Chapter 274 It’s time to leave

Qingshui Town.

Butcher Li and Shopkeeper Li lay on the bed wailing in pain.

The doctor's forehead was covered with sweat. He carefully checked the arrow wound on Manager Li's leg.

"Manager Li, the arrows in your and your brother's legs have already penetrated your calves. It will definitely be very painful to pull them out.

But even if you pull it out, you will be disabled for the rest of your life.

But this kind of arrow is something I have never seen before, its power is astonishing. I will do my best to save your legs."

Butcher Li's eyes were filled with hatred, and he wished he could cut Chen Qingqing into pieces.

Shopkeeper Li stopped wailing and said, "Doctor Li, our two families have been friends for many years. I leave my leg to you."

Doctor Li found two clean pieces of cloth and handed them to them. "Hold on to it while I pull out the arrow. I'll try to be quick."

"Okay, I'll listen to you." Shopkeeper Li nodded weakly.

Doctor Li began to treat the arrow. He wiped the end of the arrow with strong liquor.

One of them pulled out the arrow with force, then sprinkled hemostatic medicine on it and bandaged it.

Then he used the same method to treat and bandage Li the butcher, gave him some instructions, and left.

"Brother, we brothers have suffered such a great loss, are we just going to let it go like this?" Butcher Li's eyes were blazing with anger and he gritted his teeth.

Shopkeeper Li shook his head weakly. "Let it go. What do you want?"

"Let's report it to the authorities. The county magistrate will not ignore such a serious injury."

"Would it be any use reporting it to the authorities? We were the ones who started it. Besides, that blow from your men was quite severe. We don't know how badly that fool was injured. We won't win even if we report it to the authorities."

"So that's it?"

"A gentleman's revenge is never too late, brother. Don't worry, we will get our revenge sooner or later."

Shopkeeper Li's face turned pale with pain, and beads of sweat the size of beans dripped down his forehead. He swore that he would repay Chen Qingqing for the sins he had suffered today sooner or later.

The night is as dark as ink, with no stars or moon.

In front of a shack on the mountain ten miles away from Nanshan Village.

The bonfire was burning brightly, and in front of it sat two young men of about eighteen or nineteen years old, namely Zhuifeng and Zhuyue.

That day, when their master was attacked, the two of them led away the "Black and White Devils" separately, thinking they could quickly escape and return to rescue their master.

But I didn't expect that the 'Black and White Devils' were even more powerful than the rumors said.

Bai Wusha used a move called "Blood Mist" to release countless sword energies with himself as the center, forming a shadow of death. Zhuifeng was almost killed on the spot.

Fortunately, he had excellent martial arts skills and managed to escape from the desperate situation. He took advantage of Bai Wusha's underestimation of the enemy and escaped.

Zhu Yue was entangled by Hei Wu Sha and was almost killed by him.

Hei Wusha's "Night's Withering" can turn day into night in an instant. He merges with the night and attacks Zhuyue from different angles, winning with one move.

Fortunately, Zhuyue was very skilled and escaped danger several times. Finally, he found the right opportunity to break his "Withering of the Night". Hei Wusha suffered the backlash and had to escape with injuries.

The two met up in Qingshui Town a day later and searched everywhere for their master's whereabouts, but they couldn't find him.

Just when they were in despair, they discovered that their master was doing odd jobs for a village girl and had become her follower.

At first, they both thought that their master had transformed himself into a farmer to avoid being hunted down.

Zhuifeng stepped forward with a look of surprise and called out, "Master."

Not only did the master ignore him, he also glared at him fiercely, with a strong warning in his eyes, telling him to stay away.

Zhuifeng was stunned for a moment.

When he got closer, the master actually waved his fist to hit him.

There was no other way, so they followed their master all the way to Nanshan Village.

I thought that if I fired a signal flare at night, the master would come to the appointment.

But Zhuifeng and Zhuyue waited all night, but their master didn't come.

In the next few days, Zhuifeng intentionally or unintentionally met with Xiaoyu in Qingshui Town, but his master seemed not to recognize him. When he saw him, he would hide behind the village girl or glare at him.

Later they gradually realized that their master was stupid.

But they still did not leave, but wandered around Nanshan Village, secretly protecting the safety of their master and preventing the "Black and White Evils" from coming to assassinate them.

Zhuifeng shook his head and sighed, "Zhuyue, why did the master become so stupid? Will he ever get better? If he doesn't show up, I'm afraid the secret won't be hidden in Kyoto anymore."

Zhuyue's expression was much calmer. "I have to keep it a secret even if I can't. If they knew that the master had become a fool, the world in Kyoto would be in turmoil."

"Actually, I think it's quite good for Master to be like this. He lives a carefree life, without having to fight on the battlefield. He won't feel sad about being poisoned by his most trusted brother, nor does he have to guess the emperor's mind and worry about his achievements becoming too great for his master."

"That's true, but if we're not here, Xiyue Kingdom, Beiyi Kingdom, and Nanjiang Kingdom will probably unite. When their troops arrive, our Great Ning Dynasty will be like meat on the chopping board, at the mercy of others!"

There was a moment of silence, and Zhuifeng threw a piece of wood into the campfire. "How about we fire a flare tonight, just in case the master sees it and remembers us!"

Zhuyue frowned and shook his head, "Forget it, we've already fired dozens of flares, but the master hasn't come yet. What difference will it make whether we fire one or not this time?"

"Never mind. If no one comes, I'll just treat it as a meteor watching." Zhuifeng said as he took out a flare from his arms, pulled the fuse, and with a 'whoosh' sound, the flare flew towards the sky and instantly turned into an exploding star.

At the same time, Xiaoyu was not sleepy at all. She stood in front of the window, looked up at the sky, and recalled the fragmented past.

Suddenly, a ray of light appeared in the night sky. He was delighted and looked towards the yard.

It was quiet outside and the lights in all the houses were off.

Xiaoyu gently pushed open the door, took a deep breath from his dantian, and flew onto the roof with a whoosh. After a few jumps, he used his lightness skills to rush towards the nearby hilltop.

At this moment, there was no longer any confusion in his eyes; his gaze was as deep as the abyss.

He didn't understand why his good brother, the prince, was secretly plotting to kill him even though he had never cared about that position.

After Zhuifeng released the flare, he kept his ears perked up to listen to the movements around him. As time passed, he almost gave up.

Suddenly, a slight rustling sound came from far away. Zhuifeng was delighted, but before he stood up, a familiar figure appeared in front of him.

"Master, it's really you. Are you stupid anymore?" Zhuifeng stepped forward and asked with concern.

Zhuyue was much more calm and knelt on one knee, "Congratulations, Master, for your safe return."

Xiaoyu nodded slightly, "Get up, you have worked hard for the past six months."

Zhuifeng's voice was trembling with excitement.

"Master, what happened? Why did you lose your memory?

You were poisoned by the Western Region's deadly poison 'Three Days Soul Returning Powder'. Who helped you to detoxify?

How did you escape Ziyou's pursuit, and why did you follow a village girl?"

"Yes, master. Once the Three-Day Soul-Returning Powder takes effect, there are only three days to detoxify. You were already poisoned when we separated that day. Who could have detoxified you in such a short time? This person is so powerful. If he becomes our enemy, the consequences will be unimaginable." Zhuyue asked cautiously.

Xiaoyu's eyes flickered slightly. He didn't expect to survive after falling off the cliff.

He never expected that there was a hermit master hidden in these mountains, and she was just a little girl. During the six months he was with her, he found that Chen Qingqing was kind, upright, responsible, and would never give up in the face of adversity.

"Don't worry, the person who saved me is the village girl you mentioned." Xiaoyu briefly recounted what happened, but skipped the incident of being teased by Ziyou.

Zhuifeng was shocked. "I never thought this remote place would be home to such a hidden dragon and crouching tiger!"

Zhuyue nodded, "Yes, it's a good thing that the village girl helped me, otherwise the master would have been in great danger."

"By the way, how has the situation in Kyoto been in the past six months?" Xiaoyu asked hurriedly.

Zhuyue's expression turned serious. "Master, we have been hiding your amnesia. We only sent a message to Kyoto saying that you were seriously ill and unfit to travel. You will return to report when you recover."

"Did they believe it?"

Xiaoyu's voice was hoarse. He used to blame him for being too focused on family affection and being blinded by it, which was why the prince succeeded.

He will no longer be soft-hearted and will make those who have hurt him pay the price.

As for that position, the more you fear I will get it, the more I want it.

Zhu Yue shook his head and sighed, "Everyone else believes it, but the Crown Prince is the only one who knows what happened. He's convinced you fell off the cliff and died. Now he's ready to make a move, forming cliques within the court, and his power is becoming increasingly solid."

Zhuifeng took over the conversation, "I don't know who spread the rumor that you've fallen, but there's already signs of unrest on the border. Recently, many foreign forces disguised as merchants have come to Kyoto, probably to confirm this rumor."

"No problem, keep watching and report any movement to me immediately."

"Master, now that you have recovered, should we set off back to Kyoto as soon as possible?" Zhuifeng looked anxious.

Xiaoyu waved her hand, "No hurry, I still have something to take care of."

Zhuyue also advised, "Master, the situation in Kyoto can no longer be concealed. We must rush back as soon as possible. The greater the power of the prince, the greater the danger to the master!"

"I see." Xiaoyu nodded. "By the way, have you made any progress in investigating the salt smuggling in the past few months?"

"My Lord, these are all evidences. You can return and give them to the Emperor and then report back."

"Okay, keep it safe." Xiaoyu jumped and disappeared from their sight.

The next morning, Chen Qingqing got up and opened the door, only to see Xiaoyu standing in the corridor. She smiled as usual, "Good morning, Xiaoyu. Did you sleep well last night? Did you remember anything?"

"My dear, I slept very well and even dreamed that you bought me some candied haws." Xiaoyu's eyes regained their former clarity, without the wisdom and depth of last night.

"Okay, I'll take you to town later and buy you some candied haws, okay?"

"good."

Xiaoyu nodded. Although the days were dull, he was reluctant to leave.

Suddenly he was startled by his own thoughts and quickly regained his composure. It was time to leave...

"Let's go, Xiaoyu. Dabao is already waiting for us." Chen Qingqing waved and shouted at the dazed Xiaoyu.

"Okay, I'll be right there." Xiaoyu followed Chen Qingqing out of the yard and got on Liu Laohan's ox cart, just like he did in the past.

The ox cart soon arrived at the intersection of Qingshui Town.

Dabao said, "Sister Qingqing, I'm going to Anyang County to deliver the goods first. You and Xiaoyu, please wait for me at this intersection after you finish your business. I'll come back this afternoon and pick you up to go back together."

"No need. Xiaoyu and I will hire a carriage to go back. Please drive slowly and don't worry about me."

Chen Qingqing jumped off the ox cart, and Xiaoyu followed closely behind.

"Okay, don't worry, Sister Qingqing." Dabao agreed and looked at Liu Laohan, "Uncle Laohan, let's go!"