Death… and me

Upon seeing Chu Yang's gaze, the masked hostage by his side laughed and said proudly, "These… My martial brothers are not bad, right?"

Within this group, even Manager Gao and Du Shi Qing dared not disrespect the hostage because of his special status. However, Chu Yang treated him with disregard.

Nevertheless, the hostage knew that it was safest for him to stay right by Chu Yang's side. Hence, he refused to separate from Chu Yang and attach himself with anyone else within this group even though Chu Yang got on his nerves frequently.

He firmly believed that even though Chu Yang was disrespectful towards him, he was the only person that did not want him dead. As for the rest, although they appeared courteous on the surface, what they truly wanted to do was to slaughter him.

There's a thousand to one chance that they will stab me once they get to a safe place… This was most definitely going to be the case!

But Chu Yang is the only one who will not do such a thing!

"Good soldiers!" Chu Yang exclaimed in a low voice while his eyes glanced towards the soldiers and horses that were moving like a black flood.

"Of course they are good soldiers!" The man proudly proclaimed, "Otherwise, how could they be qualified enough to guard the roya… uh, Motherf*****! How dare you set me up?!"

Chu Yang rolled his eyes and explained himself earnestly, "Do you think that I am that despicable to try to get you to talk?" He shook his head in disbelief and continued, "If I wanted to find out anything from you, all I need to do is to feed you with some aphrodisiac and there would be nothing I can't find out."

Immediately, the man trembled. With his mouth wide open, he stared at the youth in the same way that one would stare at an animal and decided that it was wise to not make any further comments. He reacted this way because he had suddenly recalled what Chu Yang had said to him the other day, "I will strip you and feed the horses aphrodisiac!"

His hair stood on ends as the image entered his head. If he were forced to be in such a situation, then he would definitely be unable to refuse to speak.

One morning, the group finally saw large city walls in a far distance after traveling for days.

Du Shi Qing and Manager Gao simultaneously heaved a sigh of relief.

At long last, they had finally arrived at the outskirts of Iron Cloud Nation. There were small towns and government offices all around. There should no longer be any risk of being assassinated!

This was crucial because Tie Bu Tian would be furious if Du Shi Qing were to be assassinated here! None of the officials would get away with it even if they were not involved. Hence, everyone would treat Du Shi Qing like they would their grandfather.

Indeed, the citadel's gate was full of flags that were fluttering with the wind. A group of soldiers was approaching from the citadel. They were obviously here to welcome Du Shi Qing!

Concurrently, the group of a hundred soldiers that were still walking alongside them turned their heads to assess the situation. Suddenly, Manager Gao turned his head as well, revealing a deadly look in his eyes! The hundred soldiers would most probably have no way of preventing him from killing the hostage right then!

The tension between both sides instantly became immensely strong.

"You should release me…" The hostage said upon noticing Manager Gao's wicked stare. Before he could finish his sentence, Chu Yang grabbed the fabric that was restraining the hostage and lifted him up. He flew off with the hostage that weighed two hundred pounds.

Manager Gao was one step too late! All he could do was stare at Chu Yang and yell furiously, "You…!"

Suddenly, with a 'whoosh', the hostage's body flew by seven to eight meters. A whistle could be heard and a horse sped forward. The warrior on the horse raised his arms and caught the man successfully. The horse then came to a stop. The hostage swung his legs over and there he was, sitting down safely on the back of the horse.

In unison, the hundred men in black cheered enthusiastically. All of a sudden, the man yelled out a command and they came to a halt simultaneously. Next, they formed a circle around Du Shi Qing's group. Behind every mask were a pair of eyes that were filled with enough killing aura to give people the chills.

After they had made a full circle, the man laughed wickedly and shouted, "You little bastard, we will see each other again! When we do, I will strip you and feed the horses aphrodisiac!" He yelled in triumph as if it was not shameful of him to become a hostage, but rather, an honorable achievement.

Chu Yang was slightly astounded. He felt a little humbled after seeing this guy's thick-skinned nature.

"Let's go!"

The man narrowed his eyes and glared at Manager Gao's people in a challenging manner. With a wave of his hand, he turned his horse around and sped off, leading his men. The warriors followed closely behind him, creating a black river on the road!

The group galloped towards the horizon, leaving behind a large cloud of yellow dust. In the distance, the man's laughter could be heard, "Motherf*****! Have you children prepared good wine for me? I have suffered under that ruthless guy's abuse… These past few days, I could not remove my mask. My face is probably as white as those weak rich boys…"

A burst of laughter ensued, followed by continuous whistling and yelling. It was truly chaotic.

Evidently, from the beginning to the end, the group did not view this capture as a disgrace to their worth. Neither did they seem to mind the fact that they were not able to kill Du Shi Qing either.

It appeared that the most important thing in the world to them was the man's safe return! They did not care that the task was not completed…

"Why did you let him go?" Manager Gao tilted his head to look at Chu Yang.

"You cannot walk the Jiang Hu if you do not honor your words!" Chu Yang answered assertively, "Besides, I owe Senior Du a favor and I am here to escort him safely. I owe you nothing!"

Chu Yang continued slowly with a slight disdain, "I would have nothing to say if you people were daring enough to murder him right when I had caught him. In fact, I would have praised you for possessing supreme loyalty. In the worst case scenario, everyone will become fugitives together. However, you waited until you were safe to attempt to take revenge. Hahaha… Manager Gao, You did not gain your title 'Great Fire Saber Master' from having such a contempt action, right?"

Upon hearing him say all that, the four surviving guards were at a loss for words, and their faces and ears turned red.

Manager Gao nodded his head slowly and said, "Good! Good! Good…!" He repeated the word three times as his facial expression turned serious.

Chu Yang grunted coldly and said arrogantly, "So tell me, do you intend to ditch your savior after you cross the bridge?" At this juncture, all he cared about was his ultimate goal. He couldn't care less for the other people.

Gao Wei Cheng was taken aback. He glared at Chu Yang momentarily, before turning and walking away.

In the back, Du Shi Qing let out a sigh and said, "Old Gao, what Chu Yang did was not wrong at all. A man should honor his word."

Manager Gao was already a distance away. His body was hunched when he paused for a moment and turned around, "Yes sir. Your teaching is correct."

Suddenly, Chu Yang was deeply amazed!

This was the first time that he had witnessed Manager Gao speaking to Du Shi Qing. He had not expected Manager Gao to treat Du Shi Qing with such great respect. This level of respect was similar to that of a servant and his master.

Manager Gao was famed as the 'Great Fire Saber Master'. This all seemed a little peculiar.

Outwardly, Chu Yang's face displayed a false expression of anger. However, internally, he could not stop thinking, "Could it be that Du Shi Qing… Is there something else special about him?"

Another two days went by before they finally arrived at Iron Cloud Citadel. As they passed through the towns along the way, Du Shi Qing was constantly greeted with an enthusiastic reception.

On the other hand, Manager Gao and his subordinates got colder towards Chu Yang by the day. It got to the point where they simply loathed him. By that time, Chu Yang was all alone, like a lone wolf.

Nevertheless, Chu Yang was indifferent to such sentiments. Every day, he would spend his time discussing various medical issues with Du Shi Qing. This was something that had caught his attention unexpectedly.

Chu Yang was very insightful and he would contribute several new ideas occasionally, allowing Du Shi Qing to enjoy their conversation. Hence, the two never got bored of their discussion.

Chu Yang made use of this perfect opportunity to brush up on his medical knowledge that he never got to understand fully in his previous life. Life-saving knowledge was always useful, be it in battle or just walking in Jiang Hu!

Du Shi Qing's journey was reported back to Iron Cloud Citadel approximately three times a day. It was said that even the prince of Iron Cloud, Tie Bu Tian, had wanted to welcome Du Shi Qing into the city personally. Such a privilege was indeed most grand!

Finally, Iron Cloud Citadel was just ten miles away!

Atop Iron Cloud Citadel were flags that fluttered with the wind. In an instant, a group of well-dressed soldiers came out of the gate and stood in an orderly fashion on two sides. Their lines stretched for an estimated two miles. Subsequently, a group of riders advanced from the middle of the two lines of soldiers. The riders came to a halt three miles out.

The group separated and created an open space. A youth in a white robe appeared out of the blue. His clothes were completely white as he rode on a white horse… It appeared as if a snow-white flower was blooming in front of the citadel. A snow-white ice sculpture which was as precious as jade and valiant in appearance!