Hearing that something was wrong there, Sima Ray hurried over. When he arrived, there had been many people encircling the scene.
“What are you standing here for? Isn’t there a group of wild wolves at the east of the camp? If you have so much spare time, you’d better come here to drive off the wolves for me,” After saying that, Sima Ray lifted the curtain and came in. The white curtain was pulled to the other side, under which Xu Ji was as skinny as a pile of dried bones. His skin was as thin as a layer of kite paper, which could be broken by a single poke. His facial features were deeply sunken, which could barely show his original graceful, god-like appearance. Even when Xu Ji was seriously ill, his appearance was still as gentle as jade due to Baili Ai’s meticulous care, but now…
Seeing Xu Ji lying on the bed like a terrifying skeleton, Sima Ray felt disgusting in his heart. At that time, a wheelchair was pushed slowly from outside the bed curtain. It was the person who looked like a boy serving in a scholar’s study pushing Yu Haitang out.
“It’s you again?” Sima Ray tried his best to lower down his voice because there were still so many people outside, “How many times did I tell you before? It’s okay that you take away Qiu Shuihan’s martial arts for yourself, but why do you do that to Xu Ji too? Do you know how hard it is for me to find him?”
“But now?” Yu Haitang looked much more energetic than in the morning. Although the hair was still as white as snow, it was much glossier, “Even though I don’t kill him for you, he can do nothing but lying on the bed, wasting your medicine and servants. You should thank me for that.”
“You,” Sima Ray’s absolute authority was challenged like this for the first time. No. It was the second time. He always remembered Leng Changxi’s face, “Mr. Yu, it’s true that I’ve invited you here and taken you as my guest, but you can’t do whatever you want to do.”
Yu Haitang merely took a glance at Sima Ray, looking breathless, “Your Royal Highness, I don’t take your martial arts away only because you still have a little value to be used. You shouldn’t be too casual, too.”
Seeing Yu Haitang fluttering away, Sima Ray unexpectedly felt a feeling of helplessness as if he had been stabbed in his heart by a knife and forced to keep silent.
“Your Royal Highness, look here,” the servant beside him came forward immediately and pointed at Xu Ji’s body, which was already out of shape, “What should we do with it?”
Sima Ray didn’t want to give Xu Ji one more glance, “Just drag it out and bury it. Remember, keep it a secret. Tell others that Lieutenant Xu’s disease is too serious to be cured.”
After arranging the funeral quickly, Sima Ray returned to his camp, feeling a little absent-minded. Comparing to Luguan, Ping Town was like a small county. Obviously, there was no palace as large as Yunying Palace for him to live in. However, the tent, narrow and small, was not the main reason to make him feel uncomfortable and worried.
Sima Ray was thinking of her again. Qin Yunuan.
Sima Ray had seen her sticking to Leng Changxi like a white rabbit. He saw her cheering for Leng Changxi’s victory, as happy as a child. He saw her feeling worried when witnessing that Leng Changxi rode a black horse and leaped up to the high camp wall. There was nobody else but the damned Leng Changxi in her eyes.
“D*mn it,” Sima Ray clenched his fist. The feeling of injustice and the desire for possession in his heart was getting stronger. How weird it was! The more this white rabbit ignored him, the more he wanted her. Sima Ray wanted to see Qin Yunuan worry him. Not only did Sima Ray want to conquer Qin Yunuan’s body, but he also wanted to conquer Qin Yunuan’s heart. He must do what Leng Changxi could do.
Comparing to the panic in Sima Ray’s camp, Leng Changxi was busy in the stockade.
Although the old village head promised to help Leng Changxi cross the Sui River, the lame man Zhang and other people strongly demanded to join Leng Changxi’s army. Apart from them, all the young and middle-aged people in the 17 villages around and the villages that had been forcibly conscripted before eagerly came here, wanting to join the army.
Some of them hated Sima Ray’s scheme to usurp the throne. Some merely wanted to avenge their family. Others admired Leng Changxi’s horizon and courage, willing to follow him to achieve greatness. However, Leng Changxi and Qin Yunuan also tried their best when selecting soldiers to join the army.
Firstly, they didn’t want the only child of a family. Secondly, they didn’t want a married man with a young child in his family. Thirdly, they didn’t want a man who had to raise a child from his collateral family.
The war had caused disastrous life. Neither Qin Yunuan nor Leng Changxi hoped that they would cause the breakdown of more families that could have been saved.
The queue requesting to join the army used to be long. Hearing the three requirements, most people shook their heads, feeling hesitant. Only the 7 or 8 people at the end of the queue jumped up. Tall and strong as they were, their clothes were in tatters like beggars. Their head was a man with a beard. The black and messy beard covered half of his face, so his original appearance could not be seen.
“Only three requirements! My brothers and I are all qualified. Firstly, we have no mothers as we are all orphans. Secondly, we have no wives and children. Thirdly, we have no relatives and relatives’ children. Those who are in front of us, if you don’t go to enroll, please make way for my brothers.”
The man spoke crudely. Immediately someone recognized them.
“Hey, aren’t they the group of monks who escaped after killing the abbot in the Bailong Temple? Why do they come to join the army? Showing off like that, aren’t they asking for death?”
Rumors spread. Words swept like a west wind rolling the fallen leaves. Hearing that, Qin Yunuan, who came to give ginger soup to those soldiers in charge of conscription, put down the spoon in her hand and just looked at the crowd from a distance.
The soldier next to Qin Yunuan immediately comforted her by her ears, “Madam, there’s no need to worry. The people just want to make trouble. How can those who have killed people enter our military camp?”
They were flattering words. However, they were in the wrong place. Qin Yunuan turned her head and said indifferently, “Look at the people in our military camp. Who has never killed anyone? Let someone bring them over and show me.”
The soldier was still a little puzzled. Qin Yunuan had already turned around and entered the enlistment camp nearby. Leng Shuang looked at him and ordered, “Don’t you follow Madam’s order?”
Qin Yunuan sat in the camp, which was a little cold. The camp was rather rudimentary because it was casually built with the support of a few thick wooden sticks. The cold wind could directly blow in, chilly and freezing.
Maner on the side gathered the cloak for Qin Yunuan when a rough greeting came from outside, “Madam, I’ve come here with my brothers.”
Maner frowned. Seeing the several strong men know nothing about manners with quite rude words and behaviors, she shouted, “How rude you are! Don’t you salute when you see Madam!”
“It’s okay,” Qin Yunuan waved her hands to stop Maner, thinking that these people didn’t know how to salute, “I don’t need useless manners.”
The head of them smiled, “Look! I know Madam is the most reasonable. You are not like the people outside, who all said that my brother and I were murders to be brought to justice. I find it strange really. Prince Ray rebelled, but he is still alive now. We just killed some bad monks in the Bailong Temple who oppressed the residents at the foot of the hill, but we are convicted. How weird it is!”
“I’ve heard what happened in the Bailong Temple,” Qin Yunuan nodded, “Indeed, those abbots secretly rented the land belonging to the temple to merchants to earn higher rents for usury. In order to force the farmers to hand over their fields, they even increased the land tax recklessly, causing people to leave their homes.”
“Look! I’ve already said that those people should be killed! Madam, only you are reasonable.”
“However,” Qin Yunuan turned her topic of conversation when the man already interrupted, “However what? Madam, don’t you believe the martial arts of my brothers and me?”
The man looked around blankly and focused on the extra thick wooden stick used to build the tent, which was as thick as the length of two hands. The man strode towards it and asked one brother to carry the thick wooden stick. Exercising his Qi, he directly slashed it with his palm. Unexpectedly, the thick wooden stick was cut neatly as if it were cut with a knife.
Not to mention the strength of the fist, even carrying the wooden stick required the cooperation of 2 or 3 soldiers. However, the plain-looking man could carry it all by himself. It was really hard.
“Madam, now you can trust us.”
Qin Yunuan couldn’t help but praise in her heart. The martial arts of those people were definitely excellent. Otherwise, how could they have not been caught when it was nearly one year since the abbot in Bailong Temple was killed?
Even so, Qin Yunuan just smiled kindly, “Although I admire heroes, nothing can be accomplished without norms or standards. Heroes, if you want to join our military camp, you need to obey the rules of our military camp.” While saying, Leng Shuang had already taken out the clothes prepared just now. They looked a bit strange as they were not like the clothes of West Xia or Qi, the Central Plains. Instead, they looked like the clothes of Kunlun slaves in South Yue. Did Qin Yunuan want to let them be slaves?
The head frowned, “Madam, what do you mean?”
“Heroes, don’t get me wrong,” Qin Yunuan said calmly, “After all, you are involved in a murder. Heroes, although I know that you’ve protected people from being harmed, if I admit you into the military camp at this time, it’s inevitable that others will have dissenting opinions about your arrival. I find that you resemble the Kunlun slaves in the southern land. If you dress up like Kunlun slaves, no one will have doubts.”
The man was still hesitating. Actually, they had their own concern when attending Leng Changxi’s army. Their crime was convicted by Sima Ray along with Dali Temple. If they could redeem sins by doing good deeds like defeating Sima Ray, they would no longer live in hiding. At least, they could shave their beards.
“A great man knows when to yield and when not,” Qin Yunuan let Leng Shuang put the clothes on the ground with a glance and slowly walked out of the camp, “Heroes, think carefully about it.”
Going out of the camp, Maner was a little confused. She asked in a low voice, “Madam, why do you take in these people? They look so terrifying.”
Qin Yunuan nodded and smiled, “Don’t you see them unruly. However, they are my deadly weapon against Yu Haitang.”
