Chapter 760: Gu Beiyue, long time no see (1/2)
Han Yunxi had left a seriously injured Long Feiye back on Celestial Mountain to travel thousands of li without stop, all for the sake of buying time to help Gu Beiyue remove his poison. Deigning to speak politely with this lot was already her giving them plenty of leeway.
Her eyes grew frighteningly cold. “I gave you face, but you don’t want it. Don’t blame this wangfei for turning presumptuous!”
She didn’t know any martial arts, but her killing intent was enough to still the advance of her opponents.
“What are you all spacing out for? Get over there and capture her! There’ll be generous rewards!” Clan Head Xiao shouted.
Han Yunxi pushed Xu Donglin out and issued orders. “Xu Donglin, take a good look. Anyone who tries to raise a ruckus will be killed without mercy!”
“This subordinate obeys the orders!” Xu Donglin said. Immediately, shadow guards hidden on the sidelines showed themselves. Although there wasn’t much, their presence was enough to stun the crowd.
“Old Fiend, take me inside!” Han Yunxi muttered.
Gu Qishao was waiting for those very words. Exceptional times called for exceptional measures. He happily wrapped an arm around Han Yunxi’s waist and lightly tapped his feet to propel them into the air. His extravagant red robes seem to blot out the skies, a beautiful sight.
As soon as Han Yunxi landed on the other side of the wall, he heard the angry protests of the clan heads outside.
“We want to see His Highness Duke of Qin! His Highness Duke of Qin must have been poisoned and bewitched by this woman! If you don’t get rid of her, South Ning is doomed for sure!”
“This is simply a revolt! That poisons woman is publicly rebelling!”
“Where’s General Baili? Has he stopped caring about affairs at all?”
Han Yunxi hadn’t even reached the ancestral hall when crowds of officers poured into the Duke of Qin’s estate. They began fighting with the shadow guards while Clan Head Xiao proclaimed his intentions to invade the estate, capture Han Yunxi, and eliminate the evil for South Ning’s citizens! The sound of combat was extremely loud, forcing Han Yunxi to halt and look back.
“Are they fighting for real?”
The shadow guards could hold off their pursuers with no trouble, but if anyone died, their deaths could be used to exacerbate the internal strife in South Ning. The commoners wouldn’t be able to bear such chaos, especially since Medical City had already issued them sanctions. The situation looked bad. Foreign aggression was still pressing upon them, so any trouble here would turn South Ning’s commander-in-chief’s estate into Cloud Realm Continent’s biggest joke.
Noting Han Yunxi’s worry, Gu Qishao said impatiently, “Poison lass, don’t worry. Qi gege will deal with them personally!”
Han Yunxi quickly held him back. If Gu Qishao was going to call out his Poison Corpses to face those men, then the ensuing guilt pinned against her would stick on even if she dove headfirst into the Yellow River. “Old Fiend, you don’t understand the specifics of the situation at South Ning’s commander-in-chief’s estate. We can let the world accuse us all it wants, but we can’t let those five prominent clans get a handle on any loopholes.”
Without Long Feiye here, how were they supposed to deal with these powerful old and established families? With the threat of domestic strife on one side and Gu Beiyue’s fate in the other, Han Yunxi was burning with impatience when Baili Mingxiang came out of the bamboo woods leading to the ancestral hall with quick steps.
“Esteemed wangfei,” she shouted from a distance, “You’re finally here!”
Seeing her in a rush, Han Yunxi stopped hesitating and rushed to meet her. “How is Gu Beiyue?”
“Esteemed wangfei, Doctor Gu’s been waiting for you ever since hearing you’d come today. Esteemed wangfei, please hurry over there. Doctor Gu said that there’s no need to worry about outside. My father will bring troops over very soon,” Baili Mingxiang huffed for breath.
“Bring troops…” Han Yunxi was surprised.
“Yes, Doctor Gu said that scholars rule in times of peace, while warriors rule in times of chaos. My father’s already planted soldiers nearby. Once they turn more unrowdy, he’ll capture them in the name of quelling an insurrection,” Baili Mingxiang said seriously.
Han Yunxi understood. This was the true meaning of “extraordinary methods for extraordinary times!” The power of South Ning’s commander-in-chief’s estate was kept in check by the five family heads, but its military strength laid with the Baili Clan troops! He controlled not only the navy, but many major military forces in South Ning and the south central region after their exodus south. All of the units had been reorganized under his command. Even if the five prominent families controlled a majority in the military, most of their men were simple government officers. How could they stand up against an army bred for war?
When it was impossible to convince people with reason, when it was hopeless to control public opinion, then military strength was the way to speak up! Though a purely military administration couldn’t hold down a country for long, it could extinguish pressing issues and buy them time to face off against Medical City and Ning Cheng. Han Yunxi had been wondering why she didn’t see any Baili Clan troops upon her arrival; as it turned out, Gu Beiyue had planned things perfectly ahead of time.
For a physician who only treated illnesses, this man was quite skilled in affairs of state. His wisdom was like his gentleness, soft and imperceptible. He would deal with things silently while hiding his own credit.
“Saving him is my greatest honor,” Han Yunxi tossed out these words before sprinting towards the bamboo. But she soon stopped upon seeing Gu Beiyue waiting outside the ancestral hall. He was still sitting in his wheelchair, thin and frail, but his smile was as warm as an April spring breeze. It brought her serenity in the midst of the chaos.
How could someone like him exist? He clearly couldn’t stand, but it didn’t leave him in a difficult position at all. Han Yunxi was certain that nothing in this world could ever disturb the calm in those eyes, that nothing foul could ever stain the folds of those snow-white robes. She almost wanted to stand there a little longer and leave the peaceful scene undisturbed, but time was pressing!