approached Xiao Yuetan. Xiao Yuetan was staring blankly at the clear water falling down and his eyes are moist.

Li Si shook his head and sighed.

Even a patient man like Teng Yi could not hold back and questioned: “We are all close like family. Brother Xiao, please be straight forward about your thoughts.”

Xiao Yuetan sighed deeply. Glancing at both men, he replied emotionally: “That night, I told Shaolong I love to let my mind wander. Regrettably, I did not find my thoughts as meaningless as before. Now, I am seriously asking myself ‘What if’ and the answer lies there.”

He pointed strongly to Huang Lung Ling.

Xiang Shaolong and Teng Yi were trembling uncontrollably and their limbs turned ice-cold.

Li Si revealed: “Just now, Brother Xiao got me to analyze deeper regarding the red pine forest assassination. We discovered many suspicious points and came to a frightening conclusion. I am afraid we have become the sacrificial lambs for Premier Lu.”

Xiang Shaolong and Teng Yi looked at each other with their eyes full of surprise.

Xiao Yuetan started: “This trip should be extremely easy. The six states have always been fighting among themselves. With the recent Qi-Chu conspiracy against Zhao, it is harder for them to see eye-to-eye. This trip is actually unnecessary. In addition, Master Lu has been grooming his own clansmen and this will be a great opportunity to gain credit. However, this mission is given to Shaolong. Ai! There are many things I do not regard as important but now that we have suffered such a blow, I can find meaning in those things after deeper contemplation.”

Teng Yi’s face is completely white. In a deep voice, he commented: “I just could not understand how the enemy can attack us using the best opportunity and strategy. And it is just about the time when Lu Xiong and Qu Dou Qi had left with Yan in pursuit. Even if they are spying on us all the time, it is night time and snowing heavily. How can they be so sure we retreated into the forest and are letting our guard down? There must be a spy among us.”

Xiang Shaolong could feel his head becoming numb and his bones chilly. Taking a deep breath, he suppressed his emotions and asked: “How does it benefit Premier Lu? We are his men, and he has three hundred family warriors with us. If Meng Wu and Meng Tian perished as well, Meng Ao will be devastated too.”

Xiao Yuetan lifted his sleeve and wiped away some tears. Sighing, he declared: “I have been with Master Lu for almost twenty years. To attain his goal, he is completely ruthless. It is the same in his business and power mongering.”

Pausing, he threw back a question: “If it is really done by Lord Yangquan, how will he benefit?”

This should be an easy and straightforward question. But under these circumstances, no one could give a ready answer.

King Zhuangxiang has always been thankful for Lord Yangquan’s intervention. When he promoted Lu Buwei to be the Right Premier, he promoted him to be the Left Premier. He also prevented Lu Buwei from giving trouble to Lord Yangquan.

If Xiang Shaolong and his entourage were annihilated, with rumours circulating that Lord Yangquan is scheming against them and among those dead were Lu Buwei’s own family warriors, no one will suspect that the entire setup is masterminded by Lu Buwei.

King Zhuangxiang and Zhu Ji adored Xiang Shaolong. If they were led to believe that Lord Yangquan killed Xiang Shaolong, Lord Yangquan will be in trouble. Even Lady Hua Yang will not be able to protect his brother.

With that, Lu Buwei will get rid of this thorn in his flesh and dominate the Qin politics.

Who else is closer to King Zhuangxiang and Zhu Ji other than himself?

Looking at the ashen face of Xiang Shaolong, Xiao Yuetan state in a deep voice: “Among all those that I have come across, there is none more scheming than Master Lu. If he succeeds, he can kill many birds with one stone.”

Quivering, he continued: “First, he can be rid of you Xiang Shaolong. You have been too outstanding. The King and Queen hang onto your every word and even the Crown Prince respects you greatly. With the grand Wu Family Farm behind you, you will soon take some shine away from him. The people of Qin love heroes and military contributions. They need men like you who are intelligent and courageous. How can Lu Buwei just watch by the side?”

He no longer addressed Lu Buwei as Master Lu and used his full name instead. The three of them can sense the transformation in his attitude and understood the pain of betrayal by his master.

Li Si added: “He can use the death of the Meng children to strengthen his partnership with Meng Ao against Lord Yangquan’s forces. He can also absorb the invincible elite Wu Family Warriors into his own residence, strengthening his forces. Sacrificing a few family warriors is nothing. Anyway, the three hundred family warriors came mainly from Master Tu and Master Xiao and are considered the senior generation. With their deaths, the Lu clansmen will increase in power.”

Piak!

Teng Yi vehemently broke a young tree that was beside him into two.

Everyone was quiet and just look blankly at one another.

The pain in their hearts only seems to increase more and more.

They did their best for Lu Buwei but were treated in such a manner.

Xiao Yuetan summarized: “We will soon know if this is the case. If Lu Buwei betrayed us, the people waiting for us at Huang Lung Ling will not be Lu Xiong and Qu Dou Qi but those who attacked us at the red pine forest. If I am not wrong, Zhu Meng will lead the attack personally to prevent any information leakages. Once this is over, they just have to house these men outside Xianyang and everyone will be kept in the dark.”

Xiang Shaolong remembered the day when Lu Xiong refused to change the travelling path and his heart sank straight down.

Li Si warned: “Zhu Meng is extremely crafty. When we escaped, he disguised as Han soldiers to pursue us. We were deceived that it was Lord Yangquan conspiring with Han against us. What treachery!”

Unexpectedly, Teng Yi inquired in a peaceful manner: “Is Third Brother still going to Qi?”

Xiang Shaolong could not even force himself to smile. He slowly state: “I have only one interest now. I want to prove that it is really Lu Buwei betraying us. Following that, I will try to kill Zhu Meng and redeem some of the blood debt that Lu Buwei owes me.”

The next evening, Xiang Shaolong, Teng Yi and Jing Jun returned from Huang Lung Ling with grave expressions. They gathered Li Si and Xiao Yuetan to the waterfall for a meeting.

Ji Yanran and Wu Tingfang knew about the matter and joined the discussion.

Before a word can be said, everyone knew the result.

Li Si asked in a deep voice: “How many of them are there?”

Teng Yi responded: “About a thousand. They were dressed as Qin soldiers and even put up Lu Xiong and Qu Dou Qi’s flag emblem. Mister Xiao is right. They were led by Zhu Meng. He has been identified by Jing Jun.”

Jing Jun nodded: “I have also identified some men from Lu Residence. Hng! They said they were my brothers and now they are waiting to kill me.”

Wu Tingfang let out a cry and sought comfort in Ji Yanran’s bosom. Ji Yanran’s beautiful eyes shone as she questioned: “How are we going to make them pay for our suffering?”

Xiao Yuetan sighed: “I am afraid that Qu Dou Qi and the others are dead. This will naturally be blamed on Han so that the King will be convinced to attack Han in return. After so many years, I finally realise I am committing crimes for a crime lord.”

Li Si reasoned: “You have to bear with it. Brother Xiao and I can leave anytime but Grand Tutor Xiang has the Wu Family burden on your shoulders and cannot leave just like that. Luckily, you have the support of the King and Queen. As long as you do not antagonize him, Lu Buwei cannot harm you for the time being.”

Xiao Yuetan added: “On the surface, Shaolong must pretend that you believe the attack was masterminded by Lord Yangquan and Han. You must deceive everyone, including Lu Buwei. Keep a low profile and everyone should be fine. When the opportunity arises, relocate your family far away from the capital and see how this heartless man will eventually get his retribution.”

Finishing, he could not help but tremble slightly.

Still embracing Wu Tingfang’s in her bosom, Ji Yanran frowned: “How should we deal with Zhu Meng’s forces now. If we left like this, we will raise suspicions. Meng Wu and Meng Tian are around. If they report to Meng Ao, Lu Buwei will know that we have discovered his ruse. He is expanding his influence every day. To topple Shaolong and Wu Family should not be too difficult.”

Teng Yi suggested: “I am not worried about that yet. Let’s lay our formation and prepare an escape route. We will use the normal communication to inform the enemies about our location. They will again attack us at night. We will lay waste to them before returning to Xianyang. Like what Shaolong said, we must take some sort of revenge on them.”

Jing Jun retrieved a map from his sleeve. The layout of Huang Lung Ling was briefly sketched. On the map were three flags which represent the enemies’ positions. Pointing to a ridge, he recommended: “There is a steep area here surrounded by slopes on three sides. It is part of a thick forest. The back is Huang Lung Ling’s tributary which is four hours walk from Zhu Meng’s position. We can lay our trap there. While the sun is strong these few days and the snow has melted from the trees, we can apply oil onto the trees. With a fire attack, we will give Zhu Meng the biggest surprise of his life.”

Teng Yi pointed to behind the mountain and concluded: “We have done our investigations. With proper ropes, we can easily descend the mountain from the back. With the plains on the other side, we can leave quickly. Brother Xiao and Brother Li can wait for us there with Tingfang and the Meng brothers. You can keep an eye on the horse and the provisions.”

Xiang Shaolong stood up declaring: “It is decided. We must now race against time. With our work in these few days, we will put up a good show for Zhu Meng.”

The sun is setting into the horizon and the wilderness became desolate once more.

Using a bronze mirror to reflect sunlight into Zhu Meng’s camp in succession, Xiang Shaolong paused for a while. He repeated it three times again before he kept the mirror.

This is the signal Xiang Shaolong and Qu Dou Qi agreed on before they split. When Lu Xiong and Qu Dou Qi saw this signal, they will send men to receive them but of course, it is not going to happen in this case.

The three sworn brothers led the eight elite Wu Family Warriors and the thirty eight hunters up the back mountain. Carrying as much arrows as they could, they shield themselves behind the protruding rocks and waited for the fish to enter their net.

Under the mountain were several tents that were partially hidden in the woods. If the enemy spied on them, they will not be suspicious.

As they wait for the sun to set from the centre of the sky, Xiang Shaolong could feel different surges of emotions.

He knew that he will one day clash with Lu Buwei; but he did not expect it to come so soon.

He recollected that King Zhuangxiang will die soon and Lu Buwei will be in power for ten years, his heart begins to palpitate. Such a long period of time, can he and the Wu Family hang on till the end?

It will all depend on Empress Zhu Ji the future Dowager. As long as Lu Buwei does not fight him openly, he has a way to handle his family warriors.

Back in Xianyang, he will secretly train soldiers and input his 21st century knowledge into making better weapons. He has never thought about such issues in the past. Now, to preserve his own life, he must utilise all his skills and knowledge.

From this moment, he will fight an underground war with Lu Buwei. When Xiao Pan is in power, it will be time for Lu Buwei to die. Historians have concluded that Lu Buwei committed suicide but Xiang Shaolong knew a man like him will never do such a silly thing. It may even be him who will finish Lu Buwei off.

He hated Zhao Mu but they have been enemies from the very beginning, unlike Lu Buwei this devious man who hides a knife beneath his smile, making him extremely bitter.

Besides him, Ji Yanran leaned over and whispered: “What are you thinking of?”

Xiang Shaolong felt guilty and sighed: “It has been hard on you!”

Ji Yanran softly replied: “This is nothing. For people like you, you will incur jealousy wherever you go. When I decided to follow you, Mister Zou has long predicted this but I did not even have the least bit of hesitation.”

Filled with gratitude, Xiang Shaolong hugged her lightly.

This beautiful and intelligent woman gently commented: “When I heard that Empress Ji and you had many private conversations, I thought it is highly inappropriate. Lu Buwei has such a strong influence over King Zhuangxiang and Prince Zheng is due to her input. She keeps doting on you, giving Lu Buwei the motive to get rid of you. Only through this can he make Empress Ji whole-heartedly help him to eliminate Lord Yangquan and gain power. I have seen so many examples. Everyone behaves exactly the same.”

Pausing, she added: “When I was a guest at Lu Residence, I can see that he is staring at me with a strange look in his eyes. I am very experienced with such a look. It is the look of jealousy.”

The sky begins to darken and the crescent moon rose up to replace the sun, shining down on the snow plains. The snow capped peak of Huang Lung Ling is even more mesmerizing.

On the other side, Teng Yi was scrutinizing the dense forest and warned: “Here they come!”

The enemies began climbing the slopes on the three sides. They did not light their lamps and were very quiet. Only the sound of breaking branches can be heard, showing that these are well-trained men.

Xiang Shaolong and his men were in total silence and their arrows were notched in their bows.

With their high ground and rock shields, they are invincible. The only question is how many enemies they can kill!

Traps have been laid all over the campsite. The slopes and trees have all been applied with pine oil extracted from pine trees. When it starts to burn, it is no laughing matter.

After two hours, the sound of branches breaking has completely stopped. On the north wind is heard blowing.

Teng Yi coldly laughed: “Here we go!”

His words had barely left his lips when countless torches were lit at the same time and battle cries can be heard. Hundreds of men rushed towards the tents and arrows fell like rain into the tents. The air is heavy with a killing aura.

What happened next was men falling into traps and tragic shouts can be heard. The traps were set up by the hunters. Even wild beasts will lose their lives, not to mention humans.

With their torches falling down, the forest started to catch fire.

With the north wind blowing strongly, the fire burned ferociously.

The enemies on lower ground were in chaos and trampled on one another.

Xiang Shaolong gave the order and fire arrows were shot towards other areas of the dense forest.

The entire mountain top was engulfed in flames. Cries and shouting were heard everywhere.

Xiang Shaolong and his men did not hold back. Fuelled by revenge, they rained arrows on their attackers.

Under the bright flames, the enemies could see everything around them. Everything except an escape path. Although the hundreds of men in the traps were not burned, they could not escape the arrows and death.

When the entire mountain is burning like a giant fireball, Xiang Shaolong and his men could not take it anymore too. Using the ropes they prepared, they slipped away via the mountain back.

The pain in their hearts was relieved to a certain extent.