Chapter 1092 – Storm Rising Again (8)
“Could it be that I’ve been too tired lately, and coupled with the unfamiliar environment—once this passes, everything will naturally get better.”
Nie Liang rubbed his cold, sore nose, fighting the urge to sneeze, while bloodshot veins crawled up around his eyes.
Wei Ying hesitantly asked, “Did you really drink the medicine that the Young Doctor made?”
Nie Liang’s hand paused, and just at the thought of that dark, bitter concoction, he couldn’t help but feel a wave of nausea.
Though he quickly composed himself, he couldn’t escape Wei Ying’s keen observation.
Thinking of his dear friend’s nature, Wei Ying’s furrowed brows involuntarily twitched.
Nie Liang was a mature adult of thirty, not a mere child afraid of bitterness, yet he had the audacity to sneakily dump the medicine—what a foolish act!
“Ying, go ahead and order someone to brew another bowl; after all, it’s only fair to let the Young Doctor have a chance to rest after all his hard work.”
Wei Ying was undeniably a bit of a mother hen, especially since the concoction had dragged out Nie Liang’s illness due to his fear of bitterness—
Even the smallest ailment could escalate if neglected.
Nie Liang sighed in resignation, “I think I’ll skip the medicine; suffering for so long with no effect is just pointless.”
Wei Ying halted, his expression serious, “In that case, let’s call the Young Doctor over again, and if needed, we’ll change the prescription.”
Either drink the medicine or summon the Young Doctor to concoct another concoction that was equally, if not more, difficult to bear—Nie Liang decisively chose the former.
Meanwhile, Wei Ci was returning to his residence under the moonlight.
The room was pitch dark as he took out a fire stick from his sleeve and fumbled to light the oil lamp.
“Eh?”
In the flickering orange candlelight, Wei Ci vaguely saw a suspicious bulge on the bed, as if someone was crouching over.
“Who’s there?”
The candle flickered with a crackle as Wei Ci shouted towards the bed, and the shadow finally turned around.
“Huh? Zixiao just returned?” Jiang Pengji murmured, hugging something in her arms, “If you hadn’t come back, this little thing might have been caught and tossed into the pot. Truly fearless, weren’t you? If the servants hadn’t brought it back, who knows what might have happened.”
Upon hearing her voice, Wei Ci instantly recognized her, feeling relief wash over him as he continued lighting the other candles, gradually illuminating the dark room.
As Jiang Pengji sat up, her abrupt movement caused the squishy black-and-white bundle that had finally fallen asleep to let out a disgruntled whine, opening its big, watery eyes.
Sensing a familiar scent, it stretched out its little paws toward Wei Ci, pleading for a hug and affection.
“Tsk, has this little rascal become too bold? Even trying to steal my people—”
Jiang Pengji mercilessly poked the black-and-white lump on its forehead, sending it rolling back.
“Lord, are you still competing for affection with a beast?”
Wei Ci chuckled, lifting the little creature into his arms.
Though it was under his care, it was usually looked after by servants or support troops, always getting fed more sumptuous meals than the Lord himself.
A true treasure of the army!
“Occasionally indulging isn’t a bad thing. How are your family back in Zhongzhao doing?”
Jiang Pengji yawned, her cheeks flushed from sleep contributing to her sweet and innocent demeanor.
Wei Ci felt his heart warm, smiling lightly, “Thank you for your concern, Lord; I heard that my elder brother is serving the Nie Clan well, so I imagine they are doing quite alright.”
Nie Liang was a direct descendant of the Nie Clan and was currently highly valued, therefore Wei Ying, being his right-hand man, naturally held a substantial position as well.
With this position, those who sought refuge in the Wei Clan from Bianzhou wouldn’t have to suffer too much.
“Did you wait here so long just to ask this?”
Due to the past experiences, Wei Ci didn’t want to get too entangled with the Wei Clan and preferred to maintain a superficial relationship.
When faced with Jiang Pengji, he also didn’t wish to bring up the Wei Clan too much.
Jiang Pengji shook her head.
“Of course, it’s not just one thing; I have a surprise! Since there’s no one else to share it with, I thought I’d come find you, Zixiao.”
Wei Ci pondered, carefully recalling recent events.
After some thought, there was only one thing that could make the Lord this joyous—
“Has there been news from Jingrong?”
Jiang Pengji nodded with a smile, “Zixiao, you’re as sharp as ever; nothing escapes your grasp. Jingrong has stationed troops in Chenzhou; he cunningly plotted against Xu Pei’s influence to deceive the spies from Buegao in Chenzhou. Now that the great accomplishment is achieved, isn’t it time for him to bask in the glory?”
She had been enduring for days, pretending to be indifferent just to get this good news, hadn’t she?
Fortunately, Yang Si did not let her down and completed this grand scheme.
Otherwise—
Heh, Yang Si could not be blamed then.
Just as Yang Si was trying to cross the Song River, he sneezed, cold snot dripping down, prompting him to hastily pull out a napkin to cover his nose.
“Who’s mentioning me late at night?”
Yang Si wrinkled his nose, instantly feeling the air grow fresher.
The robust Dian Yin cautiously entered with a bowl of thick, dark medicinal concoction, “Military Adviser, I’m here.”
“Mm—”
Yang Si tucked away the napkin, sniffed, and suppressed the tears welling in his eyes.
It was utterly unfortunate to catch a cold at such a time.
Feeling physically unwell made it hard to maintain a sunny disposition.
Dian Yin stepped into the tent, his sturdy figure somewhat cramped in the space, as he cautiously set the bowl of medicine down in front of Yang Si.
With a tone of someone seeking praise, he said, “Military Adviser, I’ve also brought you some candied fruits; each one is rolled in a thick layer of honey, absolutely sweet.”
Yang Si took a careful sip of the bitter concoction, and the awful taste spread in his mouth, twisting his face into a grimace.
“Candied fruits, candied fruits—”
Yang Si randomly grabbed a handful and tossed a couple into his mouth, taking a while to suppress the bitterness, his frown finally easing.
“Have there been any messages from the spies?”
After downing half the bowl of medicine, Yang Si felt his muddled mind clear, and his temper softened significantly.
Dian Yin replied, “The spies at the front sent back word; the Nie Clan’s envoy has crossed into the region, likely with ill intentions.”
Yang Si chewed the candied fruits, mumbling, “The Lord’s temper is fierce; even if the Nie Clan means no harm, it’s going to be hard to gain any advantage from her. Has the personnel been confirmed? We must cross the Song River by tomorrow; we need to arrive in Cangzhou Mengjun before the Nie Clan makes a move—”
Dian Yin hesitated and asked, “Military Adviser, if we only bring two thousand elite troops into Cangzhou, what if Huang Song comes at us suddenly—”
“The Lord dares to lead five thousand elite troops into Cangzhou; we are not her, but bringing two thousand is already quite sufficient. If it weren’t to pressure the Nie Clan’s envoy, we wouldn’t even need to bring these two thousand.” Yang Si smiled slightly, “Even if you give Huang Song three more guts, he wouldn’t dare to make a move right now.”
Huang Song and the Lord’s relationship was akin to a symbiotic one.
They could form an alliance, but tearing it apart was not an option; if Huang Song dared to assassinate the Lord, the Nie Clan would surely seize the opportunity to attack.
At that moment, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, and Huang Song wouldn’t be able to save his own skin either. What’s in it for him?
“Moreover—if we draw too much military strength—”
Yang Si’s gaze turned icy as he pointed towards the direction of Zhejun.
“I’m just afraid someone might seize the opportunity.”
If Chenzhou’s forces became sparse, without enough military power to hold the fort, who could say that the conniving Han Yu wouldn’t sneak in for a stab?
Dian Yin was taken aback, “That… that couldn’t be, right?”
To help secure the Lord’s rear, Yang Si and Dian Yin formed an alliance as representatives with Xu Pei from Zhejun, and their forces had frequent interactions.
Due to Dian Yin’s admiration for Han Yu as a “scholarly genius,” he held quite a bit of respect for him.
Yang Si snorted, “Why wouldn’t it be? An alliance isn’t a long-term solution; it’s merely a piece of paper, easily torn.”
This statement was not only applicable to Jiang Pengji and Huang Song, but it also extended to her alliance with Xu Pei.
