The Demon Lords-Chapter 730 - 154 Solitary Smoke Straight_5

The wild people ahead occasionally fell behind, but Lord Jingnan couldn't be bothered to spare the effort to deal with them, simply ignoring them and continuing his march eastward. This left the wild people—whether they were preparing to surrender or to fight the Yan people to the death and return to the stars—feeling helpless, as if their emotions had been utterly disregarded.

「...」

The state of affairs on the battlefields of the Three Jin, indeed across the entire northern region, was changing with bewildering speed. Roughly sixty miles south of Jade Plate City, two horses galloped swiftly.

The Eighth Prince wore a pained expression. Accustomed to the comfort of a carriage, he had never endured such torment from riding a horse; he felt as if his thighs were already chafed raw and bleeding.

Yet he dared not utter a single word of complaint. If they didn't leave now, or if they delayed any further, they might truly lose their chance to escape.

Fortunately, the main confrontation between the Yan people and the wild people had occurred north of Jade Plate City, near the upper reaches of the Wang River. Subsequently, the wild people's retreat was eastward, and the Yan Army pursued them in the same direction.

As for Jade Plate City, the Yan Army was currently focused on besieging it. Therefore, they had not yet managed to dispatch significant forces to expand southward, which created an opportunity for the Sword Maker and the Eighth Prince to flee.

From here, if they followed the Wang River south, then turned east along one of its tributaries and crossed it, they would practically be in the Chu region.

The formidable pass between the Chu region and the Situ Family's lands, heavily garrisoned by the Chu army, was still a great distance away. However, reaching that pass required traveling too far east—the same direction the wild people had fled and where the Yan Army would undoubtedly pursue. The two of them dared not go that way; they preferred the hardship of crossing mountains and valleys.

Aboard his horse, the Eighth Prince wailed, almost in tears, "Aren't you one of the Four Great Swordsmen? Can't you fly us out on your sword, like the sword sages in the paintings?"

The Sword Maker replied, "My sword can only carry one person."

With a mournful expression, the Eighth Prince said earnestly, "Then I am holding you back."

He was the most enigmatic of the Four Great Swordsmen. The world knew he was skilled in crafting swords, yet no one had ever seen him fight.

Many believed this Sword Maker was no master at all. They thought his fame stemmed purely from the Sword Saint praising him after the Sword Maker gifted him Longyuan, a sword he had personally forged.

However, many Chu people firmly believed that this member of their state's Four Great Swordsmen merely concealed his true abilities, simply too disinclined to act.

Regardless of whether he was a true Great Swordsman or a "watered-down" version, for the Chu nobility and upper echelons, merely holding the title of one of the Four Great Swordsmen was sufficient. Consequently, the entire Chu State held the Sword Maker in extremely high regard. Even the late emperor, during his reign, would address him as "Sir" when they met.

Originally, the Eighth Prince had been extremely curious about him and would often engage him in playful bouts of Tai Chi Push Hands to test his abilities. But now, seeing the Sword Maker in the same state as himself—gritting his teeth with a pained expression while riding—the Eighth Prince increasingly suspected that this "Sir" might really be...

"Another twenty miles south, and we'll meet a Chu merchant caravan waiting to escort us," the Sword Maker said.

"Really?" the Eighth Prince exclaimed in pleasant surprise.

"I arranged it myself. It's my family's caravan." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"Sir, you are truly far-sighted!"

"Naturally," the Sword Maker replied, a hint of pride in his voice.

In truth, this caravan had come because his family wanted to transport goods back. It wasn't just the wild people who were looting and pillaging; the Chu army hadn't been idle either. However, because the Chu army needed to garrison Jade Plate City and guard against the Yan Army, they hadn't dared to be as blatant as the wild people. Nevertheless, they too had accumulated considerable resources that originally belonged to the Jin people.

These resources were worth much less here, but if transported back to their own country, their value would be fully realized.

His family had sent someone with a letter last month to inform him, but the Sword Maker had simply put it aside, not thinking much of it. It wasn't as if his family was the only one engaged in such activities; Qu TianNan's Qu Family caravan had arrived much earlier. This was all part of an unspoken, customary practice.

Since the nobles provided their own private armies for expeditions, it was understood that of any spoils of war or plundered goods, about ten percent would be handed over to His Majesty's treasury—a token gesture sufficient to maintain appearances. A portion of the remainder would be distributed among the soldiers, and the rest would naturally line the pockets of the respective noble families.

However, it was clear these good times wouldn't last much longer. Judging by his past actions, the Fourth Prince, who was soon to be enthroned, clearly intended to emulate the Yan Emperor.

The Eighth Prince suddenly asked, "Sir, what about the Blue Luan Army in Jade Plate City?"

"We can request reinforcements once we're back in our country."

"But the wild people here have been defeated, and the Blue Luan Army is trapped... What about Fourth Brother? What if things on his end..."

The Sword Maker knew the Eighth Prince was worried that the Fourth Prince's highly favorable situation back in their country might be jeopardized. This boy, he thought, might seem as cunning as a little fox usually, but ultimately, he hasn't fully matured nor truly weathered significant events. It's inevitable he'd panic at a time like this.

"What is there to fear?" the Sword Maker said. "Now that the Yan people have driven out the wild people, it's tantamount to them annexing the entire Three Jin region. The Yan have practically reached our doorstep! Do you think those old coots back home will still dare to obstruct progress and continue their infighting?

"On the contrary, this is actually a good thing for the Fourth Prince."

As he spoke, the Sword Maker couldn't help but sigh with emotion again, "It's just that with the Yan people's dominance now established, our Great Chu will have no choice but to ally with the Qian people next."