Chapter Thirty-Three: Du Zhi’s Vicious Plot

"What?"

Pang Juan stood up abruptly, his eyes wide with fury, his roar echoing through the entire mansion. "What is going on? How could the prisoner have escaped?"

The soldier trembled, stammering, "I... I truly do not know. When we returned, we found that Wei Yang was already gone."

"Useless! A pack of good-for-nothings!"

Veins bulged on Pang Juan's forehead. He kicked out violently, and with a thunderous crash, the heavy low table in front of him flew across the room, shattering against a pillar into a spray of wood splinters.

"You have ruined my grand plan! He cannot have gone far—go and pursue him at once!"

"Yes, sir!" The soldier scrambled out in terror.

"It is over..."

Pang Juan’s face was ghastly. In his previous meeting with Prince Ang, he had promised to release Wei Yang to silence him, hoping to prevent any damaging words from reaching the Prince’s ears. And yet, Wei Yang had escaped!

Indeed, one could never be too careful with a man like that.

Pang Juan took a deep breath and set off for the residence of Gongshu Cuo.

Inside, Prince Ang was dressed in mourning clothes, kneeling before the funeral altar.

"Teacher, your dying wish has been fulfilled... The position of Chancellor of Wei has not fallen into the hands of that scoundrel Pang Juan..." Prince Ang murmured to Gongshu Cuo’s spirit tablet.

"General-in-Chief has arrived!" a loud voice announced from outside.

Prince Ang frowned. What was this fellow Pang Juan doing here?

"Wei Yang has escaped." Pang Juan strode in, his expression grim, and said to Prince Ang, "Though, I suppose this plays right into your hands."

"What? Wei Yang has escaped?!" Prince Ang stood up abruptly, as if struck by lightning.

Pang Juan nodded. "Indeed. But I have already ordered a pursuit; he cannot have gone far."

"How could you let him slip away? He must not be allowed to leave Wei under any circumstances!" Prince Ang’s voice rose sharply as he recalled his teacher’s final instructions.

"Why?" Pang Juan paused, a sense of foreboding washing over him.

Prince Ang took a deep breath and repeated exactly what Gongshu Cuo had warned him.

Pang Juan’s face darkened. Gongshu Cuo’s judgment... that meant Wei Yang...

"Quickly, mobilize the troops and ensure he is intercepted!" Prince Ang urged, now desperate.

"Very well. I shall lead the pursuit, and you handle the search within the city." Pang Juan did not dare delay further and turned to muster his forces.

***

Prince Ang immediately mobilized the city’s garrison for a full-scale search.

"So, it was the State of Qin..." He looked at the now-empty residence of Jing Jian and understood how Wei Yang had managed to flee. He gritted his teeth in hatred.

But how could a mere subordinate like Jing Jian rescue a prisoner under Pang Juan’s very nose? Could it be... A bold thought flashed through Prince Ang’s mind: the Saint of Guigu, who had burned sixty thousand Wei troops to death at Black Dragon Gorge... had he come as well?

"Quickly, saddle the horses!" He roared as he charged out of the gates. He would spare no cost to trap both Wei Yang and the Saint of Guigu within the borders of Wei, eliminating any potential threat to his country.

***

Zhao Zheng’s party fled at breakneck speed, not daring to stop for a moment. The horses were foaming at the mouth, clearly pushed to their limits.

"How much longer until we reach the border of Qin?" Zhao Zheng asked Mo Hao.

Mo Hao glanced roughly at the map in his hand. "Three and a half days at the fastest, four days if we are slower."

"That will not do; we must go faster. Pang Juan has surely discovered Wei Yang’s disappearance and will have ordered a full-scale search of the entire territory." Zhao Zheng’s heart sank; four days was simply not enough.

"There is no other way; this is as fast as we can go." Mo Hao sighed helplessly; these were the finest horses the Mohists could provide.

Wei Yang spoke up from the side, "I suspect Pang Juan will only scour the neighboring cities. However, there is one person we must guard against."

"You mean Prince Ang?" Zhao Zheng mused.

Who in all of Wei knew Wei Yang best? Naturally, it was Prince Ang.

Wei Yang’s expression was somber. "Once he realizes Jing Jian is missing from his quarters, he will know I am heading for Qin. He will certainly move to intercept us at the border."

Zhao Zheng nodded slightly. Wei Yang’s logic was sound. But what could they do? With their small numbers, the people of Wei could drown them simply by spitting on them.

After long contemplation, Zhao Zheng said, "There is one more way. We take a detour. We will not go through Xiao Mountain; we will bypass it and head through the He Xi region toward Shao Liang."

"He Xi? That is deep within the territory of Wei!" Jing Jian nearly jumped off his horse. Traveling through the heart of Wei was tantamount to suicide.

"As the saying goes, the most dangerous place is the safest," Zhao Zheng said, gritting his teeth. "They will never expect us to travel through the interior of Wei."

"Let’s gamble on it. Detour to He Xi; I will lead the way." Jing Jian agreed, and with a sharp kick to his horse’s flanks, he veered toward the more hidden, rugged mountains.

***

Within the borders of Wei, Pang Juan personally led teams to tear apart the nearby cities, leaving the populace in a state of chaos and resentment.

The result... they did not find a single strand of hair.

The King of Wei was furious and issued an edict scolding Pang Juan severely, ordering his immediate return to the capital.

As for Qin, there were those who rejoiced and those who worried. Gan Long and the other noble families prayed for Zhao Zheng to die in Wei, while Ying Quliang could neither eat nor sleep. Especially upon hearing that Pang Juan was conducting a massive search of Wei, he had not closed his eyes for a single night.

***

"This boy..." Ying Quliang paced the palace hall, restless and anxious.

Only when he received word that Pang Juan had found nothing did he heave a sigh of relief, though he remained puzzled. "What is so special about this Wei Yang that this boy would risk his life for him?"

***

"Absurd! How many times must I tell you?"

"Why do you insist on being so stubborn?"

Gan Long looked at the increasingly cold-faced Du Zhi with fury.

Du Zhi shrank his neck, defending himself, "Teacher, this is our only chance! Even if Zhao Zheng were the reincarnation of a deity, there is no way he can escape this time."

Gan Long’s anger subsided slightly, and he asked coldly, "Is it clean?"

Du Zhi hurried to assure him, "It has been handled very cleanly. There is not a single loose end."

"What about Ying Qian?" Gan Long narrowed his eyes.

"As for the Grand Tutor, I will personally go and distract him... As long as the gates of Wu Pass are kept tightly shut, they will have no way to fly out." A glimmer of malice flashed in Du Zhi’s eyes.

"Hmph, it had better be so. If it is not handled cleanly, do not blame me..." Gan Long’s expression finally softened, and he gave a cold snort.

How could he not want Zhao Zheng dead? But the risk was too great. If even the slightest flaw appeared, Ying Quliang would certainly use it as a pretext to forcibly purge the power of all the old noble families. Moreover, Zhao Zheng was too cunning; even if bait were cast, he would never bite easily.

Du Zhi bowed hastily. "Your student understands. I guarantee there will not be a single problem."

"Get out. I will pretend you never came tonight. Tell everyone I am not at the residence." Gan Long waved his hand.

"Yes!" Du Zhi replied and hurried away.

Watching him leave, Gan Long’s anger had vanished, replaced by the joy of a conspiracy successfully set in motion.

Zhao Zheng, oh Zhao Zheng, in the end, you were no match for me...

***

On the other side, Zhao Zheng’s party traveled day and night, exhausted and worn out. But fortunately, once past Shao Liang, they would be within the borders of Qin.

"Those damned people of Wei." Jing Jian spat out the sand in his mouth and cursed indignantly.

They dared not take the main roads, forced to trek over mountains and traverse wild, untrodden paths. A four-day journey had been stretched into six. If not for the Mohist outposts along the way providing supplies and rest, they would have likely died on the road.

Just as the group was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Mo Hao suddenly pulled on his reins, his face changing drastically as he stared behind them.

"This is wrong! Look behind us!"