Chapter Twenty: Everything But Martial Arts

“A judicial official? You’re an officer?” Peng Liang was startled for a moment at these words. His bright eyes suddenly lit up with a trace of joy, but it quickly faded. He murmured, “A judicial officer… a minor fifth-rank official… Just undo my acupoints and go. If any pursuers come, I’ll hold them off for you.”

Di Ying’s phoenix eyes widened slightly.

This man truly was a good person. And the one he served must hold a very high position.

He reached out, withdrew the golden needle immobilizing the acupoint from the man’s body, tucked it away in his needle pouch, and shook his head with a smile. “If you’re able, let’s go together. I won’t ask you about your affairs for now; escaping these mountains is what matters. Oh, I’m headed to the capital. Where are you going?”

At the mention of the capital, Peng Liang instinctively shuddered. He had struggled so hard to escape—how could he possibly deliver himself into the tiger’s jaws once more?

So he shook his head and replied, “For now, I plan to go to Bingzhou.”

That involuntary shiver did not escape Di Ying’s eyes. He couldn’t help but suspect again that the other was a deserter.

But it was none of his business. Since they were to part ways, there was nothing more to say. The other’s master was clearly a high official, he himself was a decent man, yet had deserted—obviously his master was not someone worth following.

Di Ying flexed his fingers lightly. Bingzhou was not far. After a moment’s thought, he took out a flatbread and a fire striker, giving them to Peng Liang, left his water skin as well, and then went down from the carriage to gather some medicinal herbs, which he placed inside before returning.

Seeing Peng Liang’s puzzled expression, he explained, “These herbs—you can chew them or use them as a poultice, they’ll help with your wounds. Take note of them, and collect more yourself if you need. Drive the carriage away, too. Let’s part here and wish each other well.”

Having said this, he picked up a knife and walked away.

Di Ying thought: There might not be any more assassins after him, but Peng Liang’s pursuers could still be on their trail. Peng Liang was gravely wounded, so he left the carriage for him.

As for traversing the mountains alone, Di Ying, raised in the countryside and accustomed to roaming hills and ravines since childhood, felt no fear. As long as there were no hostile people, nothing else troubled him.

He checked the rising sun’s position, stirred the grass and moss with his hand, chose a direction, and set off step by step.

Whenever he came across medicinal herbs for injuries or plants for repelling insects, he gathered some along the way.

As he walked, his nose caught a faint scent.

Up ahead, not far off, there must be a mountain stream. The breeze carried a trace of distinctive dampness.

He planned to collect some water vines for later use.

Before he reached the stream, Di Ying heard movement behind him. Turning, he saw the “patient,” clearly younger than himself, now dressed in Di Ying’s spare robe, hobbling along with the aid of a wooden stick.

Di Ying raised an eyebrow, looking at him with interest.

“Um…” Peng Liang, strong and sturdy, now looked a little sheepish under Di Ying’s gaze. Earlier, he’d refused to travel together, but now had followed of his own accord. His mouth moved as if to speak, and he stammered, “You… can’t fight. I’ll escort you out of the mountains before I go.”

The man had left him all the best supplies, even picked medicinal herbs for him—this favor, Peng Liang felt he must repay. There was also the life-saving grace; he couldn’t just walk away. Otherwise, if they parted now, he’d die with regret at never repaying these debts.

“My name is Peng Liang. Formerly…”

Seeing Di Ying silent and still looking at him, Peng Liang realized he hadn’t yet introduced himself, so he hurried to do so. But after stating his name, he couldn’t go on. Now, he held no status at all.

“Peng Liang, is it? All right, I’ll remember. Come on, let’s head over there—I’ll check your wounds again. And you can help me apply some medicine, too.”

Sensing the other’s goodwill and inner conflict, Di Ying smiled, didn’t press further, nor did he refuse the company. He simply changed the subject and sat down on a large stone by the river.

And so, the two of them—misfortune’s brothers—began living as wild men together.

Nature’s bounty was truly astonishing. Not only were there countless medicinal herbs, wild fruits, fish, and shrimp, but they even found wild ginseng and lingzhi mushrooms.

After several days of vegetarian fare, Peng Liang’s wounds had largely healed, and with Di Ying’s skill at setting traps, they even caught small game to vary their meals.

Peng Liang once asked Di Ying about the needle-stitched wound on his body. Di Ying answered cheerfully, “I was a mischievous child and often got hurt. Seeing my mother sew, I tried stitching myself up. Strangely enough, the wounds healed faster that way. The lesson stuck.”

Peng Liang gave him a thumbs-up.

Over these days, he’d grown ever more astonished—and impressed—by Di Ying’s many skills. At first, he’d worried how two injured men could survive in the mountains. Who could have guessed that Di Ying could turn the most ordinary things into miracles? A blade of grass, a vine, a piece of bark, a stone—he could always put them to good use.

Gradually, Peng Liang realized: aside from fighting, there was nothing Di Ying couldn’t do.

At first, he was always curious and kept asking questions; later, he grew numb to it, eventually just accepting it as normal.

Thus, after more than ten days, when their wounds had healed completely, they finally emerged from the mountains.

They had followed the foot of the Taihang Mountains, heading south. By now, they were not far from Zhengzhou. From Zhengzhou, a turn southwest through Luozhou and Yongzhou would take them straight to the capital.

Sitting on a small hillside, Di Ying gazed at the lush fields below and said to Peng Liang, “If you’re heading to Bingzhou, take the official road down there. We’ve lingered in these mountains so long without any pursuers showing up—they must have given up. Take the herbs you’ve gathered; you can sell them for some money. Settle down, marry, have children, and live a good life.”

Over these days, they had collected many valuable medicinal herbs, and Di Ying had taught Peng Liang much about their uses, so he believed Peng Liang could live well from now on.

“Sir…” Peng Liang’s emotions were tangled when he heard Di Ying speak so. “I—I want to go to the capital with you. I have a blood debt to avenge.”

He then told the whole story of his feud with Zhang Jiafu, revealing his background at last.

In the end, biting his lip, he decided not to follow after all. “But I don’t want to drag you down. Take the official road—I’ll find another way back. Please, take care of yourself.”

With that, he did not take the herbs wrapped in cattail leaves, but stood, bowed deeply to Di Ying, straightened his robes, and prepared to leave.

Di Ying thought for a moment, then called out to stop him.