A hint of mockery flashed in Ling Mo's eyes. "The martial arts world and the imperial court have always kept to themselves. Even if someone seeks revenge or commits violence, they usually only target people in the martial arts world. Very few people dare to be so unrestrained in the sphere of influence of the imperial court, burning, killing, and looting."
"Such behavior is despicable even in the martial arts world. Moreover, even the most vicious criminals, unless they are extremely stupid, would fear death. How could they dare to repeatedly commit crimes in a heavily guarded city?"
Gong Tao was deeply moved by these words and blurted out, "What you say is true, chivalrous one. Although we who travel the martial world have had our reputations tarnished by a few scoundrels, the vast majority of us, such as you, chivalrous one, or myself, are upright and honest. How can we be caught up in fighting day after day?"
A look of surprise flashed in Jiang Huaiyu's eyes, and he asked in confusion, "Then, these thieves aren't real members of the martial arts world?"
Gong Tao nodded in agreement, "That's true."
"So who exactly are they?"
These thieves must be colluding with the government. If they are not江湖人士 (jianghu figures), could they actually be the government's henchmen?
The thought chilled her to the bone, and Jiang Huaiyu trembled involuntarily. Her face was filled with disbelief, and it took her a while to gradually calm down. She murmured to herself, "Why did the prefect suffer such misfortune? What are the officials of Wusu trying to hide by pretending to be thieves and committing crimes..."
The more she thought about it, the more confused she became, and the more frightened she felt.
All these mysteries seem to lie with Gong Tao, who is standing right in front of us.
Jiang Huaiyu stared intently at him with her cold gaze and questioned, "What exactly did you do to make them go to such lengths to set up such a complicated conspiracy just to capture you?"
The whole incident is complicated. The government spared no expense in spending so much manpower and resources just to deal with Gong Tao. Even if he is indeed kind, Jiang Huaiyu does not believe that he is completely innocent. There must be a deeper secret hidden in this.
Despite her sharp scrutiny, Gong Tao showed no fear.
"Madam, if I may be so bold as to ask, since you are from the capital, do you have any connections with the Marquis's family? If I reveal the truth, would you be willing to lend me a hand and help me seek justice?"
Jiang Huaiyu pondered for a long time, and finally shook his head helplessly.
"Even though I have some influence in the officialdom of the capital, the current situation is quite perilous, and I'm afraid I can't lend you a hand."
Upon hearing this, Gong Tao's eyes dimmed considerably.
Jiang Huaiyu continued, "However, although I am a woman, I remember kindness and will repay kindness in kind. If you are indeed innocent, although I cannot seek justice for you, I will do my best to protect you and prevent you from falling into the hands of the government. But if you are indeed of bad character, I will not protect you with any selfish intentions. Although I will not hand you over to the government, I will not tolerate you by my side."
Gong Tao's abdominal wound was still slowly oozing blood, and the long conversation made his face grow increasingly pale.
His gaze swept across Jiang Huaiyu and Ling Mo's faces, as if he had given it much thought. Finally, he made up his mind, nodded, and said sincerely, "Madam, young hero, you two are both upright. I, Gong Tao, am willing to believe you this once. I will tell you the truth without reservation."
"It's true that these changes that happened in Wusu were caused by me..."
Upon hearing his cough, Jiang Huaiyu immediately raised a candle to carefully examine his wound.
Gong Tao's lower body was completely soaked in blood, but because he was wearing dark clothes, it had gone unnoticed. His face, hidden beneath a thick beard, was so pale it was almost bloodless.
Her heart tightened, and she asked urgently, "Your injuries are so serious, why have you been keeping quiet about them?"
Gong Tao forced a smile and replied, "We are seasoned warriors, we've been through countless battles, what are a few injuries to us?"
He tried to appear relaxed, but his trembling voice betrayed his true state.
Jiang Huaiyu frowned and said seriously, "What you are about to say cannot be summarized in a few words. Before that, I cannot let you suffer any mishap. Let's take care of your injuries first."
Although there are readily available doctors outside, Gong Tao must not let outsiders know what he is hiding.
Jiang Huaiyu turned to Ling Mo and said earnestly, "Young Master Ling, it seems I have no choice but to trouble you to take action yourself."
After a careful examination, Ling Mo confirmed that Gong Tao was indeed seriously injured and no longer posed any threat to Jiang Huaiyu. He then gently shook his head and said in a mild tone, "It's alright, I'll be back in a moment."
Stepping out of the house, he asked the doctor for extra medicine, claiming that he was injured.
When the doctor saw the bloodstains on his clothes, which indeed indicated that he was injured, and since he had finished his work, he offered to apply medicine to him, but Ling Mo politely declined.
"No need to trouble yourself. I'm not used to letting strangers touch me, and besides, it's just a minor injury. I can take care of it myself."
The doctor observed his extraordinary temperament and realized that most people from the martial arts world had unique personalities, so he said no more and handed the medicine to him.
He thought to himself, "Since I don't have to do it myself, it's quite an easy job."
He slung his medicine kit over his shoulder and said kindly, "I have taken good care of the injured. They just need to take the medicine I prescribed. I will come back tomorrow evening to change their medications. I will take my leave now."
After saying this, the doctor turned and left.
Ling Mo, carrying the medicine, went to another room. He had prepared clean water and gauze beforehand, and then gestured to Li Kui to move Gong Tao there. After all, the main room was Jiang Huaiyu's residence, and it was somewhat inappropriate to have a person of the opposite sex change medicine there.
Under Ling Mo's careful care, Gong Tao's complexion improved slightly.
As dawn broke, the night had quietly passed. Ling Mo, worried that Jiang Huaiyu, being pregnant, might not be able to withstand excessive exertion, advised her to rest, allowing Gong Tao to recuperate as well. With him by her side, no accidents were likely to occur.
The next morning.
Despite staying up late for quite a while, Jiang Huaiyu only slept for two hours before waking up.
Last night's attack left everyone injured to varying degrees, but when she woke up this morning, she felt fine and had no discomfort, so she decided to cook a delicious meal for everyone.
Jiang Huaiyu was rather rusty with cooking skills, but making porridge was no problem for her. All she had to do was add rice to water, light a roaring fire, and wait for the water to boil.
Although she was confident, when she actually tried to do it herself, she ran into trouble just by starting the fire.
As soon as Ling Mo stepped out of the house, he caught sight of her, her belly protruding, bustling about in the kitchen. Thick smoke filled the stove, but no bright flame was visible. Her face was covered in soot, and she looked bewildered and helpless.
Ling Mo was slightly taken aback, then strode into the kitchen and asked with concern, "Master Jiang, why are you personally handling all this? Where is Yingxiang?"
(End of this chapter)
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