Ye Chutang wore a cold expression as she approached Concubine Jiang.
Her footsteps were light, yet each one struck heavily upon Concubine Jiang’s heart.
It made her struggle to breathe, terror flickering in her eyes as she instinctively stepped back, forgetting the pain on her face.
Soon, a tree blocked her retreat.
Ye Chutang closed in swiftly and gripped Concubine Jiang’s neck with one hand.
“Have I been too merciful, sparing your life until now?”
Her icy words pierced Concubine Jiang’s ears, filling her with the threat of death.
Regret washed over her.
She regretted her reckless words that had provoked Ye Chutang’s long-standing resentment.
A suffocating pressure tightened around her throat, the sound of bones rubbing against each other echoed, frightening her so much that she lost control of her bladder.
A foul stench spread around.
Disgusted, Ye Chutang released her grip.
Weak and powerless, Concubine Jiang collapsed to the ground, face down.
A hairpin pierced through her cheek, pushed out slightly by the hard earth, causing her secondary injury.
Pain surged through her, and she screamed in agony.
Ye Chutang crouched down, pulling out the blood-stained hairpin, knocking out all of Concubine Jiang’s teeth and leaving her hoarse.
“Do you know why I didn’t kill you? Because living in utter despair is the true punishment.”
With that, she wiped the hairpin clean on Concubine Jiang’s clothes and placed it back in her own hair.
Then, turning to Wu Chenggang, she said, “Let’s go. Anyone who falls behind will be whipped hard!”
“Yes, Madam Qi.”
Wu Chenggang left two people behind to guard their belongings, took two days’ worth of dry rations, and set off toward the river Ye Chutang had mentioned.
The weather grew hotter, and ash from burnt grass and trees began to drift through the sky.
The ash stuck to their sweat-soaked faces, uncomfortable and unsightly.
No one paid it any mind.
Everyone just wanted to leave quickly, to avoid being caught in the wildfire and perishing in the flames.
Concubine Jiang, injured and shaken to the point of weakness by Ye Chutang, was the slowest to walk.
So the crack of the whip rang out from time to time, mostly landing on her.
The lashes drew blood but did not threaten her life.
The remaining lashes fell on Ye Jingchuan.
He carried Ye Siyin in his arms, his legs feeling like they were filled with lead; each step was pure agony.
If not for Zhu Rong supporting Ye Siyin from the side, she would have fallen long ago.
Finally reaching the riverbank, Ye Jingchuan collapsed from exhaustion.
Zhu Rong took the only jade earring she had and handed it to Wu Chenggang.
“Sir, please have the doctor examine Yin’er. If this continues, I fear there will be a double tragedy.”
Having suffered a miscarriage before, she understood that Ye Siyin’s condition was dire; the child was most likely lost.
But if there was even the slightest chance, she wanted to try.
Wu Chenggang eyed the exquisite earring greedily.
But he didn’t accept it and instead looked toward Ye Chutang.
No one knew what the road of exile would bring next, and he dared not offend a divine doctor for such a trifling gain.
Ye Chutang didn’t even need to take Ye Siyin’s pulse to know the child was already lost.
Before confirming her pregnancy, Ye Siyin had been recklessly indulging with Zhao Qingshu, causing instability in the fetus.
Had she rested properly, the child could have been carried to term.
But forced to walk dozens of miles every day, the child was doomed.
Today’s accident only hastened the inevitable miscarriage.
Ye Chutang nodded to Wu Chenggang.
Wu Chenggang accepted the earrings with a satisfied smile and handed them to the accompanying doctor to take Ye Siyin’s pulse.
Ye Siyin curled up, clutching her stomach tightly, her whole body trembling from the pain.
The doctor, having pocketed the bribe from Wu Chenggang, knelt down in front of Ye Siyin to feel her pulse.
But her body was so tense that the pulse he felt was unreliable.
“Miss Ye, please try to relax.”
Ye Siyin wanted to, but the pain was overwhelming, and her body refused to obey.
Zhu Rong quickly comforted her, “Siyin, hold on a little longer. The doctor can’t treat you without a proper pulse.”
Ye Chutang showed no interest in the grim reality.
She looked at Wu Chenggang. “Official Wu, have your men search along the riverbed for water.”
Though the riverbed was dry, there was still some dampness in the low-lying areas, clearly from recent drying.
So, if they could find a deep pit, they could find water.
Wu Chenggang ordered two men to search upstream and downstream along the river.
Ye Chutang found a shady spot and asked Qi He'an to bring out some dried meat and fruit to share with everyone.
“We’ll keep lunch simple today.”
With that, she carried the food and some ointment over to Chen Shaoping.
Chen Shaoping no longer needed his crutches, but his leg still couldn’t bear weight.
During the exile journey, he rode the cart with the child, and only when resting would he hobble around a bit.
Crossing a mountain was a tough challenge for him, and now his leg throbbed painfully.
Qi Qingyu was massaging Chen Shaoping’s leg. When she saw Ye Chutang approach, she quickly stood up.
“Sister-in-law, sorry to trouble you again.”
She took the food Ye Chutang handed her.
“We’re family, no need to be polite. I’ll treat my brother-in-law’s leg; otherwise, the injury will worsen.”
“All right, thank you for your hard work.”
After Ye Chutang finished applying acupuncture and ointment to Chen Shaoping’s leg, she left.
Qi Qingyu asked, “Sister-in-law, do you think this forest fire was set by the emperor?”
Earlier, Ye Chutang had traced the fire’s perimeter and pinpointed its origin.
It was a village.
Whether the fire was accidental or deliberate remained unknown.
“No matter if it was the emperor or not, he has to take the blame.”
Qi Qingyu nodded with a smile. “The emperor keeps targeting the Qi family. Even if he denies it, no one will believe him.”
“Those who bring disaster upon themselves deserve it!”
Ye Chutang’s words had just fallen when Ye Siyin broke down, crying uncontrollably.
“Doctor, please save my child! Please save him!”
Everyone turned toward Ye Siyin’s direction.
The doctor shook his head. “The child is gone. What you need now is medication and rest to recover your health.”
“He’s not dead! I can feel him!”
Zhu Rong refused to accept that her son’s posthumous child was lost.
She grabbed the doctor’s collar, shouting angrily, “You’re deliberately neglecting Siyin’s care to wipe out the Zhao family line, aren’t you?”
The doctor pushed Zhu Rong away, his face darkening with anger.
“Madam Zhao, the child has miscarried. If you don’t believe me, find someone more skilled.”
Though his medical skills were mediocre, he could tell whether the child was saved or not.
Zhu Rong knew he wasn’t lying but simply couldn’t accept the truth.
She turned to the culprit and lunged forward, pushing Old Madam Ye to the ground.
“You old hag! You’ve killed my precious grandson!”
Old Madam Ye fell hard onto the cobblestone ground, crying out in pain, "Ouch, ouch!"
Not daring to take the blame, she immediately glared at Ye Chutang.
“She deliberately refused to save Siyin and even caused her miscarriage!”
Ye Chutang touched the hairpin on her head and smiled slyly, showing a toothy grin.
“Old Madam Ye, tell me again—who exactly caused Ye Siyin’s miscarriage? Say it one more time, I didn’t quite catch that.”
Though she had purposely withheld help, she wasn’t about to let this old hag twist the truth against her.
Startled by Ye Chutang’s boldness, Old Madam Ye swallowed nervously and quickly averted her gaze.
“I... I didn’t say anything.”
Ye Chutang looked at the instantly cowed old woman and snorted coldly.
“I don’t have the bad habit of hitting elders, but watch your words carefully from now on.”
With that, she turned her attention to Ye Siyin, who was so distraught she was close to fainting.
“Make sure you know exactly who the real culprit is before you lash out.”
Ye Siyin etched those words deep into her heart, her hatred for Old Madam Ye solidifying completely.
If it weren’t for that old crone crashing into her, she wouldn’t have lost the baby!
Thinking this, she gritted her teeth against the stabbing pain and looked toward the doctor.
“Doctor, please prescribe me some medicine. I want to recover my health.”
Though staying in Dingzhou was no longer an option, with her beauty and talent, marrying a good man wouldn’t be difficult.
The immediate priority was to heal her body!
The doctor, an official assigned to the area, nodded.
He was obligated to treat exiled prisoners and agreed.
However, the medicinal herbs he needed were left at the edge of the valley.
“Miss Ye, once I retrieve the herbs, I’ll prepare the prescription for you.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
No sooner had Ye Siyin finished expressing her gratitude than she fainted from the pain.
When Ye Chutang returned to rest under the tree, Qi Yanzhou was busy chopping trees alongside the officials and villagers of Yun County, Dingzhou.
Earlier, he had sent Sun Chu back to gather more people while he himself headed toward nearby Yun County.
The wildfire was vast; martial skills alone wouldn’t suffice—only numbers could contain it.
Midway, he encountered villagers armed with machetes and saws, coming to help fight the fire.
The locals living near the mountain all knew one truth: wildfires couldn’t be extinguished.
The only way was to fell trees around the perimeter, creating firebreaks to stop the flames from spreading.
Qi Yanzhou introduced himself to the villagers.
His reputation had already spread across the Northern Star Kingdom; he was seen as the new imperial candidate in the hearts of the people.
Upon learning that the handsome young man before them was the War God Qi Yanzhou, the villagers were both surprised and relieved.
They immediately followed his orders, felling trees methodically and efficiently.
Soon, the county officials of Yun arrived.
They had originally come to inspect the wildfire situation.
But after a few words from Qi Yanzhou, they were left with no face to argue, simultaneously sending villagers home to fetch tools and returning to the city to call for reinforcements.
When Han Chong finally found Qi Yanzhou, the latter was swinging a machete at the trees.
No matter how thick the trunk, with the aid of his internal energy, one strike was enough to bring it down.
The officials dragged the felled trees toward the wildfire, while the villagers cut the grass and shrubs beneath with sickles.
Everyone sweated profusely, racing against the fire with seamless cooperation.
Han Chong noticed Qi Yanzhou’s complexion was off and hurried over, handing him a water pouch.
“Young Master Qi, take a break. I’ll take over.”
With that, he snatched the machete from Qi Yanzhou’s hands.
Qi Yanzhou’s clothes were drenched with sweat, his face flushed unnaturally, and his breathing uneven.
To save time, he had been using his internal energy with every chop.
Now, his internal energy was depleted, his breath erratic, and his eyes bloodshot.
He knew that pushing himself further might trigger the fire poison, but he still nodded and accepted the water pouch.
The villagers and the officials all understood how hard Young Master Qi was working; no one complained.
Qi Yanzhou only took two sips to soothe his throat.
Han Chong saw that Qi Yanzhou was saving water for him and said, “Drink up, I still have some.”
He pulled out an apple and two steamed buns from his pocket and tossed them to Qi Yanzhou.
“Eat something first.”
Qi Yanzhou was truly hungry and didn’t refuse.
After eating and drinking his fill, he finally recovered and joined Han Chong in chopping trees.
He dared not use his internal energy again, so it took many swings to fell a single thick tree.
Seeing this, Han Chong quickly said, “Young Master Qi, leave the thick ones to me. You chop the thinner ones.”
“Alright, if you get tired, just switch with me.”
The two divided the work, and their chopping speed soared. The soldiers and villagers struggled to keep up.
Everyone was exhausted to the point of collapse but gritted their teeth and kept going.
Heaven rewards the diligent.
Before the wildfire could reach them, over five hundred people finally cleared a firebreak on the windward side.
All of them collapsed onto the ground, utterly drained, letting the scorching sun beat down on their bodies. Black ash drifted down, and even moving was a struggle.
But no matter how tired they were, smiles still lingered on the faces of the officials and villagers alike.
Leaning against a tree trunk, Qi Yanzhou looked over at Han Chong and asked, “How are Chutang and the others?”
Han Chong nodded. “They’re all fine. Master Sun has already gone to summon help, just as you instructed.”
When Han Chong left the valley, Sun Chu was still there.
But his keen ears caught a few words from a conversation between Sun Chu and Ye Chutang.
“Madam Qi seems very familiar with the wildfire’s range. She marked it on the map and had Master Sun take it away.”
After hearing this, the words “ghost thief” flashed through Qi Yanzhou’s mind.
He stood up. “It’s getting late. Let’s head back.”
Han Chong’s arms barely lifted; he rubbed his back against the rough tree bark and slowly got to his feet.
He handed his horse to Qi Yanzhou.
“You go back first, Young Master Qi. I still need to fetch my horse.”
His horse was tied where he first met Qi Yanzhou, about two miles away.
After Han Chong left, Qi Yanzhou bid farewell to the soldiers and villagers, then rode back to the valley.
The valley was empty—only the belongings left behind remained.
The escorting officials relayed Ye Chutang’s message to Qi Yanzhou.
“Young Master Qi, after you cross the mountain ahead, Madam Qi left you a mark. Follow it, and you’ll find a river. Everyone is there. You should go first; Lord Han and the others will bring the rest of the supplies later.”
Thinking that they had left in such a hurry before and that there were still things left in the valley, Qi Yanzhou went back.
He then took the cooking tools and some wilting vegetables to find Ye Chutang.
As the rhythmic sound of hooves echoed, everyone turned to watch the river entrance.
Ye Chutang, her face smeared with ash and leaves, immediately stood up.
“Ah Zhou, why are you the only one back?”
Qi Yanzhou was drenched in sweat and smelled rank, covered in dirt.
Afraid of overwhelming Ye Chutang with the stench, he stopped at a distance from her.
“Han Chong and the others will be here soon. The fire prevention was a success—no casualties. Is there water in this river?”
His body felt sticky and grimy; he wanted to wash up.
Wu Chenggang quickly replied, “Yes, there’s a deep pool upstream, and there’s still some water.”
Qi Yanzhou frowned at this. “Is it flowing water or stagnant?”
If it was stagnant, that meant the supply was limited and couldn’t be used indiscriminately.
“It’s stagnant. I’ve sent my men to look for other water sources. Hopefully, they’ll bring good news.”
Ye Chutang took a clean set of clothes from the bundle and handed them to Qi Yanzhou, then passed him a water bucket.
“You should wash up now. Lord Han and the others will need to wash when they return.”
Qi Yanzhou knew that Ye Chutang’s confidence meant there were definitely other water sources.
He took the bucket and clothes with relief and headed upstream.
Passing by Ye Siyin, he caught a strong scent of blood.
But he had no interest in what had happened and strode away.
Ye Siyin was burning with a high fever, drifting in and out of consciousness, in a very poor state.
Since learning she had miscarried, Zhu Rong had stopped caring for her altogether, even resenting her for causing the death of her son’s posthumous child.
Severely injured, Concubine Jiang used a damp cloth to press against Ye Siyin’s forehead, trying to prevent her brain from overheating.
Concubine Jiang anxiously watched the entrance, hoping Han Chong and his group would hurry back with the supplies left in the valley.
So Ye Siyin could use the medicine and recover quickly.
Before long, the sound of horse hooves echoed again.
