Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 614

Chapter 614: Dense Forest

The dense forest to the south was filled with tall, lush, vibrant green trees, where only sparse sunlight could be seen overhead.

An Zhi, carrying her daughter, had walked for two hours. They should had stopped for a midday rest, but Xiao Zheng unusually continued onward.

Pei Que led the horse, walking beside An Zhi.

“Madam, are you hungry?”

An Zhi shook her head. Binglu had fed her a few bites of bread earlier; she was not hungry, but her feet ached terribly.

Pei Que watched Xiao Zheng’s retreating figure with a heavy heart. They continued their journey until nightfall.

To prevent Pei Que and the others from wandering off, Fusheng and the other two did the fetching of water and gathering of firewood. Pei Que and An Zhi remained within Xiao Zheng’s sight.

After a day of walking, An Zhi’s feet were blistered. When she took off her shoes, the blisters burst, and a sharp pain swept through her body, making her wince.

A sliver of the setting sun hung in the sky, about to disappear behind the mountains. He whispered to Pei Que, “Why have they not returned yet?”

It would be dark if they didn’t come back soon.

Pei Que remembered Fusheng’s reminder; they should be fetching water now. “Let’s wait a little longer; they should be back soon.”

“Sooner than what?” Xiao Zheng walked over, just in time to hear Pei Que’s words. “You mean, your three servants?”

Pei Que and An Zhi looked up at Xiao Zheng but remained silent.

“The paths in the mountains are treacherous and chaotic. They might get lost, or they might encounter wild animals. After all, they are just teenagers; they do not have much skill.” Xiao Zheng smiled, sitting down opposite Pei Que and An Zhi for the first time. “Why are you all looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?”

Pei Que stared at Xiao Zheng. “Minister Xiao, are you so free today?”

“Not bad. We are almost at our destination, and I thought I’d spend a little more time talking to you.” Xiao Zheng raised an eyebrow at Pei Que, his expression smug.

An Zhi felt nauseous at what she heard and turned away from Xiao Zheng, clutching her daughter.

Pei Que also wanted to punch Xiao Zheng, but not now. “If Minister Xiao has the leisure for this,” he said, “why do you not go and survey the surrounding area? If there are any wild animals, you should be careful.”

The jungle was dense and indeed fraught with danger.

Xiao Zheng smiled disdainfully. He had already scouted the nearby mountains and forests and had even drugged the stream. Once Pei Que and his family drank the water and passed out, he would release dogs that had been starving for two days to attack them. Then they could simply say they encountered wild animals, and since the masters in the capital all wanted to see Pei Que’s family die, no one would investigate.

“Pei Que, we have no prior grudges, and the Pei family’s affairs have nothing to do with me. I have not laid a hand on you along the way.” Xiao Zheng still felt resentful thinking about the Commander’s position falling into someone else’s hands. He knew the Yun family would not help him much; after all, he was just a dispensable pawn. “I want to ask you a question: how can I obtain the Commander’s position?”

Upon hearing this, Pei Que gave an “Oh.”

He knew Xiao Zheng would not be able to hold back. Before, Lin Fan had kept him in check, but now, the sudden transfer of someone who was not a member of the Imperial Guards had made Xiao Zheng extremely resentful.

Xiao Zheng met Pei Que’s probing gaze. He was not afraid to reveal his true thoughts to Pei Que now, because Pei Que was about to die.

“If you want to rise to power, you must bring down the current commander.” Pei Que was quite willing to help Xiao Zheng with this favor. Just like the old master said, watching dogs fight was more interesting than fighting yourself. “And the current commander is from the Xu family. Even if you manage to bring him down, the Xu family will not let you off the hook.”

Seeing Xiao Zheng’s brows gradually furrow, Pei Que’s smile deepened. “Do not be resentful. In terms of age and seniority, the former Lin Fan was no match for you, but in the end, Lin Fan was the one who rose to power. It’s important to know your own limitations. Since you cannot act directly, you can use someone else to do the dirty work.”

“Use whose knife?” Xiao Zheng asked, scrutinizing Pei Que. After all, they were rivals, and Pei Que might be setting a trap for him.

Seemingly having guessed Xiao Zheng’s thoughts, Pei Que chuckled. “I do not like you, but I resent those people in the capital even more. Lin Fan lost his left hand and his position as commander after I cut off his left, damaging his future as well. But he worked so hard to get that position; how could he willingly let someone else take his place? Besides, he finally managed to bring down the Pei family, and he has not enjoyed a single day of success himself; he certainly will not let others reap the benefits. So, whose knife do you think I will use?”

Naturally, he’d use Lin Fan’s knife.

Hearing this, Xiao Zheng suddenly realized that Pei Que was using a divisive tactic.

“Pei Que, your malicious intentions!” Xiao Zheng said in a low voice, “You want to use me to sow discord between Lin Fan and the Xu family, making them kill each other!”

Pei Que was unconvinced. “What’s wrong with that for you?”

Lin Fan was calculating and resourceful, but not the cunning kind. He was more than capable of dealing with a newly arrived commander. Once the new commander fell from grace, Xiao Zheng could easily betray Lin Fan. The Yun family would certainly be willing to support Xiao Zheng, giving him a chance to rise in rank.

Xiao Zheng understood this logic.

“If I remember correctly, Minister Xiao is over thirty this year. If he does not get promoted soon, he will probably only be able to stay in the Imperial Guards and read documents,” Pei Que suddenly mocked. “But it’s alright; reading documents is not dangerous, it’s a stable income, and he can still make a living.”

Seeing Fusheng and his two companions approaching from afar, Pei Que had given them all the advice he needed to. He trusted Xiao Zheng would not disappoint him, so he helped An Zhi up and ignored Xiao Zheng.

Fusheng quickly started a fire, and Binglu and Chunlan busied themselves washing the wild vegetables they had gathered. After each eating a bowl of hot wild vegetable soup, they went to rest.

Meanwhile, Xiao Zheng and his subordinates glanced at An Zhi and the others from time to time, but they did not notice anything amiss.

“Brother, why have they not collapsed yet? Maybe the dosage was too low?”

Xiao Zheng also thought this was possible. The stream water was constantly flowing, and the clean water washing down meant the medicinal properties were not as strong.

“Wait a little longer. If it really does not work, we will wait until dark. Let’s go eat first; we have to work tonight,” Xiao Zheng said, getting up.

On the other side, Pei Que watched Xiao Zheng through the cracks in the tent. After Xiao Zheng got up, he turned to everyone and said, “Binglu, you and Chunlan go and rest first. Even if you cannot sleep, lie down for a bit. Later tonight, I’m afraid no one will be able to sleep.”

Indeed, no one was sleepy, and everyone had a dagger in their hand.

An Zhi held her daughter, trying to soothe her. Perhaps knowing something bad was going to happen that night, Yue’er kept crying.

After an agonizing hour, An Zhi heard a cuckoo calling outside the tent, and Pei Que came out.

Not long after, Pei Que came back in, telling everyone to stay inside, saying that Xiao Zheng’s group had all been drugged.