However, before dawn, an unexpected situation occurred in Fenggusha City. After receiving the news, Gongchenya made a decisive decision and ordered everyone to prepare the Yanying caravan and get ready to set off.
The night was dark and the air was damp and cold.
A dozen or so people climbed onto Yan Ying, while the remaining dozens sat on the supply wagons carrying weapons. The braziers standing in the camp roared and leaped high, but they could not dispel the lingering chill.
Zheng Quchi was startled awake. She looked up, heard the noise on the ground, and crouched down to crawl out of her cave.
As soon as they emerged, the flames were blinding, and the entire cave dwelling came to a boil, with many people bustling about in a chaotic frenzy.
Xiao Meng's teeth chattered from the cold. In the gap between the crowd, she suddenly saw Zheng Quchi emerge. She wiped her nose and quickly ran up to her, saying, "Sister Chi."
She called out.
As Zheng Quchi emerged from her warm bed, the early morning chill instantly dispelled her drowsiness, causing her to shiver and turn pale with cold.
She looked over and, amidst the noise, raised her voice: "Xiao Meng, what's going on? What are you all doing?"
Xiao Meng sniffed. She was dressed in thin clothes and could only stomp her feet to warm herself up from the cold. "Sister Ruler, we have to leave. I heard that negotiations have started ahead of schedule in Shacheng. Sima has already led people to demand to see that living Yama of Ye Kingdom."
Zheng Quchi paused slightly, then grabbed her arm: "Why are you in such a hurry? Can't we wait until dawn?"
"How would I know? Anyway, Brother Ya said we have to catch up with Sima's troops as soon as possible, and no matter what the outcome is, we have to seize the opportunity to rescue them."
Zheng Quchi frowned and slowly released Xiao Meng.
"Sister Ruler, it's too cold outside. You should go inside. We...we have to go."
Since Zheng Quchi wasn't one of their scavengers, he naturally didn't need to go with them into danger. After Xiao Meng finished speaking, he ran over to help.
Zheng Quchi's gaze was fixed on a point in the void. She stood quietly in place, lost in thought, until a warm, large hand pulled her hand over.
"Is he crazy? He's been standing outside in this cold weather, his hands are numb from the cold."
Gongchen Cliff looked displeased. Without saying a word, he pulled her into the cave, made her sit on the mud pit, and then bent down to light a pine oil lamp in the niche.
Suddenly, a faint light appeared in the dark cave, and their shadows overlapped on the walls.
"Why did you come out? Are you scared being here all alone?" Gongchenya asked her.
Zheng Quchi wasn't afraid, but she was feeling depressed and heavy-hearted, as if she were drowning.
"Are you leaving?"
Gongchen Ya noticed her solemn expression and wondered if she was worried about them or had something else on her mind.
“Yes, this time we might be able to rescue someone and come back, or we might not be able to. Here, here’s a jar of medicine for external wounds for you. I also brought back the food you collected. Keep it for yourself.”
Zheng Quchi watched as he slid a bulging cloth bag off his shoulder. This was some food she had managed to find at the camp's kitchen. Feeling bad about eating and staying there for free, she gave it to Xiao Meng as payment for her lodging.
Knowing his good intentions, especially in this urgent situation, the fact that he remembered to make arrangements for her first showed his thoughtfulness.
"Thank you."
Gong Chenya looked at her, then suddenly leaned closer and asked, "Do you think we're stupid, risking so many lives just to save one person?"
Zheng Quchi didn't expect him to ask her this, but after thinking about it for a moment, she shook her head.
She understood that sometimes the relative importance of choosing one life versus choosing dozens of lives varies from person to person, much like the trolley problem, one of the world's top ten thought experiments.
Should we choose a track for one person, or a track for five people?
From a utilitarian perspective, one would naturally choose five and discard one.
But from a moral standpoint, once you make a choice, you have to bear some responsibility for the person who died a violent death.
But whatever choice you make will result in human lives lost. This is the ultimate idea behind the so-called trolley problem: there is no perfectly moral behavior, nor is there a perfectly correct choice.
She offered her own interpretation: "If you think it's worth it, and they all think it's worth it and are willing to follow you regardless of their lives, then this choice is not necessarily wrong. At least at this moment, it is the best choice that all of you have decided."
Zheng Quchi could only say that, from an outsider's perspective, she knew nothing and did not understand what Yang Gu meant to them, so she offered no advice or guidance, only respect and understanding of their choice.
Gongchen Cliff was close to her. This time, she didn't deliberately lower her head or cover her face with the wide brim of her hat. In the dim light, he finally saw her complete appearance.
Just as he had imagined.
It's tiny, with big, round, light brown eyes, and looks just like some kind of cute and intelligent fluffy creature.
He smiled, his eyes crinkling with a gentle light: "Talking to you always feels different from talking to others. You see things differently too. Some people advised me that it was too dangerous. Even if we rescued him at all costs, what then? He might still die on the battlefield. Others said that it wasn't worth it at all, that it would only cost all of our lives in vain, and that we shouldn't do something so foolish."
"But you still did it without hesitation, didn't you?"
If Mo Ye successfully exchanges the fake "Zheng Quchi" for Fenggu Shacheng and the two sides cease hostilities, it means that the "opportunity" they are looking for is very slim.
If they fail, then a full-scale war will have to be waged in the city. Their plan to take advantage of the chaos to rescue Yang Gu while facing pressure from both sides is both a bold and dangerous undertaking.
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