An Yun’s father had once served as a clerk in Shouci Commandery. Their family had been well-off, and he had raised her to be spoiled and proud.
That year, she had fallen for Nan Wen at first sight—the burly, honest, and rather simple-minded man.
She had chased him all the way to military headquarters and sent him love poems without end. They were so embarrassingly mushy that they were practically murder scenes in written form.
For example: “I like your big head. It resembles a pig’s head, and looking at it makes me want to eat.”
And: “I like your eyes. They’re like fish eyes. Looking at them makes me want to string them into beads and wear them on my head so I can touch them every day.”
And: “Your arms are strong and powerful. Your bones must be very hard. They would make excellent bone knives to hang at my waist, so I could play with them every day.”
Letters like these arrived almost once a day.
Terrified that he would actually be tied up and eaten if he went outside, Nan Wen spent a long time hiding in military headquarters. Unless he had a mission, he absolutely refused to leave.
Now, thinking back on it, everything had changed.
The domineering father who had allowed An Yun to live so willfully was gone, leaving her alone in this world to struggle on.
An Yun froze when she heard his words, then gave a bitter smile. “I was young and ignorant back then, so I took a liking to an ass like you. But there’s no love left in my heart now.”
Nan Wen was speechless.
He had a feeling that wasn’t a compliment. What did she mean, calling him an ass?
He looked toward the wounded soldiers who were tending to their injuries as best they could. “Is everyone all right?”
Because he had arrived in time, none of An Yun’s people had died, though five had been wounded.
An Yun gave a quiet “Mm.” “They’re fine. Just minor injuries.”
The battlefield was soon cleared. Nan Wen took the initiative to have the wounded carried or supported, and quickly led everyone away.
After traveling for more than half an hour, they finally found a safe place. Only then did everyone stop to rest and treat their injuries.
An Yun looked at Nan Wen, who had changed yet somehow seemed unchanged, and asked, “Have you become a bandit too?”
Nan Wen shook his head, then nodded. “Once in a while. What about you?”
An Yun said, “…Whenever the opportunity arises.”
Nan Wen asked, “Are there many bandits around here?”
An Yun nodded. “Quite a few. Some of the ones who know each other even work together.”
Her group included both men and women. They had all fled to the mountains with her father back then, but only a little over twenty of them remained.
They used to encounter patrols of a dozen or so Ji soldiers, but recently, for some unknown reason, the patrols had grown larger and their frequency had increased. As a result, they had not been able to make a haul for quite some time.
And without a haul, there was no food.
It was not that she did not want to work with the other bandits. She simply did not know any of the bandits in the area, and with so few people, she was afraid they would be robbed by their supposed allies.
That was why she had been forced to take the risk today and attack a patrol of more than fifty Ji soldiers. It was already the smallest patrol they had been able to find recently.
The two fell silent. After a while, Nan Wen asked, “Where are you planning to go?”
An Yun’s expression barely changed. “Back to our base. What about you?”
Without waiting for Nan Wen to answer, she continued, “Your group is incredibly strong. Which area do you operate in? Why don’t we work together?”
Nan Wen said, “…Let’s forget about working together. Just tell me where your base is. If I get the chance, I’ll come find you later.”
He was currently on a mission and did not know when his lord would attack Wenxia City. There was no way he could take these people with him.
An Yun glared at him. “What do you mean by that? Are you looking down on me?”
Their group was quite strong. She herself had spent more than two years fighting, and while she might not have learned much else, she certainly knew how to cut people—and how to be cut.
That was one of the reasons they had dared to take on a patrol of regular Ji soldiers.
If Nan Wen had not shown up, there would have been casualties, but she firmly believed that her group could have wiped out the Ji soldiers and seized their supplies, allowing the survivors to keep living.
That was how they had survived these past two years.
Nan Wen hurriedly waved his hands. “No, no, don’t misunderstand. It’s just that I still have things to take care of, so it isn’t convenient right now.”
He truly was not looking down on An Yun and her people. To be honest, the fact that they had dared to fight more than fifty regular soldiers with just over twenty people already proved their strength.
An Yun studied him suspiciously from head to toe. Only after a moment did she nod. “Fine.”
The spoils were quickly sorted out. The Ji soldiers had not brought much dried food with them on patrol, but Nan Wen did not hesitate to hand all the food they had looted to An Yun.
An Yun did not take advantage of him either. She gave him several of the Ji soldiers’ sabers in return.
Those weapons could be exchanged for grain with other bandits and were valuable goods.
Nan Wen shook his head. “No need. Keep them.”
An Yun frowned. After confirming that Nan Wen was sincere, she smiled faintly. “Thanks.”
Half a quarter of an hour later, An Yun led her group away in high spirits.
Nan Wen watched her back, his expression melancholy.
Zhao Er teased him, “What, can’t bear to see her leave?”
Nan Wen flashed a broad grin. “What’s there to bear? I’m just lamenting how fate toys with people. Once our lord takes Wenxia City, why couldn’t she carve out a career of her own?”
Zhao Er wholeheartedly agreed. “Exactly. She’s carefree by nature and skilled with a blade. Who knows? She might become a military commander someday.”
After leaving, An Yun’s expression quickly darkened.
The man beside her carried supplies on his back and held the seized dried food in one hand. He grinned. “Who would’ve thought they’d be so generous? They gave us all their food.”
An Yun gave a quiet “Mm.”
The man noticed that something was wrong with her tone and frowned. “What’s the matter?”
An Yun said nothing. After a long while, she sighed. “Chongzhou is probably about to undergo some major changes.”
The man was startled. “What makes you say that?”
An Yun gave him a helpless look. “I used to wonder why the Ji patrols had suddenly become so strong. Now it seems to have something to do with General Nan and his men.”
The man froze. Recalling Nan Wen’s group—their fighting ability and the way they operated—he immediately understood what she meant. “You’re saying General Nan isn’t a bandit? They’re actually from the military? The Northwest Army?”
An Yun shook her head. “I don’t know whether they’re from the Northwest Army. In any case, we need to be more careful from now on. If there’s no need to go out, stay home.”
The man let out a soft breath. “It’s not that we want to go out. We’re just hungry.”
An Yun shot him a glare. “Then eat tree bark.”
At the Feng’an County Clinic.
Li Chun was fairly lucky. Suo Qian happened to be in Feng’an County during this period, so he was the one who performed Li Chun’s “surgery.”
When Suo Qian came out, Sun Zheng hurriedly asked, “How is he?”
Suo Qian nodded. “Not bad. His life is no longer in danger. As for his hand, it’s half-crippled. If it heals well, he should still be able to do ordinary work, but fine tasks such as holding a brush and writing will be difficult.”
Perhaps Li Chun’s condition before had been too horrific. Now that he had heard that Li Chun would live and that his hand had at least been saved, even if he could no longer do delicate work, Sun Zheng felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from his heart.
“That’s good, that’s good. Doctor, your medical skills are truly impressive.”
Suo Qian waved a hand. “Remember to pay the medical bill.”
When dealing with outsiders—especially the people of Sizhou—his fees were exorbitant.
Sun Zheng’s lips twitched before he finally forced out a single word: “All right.”
He had realized that ever since they had encountered the salted-fish pirates, they had either been in the process of getting robbed or on their way to being robbed. Not only had they lost all the money and goods they carried, they had also incurred a massive debt.
Xie Nanxiao comforted him. “Well, I can arrange for someone to send them a message and have the First Prince send money over.”
