CHAPTER 523: CHAPTER 522 THE WAY OUT

"This..."

Song Jie gave a wry smile and said, "This indeed reflects my dereliction of duty. I also don’t understand what exactly happened on Bai Yongyan’s side. Suddenly, all communication with him was cut off, and we couldn’t get in touch at all. The members hidden in various strongholds within the city were also surrounded and attacked by the Wude Army. I led my men to fight desperately, breaking through the encirclement and heading towards the Young Master’s location with all our might. We barely made it in time."

"Hmph."

Gongyang Han did not believe a word of Song Jie’s tale, squinting at him. "Then why did you, on the rooftop earlier, reveal my whereabouts to the Wude Army, resulting in us being surrounded and besieged by them?"

"Young Master, don’t be too harsh on Helmsman Song," a White Lotus Sect Member who came with Song Jie interjected. "Helmsman Song sustained a severe injury to the back of his head while breaking out. It affected his senses, leading to his indiscretion."

The White Lotus Sect Member who spoke was dressed as a scholar; it was Scholar Xiao, who had appeared in the suburbs of Goose City that day. The other figures in black robes accompanying him were naturally Wu Hu, Ruan Tian, Ruan Di, Yun Heweng, Yi Yeqing, and Owl Fer-de-lance.

"Injured?" Gongyang Han frowned and looked at Song Jie, who scratched his head awkwardly and slowly turned around.

Everyone drew a sharp breath. Illuminated by the flickering torchlight, they clearly saw a large dent at the back of Song Jie’s head. Through his black hair, they could see the scalp in the depressed area; it was an unhealthy, dark red color, like congealed blood.

Gongyang Han felt a chill creep into his heart. This...

"It’s just a little wound on the back of my head, nothing serious." Song Jie turned back around, flashing a good-natured smile. This movement, however, caused the arrow wounds on both his shoulders to spurt fresh blood. SPURT! SPURT!

The white-eyebrowed elder’s eyes widened, and he instinctively warned, "Helmsman Song, your shoulder..."

"Oh, oh, how did two arrows get stuck here? I was wondering why it felt a bit chilly." Song Jie seemed to have a sudden realization and pulled the arrow from his left shoulder.

However, it would have been better if he hadn’t. Once the arrowhead was removed, blood flowed even more fiercely, dyeing his entire shoulder red. A pool of blood began to form at his feet; the loss was excessive.

"Eh, this isn’t right." Song Jie, now pale-faced, seemed to realize this was not good. With a CRACK, he reinserted the arrow into the wound, plugging it.

Everyone was utterly dumbfounded. Scholar Xiao, standing nearby, said mournfully, "It seems Helmsman Song’s brain... can no longer feel pain."

Wu Hu, Ruan Tian, Ruan Di, and the others looked on with shared sorrow and grief-stricken faces. Yi Yeqing stepped forward, eyes brimming with tears. She sprinkled medicinal powder on Song Jie’s shoulder wounds and carefully wrapped them with white bandages. The scene was solemn and tragic.

"Helmsman Song might have forgotten many things, but he has never forgotten his loyalty to you," Scholar Xiao said solemnly to Gongyang Han.

At that moment, a somewhat foolish-looking smile appeared on Song Jie’s face.

"This..." Gongyang Han couldn’t help but swallow, most of his doubts and suspicions dissipating.

Could it be? It seems Song Jie truly didn’t betray us. He’s not a traitor?

Just as Gongyang Han’s thoughts were racing, a rushing sound came from the tunnel above their heads, as if something was falling rapidly.

"This is bad!" Song Jie’s expression changed abruptly. He said hastily, "The Young Master’s status is noble; those treacherous Wude Army scoundrels will definitely not let him go. Although we White Lotus Sect Members are united in our resolve, we are far outnumbered. They must have already surrounded the cave entrance, continually probing the depth of the pit and testing if it’s safe to descend. If they discover Lvzhou’s underground tunnel system and descend into the pit, we’ll be hopelessly outnumbered and eventually exterminated."

Gongyang Han frowned anxiously. "Then what do we do?"

Song Jie, his expression serious, scanned the seven tunnel entrances surrounding the elliptical platform. He spoke in a low voice, "I only discovered today that there are tunnels beneath Lvzhou, and I only know of this one entrance that allows access both up and down. However, the Wude Army has completely surrounded the area above, so we can’t leave that way. The only option is to temporarily hide in the intricate underground network to evade the Wude Army, who will soon be in pursuit. While searching for an exit, we must leave secret marks along the way. That way, even if we don’t find another exit to the surface, we can still shake off the Wude Army in these labyrinthine tunnels and follow our marks back here. Then, we can return to the surface through the tunnel directly above us."

As if to confirm Song Jie’s words, several flaming torches fell from the tunnel entrance, clearly thrown down by the Wude Army Guard. The sounds in the tunnel grew louder than before: whistling wind, clashing metal, and faintly, human voices.

Song Jie cupped his fist in a salute to Gongyang Han and said gravely, "We must not delay. Whether we stay here and fight a losing battle against the treacherous Wude Army or enter the tunnels, Young Master, please make a swift decision."

"..." Gongyang Han exchanged a look with the old man by his side, took a deep breath, and said in a low voice, "Let’s do as Helmsman Song suggests. We’ll go!"

Song Jie’s brow instantly relaxed, and a smile touched his lips. His shoulder wounds burst open again; two thin streams of blood spurted out like miniature fountains, one to his left and one to his right, resembling antennae.

Now that the Young Master had made his decision, the remaining White Lotus Sect Members quickly gathered their equipment. They watched as Yi Yeqing bandaged Song Jie’s wounds again. After a brief moment to regroup, they followed the torch-bearing Song Jie and plunged into one of the tunnels.