SGSHE119

Once Jing Heguang shooed them away, the others went back to their respective duties.

Though not a word was spoken aloud, many were left privately stunned and amazed.

— No wonder we kept hearing about General Jing seeking out the new military physician, it turns out the two really are a couple!

— The new physician looks so aloof and cold, yet he’s actually so passionate?!

— General Jing is probably henpecked. He’s always so fierce with us, yet he gets pinned against the wall and kissed by the new physician!!

Jing Heguang was unaware of the thoughts racing through their minds.

He looked down at the crown of Xing Ming’s head, which seemed to want to hide away entirely, and said, “They’ve all gone back to their work.”

At these words, Xing Ming’s head shifted slightly.

He turned his head to the side and stole a glance. Seeing that no one was actually watching, he finally felt at ease enough to lift his face from Jing Heguang’s embrace.

He was evidently deeply embarrassed, as a faint flush had crept all the way up his neck.

Yet, he held his back exceptionally straight, as if that alone made him look composed and serious.

Jing Heguang smiled and asked, “Shall we go see if General Zhao needs any help?”

Xing Ming replied, “I’m not finished with my work yet.” He had only come over after spotting King Li’s body on his way.

“Then carry on treating the wounded.”

Jing Heguang tucked a stray lock of hair behind Xing Ming’s ear, then escorted him to the area where the lightly wounded were gathered so he could assist.

The battle had been swift, resulting in relatively few casualties.

Nevertheless, there were still injuries to attend to, and everyone required a physician’s care.

While Xing Ming’s medical skills were merely average, he was certainly capable of treating external wounds.

***

After parting ways with Xing Ming, Jing Heguang went to find General Zhao. Thinking of Cui Tong, who had been held captive all this time, Jing Heguang said, “General Zhao, shall we release Cui Tong?”

The crown prince’s seal Cui Tong carried was genuine. While the order hadn’t come directly from the crown prince’s own lips, it wasn’t exactly an absurd command either. Both Jing Heguang and General Zhao understood this perfectly.

Before, they had feigned ignorance, but now that Wucheng had been captured, it was time to show the crown prince some courtesy.

With so many pressing matters and a busy schedule, General Zhao had simply forgotten about Cui Tong.

Upon hearing Jing Heguang’s suggestion, General Zhao said, “Fine, let him go. We’ve already taken Wucheng, there’s no need to worry about him causing trouble now.”

After mentioning Cui Tong, General Zhao looked at Jing Heguang with envy: “General Jing, you’ve done something truly remarkable, capturing King Li! You’re bound to be granted a noble title for this.”

King Li was a senior royal of Jin country, a man who had once been a fierce predator on the battlefield, known as a ‘hawk and wolf’.

Beyond the capture itself, this act severed a vital arm of the Jin’s in the borderlands, the merit involved was immense.

Had General Zhao known beforehand that king Li could be captured, he would have gone himself.

He simply hadn’t expected the seasoned king Li to let his guard down, nor had he anticipated Jing Heguang charging in with such ferocity.

In hindsight, king Li had likely suffered precisely because of that unexpected turn of events.

Jing Heguang smiled and said, “General Zhao, you are the commander-in-chief, your contribution is certainly no less than mine.”

General Zhao reflected on this and realized it was true, as the commanding general, he would share in the credit for the victory. His smile widened.

After offering a few more words of praise to this hearty, straightforward man, Jing Heguang went to release Cui Tong.

Cui Tong had been confined to a tent. While he was well-fed and provided with good drink, he was forbidden from leaving the enclosure, meaning he had to attend to all his bodily functions right there inside.

Hearing the sounds of battle outside, Cui Tong had been burning with anxiety.

“Leyou, little sister…you’ll be fine, I’m sure of it.”

Cui Tong muttered to himself, pacing anxiously inside the tent with furrowed brows and a look of palpable distress.

Suddenly, the tent flap was lifted, and Jing Heguang appeared before him.

Cui Tong was startled for a moment, then shouted, “Let me out! Jing Heguang, let me out!”

Shouting agitatedly, he rushed forward and grabbed Jing Heguang by the collar.

His movements were wild with emotion, and the tugging on the clothing inadvertently aggravated Jing Heguang’s wound.

Jing Heguang swatted his hand away, glanced at him, and said simply, “I can let you out, but I’ll have to assign a few men to ensure your safety.”

Cui Tong, who had expected a refusal and was prepared to put up a fight, was left dumbfounded: Huh?

Oh well, it was a good thing Jing Heguang was willing to let him go.

He had to find Leyou right away!

Cui Tong said, “Give me a few more men, I still don’t know exactly where Leyou is!”

Jing Heguang offered no comment but pointed out the guards stationed outside to Cui Tong.

These men were General Zhao’s trusted subordinates. They had been the ones blocking Cui Tong’s path and frustrating him for days, so the sight of them made his stomach churn.

…Never mind. He would endure it.

Finding Leyou was the priority. These men were General Zhao’s confidants, after all, and capable enough for the task.

Cui Tong gritted his teeth, convinced himself to accept the situation, and left with the men, his face dark with displeasure.

Watching him walk away, Jing Heguang shook his head.

“I wonder what kind of spell he’s under…”

From the moment Jing Heguang arrived at the tent until Cui Tong left, Cui Tong hadn’t asked a single question about the war, showing just how far his mind had wandered.

Or perhaps, was Cui Leyou simply that important to him?

Jing Heguang touched his neck, recalling the scene where the original owner had met his end after being targeted by the crown prince.

On closer reflection, it seemed the original owner wasn’t the only one to suffer such misfortune. The other men who had shared an ambiguous romantic connection with Cui Leyou had all met with terrible, even wretched, ends.

Viewed in that light…he didn’t seem safe either.

He was a man who kept his word. Having promised younger brother Xing that they would grow old together, he certainly couldn’t go back on that vow. He wasn’t about to let anyone take his life!

Jing Heguang furrowed his brows, his expression turning unusually serious.

***

After releasing Cui Tong, Jing Heguang turned his attention to the task at hand, leading his subordinates to further organize and secure Wucheng.

As the army marched in, the former subjects Wu’s finally rose up to become the masters of their own destiny.

After years of pent-up resentment under the rule of the Jin, the tables had turned. The fate of those arrogant Jin people, who had once deemed themselves superior, was all too predictable. They were thoroughly humiliated and mistreated.

Take, for instance, the wealthy Li family.

They had hitched up their horses and loaded their carts, hoping to flee amidst the chaos.

But to their dismay, a horse that had always been perfectly docile suddenly refused to budge, and right there on the road, it began to suffer a bout of explosive diarrhea.

That delay on the main road meant they were inevitably caught by the surprise-attack force.

The head of the Li family glared at the horse, seething with frustration: how could a perfectly healthy horse suddenly get diarrhea?

Thinking of her son, who lay unconscious in the cart, madam Li wailed, “Why are we so wretched? My poor boy even had his head bashed open by that vixen!”

Just as the Li family was being apprehended, Cui Tong and his men were fortunate enough to locate Cui Leyou at the Li estate.

“Sister Leyou!” Cui Tong looked at her with tear-filled, apologetic eyes. “I’m late…you must have suffered so much.”

Cui Leyou, too, was moved to tears of joy. “Brother ATong! You’re here! How did you find me?”

She had been terrified. Although she had struck young master Li’s head with ruthless force, it was the first time she had ever done such a thing.

The lingering fear of the incident, combined with the overwhelming emotion of seeing a loved one, made her sob as she threw herself into Cui Tong’s arms.

As he held her close, Cui Tong felt that every hardship he had endured was worth it.

Yet, there were still some things that needed to be said. After offering Cui Leyou a few words of comfort, Cui Tong gritted his teeth and said, “Sister Leyou, from now on, if you run into that fellow Jing Heguang, just turn your back on him and walk away! He’s got a new love now. I asked him to come and rescue you early, but he refused! He shows absolutely no regard for our past bond, he cares only about earning merit.”

In Cui Tong’s view, even if Jing Heguang had stepped in to rescue her, it would have caused a delay of only a single day, hardly a matter of great consequence.

Cui Leyou listened in astonishment and asked, “Brother Cui Tong, what did you say?”

Cui Tong repeated, “Turn your back and walk away if you see Jing Heguang?”

“No, the part after that,” Cui Leyou said, shaking her head.

Cui Tong said, “He has a new love, and he wouldn’t agree when I asked him to come rescue you early?”

That was the part.

Cui Leyou was shocked by two things: the mention of a ‘new love’, and the idea that Jing Heguang was unwilling to rescue her.

How could that be possible?!

Although she had her grievances with Jing Heguang, she also appreciated the sincerity and dedication he showed her.

A single word from her had been enough to make him risk his life coming to Wucheng in the North, how could he possibly be unwilling to rescue her now?

Cui Leyou bit her lower lip. “Brother Cui Tong, could you be mistaken? Military orders are absolute, and since brother Heguang isn’t the commander-in-chief, naturally he couldn’t disobey orders.”

Cui Tong gave a scoff of derision.

“Disobey orders? He secured the defense maps for Wucheng and the surrounding cities. While he’s nominally second-in-command for this mission, he’s actually the one calling the shots, even the commanding general has to listen to him.”

Cui Leyou still found it hard to believe, but not wanting to upset Cui Tong, she said softly, “Brother Cui Tong, I don’t want to stay here anymore. Please take me away!”

“Alright. I’ll take you back. The army camp is the safest place to be.”

Cui Tong hurriedly took Cui Leyou and left.

As they were leaving the Li residence, a group of children was sneaking back toward the house.

The group of children rushed straight into the stables.

The leader spoke to Old Man Hu with great excitement: “Uncle Hu! The medicine you fed them really worked, the horses all got diarrhea on the road, and the Li family members have all been captured!”

The Li family was wealthy and powerful, but they treated their servants poorly, never regarding these slaves as human beings. Countless companions and family members among their group had perished under that regime.

Now that the army from their own Wu country had arrived, it was finally time for revenge!

The children looked vindicated, they felt a sense of deep satisfaction.

Only Old Man Hu didn’t smile. He glanced toward a corner of the stable and sighed, “It’s a good thing, though it’s a pity Ying’er and her mother won’t live to see it.”

The children looked at that corner of the stable, and their eyes instantly turned red.

After weeping for a while, Old Man Hu rallied his spirits: “They don’t have to stay cooped up in the brickwork anymore, let’s get them out!”

Several of them stepped forward, dismantled the brickwork, and broke it open to retrieve the bags of ashes hidden inside.

Some had lived to see this day and could finally ‘go home’, while others would never have that chance.

But regardless, moving forward was always a good thing.

Old Man Hu looked at the group of young, innocent children and smiled. “Stop crying. They’re all gone now. Let’s go to the kitchen and find something tasty to eat.”

“Is there meat in the kitchen? I want meat!”

“I haven’t tasted meat in nearly half a year!”

“Does this mean we’ll be able to eat meat from now on…?”

***

Meanwhile, uncle Yu had been waiting for a long time, yet King Li still hadn’t appeared.

Just as his patience was wearing thin, he spotted a familiar face.

Uncle Yu called out, “Heguang!!”

Jing Heguang turned around, and the soldiers beside him turned vigilantly as well, raising their shields and weapons.

Uncle Yu stared at Jing Heguang, who was surrounded by a tight ring of guards: !!!

Why was Jing Heguang protected by so many people? Could it be that he wasn’t just an ordinary expert spy…?