Qi Chenglang and the others refused to admit defeat. Even though their arms were so numb they could barely lift them, they still held onto their pride.

I want to go back to the northern desert, I want to return to the young prince's side!

The young prince is already blind. If he finds out they are gone, I don't know how heartbroken he will be!

You must live!

Driven by this belief, they killed one enemy after another, but more and more people around them also fell.

Qi Chenglang was exhausted. His longsword hung heavily on the ground, and the blood on the blade flowed down the tip as quickly as it would into the ground. He seemed to see the little prince smiling at him, tilting his head and sweetly calling him Guard Qi.

The next moment, countless shouts of battle rang out from the front of the official road, and Qi Chenglang turned around stiffly to look.

It was the prefect of Dingzhou who led his men to the rescue!

Thanks to the increasingly reckless and undisguised raids and killings by the King of Chu, the various prefectures and states of the northern desert have also become aware of the crisis facing the northern merchant guild.

The prefects of Changzhou, Dingzhou, and Qizhou gathered all the forces of their respective prefectures and set off from Dingzhou, determined to protect the members of the Mobei Merchants' Guild and ensure their safe return.

And now, they have finally arrived!

Outside the northern border, the sounds of killing rose everywhere, while at Xinliang Gu Yuzhi's temporary outpost, he was happily drinking the soup made by Granny Xu, his toes curling up in bliss.

After finishing the last sip, Gu Yuzhi skillfully turned the bowl to the side, then let out a soft "ah" of satisfaction, a big smile spreading across his face: "The soup made by Granny Xu is still the best."

As he spoke, he rubbed his slightly round belly, stood up, and walked around the room with practiced ease.

Teacher Shu said that he shouldn't eat too much at night, otherwise he will have indigestion, which will make it difficult for him to sleep and will also affect his development!

He's determined to be even taller than Guard Qi, so he absolutely mustn't have indigestion.

But because Xu Mama's cooking was so delicious, he would always think, "I'll just have one more bite, and then I'll have another bite after that."

Gu Yuzhi pinched his own cheek with a touch of melancholy, feeling its softness, before covering his mouth and secretly laughing.

In the period immediately after he woke up, he always heard Granny Xu crying, saying that he had become skin and bones.

Gu Yuzhi was immediately stunned. How ugly would someone who was just skin and bones look? He didn't want to look that ugly!

So, apart from resting, Gu Yuzhi spent all his time eating and trying to regain the weight he had lost before resuming his daily exercise routine.

The wooden board that was used to stabilize his chest has been removed. Judge Qin said that as long as he doesn't engage in any strenuous activity, he will be completely healed in two months.

Gu Yuzhi was good at comforting himself, saying that apart from not being able to see, things weren't much different from before.

After digesting his food, Gu Yuzhi obediently washed up and went to bed to rest. In his drowsy state, he seemed to hear the voice of Guard Qi. He mumbled a few words and was about to continue sleeping when he heard Teacher Shu's suppressed and angry voice.

"Wen Xiuzhu! Are you even human?"

Gu Yuzhi's eyes flickered slightly, and he pursed his lips. He felt a drowsy, hazy feeling that he wanted to wake up, but his body was limp and he couldn't muster any strength. He could only listen quietly.

Wen Xiuzhu swished open his folding fan, his chubby face no longer displaying its usual gentleness, but instead showing impatience and irritability.

His already small eyes were now narrowed to slits, and his eyes were full of sharp glint.

He remained silent, which only fueled Shu Xiaohan's anger. Her hand trembled as she pointed at him, her face contorted with the fury of betrayal. After a long while, she repeated, "Wen Xiuzhu, I'm asking you, are you even human?"

This time, Wen Xiuzhu broke his silence. He quickly closed his fan and whispered angrily, "I'm no longer human!"

He is now a system, and the main system is right; as systems, they shouldn't have emotions.

He said angrily, "There are thousands of hosts, are we supposed to place so much emotion on just one host?"

"Of course that's not what I meant!" Shu Xiaohan waved her hand and said, "But the young prince can't see right now..."

"It's because he can't see!" Wen Xiuzhu's voice was suppressed and angry. "It's been so long since we came back, and the young prince is still blind. Who knows if he'll ever be able to see again!"

Gu Yuzhi rolled his eyes. He wanted to say that Judge Qin had already said that he could see once the blood clot in his brain had cleared up, but it would be a little later.

He opened and closed his mouth several times, but no sound came out. The quilt on his body seemed very heavy, making it hard for him to breathe.

He struggled, but couldn't break free. He could only puff out his cheeks and grunt twice, then continue listening to them talk.

Wen Xiuzhu continued, "Have you forgotten what Imperial Physician Qin said? The mind is the most complex thing. We still don't know whether His Highness's eye injury is caused by blood stasis!"

A look of struggle immediately appeared on Gu Yuzhi's face.

Why not?

Judge Qin has said it several times: it's caused by blood stasis!

Why is Manager Wen saying all this now?

Why did Teacher Shu argue with him?

It was only then that Gu Yuzhi realized something was wrong; it seemed as if Manager Wen was criticizing him.

He was naturally particularly sensitive to such tone and such ambiguous words, which he had heard many times when his father was still alive.

Gu Yuzhi's small hands unconsciously gripped the quilt tightly. He wanted to ask if Manager Wen disliked him because he was blind.

At this moment, Wen Xiuzhu's excited expression gradually calmed down: "We all guessed that the real reason why the young prince was forced to be exiled to the northern desert was actually to help the emperor seize territory there. Do you think that the emperor, knowing that the young prince has gone blind, will still give him an important position?"

These words not only silenced Shu Xiaohan, but even Gu Yuzhi abruptly released his grip on the quilt.

From the very beginning, when he learned that he was blind, he was worried that he was useless and that his elder brother would abandon him.

But whether it was Chief Secretary Xie or Marshal Huo, each of them gave him enough confidence and showed him through their actions that his elder brother would not abandon him.

Most importantly, Judge Qin kept assuring him that his eyes would get better!

Gu Yuzhi wanted to explain, but he couldn't utter a word. He felt an unusual quietness in his mind, a quietness that carried an unsettling feeling.

He nervously moved his fingers, and then heard Teacher Shu continue, "So what if he's not valued? The young prince is no longer the same person he was when we first met."

"Look at Xinliang's development, think about the ever-growing Wen's Trading Company," Shu Xiaohan said, her voice tinged with despair. "Are you really willing to give up like this?"