"These people are truly..."
Song Qingchao couldn't help but voice her thoughts, her hand tightening.
She tilted her head to look at Bai You'an, "What is it?"
"Nothing, I suddenly wondered if bringing you in was the right or wrong decision."
Bai You'an's eyes held a hidden depth.
Song Qingchao pondered for a moment, then spoke softly, "Whether it's right or wrong, it doesn't matter anymore. Coming here was my own choice, wasn't it?"
After the group descended, they saw Chang Pinghe, as if he hadn't noticed Xiang Yunling being surrounded, directly get into the carriage with Wanwan.
At this moment, Song Qingchao and Bai You'an were both filled with questions.
Song Qingchao walked to Xiang Yunling's side.
Old Man Chang was still ranting there.
"Leave the child, and I won't care where you go!"
"You people are truly something else?" Xiang Yunling's voice was cold as she directly handed the child to Song Qingchao, "Back then, Wanwan suffered so many grievances and scorn when she married into your Chang family. Now, after giving birth through near-death peril, you want to keep the child and abandon the mother. Where do you get such nerve?"
Old Man Chang, enraged, began to curse, "If it weren't for that woman, would she even be worthy of entering our family's doors?"
Xiang Yunling frowned impatiently, "I think you are the ones not worthy of her!"
"How can an orphan like her be worthy of a city guard? Our Chang family is a prominent clan!" Old Man Chang sneered.
Xiang Yunling perfunctorily replied, "Yes, yes, yes. I hope all your prominent clans can stay alive."
He directly walked past the group and even turned back to smile at Song Qingchao, "You're the one who dragged me here, so you can deal with this mess yourself."
Song Qingchao: ???
She looked down at the infant, who couldn't even open its eyes, and a wave of tenderness washed over her.
But that detestable Old Man Chang had to ruin the mood.
"Outsider, you have no reason to help that woman." Old Man Chang winked.
Following his gesture, two women who looked reasonably robust emerged.
They stepped forward, attempting to snatch the child from Song Qingchao's arms.
Song Qingchao sidestepped, causing one of them to miss their grasp.
Bai You'an also helpfully stuck out his foot, tripping the woman, who fell directly to the ground with a yelp of pain.
Afterward, Bai You'an acted as if nothing had happened, leaning against Song Qingchao and pulling out a fan from his embrace to fan himself, "I'll have to get the Chang Guard Commander to pay for this fan."
Song Qingchao, having just kicked away another woman, raised an eyebrow and looked at him, "Didn't you say this fan was very expensive, specially made? Where do you expect the Chang Guard Commander to get you a new one?"
Old Man Chang tapped the ground incessantly with his cane, "This is the bloodline of my Chang family. Where are you taking him?"
Bai You'an nudged Song Qingchao at her waist, "Someone is speaking to you."
Song Qingchao gave him a direct glare and spoke without reservation, "Of course, to his mother. This infant needs breast milk."
She sized up Old Man Chang from head to toe, then added with utmost sincerity, "Do you have any?"
"You, you!"
"Me?" Song Qingchao tilted her head and asked Bai You'an, "What about me?"
Bai You'an stretched lazily, "You're pretty."
He tugged at Song Qingchao's clothes, "Let's go. Get the Chang Guard Commander to get me a fan."
Song Qingchao followed slowly behind, "Your fan is made from human bones. How can you get another one?"
Bai You'an's eyes swept indifferently over the crowd behind Old Man Chang, and he also raised his hand, "Aren't there a lot of people here? Take one rib from each of them, and that will be just enough to replace my eighteen fan ribs."
As soon as he said this, the crowd instantly took a step back.
Whether it was a psychological effect or something else,
Song Qingchao also felt the night had turned a bit chilly.
"You are utterly presumptuous!"
Old Man Chang's white beard trembled, and his hand kept flitting between Song Qingchao and Bai You'an.
Song Qingchao, still cradling the child, continued to bicker with Bai You'an, completely ignoring Old Man Chang.
"Guards, attack! My Chang family's bloodline cannot be allowed to flow out!"
Suddenly, with a cry, the infant in Song Qingchao's arms wailed loudly.
Song Qingchao quickly patted him, but to no avail.
Feeling a pang of urgency, she glanced at the people rushing forward. She could fight them, but it would be too much of a waste of time.
After she knocked down two men, she lunged directly in front of Old Man Chang.
She held the infant in one arm and, with the other, brandished a dagger to Old Man Chang's throat, "What is this 'bloodline of your Chang family' you speak of? Let me tell you, I am someone from the Grand Princess's retinue. If you harm me today, and the Princess holds you accountable later, you will bear the consequences!"
She leaned closer to Old Man Chang, "I wonder how many of your Chang family's bloodline will be left then!"
"The Grand Princess?" Old Man Chang was still defiant at this moment, his neck stiffened, "Would the Grand Princess come to our humble little place?"
His eyes widened, and his cane pounded the ground, "Here! Even a dragon must coil up!"
Song Qingchao couldn't help but find it amusing, "You truly are fearless of death!"
A cold smile curved her lips, and the knife in her hand was about to slice into Old Man Chang's throat.
"Miss Song, wait!"
The blade had just drawn a tiny trickle of blood.
Old Man Chang suddenly showed fear, but when he saw Chang Pinghe descend from the carriage, he became arrogant again, "If you have the nerve, then kill me!"
He ostentatiously took a step forward, "Kill me! Let's see if Chang Pinghe can let you off!"
Song Qingchao found it amusing. She raised her eyebrows and looked towards the person approaching from afar, "Finally decided to show up?"
Bai You'an also chimed in, "If you didn't come out soon, your son would be gone."
Chang Pinghe's expression was impassive. He first bowed respectfully to the two.
Then, he slowly took the child from Song Qingchao's arms.
Seeing the child being taken away, Song Qingchao retracted her dagger.
Unless they were truly heinous criminals, she didn't want to accumulate so much bloodshed.
Chang Pinghe looked down at the wailing child for a long time before finally uttering, "These eyes really resemble Wanwan's."
After saying that, he sighed.
Facing Old Man Chang, he said, "Old Man Chang, I apologize, but this child belongs to Wanwan, and I cannot hand him over to you. Furthermore, the child is frail, and this place is not suitable for him."
Song Qingchao turned sideways and wiped her dagger, "To clarify, you are all currently infected with the plague. You have no means of treatment or prevention, so the child absolutely cannot be given to you. If you were to take him, the child might not even survive for two days. Do you understand?"
"Let's go, Commander Chang."
Old Man Chang did not stop them after hearing this, but he finally blocked Bai You'an, "Doctor Bai, with hundreds of lives at stake, are you truly going to stand by and do nothing?"
There was no ripple in Bai You'an's eyes, "It's not that I won't save them, it's that I am powerless to do so now."
He lowered his head to meet Old Man Chang's cloudy eyes, "I cannot even protect myself, how can I save others?"
"But you are a doctor! Isn't it natural to save lives and help the injured?"
"Natural?" Song Qingchao shifted her gaze, turning to look at Bai You'an, "Where is this 'natural'? Old Man Chang should be asking if I am willing. Moreover, if I also get infected and die, what will you people do?"