Chapter 300: Chapter 276: A Few Branches Bloom in Spring

This was a narrow mountain path midway up the hillside, where Hua Cuo crouched on a large rock ahead. His gorgeous red robes were now stained with the dust of travel and slashed with a few cuts; the frayed hem draped down from both sides of his body, covering the remnants of snow on the rock.

He twirled a bright red bean between his fingertips, a coldness mixed with exhaustion on his face. Although Chu Yu and the others’ escape was grueling, his pursuit was evidently no more comfortable.

Yet no matter what, he had caught up to them.

How had he found them?

The group exchanged looks, Chu Yu gave a powerless bitter smile, and Chen Bai’s face was ashen.

Chen Bai’s expertise was in planning and strategizing. As for martial prowess, it was hardly his strong suit. Seeing Hua Cuo appear before them, he felt utterly hopeless.

Despite his despair, he hadn’t forgotten his duty, and with a backwards push, he thrust Chu Yu behind him. Chen Bai drew his sword and advanced toward Hua Cuo, even as he said, “Please, flee quickly.”

In a moment’s time, he made up his mind to use his life to hold off Hua Cuo for a moment, but he really had no confidence in stopping Hua Cuo for long. As for what would happen after his death, he was powerless to help.

Hua Cuo casually flicked away the red bean and drew his sword in a backhand strike towards Chen Bai. Just as the sword wind neared his face, and Chen Bai was about to close his eyes and await death, a black figure flashed before his eyes. Focusing, he saw it was Amman, wielding a black short spear, blocking Hua Cuo’s longsword.

Without looking back, Amman shouted, “Take Chu Yu and leave, quickly!” Before he could finish his second sentence, his voice suddenly choked as he tensely parried the thrust of Hua Cuo’s longsword, with no more time to speak.

Chen Bai looked around, assured that Hua Cuo had come alone with no other pursuers, bit his teeth, turned to bow to Chu Yu, and said, “Please, follow me.” They couldn’t waste the precious moments Amman had fought for.

Amman, though formidable in strength, was no match for Hua Cuo, who had relentlessly practiced and improved his swordsmanship over the years, especially with Rong Zhi’s guidance. Amman seemed to have hit a wall, while Hua Cuo clearly had the upper hand.

In just a few exchanges, Hua Cuo’s sword nearly grazed Amman’s hand. Although the deep color of Amman’s skin made it hard to tell if he was injured, drops of blood falling to the ground soon made the outcome clear.

Seeing this, Chen Bai understood Amman was no match and grew even more anxious, urging Chu Yu, “Please don’t delay any longer, run for it.”

Yet Chu stood there frozen, as if her feet had taken root and she couldn’t move.

She had often seen such scenarios in novels and on TV: when a person or a group was being pursued, one of them would stay behind to fight the pursuers, yelling to the least capable or the most important member to “run away,” ready to sacrifice themselves so the other could escape. But then the person would stand there crying, refusing to leave, resulting in everyone getting caught or killed together.

Whenever Chu saw these scenes, she would disdainfully criticize, demeaning such people for staying when it was futile, wasting their companion’s sacrifice, and even putting themselves at risk. But now that she was in the same situation, she didn’t know how to take that step.

Could she live with herself if she survived by walking a path paved with the blood of her loved ones, even if she managed to escape death?

Her heart scorched to a dry ache, Chu Yu shifted her gaze, looking at Chen Bai, “Flee? To where?”

Meeting her gaze, it was a look of resigned acceptance, gray and hopeless. Chen Bai paused for a moment, then quickly said, “Please forgive my rudeness.” After speaking, he bent down, one arm going around Chu Yu’s waist, hoisting her onto his shoulder, and he hurried back along the way they had come.

The mountains were the best place to hide; as long as they could get some distance away, their chances of survival would increase.

Out of the corner of her eye, Amman noticed Chu Yu being carried off and finally relaxed, focusing wholeheartedly on dealing with Hua Cuo. Hua Cuo wasn’t in a hurry to chase after them; he let out a cold laugh and said, “Let’s see how much your martial arts have improved over the years.” He then earnestly began to exchange moves with her.

Seeing that Hua Cuo didn’t pursue Chu Yu, Amman felt a great sense of relief, thinking that she could finally be of help to Chu Yu. Although wounds kept appearing on her body, her face couldn’t help but show a look of joy. By Chu Yu’s side, there had never been a time for her to exert effort until now, and she felt useful. This moment was the happiest she had been in years.

The other two members of the party also took Huan Yuan and You Lan with them in pursuit. After getting out of Hua Cuo’s sight and rounding a bend, they came across a fork in the road that split into three paths. Chen Bai had taken Chu Yu down the middle path, and the two men with Huan Yuan and You Lan exchanged glances at the fork. One picked up You Lan, and the other picked up Huan Yuan, each taking one of the remaining paths.

You Lan covered her mouth in fright, but Huan Yuan knew their plan; they were leaving similar tracks to confuse Hua Cuo about which path Chu Yu had actually taken. Additionally, they were trying to minimize Chu Yu’s target profile. He relaxed himself, letting the man beneath him carry him off in a mad dash through the mountains.

You Lan, on the other hand, wasn’t as cooperative. She struggled and let out muffled cries, and the man beneath her, running out of patience with a young maid, harshly covered her mouth and took another path.

However, after they had gone their separate ways, a red bean lay quietly on the middle fork of the road, its delicate beauty striking against the backdrop of the snow.

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Chen Bai had been carrying Chu Yu for quite a distance, and his strength finally started to wane. He stopped to catch his breath against a tree when suddenly he heard Chu Yu’s low voice from above his shoulder, “Put me down. I’ll walk with you.”

Chen Bai hesitated for a moment, then quickly lowered her to the ground, allowing Chu Yu’s feet to touch. He examined her expression closely; although still sad, the deathly gloom had lifted, and he felt slightly assured. He consoled her, “Please, don’t be too sad.”

Chu Yu managed a weak smile and didn’t speak, only nodding in response.

The terrain they traversed had no paths and was exceedingly rugged. Chen Bai aided Chu Yu as they trudged along, and about an hour later, they arrived at the base of the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain was a stream with clusters of white residual snow accumulated on the bank, and occasionally, a few patches floated on the water. The stream’s clear water carried a silent chill, and Chu Yu glanced at the dry branches sticking out from the snow on the bank. The withered leaves buried underneath left her wondering how many would sprout anew with the coming of spring?

Chen Bai looked down to catch his breath and said, “Alright, we should be safe if we go this way. We won’t be found here.”

As if to mock him deliberately, before he could finish his sentence, a scornfully cold laugh rang out like thunder. Following the sound of that laugh, they saw a ghostly red figure emerge from behind the rocks ahead.

Somehow, Hua Cuo had caught up to them once again, and just like before, he was holding a vividly tempting red bean in his hand.

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