Chapter 1106: The Severed Arm [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
Qi Shan rushed over.
He recognized Shen Tang, one of the four, from a great distance.
Naturally, one could also see the sorrow and heartache in her eyes as she gazed at the ruins.
He couldn't help but slow his pace.
His steps grew smaller and smaller until he stopped two zhang away from Shen Tang, quietly awaiting Shen Tang's questioning. Qi Shan felt he bore some responsibility for the losses in Shangnan County. If he had been more vigilant, perhaps when the Lord arrived, he wouldn't have seen such devastation. The Lord was so frugal, unable to tolerate even the slightest waste, let alone the destruction of a once prosperous capital.
Destroying it only takes a day, or even half a day, but restoring it to its former glory requires an immense amount of effort.
This place is home to half the population of Shangnan County.
With more than half of the buildings destroyed, it's as if those people are left homeless.
A cold wind, carrying smoke and dust, howled over the ruins, and it took Shen Tang a long time to come back to her senses. The moment Qi Shan's presence appeared, she knew it was him, but she didn't understand why he didn't step forward. He didn't move, and neither did she, secretly testing their willpower.
In the end, Shen Tang made the first move.
She turned and called out, "Yuan-Liang?"
The moment Shen Tang's gaze fell on Qi Shan, her voice abruptly stopped. Bai Su and the others only saw a blur before their eyes as Shen Tang flashed to Qi Shan's side, grabbing his sleeve. The right sleeve was empty. Shen Tang felt as if she had been hit in the head with a hammer, her thoughts in complete chaos, as if her heart had skipped a beat.
She heard herself ask sharply, "Where is your right hand?"
The intense killing intent even startled rats dozens of feet away.
This was the first time Qi Shan had faced Shen Tang's murderous intent directly, and she was momentarily stunned. Then, she reacted and tried to pull back the sleeve that Shen Tang had gripped like a dried mustard green. She tugged, but couldn't budge it.
He softened his voice: "My lord, loosen your grip first."
Shen Tang's brows were almost knotted together.
"Qi Yuanliang, I'm asking you what happened to your right hand!"
Seeing Shen Tang's resolute attitude, as if she wouldn't give up until she got an answer, and with her killing intent still surging, Qi Shan had no choice but to try to appease her with gentle words. The commotion was so great that even the patrolling soldiers were alerted: "On the battlefield, swords have no eyes. It's just a temporary loss of an arm. It's nothing serious. You'll get used to it and it won't be too inconvenient. Once the medical professionals arrive, you'll be back to normal in a few days."
"Swords and blades have no eyes on the battlefield?"
Shen Tang stared intently at that sleeve.
The battle report sent from Shangnan made no mention of Qi Shan's injuries. Without the medical expertise of the medical community, Qi Yuanliang would have been left with a lifelong disability! Shen Tang was truly enraged by this, struggling to suppress her surging anger with reason: "You lied to me? You only reported the good news and not the bad?"
She hates hiding things!
"There's nothing to do here, you may go elsewhere." Qi Shan wanted to explain, but seeing the patrolling soldiers approaching and preparing to form a defensive formation, he could only send them away for now. His lord hadn't revealed his identity yet; it would be humiliating to be surrounded and attacked by the soldiers as if they were enemies. After driving them away, he turned back to Chen Tang with a fawning smile, "How about we discuss this somewhere else?"
Shen Tang glared fiercely at Qi Shan.
He swallowed his words of concern and feigned harshness: "Lead the way."
Qi Shan had known Shen Tang for many years, but this was the first time she had been so fierce to her. Knowing she was in the wrong, she could only force a smile and endure it, while inwardly cursing Chu Yao—was Chu Wu Hui really dead? Hadn't she already hinted to him to stall for time as much as possible, and not let the Lord come to Shangnan? In the end, not only did the Lord come, but he also brought three people with him. Was this any different from running away alone?
The Lord's entourage is so small when he goes out; it's as if he has no one with him.
While cursing his colleagues in his heart, he subconsciously ignored the fact that Ji Moqiu and the other two were bound together, allowing them to move freely even with thousands of troops.
Qi Shan led Shen Tang and the other three to a simple tent.
This tent is several sizes larger than the others.
Judging from the ruins and broken walls beneath her feet, the site must have originally been a grand mansion, belonging to someone of immense wealth and status. Shen Tang remained silent, a series of gloomy thoughts vying to enter her mind. Based on her understanding of Qi Yuanliang over the years, she knew he wouldn't easily reveal his true situation unless there was absolutely no other way; his main strategy was to stall for time.
As long as the physician from the medical field comes, restoring the severed arm won't be difficult. Even if she finds out later that Qi Shan had lost an arm, she can make him find an excuse to cover it up. The fact that he has to come only proves that the others are in worse condition. Thinking of this, Shen Tang felt even more annoyed.
Where is Fang Yan?
There are also physicians in Shangnan County.
Fang Yan can't help Qi Shan recover?
Qi Shan was still trying to figure out how to appease her furious lord when she suddenly heard Qi Shan hit the nail on the head, and her language system almost gave out. Seeing that she couldn't hide it any longer, Qi Shan had no choice but to tell the truth: "Fang Yan also suffered a serious injury. Besides, there are priorities. Losing an arm isn't fatal, so I told him to focus on the others. I wrote to Feng Luo to ask Qin Gongsu to borrow a physician."
The borrowed physician should be arriving soon.
Give Qishan another three to five days, and everything will be back to normal.
Shen Tang understood the implication in his words and glared at him fiercely.
"Alright, alright, I've come at an inopportune time."
Qi Shan felt guilty and in the wrong after being glared at, and remained silent.
Shen Tang's head throbbed with anger: "Qi Yuanliang, who is the master, you or me? You have the ability to hide it, but you don't have the courage to be honest? Your mouth has been eaten, so you're mute now? You hid it from me when someone cut off your arm, are you going to hide it from me when someone cuts off your head and wait for you to come back to life?"
Qi Shan simply bowed her head and accepted it.
Shen Tang found his sleeve irritating.
After a while, Qi Shan resigned himself to his fate, closed his eyes, and said, "My arm wasn't cut off by someone; I cut it off myself."
"You yourself?"
It was indeed Qi Shan who did it.
If it hadn't been cut off then, the infection and suppuration could have killed him.
Shangnan County was severely damaged, and various medicinal herbs were in short supply. Qi Shan's arm was shattered and struck by lightning; it couldn't be healed unless it was severed. Fang Yan suggested that he simply cut it off and have a physician treat it later so it could grow back.
The weapons used by both armies in the battle were modified.
Even a small cut can cause an infection.
If the injury isn't too severe, a brave martial artist can withstand it thanks to their physical strength, but ordinary soldiers have a much higher casualty rate. The same applies to the wound on Qi Yuanliang's arm; the stray arrows that pierced him were either coated with gold juice or smeared with poison powder extracted from plant minerals.
He cut off his arm in an attempt to survive.
Qi Shan hardened her heart and took matters into her own hands.
Aside from the slight inconvenience these past few days, he didn't think the loss of his arm had a significant impact. Would the physicians of Kangguo allow him to remain one-armed for life? The amputation was only temporary; compared to his life, everything else was trivial. He didn't want his lord to see it, fearing she might lose her composure because of him, a particularly fatal flaw during a war between two nations. Unfortunately, his colleagues weren't helpful, and the truth couldn't be hidden.
Knowing that she would be criticized for saying this, Qi Shan chose to mute herself.
He was well aware of his strengths.
So, just as Shen Tang was about to unleash a torrent of curses, Qi Shan's brows furrowed as if pulled by pain. He instinctively reached for his left hand to cover his wound, but before he could touch it, he remembered that he no longer had an arm in that spot. His left hand fell stiffly, and he forced back the pain. Looking pitiful, like a porcelain doll that had been ravaged and persecuted, if Shen Tang raised his voice any louder, he would shatter.
Even though Shen Tang was extremely angry, she managed to extinguish it.
He stepped forward, wanting to touch it but hesitating: "Does the stump still hurt?"
Qi Shan lowered her head slightly: "Yes, a little."
Losing a perfectly good arm is definitely not something you'll get used to.
Seeing that fresh blood seemed to be slowly seeping from his stump, Shen Tang had no intention of settling scores anymore: "When will the physician from the medical field arrive?"
Qi Shan, her lips pale, replied, "I don't know."
Shen Tang looked at him, her eyes filled with tears.
"Send someone to pick them up immediately..."
Qi Shan was about to say no when he noticed a shadow falling over him. He looked up and saw that the shadow belonged to the High Priest of Jimo. Jimo Qiu blinked, a hint of disappointment and grievance in his eyes: "Your Highness, why don't you let me try?"
When Ji Moqiu spoke, Shen Tang remembered that he was still there.
The high priest had a wide range of interests and was also quite skilled in witchcraft and medicine.
She exclaimed with delight, "Great! Come and show him!"
Qi Shan was somewhat avoiding Ji Moqiu.
At this moment, Shen Tang and the others had already been driven out.
Ji Moqiu asked, "Does Secretary Qi want to conceal his illness and avoid seeking medical treatment?"
Qi Shan said, "No, that's not it."
He was just afraid that if he recovered too quickly, Shen Tang would bring up old grievances.
Anyway, losing an arm wasn't something that happened overnight, so why not delay it for another day or two, let him play the victim, make the master feel more sorry for him, and then the matter of him only reporting good news and not bad news would be over? However, it was a bit embarrassing to say this out loud, and he wasn't thick-skinned enough.
Qi Shan had always known that limb regeneration was miraculous, but this was her first time experiencing it firsthand. The time required for limb reconstruction depends on the size and location of the limb. The larger the limb, the more important its location, and the more complex its structure, the longer it takes. The new limb is initially as tender and fragile as an infant's, requiring three to five months to become indistinguishable from the original. As the last rays of the setting sun faded, Qi Shan carefully examined her two hands, one different in skin color and the other the same size: "It's truly amazing, but I'm not very skilled at it..."
My right hand is very weak, and I don't have much strength when I grip things.
Ji Moqiu withdrew his divine power: "It will be fine in a couple of days."
Newly installed limbs need time to adapt.
Qi Shan breathed a sigh of relief: "It's still more convenient to have hands."
The biggest problem with losing an arm is the inconvenience. He's not left-handed either; his left hand is far less dexterous than his right, affecting his eating, clothing, shelter, and daily life. The thought of his lord outside the tent only adds to his headache.
Helpless, they could only shift the blame elsewhere.
Draw the Lord's attention away from yourself.
Qi Shan's choice also caused Luan Xin great suffering.
Luan Xin has been unconscious for far longer than he has been awake these past few days.
He remembered the last time he saw Qi Shan, the man was struggling to handle official business with his left hand, constantly dropping food when trying to pick it up. This time, however, his sleeve was no longer empty. Luan Xin slowly asked, "How many days have you been unconscious this time? Have the physicians from Fengluo arrived?"
Luan Xin believed that Qi Shan's arm had been restored by a physician from the medical community.
Qi Shan: "She's been unconscious for ten hours, less than a day. The medical professionals sent from Fengluo are still on their way..."
Luan Xin's brain processes information much more slowly than before.
He only responded after the wick in the lamp inside the room beeped three times.
"And your hand?"
"He is the High Priest of Jimo."
It took Luan Xin a while to remember who the High Priest of Jimo was.
Qi Shan then added, "The Lord has also come."
Luan Xin, after a long while: "..."
A face, pitch black but with features identical to the Lord's, came into view. This face was veiled in hard, icy coldness; an ordinary person would have been terrified, their heart pounding, but Luan Xin remained calm and composed. Shen Tang looked at him, lying motionless, and sighed for a year.
What else can be said?
Fortunately, Luan Xin's limbs were intact.
The reason he couldn't get up was because the side effects of the scholar's path were too severe, reducing his physical movements to an incredibly slow pace. His thinking and language abilities were slightly better, and with patience, he could still receive a response from Luan Xin. This state couldn't be alleviated by external force; it could only be restored naturally by Luan Xin's bodily functions. Based on his own experience, he should be back to normal in another seven or eight days.
Shen Tang rubbed her throbbing temples.
Where is Shanxiao lying down to recover from his injuries right now?
Qi Shan and Luan Xin were both killed in battle, and Cui Xiaoba was likely in the same situation.
Qi Shan paused for a moment when Shen Tang mentioned Cui Xiao.
Shen Tang's lips twitched: "...You haven't forgotten, have you?"
Cui Xiao's scholarly ways are truly deadly at crucial moments! With such a low profile, if he were hit by a stray arrow or severely injured by the aftershocks on the battlefield, no one would come to his rescue. Shen Tang grabbed her hair, fearing that Cui Xiao might just die.
A plaintive voice, like a wisp of smoke, drifted into Chen Tang's ears.
"Thank goodness he survived; he wasn't killed by his colleagues."
Shen Tang's back stiffened abruptly.
The crowd was startled by his voice and looked in the direction of the sound.
result--
I saw a faceless scholar holding a fan.
The man was covered in bruises, and the bandages were hastily applied, clearly done unprofessionally. Shen Tang fared slightly better than the others; she didn't see the Faceless Man, but rather a plain, unremarkable, and forgettable face—the kind you see and immediately forget. If she remembered correctly, Cui Xiao didn't seem to have this face?
"They changed their faces just because they were fighting a war?"
Cui Xiao said sarcastically, "How can you change faces?"
He only felt a sense of presence by coming down from the battlefield, going to the wounded soldiers' camp to find medicine and bandage himself, and physically beating others. These past few days, his presence had been like a ghost, yet he still had to handle official business despite his injuries, while that idiot Qi Shan thought it was all done by a fairy godmother. Bah! A fairy godmother my foot!
Shen Tang: "...The side effects of the scholar's way?"
Cui Xiao sighed helplessly, "Yes."
This time it was even worse. He followed his master for quite a while without being discovered. Others couldn't see his face, but his master saw only a strange, generic face. Cui Xiao didn't know what sins he had committed in his past life to be drawn into such a terrible path of the scholar.
Shen Tang stared intently at Cui Xiao, calling for Ji Moqiu to help with the treatment without turning her head. She was afraid that if she turned around, she would lose sight of Cui Xiao again. Cui Xiao waved his hand weakly and said, "Don't rush to treat the wounds. Let someone get me some food first."
He has been hungry for two days.
Because they also had to settle the disaster-stricken civilians, the army's food supplies were extremely limited. Every portion of rations was assigned a specific purpose, and the soldiers in the camp were like starving ghosts at mealtimes, practically licking their wooden bowls clean. Cui Xiao always found nothing to eat when he went there, and had to find his own way to make do. These past few days had been pitiful, and in a fit of anger, he stole Qi Shan's food, which saved him from starvation.
He bullied Qi Shan because she was one-armed and ate slowly.
Shen Tang: "..."
The three high-ranking officials suffered increasingly dire consequences.
While feeling sorry for him, Shen Tang also had some doubts.
Who exactly are these enemies, that they've tormented them so badly?
(_)
Sigh, I practiced over 1700 questions in the question bank, consistently scoring above 95 in mock exams, but during the actual test, I encountered so many unfamiliar questions. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to barely pass with a score of 93. Now I need to start preparing for the second part of the driving test. I called my instructor, and he said I need to recover from surgery for a few days… I'm aiming to get my driver's license before June.
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