Chapter 9 Chapter 9 "Are you crazy! This is your Great Yong's..."
The night was cool as water, and a few torches flickered with a dim light, illuminating the pleading in the fat merchant's eyes and the arrogance in the eyes of the bandits.
A cold snort suddenly rang out in the quiet air. Baili Xunzhou's icy gaze swept over the bandits and hostages opposite him, and he uttered a sentence that chilled everyone to the bone: "Do you think I, the young master, care about their lives? Sacrificing a few civilians to kill you here is also a military achievement."
...
The intense bloodthirsty intent in the voice made Feng Mian shudder. She silently leaned back, creating distance between herself and the person in front of her.
How could he so carelessly and naturally abandon several innocent lives?
It seems that the rumors describing him as looking like a monster are absolutely true!
The bandits opposite were also stunned, speechless: "Are you crazy! These are the people of your Great Yong!"
Beneath the hood fluttering in the wind, the flickering firelight outlined Baili Xunzhou's sharp features, a ruthless smile hidden in his eyes.
These people were indeed spies from the Alna tribe.
He slowly drew his bow and arrow, narrowed his eyes, and aimed the arrowhead at the fat merchant's forehead: "They should feel honored to risk their lives to repel foreign invaders."
Before he finished speaking, he raised his hand and released the bowstring. The sound of the arrow piercing the air rang out, and the Swift Feather Camp members pounced on the bandits like cheetahs that had been lying in ambush.
At the same time, Feng Mian's vision suddenly went dark as a cloak swept over her head, obscuring her eyes. The next instant, she was swept up by someone and tossed into the air onto another horse.
The person who caught her said quickly and softly, "I'll take you away."
The horse swiftly carried Feng Mian away from the cold, rusty air thick with the stench of blood. Amidst the jolting, through the fluttering hem of her cloak, she could still see splattered blood and fallen corpses in the hazy night.
The wails and screams, along with the clanging of weapons, were like a rapidly receding dream, quickly left behind.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Feng Mian didn't come to his senses until the only sound he could hear was the galloping of horses. He then said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you..."
The soft, hoarse voice was carried away by the wind, but Qingyi, with her exceptional hearing, heard it and replied loudly, "No need, I'm just doing what the young master ordered. Where are you going?"
"Could you take me to the nearest sentry post?"
"Understood." Those beside Qingyi asked no further questions and simply continued on their way in silence.
The Swift Feather Battalion was equipped with only the finest warhorses, and soon they saw the sentry post signal lights, bright as stars ahead. Qingyi reined in her horse a hundred meters from the sentry post, saying, "I'll take you this far."
"Thank you." Feng Mian climbed off the horse himself, and almost got his face smeared by the horse's tail as soon as he stood still.
Without a moment's hesitation, Qingyi turned his horse around and galloped away, his retreating figure conveying urgency. Feng Mian stared blankly at his figure disappearing into the night in an instant; these people truly came and went like the wind…
"Princess!" Liu Ying's joyful voice came from behind. Feng Mian had just turned around when she was embraced tightly.
Liu Ying sobbed and laughed at the same time, "Princess, you almost scared us to death!"
Heaven knows how panicked everyone was when they gathered at the sentry post and discovered that the princess was missing! Everyone was almost frantic. The Royal Guards quickly scattered to search for her, leaving only a few people to guard Liuying and Wuliu at the sentry post and wait for news.
Thank goodness, the princess returned unharmed!
"It's cold outside, come in first before you cry." Wu Liu stepped forward and pulled Liu Ying and Feng Mian into the room prepared for her inside the sentry post. She could feel the coldness through their clothes, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears. She hurriedly went to get some ginger soup.
This sentry post not only served a guarding purpose, but also had several large courtyards roughly built behind the high watchtower, which also served as a rest stop for travelers.
A charcoal fire burned inside, its warmth sending a shiver down Feng Mian's spine.
"Princess, warm yourself up quickly!" Liu Ying was heartbroken. She hurriedly took two burning copper hand warmers from the table and carefully placed them in front of Feng Mian. She warmed Feng Mian's fingers by placing them on the edge of the warmers, while nagging, "The carriage was lost on the road, and we didn't bring anything. These copper hand warmers were borrowed from the guards at the sentry post and have been burning until the princess returns. These hand warmers are very hot, so please don't touch them, princess. Warm yourself up first, and we'll talk about warming yourself up little by little."
Having just survived a brush with death, Fengmian felt a sense of warmth and comfort listening to Liuying's incessant chatter.
Touching Feng Mian's icy hands, Liu Ying cried out in distress, "Please don't let him get frostbite..."
Liu Ying's hand moved up again and touched Feng Mian's icy arm. She quickly got up and took out the bright red feather gauze rabbit fur crane cloak that the deputy envoy had brought back. Her fingers trembled slightly as she wrapped Feng Mian tightly in the cloak. "We servants have been waiting anxiously for a long time, but the deputy envoy only brought back one crane cloak. It's terrifying!"
Recalling the scene, Liu Ying felt a wave of fear.
Warmth flowed gently like a spring stream, and a trace of color finally returned to Fengmian's pale cheeks. The frozen skin on her hands suddenly warmed up, feeling slightly numb and itchy. She wanted to scratch it, but fearing that it would make Liuying even more worried, she curled her fingertips and held back.
"Quickly drink this to warm yourself up." Wu Liu burst in carrying a bowl of ginger soup and quickly ran to Feng Mian.
Two slices of ginger floated in the rough earthenware bowl. Feng Mian lowered her head and sipped the water. The temperature was just right for her to drink, so she drank it all in one gulp, and her whole body felt warm.
Feng Mian then felt her wandering soul settle steadily inside her body, and her nerves relaxed.
"Alright, I'm much warmer now. I'm fine, you two don't look so miserable." Feng Mian put down her bowl, not forgetting to comfort the two of them. Wu Liu suddenly grabbed her hand, only to see that the back of her once fair hand was now bright red.
"It's nothing, Princess. You've been frostbitten." Wu Liu took out a small white porcelain bottle from her bosom, which contained a light blue frostbite ointment. "Fortunately, I had already asked the physician to prepare some frostbite ointment."
Wu Liu dipped the ointment in it and carefully applied it all over the back of Feng Mian's hand. Then, when she turned her hand over to look at her palm, she saw several scratches caused by the reins.
Liu Ying gasped and ran towards the door, shouting, "Why hasn't the physician arrived yet!"
Liu Ying ran to grab the physician, and Wu Liu sighed, then took a towel soaked in hot water and carefully wiped the dust off Feng Mian's face.
Having practically rolled around in the mountains, Feng Mian was in a terrible state. Wu Liu carefully removed the small, withered twigs and leaves that had fallen into her hair, speaking in a restrained and indifferent tone: "After the physician has taken the princess's pulse, we servants will boil water for the princess to wash up."
Feng Mian could tell from her expression that she was secretly angry. After her initial worry subsided, she was ready to settle scores later. Feng Mian quickly changed the subject: "I'm really fine. By the way, did you inform the commanders that I'm back? It's late at night, and there are dangers everywhere in these deep mountains. I hope nothing else happens."
"Your Highness knows there are dangers everywhere, how dare you just leave a word and run away?" Wu Liu said sternly. She rarely got angry, but the princess had really gone too far this time. She acted first and informed her later, not giving her and Liu Ying a chance to object or discuss, and rode away, forcing her and Liu Ying to proceed according to the plan.
She ran without stopping for a moment until she reached the sentry post, the cold wind almost making her lose consciousness. How difficult must it have been for the princess, all alone in the deep mountains?
Feng Mian obediently admitted his mistake and was about to coax Wu Liu when Liu Ying dragged the physician in, followed by the commander, deputy commander, and Lu Mingzhu.
The imperial physician was pressed to the table by Liu Ying to take Feng Mian's pulse. As soon as the others entered, they knelt down and begged for forgiveness: "We failed in our duty of protection. Please punish us, Your Highness!"
Feng Mian waved for them to get up. This wasn't their fault; she had calmed down and thought about it. The second wave of bandits was targeting her, seemingly anticipating her taking that narrow path. Therefore, the first wave of bandits who robbed the caravan might have colluded with the second wave, deliberately diverting their attention.
The person behind this might be very familiar with her personality and know what choices she would make. But why would they target her?
At this moment, the commander reported, "Your Highness, I encountered the Prince of Dingbei's heir while suppressing bandits. Perhaps we can ask him for help tomorrow to gather Your Highness's entourage?"
Feng Mian hesitated for a moment, but still didn't reveal that she had been saved by Baili Xunzhou. She had personally witnessed Baili Xunzhou disregard the lives of innocent civilians for the sake of military merit, and if he harbored resentment because of this, it would be difficult for him to act in the future.
So Feng Mian simply nodded, indicating to the commander that he would handle it himself.
In that instant, a thought suddenly struck her. She remembered that the bandits who had taken the hostages had said, "These are the people of your Dayong." And Baili Xunzhou's response was, "I will risk my life to repel foreign barbarians." It was very likely that some of these bandits were foreign barbarians.
The barbarian tribes hate the Dingbei King's lineage the most and wish to eliminate them as soon as possible. If the princess, who is to be married off, were to have an accident in the northern borderlands, the Dingbei King would certainly be held responsible. This is perhaps why they are targeting her.
Even worse, there might be other people from Dayong colluding with them to deliberately frame the Prince of Dingbei.
Of course, all of this is just speculation. Feng Mian has never even met the Prince of Dingbei. The fact that this young master first saved her and then disregarded the lives of the common people is also a mystery. Everything will have to wait and see.
"How is the princess's health?" Lu Mingzhu asked the imperial physician, pulling Feng Mian back to reality. Feng Mian then noticed that Lu Mingzhu's head was almost completely wrapped in bandages and was startled: "Lord Lu, what's going on?"
Lu Mingzhu lowered his head sheepishly. The deputy envoy looked at him with a mixture of sympathy and amusement, and said, "When the bandits attacked, Lord Lu's horse was hit in the leg by a stray arrow, throwing him to the ground. Lord Lu hit his head on a rock and lost consciousness on the spot. In this battle, horses' hooves don't have eyes... so..."
Lord Lu is truly unlucky...
Feng Mian felt a pang of pain upon hearing this: "Lord Lu, please go and rest. I'm fine here."
Lu Mingzhu said with shame, "I am truly ashamed that I failed to protect the princess."
When he first woke up and heard that the princess had single-handedly broken the deadlock, he almost fainted again. A dignified seven-foot man, yet less useful than a weak woman. How utterly shameful!
“Everyone has their own strengths, Lord Lu, there’s no need to be upset. You’ve all had a hard day, gentlemen, please go and rest. There are physicians here, so there’s no need to worry.”
Fengmian gestured to Liuying to see the person out, and the physician also got up to say that he was going to prepare medicine.
“The princess has caught a cold and is currently fine, but she is barely holding on. After she goes to bed, her vital energy will be disrupted, and she may develop a fever. I will prepare the medicine immediately, and the princess can take it before resting.” After saying this, he instructed Wu Liu, “You must take good care of the princess tonight. If she develops a fever, come and call me immediately.”
Wu Liu immediately followed up, "Then may the princess take a bath first?"
The physician pondered for a moment: "A medicinal bath is also acceptable, but it is essential to ensure the bath room is warm. Come with me to fetch the prescription for the medicinal bath."
"Yes. Princess, please rest inside and wait for me to return." Wu Liu left with the physician.
The room suddenly fell silent. Feng Mian let out a weary sigh, slowly slumped onto the table, and let her mind wander. The two matters—the Prince of Dingbei's heir and the bandits—were giving her a headache.
On the other side, Baili Xunzhou sounded the retreat, and Shanyi excitedly ran up to him with a bundle of treasures in her arms.
"Young Master! You've struck it rich! Those bandits of Wolf Bone Ridge have been hiding away in seclusion and have certainly amassed a lot of treasures! Now you can redeem yourself and no longer have to serve that young marquis!"
Baili Xunzhou gave him a disdainful look: "Can't you even use words?"
Shan Yi covered his mouth: "This subordinate absolutely did not mean to allude to the Crown Prince!"
Qingyi walked over and ruthlessly confiscated the treasures he was holding: "They must be deposited into the account."
Shan Yi glared at him angrily.
"By the way, who was that girl you sent back?" Baili Xunzhou suddenly remembered the girl who had inexplicably appeared in Wolf Bone Ridge.
"I don't know, I didn't ask." Suppressing the bandit's den would inevitably result in the seizure of stolen goods, but he was only concerned with rushing back to settle accounts and paid no attention to anything else.
It was dark at the time, and Baili Xunzhou couldn't see the girl's face clearly. He only felt that her struggle for survival was particularly full of vitality, and he was inexplicably concerned about her.
Never mind, she's probably just a young lady from a passing caravan. As long as she's safely returned home, that's all that matters.
A note from the author:
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To prevent misunderstandings, first layer armor: The Crown Prince did not kill any hostages.
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