Book 36 - Chapter 4 – Taking Refuge in PeaChapter Spring (1/2)

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The two boys flew along the eaves and leaped over the walls, traversing the vast and obscure Ver snow, in the direction of the Yong An Canal

From head to foot they were blood-soaked, ounded in multiple places, and were quite desperate The ene up with the two boys at the center, as could be seen clearly under the torch light coht directions

The City of Chang’an was the Chang Lin Army’s territory, they knew the situation within the city like the back of their hand, plus they had Ke Dazhi, Mei Xun, and so on, warriors with both ability and wisdo the operation froh efficiency

shi+ Zhixuan see the fireworks into the sky to broadcast the infor-two-birds-with-one-stone killer n when they found Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling that Jiancheng and Yuanji agreed on in the evening The blood red fireworks exploded in the snowy night sky, its light could be seen several li away, i Lin Ars were urgently sounded all around the city, each and every fahtly closed, on top of the city wall everybody gathered their spirit, waiting in strict formation

shi+ Zhixuan’s est crisis after entering Chang’an, it also gave Zhu Yuyan, Zhao Deyan, and the others, ere pursuing the two boys relentlessly and did not want to let theo – an unsolvable distress, and made it difficult for them to have unrestricted room to you-chase- and Xu Ziling were killed, shi+ Zhixuan would be the sole beneficiary and beco noise of horses’ hooves co directly toward them, the two boys knew that the turn of events was not too encouraging Making proed toward the city wall

Outside of Luoyang and Yangzhou, Chang’an was a big city with the h as thirty ­­zhang; even for so like Yun Shuai, or perhaps like Kou and Xu, two boys, who had the ability to take a breath in the air, without using any tools, they could forget about ju, leaving the city still involved quite a bit of effort, uards in tight formation

This would be the second ti to scramble up the city wall To rely on hooks and ropes to break through the wall, they would have to return without any achieveuards wouldboerful arrow, hooks and lances, boiling oil, lime, and so on

Moreover, they had suffered some minor injuries, so that if they exposed their tracks, the enerasp their position within the city

The streets were blockaded; all high elevation points were manned to watch over any movements It did notaway to, there were flashi+ng light to indicate their whereabouts

Several tiht a fierce battle; luckily so far they ed to avoid the opponent’s main force that was supported by e But they received more and more injuries They felt like the fish in the net, where their path exhausted, the end of the road The htened the net would be theno other choice, they could only charge toward Yong An Canal, their only way to survive However, even if they could successfully throw themselves into the Canal, and then enter the treasure-house, and leave the city via the secret passage, the secret of the treasure-house would be couess that there e inside the Canal from which they could flee for their lives

Without any better option, they had to use the tactic to confuse the eneate, to lure the pursuing troops to flock toward the the snow, especially choosing narrow alleys to turn to the left and round to the right, in the direction of the Yue Ma Bridge

Were it not for the big snow tonight, which ht could not reach far, and visibility was limited, even if they were so quick-witted, perhaps they would have fallen into the enee early on

The two boys, one in front of the other, jue, stretched their neck to look toward the Yong An Canal, and immediately sucked in a mouthful of cold air

They saw both sides of the Yong An Canal were covered densely with city guards, torches illuminated both banks and the water of the canal that it was as bright as day Li Jiancheng, wearing garrison attire, was standing on the Yue Ma Bridge, busily issuing orders Standing nearby were Xue Wanche, Er Wenhuan, Qiao Gongshan, and other trusted aides and great generals

Looking at this, the two boys’ scalp went nu into the water, which was not easy at all, even if they succeeded in diving into the Canal, they would not be able to avoid the enemy’s powerful arrows

This situation was to be expected They were able to escape via the Yong An Canal before, the eneically speaking, if they could guard the largest canal that cut across Chang’an frohtly, then they could substantially narrow the range of the two boys’the two boys to supreust of as heard fro snow,froht toward them Apparently the two boys’ track has been discovered

Sucking in awe’ll find a house where we can hide, ill the consequences be?”

S replied, “Probably we can extend our little life by one or half a sichen”

Kou Zhong’s heart was ure out his brilliant sche; without any better option he followed hi a corner Froures rushi+ng toward the the way that they could not hide their track

After tightening their net, the ene several dozens roups of search party, e net to search the two boys As long as they could entangle or force the two boys to run in panic so that they did not look where they were heading, the two boys e, and then their ti the lead was, surprisingly, the Golden Spear Mei Xun, and the Two Malevolent of Changbai, Fu Zhen and Fu Yan, brothers None of the others was not a inally Kou Zhong was thinking of charging forcefully to break the siege, to kill or injure so that the leader was Mei Xun, he changed his mind immediately; instead, he ran across and juht sides were people rushi+ng over, approxi inwardly, and led Xu Ziling leaping down into a side alley fro to the left and rounding to the right, he unleashed his confusing-the-eneain Several ti the way they hid inside the courtyard of the people’s ho was at a loss, because what they were doing was no different to throwing away their lives

Kou Zhong suddenly turned back in the direction of the Yue Ma Bridge, which was even erous Every step that they took was evenin froe ofsmaller and smaller

The two boys fled to the dark side of a roof; ahead was precisely the Yue Ma Bridge and the Yong An Canal The snowflakes cohtly under the torchlight, dazzling and beautiful to behold, but to theht was constantly approaching froile shenfa and out of the ordinary senses, and were able to play hide-and-seek with the eneood times were difficult to repeat If this situation continued, at most they could only hold for less than half a sichen

Kou Zhong swept his gaze around; he saw the closest search party was still about fifty zhang away “Success!” he cheerfully said, “We can find a place where we can sleep hisover onto the roof, he led the baffled Xu Ziling creeping away in a rush, and flipped over onto the Wu Lou Si’s courtyard wall Xu Ziling began to have sudden realization, and cried ‘Wonderful!’ inwardly The place where Kou Zhong wanted to sleep was naturally the Abbot’s room, which was the ideal place to hide and shun the world, the Peach Blossouess Ordinarily this move would not be possible, but this reat virtue holyin contemplation inside; in fact, for the next year, he could not possibly be inside practicing ‘Zen meditation’

Based on shi+ Zhixuan’s conduct, he would not trust even his own disciples; after obtaining the Relics, he would definitely go into hiding soinal hiding place

Dade Shengseng was a person of virtue and prestige in Chang’an, his habit of closing his door in Zen , Yuanji would never suspect that they caround’

Half a day later, the two boys arrived outside the Abbot’s rooned; other than one main door, there was not even half a door or , there was only a ventilation hole near the eaves the size of a fist

The biggest headache was that the door ring was locked with iron copper chain To cut the iron was not difficult, but if people discovered that the iron lock was broken, it would be strange indeed if they did not guess that the two boys were sneaking inside

“Theresaid, “Otherwise, how could Old shi+ co said, “The exit must be outside Wu Lou Si”

He had searched the entire temple before and found no tunnel entrance, hence he concluded that the entrance must be somewhere outside the temple

Tio outside the te picked up the copper lock and said, “This chain is fastened with standard lock, Chen Lao Shao to find a suitable twig foraccepted the order and left A short moment later he ca Kou Zhong trans and inserted it into the keyhole Tweaking it a few ti wryly, Xu Ziling said, “Do you think we can do it?”

Kou Zhong replied, “Without trying it, hoould we know?”

The two boys took off their robe to sweep the footprints on the snow outside the door before entering the Abbot’s rooht, plus the weather was bitterly cold Those who have left their home [to becoh the world outside was in soupside down, all theinside their soft and war

The Abbot’s room was spacious but e mat, made of woven cattail] If they did not know that shi+ Zhixuan was the Dade Shengseng, they would believe that Dade’s [great virtue] name and reality indeed[holyslowly closed the door and said in low voice, “Co pressed both paly into Kou Zhong’s body But then the two shook all over, while exclaiether In the past, under siy was only unidirectional, the true qi that Xu Ziling trans’s own true qi, substantially increasing Kou Zhong’s power And then Kou Zhong would transh this time they still did it the saether, unexpectedly it circulated naturally and i’s body This cycle continued incessantly; with every cycle the condensed true qi expanded its potential