Yan Yun's Plight

Moonlight flowed like water as Chen Qing lit a fire, illuminating the grisly scene on the official road with crystal clarity.

The wrecked escort carts, scattered goods, congealed dark-red bloodstains, and bodies lying every which way formed a silent tableau of sorrow.

The few surviving escorts were all wounded. Their faces bore a mixture of the daze of having survived a calamity and grief for their fallen companions as they silently and laboriously gathered the bodies.

The terrifyingly massive wolf lay quietly in the shade beside the donkey cart, licking the blood from its forepaws. Its presence added several more layers of strangeness and oppression to the scene.

Chen Qing stood beside the donkey cart, his gaze falling on the youth who called herself "Yan Shiqi"—or rather, the girl.

The grime on her face had been wiped away, revealing delicate but pale features beneath. The tiny piercings in her earlobes and the smooth skin at her neck had long exposed her true gender.

At that moment, she was half-kneeling beside Liu Meng, the bearded leader. Her eyes were red as she held back tears, clumsily and carefully using a torn strip of cloth to bandage the crossbow wound in his shoulder, which was still bleeding steadily.

Liu Meng was in terrible condition.

Excessive blood loss had turned his face waxen. The crossbow bolt had nearly pierced through his shoulder blade, and cold sweat covered his forehead. If not for his deep inner strength and robust physique, he would have long since passed out.

"Uncle Liu... hold on..." Yan Yunxi's voice trembled with tears, and her hands shook slightly as she worked with awkward haste.

Chen Qing sighed and stepped forward. "That bandaging won't do. The arrowhead hasn't been removed. Applying pressure improperly will only make things worse." His voice was calm, carrying a reassuring strength.

Yan Yunxi raised her head. Her bright eyes, now filled with helplessness, looked to him as though she had seized a lifeline. "Brother Chen... you... do you have a way?"

Chen Qing did not answer immediately. He crouched down and lightly placed his right index and middle fingers on Liu Meng's wrist. A thread of Starforce silently entered Liu Meng's body and swiftly made a circuit through it.

The situation was more complicated than he had expected. The crossbow bolt had barbs; forcibly pulling it out would cause even greater trauma.

Moreover, a frigid inner force was lodged within Liu Meng's meridians, constantly eroding his vitality.

"Do you have a dagger? Quickly. And a firestarter," Chen Qing said in a low voice.

A young escort nearby hurriedly handed over a sharp dagger and a firestarter. Chen Qing repeatedly heated the dagger's tip over the flames until it glowed red.

"Hold him down. This may hurt," Chen Qing told the escort and Yan Yunxi.

The two immediately pressed down hard on Liu Meng's shoulder and thigh.

Chen Qing's gaze sharpened. His left palm casually pressed against an acupoint near Liu Meng's wound as a thread of gentle Starforce seeped in, temporarily numbing the pain and protecting his heart meridian.

At the same time, his right hand moved like lightning. The red-hot dagger precisely cut open the flesh around the crossbow bolt.

"Ugh—!" Even with Chen Qing's Starforce numbing the pain, the intense stimulus made Liu Meng let out a muffled groan of agony, his body jerking violently.

Chen Qing's fingertips twitched, and with a burst of deft force, he used the dagger tip to hook the barbed arrowhead and yank it out in one swift motion, drawing out a small splash of blood.

Before the blood could gush out in earnest, Chen Qing scattered the prepared wound medicine from his left hand over it, then tightly bound it with clean strips of cloth.

The entire process took only a dozen breaths, clean and decisive, leaving Yan Yunxi staring wide-eyed.

Liu Meng's expression gradually relaxed, and his breathing steadied considerably. That deadly agony was instantly reduced by more than half.

Naturally, they did not know that Chen Qing's hand on the acupoints had not merely numbed the pain; it had also sent a thread of pure life-giving Starforce into him, temporarily stabilizing his injuries.

He gestured for the escorts to give Liu Meng some water.

"Chen... Young Hero Chen... such great kindness..." Liu Meng weakly opened his eyes and struggled to offer his thanks.

"Don't speak yet. Rest properly." Chen Qing waved a hand, then turned his gaze toward the escorts with varying injuries. "Who else is seriously hurt?"

For the next while, Chen Qing became a temporary physician.

Though he did not possess much medical knowledge, his extraordinary spiritual senses allowed him to clearly perceive where the injured had stagnant blood and damaged meridians.

Whether guiding their circulation with Starforce, setting broken bones, or applying medicine and bandages, his methods were straightforward yet remarkably effective. The escorts were moved to tears of gratitude, looking at him as though he were Hua Tuo reborn.

Yan Yunxi stayed by Chen Qing's side the entire time, helping pass water and medicine. Watching his focused, calm profile and his seemingly casual yet invariably precise methods of treating wounds, she felt shock and curiosity beyond measure.

By the time everything was finished, the moon had already passed overhead.

Chen Qing walked to the donkey cart, took out dried rations and a waterskin, and handed a portion to A Ning, who had remained quietly there. A Ning accepted it and ate in small bites, though her eyes occasionally darted toward Yan Yunxi, who was tending to Liu Meng as he drank porridge.

Yan Yunxi also noticed the unusually silent, frail little girl. After settling Liu Meng, she took half a flatbread, hesitated for a moment, then slowly walked to the donkey cart.

"Hello! You're A Ning, right? Are you hungry? This is for you." She tried to make her voice sound gentle and friendly as she held out the flatbread. She could tell that this girl, Chen Qing, and the massive wolf shared no ordinary bond.

A Ning did not take it. She merely lifted her head and looked quietly at Yan Yunxi, with neither fear nor warmth in her eyes.

Yan Yunxi felt a little awkward, her hand frozen in midair.

At that moment, the Wolf King lying nearby lazily lifted an eyelid and glanced at Yan Yunxi. It gave a soft snort through its nose, seemingly disdainful of the coarse flatbread, then closed its eyes again and nudged its enormous head closer to A Ning.

Seeing this, Chen Qing smiled faintly and softly said to A Ning, "A Ning, big sister is a good person."

A Ning looked at Chen Qing, then at the sincere yet slightly embarrassed smile on Yan Yunxi's face. After a moment of silence, she finally stretched out her little hand and accepted the flatbread, but did not eat it, merely holding it in her hands.

Yan Yunxi immediately let out a breath of relief, a radiant smile blooming on her face as though she had received some tremendous approval.

She simply sat down beside the donkey cart, not caring whether the ground was dirty, and began chattering away. "Thank you all! This afternoon really scared me to death... Those people in black were too awful! If not for Brother Chen and your... your big wolf, we would all have been finished..."

She had always been lively by nature. Having survived a disaster, and seeing that A Ning did not seem to reject her, her floodgates opened. Whether A Ning responded or not, she kept talking about the danger and offering her thanks, occasionally gesturing with her hands.

A Ning merely listened quietly, blinking now and then as she nibbled at the rations Chen Qing had given her. Yet the hand holding Yan Yunxi's flatbread never loosened.

Chen Qing watched this strange scene from the side: an enthusiastic, chirping girl, a silent-as-ice child listening quietly, and a giant Wolf King beside them, lying there and yawning.

After a while, Liu Meng recovered some of his strength. Supported by the escorts, he struggled into a sitting position and solemnly clasped his fists toward Chen Qing. "Young Hero Chen, I will never forget your lifesaving grace! In the future, our Zhenyuan Escort Agency will repay you even if we must knot grass and carry rings in our beaks!"

Chen Qing returned the salute. "Chen Qing. When one sees injustice on the road, there is no need to mention it." He glanced at the donkey cart and the Wolf King. "We were merely passing through."

Following his gaze, Liu Meng saw the donkey cart, plainly one belonging to an ordinary peddler. Then he looked at Chen Qing's unfathomable skills and the astonishingly intelligent giant wolf, growing ever more uncertain. He became convinced that Chen Qing was surely an extraordinary man playing among the dust of the world.

He gave a bitter smile. "Young Hero Chen is a master, but we cannot repay kindness with ingratitude. To be honest, what we are escorting this time is no ordinary cargo, but the You Lan Stone, something vital to the safety of the borderlands. We were to deliver it to General Li in Iron Wall City. Unexpectedly, news leaked out and drew the covetous eyes of formidable enemies such as the Shadow Kill Tower..."

He paused, a pleading expression appearing on his face. "Liu is incompetent. I am seriously wounded, and my brothers have suffered grievous losses. We no longer have the strength to fulfill the escort contract. Iron Wall City is still several days away, and danger surely lies ahead... Liu dares to beg Young Hero Chen to uphold righteousness and escort us for part of the journey! The Zhenyuan Escort Agency is willing to give everything we possess as payment! This matter also concerns the countless soldiers and civilians at the border. Liu... begs you!"

As he spoke, this man of iron actually struggled to rise and bow.

Yan Yunxi immediately stood as well, looking at Chen Qing nervously, her eyes full of expectation and pleading.

Chen Qing's gaze shifted slightly. The borderlands? Military affairs? The Shadow Kill Tower? Payment? His eyes swept over Liu Meng's sincere, anxious face, passed over Yan Yunxi's bright, hopeful eyes, and finally settled on A Ning beside him.

At some point, A Ning had also lifted her head to look quietly at him. Then she stretched out her little hand and gently tugged at the hem of his clothing.

Even the Wolf King, dozing beside them, lazily flicked the tip of its tail. Whatever the little master wanted to do, it would do.

Chen Qing pondered for a moment. Facing everyone's tense gazes, he slowly spoke.

"Iron Wall City... which direction is it?"

Liu Meng lifted his head excitedly. "Young Hero Chen, does this mean you agree?"

Chen Qing nodded.

"Wonderful!" Yan Yunxi cheered happily.