Unparalleled Evildoer

Chapter 8: The hero bursts into tears

Li Mu and Li Zhong rode their horses to the city of Handan, only to find the gates were shut and heavily guarded on the towers. Li Zhong stepped forward and shouted, "Wu'an Jun is here, open the gates quickly!"

The guard saw that it was Li Mu and Li Zhong under the city and hurriedly said, "Wu'an Jun, wait a moment. I will report it immediately!"

Li Zhong was furious and said, "What else do you need to report? Open the city gate immediately. If you are late, I will chop off your head!"

The guard said, "General, you don't know that the whole city is on alert now. People entering and leaving the city gates must be verified to prevent spies and assassins from the enemy country from sneaking into the city. I'm sorry, Lord Wu'an!" After saying that, he left to report.

Li Zhong was furious and wanted to curse, but was stopped by Li Mu.

Not long after, Zhao Cong came to the city gate and saw that Li Mu had only brought Li Zhong back. He smiled smugly at Li Mu and said, "My king has summoned Wu'an Jun to return to Handan more than a dozen times, but Wu'an Jun always disobeyed the order. How come he came back obediently this time? Did he come back to assassinate my king?"

Li Zhong cursed: "Turtle bastard, if you have the guts, come down and fight your grandfather. Don't hide in your turtle shell and play dog ​​shit!"

Zhao Cong said angrily, "Don't be impatient, I will tear your mouth open and smash your jaw in a moment, making your life worse than death!" He shouted to the guards, "Wu'an Jun disobeyed military orders and secretly communicated with Qin. Now he wants to assassinate King Zhao. No one will be spared. Shoot!" The guards hesitated, and Zhao Cong shouted again, "Shoot quickly, do you want to commit treason?" The guards knew that Li Mu was a loyal and good man, how could he commit treason, but they had to shoot arrows under Zhao Cong's urging. However, all the arrows were aimed at the ground in front of Li Mu's horse, and not a single arrow hit behind Li Mu. Seeing this, Zhao Cong snatched the bow and arrow from the guard beside him, kicked the guard away, and said angrily, "What are you not, a bunch of cowards!" He pulled the bowstring to its full extent, aimed at Li Mu, and with a "whoosh", the arrow flew straight to Li Mu under the city.

Li Zhong flew forward, jumped high, stretched out his hand to grab the arrow, and when he landed, his body rolled forward, stretched out his hand to draw the bow behind his back, knelt on one knee, put the arrow on the string, and without taking any aim, with a "ding" sound, the arrow shot at Zhao Cong on the city wall. Zhao Cong wanted to shoot again, but before he could put the arrow on, the arrow was already at his face. Zhao Cong squatted down instinctively, and with a "cha" sound, the arrow hit the helmet, broke the helmet tassel, and nailed it to the city wall, making a buzzing sound. Zhao Cong was immediately frightened and broke into a cold sweat. He slowly poked his head out from the city wall, fearing that the arrow would shoot at him again.

Li Mu shouted coldly: "Let Guo Kai come out and speak, you can't kill me."

Zhao Cong shouted, "The Prime Minister will be here soon. I advise you to surrender quickly to save your wife and children from suffering!"

Li Mu sneered and said, "I'm not that stupid. As long as I, Li Mu, am alive, he won't dare to touch a hair on my wife and children."

At this time, Guo Kai walked steadily to the top of the tower, and seeing Li Mu's white hair, he smiled and said, "It's been a long time since we last met. How come Wu'an Jun's hair has become like this? It seems that he has aged, but he still has the ambition of the past, haha."

Li Mu shouted, "Guo Kai, release my wife and children, or you will kill me!"

Guo Kai said: "Okay, I like Wu Anjun's quick words. Come, bring Wu Anjun's wife up!"

Na Lanxue and Li Zhan were taken to the city wall by the soldiers. The hands of mother and son were tied together. Na Lanxue looked much more haggard, and her eyes had lost their original clarity and beauty.

Li Zhan was still as weak as ever, looking at everything in front of him calmly, but when he saw his father Li Mu, he suddenly opened his eyes wide. He didn't expect his father to choose to come back, "Why would my father choose to come back? Doesn't he not have a son like me? Doesn't he put justice first? If he didn't come, my mother and I would be alive, but now he's back, all this is out of his control, why did he do this? This time he's only going to die, does he want to come back and die with us? In fact, I never understood my father, just like he didn't understand me. Maybe this is my father, and only he can come back like this." Thinking of this, Li Zhan showed the first faint smile in his life.

Na Lanxue looked at Li Mu. She had not seen him for three years. When he returned, his hair was already full of silver. His eyes were filled with despair. She felt very sad and heartbroken, but she was powerless. She cried out in a panic, "General, don't worry about me and Zhan'er. Go back quickly!"

Li Mu sat upright on his horse, looked at his wife and children on the city wall and said to Guo Kai, "Let them down, and I will surrender!"

Guo Kai laughed and said, "In my eyes, no one is trustworthy. If you cripple your legs, I will release you immediately. I mean what I say!"

Li Zhong stepped forward and cursed: "Guo Kai, how many times have you eaten your shit? Do you think that others are like you, spewing shit? Let him go first. If it's too late, I will go back with my soldiers and tear you into pieces in anger!"

Guo Kai said with a smile: "If you wanted to lead the troops, you would have done so long ago. You asked for this. I didn't expect you to come back and fall into my trap!"

Li Mu said: "Since you know I will come back to find you, you should believe that I, Li Mu, will keep my word!"

"It's not that I don't believe it, but this matter cannot be taken lightly!"

While they were talking, Na Lanxue whispered to Li Zhan, "Zhang'er, are you afraid of death?" Li Zhan shook his head gently, "They are using us, mother and son, to force your father to die. If your father dies, we will definitely not survive. Even if we survive, we will not avenge your father. But if we die first, it will definitely anger your father and make him live for revenge. Although he was very indifferent to you in the past, he came back this time to save you. He has already acknowledged that he has a son like you, but he is just that kind of person. You won't blame your father, will you?"

After hearing this, Li Zhan shook his head slightly, already understanding his mother's intention.

Guo Kai said: "How about this, you tie yourself up first, I will send someone to check, if everything is OK, I will release you!"

Li Mu said calmly, "I have already handed over the military seal to Sima Shang and resigned from the position of general. I am already a worthless person and pose no threat to you. Why do you have to do this to me?"

"Haha, for someone like you, only death can make people feel at ease!"

Li Mu said: "Okay, as you said, send someone to tie you up. If you go back on your word, I, Li Mu, will never forgive you!" At this moment, Lan Xue saw that the guards behind her were distracted, and she winked at Li Zhan. The mother and son jumped at the same time, falling from the city wall with their clothes fluttering. When the guards wanted to step forward to stop them, it was too late.

No one had expected this sudden change. When Li Mu saw his wife and children suddenly falling from the city wall, he didn't have time to think about it. He grabbed Li Zhong's spear and threw it with all his might. The spear flew to the city wall and was heavily nailed to the wall, sinking more than half a foot deep. Lan Xue's back fell on the spear, and she was blocked by the spear. She spurted out a mouthful of blood and fainted immediately. Her falling momentum was slightly slowed down by this block, but it was still fast. The spear was broken and continued to fall along the city wall. Li Zhong had an idea and grabbed more than a dozen arrows from the quiver behind him, quickly put them on the strings, and shot them with all his might, all hitting the city wall. Lan Xue's body Li Zhong continued to grab the arrows and shoot three times in a row. After relieving a lot of pressure, he saw that Lan Xue and Li Zhan were about to fall under the city. At this time, Li Mu had already ridden his horse forward, jumped up, caught Lan Xue and Li Zhan in the air, and rolled his body for more than three meters before stopping. Li Mu wanted to get up, but he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder and lumbar spine, and knew that his body was broken. Lan Xue opened her eyes slightly, and saw Li Mu holding her, and said weakly: "Zhan'er!" When she saw Li Zhan in her arms again, he was already unconscious, and his breath was very weak.

Guo Kai ordered his men to shoot arrows, and a rain of swords came down. Li Zhong ran over and said, "Godfather, let's go!" He waved his sword to block the arrows, and covered Li Mu and Na Lanxue who was holding Li Zhan as they retreated.

Li Zhong was hit by several arrows, although they were not in vital parts, he was seriously injured. At this time, his warhorse had been shot down, and several people could only flee quickly outside the city, moving slowly. At this time, Guo Kai ordered Zhao Cong and Yan Ju to lead hundreds of cavalrymen who had been prepared long ago, to chase them. Seeing that he could not escape, Li Zhong turned around and shouted, "Adoptive father, go quickly, I'll stop them!" Li Mu said, "You take your adoptive mother away, they want me!" Li Zhong did not listen, bent his bow and drew his arrow, shot down several people, and said to Li Mu, "Seize two horses first!" Li Mu said, "Okay!" The two turned around, and at this time the warhorse had already rushed over. A cavalryman's lance pierced Li Zhong. Li Zhong turned his body to the side, grabbed the spear head, and shook his arms hard, pulling the cavalryman off the horse, killing him immediately. Then he swung the lance and fought with those cavalrymen. Li Mu also seized the halberd to protect Lan Xue and Li Zhan, who was in her arms and didn't know whether he was alive or dead. At this time, the cavalrymen had surrounded the four people.

Zhao Cong looked at Li Mu from the outside and shouted, "You are at the end of your rope, why don't you die!"

Li Zhong shouted loudly and swung his spear in a circle, sweeping away the spears and halberds that were stabbing at him, and repelling the cavalrymen who were approaching him. He tapped the ground with his spear, pushed himself up with all his strength, jumped up, kicked the cavalrymen on horseback away, jumped onto the horse's back, tightened the reins, turned the horse's head, clamped his legs around the horse's belly, loosened the reins, and rushed towards Zhao Cong, shouting, "Zhao Cong, give me your life!" Zhao Cong was shocked and shouted, "Stop him!" The cavalrymen on both sides blocked Zhao Cong and prevented Li Zhong from getting close.

Li Mu was protecting Na Lanxue and had no chance to seize the horse. He swung away the cavalrymen who were approaching him and shouted to Li Zhong who was fighting with the cavalrymen, "Take your stepmother away quickly, I'll catch up soon!" Li Zhong heard the shout, turned his horse's head, rushed back, and when he was almost beside Na Lanxue, he stretched out his hand and shouted, "Stepmother, hold on tight!" Na Lanxue was a Hu woman who was good at riding and shooting. She hugged Li Zhan with one hand and grabbed Li Zhong's hand with the other, and was pulled onto the horse's back. Li Zhong rode his horse to kill his way through and rushed towards Jingxing Pass. Li Mu also seized a horse, and after rushing out, he turned around and rode it backwards to resist the approaching cavalry and cover Li Zhong's retreat. If he was not seriously injured, how could these cavalrymen stop him? Li Mu gritted his teeth, his eyes widened, his white hair turned red, and sweat poured down his face.

At this time, Guo Kai led another group of cavalry and rushed over. Guo Kai shouted: "We can't let them get away, chase them!"

The warhorse that Li Zhong was riding was carrying a lot of weight and could not run very fast. It was soon caught up by the pursuers and surrounded again. Li Mu's shoulders were broken and his arms were numb, but he persisted out of instinct. He didn't know how long he fought, and the world was all blood red.

Guo Kai said to Taoist Qingyang beside him, "When are you going to make your move?"

Taoist Qingyang carried a long sword on his back and smiled slightly, "Why, Prime Minister, are you so anxious today? I've heard that Li Mu is brave and good at fighting, and it's rare to see him. I want to take a good look at him, haha!"

Guo Kai said unhappily: "The Taoist priest asked me to frame Li Mu, and I did it. If I can't kill Li Mu, it's the Taoist priest's problem!"

"Don't worry, he won't be able to hold on for much longer. Prime Minister, don't worry, Li Mu will definitely die today!"

With a "whoosh", Zhao Cong suddenly shot an arrow, hitting Li Mu in the chest. Li Mu screamed "Ah", his whole body trembled, and he fell off his horse. Li Zhong shouted in pain, "Godfather!" He knew that he was dying, and tears flowed. If he hadn't been carrying Lan Xue and Li Zhan, he would have rushed over and fought desperately.

When the cavalrymen saw Li Mu being shot, they stopped and could not bear to watch. Everyone in Zhao knew who Li Mu was and how loyal he was, but due to the situation, they had to live against their conscience.

Na Lanxue stared at Li Mu, opened her mouth for a long time, but could not utter a word. She forced herself to remain calm and whispered to Li Zhong slowly, "This horse is too heavy and can't run fast. Your brother is your adoptive father's only son. You must take him out and don't let him fall into the hands of the traitors!"

Then, she bent down and kissed Li Zhan's forehead, tears dripping onto Li Zhan's face, and she said softly, "Zhan'er, mother can't go on with you. Mother has to go and accompany your father. She can't let him die alone like this. You won't blame mother, will you? If you can escape this disaster, remember to live on."

The arrow shot into Li Mu's heart. After a long while, Li Mu supported himself and sat up tremblingly. His breathing was rapid, blood was flowing from his mouth, and his eyes were wandering. Li Mu chuckled and said, "I should have died... on the battlefield, but... I died... at the hands of the Zhao people. It seems... that... the State of Zhao... is also doomed!"

Everyone was speechless, some were secretly wiping away tears, looking at everything in front of them, it was a kind of cruelty, Guo Kai sighed and said: "You can go with peace of mind!"

Li Mu trembled and said in a hoarse voice: "Of course I feel at ease. I am... worthy of... the people of Zhao!"

Taoist Qingyang said: "From now on, there will be no more Zhao people, only Qin people!"

Na Lanxue kissed Li Zhan's forehead again and whispered, "Mother is gone, you have to survive!" After that, she tied Li Zhan behind Li Zhong, jumped off the warhorse, slowly walked towards Li Mu, picked up a broken gun tip, held it in her hand, knelt in front of Li Mu, smiled at the dazed Li Mu, "I will always be with you!" She raised her slender hand and struggled to pierce the gun tip into his heart. His clothes were stained with blood. Li Mu said with his dying breath, "Why do you have to do this..., Zhan'er is still..., okay..." With one trembling hand, he hugged Na Lanxue tightly.

Li Zhan seemed to sense that his parents were about to leave. His heart suddenly skipped a beat. He opened his eyes and looked back to see his parents huddled together, kneeling on the ground and about to die. He hurriedly shouted, "Dad, Mom!"

Li Zhong gritted his teeth and slammed his spear against the horse's buttocks. With a neigh, the warhorse galloped out. Li Mu and Na Lanxue heard Li Zhan's shout at the same time and looked towards him. They saw Li Zhan on the galloping warhorse, looking back at them, stretching out his little hands, as if he wanted to grab his parents, unwilling to leave, with his hair fluttering and his eyes full of despair. It was all like a dream, so unreal and lingering. It was all like lightning, taken away without a word.

Li Mu exhaled his last breath and said, "My son!"

Na Lan Xue murmured in a low voice: "You must... stay alive!" The two of them watched Li Zhan pass away sadly.

Taoist Qingyang suddenly woke up and shouted, "Don't let them get away, chase them!"

(End of this chapter)