The Doctor’s Three-Time Marriage - Chapter 409
Chapter 409: 409. Task failed
Translator: 549690339
Xing Ji had meals sent over and then, with Qiao Jing, they went out to make arrangements for what to do next. Repairing the city walls and gates was the most urgent task; retreating to the next city would be more troublesome. Since both sides now possessed powerful weapons, even without the city walls, direct combat was not feared by Qian Country.
As Qiao Jing approached the door, he noticed Qiao Cong sitting still and called out to him, “Grandpa, let’s go.”
Qiao Cong waved his hand, “You go ahead! I’ll take this girl to Nanping City later!”
Qiao Jing frowned, and Old Mu shook his head, “That won’t be necessary.”
Qiao Cong snorted, “First, my martial arts skills are better than yours. Second, you’ve traveled day and night to get here and are in no shape to go. Third, I’m very familiar with Nanping City. Before the war started, I had been searching almost every day for the Liang Country’s hidden grain storage. Though I haven’t found it yet, I have a clear understanding of many places.”
Old Mu’s hand holding the chopsticks paused as he glanced at Min Rou. After contemplating for a moment, he handed the chopsticks to Qiao Cong, “If you insist, you can go. But eat first.”
Qiao Cong wasn’t hungry initially, but considering he might not return from Nanping City anytime soon, he took the chopsticks from Old Mu and ate with gusto.
Min Rou inquired, “May I know the name of this senior?” The situation had been urgent today, so Xing Ji hadn’t introduced Min Rou to the others.
“He is my grandfather.” Qiao Jing, still standing at the door, said.
Min Rou looked at him and asked, “And you are?”
Qiao Jing’s face stiffened, and he turned and walked away, following Xing Ji.
Qiao Cong suddenly laughed, “That’s my grandson, Qiao Jing. You might have heard of him. You can just call me Old Qiao.”
“Senior Qiao.” Min Rou nodded, “I have indeed heard of General Qiao’s reputation.”
Min Rou didn’t eat much before putting down her chopsticks. Qiao Cong said she was too thin and needed to eat more, but she really had no appetite today.
Qiao Cong hurriedly ate a couple more bites, then slammed his chopsticks on the table, “Let’s go! We have important matters to attend to!” Although they had no idea what Mo Yan’s capabilities were besides explosives, since Su Liang and Gu Ling were so wary of him, they couldn’t afford to take him lightly. Now that Min Rou had arrived, there was no time to delay.
Old Mu handed Qiao Cong his personal handgun, taught him how to use it, and gave him another secret weapon and a hand grenade, “According to Xiaoliang, you just need to send her there. Do not make contact with those people.”
Qiao Cong was stunned, “Just send her there? How will she return?”
Min Rou shook her head slightly, “That doesn’t matter.” She was prepared to be taken away by Mo Yan. Moreover, it was possible that Mo Yan might vent his anger on her due to her betrayal and do something to her. Nevertheless, she did not regret her choice.
Qiao Cong frowned but said nothing. He left Xuanbei City in secret with Min Rou, heading towards Nanping City.
Nanping City.
The latest battle report had just been sent out. Yi Fei, the current commanding general of Nanping City, sat with a gloomy expression as Peng Wei, assisted by two soldiers, approached. Yi Fei had once served under Peng Wei, but times change, and their positions were now different.
Peng Qian rushed in from the doorway, his expression anxious, “Father!” He had been forced to separate from Peng Wei upon arriving at Nanping City and was monitored as he took inventory of the provisions. He had no idea what had happened.
“It’s okay.” Peng Wei, helped by Peng Qian, sat down and shook his head at him. Then, he looked at Yi Fei, “General Yi, what are your plans for the future?”
Yi Fei snorted, his tone somewhat sarcastic, “I really admire Old Peng. Even at this point, he can still make Xing Ji show mercy. Such a relationship is truly enviable.”
Peng Wei said with a straight face, “Or does General Yi expect me to be beheaded by Qiao Jing today?”
Yi Fei’s face stiffened! Even though that was the reality, it was not pleasant to hear.
Nevertheless, even with Yi Fei in charge of Nanping City and the father and son Peng Wei having no real power, Yi Fei did not dare to take them lightly or treat them badly. If Peng Wei were to die on the battlefield, that would be what Situ Xie wished for, and it would have nothing to do with Yi Fei. However, if something were to happen to the Peng family during times of peace, Yi Fei would not be able to explain the situation to Situ Xie. After all, Situ Xie believed that this father and son pair had value.
“You’ve both had a hard journey. Old Peng, you’re injured today, so it’s best to rest soon. If there’s anything you need advice on, I’ll come to consult you.” Yi Fei’s attitude turned polite.
“What happened with the explosives today?” Peng Wei frowned and asked, “Who made them?” He had come over, injured, just to ask about this matter. Especially after learning that Qian Country also had explosives, Peng Wei felt the situation was worsening. This was no longer the war he had experienced before.
Yi Fei’s eyes flickered slightly, “This matter concerns the highest level of secrecy, I’m afraid I cannot disclose any information.”
“Father, let me help you back to rest. We have General Yi in charge of everything, you don’t have to worry about this too much,” Peng Qian said, pulling Peng Wei up.
Yi Fei watched them leave the room, then made a gesture to someone behind him, whispering, “Go ask Mo Zunzhu if there’s any plan coming up.”
When Peng Wei and Peng Qian left the room, Peng Wei looked up at the sky. The sun was about to set, casting a bloody glow on Nanping City’s sky.
Peng Qian sighed, “Father, times have changed. Let’s not worry about this too much.”
Gazing at the setting sun, Peng Wei sighed deeply, “I hope this ends soon.”
Peng Qian wanted to ask Peng Wei what he hoped would end, but held back at the last moment. Back in their house in Yao City, Peng Wei had said some “unconventional” things. The Situ Family didn’t care about the common people at all and caused wars, making the already difficult lives of the poor even worse. Countless people starved to death or froze to death every winter. As for the soldiers fighting on the battlefield, they were merely tools to fulfill the Situ Family’s expansionist desires. Especially after witnessing life in Qian Country and meeting Su Liang and Gu Ling, and after Duanmu Chen took power in Qian Country, he always thought that the first step for Liang Country’s salvation was to eliminate the ambitious Situ Family. It might not be a bad thing for Liang Country to cease to exist. Did the common people really care which country they belonged to? They just wanted to live in peace, be fed, and live a good life.
At the time, Peng Qian thought it was dangerous for Peng Wei to say such things in Yao City, but it was their own home, and the door was closed, so no one could hear. Peng Qian had no reason to refute either.
Peng Qian believed that after today’s events, Peng Wei would be more determined in his hope for the Situ Family to fall and Qian Country to unify the world.
However, who could bring an end to the war, how to end it, and when it would end, no one knew, be it in Nanping City or Xuanbei City.
When Qiao Cong and Min Rou arrived in Nanping City, it wasn’t completely dark yet. He settled Min Rou at a location to wait, then secretly entered the Liang Country Military Camp again, and gathered information with ease. As with many previous times, nobody mentioned Mo Yan’s name, let alone someone who resembled Mo Yan. As for the granary of the Liang Country army, it was a ghostly place in Qiao Cong’s eyes.
From the beginning of the war until now, nearly a month had passed, and Qiao Cong had been watching closely. He noticed a pattern: among several granaries, only one was always full, while the others were empty. The strange thing was that when the full granary became empty, another granary would be full overnight, as if by magic!
Qiao Cong was worried about Qiao Jing’s safety, so he didn’t spend a long time watching the granary – which was what Su Liang had instructed. When he wrote to Su Liang about the strange situation, she replied not to stake out any longer. She knew what was going on and was concerned that Qiao Cong might run into trouble if he encountered Mo Yan.
Returning to the present, the sky had completely darkened when Qiao Cong failed to find anything in the military camp and left.
There were many common people in Nanping City, so searching house by house would be too difficult. Qiao Cong found Min Rou and took her out of Nanping City to a dense forest outside the city.
Min Rou took out the signal flare she had brought. It was what Gu Ling had found on her mother, He Qianqian, and Gu Ling had personally seen He Qianqian using it to send messages to He Wei and had informed Min Rou of the details. There were originally three flares, but Gu Ling had made three more identical ones as backups.
“Senior Qiao, you should go back. In case you encounter my grandfather or Mo Yan and can’t get away,” Min Rou said to Qiao Cong, “I’ll be fine. If I can’t find anyone with this, I’ll go to Nanping City to find the Liang Country army’s commanding general. I think he must be in contact with Mo Yan.”
Qiao Cong nodded, “You’re very smart. I hadn’t thought of that. Alright, I’ll go first. Be careful with everything, and follow exactly what Xiaoliang has instructed.”
“I will, thank you, Senior Qiao.” Min Rou looked serious, watching Qiao Cong disappear into the night. After a while, she took out her flint, and lit the first signal flare.
He Wei was pacing anxiously in Mo Yan’s room, “Master, if we delay any longer, the situation will become even more unfavorable for us. We should capture the leader and kill the likes of Xing Ji and Qiao Jing tonight! Even if Qian Country’s army has explosives, we have nothing to fear!”
Mo Yan sat by the window, looking at the blue porcelain flower vase on the windowsill, not responding to He Wei’s words.
“Master…” He Wei tried to speak again, but Mo Yan got up and walked out without answering.
He Wei followed, frowning, and looked into the distance in the direction of Mo Yan’s gaze but saw nothing.
After a quiet wait, a red light appeared in the southern sky. He Wei’s expression changed.
“Is it Rourou and the others?” Mo Yan asked.
He Wei stared intently, “Not necessarily. I didn’t tell Qianqian to bring Rourou here. They should have gone home after escaping. I’ll go check it out.”
“Take Ayue with you.” Mo Yan said and turned back to his room. Ayue, whom he referred to, was called Sheng Yue. He was Mo Yan’s attendant and was very young.
When He Wei saw Sheng Yue appear like a ghost, he set off directly without any communication.
On their way, they saw the signal smoke again. This was the third time.
Before arriving at their destination, He Wei suddenly stopped and turned to look at Sheng Yue, “No matter what happens next, don’t interfere.”
Sheng Yue’s gaze went past He Wei to the dark woods, “Is Master He implying that you might kill your daughter and granddaughter if they do something you think they shouldn’t?”
He Wei’s expression changed, “What nonsense are you talking about?”
Only then did Sheng Yue’s gaze fall on He Wei, his head tilted slightly to the right, “What other matters would prompt you to say those words to me just now? His eyes were as deep and dark as ink, but his movements and tone exuded innocence, like a child born in hell, chilling to the bone.
He Wei snorted coldly, “In any case, if you dare to meddle or speak out of turn, don’t blame me for being discourteous!” With that, he turned around and continued on his way.
After sending up three signal smokes, Min Rou waited restlessly. The forest at night was quiet, with the occasional rustling sound of animals making her hairs stand on end.
Finally, she heard the sound of footsteps. Instead of feeling relieved, Min Rou’s heart was clenched tightly in fear. Although she had come with a mission, she did not know what awaited her. The best-case scenario was Mo Yan’s arrival, and the worst was He Wei’s…
The next moment, Min Rou saw He Wei appear not far away, illuminated by the moonlight, the scars on half of his face due to his injury making him look terrifying. As Su Liang and Gu Ling had guessed, he had blown himself up.
“Grandfather!” Min Rou’s face lit up with happiness, and her eyes welled up with tears as she ran towards him.
He Wei grabbed her arm, looked around, and asked, “Where’s your mother?”
It was then that Min Rou saw Sheng Yue appear behind He Wei, and her heart relaxed slightly. They had grown up together since childhood and were among Mo Yan’s two favorite juniors on Xingluo Island.
“My mother is in trouble.” Min Rou said somberly, “We agreed to leave together that night, but someone blocked our way. She gave me all her self-defense items and covered my escape. Later, as I waited and waited, she never came to find me. Mother said that Grandfather Mo might be in Nanping City, so I could only come here.”
He Wei’s face darkened, his grip on Min Rou’s arm tightening, “You’re lying!”
Min Rou’s heart skipped a beat. She had practiced this countless times on her way here and had even eliminated her subconscious tells when lying under the guidance of Old Mu. How was she found out?
He Wei said coldly, “I know you. If something really happened, you wouldn’t have left your mother behind and run away!”
Without hesitation, Min Rou turned her head and said to Sheng Yue, “Big Brother Yue, I have an important message for Grandfather Mo!”
As He Wei’s brow furrowed, he let go of Min Rou and tried to strike the back of her neck!
However, at that moment, Sheng Yue pulled Min Rou behind him, causing He Wei’s attempt to knock her out to be in vain.
“What do you think you’re doing? Do you think I can’t handle you just because I’ve lost one hand? Or do you think I don’t dare to touch you?” He Wei looked at Sheng Yue, his eyes already showing a murderous intent.
“You can’t handle me, and you don’t dare to touch me.” Sheng Yue’s voice was flat and unwavering, one hand grabbing Min Rou, the other hand striking at He Wei with a palm.
They stood close together, and He Wei quickly dodged. The tree behind him that was originally standing intact collapsed with a loud bang.
“What is it that you need to tell the Master?” Sheng Yue asked Min Rou.
Min Rou shook her head, “I have to see Grandfather Mo with my own eyes before I can say.”
“Tell me, so I can know if it’s worth going against your grandfather, and whether you have betrayed the Master.” Sheng Yue’s tone was calm.
Min Rou looked at He Wei not far away, his eyes filled with murderous intent, and knew that he already knew what she was going to say, and would spare no effort to stop her, even if it meant killing her own granddaughter. He Wei had served Mo Yan all his life and would spare no expense to obtain what he wanted, especially since his own children and grandchildren were safe on Xingluo Island, a granddaughter was not that important.
Min Rou knew Sheng Yue’s personality. If she didn’t tell him, he wouldn’t care about her life or death.
At this moment, Min Rou could only assume that Sheng Yue was different from He Wei and was truly loyal to Mo Yan.
“Su Liang is Mo Yan’s granddaughter.” Min Rou told Sheng Yue, “It’s a fact, as long as Mo Yan asks about Su Liang’s appearance, he will know!”
Sheng Yue’s eyes finally changed a bit, but soon, they returned to their usual cold state, “Since you said that, I believe it.”
Min Rou breathed a sigh of relief. However, He Wei had already drawn his sword and stabbed at Sheng Yue. Min Rou, seeing the situation, hurriedly warned and said, “Brother Yue, be careful!”
Before her words fell, she felt her neck being choked by an icy hand, and He Wei looked at this scene with disbelief, then slowly withdrew his sword, his face revealing a cold smile, “Ask her how much information she has betrayed about Xingluo Island?”
It was only then that Min Rou realized how naive she was. There were no normal people on that island…
“Grandfather, you don’t even ask me where my mother is?” Min Rou could still speak at this moment. She looked at He Wei with sarcasm. This was the man she had thought cared for her since childhood. It was absurd. In the face of interests and ambitions, what does family affection count for? What does blood relation count for?
“If you confess obediently, I may not kill you and will send you home.” He Wei stepped forward and coldly looked at Min Rou, “It’s precisely because I know you, I know that you’re the type of person to be easily bewitched by Su Liang. I initially thought you and your mother had left beforehand. I didn’t expect you to betray Xingluo Island.”
“Me? What am I? A good person? Incompatible with you all? Then what are you? Humans?” Min Rou had expected some outcome when she came, not only for Su Liang but also to save those innocent people she believed were on Xingluo Island. But reality slapped her in the face again.
Sheng Yue suddenly tightened his grip, “Sister Rou, tell us what you know about Su Liang and Gu Ling, and you can live. Otherwise, you will never go home.”
“Don’t call me your sister, it’s disgusting,” Min Rou said with difficulty, “Indeed, there is a secret about them. In fact, they are gods from the heavens who will eventually destroy you monsters.”
Sheng Yue snorted lightly, and Min Rou knew that he was going to kill her.
At this moment, He Wei suddenly felt something piercing through his body, cold and fast.
Min Rou saw that He Wei’s body shook slightly. She immediately raised her hand, and a silver needle as thin as an ox hair silently entered Sheng Yue’s abdomen.
Min Rou hadn’t forgotten about her hidden weapons and had planned to use them in the most critical moments. Since there were two opponents, even using powerful hidden weapons would only deal with one, and she knew a secret about Sheng Yue: he had a poison-immune constitution. Therefore, poison-hidden weapons would be less effective on him.
However, Min Rou knew that it must be Qiao Cong who had helped her. He hadn’t left but stayed nearby.
As expected, after Sheng Yue was hit with the hidden weapon, he still didn’t let go of Min Rou. Another hidden weapon flew from the dark dense forest towards his heart, forcing him to dodge. Min Rou pulled out a dagger from her sleeve, forcing Sheng Yue to let her go, but unfortunately, she couldn’t stab the dagger into his body!
“Go!” He Wei grabbed Sheng Yue firmly. He had been poisoned and would die unless Sheng Yue took him away!
To He Wei’s surprise, Sheng Yue really carried him on his back, but then He Wei blocked two more hidden weapons for Sheng Yue before he passed out.
Qiao Cong didn’t have time to use his grenade because Sheng Yue was extremely fast, as if he was not injured at all.
“Are you alright?” Qiao Cong appeared and grabbed Min Rou.
Min Rou broke out in a cold sweat, shivered in the night wind, and shook her head, “I’m fine. Thank you, Senior Qiao.”
“What kind of people are they around that Mo guy?” Qiao Cong couldn’t help but complain. He had hidden and held his breath to observe, originally thinking Sheng Yue was different from He Wei.
Min Rou sighed, “Everyone has their own interests. I couldn’t accomplish the task Su Liang entrusted to me. What should I do?”
Qiao Cong pulled Min Rou back, “Let’s go back first and discuss it. Those people are lunatics, Xiaoliang is right, we must be careful when dealing with them. If it doesn’t work, we’ll shout at them when Liang Country’s army comes again tomorrow, telling them that Xiaoliang is Mo Yan’s granddaughter. He will know.”
Min Rou wasn’t so optimistic, “Sheng Yue is powerful and immune to all poisons. He is Mo Yan’s eyes and ears. If he and my grandfather don’t want Mo Yan to know about it, they can really do it. As long as they find an excuse to coax Mo Yan away from Nanping City and let Mo Yan personally order to kill Su Liang with all his strength. However, in this way, the war may end. Maybe that’s what Su Liang cares about. She doesn’t really want to acknowledge any grandfather.”
Qiao Cong cursed, “The people on your island are all sick! Seriously sick! Except for you! You’re not bad, quite smart. What do you think of my grandson-in-law?”
Min Rou: …
