Finest Servant

Chapter 526 So Close, Yet So Far

The news reported back by Li Wuling spread rapidly among the soldiers. It was as if they could all see Bayanhot beckoning to them in the distance. Their spirits were lifted, fatigue dispelled by renewed energy. United in purpose, they forged a muddy trail through the forest, cutting through brambles and obstacles. In just two hours, they reached the headwaters of the stream Li Wuling had mentioned.

Nestled among several towering peaks of the Helan Mountains, the immense lake stretched out before them. Sharp cliffs rose like bamboo shoots sculpted by a blade, reaching skyward. Over millennia, the flow of water had carved out a majestic canyon between the peaks, its path strewn with boulders and treacherous terrain. The lake sat at the heart of this canyon, covering dozens of acres, pure and tranquil like a pool of celestial spring water untouched by worldly dust. The clear, shimmering waters reflected human figures, while a few steaming underground springs dotted the area, their mist making the heavens seem just a little closer.

The lake’s water gently lapped against the rocky shore, accompanied by a soft, harmonious sound that was like a poem of serenity. This ethereal lake atop the Helan Mountains was so pristine and quiet, untouched by human presence, that it seemed like a sacred place that no one had ever visited.

Lin Wanrong scooped up some of the lake water and took a sip. Its subtle, warm fragrance filled his mouth and nose, as comforting as a mother’s milk, and incredibly sweet.

"Brother Lin, what do you think? Is this the place?" Li Wuling enthusiastically splashed some lake water onto his face, wiping away the droplets before breaking into a proud grin.

"Yes, this is the place," Lin Wanrong replied, his gaze lingering on the horizon where lake and sky merged into one. Suppressing his excitement, he said, "Only the celestial spring water of the Helan Mountains could irrigate the fertile grasslands of Bayanhot. I'm certain the stronghold of the Turks lies just ahead of us."

Hu Bugui clapped his hands in excitement. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's march through the night. With one concerted effort, we can cover another hundred miles and reach Bayanhot."

"We must not act rashly," Lin Wanrong said, shaking his head solemnly. "We've already covered most of the distance, and yet this vast lake has remained undiscovered. That means natural barriers must lie ahead, preventing others from finding this place."

Gao Qiu nodded in agreement. "So, what should we do now? Stay put or continue marching?"

Xu Zhiqing had given them a ten-day deadline, and three days had already passed. Accounting for the return journey, they had to reach Bayanhot within the next three days at the latest. Should they exceed the ten-day window, even if their surprise attack succeeded, the Helan Mountain pass would already be compromised. At that point, their force of 8,000 would be cut off, and the ferocious Turkic warriors would hunt them down across the plains, leaving the vast desert as their final resting place.

Time was not on their side. Lin Wanrong sighed, gritted his teeth, and said, "We can't set up camp just yet. While the sun is still up, we must bypass this lake and push forward another fifty miles. Brother Hu, tell our men to fill their water jugs and let the horses drink their fill. We have another leg of the journey to complete."

Hu Bugui understood Lin Wanrong's intentions and nodded before walking away. Staring at the shimmering lake under the setting sun, Lin Wanrong stood still for a moment before suddenly snapping his whip, urging his horse forward.

The celestial lake of Helan Mountain was expansive; even after walking along its bank for an hour, they hadn't made a full circle. The further they advanced, the softer and more silt-ridden the ground became. It was so muddy that not only the horses but also the people found it hard to step forward. They could only lead their horses cautiously.

"Brother Hu, something doesn't seem right," Lin Wanrong wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and pulled Hu Bugui closer. He glanced cautiously around, his voice barely above a whisper. A few dozen feet ahead of them, Li Wuling and his scouting team were probing the path.

"What's wrong?" Hu Bugui whispered back.

"It's too quiet," Lin Wanrong swallowed nervously, his eyes darting around anxiously. They had reached the far end of the celestial lake, surrounded by a dense, ancient forest. Decayed leaves and pine needles had built up a thick layer on the ground. At this time of dusk, birds should be returning to their nests, but the forest was eerily silent; not even a hint of noise beyond their own breathing.

Indeed, it was unsettlingly quiet. No bird calls, no sounds of insects, and under the dimming sunlight, the forest seemed to shimmer with a faint, eerie glow. Goosebumps rose on Hu Bugui's skin, and he instinctively grabbed the sleeve of Gao Qiu beside him. Just then, a scream pierced the silence, "Retreat, brothers, retreat! Ah—"

The five or six scouts leading the way had barely touched down when they pitched forward. As their screams filled the air, the swamp hidden beneath the layer of leaves and pine needles opened its dark maw and swallowed them whole.

"It's a quicksand deathtrap—stop, everyone stop!" Hu Bugui's shout came too late. The scouts at the forefront had already tilted and plunged, their heads engulfed by the mire before they had a chance to react.

"Little Li!" Seeing Li Wuling, who was at the end of the scout team, step into empty air and pitch headlong into the swamp, Lin Wanrong roared with both urgency and fury, and lunged forward like a mad wolf.

Gao Qiu beside him was horrified, shouting, "Brother Lin, no! That's quicksand—" But Lin Wanrong was already sprinting, Gao Qiu couldn't hold him back. With a powerful forward dive, Gao Qiu grabbed Lin Wanrong's legs. In the split second that Lin Wanrong fell, he managed to grasp Li Wuling's hand tightly.

Li Wuling was sinking deeper into the mire, mud already filling his nostrils, his face flushed red from the struggle as he continued to sink.

"Hold on, Little Li!" Lin Wanrong shouted frantically, gripping Li Wuling's hand tightly and pulling with all his might. But the quicksand, built up over millennia, was incredibly powerful. Despite using all his strength, Li Wuling's body kept sinking.

"I've got this!" Hu Bugui roared, throwing himself onto the muddy ground and grabbing Li Wuling's other hand. Several soldiers behind him dropped to the ground, grabbing Hu Bugui's legs tightly. With a concerted effort, much like pulling a stubborn turnip from the ground, they slowly dragged Li Wuling inch by inch out of the deadly mire.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Of the twenty-plus scouts, only Li Wuling was left; the rest had vanished into the quagmire, their bodies never recovered. Li Wuling clenched his fists, his face drained of color. Staring at the swamp where his comrades had disappeared, his eyes were filled with tears. In that moment, the carefree youth matured significantly.

"Don't cry," said Lin Wanrong, his face stern as ink. Silently, he picked up a broadsword left behind in the mud, caressed it for a moment, and handed it to Li Wuling. "Stand tall—Li Wuling, remember, a man cries only in victory."

Wiping away his tears and sniffles, Li Wuling's expression instantly became solemn. Lin Wanrong nodded, patting him on the shoulder with a gravely serious look. "Remember the names of these brothers. If I make it back alive, I promise you, they will be among the most honored in all of Great Hua."

Li Wuling nodded gratefully, wiping away the last of his tears. Yet his face no longer bore the naive innocence of earlier days.

With the loss of over twenty good men, the atmosphere in the camp turned heavy. The swamp was the only route leading northwest, and they had no choice but to go through. Hu Bugui organized men to fell trees overnight, assembling numerous planks to increase the load-bearing area and gradually pave a path through the marsh. The newly formed scouting team cautiously stepped onto these wooden planks and moved forward slowly. After traversing nearly six miles, they finally exited the forest and stepped onto solid ground.

Upon receiving the scouts' report, Lin Wanrong nodded faintly, his eyes momentarily ablaze as he looked back at the swamp that had claimed over twenty of his brothers.

"To the fallen warriors—salute!" Lin Wanrong shouted.

"Shh—" A multitude of gleaming steel blades drew sharp arcs, raised high in front of the soldiers. The cold light broke through the forest and mountain peaks, piercing deep into the heavens.

By the time they had crossed the perilous mud, it was the wee hours of the next day. The sky was still dark, and any plans for setting up camp had fallen through. Lin Wanrong organized the troops and pressed on for several more miles.

"General Lin, look—" Hu Bugui's voice startled Lin Wanrong from his thoughts. He looked up and saw nothing but mist beneath his feet, a bottomless abyss—a cliff that abruptly ended their path. Across from them, about ninety feet away, a towering mountain peak shot straight into the sky, perilous and lofty. The waters from the Helan Mountain celestial lake flowed here and cascaded down, forming a dazzling waterfall that shook the rocks with its crisp sound. A dead end!

Lin Wanrong's eyes widened in disbelief, cold sweat trickling down. After so much time and energy, not to mention the sacrifice of dozens of good men, just as they thought they'd make it through Helan Mountain, a cliff had shattered all hopes.

"What's so good about this view?" He shook his head, disheartened. "Just a cliff filled with bitterness and enmity."

"No, it's not that," Hu Bugui hurriedly said. "Not the cliff. Look, look into the distance—"

In the far horizon, a crescent moon shone as white as snow. A faint ethereal light covered every corner of the vast grasslands. In the dim sky, morning stars twinkled dimly or brightly. Amidst the monochrome of the distant earth and sky, there was one exceptionally red, little star, constantly flickering.

"What's so interesting about a star?" Gao Qiu chuckled dismissively.

Hu Bugui shook his head urgently, "Brother Gao, you are mistaken. That's not just a star, that's the place we've vowed to find—Bayanhot!"

"What? What did you say?! Bayanhot?!" Lin Wanrong was shocked. He grabbed Hu Bugui by the collar. "Brother Hu, that's not a star? How do you know that's Bayanhot?"

Hu Bugui smiled, "Brother Lin, when it comes to the customs of the Turkic people, you're no match for me. The Turkic tribes live on horseback, often riding hundreds of miles in one night. It's common to lose your way in the vast steppes. Every Turkic tribe lights a large bonfire at night to guide their warriors home. The strength of the bonfire is also a symbol of the tribe's strength—the stronger the tribe, the larger and brighter the bonfire. Since the establishment of the Turkic Khanate, this custom has evolved into lighting bonfires at key locations. Judging by its direction, that brightest 'star' you see to the northwest is undoubtedly Bayanhot. Considering the distance, it should be over a hundred miles away."

‘Could that really be Bayanhot?’ Lin Wanrong was overwhelmed with emotion, unable to express his feelings in words. The sudden appearance of their destination filled him with both surprise and a glimmer of hope.

Silently staring at the fiery red "star" for a long while, Lin Wanrong clenched his fists and turned his gaze towards the cliff opposite them. "Brother Gao, can you shoot arrows?"

Gao Qiu boasted, "Brother Lin, haven't I told you that I'm a jack-of-all-trades?"

"Excellent!" Lin Wanrong shouted. He took a powerful crossbow from Hu Bugui and handed it to Gao Qiu. "Brother Gao, do you see that large tree across the cliff? Shoot through it!"

The crossbow had been modified; a thick rope, several dozen yards long, was attached to its end and coiled on the ground.

Gao Qiu was astonished, "Brother Lin, you mean for us to slide across using this rope? What about our warhorses?"

Lin Wanrong clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, "At this point, we can't worry about that. Bayanhot is the granary of the Turkic people; they should have plenty of horses. Brother Gao, can you just tell me, can we make it across?"

Gao Qiu nodded forcefully, "To steal the Turkic people's horses and women—I've trained for thirty years and now, at last, I can put it to use. Watch my divine arrow—shoot!"

With a furious roar, Gao Qiu drew the powerful crossbow and shot. The arrow, trailing the rope, sped across the chasm. With a loud 'thud,' it struck the trunk of the tree across the cliff, burying itself completely.

"Excellent shot!" Lin Wanrong praised, leading the applause.

Gao Qiu laughed heartily and shot two more ropes, both hitting their targets perfectly. After tying the rope around his waist, he clasped his fists in salute to everyone. Then, like a shooting star, he slid across the rope towards the cliff on the other side.

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