Feng Yun and Puyang Jiu hurried along to catch up and encountered a few soldiers from the Northern Yong Army outside of Wanning City.

They informed Feng Yun that Wen Xingsu had sent Shentu Jiong to come to their aid, and he was supposed to pass by Wanning about an hour earlier, and by now, he should have already met up with the Prince of Yonghuai.

They also said that Shentu Jiong was accompanied by a medical officer and a thousand soldiers, ready to exterminate the bandits at Xiufeng Mount in one fell swoop.

Feng Yun asked two soldiers to lead the way, crossing Wanning City and just as she got on the official road, she heard the clop-clop of horse hooves in the distance.

Puyang Jiu said, "The bandits of Wanning Mountain are rampant. Sister-in-law, should we avoid them?"

Just as Feng Yun was about to respond, she heard the neighing of warhorses from up ahead, and the person riding on the horse was shouting like a tolling bell.

"Military matters are urgent, clear the way!"

This official road was not very spacious, being the only route to Wanning, and Feng Yun, in her carriage, was blocking a good half of the road.

However, she did not move aside, instead showing a hint of surprise.

"It’s Big Brother Shentu!"

Shentu Jiong and Yang Qi were good friends of Wen Xingsu, and Feng Yun had known them since she was a child. After they surrendered to Jin with Wen Xingsu, they were now highly valued in the military.

This time, Wen Xingsu had dispatched Shentu Jiong to lead troops to provide support, and incidentally suppress the bandits, which was also a way to uplift his friend.

Feng Yun held up her umbrella as she got out of the carriage, waiting under the scorching sun.

Soon, a cloud of dust arose from the direction ahead, and Shentu Jiong, leading about twenty people in a carriage, came racing toward her at high speed, the wheels almost sparking against the ground...

"Halt!" When Shentu Jiong saw Feng Yun, he let out a long sigh of relief.

"Greetings, Princess. Is the Medical Officer Puyang accompanying us?"

Feng Yun nodded and glanced at the quiet carriage. Despite the hot weather, her complexion was slightly pale.

"How is His Highness doing?"

Shentu Jiong’s expression was very serious as he shook his head.

"He has not yet regained consciousness."

As he finished speaking, the carriage curtain was pulled open from the inside, revealing the face of Zuo Zhong.

Weak and pale, it was clear he was also severely injured.

"Princess, the Prince is gravely injured!"

Feng Yun hummed a note and directed the guards by her side.

"Move the patient to my carriage."

When they had gone to pick up the wounded, the guards had unloaded two door boards from the city to make a crude stretcher, and the carriage had been temporarily taken from the Prefecture Governor’s Office of Wanning County.

In such hot weather, the temperature inside the carriage was very high, unbearably hot.

Thus, as she passed through Andu, Feng Yun specially made a detour to Yutangchun and brought along ice basins from the cellar storage.

At this moment, the ice basins had not melted, and her carriage was much cooler.

Normally, Feng Yun, fanning herself vigorously with a large palm-leaf fan, was too reluctant to use it, but today she indulged herself for once.

Several ice basins were arranged neatly, wrapped in mattresses.

As the curtain was lifted, refreshing cool air greeted them.

When moving the injured from the carriage, Zuo Zhong and Jiu You were easier to deal with; they were conscious, and their ability to move was not greatly affected, so they could support themselves into the carriage.

Pei Jue was different.

Tall and burly with large hands and feet, two planks of wood placed side by side were needed, and it required several men to carry him over.

Feng Yun, worried that he might bump into something, carefully shielded him with her hands, sweating profusely in the heat.

Once everything was ready, Shentu Jiong bowed from outside the carriage, "With the Princess and Medical Officer Puyang here, I will not accompany you."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Zhong weakly asked, "General Shentu, are you heading to Xiufeng Mount?"

Shentu Jiong replied, "Yes, I am rushing back to Xiufeng Mount immediately, determined to capture all the bandits in one go."

Zuo Zhong advised, "When His Highness encountered danger, the bandits had a large number of people, they had prepared caltrops and other heavy weaponry like crossbow traps beforehand, General Shentu must be cautious."

Shentu Jiong gratefully bowed his hands.

"Thank you, Left Guard, for your advice."

Would Shentu Jiong be careless with the person capable of seriously wounding Pei Jue?

He bid his farewells one by one, bowing ceremoniously.

Feng Yun said, "Big Brother Shentu, please find out for me, who is responsible for His Highness’s serious injury. Take the trouble to dislocate his arm for me and bring it back."

A silence fell around them.

The crowd looked at this woman, who spoke with an air of nonchalance, for a long while without saying a word.

Feng Yun slightly pursed her lips, "Go ahead."

Shentu Jiong snapped out of it and inhaled deeply, "I take my leave!"

Shentu Jiong left swiftly with a few followers, trailing dust.

The remainder of the group escorted Feng Yun and her party back to Wanning.

It was very quiet in the carriage.

Zuo Zhong and Jiu You watched the woman in front of them with furrowed brows, holding their breath, silent.

Puyang Jiu knelt in the carriage, examining Pei Jue’s wounds.

The medical officer Shentu Jiong had brought had already treated their wounds, and at this moment, Pei Jue was wrapped in white cloth, his injury not visible beyond the bloodstains on his clothes.

After a moment of silence, she asked Zuo Zhong."How did the King get hurt?"

Zuo Zhong was also injured, his hand pressing on the wound, but his expression remained calm.

"The weather was hot, and the King wanted to return to Andu City early, so he took us both on a shortcut through Xiufeng Mountain. We didn’t expect to fall into someone else’s ambush..."

Zuo Zhong hesitated for a moment before adding, "Those mountain bandits were well-trained, in my opinion, they seemed to be the remnants of Gua Ping, the former defender of Wanning City. After Wanning City fell, these scattered soldiers turned to banditry in the mountains."

The defender of Wanning City, Gua Ping, had fought valiantly against the Beiyong Army for several days; upon defeat, he refused to surrender and took his own life to maintain his honor.

Feng Yun remembered that on the day Wanning City fell, Andu City was also filled with sorrowful lamentations. When Feng Jingteng returned home, he was dragging his legs, his footsteps so weak he nearly collapsed on the ground.

Feng Yun said, "Governor Gua was a man of heroic bearing, and I had the fortune to meet him once. His subordinates, several ferocious generals, were each brave and unyielding. I didn’t expect that, dead or injured, those who remained would turn into bandits."

Gua Ping was also a famed fierce general within the Qi Army.

It’s a pity that he was born at the wrong time, facing Pei Jue.

Pei Jue had praised Gua Ping several times, and upon hearing this, Zuo Zhong also nodded repeatedly.

"When Wanning City fell, one of Gua Ping’s officers, Hou Zhun, led a breakout with two or three thousand men. The Great General sent Hu Yi of the Azure Dragon Army to pursue them, and afterwards, Hu Yi reported that all the remnants were eradicated. He personally executed Hou Zhun with his sword; the scattered soldiers were dispersed and no longer a threat, so the Great General did not bother to exterminate them completely."

What followed was well known to all.

Han Xu and Chu surrendered during the battlefront, Hu Yi led troops in revolt, attempting to encircle Pei Jue in Bingzhou.

Feng Yun pondered for a moment, pursing his lips coldly.

"So you’re saying this assassination attempt is related to the south?"

Zuo Zhong was silent.

Jiu You cursed loudly from the side.

His injuries were worse than Zuo Zhong’s; his entire head was wrapped in white cloth, leaving only his face visible with two shallow cuts, looking disheveled.

But when he spoke, he had more authority in his voice than Zuo Zhong.

"Damn that Xiao Cheng, it must have been his doing. His mouth says the two countries are allies, building bridges and paving roads to show goodwill toward Dajin, but behind our backs, he probably hasn’t stopped scheming against our King..."

Feng Yun turned to look at Puyang Jiu and asked, "General, where are you injured?"

Jiu You: "On the waist."

Zuo Zhong: "The shoulder."

Both answered in unison, and Feng Yun glanced over at Pei Jue, who had not yet awakened, then back at the two of them.

"How far were you two from the King when it happened?"

The two personal guards were less seriously injured than Pei Jue, yet the King was left severely wounded and unconscious. How had they managed to escape from such peril?

Feng Yun was filled with doubts.

As Jiu You tried to say something, his wound was aggravated. He hissed in pain, gritted his teeth, and mumbled indistinctly.

Zuo Zhong said, "It’s my incompetency."

Feng Yun didn’t say much more and waited for Puyang Jiu to inspect the injuries; Puyang Jiu then turned to Feng Yun and said:

"The wound reveals bone, and he will need proper rest to recover."

Feng Yun hummed in acknowledgment, "Thank you, Physician Puyang."

Puyang Jiu sighed helplessly, "Why be so formal? I’ve been treating Old Pei’s wounds for more than a day or two now. When he first joined the camp, he would get injured every few days, nothing but scrapes and bruises. I’ve grown used to it."

Feng Yun’s gaze fell upon Pei Jue’s pallid face, listening to Puyang Jiu speak of past events she hadn’t been a part of, imagining what Pei Jue must have been like when he first joined the camp...

"It seems this man had quite the difficulty growing up in one piece."

Puyang Jiu said, "Indeed, it has not been easy."

His face bore a smile that seemed a bit too relaxed.

Feng Yun fell silent again, speechless all the way.

It was not until the carriage entered Changmen that she had people carry Pei Jue into the inner chamber and called for water to help him wash the filth from his body. She sent the servants away and then sat down stern-faced beside the bed.

"Still not awake? Are you waiting for me to call someone to perform a ritual dance?"

The room was eerily quiet.

Feng Yun lowered her gaze, "I’ll count to three, and if you don’t wake up by then, I’m done caring for you. One, two..."

She counted quickly.

As if afraid she would voice the number "three," the man on the bed suddenly opened his eyes, wincing in pain.

"Lady Yun?"

Feng Yun stared at him then pinched his arm hard, causing Pei Jue to hiss and grab her hand.

Feng Yun forcefully pulled away, returning a furious glare.

"I used four basins of ice; you owe me."

Pei Jue’s eyebrows knotted, silently gazing at her.

Feng Yun withdrew her hand and personally examined his wounds.

Staring into his eyes, she prodded carefully with her finger everywhere.

Both Zuo Zhong and Jiu You had told the truth; indeed, there were injuries in both places, but they were not severe. The most serious was the shoulder wound, which was the area Puyang Jiu had been attentively bandaging up in the carriage.

When Pei Jue saw her stop, he slowly caught her hand, gazing deeply into her eyes.

"I’ll compensate you. But to strike so hard, aren’t you worried it might hurt me?"

Feng Yun watched him silently, then suddenly reached out and loosened his outer robe, pulling off the belt.

"Why didn’t you say a word before returning to Andu?"