Chapter 441 - Chapter 441: Chapter 441. He’s Actually Here?
Chapter 441: Chapter 441. He’s Actually Here?
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“Men, only open the north gate tomorrow morning. Stop searching tonight and send more people to patrol the streets.”
Su Qing walked out of the room and called out. Cheng Yu had sent his guards to wait outside the door. As soon as Su Qing gave the order, someone immediately sent the order to Cheng Yu without delay.
“Okay.”
The messenger replied and trotted away.
In the latter half of the night, Mo City finally quieted down. There was no one on the streets. The snow continued to fall, dyeing the world white. The traces of the day were all flattened by the wind and snow.
Qiu Yongzhi’s body was collected by Uncle Li and a few old neighbors, but because it could not be buried outside the city, it could only be stored in the mortuary.
This place was filled with Yin Qi, and no one dared to stay in the middle of the night. Qiu Yongzhi’s corpse lay there alone. His head was separated from his body, and his head was not even sewn back together with his body. His eyes were wide open as he died with grievances. Under the dim lanterns of the mortuary, it was extremely terrifying.
In the middle of the night, when no one was around, a thin wooden coffin in the mortuary was suddenly pushed open. A stiff corpse was thrown out first, and then Qiu Yongkang, dressed in green, climbed out of the coffin.
Qiu Yongkang stumbled over to his father’s corpse and knelt on both knees. His eyes were red as he looked at his father, who had been beheaded. He clenched his fists tightly, and tears fell silently. He did not even have the right to pay his respects to his father.
Su Qing, you and I are irreconcilable!
Qiu Yongkang looked at the sky and swore he would make Su Qing pay with her blood.
Qiu Yongkang knelt in the mortuary for a long time before he stood up. The winter in Mo City could freeze a person’s blood. He must have eaten a body-warming pill. Otherwise, he would have been frozen into a popsicle long ago.
These body-warming pills were left behind by Su Qing for Ji Shuisheng. Qiu Yongkang had secretly kept a little of each medicine and used them to gain the emperor’s trust.
Qiu Yongkang walked out of the mortuary full of hatred and grief. The darkness around him made him lose his sense of direction. He did not dare to light a torch, so he could only follow his instincts and avoid the patrolling soldiers on the way.
He wanted to leave the city from the north and run towards Tartan like last time, then rush towards the capital from the minor road. If he left the city, someone would pick him up.
However, he was too flustered. Su Qing would have searched the entire city according to her personality. He had escaped from the execution ground and hidden in the coffin in the mortuary. The place where the dead were was the safest.
Even if someone searched for him, he wouldn’t be worried about being found with a dead body on him. However, being buried along a dead body for so long was unlucky. Qiu Yongkang felt that his body was filled with the smell of a deceased person.
He avoided the patrol and did not change his direction. He wanted to go to the North City but accidentally walked to the West City.
Looking at the pitch-black city walls, Qiu Yongkang knew which direction the soldiers were patrolling. He found a position far from the city gate lanterns and threw the five-clawed golden hook.
Speaking of which, Su Qing also made this Five-clawed Golden Hook for Shuisheng. Qiu Yongkang secretly took one out, and it became a life-saving treasure.
“Who is it?”
Qiu Yongkang climbed up the wall safely, but when he went down, he was discovered by the patrolling soldiers. They raised their weapons and ran over. Qiu Yongkang didn’t even bother to retract his five-clawed golden hook and stumbled as he ran in the snow. The soldiers on the wall saw him and fired arrows at his back. Qiu Yongkang fell into the thick snow.
The soldiers on the city walls raised their torches and looked down. They did not see anyone, so they did not dare to open the city gates rashly. They quickly sent someone to report to Commander Cheng Yu.
Su Qing was staying in the government office tonight. That night, Grandfather Qin Feng called Su Qing for a chat. Ever since the old man discovered that Su Qing was the marriage arranged for Xiao Zeyu by his son-in-law, the old man has been overjoyed.
He felt that what Su Qing did today was right. He should let the villagers of Peach Blossom Cove know the price of betrayal. It served as a warning to others.
The old master agreed with Su Qing to let her grandson leave first. She would be the villain so that no one would criticize her grandson.
The father and daughter discussed how to build Mo City and Jingshi Dao in the future. They would rely on these two strongholds. When there was sufficient food and grass next year, and the soldiers were trained to be strong, they would raise an army. They would use the reason for clearing the side of the emperor as the reason for the expedition against the Wan Family Army.
Su Qing had just come out of her grandfather’s room and wanted to see Xiaoying. Xiaoying had gone to take care of Auntie Qiu and hadn’t returned. Su Qing knew that the infection could kill if the burns were not treated, so she didn’t chop Auntie Qiu’s head off.
Officials shouldn’t step on the sick. If she took Auntie Qiu, who was severely burned, to be beheaded as well, then Xiao Zeyu would be considered ruthless and heartless in the hearts of those people in Peach Blossom Cove.
Even if she didn’t care, she still had to consider him.
The pain of the burns was no less than the punishment of dislocating her bones. To Auntie Qiu, it was an even crueler punishment so that she could live for two more days.
Su Qing had just reached the entrance of the government office when she heard soldiers shouting outside.
“Lord Cheng asked me to look for Miss Su.”
Su Qing immediately walked out of the government office.
“What is it?”
“Reporting to Miss Su, a suspicious person has been found jumping over the wall in the western district.”
The soldier hurriedly reported to her when he saw Su Qing come out.
“Lead the horse!”
Su Qing ordered her men to lead the horses and rushed towards the city’s west side with the soldiers.
On the way, Su Qing couldn’t figure it out. The West City led to the Northern Barbarians. The people there were brutal and sealed themselves off from the outside world. They hadn’t invaded the Great Xia Kingdom in the past ten years, but Cheng Yu had always been wary of them.
The road to the Northern Barbarians was tough to walk on. In summer, there were swamps, and in winter, snow covered the deep pits. If one accidentally fell into them, it would be a disaster. There was no way to survive.
This was also the reason why the Northern Barbarians were rarely invaded. Before the army arrived, they would have first to damage some of their soldiers. It was not worth it for a small country.
In other words, this road could only lead to the northern barbarians. It would be challenging to go around without a route to the capital.
So, Su Qing never thought that Qiu Yongkang would choose this path?
Su Qing led the troops to chase out of the western city with torches in hand. The soldiers who saw Qiu Yongkang’s fall on the city wall led the way.
“It’s here. He didn’t get up after he fell.”
The soldier pointed to a snow hole and reported to Su Qing. Su Qing held the torch and looked inside. A torch was thrown into the hole and quickly drowned in darkness. This proved that the bottom of the hole was so deep that one could not see the bottom. If one fell in, they would die.
However, Su Qing was still worried. She asked the soldiers to tie the ropes together and tie a torch that was dozens of meters long. She wanted to see the body dead or alive.
“Xiao Qi, check if any living people are down here.”
Not only did Su Qing arrange for people to set up torches in the cave, but she also ordered Xiao Qi to use the system to search for living people.
There was a far-infrared detector in the system. Xiao Qi could see its shadow as long as there was a living being in the cave. This was a very advanced method that was usually used during rescue.
“Yes, Master.”
Xiao Qi answered and went to the screen to search for life forms dutifully.
Su Qing’s eyes were as black as ink. She had taken a body-warming pill and didn’t feel cold. She stood in the cold wind with her hands behind her back, waiting for Xiao Qi and the soldiers to find the results.
A soldier shouted excitedly.
“Miss Su, the torch has reached the end..”