The Lucky Farmgirl

Chapter 2274 - 2249: Deceived (April Monthly Pass Bonus 2)

Jamba didn’t know Zhi Ren, nor had he heard of Zhi Ren’s name, but he was very familiar with Zhihao Venerable; he also knew that Gaochang was currently preparing for a grand ceremony for the annual birthday of Bodhidharma.

And just now, Zhi Ren had demonstrated his ability through a discussion on Buddhism, and both he and Zhihao were of the "Zhi" generation, so Jamba did not doubt him. Although he felt regretful, he did not stop them, only lamenting their shallow fate.

Zhi Ren then laughed and said, "A shallow fate now does not mean it can’t be deep in the future. Benefactor, it’s getting late, this humble monk must take his leave now."

Jamba nodded regretfully once again, but before leaving, he still asked, "Venerable, did you see any other caravans or horsemen on the road?"

Zhi Ren sighed and said, "Benefactor, this humble monk did not encounter any, and even if I did, I would not tell you. We dwell outside the mundane world, but human lives are precious, so I hope the benefactor will shed less blood in the future."

Though the words were not pleasant, Jamba became even more respectful. He didn’t ask about the caravan or horsemen anymore and instead solemnly bowed and said, "I ask that when you reach Gaochang, please do not mention me."

Zhi Ren sighed and agreed, saying once more, "This is a matter within your mundane world."

So Jamba let them go, sitting on his horse, respectfully watching them until they were far away. Only then did Jamba turn back, gathered the reinforcements that had caught up, and chose to head east, the direction from which Zhi Ren and the others had come.

Jamba said, "By the time we received the information, it was already too late, but if Jin Kui’an is pursuing them, he should be able to catch up just a bit further ahead. Let’s go and see what treasures he has acquired."

"General, didn’t Jin Kui’an only agree to join forces with us? Would he willingly give us the treasure?"

"As long as we have enough people, it doesn’t matter whether he’s willing or not."

Jamba led the men along the path from which Zhi Ren had come. After some time, he began to feel uneasy, pulling his horse to a stop and looking back.

He was on a relatively high sand dune, from where he could see far into the distance. At this point, Zhi Ren’s caravan was just a small dot.

He narrowed his eyes, feeling uneasy, "Why does this Venerable have only one disciple with him?"

His personal soldier said, "Perhaps disciples are valuable, and he can’t afford more?"

In the Western Regions, monks are divided into two types: ascetic ones and those living in utmost luxury. Judging by his demeanor, this one was clearly the latter.

The mightiest and wealthiest monks travel with monk soldiers for protection and have disciples to serve them. Only those who are not as wealthy yet like to flaunt hire slaves to serve them.

But looking at the caravan, becoming a black dot and about to disappear from their sight, Jamba felt increasingly something was wrong. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened as he recalled something, "No, there isn’t even a single yellow cloth, yet they can ride individually, some even two to a horse. They are disguising themselves; quickly, chase after them..."

Even before he realized it, shortly after they had gone some distance, Zhi Ren said to Zhou Man and the others, "Tell them to speed up, we need to hurry."

Manbao passed down the command while asking him, "Have we been discovered?"

"No, but this humble monk feels it won’t be long before we are." His gaze swept over the caravan. They were too rushed, with flaws everywhere. Not to mention, there were so many beautiful veils and silks on their carriage, but not a single piece of yellow cloth, it was too fake.

Manbao and Bai Shan exchanged a glance, jumped off the carriage, and then Daji and the guards brought their horses over.

The two mounted their horses, riding to knock on Bai Erlang’s carriage, "Get down and ride. Throw Jin Kui’an and Erg onto the luggage cart, let Yin Huo and Changshou share a carriage, we must speed up and go."

As they ran alongside, a carriage broke from formation; the unconscious Jin Kui’an and Erg were dragged out and thrown onto the luggage cart.

Manbao directly ordered some of the boxes from the luggage cart to be thrown away.

The guards knew that some of the luggage boxes contained stones and hay, although they didn’t know which was which. But since Miss Man specified, they followed her instructions.

They threw off two boxes, then randomly tossed Jin Kui’an and Erg onto the wagon, maintaining their formation and continuing to run.

Bai Erlang and Liu Huan, along with Zhou Liru, mounted their horses, controlling their speed to flank the sides of the caravan.

Keke suddenly said to Manbao, "There are troops ahead, about fifteen hundred, with a banner bearing the character ’Jin’ in Chinese."

Manbao was overjoyed, "They’re our people!"

At this moment, Assistant General Nie sounded the alarm, shouting, "They’ve discovered us and are pursuing, everyone, protect Lord Zhou’s escape, quickly—"

Manbao turned back to take a look, and sure enough, the Tubo army, which they had distanced from, was now rapidly chasing after them, raising clouds of dust, clearly having noticed something amiss.

But with both sides traveling in opposite directions for some time, catching up would not be easy.

All carriages carrying the severely injured left the caravan; Yin Huo and Mr. Zhuang, Wei Xingren, had their three carriages break off as well. Manbao glanced back at Assistant General Nie and the many soldiers who had slowed down, then clenched her teeth, nudging her horse’s belly before taking the lead in leaving.

The guards spurred their horses to catch up, escorting several carriages to the front of their formation.

Zhi Ren kept sighing. Thankfully, their carriage was among those prioritized. They gained half an hour and a considerable distance; it wasn’t all in vain.

Manbao shouted back to Assistant General Nie, "Reinforcements have arrived—"

Assistant General Nie didn’t believe her, but when he looked up, he squinted and saw dust rising in the distance, looking very similar to the enemy Tubo soldiers.

Regardless, they had to assume it was true, so Assistant General Nie shouted, "Everyone charge towards Gaochang, quickly—"

Jamba, who was running full tilt to catch up, realized he couldn’t catch them, now even more convinced they had been tricked. Angered, he thought these sinister people dared to use the Buddha to deceive him—it was unforgivable.

Seeing the distance closing, his personal soldier shouted, "General, they have reinforcements!"

Unfortunately, Jamba refused to listen, continuing to charge forward. The flag bearer watched Jamba; as the general charged, so did he, and the soldiers followed the flag wherever it went.

Thus, the distance between the two sides closed rapidly...

Bai Shan, seeing they were close enough, said to Assistant General Nie, "Cut off the luggage of the last three carriages, abandon the luggage, veer away..."

Assistant General Nie didn’t have time to question it; seeing Bai Shan and Zhou Man only slightly ahead, he gritted his teeth and gave the order. The coachmen cut the ropes, then leapt nimbly onto horseback, racing past the luggage cars.

The soldiers behind were ready, immediately spreading to both sides to avoid the tumbling boxes.

As they dodged, the Tubo cavalry, who were hot on their trail, were suddenly blocked by the unexpected appearance of the boxes. Some even accidentally fell from their horses.