Chapter 2

Part I

Jumping off from Xuan Ya, Feng Ming never had thoughts it would taken great deal of power and effort to open the parachute due to the sharp downward velocity which has increased rapidly.

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The alt.i.tude wind has always been unexpected for novice skydiver. The parachute finally able to balance for a moment, the wind from underneath seems to support the parachute and stopped Feng Ming from continue being fallen; it was actually uplifted slightly higher.

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In a split moment, like a thunder strike momentum, for the force of nature had manifested as the wind suddenly ram Feng Ming into the cliff.

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“Ah!” a sharp pain pa.s.sed thorough heart and spreads from his chest.

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Fortunately, after this one hit, the parachutes had drifted away from the cliff, and finally returned to earlier direction, downward to the spiral river and slowly descended.

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“Boom”……  Feng Ming fallen into the water, he knew has successful taken the first step to escape. He struggled in the water to remove the parachute and barely swam across the river.

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“Blockade the river, quickly! Searched for about fifty yards, no inches of gra.s.s are allowed to go uncheck!”  He just arrived to the sh.o.r.e and into the wood when constantly boisterous shouts came from a distance, accompanied by the heavy puffed and with hooves sound.

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‘It was unthinkable the pursuers have moved so rapidly.’

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Feng Ming taken aback, he went into a clump of bushes which, has tiny blooming pink flowers, breathless and then snooped.

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“General, found this in the river!” Soldiers were picked up the parachute from the river and brought it over.

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Hooves echoes rapidly, as a crisp female voice called out:  “Have Duke Ming been found?”

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“Your Highness!”

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“Miao Guang Princess!”

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“Reports Your Highness, Duke Ming is temporarily unaccounted for, your servant has the river blockade and ordered to intensify the search.”

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Miao Guang sat on the horse, panic-stricken, no longer composed like her usual self: “He…… he jumped off a cliff , is it likely……”

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“We has searched the river surface and had found this material, Duke Ming likely used this to escape.”

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Miao Guang took the wet parachute, and instantly recognised it was her petticoat, frozen for a while before face turned cold: “Someone, keep this for me; ah! Heralds the message, if anyone able to catch Duke Ming, I’ll report to my Brother King to reward and knighted him.”

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“Yes!” Everyone was fiery responded.

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Hooves and footsteps were roared into his ears.

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‘Be reward and knighted?’ Feng Ming smiled drily, he turned around, and the riverbanks were surrounded by soldiers which had started for their searches. If he had have stayed in the water instead of swam to sh.o.r.e then they would surely found him.

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Since the incident was unexpected, Miao Guang’s soldiers were only a vanguard group, so the group is small in number. Moreover, the parachute was found in the river thus they have focused their attention on the river. Therefore, the woodland compared to riverside was more thoroughly searches. ‘This is the best time to get far away from here as possible.’ Feng Ming quietly moved backward and fled.

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He bolted into the woodland, then taken a little stop for breathing and all a sudden chest pain was felt aching inside.

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“Ah……” Feng Ming groaned, hurriedly untied his outer clothes; there was no bleeding on the chest, but there was a residue red bruised: “Oops, I’m afraid the ribs have cracked.”

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The wind seems to carried an uneasy atmosphere; Feng Ming looked around, and immediately slumped down to the ground and put his ear on the earth.

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He heard that the ancients could prostrate on the ground and listen to distinguish the coming of their enemies. Feng Ming certainly did not have such ability, but the land was indeed a better medium for sound than the air, he vaguely listened for a while, ‘although I do not know how many people and from what direction, but there are many soldiers are approaching him.’

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‘My body is injured, and there are many pursuers, if this continues I’ll be caught.’ Feng Ming put on his thinking hat, ‘with Miao Guang’s intellect she would surely has guessed that I fled into the forest, and most likely to send another team to search from the opposite direction, desperate to escape and ran like crazy only means eventually running into them.’

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Feng Ming frowned thoughtful and suddenly teeth clenched: “It’s already a risky adventure, I’ll shows you, even aware there is a tiger on the mountain, I’ll be undeterred.” He raised his hand and felt another burst of chest pain. He reluctantly took off his outer garment and torn the fabric apart, wrapped it on a hanging branch of a tower tree.

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“See what you’ll make of this.”

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He seized the time, went around the area and changed the layout to distract the soldiers. He no longer headed to outside of the forest direction but reflexive traced back the old path.

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He was cautiously made his way, returned to the place where a few meters away from the riverbank in the forest, Miao Guang seems still dazed at the sh.o.r.e. Feng Ming was secretly alerted, laying low about half- height of the gra.s.s.

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“There is no news?”

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“Report Your Highness, Duke Ming whereabouts still unfound, but General Mo has led troops to enclose the woodland, they will find Duke Ming sooner or later if he is within the forest.”

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Feng Ming cried inside of the possible danger, ‘they’re really good pursuers.’

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Miao Guang dignified nodded: “Heralds the message, Duke Ming is scheming, he’ll be captured and uninjured.” She pondered for a moment, and added: “If using bows and arrows, do not shoot at the heart, lung area and neck, in case it would kill him, your life and clan will be repaid the debt.”

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Feng Ming felt unjustly: ‘On the level of craftiness, how can I hold a candle to you?’

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A messenger reported: “Report Your Highness, General Mo found this thing in the woods.” A scout held Feng Ming’s torn garment in his hand.

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Miao Guang took it and frowned: “This was deliberately done, but what is it signifying?”

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A General officer disagreed: “I believed it is a delay tactic.”

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“No, Duke Ming is too clever, he would not waste time to do such thing, and there must be a profound meaning.”

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When he saw Miao Guang really paranoid and contemplated, Feng Ming almost laughed.

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The scout continues: “When General Mo discovered them hanging on the tree, oddly shaped, he was unsure how to deal with it, he ordered subordinate to consult with Your Highness.”

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“Alright, I’ve to take a look myself.” Miao Guang reined the horse: “What other tricks he’s up to now?”

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Feng Ming spied in the bushes for nearly half an hour, the searches party down at the river comes nearly to an end. The ancients did not know such proverb state that ‘the most dangerous place is the safest place’, hence no one search at the bush area where Miao Guang had stood.

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This is a psychological strategy.

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When he was seeing the search party moved toward the woodland, Feng Ming took the opportunity and the advantage of sky was still dimmed, quietly crept nearer to the riverbank. His movement was like a snake that lived near the water and quietly dived into the water.

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He already prepared a reed on the mouth earlier and swam towards the other side.

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It seems that at the foot of Xuan Ya where Feng Ming had imprisoned, Ruo Yan has blockage the entire vicinity, event the gra.s.ses and trees were not spared. The only place that may be neglected would be his accommodation— Xuan Ya, where Feng Ming had detained.

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‘Hope this was not a mistaken deduction.’

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Feng Ming placed the reed into his mouth, taken a deep breath before swim to the other side, he grateful that Rong Tian had forced him to practice martial arts. If Rong Tian had not antic.i.p.ated and ensured that Feng Ming has strengths to escape, his physical power would never have made to sh.o.r.e that day.

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Feng Ming was panting and crawling to sh.o.r.e, he did not dare to delay and take a moment to rest, immediately headed toward the towering Xuan Ya.

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He ran about a few hundred feet, suddenly the throat felt fishy. Feng Ming legs gave out, but he knew he absolutely cannot stop here, took a fierce breath and continued bolted.

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Feng Ming selected a twisty little road and ran, so that he could avoid the possible of attacking by the pursuers from behind. When he saw the cliff was not far away, approximate about half an hour of terribly running to get there, then he saw another smaller footpath at the side also leading to Xuan Ya.

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He looked cautiously around, there seems no human sound and with little peace of mind, he dashed outside the forest and taken covers. Feng Ming’s hand picked up a hardwood.

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“All I need to grasp a solitary guard, and immediately knock him out with a stick……” Feng Ming gasped, he kept muttering to suppress from being faint: “…… Then, put on his clothes, posing as guards …… follow the crowd and then escape……”

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When he lifted his head to look ahead, the vision began to blur as he saw a lonely figure was coming closer. It was a guard costume, who absently looked around, very likely that man was searching for Feng Ming trace.

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“Hmmm, that would be you, the hapless one.” Feng Ming tightened his grips on the hardwood, tiptoed quietly like a cat from behind.

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Unexpectedly when he came behind the guard, and before lifted the hardwood to fiercely knock the man, his knees suddenly felt weak and awkwardly fallen to the ground. The hardwood has rolled aside.

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It turned out due to his running and injured, he was finally came to the point of exhaustion, once he stopped for a moment, he was immediately out of breath. Feng Ming saw lights flickering and fallen unconscious.

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‘No, ah, actually fainted at this time, I was really the world’s most unfortunate fugitive.’Before Feng Ming was swallowed by darkness, he deeply cried.

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