Chapter 97 Consort Ban Dies

Chapter 97 Consort Ban Dies

The situation was a little awkward, but it didn't matter, as long as everyone was safe.

Jiang Songzhi chuckled twice to smooth things over: "In that case, let's hurry back so they don't get impatient and worry."

Cheng Dai'er generously didn't argue with Jiang Yutang, and with a snort, she helped Lin Shi walk ahead.

The group retraced their steps and, halfway there, saw a familiar figure walking towards them.

"Third Brother!"

Seeing this, Jiang Yutang was furious. She took two steps forward and pinched his arm hard: "You're too bold! Even if you want to go back to help, you should at least tell us. You made us so worried!"

"Yes, if it weren't for Miss Cheng telling us what happened, we would have had to go back to find you!"

Jiang Shengan and Madam Yun couldn't help but say a few words to him, their voices filled with lingering fear.

"hiss--"

Jiang Huaiyu winced in pain, rubbing her arm as she explained with a wronged expression, "The situation was urgent at the time, and the bandits were chasing us closely. I was worried that Cheng Lanzhou wouldn't be able to handle it alone. Next time, I'll definitely give them a heads-up!"

The woods were dimly lit, but fortunately, Jiang Huaiyu led the way. His eyesight, honed during his military training, was excellent, and he quickly led everyone through the woods back to camp.

The scene before them was one of utter devastation. The campfire had long since died out, leaving only black charcoal. The refugees who could have run away had all vanished without a trace, and the few who remained were either sitting on the ground lamenting or huddled together, shivering in fear.

More than twenty corpses lay scattered on the ground, and judging from their clothing, they were all bandits who had launched the attack earlier.

Jiang Yutang glanced around but didn't see the three guards. She quickly asked, "Where are the guards?"

If the escort officers are gone, they will become unruly vagrants again, which will only put them in greater danger.

Jiang Huaiyu knew what she was worried about, and with an irrepressible smile, she raised her chin: "You mean those three escorts? They usually seem lazy and useless, but they didn't back down when it mattered. They were just a little injured and are resting over there now."

He pointed to the corner of the camp, and everyone looked in that direction. Sure enough, they saw three figures leaning against a tree trunk, their bodies bruised and battered, grimacing and howling in pain.

Jiang Yutang's gaze fell on him: "Third Brother, are you injured?"

Jiang Huaiyu raised her arm and replied nonchalantly, "It's just a minor injury."

His arm was simply wrapped with a few layers of coarse cloth, and blood had seeped through the cloth, indicating that he was seriously injured.

Jiang Yutang pursed her lips, her tone leaving no room for doubt: "Once we find the cart, I'll re-bandage you."

"Okay, thank you for your help, little sister."

Cheng Dai'er abruptly released Lin Shi's hand and ran quickly towards the center of the camp, calling out urgently, "Lan Zhou!"

Not far ahead, Cheng Lanzhou was squatting on the ground, carefully examining the corpse on the ground, seemingly confirming something.

Hearing the shouts, he slowly raised his head and turned to face the crowd. There were still a few drops of dark red blood on his face, and the ferocity in his eyes had not completely faded. He exuded a sense of oppression that kept strangers at bay.

Jiang Yutang looked into those eyes, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She had never seen Cheng Lanzhou like this before.

No matter how cold and aloof he was in the past, he was never like this now, like a ferocious beast that had just returned from the battlefield, exuding a dangerous aura.

Cheng Dai'er rushed to his side and asked anxiously, "Are you hurt?"

Cheng Lanzhou stood up, gently shook her head, and looked at the Jiang family members who had rushed over behind her. The fierceness in her eyes gradually subsided a little.

Lin rushed forward, grabbed his arm with both hands, and carefully examined him from head to toe until she was sure he had no obvious external injuries before she breathed a sigh of relief.

Jiang Shengan looked at the mess on the ground, the corpses lying around, the bloodstains everywhere, his expression somewhat dazed, and he kept muttering to himself, "It's good that everyone is alright, it's good that everyone is alright."

Jiang Jiuzhe, protecting Zhu Shi, frowned and said seriously, "We're going to be busy tonight. We need to hurry and leave here, lest the bandits and their accomplices come after us."

The camp echoed with the cries of refugees; there was no joy of surviving a catastrophe, only resentment and complaints against heaven and earth.

It makes sense, they were just a group of exiled refugees, already unfortunate, and now being sent to the frontier with such a difficult journey, almost losing their lives several times.

Jiang Yutang snapped out of her daze, her eyes darting around the camp, and asked anxiously, "Has anyone seen our cart? All our stuff is still on it!"

The cart was loaded with food, clothing, medicine, and daily necessities that she had brought. If it were lost, the journey for the next few days would be extremely difficult.

Fortunately, she always kept that time-travel book with her at all times; if she had lost it, she would have been truly finished.

"Tang'er's medicine is still on the cart. It's a lifesaver right now. Everyone, quickly split up and go find it!" Jiang Shengan said immediately.

Without further delay, everyone immediately split up to search around the camp.

Finally, Jiang Yutang and Zhu Shi found the wreckage of the cart in the grass at the edge of the camp. The wooden frame had been trampled to pieces, clearly trampled repeatedly by horses, and its contents were scattered all over the ground in a mess.

The stainless steel pot she brought was smashed to the side, with a large dent, and two of the bowls that were originally neatly arranged were missing, having been kicked away somewhere.

Jiang Yutang squatted beside the wreckage, looking at the unrecognizable cart with heartache, muttering to herself.

"Consort Ban, in the end, I have failed you."

This cart accompanied them all the way, carrying wounded soldiers and transporting supplies, but it never expected to end up like this.

Seeing this, her family members gathered around to comfort her.

Yun patted her on the back: "The cart is gone, so be it. We can take more of the rest ourselves, or we can buy another one in the next town. As long as you're alright and the medicine isn't lost, that's all that matters."

Jiang Sumin chimed in, "That's right, I'll have the third brother find you a good piece of wood and build an even sturdier one!"

"Tsk." Jiang Huaiyu glanced at him disdainfully and muttered under her breath, "All he knows how to do is give orders."

Jiang Yutang still felt regretful, but knew that saying more would be useless, so she could only sigh and nod: "That's all we can do."

She stood up and began rummaging through the scattered items, first gathering the most important medicines and the remaining food.

Looking at the dwindling amount of medicine left, Jiang Yutang couldn't help but complain inwardly: Is Cheng Lanzhou having a run of bad luck? Why does she keep getting injured, using up almost all the medicine she brought?

She first took iodine and gauze to Jiang Huaiyu's side, quickly treating the wound while admonishing, "Bear with it, it will be troublesome if it gets infected."

After treating Jiang Huaiyu's injuries, she turned to Cheng Lanzhou and asked, "Are you injured? How is the recovery of your abdominal wound?"

Cheng Lanzhou instinctively placed her right hand on her abdomen, her tone calm: "I'm fine now, give the rest of the medicine to the others."

Jiang Yutang stared at him for a moment, then nodded in agreement and turned to take care of the injured guard.

Of the three escorts, the pockmarked man was the most seriously injured, with a long gash slashed across his chest by the bandits. The other two were alright, suffering only minor cuts that could be relieved with some medicine.

Few of the refugees were injured; most were simply frightened. Six others tragically died, and some of the survivors scattered and have not returned.

Jiang Yutang quickly bandaged the pockmarked man's wounds to stop the bleeding, then applied medicine to the wounds of the other two guards. After that, she went to check on the injured refugees, without taking a break the whole time.

When she finished her work and turned around, she saw Cheng Lanzhou talking quietly with three guards, his expression serious.