At this moment, the Sui Emperor Robert Young, who had led his army on an expedition to Goguryeo, had already rapidly withdrawn his forces back to the Central Plains. Thomas Carter, Stephen Cook, and Matthew Lane split their troops into three routes and marched toward Luoyang. Samuel Young was forced to abandon Luoyang and advance toward Guanzhong, but was eventually overtaken by the main Sui forces in Hongnong Commandery. Fierce battles broke out between the two sides at Shangpandou and Dongduyuan.

Samuel Young suffered defeat after defeat, and finally his entire line collapsed. Samuel Young's army was routed like a landslide, with Sui troops slaughtering so many that corpses littered the fields and rivers of blood flowed. His force of a hundred thousand scattered in all directions, with countless captured.

The crisis of war hung over Hongnong Commandery, and at this time, Eric Bolton had already emerged from the Qinling Mountains, heading toward Hongnong County.

That afternoon, in a forest about thirty li south of Hongnong County, Eric Bolton sat on a large rock, intently whittling a tree branch with a hatchet. The branch was about one and a half meters long, as thick as a cup, a hard and straight jujube wood pole. He sharpened the front end into a point, making a crude homemade spear.

Beside him were already three similar spears. 'Crack!' The rusty hatchet finally gave out and broke in two. Eric Bolton cursed under his breath and hurled the broken half into the grass.

He scratched his scalp a few times, his gaze vacant as he stared at the distant sky. He had been traveling in the wild for two days and still hadn't come across a single household, leaving him with an indescribable sense of frustration.

Just then, Eric Bolton suddenly heard something and sprang to his feet. He pricked up his ears and faintly heard someone shouting, "Help!"

Chapter 0002: The Human Heart Is Hard to Fathom

Eric Bolton grabbed a few of the crude spears and dashed eastward. After running about a hundred paces, he reached a slope with a cliff. He crouched behind a large rock and looked down.

Below was a secluded path, and in the distance, a man was galloping his horse at full speed, glancing back repeatedly, his face filled with terror as he desperately whipped his steed.

Just a hundred paces behind, more than a dozen Sui cavalrymen were in hot pursuit. They wore bright armor, wielded long spears and gleaming sabers, with bows and arrows slung on their backs. Their warhorses thundered after the fleeing man like the wind.

The path was narrow, with a deep valley dozens of zhang on one side and rolling hills covered in dense forest on the other.

"Help me!"

The man frantically lashed his horse, but seeing the Sui cavalry drawing ever closer, he cried out in despair.

To save or not to save?

Eric Bolton was truly hesitant. He felt he shouldn't recklessly get involved, but if he didn't save this man, the man would surely die. Eric Bolton's hesitation lasted only a moment before he made up his mind.

At that moment, the dozen or so Sui cavalrymen controlled their horses with their legs and, while riding, drew their bows and fired. A volley of arrows shot toward the fugitive ahead. The horse in front was struck by several arrows and could go no further. With a mournful cry, it crashed into the bushes at the side of the mountain path, and the man on its back was thrown more than two zhang away. But he seemed uninjured and scrambled up the slope, rolling and crawling to escape.

A dozen fierce horses, kicking up clouds of yellow dust, charged forward. Eric Bolton suddenly stood up, raised a crude spear, and hurled it with all his might down the slope.

The spear shot down with great force. The leading cavalryman couldn't dodge in time, and the spear pierced through the belly of his horse with a 'thud!' The horse let out a tragic scream and, together with its rider, tumbled down the other side of the slope.

The cavalrymen behind were so startled that they yanked their reins, causing their horses to rear up and whinny in alarm.

At this moment, one of the cavalrymen shouted, "Retreat quickly!"

The dozen or so cavalrymen all retreated. Suddenly, a massive boulder weighing several hundred jin, along with sand and earth, came rumbling down, blocking the mountain path.

The cavalrymen looked up at the slope and immediately spotted a strangely dressed young man at the edge of the forest. His hair was unusually short, and he wore a tattered hemp robe, holding several spears in his arms.

Eric Bolton pushed the boulder down the slope and, for good measure, hurled several more crude spears at the cavalry. The spears flew with great force, and the cavalrymen quickly retreated to dodge them. The spears struck the ground heavily.

Only then did they realize these were not real spears, but sharpened, debarked branches. Though crudely made, they were powerful enough to pierce their bodies.

The cavalrymen were furious and drew their bows. But when they looked up to find a target, they discovered the man had vanished, and the fugitive they were chasing was also nowhere to be seen.

Only then did the cavalrymen realize they'd been tricked. The man on the slope had drawn their attention, successfully covering the escape of the one they were pursuing.

The dozen Sui cavalrymen cursed furiously. The general had ordered them to capture the fugitive at all costs, but they were few in number, and the other side had support. Fearing an ambush in the woods, they could only shout curses and wait for reinforcements.

Eric Bolton led the rescued man and ran several li without stopping. The man was already exhausted. Ahead stood a towering tree, its branches lush and spreading like a giant umbrella in the forest. Its thick roots twisted and coiled like pythons, making it the king of the forest and especially conspicuous.

The man barely managed to reach the tree, bent over and gasping for breath. He waved his hand and said, "Let's rest for a while. I... I really can't run anymore."

He plopped down under the tree, leaning against the python-like roots, panting heavily and glancing around, still visibly shaken.