By the forest, Qingyao stood on the edge of the cliff, facing the wind, gazing into the distance.
Winter was nearing its end, and in spring, the army would march west to attack Yun Cang Kingdom.
A figure approached her silently. Without turning, Qingyao knew who it was, for that familiar scent permeated the air around her.
A fleeting hint of heartache flashed in Yin Xuan’s deep, dark eyes. After Wu Qing revived, she was probably the one who had suffered the most. Now, with the soldiers poisoned, she was even more distressed.
He understood her best. When it came to good people, she would rather hurt herself than others. Although she appeared cold and the world believed her to be ruthless, her true self was only understood by those close to her.
“Yao’er, don’t overthink it. It’s already remarkable that so many people could be saved.”
“Mm,” Qingyao nodded. Indeed, saving so many was no small feat. She looked up at Yin Xuan beside her, feeling grateful for his help this time. She hadn’t expected him to be so knowledgeable in medicine.
“Thank you for this time.”
“What are you talking about? This is our army,” Yin Xuan smiled gently. If it weren’t for the presence of so many people, and with Wu Qing being there, he would have loved to hold her in his arms, letting her rest her head on his chest. She had been too tired lately, her face growing thinner and thinner.
“After settling these people, I plan to accompany Wu Qing back to Wu Qing Valley.”
Qingyao’s cool voice rang out. Yin Xuan’s body stiffened, his eyes widening in disbelief. It took him a while to speak.
“Yao’er, you’re not going to look after these soldiers anymore?”
Qingyao smiled slowly. “How could I not? I’ll be stationed at the rear. General An can handle the front lines. After the wars with Dan Feng and Wan He Kingdoms, he has become increasingly capable.”
“But don’t you doubt the poisoning of the soldiers at all? Who would truly want to kill these hundreds of thousands of troops of Xian Yue? Why have these incidents occurred one after another since Wu Qing’s appearance?”
As Yin Xuan finished speaking, a faint voice echoed from not far behind them, “I knew you would suspect me?”
It was Wu Qing. Qing Feng pushed him forward, just in time to hear Yin Xuan’s words. Yin Xuan, too agitated, had spoken loudly and with an unsteady emotion, so Wu Qing heard every word.
Qingyao glanced at Yin Xuan. His eyes flickered with deep expectation, hoping she would believe him, that this Wu Qing was not the former Wu Qing, but someone else?
Qingyao pursed her lips, turned away from Yin Xuan, and looked directly at Wu Qing. She saw deep sorrow on his lowered face, his white hair gleaming, spotlessly clean. Qingyao walked over and spoke softly, “Wu Qing, it’s alright. We’ll return to Wu Qing Valley tomorrow.”
Behind her, Yin Xuan’s eyes were filled with a pain so profound, so bone-chilling…
As Qingyao pushed Wu Qing away, though she didn’t look back, she mentally apologized to Yin Xuan many times. This was the only way she could truly expose this person’s true face and see who he really was.
Just earlier, when the soldiers retreated from the dense forest, she had pushed Wu Qing out and saw him step on a Double Leaf Fragrant Lotus without any reaction, completely unaware.
This revealed the flaw.
He was not Wu Qing at all.
The real Wu Qing treated medicinal herbs as his life. He had once said that every herb was a life, and their inherent mission was to heal the sick and help people. Therefore, they must be utilized wisely to die a worthy death.
That Double Leaf Fragrant Lotus was still a medicinal herb, a rare and precious one. Yet Wu Qing had stepped on it unknowingly. He didn’t understand herbs at all, so how did he know about this epidemic?
Unless… he was the one who administered the poison. Why would he poison them? This indicated he was actually from Yun Cang Kingdom or Wan He Kingdom. Who could it be?
Chu Qianyi or Chang Sun Zhu? Qingyao had a suspicion. Returning to Wu Qing Valley was merely a delaying tactic, but it pained Yin Xuan deeply, causing him repeated heartache.
Qingyao escorted Wu Qing back to the bamboo hut and then to her own. Mo Chou and Xiao Yu’er exclaimed repeatedly, “Mother, are you really returning to Wu Qing Valley? What about the army then?”
“I have already instructed An Dingfeng. After the snow melts, everyone will officially march towards Yun Cang Kingdom. Without me, Xian Yue can still attack Yun Cang.”
Her voice was loud this time. She knew the person in the adjacent room was eavesdropping. Since they were eavesdropping, why not let them listen openly and let them understand that Yun Cang Kingdom would definitely be attacked.
Since they dared to provoke her, she would absolutely not let Yun Cang Kingdom off the hook.
In the adjacent room.
Wu Qing and Qing Feng exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with a clear light.
“It seems we must eliminate her quickly and return to Yun Cang. Did you really intend to accompany her back to Wu Qing Valley?”
Qing Feng questioned coldly. A flicker of pain crossed Wu Qing’s eyes, and his face was extremely distressed. Hurting her was incredibly painful, but with her, Yun Cang Kingdom would surely be destroyed. If she perished, at least they could last a little longer.
She was like a sharp weapon. Destroying the sharp weapon first would make it much easier to deal with these people.
Wu Qing looked up at Qing Feng. “Don’t you feel any pain?”
He knew Qing Feng’s feelings. Qing Feng raised his gaze, a fleeting sorrow flashing in his eyes. “This is not the time for childish affections. Unless you truly wish to exchange a nation for a woman.”
He couldn’t do that. His mission since childhood was that the nation was paramount above all else.
“I know,” Wu Qing lowered his head, clenching his fists. He buried his face in his hands in pain. Why had they fallen into such a predicament?
If she were just an ordinary person, how wonderful it would be. But if she were an ordinary person, would these favored children of heaven still love her so deeply?
The next day, Qingyao issued an order: the conquest of Yun Cang Kingdom would be fully commanded by General An Dingfeng, while she would be stationed at the rear, returning to Wu Qing Valley with Wu Qing.
Xiao Yu’er and Mo Chou, though reluctant, could only follow their mother in silence. Their mother’s decisions were unchangeable by anyone.
An Dingfeng, along with several deputy generals and colonels, escorted Qingyao and her party to the carriages. Bing Xiao, having been disciplined with military rods, had not yet recovered and could not accompany them to Wu Qing Valley. An Dingfeng assigned dozens of elite soldiers to escort them back to Wu Qing Valley…
The carriage sped away, heading directly towards Wu Qing Valley…
Inside the carriage, the atmosphere was heavy. Several people sat in the spacious interior, all silent. No one spoke.
Xiao Yu’er, who always loved liveliness, looked from one person to another, pouting. Her head drooped powerlessly.
Suddenly, a light whistle sounded outside the carriage, filled with killing intent. Mo Chou, greatly alarmed, quickly lifted the curtain.
On the official road, dozens of people in black, form-fitting attire were lined up. There were many more in the trees, numbering over a hundred, blocking the carriage’s path.
These individuals clearly intended harm, their killing intent palpable.
Mo Chou, pale with shock, turned to look at her mistress.