Chapter 139
Chapter 139
Jin Bao lay deeply asleep in Xiao Che’s arms. Xiao Jingxing was also unconscious and badly wounded.
Xiao Jingxing’s Shadow Guards had yet to appear, and no one knew whether they were alive or dead.
Ye Qi swiftly led the Shadow Guards in inspecting all the cavalrymen and carriages.
Just as the group approached a carriage, two men in black suddenly burst from inside.
Ye Qi immediately led his men in surrounding the carriage.
These were the two assassins who had guarded Xiao Jingxing.
They were undoubtedly Prince Cheng’s men as well.
Both men were highly skilled. Ye Qi and all the Shadow Guards fought them for nearly half an hour before finally capturing them.
“Valley Master, how should we handle these two men and the cavalry?”
Ye Qi escorted the two assassins before Xiao Che.
Without even glancing at them, Xiao Che uttered two words. “Kill them.”
But he could not kill the cavalrymen. Training cavalry required considerable time and effort. Now that the enemy had delivered them to his doorstep, he could hardly send them back.
“Ye Qi, place the Eldest Young Master in the carriage. Lay all these cavalrymen across their horses. We’re going to Xie Chengyan’s estate to rendezvous with him.”
Ye Qi waved a hand. Ye Ba and another Shadow Guard dragged the assassins into the nearby forest and killed them with one stroke, preventing the smell of blood from disturbing the Young Master and Young Miss.
Once the two men serving Prince Cheng had been dealt with, Ye Qi lifted Xiao Jingxing into his arms.
He felt almost weightless. Ye Qi’s heart lurched several times before he steadied himself and carried his master into the carriage.
When Ye Qi first began following him, his master had been so high-spirited and vigorous. Now he was in a wretched state, covered in wounds, all thanks to Prince Cheng.
After considerable effort, the Shadow Guards finally laid all the cavalrymen bound by vines crosswise over their horses.
A thousand-man column traveling along an official road in daylight would attract far too much attention. Moreover, Jin Bao remained asleep and could not provide Xiao Che with a shortcut.
They could only find somewhere to rest temporarily and wait for nightfall before proceeding toward the estate.
Traveling by night and resting at dawn, they finally reached Xie Chengyan’s estate on the third day.
The thousand cavalrymen were so hungry that they were barely conscious, their bodies weak and limp.
It was not because Xiao Che deliberately wanted to deny them food.
There were simply one thousand men, and the group had brought limited provisions. Fortunately, the estate was not far from their original location. After a brief consideration, Xiao Che decided to give them only water and no food throughout the journey.
He would let them go fiercely hungry for several days so they would not think of escaping.
What Xiao Che had not expected was for Jin Bao to remain asleep for three consecutive days.
That had never happened before. Even the last time she used her power in Black Pine Forest to defeat more than two thousand men at once, she had awakened in less than two hours.
This time, she slept for three full days and nights, leaving Xiao Che frantic with worry.
Throughout the journey, he constantly checked Jin Bao’s breathing, afraid she might suddenly stop.
Fortunately, there were scares but no danger. Not only did Jin Bao keep breathing, she snored and slept like a little pig. Calling her did nothing, and even the violent jolting of the carriage failed to wake her.
But the moment they arrived at the estate, Jin Bao opened her large eyes and yawned.
Xiao Che noticed as soon as she moved.
“Daughter, you’re finally awake. If you hadn’t woken soon, Daddy would have found a physician for you.”
Jin Bao waved her hand with a grin. “Daddy, Baby is fine, just very sleepy. That was such a comfortable nap, but Baby’s tummy is so hungry. Is there anything to eat?”
Jin Bao rubbed her little stomach and looked around. She discovered she was inside a carriage, with someone lying opposite her while Ye Qi carefully tended him.
Her memories from before she lost consciousness immediately returned.
“Eldest Brother?”
Jin Bao hurriedly climbed down from Xiao Che and threw herself onto Xiao Jingxing.
Along the way, Xiao Che had already asked a physician to examine Xiao Jingxing.
He had no fewer than ten wounds of various sizes. Moreover, his previously broken leg had only just healed, leaving his body extremely weak. That was why he remained unconscious. He would require three months of quiet recuperation to recover fully.
As long as there was no danger to his life, Xiao Che considered it a minor injury.
His sons were all hardy. With some rest and nourishment, they would grow strong again.
But when he saw his daughter hugging Eldest Brother and crying bitterly, Xiao Che began reflecting on whether he had been too careless toward his eldest son.
If his wife learned of it, she would probably scold him again.
Amid Jin Bao’s tearful cries, Xiao Che finally recovered a trace of the paternal concern he should have possessed and glanced at Ye Qi.
“Well, Ye Qi, is the Eldest Young Master all right?”
Ye Qi had mixed feelings. The Valley Master had finally remembered to ask about the Eldest Young Master’s condition. Since entering the carriage, aside from finding a physician to prescribe medicine, the Valley Master had eyes only for the Young Miss and rarely showed concern for his eldest son. Had Ye Qi not served this father and son since childhood, he would have suspected the Eldest Young Master had been found by the roadside.
“Valley Master, the Eldest Young Master remains unconscious. The jolting carriage has prevented him from resting properly, and he has not awakened.”
Only then did Xiao Che look worried.
“That won’t do. Once we reach Old Xie’s estate, have the military physician there examine him. It’s already been three days. He should have awakened by now. How can he keep sleeping? I seem to remember him waking midway. Am I mistaken?”
Ye Qi thought: Perhaps I was wrong. Maybe the Eldest Young Master truly isn’t his biological son. Perhaps he was adopted.
Ye Qi had nothing to say.
Fortunately, the carriage had already reached the estate’s gate.
Xie Yanhong and Long Xia were waiting anxiously at the entrance.
When Xiao Che appeared before the estate with a thousand cavalrymen, both men were momentarily stunned.
“Uncle Xiao, I received a message from my father, but he never said you were leading troops out of the mountains. These cavalrymen are…”
Over the past half year, Xie Yanhong had traveled back and forth several times and knew something of Black Pine Valley’s situation. The valley possessed neither these warhorses nor so many cavalrymen. Moreover, the riders were bound and slung over their horses, obviously captives. Could this be little Jin Bao’s handiwork again?
Holding Jin Bao, Xiao Che jumped down from the carriage.
“My worthy nephew Yanhong, these are our captives: one thousand cavalrymen and one thousand warhorses. What do you think? The moment we left the mountains, they rushed to deliver such a generous gift. If we refused it, wouldn’t they be heartbroken? So your younger cousin Jin Bao accepted them all. However…”
Xiao Che glanced at Xie Yanhong somewhat awkwardly. He knew the estate was running short of provisions and that the Xie Family had been supporting so many soldiers all along.
“However, I’ll have to trouble you to prepare some food for them. They’ve been hungry for three days. As you know, we traveled light and carried few provisions, so I let them go hungry first to keep them from gaining the strength to resist.”
Xie Yanhong pulled a long face. The men had already been brought here, so he could hardly refuse.
Fortunately, his father had sent word that the valley had enjoyed a bumper harvest this year and that military grain was already on its way.
Feeding another thousand soldiers would not be a problem.