Having received their orders, his subordinates went straight to the slums of the city.
"Oh no, a search party is coming!" A little girl dressed in rags ran inside and tugged at Harbhara. "The soldiers are coming! They'll be here soon!"
Harbhara's face went stark white as color drained from his face. He scrambled to his feet and dashed into the house to fetch Qin Yining and Lu Heng, pulling them to the backyard to escape.
Chapter 501: The Search
Constantly vigilant since they were two people on the run, Qin Yining and Lu Heng's bags were always packed and ready to go. The moment they saw Harbhara rush in with a panicked look, they immediately grabbed their belongings.
As they ran, Lu Heng asked anxiously, "Have soldiers come for us?"
Harbhara nodded. "Instead of searching door to door like last time, they've come straight at us. It's possible they already know you’re with the tribe."
Lu Heng pulled at Harbhara to a stop. "If that’s true, I fear they already have us surrounded. If we leave from a side alley, we’ll be captured on the spot."
Harbhara jolted and surveyed their surroundings, his face stark white.
Qin Yining didn't understand what he was saying, but judging from Lu Heng and Harbhara's expressions, she could tell that their situation was bleak. She quietly inquired Lu Heng about their predicament and agreed they were in a tight spot when she understood what was going on.
"I fear there’s more to our situation than what meets the eye. If the soldiers really are making a beeline here, Siqin must’ve secured his grasp on the throne and now has the time to contemplate where we’ve gone. The city defenses are watertight, so it will be difficult to escape. Siqin knows escaping will be no easy feat for us, which is why he’s certain someone is hiding us."
"You’re correct. Anyone who would risk helping us is sure to be a sworn enemy of Anari’s, thus making a Minuo tribe the prime suspect." Lu Heng's face paled from anxiety.
In such a critical moment, neither he nor Qin Yining could think their way out of this even if they had the brightest of minds. When the soldiers found them, that would mark imminent arrest.
They’d come so far—the prospects of being captured after the lengths they’d gone to was greatly disappointing. What's more, Siqin was the one in power now. If they were sent back to him, little good awaited them after he used them as bargaining chips with Great Zhou.
Harbhara gritted his teeth, torn by indecision. If only I hadn't taken these two in…
No, no, the people of the Minuo tribe weren’t so soft that they'd throw in the towel before putting up a good fight. They weren’t hypocritical, chicken-hearted bastards.
Since he’d already sworn that whoever avenged his aav and eej would be appointed their new chief, his words were nailed into place as soon as they left his mouth. There was no room for second thoughts. If worst came to worst, the most that could happen to him was death!
With these thoughts in mind, Harbhara tugged Lu Heng by the hand. "When we make a run for it, I'll hold them off so you can escape!" he asserted firmly.
"I refuse!" Lu Heng shot him down sternly. "I can’t allow you to take such a risk alone. Listen: if the search party does come, pretend you didn’t know who we are. Just tell them we came here on our own accord, so you didn’t willfully hide us away! If we’re taken, it’s probably to use us to negotiate terms with Great Zhou, so we shouldn’t be killed. But if you rebel, you face a certain death!"
"No! You two are the current chiefs of Minuo. It’s unheard of for our chief to put themselves in harm's way!"
"But you still have the rest of your tribe to consider! Not just the thirty odd elderly and weak living here—there are still more than four thousand of your tribesmen out there waiting for you to rescue them. If anything happens to you, it may mean the end of the Minuo!"
Harbhara stubbornly pulled at Lu Heng. Though fear bubbled in his heart, he refused to stand down.
Qin Yining didn't know what they were arguing about. Just as she was about to ask what they were discussing, Caganbhara practically flew out of the house. He pulled them over to a hut full of firewood in a corner without a word. Brushing aside some of the sticks, he revealed a large vat. After patting around the inside of the vat, he ended up removing its bottom.
"Go in quickly, hurry!" Caganbhara urged.
Harbhara took the lead, followed by Lu Heng and Qin Yining. Below the vat was a rather spacious cellar.
After replacing the bottom of the vat, Caganbhara covered it with a large pile of firewood. Then, he picked up an armful as if he had come outside to gather wood and turned to head indoors. Little did he know that as soon as he stepped in front of the doorway, he would be greeted by the search party.
"Where are they?! Answer us, where did you hide them?!"
Caganbhara was so terrified that he nearly dropped his firewood. He shook his head in alarm. "What are you talking about? What people?"
"Don't play dumb with me! Those two Great Zhou people, a man and a woman! Where did you hide them?!"
"Sir, I really don't know. We're just barely getting by, and ever since something terrible happened in our city walls, we can hardly fill our own bellies. Would we have the provisions to spare for two outsiders we don't know?"
The officials glowered so intently that his glare could’ve drilled two holes into Caganbhara’s lanky body.
"Don't think we don't know what's going in your brains! The brilliant late khan was godly on the battlefield, and she culled the Minuo tribe. Then, your aav and eej were eaten by wolves during a hunt, so you begrudge her. For all we know, you've been waiting for your chance to take your revenge! Now that the two criminals who killed Anari have escaped, would you not want to help them?"
"Good sir! Please have mercy and don't blame us for something we didn't do!" Helpless and hapless, Caganbhara threw down his firewood. "The only thing going through our minds is how we are to feed ourselves and stay alive. Would we have the energy to consider anything else? The khan's accident has been hard on us as well, but you can't pin such a grievous crime on us just because you can't catch her murderers!"
"Milord, why are you wasting your breath on them? Let's just search the premises!" A member of the search party piped up when he noticed their conversation escalating. Fed up with his verbal tug-of-war with Caganbhara, their leader immediately ordered the men to fan out.
Caganbhara lowered his head, looking like the very picture of an aggrieved innocent who’d been accused unjustly. In truth, he was so nervous that he could hardly think straight. His heart skipped a beat when the soldiers drew near the hut of firewood. He relaxed slightly whenever they walked away, and tensed up again when they came back.
He tried to control his emotions, not daring to arouse suspicion in the slightest, and watched as the group poke at the firewood with their swords and scattered the sticks around in a mess. Though they realized no one was hiding inside, they moved all the wood aside in one swift motion. In the corner was a big, fat vat.
"Sir, there's a vat here, but it's empty."
Empty?
The leader stepped forward to inspect and was indeed met with the sight of a dusty vat that hadn’t seen use for some time. It was a rather anticlimactic discovery. Considering how heavy it was, it wasn't likely for someone to move it once it’d been set down in the corner.
Uninterested in the hard labor it would take for them to move the container, the search party spread out to take a good look. Not seeing any other hiding places, dejection struck them. Some of them even gave the vat a good kick, but it still didn't budge.
Caganbhara was about to break out in a cold sweat, but he continued putting on an unperturbed front. Meanwhile, Lu Heng, Harbhara and Qin Yining were beside themselves with nerves in their hiding spot in the cellar. If they were discovered here, all three of them would be dragged off then and there.
Chapter 502: The Devout
There the group knelt in the cellar beneath the bottom of the vat, whi
ch they propped up with a stone brick. The vat's parts were made so seamlessly that no one suspected it was the entrance to an underground vault.
Not having the patience to direct their attention at a shabby container, the search party vented their anger by hurling a rock at it. With a crisp clang, the vat shattered into pieces. The soldiers laughed loudly, as if they’d found something worth celebrating.
The Minuo dwelling was only so big—they’d searched every nook and cranny, but hadn’t seen any spaces capable of hiding people. The leader of the search party had no choice but to leave with his men.
In the cellar, Qin Yining, Lu Heng and Harbhara heard the receding footsteps with slow sighs of relief. Despite this, they didn't dare move a muscle—they continued to hold up the bottom of the vat, not daring to show any sign of their presence.
Outside, Caganbhara frowned and saw the soldiers out with a pained expression. Small fry like him didn't dare complain about a vat being smashed, or being searched for no reason at all, for fear of stirring up even bigger trouble.
The soldiers took even more pleasure from Caganbhara's look of cowardice, seeing it as a mighty achievement.
Caganbhara didn't dare return to the backyard even after the men were far away. Instead, he huddled with his people in the front hall for warmth and quietly reminded everyone not to reveal their secret under any circumstances.
In the cellar, Qin Yining asked Lu Heng in a low voice, "What were the people outside saying?"
The cellar was spacious and well-ventilated. In the north where Tartar was, autumn was about to transition into winter, so it was actually much warmer underground than it was outside.
Lu Heng couldn't see Qin Yining clearly in the dark, but he felt his way to draw closer to her and murmured a summary into her ear.
Qin Yining listened attentively and scrunched her brows. "I don't think things have ended quite yet. Someone as careful and crafty as Siqin likely has traps set up outside. They didn’t find us only because they didn't expect the Minuos to have an underground vault. Once Siqin finds himself backed up in a corner, they’ll make their move."
"I think the same. If we rashly leave the cellar now, we may be spotted by spies that’ve stayed behind. Caganbhara isn’t in a position to check if the search party has completely pulled back."
"Then we wait here," Qin Yining replied, "and figure out how we are to leave after nightfall."
Lu Heng assented with a nod.
Because Harbhara didn't quite understand what they had said, Lu Heng translated their conversation for him in a low voice. "We can’t prolong our stay here," he concluded. "If we don't find a way to leave, Siqin will catch us sooner or later. If that happens, the tribe will be in danger."
Harbhara bit his nails nervously, looking as if he was coming to some sort of decision. After a long moment, he finally spoke up. "When the night comes, let's find a way to sneak out and leave Khanbaliq."
"You mean to leave Khanbaliq with the rest of your people?" Lu Heng immediately asked, concerned. "There are many whom you must protect. Should you go against that wily, merciless fox Siqin, I fear it will only end in death for you all. Be careful, ensuring everyone's safety is the most important matter at hand."
Moved by his words, Harbhara smiled. "I knew I didn't rescue the wrong people," he gushed sincerely. "I knew you two were righteous people who wouldn't abandon us just to ensure your own safety."
Lu Heng couldn't help rolling his eyes. "This is no time to joke. Were it not for your help, we would’ve been caught long ago. We’ve been through so much together that we’re comrades whose bonds are close as blood brothers—would we still have the right to call ourselves human if our actions harm the tribe?"
Harbhara was so moved that he sniffled hard. To be perfectly frank, he and his people hadn’t known Lu Heng and Qin Yining for long. He had indeed felt a pang of regret when the soldiers had arrived to search for the two. In fact, he’d thought if they were found, the two would’ve found a way to escape and completely forget about the lives of the Minuo.
As it were, reality was that the two foreigners continued to hold fast to their sense of morality.
In the years that Tatar had established trade with Great Zhou, the people of the other nation left a bad taste in his mouth— he thought them all to be devious, crafty, and not to be trusted. Now, he saw things clearly: people of integrity did exist in Great Zhou, just as vile folks like Anari could also be found in Tatar.
Huddled inside the cellar, the three quietly listened for signs of activity outside and conversed with each other in low voices. As Qin Yining and Harbhara didn't speak the same language, Lu Heng acted as their interpreter. All in all, things were peaceful.
Before long, night had descended upon them Just as Qin Yining and Lu Heng were considering if they should make their way out, they suddenly heard Caganbhara's quiet voice. "It’s clear now. Hurry out, the patrols have already left."
The three ducked low to move to the cellar entrance. Moving the bottom of the vat aside, they emerged with faces covered in dust. Taking in the moist air and scent of hardened mud, Qin Yining shivered as the cold midnight winds hit her.
Caganbhara pulled them indoors with quick strides. As they gathered around the fire and sat down, they were served bowls of piping hot rice soup and dry flat cakes.
Qin Yining took a few bites of soup and flat cakes, then murmured, "We still don't know how strict the city curfew is. If it’s been relaxed even in the slightest, we should make haste and slip out quietly. We can make further plans after we leave Khanbaliq."
Lu Heng nodded and translated her words for the rest to hear. The people of the Minuo tribe fell into contemplation—Harbhara and Caganbhara most of all. They had sworn in front of the ancestral tablets that whoever avenged their tribe would become the next chief.
Naturally, the brothers weren't cowards who feared death—though they weren't completely comfortable with accepting two Great Zhou citizens as their chief, they’d come to a thorough understanding of Lu Heng's character and methods after all the time they’d spent together. The brothers genuinely trusted them.
Even if it meant their numbers wouldn't thrive as they once did or roam over beautiful grassy fields of waterweeds that they owned, the remnants of the Minuo should still be able to live good lives if such intelligent and experienced people were their chief.
"Second Master Lu, it's as I said before: we of the Minuo never go back on our words, nor do we ever regret the vows we make. Since Second Master Lu and Her Highness are now our chiefs, we entrust our future to you!"
This was the first time Harbhara and Caganbhara were so agreeable with each other. Usually, certain degrees of contempt and annoyance colored their treatment of one another. All they wanted in this moment was to repay Qin Yining and Lu Heng for avenging their parents by killing Anari.
Chapter 503: Fleeing
“I understand your good intentions and feel your sincerity, but wouldn’t it turn the tribe into a vassal of Great Zhou if we’re your new chief?” Lu Heng objected greatly to this. “We’re Great Zhou citizens, after all. But the two of us are friends and brothers with the Minuo, so this is something I’d never be able to do to the tribe. Our friendship can span generations and we can support and give aid to each other, but you two are the real masters of the tribe. I’m sure that your parents in heaven will agree with such a decision.”
His words quite moved the crowd, while Harbhara and Caganbhara grew teary-eyed at the thought of their dead parents. But a decision was a decision, not something they could go back on. This was a matter of principle and dignity.
Qin Yining floundered in the rapid-fire pace of their words. If they’d spoken just a little slower, she might’ve understood a few simple words and puzzled some sentences out.
When Lu Heng discussed his train of thought with Qin Yining, she agreed with his decision. They were foreigners, after all, and given the lessons learned from Azure Justice, she no longer dared easily take over any organ
ization. With great profit came even greater danger.
“Now isn’t the time to discuss this, we first need to think about how to get out of the city. The soldiers came searching today, which means Siqin has enough free time on his hands now. We won’t get away as easily next time there’s a full-scale search, and the Minuo will be dragged in as well. The more frightening consideration is that the consequences will be disastrous if the tribe is targeted.”
Lu Heng nodded with a frown. “That’s very true. The problem is, we’ll have soldiers on our tail even after we make it out of the city. We won’t have an easy time of it, making it to the border between Great Zhou and Tatar.”
The princess consort thinned her lips. “Must we enter the desert once more?”
Lu Heng couldn’t suppress the shudder that ran through him when he thought of the difficulties they’d suffered on the way here. But if they really did make it out of Khanbaliq, it’d be impossible to leave no traces behind. They were up against Siqin’s wits and the Soothsayer’s predictions. Large amounts of soldiers would scour the surroundings for them, and they’d be easily caught if they stuck to the official roads.
On the flip side, if they ventured into the desert with sufficient preparation, that would greatly heighten their chances of escape. With the days growing colder, any trek through the desert would be fraught with difficulty and peril. Their preparations must be thoroughly comprehensive.
Lu Heng pressed his lips together and decided to keep discussing with the two brothers, who frowned upon hearing the proposal. However, they too agreed that the desert would be their greatest aid in escaping if they made it out of the city.
“Since this is the case, let’s get busy. I’ll head out of the city tomorrow and quietly contact the tribespeople outside. I’ll ask if they’re willing to migrate with us. Once we leave Khanbaliq and reach the border, there will be only a few of us spread out over a large amount of land. We’ll be able to eke out a survival, somehow. We need to make full preparations if we want to enter the desert,” said Caganbhara.
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