Chapter 68: Where to Go from Here
Looking at the corpses of the guards, who were undoubtedly dead and could never come back to life, the women suddenly burst into tears and rushed to the feet of the Yu family, kowtowing repeatedly in gratitude.
At that moment, the small tent flap was lifted, and streams of firelight poured in.
“Wife…”
Bai You’s voice, choked with sobs, echoed anxiously in the deathly silence of the tent.
Following that came the clanking of iron chains. In no time, the already cramped tent became even more crowded.
“Don’t all come in! Be careful with the torches, or you’ll set the tent on fire.”
Seeing more and more people trying to squeeze in, Ye Jiamei hurried to the entrance, reminding them anxiously.
Meanwhile, Yu Luo’s eyes were fixed solemnly on the corpses of the guards on the ground.
“Do we continue this exile journey? If we don’t, where in this world can we possibly find a place to stay?”
Her low murmurs made Yu Haojie beside her frown.
“If we don’t continue, we’ll just become fugitives in this Lan Yue dynasty, hunted down relentlessly unless we flee to another country.”
Hearing this, Yu Zhengqing looked utterly shocked!
After all, in his impression, his younger brother had never considered such far-reaching consequences. Even he hadn’t thought about fleeing to another country if the Yu family couldn’t be cleared of their charges. Yet, Yu Haojie had already thought that far ahead.
Although Yu Haojie had changed a lot along this journey, he was still a man of few words, a trait that had never changed.
“Second Brother, unless something unexpected happens, in a few months, the Yu family will be able to return to the capital.”
Yu Haojie…
Still calling him “Second Brother”? Why didn’t he call him that before? Did Yu Zhengqing think that calling him “Second Brother” now would resolve all past grudges?
“Since you say so, we have no choice but to continue. It’s better than going to another country without passage documents or travel permits, only to live in constant fear of being hunted down.
In that case, if we make it to the wastelands, all we need to do is wait a few months for freedom.”
After Yu Luo finished, she unceremoniously snatched back her crossbow from Yu Zhengqing’s hands while he was caught off guard.
She could lend it to him, but that didn’t mean she’d let him take it back to the rest of the legitimate family members. Given how that old hag Chen and Yu Yingying were, Yu Luo was sure they’d use it to plot against her family of three sooner or later!
Seeing Yu Luo’s petty actions, what was supposed to be a serious moment suddenly made Yu Zhengqing chuckle involuntarily.
“You trusted your eldest uncle just now, so what’s the meaning of this now?”
“Trusting you was just for that moment. That doesn’t mean I’ll trust you in the future—especially with your mother. I’ll never trust her.”
In the original owner’s memory, Old Madam Chen had attempted several times to harm the original trio. Maybe even heaven couldn’t stand it, which was why she failed each time.
In particular, in Yu Haojie’s memory, he had been weak and sickly since childhood, always envying Yu Zhengqing for being able to practice martial arts. However, he could never engage in intense activities; even a bit of exercise left him gasping for breath. For that reason, Ye Jiamei had always been suspicious.
Recently, Ye Jiamei had secretly taken a blood sample from Yu Haojie and had it tested, only to discover that his frailty was due to chronic poisoning.
No one knew why, but this slow-acting poison should have killed Yu Haojie within seven or eight years. Yet, he had survived until now.
After finishing her explanation, Yu Luo turned to the others.
“If we don’t want to be fugitives, should we head to the wastelands ourselves? Will the court still pursue the cause of these guards’ deaths if we do?”
“Throw their bodies off the cliff. During the day, I noticed we were near the Jiuzhong Mountain range, where the terrain is treacherous and a raging river runs below. Dumping the bodies there would ensure they’re never found.”
Hearing this, Yu Luo couldn’t help but reassess Yu Zhengqing. He truly was meticulous, observing every detail—even something like this.
“In that case, we should strip them of their uniforms too. If someone were to fish their bodies out of the river, it would still cause trouble.
Also, without the guards to deliver us to the wastelands and hand us over to the officials there, would the court even know we arrived?”
That was the question bothering Yu Luo. After all, this was her first time being exiled, and the original owner’s memories offered no insight.
As soon as Yu Luo finished speaking, the surroundings fell silent. Perhaps everyone else had also heard their conversation. They were just as lost about where to go from here, curious to see what Yu Zhengqing planned.
After a moment’s thought, Yu Zhengqing turned to look at the crowd emerging from the tent.
Their hands and feet were still shackled, and the flickering firelight revealed faces full of confusion and helplessness. Every gaze was fixed on him.
At this moment, everyone had subconsciously made Yu Zhengqing their leader, their hope of salvation.
“Without guards, we can pretend to be guards ourselves. Select twenty strong men to strip the uniforms off the dead guards and wear them. When we reach the wastelands, we’ll just go through the formalities at the local authorities.”
“But if twenty people pose as guards, won’t the number of prisoners fall short?”
In the crowd, Yu Yingying suddenly spoke up.
She thought that by pointing out this problem, she’d show her cleverness.
However, Ye Jiamei rolled her eyes at her.
“Who can guarantee that no prisoners will freeze to death, be killed by bandits, or starve and die on the way to the wastelands? That’s such a stupid question—I can’t believe you even asked it!”
Yu Yingying: …
“Alright, let’s do that then. Everyone, move quickly. Yu Luo, didn’t you have that Xuan Iron Dagger? Could you help cut off everyone’s chains? From now on, if you want to leave, go ahead, but just know you’ll become a fugitive hunted by the court. If you stay, we’ll look out for each other on the way. Maybe, just maybe, we’ll survive to see the wastelands.”
Upon hearing this, most people quickly made their choice. The majority decided to go to the wastelands.
The wastelands might be harsh, but if they could wait for an imperial pardon, they might even return someday.
The real danger lay on the journey: the guards’ cruelty and the bandits’ ambushes. But now, with the guards dead, the greatest threat was gone.
All that was left was to survive until they reached the wastelands.
