Chapter 127 Anger
Beneath the city wall—
Sister-in-law Hu anxiously waited at the foot of the city wall with Qi An'an, who was still sobbing. The soldiers next to them recognized the young master of the Qi family. Seeing the young master's dusty appearance and the big footprint on his chest, they hurriedly went up the city wall and happened to run into a few people coming down.
The soldier bowed and looked at Lin Changning and Qi Rong with some anxiety: "Commander Qi, Commander Lin, Young Master Qi and a woman have come to see you."
Qi Rong nodded to indicate that he understood, and led the others down the city wall. Lin Changning walked quickly and had only gone halfway down when he saw Sister Hu and the sobbing Qi An'an. Both of them were covered in dust, and Qi An'an's tears were flowing uncontrollably. Upon closer inspection, there were even bloodstains on their bodies.
Lin Changning's heart tightened and she quickly stepped forward: "An'an? Sister-in-law? What happened to you? Are you injured?"
Lin Changning pulled Qi An'an over and looked her up and down: "Where are you injured? Who did this?"
Aunt Hu grabbed Lin Changning's sleeve: "Changping, your door lock was broken by thieves, Dahuang was stabbed and taken away by two people, and An'an was even kicked."
Lin Changning's head buzzed, and his eyes widened: "My home?"
Qi Rong also heard what Sister-in-law Hu said, his face darkened and he grabbed Qi An'an: "Are you injured?"
Qi An'an choked back tears and shook her head: "Big, big brother, please save Da Huang, please save Da Huang."
Lin Changning let out a breath to catch his breath: "Who caught it? Where is Dahuang now?"
Aunt Hu clutched her stomach, her face pale: "The person who came said he was a personal guard of Lord Zhang, Changping. Isn't this very troublesome?"
Lin Changning ignored her and stared at Hu's hands: "Sister-in-law, did they attack you and An'an?"
Sister-in-law Hu hesitated for a moment and then nodded: "It's alright, Changping. Is this serious?"
Lin Changning waved to a foot soldier on guard: "Take my sister-in-law home."
After saying that, he snatched the horse from the soldier's hand and galloped towards the garrison with red eyes. Zhang Bo, very good, you are very good!
Qi Rong was certain his younger brother was alright. He turned around and saw the direction Lin Changning had ridden his horse, and his heart skipped a beat.
Old Zhou noticed Lin Changning's strange expression and shouted to Old Ma and Old Zhang, "Oh no! Quick, quick, get on your horses and catch up with him!! Don't let him do something rash!"
Qi Rong pushed his younger brother into Sister-in-law Hu's arms: "Please take care of An'an for a while, Sister-in-law."
After saying that, he and Lao Ma mounted their horses and chased after the place where Lin Changning had left.
Lin Changning arrived at the garrison gate in just over ten minutes. He leaped off his horse, his handsome face expressionless. He glanced at the soldiers on duty at the gate and asked, "Has anyone brought my dog in?"
The two soldiers on duty exchanged a glance, hesitated, and nodded: "Reporting to the commander, the commander's personal guards caught a yellow dog about two hours ago. Judging from the direction it was heading, it should have gone to the stove."
Lin Changning tightened his grip on the knife: "Hmm."
After saying that, he hurriedly went to the stove where the fire was burning, and several people chased after him as soon as he left.
Qi Rong, being fast, dismounted first and asked the soldiers, "Where is Commander Lin?"
The soldier bowed and said, "Reporting to Commander Lin, Commander Lin asked the commander's personal guards and they rushed to the stove."
Another soldier nodded: "He doesn't look well, and seems quite anxious."
As they were talking, Lao Ma and the others caught up. The group hurriedly dismounted and followed Qi Rong to the stove. When they reached the door, they saw Lin Changning hesitating at the door, clutching his knife tightly. Lao Ma suddenly rushed over and said, "Changping, calm down, calm down, don't be impulsive."
Old Zhang, panting, also held onto Lin Changning's arm and said, "Yes, yes, calm down. It's alright as long as the person is okay. It's just a dog. I'll find you another one. Don't be angry."
Lin Changning closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The aroma of meat wafted from the stove, and there was a blood-stained fur at the door. Lin Changning pushed the two people's hands away: "I'm fine, let go, I'll go in and take a look."
Old Zhang and the others dared not let go, but Lin Changning forcefully pried their arms open. The person inside seemed to have heard the noise outside. With a piece of meat in his mouth, he lifted the curtain and was stunned when he saw Lin Changning outside the door. Then he looked at the four commanders standing at the door and smiled: "Oh, you commanders of the guards must have come here because of the aroma. Come, come, come in and try the hot pot. The dog meat is very fragrant!"
Lin Changning's eyes were bloodshot: "A dog, where did it come from?"
The guard, with meat in his mouth, glanced sideways at Lin Changning: "You caught him on the road, so what?"
Old Ma held Lin Changning's lean waist and kept muttering, "Don't be impulsive, kid, don't be impulsive."
Qi Rong glanced at Lao Zhou: "This matter is probably going to be difficult to resolve peacefully. Go find someone and detain both of them for now."
Old Zhou nodded and ran outside. Lin Changning gripped the hilt of his knife, seemingly talking to himself: "Before Old Liu died, he only left me two things. One was five copper coins, which I wear around my neck. The other was Dahuang. I raised Dahuang myself, from a fluffy little ball of fur into a majestic hunting dog. It can catch rabbits and fight off wolf packs. It usually stays at home to guard the house. When Shilang and I go out, we always lock the door. Dahuang would never wander out. You said you caught it on the street? Is that right?"
The guard scoffed and spat the dog bone on the ground: "So what if I caught it? Are you going to kill me for a dog? I am Lord Zhang's personal guard, not one of your guards. You have no right to punish me."
Another person seemed to be trying to brush it off: "Oh, it's just a dog, it's dead, it's dead. It's cold, why don't you all come in and have something hot? We've been short on food lately, and our mouths are practically tasteless."
Lin Changning struggled frantically: "Who gave you permission to touch my Big Yellow! How dare you!!"
Old Zhang clung tightly to Lin Changning's leg: "Changping, don't be so hasty. Let's calm down and talk about this later."
Lin Changning frantically broke free from the two men, and Old Ma shouted, "Young Master, don't just stand by and watch, come and help! Changping is harder to hold down than a pig slaughtered for the New Year, I can't hold him back."
Lin Changning kicked Old Ma aside and sent Old Zhang flying. He drew his sword and slashed at the guard. The shifty-eyed guard was startled: "You've gone too far! You've gone too far! I'm Lord Zhang's personal guard. How dare you lay a hand on me?"
Qi Rong drew his sword and intercepted Lin Changning's blade: "Changping, calm down."
The two exchanged four or five blows. Lin Changning, his eyes red, slashed Qi Rong's sword away and said coldly, "Young Master, Dahuang is not just a dog, but my family. He is the hope that Old Liu left me. If An'an were in this situation today, could you remain calm? You only feel the pain when the knife is stuck in your own body, like Old Ma, or like me."
Lin Changning touched the five copper coins on his chest, his voice a little hoarse: "I couldn't even keep the last bit of hope that Old Liu left me. I'm useless."
Qi Rong's pupils contracted. Looking at Lin Changning, whose figure was still thin but whose eyes were ruthless, he pursed his lips and said nothing more, whispering, "I'm sorry, Xiao Liu."
After saying that, he looked at the two guards with the eyes of someone looking at a dead man, and moved away from them in their terrified gazes: "Go, your second brother will cover for you."
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