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Finest Servant Chapter 544
🕑 Added 2023-10-09 09:18:02 +0000 UTCChapter 544 Sharp Confrontation
Based on the markings on Xu Zhiqing's map, the nearest tribe of nomads was named Dalanzha. In the Turkic language, Dalanzha meant "Pearl of the Grasslands." According to Lin Wanrong's plan, since this "Pearl" was within reach, it should be the first battlefront for the Great Hua cavalry's expedition into the grasslands.
Unfortunately, Miss Xu's map only provided a rudimentary layout of the tribes' locations on the Alxa Plateau, without detailed information on their populations. Hu Bugui had dispatched scouts in three directions to search for dozens of miles, but there was still no sign of Dalanzha.
Old Gao grew somewhat impatient. "Did Advisor Xu get it wrong? There's no 'pearl' within a hundred miles of here."
Hu Bugui chuckled, "Brother Gao, don't be hasty. General Lin has instructed us; our first battle deep in these grasslands has to be striking, ruthless, and victorious. We'd rather be cautious than reckless before we have precise intelligence on Dalanzha. The Turkic people must not easily detect our movements. That's why our scouts have been so careful. As for Dalanzha’s exact location, I believe General Lin has it all figured out—wait, where is General Lin?"
He glanced around. Lin Wanrong, who had just been chatting jovially nearby, had vanished.
Old Gao pointed to the distance and laughed, "There he is! He's investigating the location of the 'Pearl of the Grasslands' on Miss Yujia!"
Hu Bugui looked and couldn't help but chuckle. Lin Wanrong had, at some point, slipped over to Yujia's carriage, and was peeking inside after pulling aside the curtain.
Just as Lin Wanrong poked his head in, he felt a swift gust of cold wind flash past his face. Yujia’s angry voice resounded, "You shameless person from Great Hua, what are you doing now?"
"What can I do?" Lin Wanrong grinned and grasped her hands. With a secret squeeze, the golden blade in Yujia's hand stopped inches away from his face. She couldn't advance any further. The Turkic girl huffed a few times, her face flushed as she struggled with all her might.
Watching Yujia wriggle like a small snake, her curves flowing, a picture of breathtaking beauty, Lin Wanrong couldn't help but steal a few more glances. He touched her soft, delicate arm, and chuckled, "Miss Yujia, do you want to kill me or embrace me? Even I can't tell anymore."
"Shameless—" Yujia fiercely shouted, using both hands and feet to kick at him.
Lin Wanrong's face suddenly turned cold. He released his grip, and Yujia, who had been struggling, fell heavily onto the carriage floor, wincing in pain. She made a small cry, clearly hurt by the fall.
Lin Wanrong didn’t even glance at her, and said coldly, "Whether or not I have any shame is none of the Turkic people's business. Miss Yujia, I'm here to remind you that it's time for medicine. You have to treat my brother."
"No, I won't—" Yujia gritted her teeth, barely getting the words out, when a distant scream echoed, accompanied by roars in the Turkic language. It sounded like Heliye.
Yujia hastily drew back the curtain and saw that not far away in the crowd, a Turkic man lay decapitated, his blood soaking the grass. Heliye was bound hand and foot, looking as though he'd been wrapped like a zongzi dumpling, and his face twisted in a ferocious scream of rage. A bandit named Hu Bugui stood nearby, grinning ominously as he nonchalantly wiped the blood from his large blade. Though he seemed at ease, his eyes were filled with lethal intent.
"What—what have you done?!" Yueya, struck by horror, underwent a swift change in complexion. She raised her little fist toward Lin Wanrong, as furious as a she-wolf on the prairie. "You killed my kinsmen!"
Lin Wanrong spread his hands, his face a picture of innocence. "Miss Yujia, you're mistaken! The man who killed them is my Brother Hu, not me. I respect your right to say no, but I also respect Brother Hu's right to kill. You can continue to shake your head; I'm a patient man."
"Despicable!" Fire blazed in Yujia's eyes. "Threatening me by slaughtering my people—I will not let you go!"
Lin Wanrong's gaze was as cold as the ice in the twelfth lunar month. "You won't let me go? Miss Yujia, you must be joking. Three hundred thousand Turkic cavalry have trampled over my Great Hua borders, committing every crime from arson to abduction. Countless of my compatriots have been violated, killed under your Turkic blades. Yet you, the beautiful Miss Yujia, stand here accusing me of massacre and shamelessness—fine, then. I am a murderer, I am shameless. What can you do to me?"
His face darkened, and he stared contemptuously at Yujia. His eyes were like unmelting glaciers, devoid of any emotion. Yueya hesitated; her intuition told her that this bandit had transformed from vulgar and shameless to cold and emotionless, as if he'd changed his clothes.
His contemptuous gaze ignited a desire to resist within her. Yet, when she lifted her head, she couldn't withstand his piercing gaze. All she could do was clench her fists, hum in anger, and lower her head.
"Miss Divine Healer, it's time for you to attend to the sick." From a distance, Hu Bugui leisurely wiped the blood off his large blade, occasionally swinging it toward another Turkic man. He seemed utterly relaxed. Lin Wanrong's voice reached Yujia's ears, exuding an indescribable sense of calm and indifference. His disdainful smile was clearly visible.
If the earlier confrontation could be considered a narrow win for Lin Wanrong, now Yujia felt an inexplicable emotion. A mere change in his expression had exerted an intense pressure on her, making her feel constrained for the first time.
Looking at her fallen kinsmen, lying in pools of blood, she could no longer muster the courage to refuse. With an angry hum, she picked a few medicinal herbs and jumped off the wagon.
The carriage carrying Little Li was situated in the middle of the convoy. When the two boarded, they found that Li Wuling was still in deep sleep. However, his face seemed peaceful, and his breathing had improved considerably, showing signs of recovery.
Lin Wanrong was overjoyed and felt like giving Yueya’er a few kisses of gratitude. Setting aside the ethnic animosities, he truly admired this Turkic woman's medical skills.
"What are you so pleased about? He's far from recovered!" Yujia saw his elated expression and was greatly annoyed, doing her best to dampen his spirits.
Lin Wanrong shook his head nonchalantly. "No worries, I can wait. Even if they decapitate me, I won't abandon my brothers. Thank you, divine physician."
His eyes glinted with sincerity. The Turkic girl lowered her head and sneered, "Are all you men from the Great Hua such crybabies?"
Lin Wanrong chuckled. "The winds have been strong these past days, and I used a bit too much water when washing my face. I didn't dry it well enough, I apologize for any confusion, divine physician."
‘Lying Great Hua man!’ The girl named Yujia couldn't be bothered with him any longer. With the lives of her tribesmen at stake, she carefully examined Li Wuling's injuries and busied herself checking his pulse.
Lin Wanrong scrutinized the Turkic girl's actions. Her medical techniques were remarkably varied. In addition to the traditional methods of Chinese medicine, she was also highly skilled in treating external wounds. Clearly, she had acquired a wealth of practical experience.
"What are you staring at?" Yujia seemed annoyed by Lin Wanrong's gaze and roughly tossed several herbs at him. "Grind these medicines!"
He chuckled and picked up the herbs she'd thrown. "Honeysuckle, Panax notoginseng, snow ginseng—these are for reducing inflammation and improving clarity of mind. Eel blood, carp scales, angelica—these are for enriching blood and body fluids. Very well-targeted prescriptions, divine physician."
Yujia looked at him in surprise for a moment before scoffing, "So you know a thing or two about medicine. Then what do you need me for?"
Lin Wanrong shook his head with a smile, "You misunderstand, divine physician. I'm notoriously all talk and no action. I can name the herbs but can't prescribe them. Sadly, among all disciplines, medicine is my weakest."
She looked at him and asked softly, "Then what are you best at?"
"Arts of the bedchamber!"
Yujia was stunned for a moment before her face flushed with indignation. "You shameless man from the Great Hua!"
Lin Wanrong laughed heartily, very pleased with himself. ‘She even knows about this? This girl has a profound understanding of our Great Hua's culture.’
He proceeded to grind the herbs—half for oral administration and half for topical application. Changing Li Wuling's dressing was something Yujia would never do. That task was always performed by Lin Wanrong and Gao Qiu.
As he applied the herbal paste to Li Wuling's chest, Yujia remained silent for a moment before suddenly speaking, "General Lin, can you please stop killing my people?"
Lin Wanrong paused, struck by the softness in her tone—a first since he met her. He nodded solemnly, "That's a good question, Miss Yujia. May I ask in return, can your 300,000 Turkic people retreat to the steppes, swearing never to invade our Great Hua again?"
Yujia remained silent, seemingly unwilling to answer. Reading her thoughts, Lin Wanrong said lightly, "You only want to take but not to give? Then there's nothing to discuss. The shame the Turkic people have brought upon the Great Hua can only be cleansed with blood."
Yujia looked up, her eyes defiant. "Countless events have already proven that you people of Great Hua will never be a match for us Turks. Resistance will only lead to greater bloodshed. I suggest you surrender now. If you lay down your arms, we Turks will not kill a single citizen of Great Hua."
Lin Wanrong burst into hearty laughter. "Miss Yueya’er, you're quite confident, aren't you? Unfortunately for you, you're in my hands now."
A faint light flickered in Yujia's eyes. "Being in your hands doesn't necessarily mean I've lost. I can assure you, you will fall to me, and you will do so willingly."
"Then let the facts speak for themselves. We shall see," Lin Wanrong retorted.
Silence filled the carriage, interrupted only by the breathing of Li Wuling. Their eyes locked, neither willing to back down, a palpable tension in the air.
Lin Wanrong suddenly smiled, gazing at Yujia's watery eyes and rosy cheeks. He reached into his robe and pulled out something. "Divine physician, this is for you."
Yujia stared in disbelief. "How do you have my jade flute?"
"I found it in Xingqing," Lin Wanrong said, handing her the small jade flute. "That night, I was almost killed by the bolts of Turkic crossbows."
Grinding her teeth, Yujia silently took the jade flute, caressing it carefully before breaking into a smile and handing it back. "Since you found it, you keep it. I have plenty more like it."
"Really?" Lin Wanrong laughed. "Then I won't be shy." He held the precious jade flute, taking a deep breath. "Such a valuable flute, and I only have one."
Yujia cast him a glance, her light blue eyes holding a hidden intensity. Lin Wanrong's expression turned solemn, and he squinted slightly.
After an unknown period of silence, Yujia suddenly stood up. "Let's end it here for today. Your companion's condition has stabilized. I will come back to check on him tomorrow."
"Thank you, Divine physician," Lin Wanrong said, lifting the curtain to watch Yujia jump out of the carriage. After she had walked a few steps, he called out, "Ah, I forgot to tell you something, Miss Yueya’er."
Yujia turned back, puzzled. Lin Wanrong pointed to the distance and smiled, "As a token of my gratitude for your medical attention, I'm releasing half of your tribespeople."
Yujia looked up to see Hu Bugui and several soldiers untying the ropes binding her fellow Turks. At first, they couldn't believe it. But when they cautiously took a few steps and saw no reaction from the Great Hua soldiers, they broke into ecstatic runs.
Having witnessed Lin Wanrong kill and then release people, Yujia, despite her unparalleled intelligence, couldn't fathom his true motives. Her mind was suddenly in disarray.
"Miss Yujia, you must believe that I'm sincere," Lin Wanrong said, his face breaking into a wolfish smile. "Blood debts can only be repaid in blood."
