Chapter 13: A Plan

Since they were fleeing anyway, Chen Luo decided to seize this last opportunity and acquire some useful brains from the royal family.

Their minds might possess unknown powers he had yet to discover.

“The burial site? There is indeed an exit there, but I checked during the day, and it’s guarded by soldiers,” said Third Uncle.

“Just lead me there; I’ll handle the rest.”

Chen Luo focused on accumulating resources. Among the deceased members of the royal family, there might be true masters. The potential ceiling in this world was incredibly high, making it difficult for one person alone to reach the pinnacle. Cripple Ma considered him a genius, but only Chen Luo knew that he wasn’t inherently gifted.

On his first day of training, he realized his limitations.

His rapid mastery of the Black Tiger Fist was solely due to the assistance of over a hundred ‘friends’ in his mind.

Among these friends were individuals whom Cripple Ma would have deemed as ‘geniuses’.

If the brains of ordinary jianghu wanderers proved so valuable, those of the royal family would undoubtedly be even better. At the very least, the guards protecting them must be exceptional! With the guarantee of finding at least one true genius, this endeavor promised immense gains with no downside—it was a must-do for Chen Luo.

“Alright.”

Third Uncle didn’t ask further.

Staying to face certain death was out of the question; those in power wouldn’t listen to their pleas. If someone unreasonable came after them, their deaths would be futile. Neither Third Uncle nor Chen Luo were inclined to gamble their lives on others’ mercy.

So, they swiftly decided to flee.

Picking up the backpacks prepared earlier, Third Uncle opened the door cautiously, glanced left and right, ensuring no one was around, then quickly headed towards the Outer City. Chen Luo followed closely behind, not falling a step behind.

Outside, it was pitch-black.

It was already past 3 AM, with dawn just around the corner.

Soon, uncle and nephew reached a corner near the city wall.

Third Uncle knew the exit point well and led Chen Luo there. Upon arrival, they found a few vagrants sleeping nearby. Noticing the pair’s approach, the vagrants didn’t inquire further, merely turning over to continue their sleep.

Nighttime activities often involved tomb raiding or burglary, and these vagrants, seeking livelihood within the city, understood the unwritten rules of the night.

“Let’s go.”

Third Uncle took the lead, swiftly crossing through the breach and climbing out.

Once outside the city, he didn’t pause for a moment, running by memory towards the direction of Desolate Mountain Ridge where they had buried the corpses.

Uncle and nephew moved rapidly, encountering no significant incidents along the way. Before long, they arrived at Desolate Mountain Ridge.

“It’s just ahead.”

Quickly orienting himself, Third Uncle confirmed their location.

“Third Uncle, where exactly did you say the imperial corpse is?” Chen Luo scanned the area but couldn’t locate the burial site. Compared to his experienced uncle and the others, Chen Luo was still relatively inexperienced in grave digging.

“Over here.”

Leading his nephew swiftly, Third Uncle approached and brushed aside the pine needles, quickly finding the spot where he had hidden the token. Grave diggers each had their unique methods, minimizing the risk of discovery.

Third Uncle retrieved an iron shovel from his bag and with a few simple digs, unearthed a hard, flat object as expected - the identification token. Chen Luo picked it up, examining it closely, noticing no intricate mechanisms; it appeared to be a standard identity marker.

Meanwhile, Third Uncle continued excavating deeper, soon revealing the distinctive imperial corpse.

After several days, the body had begun to decompose, emitting a sharp, foul odor upon being uncovered. Even for the experienced grave-digging uncle-nephew duo, it was challenging to tolerate.

“Be cautious. This corpse likely suffered poisoning before death.” Seeing Chen Luo jump into the pit, reaching out to touch the body, Third Uncle promptly warned him.

“I know.” As he spoke, Chen Luo pulled out a prepared deer-hide glove from his sleeve and slipped it on.

With a gentle touch, as soon as his palm made contact with the corpse, the familiar interface promptly appeared.

‘Contacted deceased brainwaves, Degradation: 99%. Read and absorb?’

That severe? Chen Luo furrowed his brow.

The decay of this royal corpse was worse than he anticipated, leaving only a tiny portion intact. However, since they were already here, he couldn’t afford to pass it up. Mentally selecting within his consciousness, Chen Luo released two more useless brains before grabbing the royal corpse and beginning to ‘borrow’ its mind.

A thread of energy flowed from the corpse’s body through his palm, swiftly entering Chen Luo’s sea of consciousness.

As the new brainwaves integrated, all previously stored ‘brains’ in Chen Luo’s awareness dispersed, allowing the newly acquired brain to immediately occupy the central position—the most valuable among all the brainwaves under his control.

This astonished Chen Luo; despite being degraded at 99%, this brain still held remarkable potential. It was evident that the individual had been no ordinary person during their lifetime. He wondered how Wei-gonggong and his men managed to kill such a figure.

“Little Luo, have you thought of a plan yet?” Third Uncle’s voice interrupted Chen Luo’s thoughts.

Realizing this wasn’t the time to study the new brainwaves, he suppressed his curiosity and began contemplating their escape route.

“Which direction is the checkpoint?”

Deciding to investigate first, Chen Luo thought that if there weren’t any formidable opponents or only a small number, he might attempt a direct assault.

After all, Wei-gonggong was already dead; killing a few more guards wouldn’t make much difference. As the saying goes, “When debts pile up, one worries less; with many lice, the itch is barely felt.”

“Follow me,” Third Uncle said as he carefully repacked his backpack and led Chen Luo towards the checkpoint.

Their hiding spot was quite distant, nestled within a narrow crevice. From here, they could clearly observe the guards patrolling the checkpoint. By the light of torches, Chen Luo counted around twenty individuals, each armed, making them visibly challenging adversaries.

‘Somewhat troublesome.’

Estimating the geographical layout and the numerical disadvantage, Chen Luo decisively abandoned the idea of a frontal assault. Dealing with three or five might have been possible, but taking out over twenty at once seemed unfeasible. If there were hidden archers lurking nearby, it could easily lead to their downfall.

“Third Uncle, wait here for a moment. I’ll go check something nearby.”

With these words, Chen Luo changed direction, intending to inspect the cliffside opening.

The Desolate Mountain Ridge acted like a natural fortress, with steep cliffs surrounding it except for the guarded checkpoint. Escaping through any other route appeared nearly impossible. Chen Luo explored several points along the ridge, finding each path abruptly cut off, and upon looking down, he saw sheer drops leading to unfathomable depths below.

The toxic miasma swirled below, obscuring any view of the depths.

Without a passable low terrain, attempting to escape directly from here was virtually impossible.

After circling around, Chen Luo returned to their original spot. Upon seeing him back, Third Uncle immediately stood up.

“There’s one more option we can try,” Chen Luo said proactively before Third Uncle could speak, as he sat down.

By now, dawn was breaking outside.

Delaying further would become increasingly dangerous.

With Wei-gonggong missing for so long, certain secretive factions might already be on the move. As the primary targets of his attempted elimination last night, they, this uncle and nephew duo, were undoubtedly the prime suspects.

“What option?”

“Find someone who can help.”

“Who exactly?”

“Someone familiar with life in these mountains.”

On his way back, Chen Luo had indeed devised a plan for their escape.

Although risky, he believed that given his skills, it was worth a try. With brute force not being feasible, taking some risks seemed necessary. By now, chaos likely reigned in Qingya County. Having no other options and unable to bypass the checkpoint, their only choice was to seek assistance.

Just like how they knew people well in Qingya County, the most familiar faces near Desolate Mountain Ridge would surely be the local bandits.

If Chen Luo and his uncle couldn’t find a way out, it didn’t mean the bandits couldn’t either.

Had they lacked such capabilities, the imperial court would have eradicated them long ago.