Chapter 1124 – In This Land of Nine Provinces, I Want One Hundred Percent (Twenty-Three)
Perhaps guided by fate, Xu Fei allowed two Guards to leave, inadvertently bringing new life to Xu Yansiao and the others.
The two Guards knew Xu Fei had made up his mind to die, and the two Big Men cried like babies. To leave Xu Fei with the last shred of dignity before his death, they chose to depart. If they encountered pursuing troops on the way, they could divert the pursuers, preventing their Lord’s corpse from falling into enemy hands.
Both were heavily injured, having to support each other as they moved forward. After about an hour, they faintly heard the sound of hooves approaching.
Before they could spot the enemy, the “enemy” had already spotted them.
The two tensed up—
The Scout who had discovered them didn’t rush in; instead, they maintained a distance and yelled from afar.
“Who goes there? State your name quickly!”
These rough-looking horsemen were unfamiliar in dress and spoke with a Northern accent, not resembling people from Zhejun or Hujun.
The Guards looked puzzled and hesitated to ask, “Who are you?”
The Scouts exchanged glances, quietly discussing their information, and reached a unanimous decision.
Taking advantage of the two Guards’ unpreparedness, they directly threw out lassos.
The two Guards were severely injured, their weapons already damaged, clearly having just survived a brutal battle.
Moreover, they wore finely crafted armor, which raised even more suspicion.
A complete set of armor could only be afforded by true elite troops or Centurions and above.
Below the rank of Centurion, one would only wear a heart-protecting mask or leather gear to guard vital areas.
Those “watered-down soldiers” were even more casual, dressed in coarse linen and brandishing pointed wooden sticks to make do.
As personal Guards of Xu Fei, the two were naturally well-treated and could afford a full set of armor.
Bound and taken back by the Scouts, the two Guards had already prepared some harsh words but were dumbfounded to find a familiar face—
“Qin, Young General Qin?”
The youth in armor, with a helmet on, frowning from horseback, was none other than Qin Gong!
Qin Gong also noticed the armor on them and quickly dismounted, telling the Scouts, “Quickly untie them—”
Following his orders, the Scouts released the lassos binding the two Guards.
The two were stunned as they looked at Qin Gong, then at the large group of people he had brought, a bittersweet emotion spreading through them.
They had come too late—
If only they had arrived half a day earlier, no—
If only they had come two hours sooner, their Lord wouldn’t have been driven to despair and resorted to self-harm.
Yang Si, leading his gentle chestnut horse forward, broke the strange silence among the three.
“Qin Lieutenant, who are these two?”
Qin Gong snapped back to reality and briefly replied, “These two are the Guards beside Lord Xu.”
Xu Fei, styled Lingwen, meaning “literary talent.”
Given his current position, Qin Gong could not address Xu Fei as Lord and had to use another respectful title.
The two Guards keenly noticed the change in how Qin Gong referred to Xu Fei, but they didn’t dare to raise the issue in this situation.
Despite his efforts to hold it together, Qin Gong still impatiently asked, “Do you know where Lord Xu currently is?”
The Guards, eyes reddening, couldn’t suppress the sorrow welling up inside and burst into tears.
While crying, they said, “Lord has been waiting too long for you, Young General. Xu Pei’s army launched a fierce assault on Shanweng City, breaking through the walls around the hour of the tiger. With no other option, our Lord had to break out, only to encounter pursuing troops along the way. He and the Lady separated from the others. He refused to abandon his family, searching for them, but alas, the pursuing troops grew ever stronger, and in the end… his forces were depleted, trapped with no way out, and he had no choice but to despair and end his own life…”
As the Guard spoke through tears, an ominous premonition settled over Qin Gong, and by the time he finished, the world around him spun.
Dryness filled his throat as unknown emotions swelled, struggling to regain clarity; his eyes quickly filled with red veins and moisture.
Qin Gong grasped the Guard’s shoulders, fingers trembling, and hoarsely asked, “Where is our Lord’s body now?”
In his moment of urgency, he even forgot Yang Si was still standing beside him.
The Guard replied, “We remember the location and can take Young General Qin there.”
“Good—”
Qin Gong suppressed the raging emotions, his right hand gripping his weapon tightly, knuckles turning pale from the pressure.
He mounted his horse and was about to issue commands when a thought suddenly struck him.
“Yang Military Adviser, I have an urgent request.”
Yang Si smiled and said, “Speak freely, Qin Lieutenant.”
“Lord Xu has three sons and three daughters who have been separated due to the chaos.” Qin Gong had to retrieve Xu Fei’s body quickly; if he were late, Xu Fei’s head could very well be severed by Xu Pei’s soldiers, meeting a grim fate.
While concerned for his Lord, he also worried for the safety of Xu Fei’s entire family, and could only trust Yang Si to help him search. He understood this request might wear on Yang Si’s patience and even raise suspicions with the new Lord, but he couldn’t afford to care at the moment.
Yang Si pledging, said, “Qin Lieutenant, go ahead. I will take people to look for Lord Xu’s family.”
Qin Gong nodded, leading two thousand troops to search for the peasant village mentioned by the Guards.
He didn’t dare stop for a moment, galloping for nearly a quarter of an hour until he finally spotted the village.
From a distance, he could tell this village was not the uninhabited one the Guard had described, as there were figures outside, presumably lookout scouts.
He suspected nothing of the Guards’ words but feared these people might harm Xu Fei’s body.
As he drew closer, he could faintly see a group of about twenty thugs, and with his keen sight, he spotted several figures that seemed to be women.
With a brief moment of thought, Qin Gong deduced that these thugs were taking advantage of the chaos to bully the Common People!
The thugs noticed Qin Gong and his troops and seemed eager to make their escape.
With a cold snort, Qin Gong nocked an arrow, aiming for the thug entangled with the girl—
One arrow shot out, and the thug fell dead.
In just a short time, the hooves charged ahead again, allowing Qin Gong to clearly see the girl daring to stand against the thugs.
Her face was swollen from slaps, her hair disheveled, falling over her shoulders, but that face—
Qin Gong’s heart jolted, as if a bucket of icy water had been dumped over him, freezing all his thoughts and limbs.
Without waiting for his horse to stop, he dismounted and half-knelt, saying, “I am Qin Gong, I came too late to help.”
Xu Yansiao flinched at first, then clumsily crawled a few steps, gripping Qin Gong’s arms tightly.
However, she could only grasp cold armor, just like her heart at this moment, icy and devoid of warmth.
“Qin Fengjing—why—why did you come now—”
She cried uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face in a torrent.
“Why did you only come now—”
Qin Gong couldn’t move, trying to say something, but at the sight of Xu Yansiao’s state, his throat tightened, unable to utter a word.
If he could, he wished he could have come two hours sooner.
Then their Lord wouldn’t have had to take his own life, and the person before him wouldn’t have to suffer such humiliation.
But he was powerless, unable to protect even one of them.
