Chapter 57
"Are you hurt? Where are you injured?"
Ji Taoyu was thoroughly frightened. Once he had calmed down a little, he quickly grabbed Huo Shu’s arm, carefully checking his body for any wounds.
At first, Huo Shu had covered his eyes, so he didn’t know what had happened. But hearing the screams, he could guess it wasn’t anything good.
Since Huo Shu didn’t let him see, Ji Taoyu didn’t bother asking.
However, he hadn’t missed a single moment of Huo Shu’s fight with the big-bearded man. The half-man-tall broadsword was razor-sharp, slashing toward its target with every strike, each move heart-stopping.
Ji Taoyu had never witnessed such a real, life-and-death struggle before. Though the danger had passed, his heart still pounded with lingering fear, and his legs trembled weakly from the shock.
"I’m fine."
Seeing how pale the young ger looked, Huo Shu soothingly cupped the back of Ji Taoyu’s neck. After telling everyone to return to their tents, he took Ji Taoyu’s hand and led him back to theirs.
Once inside, Ji Taoyu finally began to settle down.
Outside, footsteps were still hurried, and the clamor hadn’t died down.
Ji Taoyu had caught a brief glimpse earlier—the arriving group had had at least thirty carts and forty or fifty men.
Besides mules, oxen, and donkeys, they even had more than ten horses. The riders all had ruthless eyes and powerful frames.
He whispered to Huo Shu, "Who exactly are these people? They don’t seem like merchants at all."
"Of course they aren’t merchants."
Huo Shu adjusted the blanket, covering Ji Taoyu’s legs before lightly holding his feet. He said calmly, "They’re bandits."
Ji Taoyu’s eyes widened in shock. He covered his mouth. "B-bandits…?"
Huo Shu grunted in confirmation.
Ji Taoyu swallowed hard. No wonder they looked so brutal and unreasonable.
He had also heard the leader mention some sort of "stronghold"—so it really was true.
"They—they don’t even try to hide it, just shouting about their stronghold like they want everyone to know they’re bandits."
Huo Shu replied, "We’re not government officials. There’s no need for them to hide. Even if we were, facing a group this size, no one would dare provoke them."
Ji Taoyu pressed his lips together. "But earlier, you…"
He lowered his gaze. "It’s my fault for almost dragging everyone into trouble. Luckily, that big-bearded man was somewhat reasonable and didn’t make things too difficult."
Huo Shu patted Ji Taoyu’s head. "There’s a time for patience in all things, but not this. Even enduring humiliation has its limits. Don’t overthink it."
"Sleep. We leave tomorrow."
Ji Taoyu nodded and curled into Huo Shu’s arms.
Ji Taoyu had only heard tales of bandits before—this was his first time seeing them in the flesh. Now that he had, he understood why ordinary people turned pale at their very mention.
Who wouldn’t be afraid of a group like this charging at them with blades?
He needed to sleep quickly so they could leave at dawn. Staying near such people would make anyone uneasy.
Pressed tightly against Huo Shu, Ji Taoyu’s thoughts were a mess, his heart racing. He couldn’t calm down, feeling like he had forgotten something.
Just as he was drifting off, he suddenly sat up—wasn’t he supposed to write prescriptions for the nearby village?!
Turning to look at Huo Shu, he was about to ask if he should still write them tonight when rapid hoofbeats sounded outside.
"Go find one now! If they refuse, drag them here by force! There’s no way a place this big doesn’t have a single physician!"
The loud, rough voice echoed through the camp.
Ji Taoyu frowned. "I just heard them say one of their men is in bad shape. I wonder if it’s also heat-rash disease."
Earlier, his focus had been entirely on their own people, so he hadn’t considered anything else.
Only now did he recall why Huo Shu and the big-bearded man had stopped fighting.
Huo Shu’s brow twitched. "You want to go take a look?"
Ji Taoyu met his eyes but didn’t voice his thoughts.
Huo Shu sat up from the bedding.
"You’re not afraid of them anymore?"
"I am~"
Ji Taoyu was honest. He struggled internally. "These men are bandits. Who knows how many innocent people they’ve robbed or killed?"
Huo Shu understood his meaning. "Probably not."
"Why?"
"If they were truly murderous raiders, they wouldn’t have just driven us out to take the campsite. They’d have slaughtered us and looted everything."
"Besides, that man earlier told me they only acted because someone among them was infected, they were trying to quarantine."
Ji Taoyu grew even more confused. "If they meant no harm, why did that big-bearded man fight you?"
"He just wanted to test his skills against a worthy opponent."
Ji Taoyu fell silent, thinking that did make some sense.
Back in Tongzhou, physicians often sought out his grandfather to exchange medical knowledge.
Ji Taoyu blinked. "If you already knew they weren’t vicious and that they had sick men, why didn’t you let me go treat them?"
"You’re the physician, not me. I can’t offer your skills on your behalf."
Ji Taoyu shot him a sidelong glare. "You sure draw clear lines."
Huo Shu also sat up. "Then let’s go take a look. We were going to deliver prescriptions to the village tomorrow anyway."
The Wayang bandits’ camp was nearly set up. More than twenty tents stood along the riverbank, their outlines flickering in the torchlight. Eight armed guards kept watch around the perimeter—an imposing sight.
Despite having settled in, the men still moved urgently.
A boundary separated the two camps. As Huo Shu and Ji Taoyu approached, they saw the big-bearded man pacing outside a tent, hands on his hips.
Beside him stood a sickly-looking man. The big-bearded man paced restlessly - one moment glaring at the tent, the next snapping harsh words at the sickly-looking man before letting out heavy sighs. His anxiety was obvious.
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