Eventually, the old man let Chen Xing ride the carriage alone, with the rest following behind. It wasn't that he believed Chen Xing's "wild man" story, but rather that he cared more about his horse than this group of ragged, hungry-looking people.
This small carriage couldn't accommodate so many people, and Chen Xing was a chatterbox, talking all the way about how hard he had worked to train them and the benefits they would gain after training. He talked so much that the carriage driver was stunned, and his last bit of guilt disappeared.
Thus, a peculiar scene appeared on the wide official road: a carriage followed by a group of people. It looked quite harmonious after a while.
There weren't many people on this road, and everything went smoothly at first. Just as they were about to reach the gate of Lingshui County, Chen Xing suddenly heard a woman's voice.
"Old man! Where are you going? Can you give me a ride?"
Chen Xing turned his head to look at a large tree by the roadside. A woman was sitting on a branch. She was dressed in neat black training clothes and had a long sword hanging from her waist. Although she was speaking to the carriage driver, her gaze was fixed on him.
Her face was expressionless, except for a faint, almost imperceptible cold smile at the corner of her lips.
It was an acquaintance, Xiao Yao, whom he had reported to Xia Yunting before. He didn't expect to meet her here. Judging by her demeanor, she was not here with good intentions!
The carriage driver, unaware of the undercurrents between them, simply replied, "Miss, I'm going to Lingshui County! If it's on your way, hop on!"
Xiao Yao nodded, leaped down nimbly, and landed right in front of the carriage. She gave Chen Xing a challenging look, then took a gold ingot from her embrace and handed it to the carriage driver. "Old man, this is for your carriage. Make all the idlers get off and take only me."
"This..." The carriage driver was a little hesitant. He had already taken money from Chen Xing. Although it was nothing compared to this gold ingot, Chen Xing's physique, like a huge black bear, was quite intimidating. What if he forced them off and the other party beat him up?
Seeing his hesitation, Xiao Yao continued, "Old man, you don't need to be afraid. Just take the money and make them get off. If anyone dares to bully others with their power, I'll be the first to object!"
Her tone was filled with strong hostility, and it was obvious who she was hinting at.
Chen Xing originally thought it was best to avoid trouble, but he was suddenly curious. This county princess had probably never seen him before. Although she had attended the wedding banquet, she hadn't met him. She shouldn't recognize him now. Where did this hostility come from?
"Miss, how have I offended you? This is our first meeting, and I don't think I've done anything wrong. Please clarify."
Chen Xing deliberately lowered his voice, afraid that if his tone was slightly harsher, the other party might misunderstand, especially since his large frame was already quite intimidating.
Xiao Yao sneered and pointed at the group of young men behind Chen Xing, who were panting for breath. "What's going on with these people? Isn't it because of your oppression that they've become like this? Relying on your greater height and strength to bully others, I hate this kind of person the most."
She tilted her chin up. Even though the other party's physique was almost twice her size, she was fearless.
Chen Xing finally understood that the misunderstanding was caused by the people behind him.
However, he didn't need to explain. Chen Xing jumped off the carriage, cupped his fists, and said, "I'll give this carriage to Miss. Farewell."
With that, he waved to the people behind him and walked towards Lingshui County on foot, followed closely by the group.
Xiao Yao was somewhat surprised. She had prepared herself for a big argument with him. She had even thought of the words to use. She didn't expect that despite looking fierce, he would be so accommodating, making her feel like she had punched cotton, which was quite uncomfortable.
"Miss, please get in," the carriage driver said, smiling broadly as he stared at the gold in her hand.
Xiao Yao put away the gold. "I don't want to ride the carriage anymore!"
She wanted to see who that man really was.
She adjusted her clothes, watched Chen Xing leading the group away, and then turned into the nearby woods, intending to take a shortcut to catch up.
The old man stood there stunned. His gold was gone just like that? This girl changed her mind too quickly!
In the Lingshui County prison, the jailer looked at the familiar, tall face and said politely, "Young master, tell me which prisoner you're looking for. There's no one in here I don't know."
Chen Xing said, "The ones who were arrested on the mountain last time."
"Alright!" The jailer responded and led them to a cell, took out a key, and opened the door.
It was a mixed-occupancy cell. Inside were seven or eight muscular men with tough faces, sitting on the ground with their heads bowed.
Hearing the commotion, they all looked up. Their eyes swept over Chen Xing's face, showing a hint of apprehension, then turned to the people behind him. Their eyes narrowed, and a fierce glint and murderous intent appeared.
The faces of the young men, led by Ji Dong, turned pale.
With a clatter, the lock fell, and the jailer gestured to the young men, inviting them in.
"Please, make yourselves at home!"
"Go in!"
Chen Xing raised an eyebrow at the group behind him and leaned against the wall to watch the show.
The group looked at each other. There was no turning back now. They only regretted their past foolishness in going to Gu Xinlan's house to cause trouble.
Someone pushed Ji Dong in, and the burly men immediately stood up.
Screams echoed from the cell, lasting for half an hour. When Chen Xing came out of the prison, he sighed deeply and turned to the people behind him.
"You've had your anger out, and your revenge is served. If you ever cause trouble for the villagers again, it will be considered instigation of trouble, and you'll be subject to legal action. Alright, let's go home!"
"Uncle..." Ji Dong slowly shuffled out, his face a colorful mess, like a pig's head, exposed to the sunlight. Blood mixed with tears flowed down his face.
"Can you find us a doctor first?"
"..." So troublesome.
When Chen Xing left Lingshui County, it was already the next day. After all, finding doctors and treating them one by one took a whole day. To save time, he bought a carriage and had everyone sit in it. As soon as they left the city, he felt a tail following them.
It was noon. The official road behind them was empty. Only someone with Chen Xing's keen senses could feel that someone was following them not far behind, and it was a woman, Xiao Yao.
His expression became serious. Had she recognized him? Did she want to find the general's whereabouts through him? How could he allow such a thing to happen?
"Hold on tight," he instructed the people behind him and suddenly turned the horse towards a small path. This abrupt turn almost dislodged the waists of the young men behind him.
The carriage galloped on the official road, the wheels crushing gravel with a creaking sound. Even though there were bushes ahead, followed by a dense forest, Chen Xing had no intention of stopping.
Xiao Yao followed behind, her eyes filled with confusion. This man's behavior was so abnormal. Had he discovered her?
Xiao Yao had originally thought Chen Xing was up to something illegal, seeing him with so many people, all in ragged clothes. She wanted to investigate, but the more she watched, the more familiar Chen Xing seemed. It wasn't his face that was familiar, but his demeanor, which clearly indicated he was no ordinary person.
That's why she had quietly followed him. As soon as the carriage entered the bushes, Xiao Yao quickly followed, using the tire tracks on the ground to find a carriage. However, the carriage was empty, with only a horse leisurely grazing on the ground.
Xiao Yao was surprised and quickly looked around. But besides greenery, she saw nothing. She searched the vicinity but found nothing.
It was eerie. Could a person disappear in broad daylight?
Xiao Yao stomped her foot in anger. Suddenly, a confident smile appeared on her face. Such high vigilance and such skill in hiding must mean he was no ordinary person. He must be one of Xia Yunting's subordinates.
She snorted. She didn't believe they could go far without a carriage. She looked at the ground and found several rows of disordered footprints in the southwest direction. She followed in that direction, her footsteps growing fainter until they disappeared.
Meanwhile, on the official road three miles away, Chen Xing was leading a group of people on foot.
"Hurry up, everyone. We'll have a carriage when we reach the town ahead."
Chen Xing waved his hand to urge everyone on, looking in the direction they had just left. He was relieved that he had inquired about the terrain when he last came to Lingshui County and knew where to take a shortcut. He had also deliberately left a trail of false footprints to confuse them. Otherwise, with so many people following him, that county princess Xiao Yao might have indeed tracked down the general.
In the few days that Chen Xing had taken the group away, the village had been relatively quiet. Except for a few mischievous children who often loitered around the haunted house, nothing significant had happened. Gu Xinlan had also gone home to see her mother. Wu Guiying's wounds had healed, but she was still frightened when she recalled that night.
Now, the most important thing was Zhang Yajing's illness.
According to the plan, this was the last day of treatment. If everything went smoothly today, Zhang Yajing would wake up and be able to live a normal life. This was the most crucial step, and it absolutely could not be disturbed.
As a precaution, Rong Zhi had specifically asked Xia Yunting to take Zhang Yajing to the mass grave.
Compared to the haunted house, the mass grave had more medicinal herbs and a secret chamber where they could treat her with peace of mind, without worrying about villagers causing trouble.
When Chu Qingze had prepared the medicinal herbs, Rong Zhi began to treat Zhang Yajing. As the temperature in the room rose, Rong Zhi's attention was completely focused on Zhang Yajing, completely unaware that chaos was about to erupt in the village.
"Zhang Yajing, whether you can live or not is entirely up to you. I know you've been through a lot, and it's hard to accept at once, but death is not the best option. I will only save you this once. If you wake up and still think death is better, I will not save you again."
Rong Zhi faced the woman on the bed, her eyes closed, her complexion appearing normal, but with no sign of waking. She said this by the bedside.
This was Rong Zhi's rule. She would do her best to save patients, but for those who committed suicide, Rong Zhi respected their choices. Saving them once was giving them a chance to regret. But if they were stubbornly set on their path, she would not save them a second time.
Zhang Yajing did not open her eyes, but her lips moved slightly. From that tiny movement, it was clear that she had uttered two words: Thank you.
Rong Zhi was touched. She turned to Xia Yunting and said, "If I can't hold on, you must transfer your internal energy into my body in the fastest way possible, no matter how. You must keep me conscious."
Xia Yunting had witnessed the dangers of Rong Zhi's treatment process over the past two days. Hearing her instructions, he realized that this time would be even more perilous. Compared to his role as a bodyguard, he felt there should be a better way.
"Xiao Mo, can you teach me your treatment method?"