To Travel by the Edge of a Creek

ur useless subordinates to bring it faster.” Azar’s eyes were thoroughly red, blue veins popping out of his forehead. 

“Understood!” Zhu Li retreated, his body lowered.
After exiting, his originally obedient and respectful expression revealed a trace of viciousness. 

…

“Who is that?” Zhuo Zhuo saw a Manichaen disciple carrying a sack over their shoulder not too far away.
With a glance, He Xi saw that they were one of Na Cuo’s people.
She tapped her foot and turned, putting Zhuo Zhuo down in front of the disciple. 

“A Lu, what are you doing here.” He Xi asked.
The disciple, named A Lu, did not think that the Saintess would drop out of the sky and was frightened.
His lips quivered, “Answering the Saintess, Lord Protector Na Cuo ordered his subordinates to gather medicine for the leader.”

“What medicine?” He Xi took a step forward, wanting to get to the bottom of it. 

“Saintess-jiejie, don’t waste time.
Let’s go save Jiang Liu.” Zhuo Zhuo could not refrain from urging.
This Saintess-jiejie was talking with others at a time like this.
He Xi swept a suspicious look over A Lu, then rushed toward the burial mounds.
While approaching the burial mounds, He Xi heard a faint coughing sound, but after scouring the burial mounds, she did not find Jiang Ling’s figure. 

“Jiang Liu!” Zhuo Zhuo shouted at the burial mounds.
Only his own echo answered him.
For some reason, He Xi started to feel panicked.
She had clearly just heard the sound of coughing.
How could it just disappear? Just now—A Lu! That coughing must have been coming from the sack carried on A Lu’s back! He Xi immediately went to pursue A Lu. 

“Saintess-jiejie, where are you going? Wait for me!” Zhuo Zhuo ran behind He Xi but soon fell behind. 

…

“A Lu!” 

A Lu did not expect that after only a bit of time had passed, the Saintess would land in front of him again.
“What kind of medicine would you need this sack for?” He Xi narrowed her eyes at A Lu, who felt his entire body break out in goosebumps under her stare. 

“The sect has strictly instructed disciples to not engage in the sale or purchase of humans.”

A Lu felt as though the sack weighed ten thousand jin, suffocating him, “This subordinate…this subordinate was only following orders.”

“Cough…cough cough.” A weak cough came from inside of the sack.
“Put them down.
Scram.” He Xi’s tone was ice cold. 

A Lu promptly dropped the sack, a low groan sounding from inside.
He Xi’s face grew even colder. 

A Lu said: “Lady Saintess, the person is here.
This subordinate will withdraw.” A Lu swiftly retreated, but before he could even take a few steps, he collapsed to the ground with a grunt.
A silver needle had pierced his right leg.
A Lu clutched his leg in pain, wailing as he clamored back to where he came from. 

“Crawl back to your owner and tell him that he will never be able to lead the Manichaens.” He Xi said, then immediately knelt down and pulled Jiang Ling out of the sack.
The silvery moonlight cascaded down onto Jiang Ling’s quietly sleeping face.
With a slight flush in her cheeks and shallow breaths, she slept calmly, unaware of what just happened to her. 

He Xi’s brow smoothed out, as if she was admitting defeat, then she hugged Jiang Ling close to herself, “Jiang Ling, what am I going to do with you?”

“You…you both…” Zhuo Zhuo just happened to meet with the sight of He Xi embracing Jiang Ling as he arrived.
He Xi lifted her gaze to glance at Zhuo Zhuo, then picked Jiang Ling up, “Go back on your own.” In the blink of an eye, she and Jiang Ling disappeared into the night. 

Zhuo Zhuo seemed to have discovered something incredible.
Saintess-jiejie and Jiang Liu…

When He Xi carried Jiang Ling back to the inn, the witch doctor A Xi was already waiting for them at the door.
She led He Xi inside and settled Jiang Ling in. 

A Xi checked Jiang Ling’s pupils and felt her pulse, then put the back of her hand on Jiang Ling’s forehead, “This happened because she has not fully recovered from her wounds and then fell ill, so her condition is more serious than ordinary people.
I will make a prescription.
Once it’s decocted, have her drink it.
First we will relieve the heat, then everything else will be easier.”

“Cough…cough cough,” Jiang Ling’s coughing was even more fierce than it was during the past few days, almost as if she was going to cough her lungs up.
He Xi went forward to help Jiang Ling, but was stopped by A Xi’s piercing look.
She passed her a packet of medicine, “Why don’t you go decoct medicine.” He Xi had always thought of A Xi as her elder, and A Xi had likewise never regarded He Xi as the Manichaen’s Saintess, but as her own granddaughter instead.
These words would not be offensive to her. 

He Xi left the room.
A Xi helped Jiang Ling through her coughing fit, then sighed. 

After about half an incense stick’s time, Zhuo Zhuo had returned to Yongquan Village.
Seeing He Xi sitting by the entrance preparing medicine, Zhuo Zhuo felt a trace of carefree happiness in his heart.
When he was being beaten black and blue by the Saintess-jiejie’s lackeys, he did not think that their owner would actually personally decoct medicine for Jiang Liu. 

“Saintess-jie…”

“Come make some medicine.” Zhuo Zhuo had not even finished speaking before He Xi left him behind at the stove and returned to the inn. 

…

Outside of the Manichaen Thousand Autumns Palace, A Lu shivered as he knelt, “Lord Protector, they were taken away by the Saintess.
She also said…that you could never become the leader…”

“Useless thing.” Na Cuo kicked A Lu, “Did the Saintess discover anything?”

A Lu scrambled up from the ground then resumed kneeling, “The Saintess only thought we were engaging in human trafficking.”

“Mm.”

“The leader’s medicine?” A Lu was still concerned that the leader would blame him for the loss of the medicine. 

“You don’t need to worry about that.
I’ve already prepared it.” A silver light flashed.
A Lu’s neck started to gush blood.
He grabbed his neck and stared at Na Cuo, stunned.
Blood poured out of his mouth.
A Lu tried to speak, but could not get the words out.
Na Cuo looked at him scornfully, “It’s you.” As A Lu heard these words, the light left his bloodshot eyes, and his body collapsed lifelessly to the floor.