Chapter 85

Seeing this, Zhou Yan quietly waved to Chen Wu to put away his purse, took a sip of water, and quietly observed everything before him.

The old woman was initially unwilling to accept it, and the two of them pushed it back and forth. Finally, Sano said, "How about this, you won't take it for nothing. We are going to visit relatives in Sak, but we heard that there was a frost disaster there, and now many people have come to our area. We want to know if there is any disaster relief facility here that our imperial court has set up. If you know, we'd like to stay here with you for one day and you can take us there tomorrow, would that be alright?"

"What's this!" The old woman waved her hand. "You've come to the right person. My son has been helping a wealthy businessman with charity lately. He knows best where the disaster victims are gathered. I'll take you to him first thing tomorrow morning."

Sano looked excitedly in their direction, his expression seemingly telling them that he had succeeded. Zhou Yanqing also nodded slightly in approval.

"This kid certainly has the potential to be a king," he whispered to the person beside him.

Si Yanmo became arrogant, "That's right, I've never lost a game."

"So, do you think you can accurately predict what will happen to me?"

She knew he was referring to that matter.

"I'm not that competitive, so losing once isn't a big deal."

She spoke calmly, as if she were just chatting with Zhou Yanqing, but it made him look up instantly.

His image was faintly reflected in the woman's dark eyes, as was the surprise in his eyes.

"What did you say?"

He asked the question knowing the answer already, wanting to hear her say it again.

“I said, I don’t think you’ll die.”

"Do you think I won't die, or do you hope I won't die?" He pressed for details, wanting to know how much he occupied in Si Yanmo's heart.

Just as he was about to hear the answer, the old woman's husband returned, and there was another unusually warm greeting.

When things finally quieted down, he was about to ask again when he found Si Yanmo and Sano outside.

As they were leaving, Sachi told them that the expelled Sak people weren't unwilling to resist. He had discovered some young and strong refugees among the refugees on his previous trip to Qin, and they wanted to organize themselves, but now even basic necessities were a problem, let alone the will to resist.

But if Sano can solve this problem, he might be able to use the refugees to form a resistance army.

The more life or death is at stake, the more people will want to take a gamble.

This has always been the case.

Sano had never considered these things. Even seizing power directly would be difficult, let alone the fact that his parents were still in the hands of that damned King Sak Wu Zhao. If he found out, seizing the throne would be even more difficult.

Si Yanmo could only comfort him, "Now we have the right time, the right place, and the right people, so you don't need to worry."

At this moment, Zhou Yanqing walked over and looked directly at Sano. This child had grown up quickly and was now not much shorter than him; he was already an adult.

Then he wouldn't treat him the way he treats children.

"Sano, I'm asking you, what were you thinking when you saw Sachi and the others that day?"

Sano lowered his head, thought for a few seconds, then raised it again. "I want to help them, even if it's just one person."

"So what were you thinking when you realized what Wu Zhao was doing?"

This time, he didn't hesitate; his eyes were icy cold. "Kill him!"

"Should we kill him no matter what happens?"

"Yes." Sano replied without hesitation.

“Then you are already a qualified commander.” Zhou Yanqing was very satisfied with his answer and leaned down slightly to look him in the eye. “Anyone would want to resist when something like this happens, but a commander needs to be firm. Even if everyone else has to give up, you cannot give up.”

“Remember,” he said, putting his hand on Sano’s shoulder, “the most terrifying thing on the battlefield is not defeat, nor death, but giving up. You just need to charge forward, and leave the rest to the people behind you.”

Sano still didn't quite understand. "But will they really listen to me?"

"Believe in yourself, and believe in your comrades. This is the unchanging law of the battlefield." Zhou Yanqing had stepped onto the battlefield countless times, rising from soldier to general. He had experienced it all and knew what everyone was thinking.

"If you want me to follow you, besides a reason and unchanging interests, what's more important for an ordinary soldier is to make him believe that you will never abandon him and that you will never give up what you're doing."

Sano nodded, seemingly confused. He appeared to understand, but a sense of bewilderment lingered in his mind.

Zhou Yanqing knew that he would only fully understand all of this when he actually stepped into the cruel battlefield.

Si Yanmo is different. She has never been to the battlefield, doesn't know how to deploy troops, and doesn't know how to say those inspiring words, but she has family and friends.

She knew what she most wanted to hear when she was feeling lost.

She told Sano, "You still have us."

The woman's words were like warm sunshine, making even the winter snow feel warmer. "No matter what happens, your brother Yanqing and I will stand behind you. We believe in you, and your parents will believe in you too."

Sano's eyes immediately reddened. When he was a child, his parents hoped that he could restore the family's glory, so they were extremely strict with him.

He almost never hears praise. Hmm.

He was well aware that in the Uk tribe, where Sak held power, he had no backing, and the entire Sawa tribe had no backing either.

He never imagined that an accident would lead him to a foreign land, where he would not only meet kind people but also a new family.

They are willing to be their own supporters.

Just like now, Si Yanmo would say, "Go do it. No matter what happens, no matter the outcome, we'll be here."

Zhou Yanqing noticed his tears and wanted to pat his head to comfort him, but then she remembered that he was no longer a child. She paused and patted his shoulder instead.

"We don't know what will happen until things are settled, but aren't we all here? There's nothing that can't be solved."

The support from the two was the best medicine for Sano, and the unease in the boy's heart dissipated somewhat.

He looked up at the high mountains to the north, and a long wolf howl echoed through the air, his eyes flashing with a wolf-like ferocity.

He thought, there's nothing that can't be done.

With this in mind, the group stayed overnight at the old lady's house and the next day followed her bus to town.

This stretch of road was in the countryside, and covered in snow, making the carriage shake violently, which made Si Yanmo feel nauseous.

She hadn't slept well last night.

The old lady's house only had two rooms, both with earthen beds.

Upon hearing that Si Yanmo and Zhou Yanqing were a couple, she warmly ushered them into the sunny room, saying that it was where her son and daughter-in-law would stay when they came back, and that she had kept it very clean.

Si Yanmo couldn't very well refuse.

The two had slept together before; during the days she was "imprisoned" by Zhou Yanqing, they were together every day. Sometimes, when she needed to counteract the effects of the drug Ye Shengge, they did things that were ten times more intimate than this.

But it was so cold here that even with the kang (heated brick bed) heated, we were still shivering under the covers.

She could only find solace in Zhou Yanqing.

Whether it was because the two were close together or because of the fire resistance, Ye Shenge secretly started causing trouble again, making her wish she could bury herself in the snow to calm herself down.

She tried to push Zhou Yanqing away, but he hugged her even tighter, saying that she would get sick if she got cold.

She had no choice but to tell the truth. Anyway, this wasn't the first time Ye Shenge had had an attack, and the two of them were already quite adept at dealing with this thing.

Zhou Yanqing reacted quickly, but her eyes were fixed on the wall behind her.

The old lady's house wasn't big; their house was separated from the old lady's house by only one wall. Although no one could see them, the noise they made while they were doing their business would be quite embarrassing.

"Are you feeling very uncomfortable?" Zhou Yanqing asked her in a low voice, as she herself was not completely without any feelings.

She nodded.

If the two were a little further apart, it would be better, but unfortunately, they were blocked by the cold outside. The closer they got, the more obvious the impulse became.

Si Yanmo secretly blamed Sano: Why did he have to stay here overnight? Couldn't he have come back to find the old lady tomorrow?

Now, she's in a room with Zhou Yanqing, with the poison and the antidote right beside her, but unfortunately, she just can't bring herself to take it.

If this continues, she's really going to go crazy.

The two looked at each other for a long time, unable to sleep or find a solution. They could only risk catching a cold the next day and each had their own blanket.

Even so, Ye Shengge still didn't let them go.

After we separated, it felt like ants were gnawing at my body, even more uncomfortable than before.

Si Yanmo's eyes turned red from the torment, and tears soon streamed down her face.

When Zhou Yanqing heard the sobbing and turned around, he saw his princess biting her lower lip pitifully, tears streaming down her face. Upon closer inspection, he saw that blood had already formed on her bright red lips.

He panicked and pulled the person into his arms. "Are you in so much pain?"

Si Yanmo didn't want this to happen, but her body was itchy and painful.

She was most afraid of pain; even the slightest bit was enough to break her, let alone the torment of being covered in so many tiny, dense pains all over her body.

Zhou Yanqing was heartbroken. He knew better than anyone that Si Yanmo would never easily show such vulnerability; it always seemed to be because of Ye Shenge.

He's more tolerant of pain and can endure it, but his queen might not be so lucky.

"Okay, okay, stop crying." He tenderly wiped away her tears with his hand and told her to relax her teeth.

When I saw a small trickle of blood appear on her lips, my heart ached even more, and of course, I felt a surge of pain all over my body.

He couldn't bear to "hurt" those delicate lips any further; he simply held the back of her head and pulled her into his arms.

"Just bear with it, don't make a sound, okay?"

The fluffy little head in his arms nodded up and down before he made any move.

"Okay, it's alright, it's alright."

The heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) had cooled down by the time no one was burning it late at night, yet the two of them were still covered in sweat.

Finally, Si Yanmo curled up in his arms and trembled, but some sounds still escaped from her lips.

He gently kissed the person in his arms' forehead a few times, softly comforting them, "It's alright, it's alright."

"I just..." he finally managed to say.

Zhou Yanqing knew she was shy, so she comforted her, "It's okay, it's late. They're all fast asleep, they can't hear you."

"real?"