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墨書 Inktalez
In the secluded valley where they were recuperating, Li Shimin and Li Yuanji had temporarily evaded the pursuit of Hao Tian Men, but in reality, danger was quietly closing in from all directions, making their situation increasingly dire.
Lin Wan'er ventured out daily to gather food and herbs for them. Despite her best efforts, supplies remained scarce. Li Shimin's wounds had not fully healed, making movement difficult, while Li Yuanji was severely fatigued from their previous battles. They both understood that hiding in the valley was not a long-term solution; they needed to find a way to leave Jiangnan and deliver evidence back to Chang'an as soon as possible.
"Second Brother, we can't keep hiding here forever. Hao Tian Men will surely intensify their search, and the longer we wait, the worse it will be for us," Li Yuanji said anxiously, furrowing his brow as he spoke to Li Shimin.
Li Shimin nodded slightly, a contemplative look in his eyes. "I understand, but our injuries are not yet healed. If we venture out recklessly and get discovered, it will be a dead end for us. The priority now is to regain our strength and then find a way to break through Hao Tian Men's blockade."
However, things were worse than they had anticipated. One day, when Lin Wan'er returned from her outing, she appeared flustered, with signs of being pursued lingering behind her.
"Not good! It seems that Hao Tian Men has caught wind of something and has started searching this area frequently. We need to move quickly!" Lin Wan'er urged.
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin and Li Yuanji immediately got up, quickly packing their belongings before following Lin Wan'er out of the valley. They cautiously navigated through the forest, trying to find a new hiding place. Yet, Hao Tian Men’s influence in the area was deeply rooted with many eyes watching; they hadn’t gone far before they heard the sounds of a search party in the distance.
"Hurry! There’s movement over there; it must be them! Search thoroughly!" a rough voice called out.
Li Shimin and Li Yuanji's hearts sank as they quickened their pace. However, due to Li Shimin's injuries, his movements were hindered significantly. Soon enough, Hao Tian Men’s men were on their trail.
"Don’t run! Today is your day to die!" shouted a burly man wielding a large knife.
Exchanging glances, Li Shimin and Li Yuanji drew their weapons, preparing for a fight to the death. Though weak from their injuries, they had no choice but to stand their ground.
"Hmph! You think you can kill us that easily?" Li Shimin glared fiercely as he tightened his grip on his spear.
The battle erupted instantly as Hao Tian Men’s men surged forward. Li Shimin and Li Yuanji fought valiantly together, momentarily keeping their attackers at bay. However, more enemies continued to pour in, gradually overwhelming them.
During the fray, Li Yuanji was cut on the arm by an enemy's blade, blood flowing freely. "Second Brother, I'm injured!" he gritted his teeth and said.
"Hold on! We will break through!" Li Shimin shouted as he wielded his spear with relentless precision to buy Li Yuanji some breathing room.
Just when they were about to falter under the pressure, a sharp voice rang out: "Stop!" Lin Wan'er suddenly emerged from an unknown direction, her sword striking like lightning at the enemies and forcing those attacking Li Shimin and Li Yuanji back.
"Run!" Lin Wan'er shouted.
Seizing the opportunity, the three of them fled the scene and took refuge in an abandoned cave. The cave was dark and damp, filled with a pungent odor, but at that moment they could hardly afford to care about such discomforts.
"Thank you again for saving us, Miss Lin," Li Shimin expressed gratefully.
"Don't mention it; this isn't the time for thanks. Hao Tian Men won't give up easily; we need to come up with a plan to shake them off," Lin Wan'er replied.
Li Yuanji sat nearby clutching his injured arm, feeling restless. "At this rate, we won't last long before they catch us. Second Brother, what do you think we should do?"
After pondering for a moment, Li Shimin said, "We must find a way to contact our allies in Jiangnan and have them come to our aid. But right now we have lost contact with the outside world; that won't be easy."
Lin Wan'er listened intently and suddenly her eyes lit up. "I know someone who might be able to help us. He is an old friend of mine who has some influence in Jiangnan; he might be able to help us relay our message."
"Really? That's great!" Hope ignited in Li Yuanji's eyes.
"However, he lives in a small town far from here. To get there, we must pass through the numerous checkpoints of Hao Tian Men, which are fraught with danger," Lin Wan'er said.
"No matter how dangerous it is, we have to go. This is our only chance," Li Shimin declared resolutely.
After resting for a while and ensuring that Li Yuanji's injuries had stabilized somewhat, the three set off under the cover of night. They carefully avoided the patrols of Hao Tian Men, choosing only secluded paths. Even so, they narrowly escaped detection by the enemy multiple times, each encounter filled with tension.
At one point, they had just hidden in a patch of grass when a team from Hao Tian Men passed by. The leader seemed to sense something amiss and stopped to scrutinize the surroundings.
"Why do I feel like someone has been here? Everyone be careful and search thoroughly!" he commanded.
Li Shimin and the others held their breath, their hearts racing. They gripped their weapons tightly, ready to respond to any sudden developments. Fortunately, after searching for a while without finding anything unusual, the Hao Tian Men team moved on.
After several days and nights of arduous travel, they finally arrived at the small town Lin Wan'er had mentioned. The town appeared quite peaceful, but Li Shimin and Li Yuanji knew that it might also harbor spies from Hao Tian Men.
Lin Wan'er led them to a courtyard and knocked on the door. Before long, a middle-aged man opened it.
"Miss Lin, what brings you here?" The man looked surprised upon seeing Lin Wan'er.
"Brother Zhang, I have an urgent request this time. These two are important figures from the court; they are being hunted by Hao Tian Men and urgently need help," Lin Wan'er said anxiously.
Brother Zhang glanced at Li Shimin and Li Yuanji, hesitating for a moment. "Miss Lin, you know I usually avoid getting involved in such troubles, but for your sake, I can help you this once. However, you must leave here quickly; I don’t want to bring trouble to myself or my family."
"Thank you, Brother Zhang. We won't cause you any trouble. We just need you to help us deliver a secret letter to the officials in Jiangnan," Li Shimin said.
Brother Zhang nodded and took the secret letter that Li Shimin had written. "I will send this out as soon as possible, but you must be prepared to leave at any moment. The influence of Hao Tian Men is vast; they may find this place soon."
However, their whereabouts were still discovered by Hao Tian Men. It turned out that there was a spy in the town who spotted Li Shimin and Li Yuanji and immediately reported it to Zhou Xiong.
Upon learning this, Zhou Xiong personally led a large group of men to the town, surrounding Brother Zhang's courtyard tightly.
"Listen inside! You are surrounded! Come out and accept your fate!" Zhou Xiong shouted loudly.
Li Shimin and Li Yuanji were taken aback; they hadn't expected Hao Tian Men to catch up so quickly.
"Second brother, what should we do? This time we might really not escape," Li Yuanji said pale-faced, his voice tinged with despair.
"Don't be afraid; we still have a chance," Li Shimin replied calmly despite knowing how dire the situation was.
Lin Wan'er looked at Li Shimin and said firmly, "I will break out with you; if we die, we die together!"
Li Shimin nodded appreciatively at Lin Wan'er. "Alright! Let's fight our way out!"
They picked up their weapons, ready to charge out and confront the enemy in a desperate battle. Just then, a sudden clamor erupted outside. It turned out that the court's forces in Jiangnan had received the secret letter and sent troops to rescue them.
"It’s the imperial army! We are saved!" Li Shimin exclaimed excitedly.
With the help of the imperial troops, Li Shimin and Li Yuanji successfully broke through the siege of Hao Tian Men. They followed the army out of the small town, finally escaping the relentless pursuit of Hao Tian Men.
After this ordeal, Li Shimin and Li Yuanji gained a profound understanding of the complexity and danger of the situation in Jiangnan. Armed with evidence, they hurried back to Chang'an, ready to present the evidence of Hao Tian Men's rebellion to Li Yuan, while also adding new variables to the impending power struggle. Meanwhile, in Chang'an, Li Jiancheng was closely monitoring the movements in Jiangnan. He knew that the return of Li Shimin and Li Yuanji would undoubtedly trigger a new storm, and he had to prepare thoroughly to face the challenges ahead.
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