Chapter 49

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Chapter 49: Du Yinsui smelled the suddenly sharper bitterness in the air, feeling a stab of guilt.

Tan Wang had let the prisoner ride the donkey cart, pushing onward day and night for many days. Yet when he knocked at the address from the letter, he didn’t find Liu Wanxing’s cousin—only his and Liu Wanxing’s son, not yet two years old.

The "important matters" mentioned in the letter for discussion darkened the moment Tan Wang saw his child.

Tan Wang’s instinct was right.

An old servant brought two letters: one from Liu Wanxing’s cousin, the other… her suicide note.

Months earlier, agents sent by some unknown master to investigate Tan Wang’s past in Linzhou had questioned many, including Liu Wanxing. Barely clinging to life with rare herbs after risking childbirth over a year ago, she’d grown weaker. These agents dug relentlessly into how Tan Wang moved her from the exile camp and smuggled her south, burdening her fragile mind.

Whether deliberately or carelessly, their actions alerted her: they meant to use her Linzhou past against Tan Wang.

Her final thoughts—the struggle, the despair—were lost. All remained in that thin letter.

She wrote of her love for Tan Wang and their son, but more of refusing to burden them with her hopeless state or let Tan Wang be blackmailed because of her.

After a decade in Linzhou, reinvention was impossible. But their two-year-old was different…

As her cousin’s letter stated: Tan Wang could take the boy. If inconvenient, the old servant would raise him in Daizhou for two years, then send him to Linzhou disguised as a relative of the cousin’s husband.

Tan Wang couldn’t fathom what those agents did or said in Linzhou to drive Liu Wanxing to suicide rather than endanger him.

Those answers died with her.

Only hatred remained—a scorching fury searing Tan Wang’s gut. Even his son’s presence couldn’t quell it.

Kill Xu Lv.

Kill everyone who sought Liu Wanxing in Linzhou.

Kill whoever sent them.

Kill!!!

Mad with killing intent, Tan Wang returned to camp at dawn. Clenching his fists to stay sane, he barely processed Zheng Yi’s words.

On the sixty-second day of exile, Tan Wang had nearly unmasked every guard’s loyalty.

Zhao Qi died. Good riddance!

That Xu Lv-loyal dog saved Tan Wang the trouble.

Cui Wu died. Just as well.

Another Zhao Qi ally who’d have joined Xu Lv—one less problem.

But as the guards’ leader, Tan Wang had to inspect the woods for appearances.

He questioned Kong Yan’er and Wei Huiqing—still tied to a tree by Zheng Yi—then freed them. After rousing Xu Lv, he took Zheng Yi and two other guards into the forest.

The women, shaken after the night, couldn’t recall the path. They searched until finding the first corpse.

A mangled thing, its claw-ravaged face still bore a mole.

Claw marks tore the face. A chunk was bitten from the neck. The belly gaped open, innards… Tan Wang frowned, kneeling to probe the blood-crusted cavity with his scabbard.

“Kidney’s gone,” he announced, scraping the scabbard free. He nudged the shredded trousers aside. “Privates are missing too.”

The guards stared at the corpse. Seeing it clearly, each felt a chill between their legs.

"You, come here," Tan Wang stood up, pointing the bloodstained scabbard at Wei Huiqing from a distance.

Wei Huiqing stepped forward without another word.

Tan Wang squinted, comparing the wounds on Cui Wu’s neck with the uncleaned bloodstains on Wei Huiqing. "Was he bitten while leaning over you?"

Wei Huiqing nodded, having explained this many times before.

"Let’s go search for Zhao Qi," Tan Wang said without further questions.

Soon they found Zhao Qi’s body, similar to Cui Wu’s: neck torn open, belly sliced apart, both kidneys and lower parts eaten.

"Damn beasts! Were they eating them as some virility tonic?" Xu Lv cursed from where he’d been standing at a safe distance.

Having just compared Zhao Qi’s wounds to the blood on Kong Yan’er, Tan Wang frowned deeply. "Not one beast—several. The bite marks here are coarser, with fewer claw prints. Wolves, not dogs as you claimed." He looked directly at Kong Yan’er and Wei Huiqing as he spoke the last sentence.

"I… I’ve only ever seen dogs," Kong Yan’er replied tearfully. While tears streamed down her face, inwardly she laughed. *One or several, coarser bite marks—just Du Yinsui’s little stones. And he calls himself the head guard? Ridiculous.*

Tan Wang simply stated his findings, not intending to argue wolves versus dogs with them. After all, sheltered women from official households would naturally have only seen dogs, not wolves.

Wei Huiqing, head lowered, once more appreciated the wisdom in the few words Du Yinsui had taught her.

"They ate nothing else, specifically targeting those areas. No wonder they attacked only Cui Wu and Zhao Qi, sparing you two," Zheng Yi remarked thoughtfully, also looking at the women.

Having not witnessed the scene last night, he’d suspected them of lying. Why would beasts attack strong guards yet spare two tender targets? Though he’d never encountered such clever, picky wolves, the evidence was undeniable—their survival now seemed logical.

Professional matters required professionals. Du Yinsui hadn’t overlooked this suspicion; unpleasant as it was last night, she’d addressed it.

The guards meticulously examined the bodies, confirming wolves were responsible. They further deduced it was two wolves—not hungry, somewhat kidney-deficient males. Following paw prints, they determined the wolves had each consumed one man before heading west…

Kong Yan’er: *"…"*

*Honestly, I need to recall last night’s horror just to stop myself from laughing out loud.*

With the cause of death confirmed as wolf attacks—not the women’s doing, nor a trap by bandits—both Xu Lv and the guards sighed in relief.

*Well, they got what they wished for. Warned before, lectured before, yet they ignored it all. Dying because of women—fitting.*

Tan Wang held no sentiment for returning souls to homelands. He ordered two pits dug on the spot and buried the men side by side—companions in misfortune.

These two corpses, however, sparked a new idea in Tan Wang’s mind, though that was a matter for later.

With the incident clarified, they returned to camp. Kong Yan’er and Wei Huiqing were sent back to their families. After announcing the presence of man-eating wolves in the woods and forbidding anyone from leaving the camp perimeter, the shackles binding other prisoners to trees were removed.

Upon their return, hushed questions arose within the Kong family, while the Wei family remained silent as death.

Hearing Kong Fangqiu’s words—ostensibly comforting her while subtly criticizing the Wei family’s silence last night—Kong Yan’er actually felt a little soothed. True, her father had only dared speak a few words last night, motivated by fear of devaluing her price, but he *had* spoken. Her mother had clung tightly to her too.

Still better than the Wei family.

*If only Wei Huiqing hadn’t constantly gathered firewood and gotten familiar with Du Yinsui’s group, they wouldn’t have gone to her first last night. If they’d been close to me, I’d have been their priority!*

Though she felt outshone elsewhere and slightly better off at home, Kong Yan’er still felt unsettled.

As she half-listened to her parents’ questions and half-lost herself in thought, Kong Fangqiu suddenly lowered his voice and shifted the topic.

Kong Yan’er froze, thinking she’d misheard. "Father, what did you just say?"

"Well… let your mother explain," Kong Fangqiu replied awkwardly, brushing his sleeve.

"Yan’er, it’s still early. We won’t go deep, just find a secluded spot near the woods. I need to examine you," Zhu Miaolian murmured, glancing at Kong Fangqiu before taking Kong Yan’er’s arm and rising.

"What investigation!" Kong Yan’er shook off Zhu Miaolian’s hand angrily. "I already told you—he barely tore my sleeve before wolves killed him!"

"Let your mother examine you." Kong Fangqiu glared at Zhu Miaolian. Useless woman, needing his repeated orders. Virginity determined value; he wouldn’t waste coin on damaged goods. Her word meant nothing here.

Seeing Kong Yan’er’s agitation, Kong Fangqiu frowned and pointed at his elder daughter-in-law nearby. "Your sister-in-law will accompany you too."

Zhu Miaolian tightened her grip. "Mother needs to see. I birthed you—isn’t it my right?" Foolish girl! As her mother, she’d cover any disgrace. Involving that concubine-born’s wife would ruin everything!

The Kong family descended into chaos, their commotion growing louder.

Neighboring households caught fragments of the uproar—including the Wei family.

"Let Jingniang examine you as well," Wei Yuting told his daughter, his first words since Cui Wu’s raid the prior night.

Wei Huiqing, overhearing Kong Yan’er’s plight, understood his meaning. "Have Jingniang check your head instead," she retorted coldly.

"Ungrateful wretch! Is this how you address your father?" Wei Yuting straightened indignantly.

"An unkind father breeds an unfilial daughter. I ended both exiles. I brought you back to the Capital. Your ‘raising’ debt is repaid tenfold. This time? Save yourself." Wei Huiqing turned away, gathering clean clothes as he sputtered.

Wei Yuting’s sneer cut through his rage. "Agu! Seize her! Drag her into the woods. If she resists Jingniang’s inspection, pin her down. She’s your wife in name—seeing her matters little. I’ve abandoned hope for a worthy son-in-law. Why not make you a real couple?"

Wei Huiqing whirled around, disgusted—but before she could speak, an iron grip clamped her arm.

Perhaps it pressed the bruises from last night’s struggle with Cui Wu. Perhaps the déjà vu overwhelmed her. A scream tore from her throat.

"Young Miss Wei… the master found our deeds of indenture. We answer to him now…" Zhou Jingniang murmured pityingly.

"When the slaver beat you, I—" Wei Huiqing strained against Agu’s unmovable hold.

"I’m property. The deed-holder commands me," Agu stated flatly, his usual dull tone now edged with ice.

"Obey! Marry Agu. Return to the Capital as an official’s daughter. Skip the woods—Agu won’t care about… freshness, will you?" Wei Yuting smirked, relishing his daughter’s humiliation. Finding those deeds had been brilliant.

Agu shook his head at Wei Yuting. "Agu obeys the master."

Loyalty, shifted by parchment.

Wei Huiqing cursed her past self—fearing a third exile, recruiting "help." This was worse than last night! At least then, Du Yinsui and Jiang Wu had been there.

Think of wolves, and they appear.

A log slammed into Agu’s face from behind. He staggered back, nearly yanking Wei Huiqing down.

"Slacking off? You once knocked an imperial guard that distance. Now? Just an ordinary man?" Du Yinsui eyed Jiang Wu critically, the log still in his hand.

Jiang Wu, who’d swung with full force: "…"

Du Yinsui’s barb wasn’t for him. The sudden tang of fear pricked her conscience—briefly.

Irrelevant now.

The antidote-bearer reeked of guilt.

"Again," Du Yinsui ordered.

"You—!" Wei Yuting finally found his voice.

No one listened.

Jiang Wu struck instantly—a brutal crack on Agu’s arm still clutching Wei Huiqing.

Remembering he was merely a man—not a Jin Kingdom spy—Agu crumpled, howling over his injured arm.

*Idiot*, Du Yinsui thought. She turned to Wei Huiqing. "Want to stay with us?"

Du Yinsui had come recruiting.

The guards seemed convinced by last night’s charade; pretense was unnecessary now. Anyone who’d twice dragged her useless father back from exile possessed rare talent.

Du Yinsui didn’t expect Wei Huiqing to lift Jiang Wu’s exile—but a sharp mind aided any team. Best of all? She’d shed her deadweight father. Unburdened. Clever.

Yet Wei Huiqing’s initial spark of hope flickered and died.

She shook her head.

*Pity*, Du Yinsui thought. Forced fruit sours… but goodwill could bloom.

"Want those deeds back?" Du Yinsui nodded toward Wei Yuting. "Might require beating your father. Briefly."

Wei Huiqing’s eyes blazed. "Do it."