Chapter 36

Shuhui did not pay much attention to Deng Pu's departure, as if helping him was just an act of righteousness, like standing up for justice. Watching Deng Pu's figure disappear into the dense forest, he sneered continuously. He sat cross-legged and slowly regulated his breathing. Even a severely injured grandmaster was still a grandmaster, indeed not someone he could easily withstand. If it weren't for teaming up with Deng Pu, relying solely on his subordinates would have been futile.

Thinking back to the earlier struggle with Zuo Lixing, it still made his heart race. It was hard to imagine that a man on the brink of death could still possess such strength. However, this battle had greatly benefited him. Although his injuries would temporarily lower his realm, the experience of fighting a grandmaster to the death and surviving was something not everyone had the chance to gain. This would greatly benefit his future, and once he recovered, he would take a solid step forward.

Several black-clothed men ran out of the forest and stood respectfully beside Shuhui. Seeing that Shuhui was healing himself, they all turned to stone, remaining silent.

After a long while, Shuhui slowly opened his eyes. "Have you found their trail?"

"General, Qin Feng is quite cunning and seems to be an old hand at this. He has set up many traps along the way to mislead us, costing us a lot of time," one of the black-clothed men bowed and said.

"Then you haven't found them yet?" Shuhui's voice suddenly turned cold.

"General, although we haven't found them yet, we have narrowed down the range to the smallest possible area. It will take at most one to two days to discover their trail."

"One to two days?" Shuhui raised his head. "Princess Zhaohua is still severely injured and can't move fast. One to two days is enough; they won't be able to escape the Luoying Mountains and reach the Qi Kingdom. Tell your subordinates that if they fail this time, they shouldn't come back."

"Yes, General."

As the sky brightened, Gaoyuan re-entered the cave. He had already tidied up, erasing all traces of human presence inside, except for the area where Min Ruoxi lay. After the turmoil of the previous night, she was now sleeping soundly. Qin Feng stood there, gazing at her face, feeling for the first time that Min Ruoxi was truly beautiful. She still maintained the posture in which Qin Feng had left her, her figure curvaceous, truly a sight to behold from any angle.

Tear marks still lingered on her face. Recalling the events of the previous night, Qin Feng couldn't help but feel his face heat up. This was the first time in his life that he had been so intimate with a woman, and he had far exceeded the normal boundaries.

"In times of urgency, one must act decisively, right? This was all forced upon me; you can't blame me," Qin Feng muttered to himself.

It seemed that Qin Feng's muttering had awakened the sleeping Min Ruoxi. Her long lashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Qin Feng standing in front of her. Instinctively, she closed her eyes again, her face flushing as if remembering something.

"Your Highness, it's time to go," Qin Feng said.

Her eyes moved under her eyelids, and she finally opened them reluctantly. "Is it morning? It's time to go."

"Your Highness, can you move?" Qin Feng asked hopefully, but received a helpless smile in response. Still unable to move, she would have to be carried on his back again. Just as he was about to squat down, Min Ruoxi called out, "Wait, shouldn't we wash our faces first?"

"Wash our faces?" Qin Feng was taken aback. He himself hadn't washed, and during the battle and escape, he never thought about it, considering it a waste of time. Clearly, the woman in front of him thought differently.

But a princess is a princess. Even though she was making a request, her tone was commanding. Qin Feng could only take the leather flask from his waist, pour some water to dampen a piece of silk, and gently wipe her face.

After last night's events, although they were in close contact again today, both felt more natural, without the awkwardness and discomfort of before. Of course, Qin Feng's hands were a bit too heavy, causing Min Ruoxi to frown again.

"Am I that dirty that you need to wipe so hard?" Min Ruoxi asked, half-jokingly.

Qin Feng smiled sheepishly. "I've never done this before, so I don't know how to control the force. Your Highness, please bear with me."

After washing her face, he carried her out of the cave, tidied up all the traces inside, and placed the spiders he had collected the previous day in the grass. Then he went over and carried Min Ruoxi on his back, securing her with a vine.

"What are you doing?" Min Ruoxi asked curiously.

"Before long, these spiders will weave many webs at the cave entrance, making it harder for trackers to find us. Even if they discover the cave, as long as they don't enter, they won't find our traces." As he spoke, Qin Feng couldn't help but look at the direction of the broken branches from the previous day. Although he had been very careful, spreading the broken branches out, the difference between natural and artificial breakage was still easily distinguishable to an experienced eye.

This was the trouble of traveling with a woman. If he were alone, he wouldn't leave such a clue. Fortunately, Deng Pu wasn't an expert in this area, so they might get away with it.

"Let's go!" Carrying Min Ruoxi, he walked forward. "Princess, I'll feed you while we walk. Remember, don't spit out any leftovers on the ground. I'll handle these things."

"I understand," Min Ruoxi said softly. In just one day, she had enough experiences to last a lifetime. Besides the embarrassing scene from last night, Qin Feng's formidable combat skills and extensive escape experience had broadened her horizons. She wasn't unfamiliar with these things, as the Great Chu's Ying Hall, under her control, was a gathering place for martial artists, including experts in this field. However, Qin Feng's performance made Min Ruoxi realize that the so-called experience of these experts was nothing compared to Qin Feng's.

"Do you usually do this? Where did you learn all these things?" Min Ruoxi asked curiously.

Qin Feng smiled bitterly. "These things are learned at the cost of lives. Your Highness, living in the capital, you naturally don't understand our hardships. To put it bluntly, we are people always prepared to die. But who wants to die early? In every battle, if we win, we pursue the enemy, which teaches us things. If we lose, we have to escape, and the instinct to survive in such situations makes us think of every possible way to hide our tracks. Gradually, as more people die, the accumulated experience grows. These things are built on the lives of people."

Listening to Qin Feng's bitter voice, Min Ruoxi fell silent. Living in the capital, they were accustomed to its prosperity and grandeur, never thinking that such splendor and leisure were bought with the lives of border soldiers.

"Princess, do you know how many people have died since the formation of the Death Corps?" Qin Feng asked.

"No."

"Since the formation of the Death Corps, a total of 10,068 people have died. This is only the number recorded since I became the camp commander. Before that, it was impossible to keep track."

"But I heard that the Death Corps is made up of death row inmates."

"Yes, they are criminals, death row inmates, deserving of death. But to me, they are warriors, my comrades. They all fell on the battlefield, killed by the enemy. Each of them may not have lived honorably, but they died heroically." Qin Feng's voice grew low. "They washed away their past disgraces with their blood. Moreover, among them, some were originally good people who ended up here for various reasons. Human nature is inherently good; who is born evil?"

Min Ruoxi was speechless.

"Are you missing your comrades?" she asked softly.

"Of course." Qin Feng nodded. "I wonder how they are now. The Western Qin army has invaded, including their elite Thunder Army. I don't know if Anyang City can hold. More importantly, will the Western Qin people target Anyang City? If they really intend to take Anyang Prefecture, the Death Corps alone won't be enough."

"Doesn't Anyang Prefecture have over ten thousand county troops?"

"Them?" Qin Feng laughed. "They can bully the common people, but in a real battle, they would probably be scared to death by the enemy's roar. Do you know how many of these county troops are there to gain favor and advance their careers?"

"Is that true?"

Qin Feng laughed. "In recent years, our western border army has won many battles, making it easy to gain credit. Naturally, many people want to share in the glory. They dare not join the border army, as it involves actual fighting, but they can get a position in the county troops. When the good news is reported, they can add a small note about their contributions, and that's enough."

Sighing, Qin Feng shook his head. "People are never equal. Wild Dog, the one your guard severely injured, has fought in dozens of battles and earned seven first-class merits, but he still needs three more to clear his name. Do you know what that means? Earning seven first-class merits is like circling the gates of hell seven times. He still needs to circle three more times, and any one of those could cost him his life, nullifying all his previous efforts."

"If I can return alive this time, I will try to persuade my father to make some changes."

Qin Feng didn't respond, muttering to himself, "If the Western Qin people really intend to take Anyang City, I hope Scissors Monk and the others are smart enough to run. No one is watching them now. Although being a deserter is shameful, it's better than dying in vain."

(Life is never equal, a heartfelt reflection.)