The night was dark and the wind was high; all was silent.

The young girl and the old man sat on either side of her mentally challenged brother, one resting her chin on her hand, staring intently, the other dozing with her eyes closed. In the firelight, the brother's face looked even more blank and dull. Just then, footsteps approached, and the girl tightened her clothes and turned to look.

The person who came was the same guard, who brought three bowls of hot porridge.

He said, "The parents asked me to bring it."

The girl lowered her head shyly and said timidly, "The master is kind."

The guard put down the hot porridge, glanced at his pitiful-looking, mentally challenged younger brother with pity, and sighed inwardly again.

In these times, even able-bodied adults struggle to survive, let alone an old man and a young girl with a mentally challenged child. Who knows how much hardship they've endured on their journey? The girl contentedly downed the hot porridge in one gulp, her eagerness oblivious to its scalding temperature. After finishing the bowl, a perfectly proportioned blush rose to her sallow, thin cheeks, and she gave the guards a knowing look.

The guards were used to these subtle gestures of goodwill and veiled advances. Under the pressure of survival, all notions of propriety and shame would give way. The guards were somewhat pleased, but didn't reciprocate; however, their attitude had visibly improved.

The girl asked him about his parents: "I don't know your name, sir? I will repay your kindness with a bowl of porridge if I have the chance."

She speaks in a refined and scholarly manner, and has a gentle and cultured air.

The guard deduced that the girl must have come from a modestly wealthy family before she fled and fell on hard times: "Your family name is He. There's no need to repay the favor. The head of the family has always been kind-hearted. He distributes porridge and does good deeds during festivals. Helping you is just a small favor. Just don't follow us after dawn."

He only gave his surname.

The name wasn't mentioned, and ordinary people didn't need to know.

Seeing this, the girl stopped asking questions.

After the three finished their hot porridge, the guards took the wooden bowls away.

Once he was out of sight, the old man let out a sneer, glancing sideways at the girl with a mocking look in his eyes: "[So eager to curry favor, only to be met with a cold shoulder. Who knew such a wicked scheme could have this side?]"

Girl: [...]

He said that Choi Sun-hyo was the greatest danger.

The intellectually disabled younger brother mumbled, "Okay."

The girl and the old man withdrew their gazes from each other and turned to look at the mentally challenged younger brother. The brother was writing words on the ground with his fingers, which the two men, with their remarkable eyesight, could see very clearly.

The message reads: "May the world be blessed."

The girl leaned closer, her eyes asking inquiringly: "Really?"

Old man: [This scholar's way sounds rather... festive?]

Girl: [...]

That's a complete joke.

The old man asked again: "And your abilities?"

The intellectually disabled younger brother continued writing: [Boost morale.]

Judging solely from its abilities, it belongs to a very ordinary support-type scholar's path, and many military formation spells can achieve the same effect. Its advantage lies in the fact that, consuming the same amount of literary energy, the effect of 【Great Fortune Under Heaven】 is doubled compared to ordinary military formation spells.

This is an imperfect state.

The intellectually disabled younger brother was somewhat disappointed by this.

This kind of scholarly way is too ordinary and not worth preserving or collecting.

The old man asked again: "What abilities does the Perfect State possess?"

The mentally challenged younger brother shook his head: "I don't know."

The abilities at their peak cannot be copied or viewed. Thinking of this, the intellectually disabled younger brother felt even more discouraged. His own path of the scholar was too restrictive; he could tolerate its drawbacks before, but now he felt powerless to overcome them. Encountering an enemy at the peak of the scholar's path made him too passive; it could no longer keep up with his needs.

[Is the world in good health? 】

The old man glanced at the girl's face.

[He's probably a restless one too.]

The blue sky is dead; the yellow sky shall rise.

In the year of Jiazi, great fortune will befall the world.

This is the slogan of the rebel army recorded in the Word Spirit.

To a legitimate royal court, aren't they just traitors and rebels?

The mentally challenged younger brother was about to delete the Scholar's Path he had painstakingly copied, so that he wouldn't have to carry one less burden and could lighten his load. He could just copy another one that looked good later.

His actions were interrupted by the girl: "Is your surname He?"

Old man: [...]

Intellectually disabled younger brother: [...]

The same thought arose in both of their minds—could it be that this head of the He family was also an enemy of the evil scheme (Qi Zhongshu)?

The girl understood the look in their eyes.

She frowned angrily: "What kind of looks are you giving me?"

The intellectually disabled younger brother asked: "Is he an old friend of Qi Zhongshu?"

The girl said: [I'm not sure if that's true.]

The old man and his intellectually disabled younger brother: [...]

If you're unsure whether it is or not, then it's basically true.

The girl continued: "I knew two brothers named He from my younger days. The elder brother was named He Shu, courtesy name Buzuo, and the younger brother was named He Xin, courtesy name Haogu. I wonder if I'm one of them..."

[The saying goes: "I transmit but do not create; I believe in and love antiquity; I humbly compare myself to Old Peng."] It's unclear what tickled the old man's funny bone, but his lips twitched uncontrollably, struggling to suppress a laugh. [If he truly is one of the brothers, and his understanding of the scholar's way is 'great fortune for the world,' then that's truly interesting.]

Girl: [...]

How can someone laugh at such a lame joke?

The old man's smile faded: "Let's escape first thing tomorrow morning and then find another chance to sneak in. If your identity is exposed, I fear he'll take his anger out on us, and we'll suffer an undeserved disaster. Qi Yuanliang, what do you say?"

Qi Shan's enemies are definitely not good-tempered.

result--

The girl asked, "Why are you running? Someone said it's an enemy?"

The two were taken aback by what they heard.

Does Qi Yuanliang know anyone he doesn't have any enemies with?

Girl: [...]

To verify whether the head of the He family was an acquaintance, the young woman devised a mischievous plan. She patted a small medicine bottle hidden under her clothes: "Wait."

Using the power of words to achieve one's goal would stir up the energy of heaven and earth, and no matter how careful one is, it is extremely easy for a scholar with a well-developed literary mind to detect it. Since the power of words won't work, then let's use the most ancient method. A person who travels the world can't be without some medicine on them.

It was midnight.

The convoy's guards were alerted by the loud screams.

It was the panicked cry of a young girl begging for mercy. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a thin girl clutching her clothes tightly, desperately trying to avoid outstretched hands. She managed to escape the harassment thanks to her small stature and ran in the opposite direction, only to trip and fall hard after a few steps. Ignoring the pain, she scrambled to her feet.

Upon seeing this, the guards hurriedly went to check on the situation.

The two approached and saw what had happened.

I gasped in shock.

A guard stepped forward and swung his arm, slapping the victim twice.

He whispered, "You bastard, what are you doing?"

The tearful girl hid behind them, her head bowed as she sobbed, her thin body shivering in the cold wind.

The girl's face was deathly pale from fright, her lips turning blue; she looked utterly pitiful. Seeing this, the guard's rage intensified, and he kicked the madman, sending him sprawling to the ground. As the madman fell in pain, his manhood, three inches below his navel, remained erect and clearly defined.

This is practically irrefutable proof.

The commotion alerted the caravan owner.

Candlelight was lit in the carriage.

The man got up and put on his coat: "What happened outside?"

The fifth-rank doctor standing guard outside the carriage looked grim.

He leaned closer and explained the situation in a low voice.

Judging from the situation, it seems some scoundrel in the convoy had malicious intentions and wanted to take advantage of the refugee girl. When she resisted, he forced himself on her, causing the commotion. Abductions of women are not uncommon, but it's rare for them to happen right under a man's nose.

The man's face darkened upon hearing this.

He got off the carriage to check the situation.

When he arrived, the situation was already under control.

The old man and the bewildered, mentally challenged boy surrounded the girl, the former holding a half-burnt piece of wood, attempting to strike the madman. Sparks flew from the wood with each swing of his hand, as he shouted for an explanation.

The culprit has been apprehended.

The man strode in, and the noisy scene immediately quieted down.

He asked for the reason in a few words, then looked indifferent.

He said, "You know what to do, right?"

The guard said with difficulty, "I know."

He was furious that the bastard was out of his mind.

He's been a tyrant and disregards human life all day, and as long as no one investigates and the higher-ups don't know, everything's fine. Now that he's been transferred to escort the He family head, he dares to abandon his post. The mission has only been going on for a few days; he should at least hold back his anger...

Now look what's happened, he's dead, isn't he?

The madman was instantly sobered up by the fright and screamed for mercy.

He didn't know what happened either.

Seeing that woman made him feel hot and uncomfortable, but holding it in was unbearable. He knew it was inappropriate, but then he thought, she's just a refugee; even if something happens to her, no one will support her. Fleeing is a life-or-death situation; she might as well stay with him.

This woman was being coy and hesitant, playing hard to get.

Isn't it because she's interested in me?

The guard knew something was wrong when he heard him begging for mercy.

If you obediently confess and offer a few excuses, you might escape with your life if it's your first offense. But by shouting and refusing to confess, you'll only die faster.

As expected—

The fifth-rank doctor stepped forward and struck the other man on the head.

Brain matter and blood were scattered everywhere, and the skull was hardened and dented.

The man said, "Take it away and deal with it."

Having resolved the issue decisively, he then turned his gaze to the young woman: "It was due to my lax discipline that the young lady was frightened."

The petite girl slowly stopped sobbing, but glistening tears still welled in her eyes. The moonlight reflected in them, making her look even more innocent, pitiful, and adorable. She met the man's gaze, then quickly looked away, appearing to be enduring humiliation without daring to utter a sound.

He said in a muffled voice, "Thank you, my benefactor."

The mentally challenged younger brother who switched to the scholarly path of Gu Chi: [...]

Qi Zhongshu was cursing inwardly so venomously that it almost drowned out the clamor of twenty or thirty other thoughts, making his brain feel like it was about to explode.

However, that's not the most exciting part.

The most remarkable part was when the girl wiped away the dirt from her face with her tears, revealing a fairly pretty face. Although her skin was still sallow and her cheeks were still thin, she had a different charm after being clean. The guards who had been in contact with the three refugees didn't notice anything amiss, but the old man and the mentally challenged younger brother noticed that the girl's face had undergone subtle adjustments compared to when she first appeared.

Her eyes were a little narrower, her nose a little higher, and she had two inconspicuous little moles under her eyelids and at the root of her nose...

The changes are minor, but the combination evokes a different feeling.

The man was taken aback for a moment when he saw the girl's face clearly. The girl bit her lip and stepped forward, boldly hoping that the man would take her family in.

"...If only... *sobs*..." Tears streamed down her face like broken pearls, as if she were thinking of something. "Please, be kind and buy our family of three. Just give us a bite to eat, and we'll do any job..."

The man frowned, hesitant.

But in the end, they still took in these three refugees.

The old man and his intellectually disabled younger brother: [...]

The three moved from a location far from the convoy to inside the convoy.

The winter clothes brought by the guards were noticeably thicker and newer.

The girl wiped away her tears, still looking timid.

Old man: [...]

He has reason to suspect that Qi Shan has been a jerk to someone in the past.

Otherwise, why would the other party agree to take in the three people after seeing their slightly altered face? Even if the three people's experiences closely resembled those of refugees, they were still strangers. How could a scholar not be wary? The problem must lie in their face.

The girl secretly curled her lip.

[It is He Shu, He Buzuo.] Back when he was transferred to Longwu County, he wrote several letters inviting He Shu. Even Liao Jia, before coming to Longwu County, met this fellow and refused to come, using the fact that his lord's lifespan was short as an excuse. How did he end up involved with the Gao Kingdom now?

Tsk, pretentious as always.

The convoy didn't have any clothes that fit the three men properly, so they had to make do with whatever was available. The next day, the convoy traveled for most of the day before finally spotting a line of flags stretching across the horizon—the Gao Kingdom's camp!

He Shu's status in the Gao state seems to be different.

The convoy passed through a routine check.

Not long after entering the camp, the mentally challenged younger brother appeared even more dull and foolish, walking slowly and awkwardly with his arms and legs moving in unison. If it weren't for the old man and the young girl helping him, he probably would have stayed in one place and refused to move at all. Seeing this, the two girls knew what the mentally challenged younger brother was doing.

A new goal has emerged within his literati path.

The three were positioned near the men's tent.

The fifth-rank doctor who brought them repeatedly warned them not to wander around, as this was a heavily guarded military camp. If they were discovered wandering around, they would be killed on the spot, and their deaths would be in vain.

The two nodded vigorously.

The intellectually disabled younger brother didn't even realize what was happening.

A full quarter of an hour later, the mentally challenged younger brother suddenly turned ashen-faced, coughed up a mouthful of blood without warning, and fainted. This was not a pre-arranged event, and the young girl and the old man couldn't sit still. They had intended to keep it a secret, hoping that a highly skilled doctor might be able to see through the disguise.

Unfortunately, this is enemy territory.

He Shu's men happened to come and deliver something.

The young girl gritted her teeth and acted out the reaction a loving older sister should have: "Please, my benefactor, find a doctor to examine my brother."

While the girl's actions certainly had an element of acting, there was also genuine concern—Luan Xin's appearance clearly indicated a backlash, and it was unclear what kind of scholarly way could have harmed him so much. "He's about to die."

He Shu had some medical knowledge.

He immediately agreed to go and take a look.

Girl: [...]

When did He Shu learn medicine?

The intellectually disabled younger brother had his eyes tightly closed and was breathing weakly.

He Shu took the pulse for a long time, his brow furrowed with worry.

The girl, weeping, tried to salvage the situation: "...My brother used to be healthy, but one year bandits came to the town and robbed the wealthy. Those bandits' hands would glow... Since then, my brother has been mentally impaired and vomits blood frequently."

She asked timidly, "My benefactor, is there any hope for my brother?"

He Shu looked at her face: "It's not a big problem."

ヾ(ゞ)

Yuanliang: Who said there are only enemies?