Book 7: Ode to the Sovereign
Chapter 85: Desperate Struggle
Gao Da’s pupils contracted slightly as he stared at the eunuch before him. Having worked covertly as a guard for the royal family for many years, he naturally recognized the skilled martial artist from the inner court standing in front of him. Instantly, he wondered if Eunuch Yao had also come to Dazhou. He took a deep breath. Even if Eunuch Yao had personally come, he wasn’t particularly afraid, but he knew that the palace must have discovered his whereabouts in advance. The difficulties he was about to face were likely to be terrifying.
The eunuch coughed lightly twice, took a cloth from his sleeve, and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. In a hoarse voice, he said, “Eunuch Yao hasn’t come. This is an official matter of the court. I am currently working under Grand Academician He.”
Gao Da glanced at him, cautiously took half a step back, and scanned his surroundings. He tightened his grip on Mute Lady’s hand. Upon hearing the eunuch’s words, he realized that someone in the court had never believed he was dead and had been secretly investigating the matter all along.
Two more eunuchs emerged from the shadows near the city gate.
Gao Da fixed his gaze on the leading eunuch and said, “You are no match for me.”
The three inner court experts remained silent, especially the one at the front, whose emotions were particularly complex. They had come to the vicinity of Dazhou this time with skilled members of the Thirteen Offices of the Ministry of Justice. Vaguely aware that Grand Academician He was investigating the unresolved matters from the Mount Dong incident three years ago, this eunuch never expected they would actually uncover Gao Da, one of the Tiger Guards.
The officials from the Ministry of Justice had already closed in. Aside from those injured by Gao Da’s blade, there were still several dozen others. Given the current situation, even if Gao Da had wings, he wouldn’t be able to escape.
The eunuch coughed twice more. Earlier, when he had exchanged palm strikes with Gao Da, the backlash of internal energy had injured him. Now, his gaze toward Gao Da naturally carried a mix of caution and admiration.
“I never expected you to still be alive, and even more, that you haven’t let your skills deteriorate over the years,” the eunuch said, his eyes somewhat turbid yet carrying a sharp, cold intensity. “Since we’ve been lucky enough to run into you today, don’t even think about leaving.”
As if flipping a switch, the eunuch’s expression turned icy and ruthless. Gao Da, long accustomed to the methods of the inner court, simply watched him calmly and said, “If you want to keep me here, I’m afraid you’ll have to pay a heavy price.”
“We are not afraid of paying the price,” the eunuch replied, glancing at the beautiful woman beside Gao Da with a strange smile. “But the price you will pay might be one you cannot bear.”
“Surrender,” the eunuch said gently. “You know there’s no way out for you. Why drag others down with you?”
By now, the sun had set, leaving only a helpless twilight shrouding the city gate, casting a dull and oppressive gloom.
A flicker of struggle and sorrow passed through Gao Da’s eyes. After a long silence, he said quietly, “If I am captured by you, I will not survive. Do you think she will?”
The eunuch lowered his head for a moment and said, “Adults must pay the price for their actions. As for whether the child in your arms lives or dies, only the palace can decide.”
“Then why shouldn’t I fight?”
“Because you don’t have to die now. You can live a few more days. As for this child, perhaps that young lord, upon learning of this, might be willing to protect him,” the eunuch said, giving him a meaningful look.
Young lord? A trace of confusion flashed in Gao Da’s eyes. If Lord Fan knew he was still alive, surrounded at the city gate of Dazhou, and knew he had a child in his arms, what would he do? The crime he had committed was deceiving the emperor, so there was no chance of pardon. But as for the child in his arms, surely Lord Fan could protect it, right?
The officials from the Ministry of Justice surrounding them remained silent, but the looks they cast at the swordsman were filled with fear. Earlier, during the battle at the city gate, in just a few moments, six of their colleagues had died under his blade.
They knew this swordsman, carrying his wife and child, was the legendary Tiger Guard—the one rumored to have perished on Mount Dong in a fierce battle with the Fourth Sword.
Since they had already surrounded him, why not charge forward immediately and cut him to pieces? Restlessness stirred in everyone’s hearts, but they knew that Grand Academician He’s secret investigation ultimately relied on these three inner court experts. If they didn’t give the order to attack, it was best to remain quiet.
Perhaps because Gao Da continued to struggle and hesitate, the inner court expert’s expression gradually darkened. He shouted sharply, “You were once a Royal Tiger Guard! On Mount Dong, you fled the battlefield, abandoning your sovereign—this is tantamount to treason! If you do not kneel now, do you intend to continue your rebellion?”
Gao Da's face turned deathly pale. The scenes from Great Dongshan resurfaced in his mind: Sigu Sword's soaring blade striking from the sky, the dismembered limbs of his comrades scattered across the long stone steps, blood streaming between the mountain rocks.
As the Tiger Guard commander, the most exceptional among over a hundred guards, he had been indoctrinated since youth with the ideals of loyalty to the sovereign and patriotism—to sacrifice his life without hesitation for the Emperor. Yet after three years following Fan Xian, Gao Da's horizons had broadened considerably. Most crucially, his temperament and life philosophy had been profoundly influenced by Fan Xian.
Though Fan Xian himself was consistently gentle, the subtle nuances in his daily behavior and speech had gradually shaped those around him.
Thus, Gao Da became the first Tiger Guard in history to desert his post.
The Imperial Court expert brought up Great Dongshan to weaken his fighting spirit. But the pallor on Gao Da's face didn't last long before gradually returning to normal. He stared coldly at his opponent and said, "Abandon my sovereign?"
"Abandon my sovereign?" When he decided to flee Great Dongshan, Gao Da had struggled internally. But three years of wandering among the common people of Qing, those midnight reflections, and the rumors he'd heard had led him to repeatedly ponder the events of that year.
His voice turned sharp and cold, like a blade, as he roared: "Did I abandon the Emperor, or did the Emperor abandon me?"
"At Great Dongshan, a hundred Tiger Guards were slaughtered by the enemy, all just to exhaust Sigu Sword's killing intent!" Gao Da's anger surged, his voice growing louder, eyes wide with fury. "I am a Tiger Guard. I would give my life to protect His Majesty's safety, but I refuse to die for such shitty reasons!"
"If I must die, I'll die with clarity!"
Gao Da slowly tightened his grip on his sword hilt, pulling the mute woman behind him as he stared at the Imperial Court expert. Word by word, he declared: "I just didn't want to die as ignobly and confused as my comrades. What's wrong with that!"
The Imperial Court expert's voice sharpened and trembled, as if he never expected to hear such treasonous words from this Tiger Guard at Dazhou's city gate. He screamed in rage: "If the sovereign demands his subject's death, the subject must die! You, a Tiger Guard, dare speak such treasonous words! You're utterly beyond redemption!"
"I've already committed treasonous acts, why not speak of them too?" Suddenly, Gao Da felt completely unburdened. He had finally vented all his resentment toward the Emperor. Yes, Tiger Guards were merely royal-raised dead soldiers, but Gao Da had become his own man—he refused to live and die in muddled confusion!
Gao Da tightly bound the mute woman to his back with cloth strips, pulling the cords taut with both hands. As he did this, no one at the city gate made a move, all tensely awaiting the Imperial Court expert's command.
"If you defy the decree again today, have you considered how you'll implicate Lord Fan Xian?" The Imperial Court expert's hands trembled slightly as he gathered energy, but he suddenly spoke these words aimed straight at Gao Da's conscience.
Gao Da sneered, "What kind of man is Fan Xian anyway? So what if he's implicated? Are there any good people in the royal family?"
The Imperial Court expert's expression shifted, seemingly surprised that Gao Da would say such a thing. Had the man severed all affection for Lord Fan Xian?
The truth was quite different. When the expert revealed he wasn't following Chief Eunuch Yao's orders to hunt him across the land, Gao Da knew something was amiss. Upon hearing Academic He's name, Gao Da immediately understood their intentions—or more precisely, what Academic He wanted to achieve.
Everyone in Qing, from court officials to commoners, knew that Lord Fan Xian had been relentlessly suppressing Academic He in court, while Academic He, relying on the Emperor's favor, desperately resisted. The two factions were like fire and water, only kept from erupting by the Emperor's restraint.
Moreover, Gao Da knew that given Lord Fan Xian's capabilities and power, someone like He Zongwei couldn't possibly find any way to defeat him.
Because Lord Fan Xian seemed to have not a single weakness.
Unexpectedly, Gao Da himself—the one who escaped Great Dongshan and survived—was undoubtedly one of Fan Xian's weaknesses.
He Zongwei wanted to capture Gao Da or Wang Qinian alive, not dead. By capturing Gao Da, he would essentially get hold of one of Fan Xian's vulnerabilities, though Fan Xian himself remained unaware of this exposure.
Gao Da adjusted the woman's position on his back, the killing intent in his eyes intensifying as he stared wordlessly at the Imperial Court expert. What damage would he cause if captured and used against Lord Fan Xian?
Having followed Fan Xian for so long, Gao Da understood him well. Lord Fan Xian might appear cold and ruthless, but he was extremely protective of his own.
This protectiveness differed from Old Master Chen's style—Fan Xian showed genuine concern for those close to him. If the court captured him, Lord Fan Xian would likely risk breaking taboos to rescue him.
But Gao Da was unwilling to let Young Master Fan risk danger for his sake. Thus, he resolved to fight to the death without surrender. He would rather die at the gates of Dazhou than be captured without a fight, and he certainly did not want to drag Fan Xian down just to prolong his own life for a few more days.
It was just a pity for the wife behind him and the child in his arms.
A flicker of despair and deep guilt passed through Gao Da's eyes. Gripping his blade, he let out a furious roar and charged straight ahead!
...
...
People could never be fully slaughtered, and a blade would eventually break. How could one man resist the powerful machinery of the state? Although Gao Da was formidable, he was, after all, not a Grandmaster. Under the intense pursuit of the Qing court, the fact that he managed to hold out until nightfall was already terrifying.
Covered in blood and utterly exhausted, he had only managed to break three li out of Dazhou City. The skilled agents from the Ministry of Justice and the soldiers wisely maintained their distance, attacking in waves without allowing the situation to descend into chaos that might give Gao Da a chance to escape.
Torches surrounded him, lining the official road, brighter even than the stars in the sky.
The expert from the Inner Court watched the pursuit on the road coldly, judging when Gao Da would finally collapse from exhaustion. He frowned slightly and said, "Tell the men to be careful. Don't focus all their attacks on the woman on his back."
A Ministry of Justice official was slightly surprised and turned to look at him, asking for instructions, "Sir Eunuch, why is that?"
In the eyes of these officials, although Tiger Guard Gao Da was stronger than they had imagined, he carried a child in his arms and a woman on his back. As long as their blades targeted those areas, he would inevitably be more cautious and sustain more injuries.
The Inner Court expert walked slowly toward the center of the battle, coughing as he went. Squinting, he said, "If they accidentally kill that woman, and Gao Da goes mad, how could we capture him alive? As long as that woman is alive, she will be like a mountain weighing on Gao Da. Even if he wants to kill himself, he would have to think twice."
Even at this point, the Inner Court expert still wanted to capture Gao Da alive. After all, this was something Grand Academician He had repeatedly demanded. If Gao Da died, how could they use him to threaten Fan Xian? He Zongwei still hoped to use Gao Da to drive a wedge between Fan Xian and the Emperor, though the Inner Court expert could not guess this.
Gao Da had lost count of how many people he had killed. He fought like a mad tiger, drenched in blood. Two of the three Inner Court experts had already been severely injured by his heavy blows, and many officials from the Ministry of Justice had also fallen under his blade. But his sword was gradually chipping, and the energy within him was nearly depleted.
Everyone could see that this ferocious fugitive, after the court had paid the price of dozens of lives, was finally on the verge of collapse. A collective sigh of relief swept through the pursuers. Specially prepared anesthetics from the Ministry of Justice were applied to their blades, ready for the final capture.
At that moment, a procession of black carriages appeared on the official road. The procession was peculiar, dark and shadowy as if it had emerged from the underworld. It was extremely long, seemingly endless.
Gao Da swung his blade, severing the right arm of an expert from the Thirteenth Bureau on his right. Suddenly, his left knee buckled, and he knew he had reached the end of his strength. Letting out a roar of unwillingness, he charged toward the procession of carriages.
The pursuing officials behind him showed no tension, nor were they concerned about whether the procession would suffer collateral damage. They continued to close in unhurriedly.
In the black carriage, the Overwatch Council official who had been speaking with the old master inside by the window now saw the city's torches and a blood-soaked man. His expression grew complicated.
It was only when the blood-soaked man drew closer that the Overwatch Council official could see he was actually three people.
The Overwatch Council official floated over and caught the blood-soaked man just as he was about to collapse. His eyebrows raised, and he said in a hoarse, slightly emotional voice, "Gao Da, you rascal, you actually got yourself a wife."
Gao Da, his blade planted on the ground, was about to seize this person to use as a hostage when he heard these words. He looked up and saw a stranger.
But the stranger was wearing a familiar official uniform. Gao Da's heart relaxed, and he collapsed into the man's arms.