To Chu Yunyi, his priority was to deliver Empress Xue to General Chu's hands as soon as possible so that the Chu Clan could use her as a bargaining chip against Western Zhou.
It had to be said that the kidnapping of the empress was the biggest joke in Western Zhou's history, as well as its most humiliating stroke.
Fortunately, Emperor Kang Cheng had used the embezzlement case to restrain the Chu clan and reduce the Chu clan's military strength. Otherwise, with the power the Chu clan had accumulated in Western Zhou over the years, they really might have been able to destroy Western Zhou.
Although the Chu Clan had mobilized troops from all over the country, it wasn't enough to fight against Emperor Kang Cheng's forces. Moreover, the Chu Clan didn't want to waste their forces in Western Zhou. Most of the Chu Clan's power was concentrated in the eastern regions of Western Zhou. Their goal was to take over the four eastern border cities with the least amount of losses, then join forces with Tianning to suppress Western Zhou and force them to stop fighting.
As the head of a clan, Chu Yunyi was well aware of the limits and power of a leader. Emperor Kang Cheng might be the ruler of a country with unparalleled power, but he was still bound by his own rules. If the pursuing soldiers failed to rescue Empress Xue within the next two to three months, the court officials would definitely urge Emperor Kang Cheng to abandon her for the greater good, especially the anti-East Palace faction.
Although Empress Xue was extremely favored, in the end, she couldn't compare to the position of the throne in Emperor Kang Cheng's heart. Emperor Kang Cheng knew that if he wanted to suppress the Chu clan's rebellion in a short period of time, he couldn't remain under their control forever. He had to abandon Empress Xue.
Thus, the Chu Clan's advantage was only temporary. Chu Yunyi had to race against time!
"Everyone, rest well. We'll set out at first light tomorrow!" Chu Yunyi ordered Cold.
The cold night stretched on as snowflakes silently drifted down. This was the first snow of the winter season.
Afraid of attracting pursuers, they didn't light fires. The archers all put on their coats and hugged each other for warmth, leaving only Gu Beiyue tied to a withered tree as the snowflakes fell on him. He looked lonely and desolate.
Loneliness was when she was right in front of him, right in front of his eyes, but he was still all alone.
Loneliness was when she was no longer there, but he could still see her smiling face when he closed his eyes.
In this life, you are the master, and I am the servant. In this life, you have married and become someone else's wife. I will protect you wholeheartedly without any regrets. As long as you are happy and safe, my life … is not in vain!
After the snowy night, Chu Yunyi's group continued to flee east. Once they were out of the mountains, they disguised themselves as peddlers and hid Empress Xue at the bottom of the carriage. Then they tied Gu Beiyue up in a sack and tied him to a horse. Anyone who didn't know better would assume that they were some sort of valuable cargo.
Chu Yunyi wasn't an idiot. Ever since that night when he'd given Gu Beiyue medicine to treat his wounds, he hadn't given him any more. He knew that with Gu Beiyue's ability, as long as he had enough medicine, he would be able to heal his wounds in a short period of time. Once his wounds were healed, it would be easy for him to escape.
Along the way, he didn't even give Gu Beiyue any rations. Instead, he only fed him cold water soaked in rations to keep him alive so he wouldn't starve to death.
Even though Gu Beiyue was already very weak, Chu Yunyi was still afraid that Gu Beiyue would find a chance to escape!
Today, as they reached the outskirts of the mountains, one of Gu Beiyue's guards couldn't help but ask, "Clan Head, this guy hasn't moved a muscle since last night. Could he be dead?"
Gu Beiyue's body might be weak, but how could he die so easily?
Chu Yunyi didn't think so. Based on his understanding of Gu Beiyue, there had to be something fishy going on here.
But by nightfall, Gu Beiyue still hadn't moved a muscle. Only then did Chu Yunyi grow alarmed. If Gu Beiyue was really dead, then who would he find to dig a trap for Long Fei Ye and Han Yunxi?
He quickly opened up the gunnysack and saw Gu Beiyue curled up in a ball. He seemed to be frozen stiff and didn't move at all. Tearing off his fake beard, Chu Yunyi saw Gu Beiyue's clean, pale face. Calm and gentle, he resembled a sleeping child with a calming power. But right now, he only felt heartache. It seemed like he'd never wake up again …
Chu Yunyi reached out with a trembling hand to check Gu Beiyue's breathing, only to discover that he really wasn't breathing. He was dead!
Chu Yunyi grew flustered and quickly bent down to check again. But at this moment, Gu Beiyue suddenly spat out a needle from his mouth. Chu Yunyi dodged in alarm, but he couldn't avoid it completely. The needle shot straight into his right eye!
"Ahhhh!" Chu Yunyi cried out as he staggered backwards. He instinctively covered his eye in pain, but the movement only caused the needle to dig in deeper. Fresh blood immediately poured out of his eye!
Only then did Gu Beiyue open his eyes. Cold as he stared at Chu Yunyi, his lips quirked up into a contemptuous smirk. This man could even look down on others with such indifference …
Actually, he'd been planning for a long time to kill Chu Yunyi with a single needle. But in the end, he'd missed his eye by a hair's breadth.
For the sake of this one needle, he'd paid a hefty price. When faced with such an outcome, he wasn't annoyed or displeased, and he just smiled in a carefree manner, yet he vividly displayed his disdain.
In the end, this needle had hit a vital point! What kind of formidable archer could shoot an arrow after being blinded in one eye?
Chu Yunyi was now a cripple …
When Chu Yunyi saw Gu Beiyue's mocking smile with his other eye, he angrily kicked the man to the ground.
"Someone come, find a doctor, quick! Quick! "
His anger betrayed his fear. He knew better than anyone else how important his eyes were to him.
Like a crazed beast, he covered his eye and spun in circles. His eye hurt so much that it felt like it was being pricked by needles!
He was going to go blind! What to do?
How was he supposed to shoot an arrow if he was blind? How was he supposed to be the clan head?
"Doctor! Someone come! Hurry and find a doctor! Hurry! "
"Doctor!"
His frenzied cries left the surrounding archers speechless. Cloud Realm Continent's most formidable doctor was right before their eyes, but he was also their most merciful and cruel executioner!
Once a doctor wanted to kill, he'd be the most terrifying assassin in the world! They were all too familiar with a person's fatal points.
Where were they supposed to find another doctor in the middle of nowhere? Finally, one of the bolder archers replied, "Clan head, it's still a day and night's journey from here to the nearest town. Why don't we …"
He wanted to say that it was better for the clan head to make the trip himself than find a doctor.
Unfortunately, he didn't get to finish before Chu Yunyi turned to glare at him. One of his eyes was bleeding profusely, while the other was glaring at him with bloodshot eyes. His hair was disheveled, and his bloodstained face made him look like a fiend.
The archer subconsciously backed away, not daring to speak.
Still, his words woke up the crazed Chu Yunyi.
Empress Xue and Gu Beiyue were both here, so he couldn't leave. But Gu Beiyue was a doctor himself!
He charged at Gu Beiyue like a madman, narrowly missing a kick to his heart. Still, he held back.
He viciously hauled Gu Beiyue to his feet and roared, "Gu Beiyue, treat me this instant! Otherwise, Old Man will take your life!"
Gu Beiyue's body was very, very weak. After all, the only reason he'd been able to spit out a needle to injure Chu Yunyi was because he'd been sealing off his meridians for the past few days to keep himself in a state of suspended animation.
Since last night, he'd been faking his death for an entire day and night. That was already his limit. From a medical perspective, his body's condition was the same as when he was actually dead. If he kept it up for too long, it'd turn into reality.
This was a medical skill that went against the laws of heaven. Once it was used, it would lead to retribution. His already weak body would only get worse.
And yet, he was still smiling. It wasn't self-mockery, conceit, or madness. In fact, there wasn't even a trace of disdain in his voice. It was so faint that it was impossible to ignore it.
If there had never been another her in this world, he'd probably always be so indifferent.
His white robes were stained with blood, and his body was so weak that he couldn't even stand straight. But there were no signs of him being half-dead, much less in dire straits.
In contrast, Chu Yunyi was a true weakling. No matter how fierce he was, he still had a favor to ask.
"What are you smiling about?"
"Gu Beiyue, my Nether Clan has treated you well. Why do you repay kindness with enmity?!"
"Gu Beiyue! Do you hear me? Speak! Are you going to treat me or not? "
Chu Yunyi grabbed Gu Beiyue by the collar and shoved him aside with all his might. He'd lost all of his composure as a clan head.
"Old Man will kill you!"
Chu Yunyi unsheathed an arrow from his back and prepared to stab Gu Beiyue in the heart when Gu Beiyue finally spoke up. "Give me medicine so I can heal my wounds. Otherwise, I promise there'll be no medicine left to save you!"
"Treat Old Man's eyes first!" Chu Yunyi roared.
"You only have two choices. Give me medicine, or … kill me," Gu Beiyue said.
Chu Yunyi was so angry that he roared a few more times. He had to ask, "Are you going to treat Old Man's eyes or not?"
"If my wounds are healed, I'll treat them for you. If not, your eyes will be ruined." Gu Beiyue said, before adding, "Even if you can invite the medical academy's Head Elder to help, it'll be useless."
"You!"
Chu Yunyi fumed. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to order someone to deliver Gu Beiyue medicine.
Gu Beiyue didn't panic when he saw only Jinchuang Ointment. Chu Yunyi should know that the longer he delayed treatment, the more dangerous it'd be. Thus, Chu Yunyi would've gone to find the best medicine without any urging.
As soon as they reached the county, Chu Yunyi went to see a doctor. Unfortunately, the doctor was powerless to reverse the situation. All he did was treat his wounds and bandage them, then declare him blind in the right eye. Chu Yunyi had no choice but to believe Gu Beiyue's threats. As Gu Beiyue predicted, he immediately went to find a pile of expensive medicinal ingredients.
He assumed that Gu Beiyue would recover quickly and made strict arrangements to prevent Gu Beiyue from escaping. But this time, Gu Beiyue seemed to be seriously injured. His wounds refused to heal.
Was he really unable to recover, or was Gu Beiyue delaying it?
Chu Yunyi had no idea, but he didn't think Gu Beiyue had any reason to delay.
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