Chapter 639: Concern

Outside Hengzhou City, Xiao Yin spurred his horse into a mad dash toward the direction of Shang Jing, which terrified all his subordinates.

They had fought the Eight Great Families for so long, finally taking Hengzhou with great effort—how could the Prince suddenly ride away alone from Hengzhou? Is he heading back?

What on earth has gotten into this normally sane person?

Luckily, Prince Rui, in his panic, had earlier ridden his warhorse to exhaustion; the groom sent it to the rear courtyard to rest alone.

After all, it was the Prince's beloved horse; naturally he took great care of it, so he kept it separate from the other military horses, raising it alone.

Xiao Yin was in a hurry and wouldn't wait; he turned, rushed down the city tower, casually seized a cavalryman's horse, and rode out of the city.

Prince Rui rode ahead, with a group of people following behind him.

With the great battle imminent and the day of the showdown with the Eight Great Families arrived, at this critical juncture, the Commander-in-Chief Xiao Yin simply ran off—what are the remaining commanders to do?

They simply could not imagine what kind of urgent, fiery matter could cause the Prince to lose his composure so completely.

Even if the emperor had died, it would not have caused such panic and fluster.

Ling Feng saw Prince Rui disappear in a cloud of dust, quickly summoned a groom to bring Xiao Yin's mount over, then rode after him.

Prince Rui's steed was naturally a thousand-mile divine horse, and it quickly caught up to Xiao Yin.

Xiao Yin, this time somewhat panicked and heedless of the road, was actually blocked by a broken bridge.

"Prince! Prince!"

Ling Feng finally caught up to Xiao Yin, hastily leapt from his horse, and knelt before him.

Xiao Yin also dismounted, but then directly leapt onto his own warhorse.

"Prince!" Ling Feng grabbed Xiao Yin's reins, held on tight, and shouted, "Prince, stay calm! Stay calm!"

"The Princess Consort is no longer in Shang Jing this time; even if the Prince returns to Shang Jing, what good would it do?"

"The Princess Consort had earnestly wanted to accompany the Prince to the front lines, but the Prince, worried for her, had her remain in Jing Cheng."

"Now the Princess Consort has likely left Jing Cheng for some days; at this juncture, if the Prince returns, he would only miss her."

"With the great battle imminent, if the Prince departs, this nine‑year plan will come to naught; moreover, the pressing matter now should not be to seek the Princess Consort?"

Xiao Yin gradually loosened his grip on the reins, his brows furrowed, and after a long while he gritted his teeth and said, "Return to the city!"

Anxiety breeds confusion; Xiao Yin's mind had just gone blank, and all he could think of was to quickly grab that disobedient little brat.

Now the Prince Rui of Southern Qi has finally regained his composure, and his heart has steadied.

Only then did Ling Feng breathe a sigh of relief, riding his horse carefully behind Xiao Yin.

He gazed at Xiao Yin's figure on horseback, feeling suddenly as if he had aged considerably, his heart giving a jolt—when had the Prince become so dependent on the Princess Consort?

Having returned from Qi Sha Gu after enduring countless hardships, the Prince grew suspicious and sensitive; even these close aides of his never earned his absolute trust—only the Princess Consort did.

This time, too, he does not know where the Princess Consort is, and he has been somewhat playful.

Xiao Yin, accompanied by Ling Feng, headed toward Hengzhou City, and not long after encountered the remaining commanders of the Azure Dragon Army who had come in pursuit.

Upon seeing Xiao Yin, those men hastily tightened their reins, stared at him in disbelief, and then all dismounted.

"Prince! What's happened to you?"

"Prince, what exactly has occurred?"

The commanders were frightened out of their wits by Xiao Yin's antics.

Xiao Yin's face was grim, his voice somewhat low.

"What are you all running out here for?"

"Does the inner city not need defending?"

"Having just taken Hengzhou, final victory is still far off; today everyone who came out will receive thirty military strokes, to be administered after the great battle."

The surrounding generals were scolded for no apparent reason, drenched in dog‑blood, and none could fathom why the Prince's strange anger had arisen.

Only Ling Feng behind Xiao Yin understood: the Prince did this to avoid revealing that the Princess Consort had left Jing Cheng.

If someone with ill intent learned that the Princess Consort was nearby, they might capture her alive, which would be especially detrimental to the Prince.

He knew the Prince's heart had already been tormented to the limit, yet outwardly he remained steadfast.

Yet the surrounding generals had received a baffling dressing‑down; the Prince accused them of deserting their posts, while he himself, as commander‑in‑chief, had just taken Hengzhou and then galloped off on horseback—what could that possibly be for?

They dared not speculate wildly about the Prince's affairs, and all knelt before Xiao Yin in unison.

Having been unjustly sentenced to thirty military strokes, it was fortunate that the punishment would be deferred until after the great battle at Yingzhou City.

Now the moment of the final showdown between the Azure Dragon Army and the Eight Great Families has arrived; whether they will actually receive those thirty strokes is left to fate—perhaps they'll all be dead, and there'll be no one left to punish.

A man in a blue robe walked slowly through the crowd to stand before Xiao Yin—none other than Gu Kang, the military advisor who had accompanied Xiao Yin in this campaign.

Gu Kang had helped Xiao Yin considerably along the way; although Xiao Yin harbored some wariness toward him, the plans to besiege Hengzhou, feign attacks east while striking west, and various bewildering tactics were all devised by Gu Kang in consultation with Xiao Yin.

Even during this period Xiao Yin's opinion of Gu Kang had changed considerably.

If this lad could reform and abandon his wicked schemes, he could then be put to use.

After all, he is Gu Jiu Ling's younger brother—who else would he protect if not him?

At this moment Gu Kang's face grew more solemn; he leaned close to Xiao Yin and lowered his voice: "Prince, we have captured a spy."

Xiao Yin frowned, impatient: "Just a spy—interrogate him, and if necessary, execute him."

Now the Prince's mind is preoccupied with Gu Jiu Ling; these petty details Gu Kang also wants to ask him about, but he refuses to answer politely.

Unexpectedly, Gu Kang lowered his voice even further and uttered three words: "Left Divine Doctor."

Xiao Yin froze for a moment, then suddenly leapt onto his horse, not even bothering to let the generals kneeling around him rise.

He charged over the human wall on horseback, then, recalling something, turned back, seized Gu Kang's collar, and growled low: "Where is the person?"

Gu Kang pointed to the city gate: "He's been locked in the western camp's tents, together with a few grain merchants who were also captured, though they are mixed among the Eight Great Families' people."

"Our patrolling soldiers noticed something odd and took them in; although they are acquaintances, it's wise to be cautious."

Before Gu Kang finished speaking, Xiao Yin released his collar and strode straight ahead.

Not long after, Xiao Yin rushed straight to the few tents on the west side.

The few camps on the west side are specifically assigned to guard the spies of the eight great clans.

Seeing Xiao Yin approach, the guarding soldiers all dropped to one knee before Xiao Yin.

Where are the few people Lord Gu brought back?

Not a single soldier knew why the Prince, aura fierce, had come striding over, asking about those few insignificant spies and what they were for.

He lifted the tent flap: 'Prince, they're in here!'

Xiao Yin strode into the tent and, sure enough, saw several ragged figures lying askew on the ground.

The young man leading them, supporting the emaciated old man beside them, was none other than Zuo Feichen.