Sure enough, Zhou Sui continued, "Mu Wei is Elder Mu's guard. He is extremely loyal and has made numerous contributions, so he was granted the surname Mu."
Jiang Jin nodded and asked, "What is the situation with Mu Qing?"
Zhou Sui sighed. "Mu Qing's ancestral home is Chongzhou. They wanted to flee to Daqing Commandery, but encountered several man-made disasters along the way. Their group dwindled from over thirty people at the start to just the five of them now. Even his son and daughter-in-law..."
The reason they went to the pool was that Mu Qing had fallen gravely ill.
He was already advanced in age. After days of exhausting travel, repeatedly fleeing for his life from disasters, and losing both loved ones and loyal servants, it took a toll on him.
Coupled with witnessing the people displaced, families torn apart, and homes destroyed along the way, his mood grew increasingly depressed.
A bout of severe cold completely brought him down, and he had been suffering from a persistent high fever since two days ago.
Lacking doctors and medicine, and not daring to enter any city controlled by the Quzhao people for treatment, his condition dragged on until he fell into a complete coma today.
Meanwhile, both Mu Wei and Mu Ning had sustained injuries earlier. Mu Wei, in particular, had taken a sword slash to the chest.
Due to the lack of medical supplies, they couldn't receive timely treatment, and their injuries worsened.
Left with no other choice, Mu Wei decided to go into the mountains to forage for herbs.
As a martial artist, Mu Wei had some knowledge of herbs used to treat external wounds and also knew a bit about fever-reducing plants.
In truth, they had brought medicinal supplies when they set out, but unfortunately, everything was lost during their multiple escapes.
It was just their bad luck that not long after they arrived at the pool, the Quzhao people appeared.
They could only hide themselves first, but unfortunately, there was no way and no time to conceal the horse and carriage.
The Quzhao people naturally noticed something was amiss.
Mu Wei and his daughter originally intended to sacrifice their own lives to end the matter and protect Mu Qing and his two grandchildren.
However, Mu Wanbai—the slender woman from earlier—could not bear to see Mu Ning humiliated. Furthermore, she guessed that the Quzhao people had already discovered her presence.
So she simply ran out on her own. This way, she could protect her grandfather and younger brother, while also luring away some of the Quzhao people to give Mu Ning a chance to fight back.
It was just a pity...
Jiang Jin asked, "Has Lady Mu's injury been tended to as well?"
Zhou Sui nodded. "Yes, Madame Liu has taken a look at her."
The injuries on Mu Ning were merely flesh wounds to a martial artist, so they weren't considered too serious.
"Alright, prepare lunch. The training must not stop," Jiang Jin instructed.
Just then, Yun Chengxuan came over to find Jiang Jin, asking her to make poached sliced fish in hot chili oil together.
Jiang Jin agreed with a smile.
While the two were bustling about making the fish, Mu Wanbai brought the young boy over to express her gratitude.
The two knelt on the ground and performed a grand bow. "Thank you, my lady, for saving our lives."
Jiang Jin helped them up. "There's no need for this. It was just a small effort."
Mu Wanbai's eyes were red. "You deserve it, my lady. If it weren't for you, we, we..."
Seeing her grandfather receive medical treatment, she had completely let her guard down around Jiang Jin's group.
Jiang Jin smiled. "We are all Han people; it's only right that we help each other. You don't need to be so polite. By the way, have you eaten yet? How about joining us?"
Mu Wanbai hurriedly waved her hands. "No, no, over, over there has already..."
She trailed off, unable to continue, realizing that the food over there also belonged to the lady before her.
Her face instantly flushed red. Biting her lip, she stammered, "My lady, could we, could we travel together with your group?"
Jiang Jin nodded in agreement. Adding a few more people to the group wouldn't affect much anyway, not to mention they had their own carriage.
Overjoyed, Mu Wanbai bowed again. Remembering something, she quickly pulled the young boy to her front. "My lady, this is my younger brother, Yizhou."
Mu Yizhou was a bit timid. Keeping his head down, he softly called out, "My lady."
Jiang Jin smiled in response. "Alright. If you need anything, just let me know."
Mu Wanbai hurriedly thanked her before leading her brother away.
Yun Chengxuan couldn't wait any longer. "Auntie, Auntie, is it ready? It smells so good."
Jiang Jin served him a bowl of rice. "It's ready, go ahead and eat."
By the time they set out in the afternoon, Mu Qing still hadn't woken up.
Mu Wei, however, had woken up and specifically brought Mu Ning over to formally express their thanks.
In the evening, Mu Qing finally regained consciousness. Seeing Zhou Sui, he became very emotional. "Great General Zhou, is it really you? I thought..."
Zhou Sui's expression was also complicated. Running into an old acquaintance when their nation was destroyed and their homes lost, everything had changed.
He explained in a low voice, "Elder Mu, this is Princess Jinyang. I am now serving under her command."
Mu Qing was startled. He knew of Princess Jinyang; she was the only daughter of Empress Ji Yue, and had been raised in the Yinshan Temple since she was very young.
He had only seen her once, but that was many years ago. At that time, Princess Jinyang was still a child of six or seven.
He struggled to get up and bow.
Jiang Jin quickly offered a supporting gesture from afar. "Elder Mu, there is no need for such formalities. The State of Yan is gone, and there are no princesses anymore. We are all Han people."
Tears instantly streamed down Mu Qing's aged face, and he stubbornly insisted on completing the bow. "Though the nation has fallen, proper etiquette must not be abandoned."
Jiang Jin pursed her lips. Seeing his stubborn insistence, she realized that perhaps what he was holding on to wasn't 'etiquette', but the fallen nation itself. It was as if by doing so, the nation still existed.
She didn't stop him anymore and accepted his bow.
Mu Wanbai and her brother Mu Yizhou followed their grandfather in bowing.
After Mu Qing sat down, Jiang Jin finally asked, "What are your plans for the next step, Elder Mu?"
If Mu Qing insisted on going to Daqing Commandery, the two groups would have to part ways tomorrow, as they were heading in different directions.
Jiang Jin couldn't halt her progress just for him; she had her own schedule to keep.
Mu Qing paused, only then remembering his previous destination. After pondering for a moment, he asked, "Where is Your Highness planning to go?"
Jiang Jin looked toward the north. "Elder Mu, just call me 'my lady.' We are planning to head to Gefeng."
"Gefeng?" Mu Qing was somewhat surprised. He weighed his words carefully, "Prin... My lady, for what reason are you going to Gefeng?"
Jiang Jin smiled. "Just to take a look around."
She didn't know this former Grand Minister of Agriculture well, not to mention they might not even travel together. If he turned around and leaked the information, it would put her in a very passive position.
Mu Qing knew she wasn't telling the truth, but he didn't mind and even approved of it. It was a good thing for the Princess to be cautious of others.
He hesitated for a moment, looking somewhat embarrassed. "I wonder if my lady would allow us to travel with you?"
Jiang Jin raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to Daqing Commandery?"
Mu Qing sighed heavily. "I won't fear your ridicule, my lady. I never wanted to go to Daqing in the first place, but this old man has children and grandchildren. I had to find a way for them to survive."
He had some connections with the General of the Left in Daqing Commandery, but going to Daqing was indeed a move born out of desperation.
When Dingyang City fell, the General of the Left cowered in Daqing and did not come to the rescue, even though his presence might not have changed Dingyang's fate.
But he was a general of the State of Yan. He ate the grain of Yan, took the salary of Yan, and led the soldiers of Yan. There were some battles that had to be fought even knowing defeat was certain, and some things that had to be upheld even in the face of death.
Take Great General Zhou Sui, for example. With his abilities, couldn't he have escaped on his own when the city fell? He could have, but he chose to live and die with Dingyang and the State of Yan!
That was true unyielding integrity; that was a true pillar of the nation.
Because of this incident, the image of the General of the Left had been greatly diminished in his heart, leaving a lingering thorn in his mind.
But he, Mu Qing, wasn't much better. Knowing full well that the General of the Left had abandoned the State of Yan, he still chose to compromise for the sake of his family, preparing to seek refuge in Daqing.
Now that there was the Princess and the Great General, he naturally had no desire to go to Daqing anymore.
It was just that they were old, weak, sick, and disabled. Would the princess even be willing to take them in?
