Chapter 460 – The First Winter (Part Seven)
In the end, Wei Ci somehow managed to heal the Bandit Leader. Zhang Ping was utterly clueless about what his friend and the Bandit Leader discussed, but suddenly they went from being prisoners to honored guests among the bandits, who treated them with surprising civility. This turn of events left Zhang Ping completely stunned.
Curious, he turned to Wei Ci, who simply chuckled in response.
“Oh, keep your secrets then! One day, I’ll get you to spill the beans!”
Zhang Ping was frustrated; his curiosity was driving him mad while his friend just teased him.
After some time, the bandits surprisingly managed to launch a successful ambush on a small squad of the Green Garment Army.
The bandit group was only eighty-three strong, yet they snatched away a number of innocent women from five times their number in the Green Garment Army.
Moreover, these bandits were quite tactical—each time they struck, it was a swift hit-and-run, disappearing like ghosts.
Clearly, this wasn’t the standard quality you’d expect from a bunch of ruffians.
After a long pause, Zhang Ping finally realized that Wei Ci was advising these bandits on how to make the most of the mountainous terrain.
“Wait, Zixiao, what are you doing?!”
Zhang Ping poked Wei Ci, unable to understand his friend’s motivations.
Wei Ci let out a light laugh, replying calmly, “It’s a chaotic world we live in now. Dongqing’s north has become a battlefield for the Green Garment Army and Red Lotus Sect. The court and Changshou Wang are stuck in a standoff in the south. It’s clear that for the three of us to travel safely north is impossible. Who knows if we might get kidnapped by the Red Lotus Sect or Green Garment Army along the way?”
Let’s be real; even though he was a guy, walking around with his face would be asking for trouble.
Wei Ci wasn’t vain, but he knew just how much trouble this face could attract.
Zhang Ping pressed on, “So what’s the plan?”
Wei Ci’s gaze shifted outside, his eyes narrowing with intent.
“I’ll guide them on the right path, and they’ll take us along. These bandits initially intended to abandon their camp and flee elsewhere, but feeling wronged, they wanted revenge for their family members who died unjustly before leaving. Coincidentally, I can lend them a helping hand. That leader is a man of honor; he promised that if they succeed in their revenge, they would escort us to Xiangyang County.”
Zhang Ping nearly laughed, “You seriously trust the word of a bandit?”
Wei Ci lightly tapped the low table, lowering his voice, “I can’t trust others, but this guy is reliable.”
In fact, Wei Ci didn’t expect to run into Dian Yin here.
And who exactly is Dian Yin?
In today’s turbulent times, he would get labeled as a roughneck, yet Wei Ci remembered him as one of Jiang Zhao’s ten renowned generals—a straightforward fellow who initially followed Liu Xi. He stood by her as she transformed from a mere bandit leader to a powerful warlord and, eventually, the ruler of the world. Although her reputation was tarnished, Dian Yin remained one of the few who stayed loyal.
In a past life, Wei Ci only wished to aid a wise leader to restore peace and order to the world.
To put it bluntly, Wei Ci had never sworn allegiance to anyone; his loyalty was to the common people, not just a singular ruler.
After his old master’s defeat and death, he neither died for his master nor retreated into obscurity. He followed his own heart and surrendered to Jiang Pengji.
At that time, with the world in disarray, he felt that to fulfill his ambitions, supporting a new master was the only path.
As a freshly surrendered strategist, he deliberately kept a low profile to avoid drawing animosity and practiced the principle of listening and observing more, speaking less, eventually becoming almost invisible.
His relationships with most were quite superficial; the only one he slightly connected with seemed to be Dian Yin.
For a while, cronyism was rampant in the court, but Dian Yin remained a lone wolf, loyal only to the emperor.
This straightforward man, rugged and fierce with a thick beard, was actually quite introverted and shy with a sharp mind.
While most looked down on Wei Ci, only Dian Yin maintained a normal attitude.
Now, Liu Xi was no longer a bandit; she was of the Liu Clan, a distinguished noble family, robbing them of their chance encounters. Reflecting on Dian Yin’s terrible injuries, how his wounds had maggots crawling over them, made Wei Ci break into a cold sweat.
If he had arrived any later, perhaps the future fierce general Dian Yin would have ceased to exist.
Wei Ci had no intention of changing fate; he merely wanted to play a guiding role.
In his previous life, when the emperor convinced Dian Yin to loyally follow him, if this life’s fated connection between lord and minister still stood, then Dian Yin should be hers.
If fate was lacking, then so be it.
In any case, he had to get Dian Yin to Xiangyang County first.
Seeing Wei Ci’s determined conviction, Zhang Ping couldn’t help but retract his earlier contempt.
Most of the young men chasing after Dian Yin were from the same village or neighboring ones and looked up to him as their big brother. Hence, his word held weight, and this bandit group was under his command.
They began stuffing their bags, preparing to head north, surviving by robbing the Green Garment Army, often rescuing some innocent commoners along the way. To avoid the main forces of the Green Garment Army, they sometimes had to take detours. Slowly, their cadre expanded to over five hundred people.
Though progress was slow, they were indeed getting closer to Xiangyang County.
Fortune seldom comes alone, and misfortunes often come hand-in-hand.
One day, as the temperature suddenly dropped, Wei Ci fell ill without warning, suffering a high fever for two days straight.
To make matters worse, they were discovered by a two-thousand-strong squad of the Green Garment Army!
The irony? They had just robbed a food convoy from the Green Garment Army!
With old and new grudges combined, how could the Green Garment Army let them off easily?
Left with no option, they had to retreat into the deeper mountains under Zhang Ping’s command. Utilizing the traps and defensive techniques taught by Zhang Ping and Wei Ci, and taking advantage of the mountainous terrain, they held off the Green Garment Army. Plus, with heavy snow blocking the mountains, the Green Garment Army dared not venture deeper, leaving them temporarily safe.
Fortunately, among them was a not-so-reliable Barefoot Doctor who could whip up some fever-reducing concoctions. Otherwise, Wei Ci might not die of illness but could very well lose his wits. Just when he finally cooled down from the fever, he started coughing again.
“I’ve known you for so many years, and I never knew you were this fragile,” Zhang Ping remarked.
Wei Ci forced a bitter smile, “I didn’t know either.”
His body seemed weak, but it wasn’t as bad as it appeared; he had hardly been sick in his past life.
For some unknown reason, this life seemed particularly unfortunate.
The last six months had been a never-ending cycle of major illnesses.
“Sigh—it must be fate,” Wei Ci lamented.
Zhang Ping replied, “What does your suffering have to do with fate? You brought this upon yourself; the heavens are not your scapegoat.”
If it were the past, anyone would call him a “sick beauty,” and he’d definitely flip out. He had grown thicker skin now.
“Xi Heng doesn’t understand; the heavens are fair. If you gain something extra, perhaps you must lose something else.”
To return to the prime of life and take his own life—what a stroke of fortune!
If for that he lost his health, he wouldn’t feel cheated.
Zhang Ping shot a sideways glance at the mumbling Wei Ci, retorting, “Just take care of yourself—try to gain back some strength. We won’t be getting down the mountain before the snow melts anyway.”
Wei Ci coughed lightly and quietly thanked Zhang Ping.
