Old Gu Six sniffed the air; the scent of blood wasn't his imagination. He approached the man, and the metallic smell grew stronger.
"Hey, are you still alive?"
...
Old Gu Six grabbed the man's feet, intending to drag him out, but after just a few steps, the unconscious man suddenly woke up.
"Save... save... me..."
"I won't. Since you're awake, I'll put you outside the door. You can leave on your own," he said coldly, leaving no room for negotiation.
He dragged the man to the doorway, propped him up against the wall, and was about to wash his hands of the matter.
However, as he turned to leave, the man desperately clutched his trouser leg. Despite looking like he was on death's door, he somehow found the strength to hold on so tightly that Old Gu Six's pants nearly came off.
The man used every ounce of his strength to beg, "Please... please... I'll... repay you."
Old Gu Six crouched down to pry the man's hand loose, repeatedly refusing, "No, no, let go. If you don't, I'll have to cut your hand off."
The man didn't listen. Instead, he pulled something out of his pocket and offered it to Old Gu Six.
Old Gu Six didn't take it, but he got a good look at the object. It was a Dark Iron Token with a lifelike dragon engraved on it, soaring through the air.
Apart from the jade token Old Tong had given him, this was only the second dragon-related item he'd ever seen. Such things were supposed to belong to the royal family.
His mind immediately flashed back to the melon he'd eaten in the abandoned temple. Old Tong's jade token was a family heirloom, and Old Tong wasn't the same age as this Third Young Master Sheng.
This man must be the Sheng San that the black-clad men were searching for.
This thing could very well be a Military Command Token. Old Gu Six made a split-second decision: this man couldn't die, at least not now.
Sheng San was willing to die rather than hand over the Military Command Token, which meant that those pursuing him weren't worthy of possessing it.
"Let go. I'll save you," he said, not knowing how many soldiers this token could command, but understanding that it shouldn't fall into anyone's hands right now.
From what they'd heard on their journey, none of the so-called people in power cared about the common folk.
Most people were still fleeing famine. If a war broke out, no one would survive.
They themselves hadn't even settled down yet. Who could guarantee that the fighting wouldn't spread to this area?
At least for now, there was a semblance of peace. Although life was still hard for the common people, at least they had a chance to survive.
The various power holders were evenly matched. If this Military Command Token fell into the hands of one faction, war would undoubtedly break out immediately.
Old Gu Six took the man to a dark corner. "Hang in there for a moment. Wait here for me."
He was willing to save him, but he couldn't bring him home. He needed to go back and clean up the blood stains in the courtyard and at the entrance.
Of course, if Sheng San couldn't hold on and died, well, that would just be fate.
Sheng San: ...
He'd never seen anyone save a person like this before. He was critically injured and nearly dead. Couldn't this man prioritize?
Half a quarter of an hour later, Old Gu Six returned. By then, Sheng San could already see his great-grandmother beckoning to him.
Old Gu Six didn't attempt to treat him himself – he didn't know how, and he might end up killing the man instead of saving him.
He hoisted Sheng San onto his back and stealthily made his way to a small clinic, his heart pounding with fear of running into Sheng San's pursuers.
The doctor at the small clinic was terrified when Old Gu Six burst in.
"Quick, find a quiet room," he demanded, holding a sword to the doctor's throat, playing the role of a vicious thug to perfection.
The doctor complied. Old Gu Six put Sheng San down, threatened the doctor again to treat Sheng San's wounds with utmost care, and then left.
Before leaving, he made sure to erase all traces of their visit.
As luck would have it, just as he reached the entrance of the alley, he ran into the familiar man and woman who had just arrived in the area.
Once again, they faced each other in silence.
Fortunately, Old Gu Six had come prepared. He'd deliberately taken a detour to a small tavern to buy a jug of wine.
He nonchalantly averted his gaze and staggered home with the wine jug, reeking of alcohol.
The man and woman exchanged a glance, then watched as Old Gu Six entered the fourth house in the alley.
They searched the other houses one by one, causing a commotion throughout the alley. When they reached Old Gu Six's courtyard, they hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door.
Compared to how they had barged into other people's homes, they were being quite polite now.
Old Gu Six opened the gate and gave them a wry smile. "Can I help you?"
The aroma of food wafted into the noses of the group, and suddenly someone's stomach growled loudly.
This was, of course, Old Gu Six's intention. He had left the door to his house open, allowing the smell of hot pot to drift into the courtyard. The door was still open now.
...
The person whose stomach had growled was so embarrassed they wished they could bury their head in the ground.
The woman spoke as if nothing had happened, "Sorry to bother you."
Old Gu Six nodded and coldly closed the gate, returning to his house. However, he didn't shut the door immediately, allowing the aroma of hot pot to linger a bit longer.
In the alley, the man asked the woman, "Yu Ling, why aren't we searching anymore?"
Yu Ling shook her head and said flatly, "He's not here."
The man was confused. How could she know without even searching?
"You're hopeless. First of all, we don't even know if he's the one who saved him. Even if he did, he came back with us from outside. Even if he had saved him, there's no way the person could be in his house now."
If Old Gu Six had saved Sheng San, he wouldn't have had time to buy wine, especially considering how quickly they had arrived here.
The group left the alley wearily, moving on to search the next location.
Hearing them leave, Old Gu Six closed the door. Chang'an had already finished eating and was sitting by the fire to keep warm.
Old Gu Six enjoyed his hot pot with wine, unable to stop eating.
"Dad, tell me what you were up to earlier," Chang'an asked quietly, adding a handful of Chinese cabbage to the hot pot.
"I took a severely injured person to a clinic."
"Who was it? I hope you haven't saved someone who'll bring us trouble."
"He is indeed trouble, which is why I took him to the clinic. Those people just now were looking for him.
The person they're searching for is called Sheng San, the third son of a general's family in the Capital ten years ago. He has a Military Command Token, and that's what those people are after."
"So the person you saved earlier was Sheng San?"
"Probably. He took out something that looked like a Military Command Token. He wanted to give it to me as payment for saving him."
"What?" Chang'an jumped up in shock.
Old Gu Six quickly reassured her, "Daughter, don't get excited. Don't worry, I didn't take it. I just dropped him off at the clinic and came back."
"That's good," Chang'an sighed in relief upon hearing he hadn't accepted it.
"I have no interest in ruling the world. Let someone else handle that exhausting job."
Sheng San, whom he had sent to the small clinic, had his wounds bandaged by the doctor, who also brewed medicine for him to drink. The doctor worked tirelessly until late into the night, completely exhausting himself.
As dawn approached, Sheng San developed a high fever, alarming the doctor who once again busied himself with treatment.
Whether it was Sheng San's good luck or something else, Yu Ling and her companions searched the town for three or four days but never stumbled upon that small clinic.
Sheng San rested peacefully in the clinic for three days. Due to the severity of his injuries, he remained bedridden, personally cared for by the doctor.
Chang'an and Old Gu Six's life continued undisturbed, both immersed in the joy of practicing their skills.
Half a month passed, and Chang'an discovered she could fly too, though only enough to leap from the ground to the rooftop. It was just the beginning, but it was undoubtedly a good start. She trained even more diligently.
It was like playing a video game – after playing for a long time, you suddenly clear a level. Then you wonder how long it will take to clear the next one, and you become increasingly addicted to playing.
Two months flew by, and just as they were packing their bags to set off again, Sheng San came to the small courtyard looking for Old Gu Six.
