Friends and Family 2

Qin Feng looked up when he heard his name being mentioned. And simply gave the man with the bushy beard and the unfamiliar dusty red uniform a simple nod of greeting. He noted the frown that appeared on the stranger's face as soon as he did so, but ignored it. As far as he was concerned, he was not inclined to take a step back when faced with these so-called nobles. Not when he was supposedly on a mission on behalf of Lady Xie Nianxue, the Old Marquis' wife.

Who just so happened to be the Second Ducal Prince's, Li Changhai's, maternal grandmother.

From what he could see, that put her one level higher than the current Duke of the Westlands, who was merely Li Changhai's father, if one followed the strict reckoning that governed proper familial and generational hierarchies.

Besides that, he was already more than a little annoyed with the whole troop, and the troubles that it had brought on this particular journey. Honestly, if he was in-charge of having to bring the Second Ducal Prince back to his father from the Changqing City, he would have simply disguised the two of them as itinerant traders. That should have been enough to let them slip through the spies that the enemy had watching the roads.

The addition of these hundred or so soldiers ... Well, they had started with a full century, when they left Changqing City. Now, there were slightly less than ninety of them left. And there were a few injured ones too, who would not be of any use in a fight. And they had slowed down the progress of the Prince, which was a more crucial factor, in Qin Feng's considerations.

It was also near impossible, to keep the Second Ducal Prince hidden, even if he did disguise himself as an ordinary soldier. That was what Qin Feng thought, although he had not bothered to tell Li Changhai his opinion, when the Prince removed his rich garments and put on a worn and weary uniform.

As if that would stop the enemy from realizing that he had hidden himself within the troop!

If it was up to Qin Feng, he would simply slaughter the entire band. If he was the enemy, that is. It would take a bit of time and effort, but that would avoid any chance of missing the Prince.

From what he could see, these Iron Fire Mountain scoundrels did not intend to leave any survivors behind to give away the fact that they were the ones responsible anyway. So what did it matter if they slaughtered another ten or a hundred men?

And what was all this nonsense about the reinforcements that the Duke had sent?

Didn't the Prince already tell their idiot commander that he had suffered an attack already? Why then were they still standing in the middle of the road, as if they were sharing thoughts about the weather? When they should be running off towards Yanyun City as fast as they could?

Sometimes, Qin Feng could not understand how these idiots did things. Or how they had managed to get a commanding rank in the so-called Ducal Army. As far as he was concerned, they were just idiots. And far worse ones than this Prince Li Changhai that he was traveling with!

It seemed that these riders were no better than the soldiers that the Ducal Prince had brought along with him. They were certainly too complacent when it came to facing enemy action within the borders of their own fief!

"Whatever problems you may have met with here, we are only about three, four hours away from Yanyun City. So let's head back quickly. I don't want to have to explain to Auntie if you get so much as a scratch while you are with me."

From the bearded fellow grunted at him, when it became clear to him that Qin Feng was uninterested in speaking to him. Or in behaving like what martial practitioners from the Schools and Sects usually behaved. Li Changhai didn't look as if he was bothered to explain either. No doubt due to his concerns regarding his own safety. And that of his troop.

As his next question proved:

"We will need to be careful, getting back to the city. Even though we have you and the rest of the Red Eagles on our side, the ones hunting us should not be giving up so easily. Their ambush tactics are better than what one would expect, from jianghu Sects and Schools. So we shall need to be careful."

The leader of the escorting party looked a little wary when he heard that. "You think there's military folk involved? The Northern Duchy?"

"It's too early to presume that they were behind the attempt. But to be honest, I cannot think of anyone else who would have an interest in making sure that I do not rejoin my father at Yanyun City. Or have a stake in not letting him learn the details of the recent Barbarian attack in the South."

Qin Feng smiled as soon as he heard that. Those were his sentiments as well. Although he did not think too highly of Li Changhai sharing that with the bearded fellow. But that was just him. He wasn't clear on who was on the Second Ducal Prince's side, and who was not. And the arrival of this particular Red Eagle troop was a little too timely, no matter how one looked at it.

Nevertheless, this was Li Changhai's problem, and he certainly wasn't about to get involved. It would be much safer for him to keep his mouth shut and stay out of the way, wasn't it?

But he did agree with the Second Ducal Prince's view that they should continue to be cautious, all the way back to Yanyun City. Indeed, he would prefer it if they maintained their vigilance all the way back to the Duke's mansion in the same! Who could say that there weren't any malcontents in the city itself, out to take Li Changhai's life?

So he was more than pleased to hear the burly, bushy-bearded soldier shout orders at his men, as well as Lieutenant Wei's, to get everyone moving once again.

Soon, they will all be in Yanyun City. And Qin Feng could get his little job for Lady Xie over with!

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