“Ten thousand well-trained soldiers, and they were routed in a single engagement? Xiang Wu Ren deserves death!” the governor of the Southern Domain, Zhou Shou Xiang, roared in fury. His teacup shattered against the floor. Xiang Wu Ren, with such an overwhelming advantage, actually managed to lose! Not only did he fail to kill Shang Chao Zong, but he also annihilated his own army! If others found out, what would people think?
He was incandescent with rage. Then he sat down in a chair, closed his eyes, and gradually calmed himself...
In Kuangai County, Feng Lin Bo was also furious. What wolf's fang bandits? It was clearly the work of the Southern Governor. And now, the imperial court was getting involved.
Movements began in Kuangai County. And just as everyone was stirring, a man from the Southern Domain Governor's palace appeared at the gates of the Count's residence. He sought Feng Lin Bo for negotiations. They wanted to resolve everything quietly, without raising a fuss...
The Capital. The Song Family Residence. Song Jiu Ming sat silently by the pond.
The steward, Liu Lu, quickly approached and reported:
“As soon as the Third Master learned of it, he flew into a rage.”
Song Jiu Ming furrowed his brows. He understood his son's feelings. The Supreme Purity Sect had publicly announced that Song Shu had committed a crime and insulted his masters. Even among common folk, such a label was unacceptable, let alone in the cultivation world. They had declared Song Shu a disciple who wished to destroy his own sect. How could Song Shu ever show his face in public after this? And there was no way to refute it. After all, the world increasingly sympathized with the weak. And now, it was the Supreme Purity Sect. Who would believe that the Supreme Purity Sect was lying?
They hadn't expected the Supreme Purity Sect to dare sever ties with them. And when they sent another sect to attack the Supreme Purity Sect, they found no one there.
Song Jiu Ming slowly asked, “Still no news of the Supreme Purity Sect?”
Liu Lu replied, “They vanished abruptly, their destination unknown. The search is ongoing!”
Song Jiu Ming clasped his hands behind his back and remained silent. He furrowed his brows. He himself understood that strange phenomena were occurring. Many things were slipping out of his control. The Supreme Purity Sect was beyond the Song family's grasp, Shang Chao Zong had escaped the imperial court's influence, and the Southern Governor had suffered defeat...
With infantry, the cavalry's pace slowed. What they could cover in two days, with infantry they had to cover in seven to eight days.
Along the way, Feng Ru Nan noticed something. They also had horses, military trophies, warhorses they had claimed for themselves. These horses were provided to the wounded soldiers. Yet, her own wounded guards, even after several days, still couldn't move quickly for fear of aggravating their injuries. But Shang Chao Zong's wounded soldiers could already support themselves on horseback. Some even limped about on their own. Clearly, their wounds were recovering faster.
Shang Chao Zong's warriors also noticed their wounds recovering faster, and so they were joyful. Feng Ru Nan saw the implications of this. What was the advantage of quick wound recovery after battle? For one, it meant less time spent caring for the wounded!
And another, far more important point for the army and its commander, was that his military strength could rapidly recover after battle. After all, a wounded soldier was incomplete military strength. And how valuable was wound recovery time, especially on the march.
Shang Chao Zong's bodyguards were delighted. And seasoned veterans, whenever they saw Yuan Gang or the monks, would immediately bow respectfully to them.
“Master, the brothers stumbled upon a bird's nest in the forest and found some eggs. Can we boil them?”
That evening, as they set up camp, a warrior approached Yuan Fang. Yuan Fang had just finished stitching him up, and now the warrior felt his wounds healing. Therefore, he gratefully brought the eggs to Yuan Fang.
Yuan Fang understood it would be rude to refuse the gift, so he accepted.
The warriors were grateful to the monks and had begun to revere them. Moreover, they heard that the stitches would soon need to be removed, which meant cutting the threads. Thus, everyone was once again overcome with dread, and they began seeking ways to curry favor with the monks.
Yuan Fang took the eggs and wanted to boil them. However, he accidentally singed his hands:
“Amitabha Buddha. I have sinned, I have sinned!”
“To eat a bird... that is to kill animals!” Yuan Fang immediately handed the eggs to the other monks and told them to feed them to the wounded.
The crowd of monks rejoiced and went to distribute the eggs to the wounded.
Yuan Fang also smiled. He himself had recently felt how the soldiers' attitudes towards them had changed. They offered good food to the monks, and the best utensils were also given to the monks first.
Such treatment had a positive effect on him. He even felt that the Buddha was right. One should do good for others. Therefore, he began to teach this to the other monks more diligently.
Sitting by the campfire, Shang Chao Zong also noticed that his men were getting better. He, too, smiled for the first time in days:
“Shu Qing is truly discerning. It seems Lord Dao's methods are indeed effective.”
Shu Qing smiled.
Lan Ruo Ting nodded approvingly. He also noticed that the wounded's injuries were healing better and rapidly closing. Normally, it would take at least half a month for the wounded to confidently begin moving again. But these men were already moving after just a few days.
He quietly spoke:
“Those monks didn't know how to stitch wounds. It seems this method isn't complicated. If Lord Dao doesn't mind, we should learn it. It could be useful to us later.”
Shang Chao Zong was silent for a moment. He feared Niu You Dao wouldn't agree to impart his method. However, he said:
“Shu Qing, could you try to ascertain Lord Dao's opinion on this matter?”
“Very well!” Shu Qing nodded.
And as they spoke, movement appeared nearby. Feng Ru Nan, accompanied by another person, approached a wounded bodyguard.
Shang Chao Zong and the others immediately stood up. They decided to see what was happening.
“Princess!” the bodyguard, who had been sitting by the campfire, crawled towards a crutch and, leaning on it, stood to greet Feng Ru Nan.
But she walked around him twice and then suddenly said, “Take off your trousers.”
“Eh?” The bodyguard was taken aback and looked at Shang Chao Zong.
Shang Chao Zong's own expression changed at those words. Feng Ru Nan was, after all, his woman, and she wanted his bodyguard to take off his trousers in front of everyone?
But Feng Ru Nan's next sentence astonished him even more.
“I want to see your wound.”
So that was it. Shu Qing was speechless...
In the end, the bodyguard removed his trousers and displayed the wound.
After Feng Ru Nan had looked, she signaled for Shang Chao Zong to approach.
“Your warriors are recovering quickly.”
Shang Chao Zong replied, “Lord Dao's method.”
Feng Ru Nan said, “Still, we are one family; there's no need to hide things from each other. Let him treat my warriors too.”
So that was it. Lan Ruo Ting was initially surprised that Feng Ru Nan mentioned their relationship. After all, it was difficult for her to speak of her marriage! However, as a commander, she couldn't simply stand by and watch her wounded suffer, so she was compelled to ask Shang Chao Zong.
Shang Chao Zong calmly replied, “That is Lord Dao's skill. We must ask him if he is willing to provide assistance or not.”
Feng Ru Nan had long determined, when Niu You Dao didn't charge into battle, that he didn't have a close relationship with the Prince. However, she herself had poor rapport with Niu You Dao, so she wanted to use Shang Chao Zong as an intermediary.
Shang Chao Zong did not refuse her and suggested they go to Niu You Dao together.
Niu You Dao was just sitting in his tent, meditating. Before the crowd could even approach him, Yuan Gang appeared and blocked their way.
Yuan Fang also hesitantly appeared next to Yuan Gang. One stood to his left, the other to his right.
Yuan Gang told him to ensure Niu You Dao's security. Yuan Gang clearly hinted that if anything happened to Niu You Dao, Yuan Fang would also be in dire straits.
Thus, Yuan Fang had no choice but to follow the instructions, whether he liked it or not.
The monks also appeared nearby and stood at a distance. In this way, a small group had already formed around Niu You Dao. And this group was secretly controlled by Niu You Dao. They were certainly not subordinate to Shang Chao Zong and Feng Ru Nan.
Feng Ru Nan gritted her teeth, looking at Yuan Fang, but for the sake of the matter, she had to endure.
From the tent, Niu You Dao's voice drifted out, “Let them enter.”
The group immediately entered his tent. Niu You Dao, who had been sitting, stood up and greeted them, cupping his hands in salute.
Shang Chao Zong immediately got to the point and explained what Feng Ru Nan wanted. Niu You Dao, meanwhile, noticed Lan Ruo Ting winking at him and shaking his head. He did not want Niu You Dao to impart this method to them.
Shu Qing noticed these signals after all.
After it was said, Niu You Dao sighed and replied:
“It's already too late for needles.”
Feng Ru Nan's face tightened, and she said:
“My Lord Dao, I was at fault in past matters. I beg your forgiveness. I hope Lord Dao will help us. From now on, I promise not to dwell on past grievances!”
Niu You Dao scratched his nose. He realized the girl hadn't understood him, and with a bitter smile, he replied:
“Princess, you've misunderstood. Now is no longer the time for stitching. The wounds have already begun to close, and it's too late to re-stitch them.”
Feng Ru Nan requested several more times, but the result was the same. In the end, she scoffed and turned to leave.
Niu You Dao could do nothing. Either she truly now saw him as a bad person, or she still hadn't understood.
Once everyone had left, only a smiling Lan Ruo Ting remained. Niu You Dao approached him and asked:
“Mister Lan, why did you ask me to refuse?”
Lan Ruo Ting deftly replied into his ear:
“The Princess still does not share a bed with the Prince. Lord Dao previously said that Feng Lin Bo's cavalry should be turned to our side. I support this as well! But as long as the Princess is commanding them, she won't let it happen. They need to see that we manage things better and care for everyone. Then the two of them might truly live together as husband and wife. For the Princess, this should ideally be a trivial matter already.”
Niu You Dao was surprised. So that was it! He wanted Niu You Dao to use his healing method to force Feng Ru Nan and Shang Chao Zong to sleep together? This fellow was quite the schemer.
“Mister Lan, I'm not as duplicitous as you. I refused only because it truly isn't the time for stitching wounds!”