Chapter 93: How Could a God Fear an Ant?

At dawn, Old Qiu came over to take the pulse, and after a moment, he smiled and said, “This boy has a truly fortunate fate; he actually survived.” Overjoyed, Xia Yun dropped what she was holding and rushed to report the good news to Cai Cong, who finally revealed a smile. After hastily washing his face, he went to check on Old Meng.

Du Yunlong had risen early that morning. Since he was to travel the mountain path, he had purposely changed into an old pair of shoes and eagerly hurried to the courier station. However, the guard at the gate told him that the Lord would not see any visitors today.

This distressed him greatly—could something have gone wrong? He tried bribing with silver, hoping someone would inform the Lord, but no one even glanced at him. Everyone knew the Lord hadn’t slept all night; a man of such noble status staying awake all night for a mere Qiu Ba was enough for Du Yunlong to pledge his lifelong loyalty.

Trying to pay someone to disturb the Lord’s rest? The guard thought to himself with a sidelong glance at Du Yunlong, “I wouldn’t even lash you; it shows my restraint.”

Du Yunlong couldn’t understand what was going on and just waited anxiously at the gate. Several times he tried to rush in but was pushed out by the guards. If it weren’t for respect for his position as county magistrate, he might have been beaten senseless.

“This... this is not right! I must see the Lord! The livelihoods of hundreds of households depend on it! Doesn’t the Lord care?” Du Yunlong shouted in confusion, only to be driven ten paces away by a guard wielding a baton. He could only stomp his feet anxiously there.

Just then, Fang Yuan, who had been out all night, returned. Seeing Du Yunlong pacing nervously by the roadside, he approached and asked curiously, “County Magistrate Du, why are you wandering at the gate? Didn’t the Lord ask you to accompany him to inspect the mountain villages today?”

“Ah, Captain Fang! It’s good you’re here. The guards won’t let me in no matter what, saying the Lord won’t see anyone today. How could such a thing suddenly change? Could you ask for me? I’m begging you.”

Seeing Fang Yuan, Du Yunlong poured out his woes, bowing awkwardly without regard for rank. Fang Yuan nodded and said, “No problem. I need to report to the Lord anyway. I’ll ask around and find out what’s going on.”

“Then I thank you in advance, Captain Fang.”

Fang Yuan entered the courier station and went straight to see Cai Cong. Cai Cong asked bluntly, “Well? Did you catch anyone?”

“Reporting to the Lord, we arrived late. The place was already deserted. I questioned the villagers carefully; about thirty people claimed to be wealthy returnees who missed the inn and stayed elsewhere.

I matched the footprints in the houses with the number of people and confirmed them. In a house to the west, I found some oiled paper used to wrap arrows, so I suspect they have quite a few bows and arrows. More worrying, the footprints led toward the courier station.

They split into four groups midway. We followed the tracks, but they disappeared eventually. Still, it’s certain they were heading toward the station. Their intentions are ill.

Should we send troops to search the nearby homes?”

“That won’t do; it would alert them. Find some clever people to investigate secretly, and at night, send men to the trading guild to inquire about who rented rooms last night and today. I want to catch them red-handed,” Cai Cong said wearily. He had barely slept an hour, and his eyelids were heavy.

As Fang Yuan reached the entrance, he suddenly turned and said, “By the way, County Magistrate Du is outside. The guard said you’re not seeing visitors today. He asked if something had happened.”

“What? County Magistrate Du is here? Bring him in quickly! Who said I’m not seeing anyone? If I weren’t waiting for him, I’d have gone to sleep long ago,” Cai Cong asked irritably. Since when could anyone else make decisions for him?

“Lord, perhaps we should not go out! There are people trying to kill you. Your wounds have just healed. What if something happens again?” Chunyu and Xia Yun pleaded miserably. Before dawn, they had gone to the gatehouse to falsify orders to prevent Du Yunlong from taking Cai Cong out.

Hearing this, Cai Cong laughed angrily and waved for Fang Yuan to invite Du Yunlong in. He asked the two girls sarcastically, “So, by your logic, I should never leave the house again? There’s no shortage of people wanting me dead. Should I just be locked up in prison for safety?”

“That won’t do! You can’t go to jail! But staying in the courtyard of the mansion is possible,” Xia Yun whispered. Cai Cong’s heart trembled—was this her idea or their mother’s?

“You two, get lost! I haven’t slept all night; go get some rest!” Cai Cong laughed nervously and sent them away, out of sight, out of mind.

Du Yunlong entered the station anxiously. Though allowed inside, Fang Yuan’s expression looked grim, making him uneasy.

“The men below were thoughtless. Seeing I hadn’t slept last night, they took liberties and slighted County Magistrate Du. Please forgive them,” Cai Cong said lightly. As a nobleman with a title, he wouldn’t truly apologize to a county magistrate; the magistrate wouldn’t accept it anyway.

“Not at all, not at all. It’s enviable that the Lord has such loyal and considerate servants,” Du Yunlong complimented quickly. He didn’t need to guess—the person who dared do this must be close to Cai Cong; he couldn’t afford to offend them.

“Hmm! County Magistrate Du, how long will it take to reach the place you mentioned?”

“About an hour along the official road, then at least half an hour on mountain paths. Beyond that, the road is too rugged to ride; we’d have to walk another hour. To prevent the Lord from tiring, I prepared two porters to carry you comfortably.”

“Good. You’ve thought this through,” Cai Cong said approvingly. Today, he was determined not to walk even an hour.

“Men, order Gan Xinda to gather five hundred soldiers outside the station within fifteen minutes. Tell Fang Yuan to stay and guard the station. Make sure Old Meng is well cared for. The tasks I assigned must be completed,” Cai Cong raised his voice and commanded loudly outside.

“Yes, my Lord.”

The guards at the gate saluted and hurried off to find the two men. They were in Old Meng’s room; seeing the urgency, the two waved the guard off, telling him to speak outside.

“Reporting to Squad Leader, the Lord orders Gan to immediately gather five hundred soldiers outside the station within fifteen minutes. Fang is to remain guarding the station, care for Meng, and carry out the Lord’s orders. Mission delivered; I take my leave,” the guard said briskly and left without a word more.

Gan Xinda started to leave, but Fang Yuan grabbed his arm seriously and said, “Someone wants to harm the Lord. You must protect him, understand?”

“Of course. The Lord showed me great kindness. To harm him, all five hundred of us would have to die first,” Gan Xinda said solemnly, his eyes firm, showing he was willing to die for Cai Cong at a moment’s notice.

“That’s good. Be cautious. Sigh, no wonder Commander Meng asked me to return to protect the Lord. His situation is very bad now.”

“Hmph, the Lord’s skills are unparalleled. How could he fear these demons and monsters?” Gan Xinda walked off displeased. To him, Cai Cong was like a god. How could a god fear the provocations of mere ants?

Not far from the station, the princess and others were discussing how to ambush Cai Cong. Bai Lang walked in from outside and said coldly, “The station’s servant boy said Cai Cong is about to go out. Hundreds of soldiers are gathering outside, along with dozens of constables. This matches the servant boy’s report.”

“Are you sure Cai Cong is going out?” Mr. Zhuge, disguised as the princess’s husband, asked immediately. Bai Lang ignored him; he only reported what he saw and heard. What to do about it was not his concern. His only task was to shoot Cai Cong dead with one arrow.