Chapter 1401: Officers versus Officers

Some people instinctively tried to retreat, wanting to run to the back and escape this sudden slaughter; others wanted to take advantage of the chaos to sneak past and reach Zhao Jin's territory sooner, to find a way to survive.

For a moment, the already extremely crowded road became even more packed with people shoving each other.

The reckless stampede of thousands upon thousands of people was itself a terrifying disaster. No one knew which direction they should go, yet they were helplessly pushed in one direction. Qi Wang felt people constantly crashing into him. Although he shoved them away one by one, he still felt his footing unsteady, stumbling and staggering.

He was, after all, a strong young man. Some people fared far worse than him. A few elderly and children, unable to keep their footing in the trampling crowd, were knocked to the ground and then continuously trampled over. Some let out miserable wails, struggling to climb back up, but they were soon stomped heavily back down, never to make another sound.

The chaotic crowd made it impossible for either pursuing side to advance according to their own intentions. They could only be swept along by the crowd, surging forward along the road. No one knew how long it took before the crowd gradually thinned. A large mass of refugees thus broke through the blockade and rushed toward the place they believed would save their lives.

At first, these runners had wanted to stop them, but once this human tide had started, it could no longer be stopped by mere human strength. Very soon, they had no choice but to abandon that intention.

Watching the crowd receding into the distance, everyone was thinking about how much money they had lost. The hatred this stirred up became even harder to control. And Qi Wang finally breathed a sigh of relief. These people had finally found a way to live.

Who knew how many of them would actually survive to reach Xuzhou and start a new life?

But now, for him, the most important thing was no longer to think about such matters.

"Kill him!" The leading big man pointed his blade at Qi Wang and shouted, while the scattered runners once again surrounded Qi Wang completely.

Qi Wang took a deep breath, then swung his blade to parry the slashes from the two men who had rushed forward first. Then he dropped his shoulder, forcefully pushing these two men back a step, and strode toward the small grove of trees beside them, which had already begun to shed its leaves.

The runners shouted and followed him, charging in as well, but the paths within the grove were so narrow and cramped that they could not maintain their encirclement.

After charging into the grove, Qi Wang suddenly slowed his steps, then readjusted his breathing and crouched his body slightly. In that instant, his muscles faintly bulged, and his entire being resembled a leopard poised to strike, brimming with a sense of power.

Then, within the blurred field of vision among the trees, he followed the sounds and chose a direction where the noise was relatively sparse, slowly walking that way.

"Here!"

When they saw him appear before them, two runners shouted and simultaneously swung their blades at him. The heavy blades, carrying fierce gusts, rushed toward his neck and abdomen. He sidestepped slightly, pressing down with his blade to force one man's blade downward. That man, unable to stop his momentum, stumbled and lunged toward him, and Qi Wang struck heavily with a knife-hand blow to his neck, knocking him unconscious to the ground.

Then, he fell backward, dodging a blade that suddenly swung at him.

This slash was so powerful and heavy that after he dodged it, it actually embedded itself into a hard tree trunk.

This runner panicked and wanted to pull his blade out, but in his haste, he could not free it. He was horrified to discover that Qi Wang had already climbed up from the ground. In his terror, he let go of his blade, turned around, and tried to run back. However, Qi Wang had already rushed behind him at a speed difficult to see clearly, and then struck him heavily on the back of the head with the pommel of his blade.

This blow quickly sent the runner into a daze. He swayed his body slowly, then knelt down, and finally collapsed face-first onto the ground.

Qi Wang stood beside these two unconscious men, panting as he recovered his strength. Then, swaying slightly, he stood up and walked in the direction he had been heading before.

He did not want to injure people, because these men were, after all, members of the Great Ming's yamen. Preventing them from carrying out their duties was one thing, but killing someone was another matter entirely. He did not want to bring huge trouble upon himself because of that.

He stepped on the soft soil and slowly advanced. The wind threaded through the gaps in the grove, making rustling sounds. Golden leaves continuously fell, brushing past his shoulders and landing on the ground. When he stepped on them, they made soft pattering sounds. All these sounds mingled together, just like the accompaniment in a theater.

Qi Wang looked left and right, paying attention to the movements around him. He had already reached the edge of the grove, and as far as his eyes could see, he spotted no pursuers.

Had he already shaken them off? Qi Wang breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.

Just as he walked step by step to the outermost edge of the grove and was about to walk out, he suddenly felt something was wrong, as if all the hairs on his body were faintly standing on end.

A gust of wind seemed to be rushing at him from behind.

No, not from behind — from directly above!

Qi Wang threw himself forward with all his strength, his shoulder slamming into a tree. Although his shoulder hurt terribly, he had just managed to dodge the blade that had struck at him.

This slash cut open the clothes on his back and left a wound on his body.

Blood gushed from his back, and the pain momentarily numbed his nerves.

He rolled to the side again, once more dodging a follow-up slash.

Then, covered in dust and pain, he slowly stood up. Blood flowed onto his clothes and dripped onto the ground, but he paid it no heed.

He stared intently at this enemy who had suddenly descended from the sky before him.

This enemy was tall and large, with a fierce expression — it was unmistakably the leading big man from just now.

"It's you...!" He snorted coldly. "You... are so vicious!"

"Is the officer alright?" A mocking sneer appeared on the big man's face.

Qi Wang did not answer, only feeling the searing pain of the wound on his body.

"You... why must you press me so relentlessly?"

"Press you relentlessly? Well said, officer! But I wonder who exactly is pressing whom relentlessly!" A trace of ferocity flashed across the big man's face. "The officer wants to cut off the financial path we finally obtained with just a few words — isn't that the officer pressing us relentlessly?"

"You commit such heinous, heaven-defying acts, and you still blame me! Beast!" Qi Wang endured the pain and cursed furiously.

Neither of them made the first move. Qi Wang needed to recover because he had just been injured, while the big man was waiting for his underlings to arrive, to avoid a desperate fight to the death with Qi Wang, who was like a cornered beast still fighting. If something went wrong, it would not be worth it.

"Heinous and heaven-defying? We sit here collecting money, neither stealing nor robbing — may I ask what is heinous and heaven-defying about it?" The big man sneered, refuting Qi Wang. "If we're talking about heinous and heaven-defying acts, are there any fewer of those within the imperial court? Not to mention anything else, the court is full of corruption and bending the law, the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard extort and brutalize the people everywhere, throwing the realm into chaos and misery — if that isn't heinous and heaven-defying, what is? We underlings are just attached to the yamen, earning our meals by putting in some effort for the Prefect. If we're talking about heinous and heaven-defying acts, how could we possibly compare to you officers!"

This sarcastic and cutting speech made Zhao Jin even angrier inside. His whole body trembled, and then he realized his wound had become even more painful. He had no choice but to forcibly suppress the fury in his heart and secretly use a cloth strip to staunch his bleeding.

"You've laid hands on the Embroidered Uniform Guard. I'll see how you explain yourselves when the time comes. Even your Prefect won't be able to protect you!"

"Heh heh, since things have already reached this point, does the officer truly believe he can still go back? I'm afraid after today, the officer will never see the light of day again... That being the case, who will tell the higher-ups that we attacked the Embroidered Uniform Guard?" The big man was still sneering. "Besides, does the officer truly still think the Great Ming is some sweet prize nowadays? Let me tell you the truth — we brothers were originally in the business of highway robbery. The Prefect thought our skills were decent, and because the realm is now in chaos, he pulled us into the public service. Heh, I have to say, this public service is really not bad. Hurting people and setting fires is even easier than back in the day. The Prefect even let us carry on our old trade, wearing public uniforms to do this robbery work. Tell me, what difference is there between this government and bandits? Aren't they the same breed?! It's just that the public service has too many rules, and we brothers can't quite stand it. We brothers have long had a plan in mind — if this place won't keep us, there's always somewhere that will. If we really lose our livelihood here in the Great Ming, we underlings can do just like those routed soldiers, gather together and roam the mountains and forests, living who knows how much more freely! If that really won't do, we can just go surrender to that Zhao Jin in Xuzhou, simply work for the Zhao family emperor, and become dragon-following meritorious ministers of the new dynasty too, hahahaha!"

Qi Wang had never imagined that these runners were originally a gang of bandits, and that they had actually been brought into the yamen by the local Prefect, who tacitly permitted them to carry out these brutal acts against the people. In the eyes of these runners, the Great Ming court had actually become something dispensable. These people clearly ate the Great Ming's imperial grain, yet the thoughts in their heads were completely different from his, and they had no attachment to the Great Ming whatsoever, not a shred of gratitude. Truly shameless beyond belief! The local Prefect was even more a beast in human clothing, utterly devoid of conscience!

The blood flowed slower and slower, and the wound no longer seemed as painful as before. He felt that his body, which had been somewhat dizzy a moment ago, had now regained its energy.

Just then, rustling sounds coming from all directions reached his ears. Those runners had apparently heard their leader's call and were hurrying this way, getting closer and closer.

The big man also heard the sounds of his underlings rushing over. His smile instantly became even more relaxed. "The scenery here is actually quite nice. Burying the officer here wouldn't be an insult to him, would it?"

Qi Wang turned a deaf ear to his words. His waist bent lower and lower, and the gaze in his eyes became sharper and sharper.

The footsteps around him grew closer and closer. Among the gaps in the trees, several human figures flickered in and out of sight.

"If you obediently surrender, we underlings can give the officer a quick end." The big man raised the blade in his hand. "But if the officer refuses to surrender obediently, there's no telling how much suffering you'll have to endure... So..."

Just as he was still speaking coldly and mockingly, Qi Wang suddenly stamped his foot, then stumbled backward, turned around, and ran toward the back.

The leaves on the ground, stomped so heavily by him, instantly scattered into the air.

"Trying to run?" When he saw Qi Wang suddenly flee, the big man roared angrily, then raised his blade and charged at Qi Wang.

The dust and leaf debris scattered in the air were simply too much, so when he rushed to the spot where Qi Wang had just been, he instinctively closed his eyes for a moment to block the dust rushing at his face.

When he reopened his eyes, he was horrified to discover that Qi Wang, whom he had thought was fleeing outward, was charging toward him through the gray curtain.

In his eyes, Qi Wang's face was ferocious, and his eyes were full of savagery, just like a wild beast that had seized its prey.

There was no time to dodge. He threw his head back and let out a great shout, then steeled himself, swept his blade upward, and barely parried the slash coming straight at his face. But Qi Wang's strike had been so heavy that he was forced stumbling back several steps.

The ground was soft, loose earth, riddled with pits and hollows. After retreating a few steps, the big man, his blood and qi still churning, suddenly stepped into empty air and his footing caught.

Bad! The moment he stumbled and pitched sideways, the big man's heart screamed disaster, but his body still lurched partway over of its own accord. To protect his stance he flailed his blade wildly around him, yet with his center of gravity gone, those swings, for all their brute force, offered no protection at all.

The dust and debris Qi Wang had kicked up had already drifted slowly back to the ground, leaving only a faint haze hanging in the air. Qi Wang spotted the opening and swept his blade across with crushing force.

That one heavy blow from a young man in the full heat of his blood — though the big man barely managed to block it, the blade bore down hard and in the end carved a deep gash across his shoulder.

"Huaah!"

The instant blood burst forth, the big man let out a furious howl of mingled rage and agony, then planted himself firmly on the ground and hacked viciously at Qi Wang.

Qi Wang dropped into a crouch, evading the slash — all force and no momentum — then raised his leg and swept it hard across, kicking the big man in the stomach.

With another shapeless shriek of pain, the big man was sent hurtling sideways by the kick and slammed into the trunk of a tree. The trunk gave a dull thud and shuddered; the big man crumpled to the ground.

More withered yellow leaves drifted down, as if bearing witness to this brief, fierce clash.

Qi Wang had meant to go over and teach the bastard another lesson, but suddenly a searing, burning pain flared across his back again. Only then did he realize with a start that during his violent exertions the wound, which had barely begun to close, had torn open once more. Blood was again welling from the gash. At the same time he saw that the other pursuers had already caught up — so close he could make out their faces clearly.

The searing pain killed any thought of pressing the attack on that brigand. Biting down hard against the agony, he swept his leg across the ground once more, hurling dust back into the air, then bent low and fled toward a direction still clear of pursuers, bursting out of the grove.

Wounded now, Qi Wang's flight was far more desperate and panicked. He gasped violently, forcing himself forward through the pain, his only thought to shake off those pursuers as fast as possible.

But the blood steadily draining from his wound mercilessly sapped his strength, making him slower and slower. After running for a while, afraid of losing too much blood, he halted on the path and turned his head to look back the way he had come.

Damn it! Only now did he realize that, urgent as his flight had been, he had not managed to shake them off — because his wound had been bleeding the whole way. The drops of blood fallen on the ground had marked the path for his pursuers like signposts. And in the distance, vague figures were already appearing; clearly those pursuers had followed the trail of blood and caught up again.

Running any further is useless. Might as well fight one more round. With that resolve, Qi Wang tightened his grip on his blade and lifted his head to stare straight at the men closing in.

Under his gaze, the group finally caught up and stood facing him at a distance. The big man, supported by one of his companions, also slowly came up behind them.

The wound on his shoulder was deep; it had now been bound with a strip of cloth to stop the bleeding, and in his eyes blazed a bestial glare, as if he meant to devour Qi Wang alive.

"Brat, once you fall into your grandpa's hands, your grandpa will carve you up slice by slice!" he snarled viciously at Qi Wang, not a trace of jest in his voice.

"Come on over if you dare!" Not a flicker of fear showed on Qi Wang's face. He held his blade crosswise and shouted at the mob, "Watch me slaughter the lot of you!"

Qi Wang knew he was already wounded. If he tried to run, he could never outpace so many men. He could only summon his courage and face the fight head-on.

Cowed by the martial prowess Qi Wang had displayed, the group hesitated, exchanging glances and wavering. No one stepped forward at once.

As if infuriated by his men's timidity, the big man's swarthy face twisted into a knot. He glared balefully at Qi Wang, who stood firm with his blade held crosswise, and bellowed, "Get him! Whoever ties that brat up and brings him to me, I'll reward with ten taels of silver — no, twenty! Killing him counts too!"

Twenty taels! At those electrifying words, every man's eyes lit up. In unison they stared at Qi Wang, and the fear in their eyes was gone, replaced by sheer, unbridled greed, as if they were already looking at a pile of silver.

Indeed, in this man-eat-man world, what could be more real or more useful than gold and silver? For a sum like that, a man would gladly throw his life away.

Now no one hesitated any longer. With a single concerted roar, they raised their blades and charged at Qi Wang.

Then fight it is! Qi Wang took up his blade, leaped forward, and rushed straight at them. The foremost man was upon him in an instant; caught completely off guard, he took a stab to the ribs. Blood burst forth along with a shriek, and he soon crumpled to the ground.

By now it was a life-and-death struggle; Qi Wang no longer gave any thought to holding back. He had no time to savor his success either. He swept his blade out hard again, hacking at another man, and rode the parrying blade down onto the man's shoulder, sending him too crashing to the ground with a scream.

Two foes down in the opening exchange — that stunning display seemed to overawe the rest. They all stopped at once and, as if by unspoken agreement, retreated several steps. The two wounded men lay on the ground shrieking; the blood pooling everywhere and those harrowing cries for help chilled the fire that had just kindled in the others' hearts, making them falter.

They ringed Qi Wang, eyes fixed on him, but no one advanced.

"All together! Get in there, all of you!" Seeing his men apparently cowed, the big man could not help bellowing his urgings. "Bring me his head! Twenty taels! Twenty taels!"

The words "twenty taels" struck like a heavy hammer, blow after blow pounding at these men's hearts, pounding them hotter and hotter until the flames roared back to life. The fear and unease in their hearts were slowly hammered away by those blows. They summoned their courage anew and took up their blades.

"All together!" At the big man's final urging, the mob let out a single hoarse roar and charged at Qi Wang once more.

Blades swinging at him from every side hemmed Qi Wang in severely. He sank his waist into a crouch, then rolled to one side, dodging several slashes aimed at him. Planting one hand on the ground, he sprang straight up from the earth, crashed heavily into one of his foes, and knocked him flat. Then he brought his blade chopping down hard, adding one more gravely wounded enemy to the ground.

After cutting down that foe, Qi Wang had meant to slip aside and evade the blades swinging at him, but just then the reopened wound flared with agony again, slowing his movement by a beat. That single beat of delay let another slash land on his shoulder.

Gritting his teeth against the wound, Qi Wang drew his blade and swept it fiercely behind him. A harrowing shriek followed — a hand, along with the blade that had struck Qi Wang, fell to the ground.

The sky grew darker and darker. The bloody, ferocious battle dragged on. Though Qi Wang had inflicted heavy casualties on his enemies, he was, after all, only one man, and wounded at that. In such a surrounding assault, his strength inevitably drained away bit by bit; his movements grew slower and slower, the wounds on his body more and more numerous.

Yet even now, at such a pass, not a trace of fear stirred in Qi Wang's heart. The melee had thoroughly roused his fighting blood; red-eyed, he thought only of slaughtering the men around him. He knew he had already exacted more than his life's worth. Whatever came next was pure profit.

Watching the fight, which was clearly drawing to a close, the lead big man's heart eased a little. Today's losses were indeed heavy, but as long as they could cut down this little whelp, there would be no lack of chances to keep plying this trade in the future. Opportunities to wear official uniforms while waylaying travelers did not come often; they had to milk every day they could and not let go lightly.

He would also need to handle the prefect properly, get him to help smooth things over afterward.

"Brothers, put your backs into it! This little whelp is about to —" His shout cut off abruptly.

Because he saw, from behind a large boulder right beside him, a black-clad figure darting toward him at a speed the naked eye could barely follow. Before he could even react, a blade-flash flickered and a scream so shrill it stung his eardrums rang out — and the subordinate standing beside him, the one supporting him, collapsed in a pool of blood.

Then, without the slightest pause, that blade-flash came straight at him. He tried to dodge, but having just been slashed earlier, his movements were terribly sluggish. Before he could retreat more than a few steps, the blade was already pressed against his neck.

Only then did he see clearly: the man standing before him was none other than the lean, wiry middle-aged man.

"Hero, hold your hand!" He went rigid and said, trembling, "May I ask where you hail from?"

But the other man showed no sign of staying his hand. The blade continued to press down, ever so slightly, leaving a faint line of blood across his neck.

"Hero, spare me!" Seeing death loom before him, the big man's heart grew even more frantic. He begged loudly, terrified the man would truly follow through. "Whatever you command, we lowly ones will obey to the letter! Spare me!"

The blade kept pressing down, bit by bit. Bone-chilling cold spread through his entire body from the blade's edge. Just when he thought he was surely dead, the blade finally stopped.

"Tell them all to stop! Now!" The man gave the order in a tone that brooked no defiance.

An ally of that brat? The big man hesitated a fraction of a second, but the blade immediately pressed down harder. Knowing he would certainly be killed if he did not comply, he had no choice but to obey.

"Stop! All of you, stop!" he shouted at the subordinates still locked in combat with Qi Wang.

The runners, who had been fighting Qi Wang with bloodshot eyes, took a long moment to register their leader's order — and then realized their chief had actually been taken hostage.

One by one they broke off the fight and stood there, looking at each other in bewilderment.

And Qi Wang, too, came back to his senses from the frenzy of battle. He realized that it was indeed his Third Uncle who had come to his rescue.

A wave of exhaustion made his legs go weak; it took enormous effort just to keep himself upright.

"Have them all disperse — run into the woods!" Liu Songping continued with his order.

Though the big man sensed deep down that this boded very ill, his life hung by a thread at that moment, and he had no choice but to comply helplessly. The remaining runners were forced to carry their gravely wounded companions and withdraw to one side, while Qi Wang limped and hobbled his way over toward Liu Songping.

"Third Uncle, thank you!" His whole body felt weak from blood loss.

"Hero, I've done what you asked…" Just then, the big man carefully begged Liu Songping for mercy. "Now you can let me go, right…"

"I can't let you go just yet. What if you bring your men after us again the moment I do? You'll have to walk a stretch with us first. We'll let you go once we've gone far enough." Liu Songping answered coldly. "Tell your men: no following. After we've gone a few li, we'll release you, and you can walk back on your own."

"Hero?!" The big man was getting anxious, afraid Liu Songping would say the wrong thing.

"Cut the crap!" Liu Songping pressed down on the blade in his hand again. "As long as you behave yourself, we'll naturally let you go."

With no room for choice, the big man could only lower his head in silence and submit to Liu Songping's order.

Then, after shouting an order to his underlings forbidding them to follow, Liu Songping took the big man hostage and walked off to one side of the road.

After they had walked a stretch, Wei Zhongxian also slipped out from behind a large tree and joined their group.

"We've put you to trouble, gonggong!" Liu Songping cupped his fist and said apologetically to Wei Zhongxian.

"It's nothing, nothing at all." Wei Zhongxian shook his head. "Your esteemed nephew is zealous for justice and kind of heart — I'm too busy admiring him to be angry. Besides, you people were fighting for your lives; how could you possibly have spared a thought for me?"

Then he glanced worriedly at Qi Wang again. "Is your esteemed nephew all right? I can see his injuries are quite severe — should he rest a while first?"

"We're in a dangerous place right now — where's the leisure to rest?" Liu Songping swept a glance at the big man trudging dejectedly behind them, then shook his head with a bitter smile. "We can only walk a stretch first and find somewhere to spend the night. No matter how much it hurts, he'll have to bear it."

"I see he's young, with a sturdy frame — he should be able to endure it." Seeing the other man's concern, Wei Zhongxian offered a few words of comfort. "When I first saw your skill, I was already deeply impressed. I never imagined your nephew's skill would be so formidable too — holding his own alone against that whole group for so long! When the Embroidered Uniform Guard sent just the two of you to escort me the whole way, I thought at first they were merely going through the motions. I never expected they'd put real care into it!"

"Gonggong, you praise me too highly." Despite receiving Wei Zhongxian's compliments, Liu Songping's expression remained unchanged; he merely lowered his head impassively.

After walking a stretch, once they were certain no one was pursuing them, Liu Songping took out rope and bound the big man to the side of a tree.

"Your men will catch up tomorrow, and they'll free you then." As he spoke, Liu Songping raised his blade and laid it across the big man's neck again. "This time I'll let it pass and spare your life. If you don't know what's good for you, feel free to come again!"

"Thank you for sparing my life, hero! Thank you for sparing my life, hero!" The big man begged for mercy over and over, incessantly swearing he would never break his word and bring men after them again. From his expression and tone, Liu Songping judged that his courage had been shattered — at least for now, he wouldn't pursue and provoke them.

Then they pressed on again in silence. After walking several li, they reached the edge of a market town and, just before the sky went completely dark, found a place to rest. The innkeeper, seeing their discomposed looks and that one man bore multiple wounds, initially didn't want to take them in, but Liu Songping revealed his Embroidered Uniform Guard identity and paid ample silver, and they were finally allowed to stay.

Halfway along the journey, Qi Wang's vision had already grown dim. Though Liu Songping had applied golden wound salve and roughly stopped the bleeding earlier, the injuries he'd sustained were truly severe; every wound ached unbearably. Only by sheer force of a young man's willpower had he kept himself from collapsing. Once they entered the inn, he could hold out no longer — the moment he reached the bed, he collapsed onto it.

Just then, Liu Songping pushed open the door and walked into his room. In his hand he held a jar of medicinal ointment — clearly he had come to change Qi Wang's wound dressing.

He lifted Qi Wang's already tattered clothes and carefully spread the ointment over the wounds.

"Ahh!" An indescribable searing pain made Qi Wang cry out despite himself.

"Ah, now you know it hurts? Weren't you full of fight and fury just a moment ago? The way I saw it, you were hitting them with plenty of spirit!"

Liu Songping did not stop his hands because of Qi Wang's cries of pain; instead, he even slapped Qi Wang heavily on the back, drawing another yelp. Then he let out a deep sigh. "It's not that I want to scold you, but at your age, why must you still be so eager to brawl? Out here is nothing like the capital — out here, it's chaos and war everywhere. Do you really think that if something happened to you, anyone in the capital would speak up for you?"

"Third Uncle, I wasn't being eager to brawl — they started it with me, and I held back at first!" Qi Wang protested. "I ran over only to tell them to let those refugees pass. They were so pitiful!"

"Who told you to run over there? Have you forgotten what you left the capital to do? Now you're meddling in local affairs?" Liu Songping's brow remained furrowed. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was just now? If I hadn't arrived in time, they would have nearly killed you!"

"I know… I know." Qi Wang lowered his gaze. "But… but those refugees really were so pitiful!"

"In times like these, there are pitiful people everywhere — far too many of them. You help this one, can you help that one too? What use is it, throwing yourself in for nothing?" Liu Songping was still seething. "You go around playing the chivalrous hero — do you really think any good will come of it? Don't be a fool!"

Liu Songping's tone was a little strange, as though stirred by the scene and recalling some past event. Qi Wang also fell silent, letting his third uncle scold him.

After scolding him for a good long while, Liu Songping finally finished changing Qi Wang's wound dressing.

"All right. We'll rest and recover here for two days, then set out again."

"Two days?" Qi Wang grew anxious. "But aren't we supposed to escort Eunuch Wei to Fengyang as quickly as possible? We can't afford delays…"

"So you do know we can't afford delays!" Liu Songping gave him another heavy smack, making him yelp in pain repeatedly. "If you knew we couldn't afford delays, then why go stirring up trouble everywhere? Now you're so badly hurt — two days' rest might not even be enough to recover your vitality, and you're already thinking of leaving now? Aren't you afraid you'll end up a cripple in a while?"

"But… but…" Qi Wang still hesitated.

"Don't overthink it. The higher-ups never set a fixed deadline for our arrival — they only said to get there as quickly as possible. Now that you're in this state, can we really force our way onward?" Liu Songping cut him off impatiently. "Enough. No more talk. Get some proper rest, and next time don't get in the way of the mission like this again!"

These harsh words and stern looks left Qi Wang momentarily speechless.

Did I do wrong?

That night, Qi Wang tossed and turned, unable to sleep. His third uncle's words kept echoing in his mind: "In times like these, there are pitiful people everywhere — far too many of them. You help this one, can you help that one too? What use is it, throwing yourself in for nothing?"