"What’s wrong? Do you think they’ll be unable to survive after you leave?" The Blade Soul retorted, "Besides, your Deputy General isn’t he quite capable?"

"These brothers are willing to forgo military merits and rewards to follow me. Once we rebel, we are destined to be branded as rebel forces hunted by the court. They have entrusted their lives to me, how can I possibly abandon them?" At this moment, Ye Shikai couldn’t reach He Linghan and was unaware of her whereabouts. However, she had Ye Shikai’s two thousand elite guards with her, and Xue San was accompanying them. Ye Shikai believed in Xue San’s abilities; he was very clever and with him commanding, there should be no problem.

"I understand your thoughts, but I don’t agree with your decision," Blade Soul countered, "There are many cultivators in this empire. Compared to modern times, the cultivators here are deeper in cultivation and harder to deal with. If the court learns of your identity and sends cultivators to assassinate you, you might be able to escape alone. But with so many people now, they can’t help you, nor can they cover for you. They’ll only drag you down."

"Haha, let them come, if they dare. Many people have tried to kill me before. This time, I’m not running." Ye Shikai stood up fearlessly. Having been through so much, he was no longer as sensitive to those so-called "threats" from the outside world. He thought he would deal with them when they came.

"Not bad, you’ve become a lot steadier."

Cultivators only make up a small proportion of the population. To most ordinary people, they’re akin to "deities" or "ghosts." Ye Shikai also believed His Majesty had a special "cultivator unit," but even if they came hunting from Xianyang, it was over two thousand miles away. By then, Ye Shikai would have led his team to Chu Territory.

"Old Ye, you’re here." At this moment, Shangguan Jian hurried over, looking somewhat anxious.

"Shangguan, what’s going on?"

"The brothers in charge of monitoring the valley just reported back. There’s movement among the Qin Army outside, it seems they’re planning to attack the valley by force. I’ve already arranged for the people to retreat, it seems we ought to retreat overnight as well."

"Alright, in that case, let’s leave quickly." Ye Shikai also realized the urgency of the situation. Outside, there were at least sixty to seventy thousand Qin soldiers. If they attacked the valley, then slaughtering everyone would be like "reaching into a bag to take something."

"General, I will take the Iron Armor Army under my command to cover the retreat."

"Good, stay safe, remember not to engage them. The mountain paths are complex, use the terrain to disrupt them." Ye Shikai instructed emphatically.

"Yes, sir, I will follow orders."

"The entire army departs, follow me!"

Four hours later.

"Shangguan, we didn’t take the wrong path, did we?" Ye Shikai couldn’t help but ask, as the path ahead seemed to narrow, they realized the terrain was more complicated than expected. Some roads were not only rugged but also muddy, causing the cavalry a bit of a headache, forcing them to lead their horses forward.

"No, this map was drawn according to descriptions from local hill folk. I also sent people to scout it. There are many narrow mountain paths here. I think... once we pass this road, we should soon be out of the mountains." Shangguan Jian explained.

"Alright, I trust you," Shikai nodded. The mountain paths, being narrow and rugged, were unfavorable for their retreat. Likewise, it was even less favorable for the pursuit of the tens of thousands of Qin soldiers. The path ahead was so narrow that even eight people side by side barely fit, let alone an army of thousands. It would take forever for them to pass, but the only concern was... those civilians. A hundred thousand people of all ages, even on a flat road, could at most travel fifty miles a day, let alone squeezed in this mountain. If the Qin Army caught up, then they’d probably have to jump off a cliff...

"Shangguan, if the Qin Army catches up now, the townsfolk will be in danger," Ye Shikai suddenly realized and immediately reminded.

"There’s no choice, these mountain paths make cavalry ineffective and we’ve run out of arrows. We’re practically a remnant army now, the only combat force left is Man Cang’s Iron Armor Army." Shangguan Jian turned his head to look at Ye Shikai, eyes full of helplessness, and gently shook his head, "We can only pin our hopes on Man Cang now."

........................

Meanwhile, in Nanyang County.

"Brother Xue San, my lady is feeling unwell, could we stop for a rest?" Hehua got off the carriage and anxiously asked Xue San, who was leading.

"This..." Xue San was a bit hesitant. He knew clearly that once Ye Shikai raised an army, "wanted posters" for him would be plastered across the nation. Likewise, as his spouse, He Linghan would also be heavily bountied. Fortunately, there were no phones or texts in ancient times; otherwise, everyone would know within seconds. During the time when the government sent fast horses to deliver messages, that was He Linghan’s "golden time" to escape.

Two thousand guards were not a small number by any means, definitely drawing some attention. If they slowed down, once they were pursued by a larger force, there would be nothing Xue San could do other than risk his life to protect He Linghan.

"What do you mean, ’this or that’? If my lady falls ill from traveling any further, will you take responsibility?" Hehua, deeply concerned for her mistress, raised her voice.

"Yes, I’ll follow orders." In the end, Xue San compromised, making the team stop to rest.

"Brother Xue San," He Linghan slowly stepped down from the carriage at this time, her face looking quite unwell. Traveling day and night had taken a toll on her body.

"My lady." Hehua hurried to support her, and Xue San, fearing He Linghan might lose her step, immediately went forward to assist.

"Brother Xue San, where are we now?" He Linghan asked softly, her voice sounded weak.

"We’ve just arrived in Nanyang County; we should be near Wan City," answered Xue San.

"We’ve reached Nanyang County. Then, Chu Territory is not far." He Linghan smiled with relief.

"My lady, the General has already raised an army, and in no time, news will reach Nanyang County. I’m traveling day and night sincerely for your safety, I hope you understand," Xue San explained.

"Brother Xue San, there’s no need for self-blame. This was my choice, so I won’t fault you." He Linghan waved her hand, and upon hearing this, Xue San breathed a sigh of relief.

"My lady, are you unwell?"

"Don’t worry, it’s just the fatigue of the journey, nothing serious."

"I’ve already sent soldiers ahead to scout. Now that rebellions are everywhere in Chu Territory, Nanyang County, being adjacent to it, is naturally chaotic as well. Please endure a little longer, my lady, and once we reach Chu Territory, we can settle down."