Chapter 157: A Matter of Fortune

From the moment Qin Cheng led his men upstairs to the time he and Chen You jumped out of the window together, only a very brief span of time had elapsed. To an ordinary tavern patron, this interval was likely not even enough to realize what was happening; but to Chen You's subordinates and the hidden operatives of the Fragrant Pavilion who had been on constant alert, it was more than enough time to react and take appropriate action.

Four operatives followed Qin Cheng upstairs. Two split off to deal with the saber-wielding assassins left behind by Qin Cheng, while the other two trailed Qin Cheng out of the private room's window. By the time they landed on the ground, Qin Cheng had already disposed of the Xiongnu guards. Needless to say, these men immediately followed Qin Cheng in pursuit of Chen You.

Meanwhile, on the main ground floor of the Fragrant Pavilion, the operative who had sounded the alarm to Chen You and prepared to attack Bai Xinxin and little Rong'er was already locked in combat with another Fragrant Pavilion operative. Their martial skills were evenly matched, so neither could gain the upper hand for the moment, but this nevertheless threw the entire hall into chaos. Ordinary patrons, seeing the two men brandishing short blades in a life-or-death struggle, panicked and scattered in all directions, rushing desperately toward the tavern's main entrance.

At that moment, the Fragrant Pavilion operatives guarding the front doors were also met with a fierce charge by Chen You's lookouts stationed outside, and the two factions clashed violently right at the entrance. This left the patrons, who only wanted to escape the turbulent tavern, trapped in a dilemma, completely unsure of what to do.

However, this chaos did not last long before gradually subsiding, concluding with the victory of the Fragrant Pavilion operatives.

As the commotion inside the Fragrant Pavilion began to die down, Qin Cheng had already chased Chen You across several streets. The Fragrant Pavilion operatives following behind them were gradually being left further and further in the dust. There was simply no helping it; Chen You's escaping skills were truly formidable.

Initially, Chen You had great confidence in his ability to flee, figuring that as long as he wasn't cornered at the back of the Fragrant Pavilion, the people behind him would never catch up to him. Therefore, after running through several streets and feeling that he should be reasonably safe, he glanced back to confirm, only to be struck with utter astonishment.

Behind him, Qin Cheng—who had been about ten paces away—had closed roughly half the distance!

After his initial shock, Chen You inwardly cursed, wondering what kind of freakish monster could run so fast, even outpacing him.

Little did Chen You know that while his own escape skills were not poor, he was currently facing Qin Cheng, a monstrous entity from a past life who was a professional underworld operative and part-time fugitive eluding police cordons. By no logic could Qin Cheng's escaping abilities be inferior to his.

Chen You was heading toward the South City Gate. This was not because he intended to flee out of the city—the gates were already closed, and he lacked the ability or time to have them opened. He headed toward the South City Gate because there was a vast expanse of countryside nearby, which made it convenient to conceal his movements and escape. Although he still had some men stationed at an inn in the Southern District, he could not possibly lead the fire straight to his own "home"; doing so would be nothing short of stripping naked and offering Qin Cheng a chance to wipe them all out in one sweep.

Sweat trickled down Qin Cheng's face, mingling with the blood smeared across his skin before dripping onto the bluestone pavement and shattering into tiny droplets. Qin Cheng had no time to spare for such details. His eyes were fixed entirely on Chen You's back, which was growing closer by the second. He gripped his short blade tightly, and as the memory of how this gang's assassination attempt had nearly cost him his life flashed through his mind, his anger became impossible to suppress.

Having lived two lives across different worlds since his transmigration, Qin Cheng cherished his life dearly. Yet these people had tried to take his head without so much as a greeting—that was simply too arrogant!

Granted, receiving a warning might not have changed anything substantive, but whether that formality was observed made a world of difference in the nature of the act.

This reminded him of how Yi Xue'er had tried to assassinate him half a year ago, only to have her life spared after he exposed her plot. Since Yi Xue'er was a Xiongnu and the two sides were naturally hostile factions, Qin Cheng could understand her desire to kill him. But now, while the nation was actively at war with the Xiongnu, there were still people within the country plotting to kill him—that was something Qin Cheng could not tolerate!

Were they not Han Chinese? And yet, as Han Chinese, they chose to collude with foreign tribes to murder him?

In both his past and present lives, the one type of person Qin Cheng despised above all others was the traitor to the Han race. For Qin Cheng believed that those not of one's kin would inevitably harbor different hearts, and even more firmly believed that anyone who conspired with foreign enemies to harm their own kinsmen deserved to be carved into a thousand pieces.

By now, Qin Cheng was beyond anger. And once anger was transcended, nothing remained save pure murderous intent!

Chen You ran for his very life. Driven by panic and a guilty conscience, he kept turning his head to look back, and each time he did, his heart seized with fresh terror, for with every glance, Qin Cheng had closed the gap even further.

By now, Chen You could clearly see Qin Cheng's grim, murderous face and the blood-dripping short blade clutched tightly in his hand!

Chen You was no stranger to the ways of the world; before swearing allegiance to the Prince of Huainan, he was quite a notable figure in his own right. Yet seeing Qin Cheng pursue him like a god of slaughter, locked in an unyielding quest to see him dead, Chen You could not help but feel a deep sense of dread.

Those who held their lives cheap would always overcome those who clung to them; this was an immutable truth.

Chen You's heart ached bitterly:
Could it be that today was the day he would perish here?
He felt profoundly unwilling—deeply, bitterly unwilling!

He proudly held the rank of one of the Eight Publics of Huainan, occupying a prominent position throughout the entire Principality of Huainan, and he firmly believed an even brighter future awaited him! If the Prince of Huainan's grand enterprise succeeded one day, as one of the veteran ministers who had followed him from the very beginning, attaining a high office among the Three Ducal Ministers and Nine Ministers was by no means an idle dream!

With such a splendid future stretching before him, how could Chen You be willing to die in such an obscure and baffling place?

Therefore, he ran even harder, dragging every ounce of latent potential from his body time and again.

Yet, unfortunately, no matter how he accelerated, vaulting over walls and darting through alleys, Qin Cheng clung to him like a shadow, impossible to shake off.

Just as Chen You was consumed by grief and indignation, tears welling up in his eyes, a few figures suddenly darting out from an alley ahead gave him the distinct feeling of finding a new path through the dark mountains and shadowed streams—had he ever known that poetic phrase.

"Lord Chen?!" The two figures who flashed out from the alley recognized Chen You under the dim light, calling out with a mixture of uncertainty and realization.

Chen You had been fleeing toward the South City Gate, and not being particularly familiar with the layout of Qiansang City, his subconscious had naturally guided him toward familiar territory during the chase. That familiar territory was the vicinity of the inn where he and his subordinates were lodging during their northern expedition. And right at this moment, he happened to stumble upon two of his saber-wielding subordinates who were out "strolling."

"Stop him!" Chen You rejoiced inwardly, declaring to himself that heaven was aiding him. Rushing past the two swordsmen without turning his head, he barked an urgent command.

Having previously witnessed Qin Cheng's terrifying methods, Chen You knew these two swordsmen couldn't actually stop him; but as long as they could buy a little time—enough for him to run a few paces further and vanish into the residential alleyways—he was confident Qin Cheng would never catch him today.

In their haste, receiving Chen You's order and seeing Qin Cheng pursuing him closely with a short blade in hand, the two swordsmen did not hesitate. Drawing the short blades hidden in their sleeves, they slashed directly at Qin Cheng!

From the moment the two swordsmen appeared, Qin Cheng had been on guard. Hearing Chen You's command, he naturally understood what petty scheme the man was plotting. A cold smile crossed his mind, and as the two swordsmen lunged forward, he unexpectedly hurled his short blade straight at one of them!

The swordsman was caught completely off guard. He hurriedly pulled back his blade to parry while sidestepping, but it was already too late. The short blade grazed his cheek, carving a terrifyingly deep bloody trough across his face and slicing open his mouth, stretching it into a grotesque gash that made his mouth appear several times its normal size.

The moment he released the blade, Qin Cheng surged forward with lightning speed. As the other swordsman brought his blade down in a vertical chop aimed right at his face, Qin Cheng violently ducked to the side, his hand wrapping around the swordsman's wrist while his shoulder dropped and drove upward. The next instant, the swordsman let out a miserable shriek as the short blade flew from his grip, his body sent hurtling through the air by Qin Cheng's shoulder charge!

Simultaneously, as that swordsman's body flew backward, his fallen short blade plummeted through the air right beside Qin Cheng's hand.

Qin Cheng caught the short blade in mid-air, adjusting its direction with a single fluid touch. With his other hand, he struck a heavy blow against the pommel of the hilt, releasing his grip on the weapon at the same time. The blade hurtled toward the other swordsman—the one whose mouth had been carved open by Qin Cheng's previous throw—piercing straight into his mouth and punching clean through his throat!

At that exact moment, the second swordsman's own short blade descended to within an inch of Qin Cheng's neck, hanging suspended in that position for the span of a single breath before failing to drop any further.

Qin Cheng had no time to retrieve that dropped blade; his body had already broken into a sprint, resuming his fierce pursuit in the direction Chen You had fled.

Meanwhile, the two Fragrant Pavilion operatives trailing behind Qin Cheng were still four or five paces away from the two defeated swordsmen!

The two operatives stared in a daze as Qin Cheng effortlessly dismantled the two assassins with fluid, effortless movements. Their physical bodies had barely lingered in place for more than the duration of a single charge and a single strike, before he was off and running again without a backward glance. The total time his actions had stalled could not have been more than the span of a single breath!

Ferociously brilliant!

If those two operatives had known the phrase, they would have burst into thunderous applause.

By this time, Chen You had successfully darted into a narrow alley and leaped over a low wall. Convinced he had finally shaken off Qin Cheng, he finally found a moment to catch his breath. Leaning against the low wall, he panted quietly, trying his best to make no sound. Sweat the size of soybeans rolled down his cheeks, and his entire body was drenched through.

"Damn it, I finally shook off that god of slaughter. What on earth is wrong with that lunatic? Why keep hounding me like his life depended on it? Is it really necessary to go this far?" Chen You muttered internally, resting his head against the low wall. The lingering fear and joy of surviving a narrow escape left him temporarily limp. "Thank goodness I've got a charmed life. Now that I've escaped this calamity, I'll definitely return this favor in the future!"

Leaning against the wall, Chen You looked up at the night sky—where countless stars twinkled quietly as ever.

"How could things in the heavens possibly understand human sorrow? I've run so hard and miserably today, yet not a single star has dropped out of the sky!" Chen You sighed.

Suddenly, he noticed something amiss.

Because an entire cluster of stars in the sky had abruptly vanished from sight. Chen You's heart skipped a beat, and he thought, Could the heavens actually have heard my words?

No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than Chen You let out a startled cry, his body instinctively leaping violently backward—for he finally realized why that cluster of stars had disappeared. A closer look had just revealed that a human head was poking up from behind the low wall, blocking out the starlight!