Chapter 1628 – Conquering Nan Sheng, Killing An Huan (Part 40)
Yang Tao’s command was intended for Jiang Pengji’s good, but it contradicted her previous orders, leaving the guards hesitant to act.
“What are you all standing around for?”
Yang Tao couldn’t decipher the guards’ behavior either. If something went wrong, they’d be the ones to blame, pulling him down with them. He definitely didn’t want to risk everything over this… dying like that would be too unjustified…
The guards, looking troubled, said, “We must follow the Lord’s command, but if the Lord were to hold us accountable…”
Yang Tao shot back, “If Liu Gong really got into trouble, how many of you could bear the responsibility?”
Seeing the guards remained noncommittal, Yang Tao snatched the paddle from the boatman’s hands.
“You can’t disobey Liu Gong’s command; I won’t force you either. I’ll go myself, and you can return as you wish.”
The guards exchanged glances, caught in a dilemma.
After all, the Lord’s order was for them to take Yang Tao back via water route. With Yang Tao refusing to cooperate, no one knew how to gracefully back down.
After much hesitation, the guards mustered the courage to heed Yang Tao’s command and turned back to search for Jiang Pengji.
First, if they were to get scolded by the Lord, at least Yang Tao would be there to take the blame, so they wouldn’t bear the brunt of the wrath.
Second, if what Yang Tao said was true and the Lord encountered danger alone, they’d be held responsible for that as well.
Yang Tao was eager to rush back to find Jiang Pengji, but he also remembered other matters.
“First, send someone to relay the news back.”
They had been out for so long without sending messages back, unaware of how anxious Wei Ci and the others might be.
“Understood!”
Due to Yang Tao’s order to turn back, the boatman paddled vigorously, sending the boat swiftly through the water, the river wind slapping against his face.
In an instant, any tipsiness vanished, leaving only anxiety and worry.
As night fell and the last rays of daylight vanished beyond the horizon,
Yang Tao instructed the guards to light torches and began following the traces left by Jiang Pengji into the dense forest.
“Wait—what’s that smell?”
With a keen nose, Yang Tao picked up on a familiar scent of blood before they even entered the forest.
He couldn’t believe it, sniffing harder; the closer they got to the source, the more pungent the smell became. In the torchlight, the guards also noticed numerous signs of struggle nearby—disordered footprints and trampled underbrush… Yang Tao observed the depth of the footprints and the state of the dried mud, confirming they were recently made—there were quite a few!
The more he looked, the more his heart raced; he couldn’t articulate his feelings, his mind a blank from fright.
“Search! Everyone, find her! Live or dead, we need to see proof!”
Yang Tao suppressed his nearly uncontrolled emotions, but the tremor in his voice betrayed his inner turmoil.
Not long after, the guards reported back that they found bodies mangled beyond recognition, preyed upon by the beasts of the forest.
Yang Tao hurried over, discovering several corpses dragged and consumed by wild animals, their heads, bodies, and limbs… every part that had a good amount of flesh was devoured, exposing the white bones beneath—enough to make anyone’s scalp tingle. The clothing on the deceased was in shreds, but the remains were identifiable as a man.
“Not our Lord.”
As soon as the guard spoke, Yang Tao replied.
“I’m not blind. I can tell whether it’s a man or a woman; but what about their identity? Are they… dead fighters?”
He guessed correctly. The guard stated solemnly, “From the remnants found on these corpses, they are indeed trained dead fighters. These bodies show no stench yet, slightly hardened, and the blood appears fresh; they likely fell no more than two quarters of an hour ago.”
No more than two quarters of an hour?
That means they died not long ago!
Yang Tao’s face darkened even more than the night around him.
A group of freshly dead fighters appeared here, coincidentally around the sensitive time of Jiang Pengji being alone—how could he not worry?
Both Yang Tao and the guards knew Jiang Pengji had likely been ambushed; they just hadn’t found any traces of her yet, unable to determine if she was unharmed, injured and hiding, or… tragically deceased. He couldn’t afford to hesitate. Aside from two guards, he sent the others out to search for Jiang Pengji. The guards, following the signs of the beasts dragging the bodies, located the site of the chaos.
There were even more corpses here!
When the guards arrived, the darkness was filled with glinting pairs of eyes!
The group used their torches to illuminate the scene and gasped in shock.
It was a pack of starving wolves that hadn’t eaten adequately since winter!
They had likely been lured by the stench of blood from the corpses and were feasting heartily.
As the group approached, those with sharp ears could hear the gnawing of the wolves on human flesh and bone.
Having eaten their fill, the lead wolf didn’t want to engage with the guards, holding the pack for a moment before letting out a howl that signaled them to leave.
Seeing those glowing eyes vanish into the darkness, two guards regained their senses, surprised to find themselves drenched in sweat.
When the cold wind blew, the sweat-drenched skin chilled, making them shudder involuntarily.
Yang Tao arrived and surveyed the chaotic scene, his expression grave.
“Did you find any traces of Liu Gong?”
The guards replied, “The mortal wounds on the fighters are all from long blades; each strike was deadly. Such meticulous and sharp attacks could only be done by the Lord’s saber, the God-slayer. We’ve searched the area for several miles and found no trace of the Lord…”
“Where is she? Haven’t found Liu Gong yet?”
After a moment of hesitation, a guard said, “Perhaps… the Lord has returned?”
Yang Tao pointed at the sea of bodies, saying, “Estimating, there are at least a hundred here. Do you think these dead fighters just sat around doing nothing?”
From his perspective, even if Jiang Pengji was still alive, she must be injured and hiding somewhere; they had to find her quickly!
The head guard blinked, fumbling with words, “Maybe they really are just slackers.”
“Are you still messing around with me?”
Yang Tao was about to be driven to exasperation by these incompetent guards.
Jiang Pengji was a top military leader, couldn’t the guards at least find a group of professionals with some responsibility?
“If these expertly trained fighters are just slacking off, what are you all doing? Eating stale bread? Hurry up and look!”
He was on the verge of having a heart attack from anger!
With no other choice, the guards continued searching, but they combed the hills without finding any trace of their Lord.
If Jiang Pengji was indeed hurt and hiding, she should at least leave some clues behind for them to follow, right?
After swatting mosquitoes for half the night, Jiang Pengji sauntered back home on her horse.
She hadn’t even settled down when Yan Lin came running to ask for her.
“What?”
