Koi Fubao: Being loved by everyone on the road to escape from famine

In sharp contrast, the girl in front of him looked calm and composed. She was not hurt at all in such a dangerous situation.

Fan Heng thought to himself that if he could recruit this girl into the secret guard team, with her extraordinary courage and extraordinary skills, she would undoubtedly become a new force in the secret guards.

Just as he was about to ask, he suddenly felt a tightness in his chest and his body shook slightly, as if an invisible force was trying to pull him into the dark abyss.

Seeing this, the secret guards beside him flashed panic in their eyes, and quickly stepped forward to steady his body, and asked with concern: "Master, are you okay?"

Fan Heng endured the discomfort and waved his hands, his voice low but firm: "It's okay, you go and deal with the body."

Several secret guards who had not yet been injured took the order and left. They moved quickly and orderly and disappeared into the night in an instant.

Fan Heng's gaze returned to the girl. Her name was like a mystery, inciting doubts.

He asked, "May I ask your name, young lady? Why are you alone in this remote place? And why did you happen to see us fighting with the assassin?"

This place is remote and deserted. How could a frail woman walk here alone?

Moreover, her calmness and decisiveness in dealing with the sudden change, as well as her extraordinary martial arts, made the battle-hardened Fan Heng suspicious.

Xiao Zhixue did not avoid Fan Heng's scrutiny, but pointed to the distant bushes that were faintly visible in the moonlight, and said calmly: "We are a group of villagers who fled due to the war, and planned to go to the town to find a place to settle down. Halfway through the journey, we suddenly heard the sound of fighting coming from here, and my family and fellow villagers were all panicked. To ensure everyone's safety, I came here alone to investigate, and you have witnessed everything that happened afterwards."

Fan Heng looked in the direction of her finger, and sure enough, he spotted figures hiding in the depths of the dense forest. They were her family and fellow villagers.

As his eyes moved, he noticed the long sword tightly held in Xiao Zhixue's hand. The sword was shining coldly under the moonlight, and she had just claimed that the attackers were assassins from the East Chu State.

This made Fan Heng quite confused: How could an ordinary citizen easily identify the identity of the assassin from Dong Chu State?

As if she understood his thoughts, Xiao Zhixue smiled and explained, "At first, I didn't know their identities. I just saw the word 'Chu' on the sword they left behind, and guessed that they might be from the Eastern Chu State. Later, I found a token on an assassin, and there was a word 'Sha' engraved on it. Only then did I confirm that they were indeed assassins ordered by the Eastern Chu State."

After she finished speaking, she took out the token from her bosom and handed it to Fan Heng.

The word "Kill" on the token is clearly visible, and its murderous aura seems to penetrate through the cold metal into people's hearts.

At this point, Fan Heng no longer had any doubts about Xiao Zhixue's identity.

However, despite being full of curiosity and admiration for the girl in front of him, Fan Heng was unable to stay here for long.

The northern border is in danger, and he must lead his troops to rush to the rescue as soon as possible to fight against the invading enemy.

Just as he turned around and prepared to return to the carriage, Xiao Zhixue's crisp and somewhat worried voice came from behind him: "My lord, I see that you don't look well, it seems that your old illness has relapsed. If you don't get treatment in time, I'm afraid that this bumpy journey will cause unbearable damage to your body."

Fan Heng's heart was shocked. This seemingly delicate girl could see through the old illness lurking in his body at a glance. This insight was truly rare.

He turned around immediately, raised his eyebrows, and asked with a sharp gaze: "Miss, are you proficient in medicine?"

Xiao Zhixue nodded slightly, her tone modest but confident: "I know a little bit, could you let me examine you?"

She knew very well that the man in front of her who could lead more than a dozen secret guards here must be no ordinary person.

If he could be helped to cure the chronic illness that had plagued him for so long, perhaps he could use this opportunity to exchange for more silver to be used by the entire family as they fled the famine.

After all, the only two hundred taels of silver notes she had now were like a drop in the bucket for the long journey of escape, and would be used up in no time.

At this moment, no matter what the other party's identity was, Xiao Zhixue understood that she urgently needed to raise enough money to ensure that her family could safely survive this sudden war.

And the man in front of her might be the best person for her to seek help at this moment.

When Fan Heng heard Xiao Zhixue claiming to be proficient in medicine, a glimmer of hope arose in his heart.

In the current situation, his own health was deteriorating day by day, and the secret guards accompanying him were also injured. It seemed that every scar was silently reminding them that if they encountered assassins from the East Chu State again, this desolate land would probably become their graveyard.

However, he had not yet driven the Eastern Chu army out of the country, and his mission was not yet completed, so he must not fall down at this moment.

"Since you have medical skills, please teach me and treat me."

Fan Heng's words were full of firmness and earnestness. After he finished speaking, he stretched out his right hand, which was covered with traces of time and scars of war. The blue veins on the back of his hand were clearly visible in the dim firelight, as if telling of his tenacity and determination.

Xiao Zhixue gently raised her hand and placed it on Fan Heng's wrist. Her slender and powerful fingers seemed to be touching the vein of life.

She frowned and concentrated on taking the pulse, as if the whole world had quieted down at this moment, with only the subtle touch of her fingertips and pulse echoing in the air.

Judging from his pulse, Xiao Zhixue's heart trembled. This man's illness has lasted for at least three years. The disease is like a lurking hunter that has already tightly entangled him.

She withdrew her hand, her expression solemn, "You usually like to sulk, and this pent-up anger is stagnating in your chest, and coupled with the troubles of your old illness, your condition is getting worse day by day."

Fan Heng had never expected that Xiao Zhixue could have such detailed insights based on his pulse alone, and even touch upon the secrets deep in his heart.

He nodded slightly and admitted frankly: "That's right."

There was a hint of helplessness and bitterness in those deep eyes.

The emperor pressed him hard, ordering him to repel the enemy forces of Dong Chu as quickly as possible, but was reluctant to send more troops to support him.

He was in a difficult situation. With only tens of thousands of soldiers, it was like hitting a rock with an egg to drive out the 100,000-strong Dong Chu army across the pass in a short period of time.

As the Marquis of Zhenping, he was well aware of the heavy responsibility, but he could not vent his anger on his soldiers.

The soldiers were all innocent. They also fought desperately for their country. He saw their beliefs, blood and sweat, and it hurt his heart.

As time went on, Fan Heng often felt chest tightness and difficulty sleeping late at night, tossing and turning, and his heavy breathing was particularly harsh in the quiet tent.

Although he consulted many famous doctors and received countless prescriptions, they were still ineffective.

What made him even more anxious was that the Crown Prince Fan Yanmu, whom he had sent on a secret mission, had not returned yet.

All the people sent out to investigate reported that they had not found any trace of Fan Yanmu. In desperation, Fan Heng personally led a dozen secret guards to search, but unexpectedly encountered the Dongchu assassins.