Chapter 1, Rebirth After the Catastrophe

"Your Highness is in trouble; how can one not offer assistance!" The young man clenched his teeth fiercely, "Then follow me; A Fei will be waiting here to assist."

This is a youth of tender age, with a face like a jade crown, eyes resembling bright stars, a straight nose, and slightly thick lips, adorned with a faint trace of short facial hair. He wears a brown headscarf topped with a small bamboo crown, and is dressed in a plain robe with black edges, the corners of which are tucked into a leather belt at his waist. His originally wide sleeves are rolled up in layers, revealing two snow-white forearms. One hand is empty, while the other firmly grips an iron sword over four feet long. He wears a brown headscarf topped with a small bamboo crown, and is dressed in a plain robe with black edges, the corners of which are tucked into a leather belt at his waist. His originally wide sleeves are rolled up in layers, revealing two snow-white forearms. One hand is empty, while the other firmly grips an iron sword over four feet long.

It seemed that at the very moment the sound fell silent, the companion gripping his arm suddenly stumbled, then lunged forward like a ravenous dog, landing face down with a thud, never to move again. A-Fei was also yanked into a tumble, his face and hands covered in wounds, and even the bow he was holding slipped from his grasp, flying off to an unknown location.

He set off at midnight and only heard the surging sound of water ahead when the first light of dawn began to appear. "It must be the river... that is, the Datong River. Theoretically, the pursuers should not be able to find me now." As soon as this feeling of relief washed over him, he immediately felt his bones turn soft and his muscles weaken, unable to move even a single step, and a stinging pain began to radiate from his face and hands.

He slowly bent his legs, kneeling in front of his companion's corpse, and then suddenly leaned forward, his head hitting the ground with a "bang." Following that, his arms gradually drew together, hands cradling the back of his head. He wanted to scream, but dared not, for who knew how far away the pursuing soldiers were? He could only mumble repeatedly: "Damn this wretched fate, haven't you played enough with me? What am I supposed to do now... Where can I go... To the North Sea? A thousand miles away with no maps, and I must set sail to the North Sea? Can one really survive at sea these days... But it seems they came over from the sea back then..."

Dear Elder Brother: It has been seventeen years since I last parted from my hometown while accompanying Lord Wu on his eastern travels

Ah, A Fei..." The voice of the companion sounded extremely weak, "Are you alright..."

There is an ambush... The young master has... already been with the lord... Alas—" The companion let out a long sigh, then suddenly turned over, groaning in pain, and grabbed Ah Fei's arm tightly, "As for our current plan, we can only go to Beihai to seek the elder and avenge the lord and his son... Do you know the way? We need to find a ship from the seaside of Suicheng to... to..."

In the distance, it seemed that the sound of gongs was coming again, though it was uncertain whether it was real or merely a figment of his imagination. A Fei dared not linger any longer, quickly retying his bundle and shouldering it. He crawled a few steps on the ground, groping to retrieve his bow. Straightening up, in the pitch darkness, he widened his eyes, slightly discerning the position of the North Star, and began to walk away in the opposite direction, stumbling and faltering as he made his way into the distance.

The letter was not long, totaling less than two hundred words. A Fei quickly finished reading it and couldn't help but let out a sigh: "Very good, very good, nothing important was said, and apart from this letter, there are no other tokens of remembrance." He involuntarily raised his head and gazed at the vibrant red sunrise peeking through the gaps in the distant mountains: "Damn it, at last you have given me a chance, even though the future is bleak..."

From a distance, the two soldiers appeared dazed, as if they could fall asleep at any moment. The young man knew that the opportunity was fleeting, so he withdrew his head and gently beckoned with an empty hand towards the dark area behind him

In the dark of night, all was silent. Apart from the occasional crackling sound of the fire, both inside and outside the house were utterly quiet. The young man waved his hand, then leaned against the courtyard wall, waiting for quite some time, but his companion did not come. Growing impatient, he waved again, yet... there was still no effect

However, in the darkness, a lithe figure was swiftly approaching the courtyard wall at an unparalleled speed. The person quickly slipped into the shadows beside the door, slightly peering out to cast a glance at the soldier guarding the entrance. In that instant, his upper body appeared at the very edge of the flickering firelight.

A fierce internal struggle was taking place in his mind when suddenly a loud gong echoed through the manor. Instantly, the lights blazed to life, and even Ah Fei, who was hiding behind a tree, felt his face exposed to the source of the light. He trembled in fear, nearly falling to the ground—"It's over, I've definitely been discovered!"

The voice grew fainter and finally fell silent, while the hand that had been gripping A Fei's also slowly loosened and fell to the ground. A Fei sat there on the ground, surrounded by darkness, gasping for breath, too afraid to move. He did not know how long it had been, but finally mustering his courage, he extended his hands and felt for his companion's face, placing his palm against the other’s nose—there was no breath. He then traced along the mouth and chin to the side of the neck, pressing his two fingers there for quite a while—he did not know how long it had been, but finally mustering his courage, he extended his hands and felt for his companion's face, placing his palm against the other’s nose—there was no breath. He then traced along the mouth and chin to the side of the neck, pressing his two fingers there for quite a while.

He couldn't help but raise his right hand to touch the burden on his shoulder, and suddenly an extremely irresponsible thought flashed through his mind: "I might as well just run away... Supporting you in this pitch darkness, I can't see anything at all, how can I help you? There should be money in this bag... But what if this family doesn't end? As an escaped slave, where else can I run to?"

In a moment of helplessness, the young man had no choice but to bend his body, carefully stepping lightly on the fine steps and the - picture - book, leaving the courtyard wall, and silently leaping to a large locust tree about three zhang away from the wall. The moonlight briefly brightened, only to dim again immediately, but in that brief moment of brightness, two figures, one tall and one short, faintly appeared behind the tree.

He is blind as a sparrow, unable to see anything at night," the tall man offered an explanation, then changed the subject, "Young Master, do you really intend to venture out at night? Ah Fei is blind as a sparrow, and his archery skills are rendered useless. There are no fewer than five hundred county soldiers inside and outside the manor, just the two of us...

Suddenly, another thought flashed through my mind: "No, these lights can't all be on at the same time. It's a trap, it must be a trap!" With this thought, I turned my head and prepared to sprint away.

He pushed his companion several times, increasingly with force, and only then did the companion finally let out a soft "hmph." A Fei let out a sigh of relief, his limbs feeling weak, and finally sat down on the ground completely.

Not knowing where the strength came from, he suddenly jumped up, shook open the bundle, and turned out all the clothes inside. Then he took off his coarse garment, put on a silk robe, threw away his straw sandals, donned cloud shoes, and finally casually gathered his disheveled hair on top of his head, put on a small crown, inserted the hairpin, and laughed heartily while pounding his chest with both hands

Is he dead? Damn it, he really is dead... So now it's just me, just me again...

But before he could take a step, he suddenly heard heavy footsteps behind him. Then, his arm was gripped tightly by a hand as strong as a vice. Afraid to the point of losing his senses, A Fei blurted out: "Don't grab me, I'm just passing by to buy soy sauce..." Before he could finish his sentence, he heard the person holding him sternly command "Go," and at the same time, a great force pulled him, dragging him into the darkness.

Just past the dark of the moon, a slender crescent moon, like a curtain hook, hovers against the pitch-black night sky. Apart from the dim pole star, the surrounding stars are all invisible.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, it must be an ambush?" Ah Fei's upper and lower teeth chattered continuously, "I'm fine, just a little, a little, a little..."

I waved my hand, why are you unwilling to come over? The youth's deliberately lowered voice revealed a strong sense of anger

The earth appeared as if stained with ink, illuminated only by two torches made of reeds at the entrance of the manor, casting an orange glow. In the shadows beside the door, two local soldiers wielding spears could be faintly seen, occasionally stamping their feet to ward off the cold, their figures flickering like phantoms.

Hahaha, from today onwards, I will no longer be a barbarian of the Eastern Yi, nor a servant of the wealthy, nor just a commoner. Instead, I will be a scholar, a member of the ruling class! Although I will be a relatively low-ranking member... Ahem.

The word "go" felt so familiar, clearly coming from the mouth of a companion, which allowed A Fei to barely steady his mind. At that moment, he no longer cared whether the surroundings were pitch black, nor did he pay attention to whether the ground was dirt, stones, thorns, or tree roots. Stumbling and staggering, he relied on the strength of his companion and ran forward with all his might, legs spread wide. The sounds of gongs and shouts echoed behind him, but soon they gradually faded away until silence ensued

Well, this is the replacement clothing, this is... Oh, it really has a crown... Is this hard and cold thing money? Ah, this must be that letter... I need to see what is written in the letter

He simply leaned against a large tree and sat down, once again taking off the burden from his shoulder. He pulled out that fateful letter—two wooden tablets. Taking advantage of the dim morning light, A Fei untied the rope binding the tablets, unfolded them, and read softly and carefully:

"Damn their ancestors!" Ah Fei and the book silently cursed in their hearts, "Every day it's just coarse rice and pickled vegetables, and it's not even enough to fill the stomach, yet you want me to take this kind of risk in broad daylight... If you want to court death, fine, but why drag me into it! I'm your follower, not your bodyguard!"

Two companions quickly disappeared into the darkness. The one they referred to as "A Fei" was also a young boy, whose height seemed similar to that of the previously mentioned boy wearing a cap and crown, but his appearance was much more youthful, still without facial hair. His hair was disheveled, and he wore a coarse short shirt and tattered trousers, with a pair of straw sandals on his feet. He carried a rather large cloth bag on his left shoulder, had a quiver of arrows hanging at his waist, held a bow in his left hand, and supported himself against a locust tree with his right hand, cautiously peeking out from behind the tree. However, apart from the faint glow at the entrance of the manor, he could see nothing else.

The short man immediately called out to Zhuang Tianqu: "That was during the daytime, young master. I eat like a pig every day, so I must have night blindness."

Then what about you, A Fei? Aren't you known for your keen eyesight, able to see the tail feathers of a mountain sparrow clearly from ten zhang away?

"Young master," the tall man said with a bitter smile, "with such a distance between us and the night so dark, how can you expect us to see you if you wave your hand?"

What is night blindness

He rolled on the ground for quite a while before finally breaking free from his companion's hold, gasping for breath as he got back on his feet. When he went to push his companion, he felt a warm, damp sensation all over his hands, and at the same time, he seemed to catch a whiff of a metallic scent—"Damn, this is blood... whose blood is it?"

Beihai! Suddenly, a bold thought flashed through his mind. He straightened up abruptly, reached back, and took off the burden from his shoulder—"Damn it, could you at least give me some light!" As he silently cursed like this, he began to untie the burden and reached in to feel around.