Chapter 730: Whoever Did the Beating Should Do the Treating

Seeing Jin Jue's expression suddenly change, one general asked, "What is it?"

Jin Jue shook the intelligence report in his hand and said gravely, "Meng Shanming should not have let Luo Zhao's forces go. Yan's army has not even finished withdrawing, yet Wu Gongling suddenly attacks. Why do I have the feeling Wu Gongling intends to finish what Meng Shanming left unfinished?"

One general said, "Grand Marshal, you mean Wu Gongling has submitted to Yan again? That seems unlikely. Wu Gongling burned, killed, and plundered throughout Yan. The damage to his reputation was far too severe. He should know that once Yan catches its breath, if he remains inside Yan territory, they will sooner or later settle accounts with him."

"Meng Shanming can threaten him right now," Jin Jue said. "That does not prevent him from doing something for Meng Shanming."

Another general asked suspiciously, "But Grand Marshal himself said we can hold Meng Shanming in check, and only we can save Wu Gongling. Besides, his side is now full of people from Han's three major sects. He would not dare oppose the Grand Marshal's wishes unless he had grown tired of living."

That was also true.

Jin Jue himself felt the contradiction.

But Wu Gongling's abrupt move still struck him as suspicious. After thinking it over for a while, he decided immediately. "Send word to the three major sects at once. Find out what is happening. If he dares ruin my plans, they may kill him on the spot!"

By the time the message reached its destination, Wu Gongling's forces had already crossed the river and entered Song territory on the opposite bank.

Naturally, pressure followed right behind.

The Cangzhou rebel army continued its forced march, but Wu Gongling himself was stopped separately and taken aside.

A group of cultivators half-surrounded him, led by three Elders: Cao Yong of Baichuan Valley, Xiang Tianguang of Wushang Palace, and Qi Bisang of the Tiannü Sect.

Hui Qingping, formerly an Elder of the Tiannü Sect, was there as well.

Wu Gongling sat on horseback and looked over the group. His gaze drifted toward Hui Qingping, and he teased, "Madam, don't tell me you're planning to murder your own husband?"

The moment the words came out, everyone's expression turned strange.

Forget Hui Qingping. Even they had not adjusted to her change in status and still found the whole thing somewhat absurd.

Of course, in return for Hui Qingping making such a sacrifice, Baichuan Valley and Wushang Palace had both conceded a share of the benefits to the Tiannü Sect once Song was conquered.

There was no helping it.

Wu Gongling had clung to Hui Qingping and refused to let go, but the Tiannü Sect could hardly be the only faction making a sacrifice while the other two picked up the benefits.

Hui Qingping's face darkened. "Shut your filthy mouth!"

"Madam is simply thin-skinned. Can't be helped. You'll get used to it eventually." Wu Gongling chuckled and even winked mischievously at her.

Hui Qingping understood the implication in his tone better than anyone.

She had no idea whether the others had caught it, and wished she could find a crack in the ground and crawl inside.

There were things she simply could not speak aloud.

In any case, Wu Gongling had not allowed her a single peaceful day lately. Whenever the mood took him, he came looking for her.

If she refused, he made a scene, shouting and yelling as he went to demand an explanation from the three major sects, asking whether they intended to discard him after he had served his purpose.

Hui Qingping had seen shameless people before.

She had never seen anyone this shameless.

Against a man like him, she truly was no match. Time and again, she had ended up yielding beneath him.

Wu Gongling's skin was thick enough that he did not care in the slightest.

He jumped down from his horse, idly swinging the riding crop in his hand. "So. What do you all want?"

"What do we want?" Cao Yong said coldly.

He immediately called Wu Gongling to account, relayed Jin Jue's suspicions, and demanded an explanation.

Once Wu Gongling understood why they had come, he pointed at his own nose. "What do you mean? Jin Jue was the one who told me to pursue Luo Zhao's army the moment it crossed the river. You all knew that too. Why else did you follow me across? None of you said a damned thing earlier, and now you come ask me? Who am I supposed to ask?"

Xiang Tianguang said, "But Luo Zhao's entire army has crossed now, while the Yan army has not finished withdrawing. You attacked rashly before—"

Wu Gongling immediately glared and cut him off. "Do any of you still care about reason? Did Jin Jue ever say that if Luo Zhao's entire army crossed the river, I was forbidden to pursue? The Yan army hasn't finished withdrawing, and I take the risk of attacking anyway, yet somehow that's my fault?"

He pointed with the riding crop. "Gentlemen, according to the intelligence, Song is already arranging grain and supplies to meet Luo Zhao's men. If we're going to pursue them, and we don't do it now, when exactly are we supposed to go?"

He thumped the riding crop against his own chest. "Are we supposed to send a message to Jin Jue first, then wait for Jin Jue to reply before deciding whether to pursue? We were already a long distance behind Luo Zhao's army. If we start too late and wait until more than two million Song troops join up with their provisions, eat their fill, and recover their strength, are we supposed to charge into them and die?"

"I say, do any of you understand marching and warfare at all? I'm only doing what Jin Jue told me to do. If I don't follow his instructions, then you'll say I'm deliberately delaying. Then won't you come question me again and demand to know why I delayed?"

The group looked at one another and fell silent.

Put that way, it actually sounded somewhat reasonable.

Watching from the side, Shan Dongxing almost laughed inwardly. This man truly knew how to twist an argument.

Wu Gongling had already turned his head toward Hui Qingping. "Madam, can't you come out and say one fair word for me?"

Hui Qingping turned her face away and ignored him completely.

"How chilling!" Wu Gongling lifted his head and sighed toward the sky.

Then he turned back to the others. "Anyway, my life is in your hands. There's no point wasting breath. Why not judge by what I actually do? No matter how many men Luo Zhao still has, I'll deal with him all the same. I'll still accomplish Jin Jue's objective. If I fail, you can take my life whenever you like. Will that satisfy you?"

Everyone looked at one another.

At present, it seemed that was all they could do.

Qi Bisang said gravely, "You had better not be playing any tricks."

"Tch!" Wu Gongling waved dismissively and walked toward Hui Qingping. He casually reached out and placed a hand at the small of her back. "Pingping, are you angry?"

Hui Qingping reacted as though bitten by a snake. She snapped her head around and slapped his hand away. With unmistakable warning, she said, "Stay away from me!"

She could not endure him behaving this way in front of everyone.

She could not afford that humiliation.

Who would have imagined that in the next instant Wu Gongling would suddenly grab her in both arms?

"We're intimate every day. What are you shy about?" He leaned in to kiss her.

The sight was unbearable.

The others silently turned their heads away, truly unable to keep watching. They were afraid of embarrassing Hui Qingping and all pretended they had seen nothing.

Smack!

A crisp slap rang out.

Then came the heavy sound of someone hitting the ground.

Everyone turned back.

In the blink of an eye, Wu Gongling was already sprawled on the ground, blood flowing from his mouth and nose. He lay there without moving.

"..."

The group stared dumbfounded for a moment.

Then they looked at Hui Qingping's frost-covered face and were instantly alarmed, rushing over.

"Hui Qingping, have you gone mad?" Cao Yong of Baichuan Valley flashed in front of her and demanded furiously.

If she beat Wu Gongling to death at a time like this, how were any of them supposed to answer for it?

Hui Qingping looked at everyone scrambling to save Wu Gongling, then at the angry looks directed toward her, as though she were somehow the one at fault.

Her chest rose and fell sharply.

Her face alternated red and white from sheer fury.

Fortunately, after checking him, they discovered Hui Qingping had still held back enough.

Wu Gongling had only been knocked unconscious on the spot.

After someone used spiritual power to regulate his breathing and qi, Wu Gongling gave a muffled sound, opened his eyes, and woke.

The moment he came around, Wu Gongling grew furious.

He shoved away the men treating him and staggered to his feet. Half his face was visibly swelling by the moment.

Shan Dongxing, now relieved, watched him and shook his head.

This was already the third time he had been beaten into this state, wasn't it?

Wu Gongling swayed around until he faced the group. Pointing at Hui Qingping, he said, "With this kind of attitude, I can see it now. You're only using me. Once you've gotten what you want, you're planning to kill me, aren't you?"

"Great General, don't act out of anger. Let us treat you first." Xiang Tianguang reached out, intending to use spiritual power to reduce the swelling.

"I don't need you pretending to be kind." Wu Gongling slapped his hand away and pointed at Hui Qingping. "Whoever did the beating should do the treating. That demand isn't excessive, is it?"

"What marriage? You were all just fooling me, weren't you? Have any of you ever seen a wife like this? If she's already treating me this way now, then once you've accomplished your purpose, it'd be strange if she didn't kill me. Will I still have any road to survival?"

Xiang Tianguang sighed helplessly. "Great General, you're thinking too much. There were so many people watching. Your behavior was simply too rash. Elder Hui... ah, Madam simply could not endure it. She is already your wife. The problem you're talking about does not exist."

"Fine. I hope I'm thinking too much." Wu Gongling pointed at his swollen face. "So many brothers saw my own wife knock me flat in public. Where am I supposed to put this face of mine? How am I supposed to command troops afterward? Where is my authority?"

He pointed at Hui Qingping again. "I have to win back some face. My own wife accompanying me and attending to me isn't unreasonable, is it? I don't want anyone else. You hit me, you treat me. And from today onward, if you're going to be a wife, then act like one. You're not allowed to hide from me. Stay obediently at my side and attend to me!"

He was actually pushing for even more.

Hui Qingping shouted furiously, "Do you think I truly don't dare kill you?"

"Junior Sister!" Qi Bisang immediately stopped her before she could act on impulse.

Wu Gongling was not vague about his response either.

He turned and bellowed, "Pass down my military order! Halt the advance!"

At his command, the force that had been marching at speed truly came to a stop.

"My own wife. Are my demands really excessive? You've all seen her attitude. If you truly intend to discard me once I have served my purpose, then either way I'm dead. Dying sooner or later makes no difference. There's nothing left for me to fear."

Wu Gongling threw down the words. "I'll give you half an hour. Decide among yourselves. If this won't do, then I'm done playing. The army turns back immediately. Kill me or carve me up, whatever you like!"

He gave Shan Dongxing a look, then covered his swollen face and walked away. He touched it experimentally. It did not really hurt anymore. It had gone numb.

Shan Dongxing glanced at the others and followed him.

The remaining group stood speechless.

One after another, their gazes shifted toward Hui Qingping. None found it easy to say anything directly, but they kept signaling Qi Bisang with their eyes, hinting that she should persuade her.

"Junior Sister." Qi Bisang reached out and took Hui Qingping's hand.

Hui Qingping jerked free and said angrily, "I've already gone this far. What more do you want from me? That man is a shameless scoundrel! Haven't I humiliated myself enough?"

Qi Bisang sighed. "No one wanted matters to become this way. But now that they have, what can be done? I know you've been wronged. But think about why you agreed in the first place."

"Even if you won't think for yourself, think about those disciples of yours. You watched every one of them grow up. They're no different from your own daughters. You acted impulsively once and lost your voice as an Elder, which has already left their position awkward. If you ruin matters again now, have you thought about what will happen to them?"

"Only if you establish yourself outside the sect can you continue being their support. Since you already made the decision back then and things have already come this far, why let yourself suffer for nothing?"

"Listen to your Senior Sister. The road may be difficult, but it may not be a dead end. I refuse to believe that you, a cultivator, cannot subdue one mere mortal man!"

[End of Chapter 730]