Isolated town in northern border region

Chapter 124 Paying Back the Debt

On the day Xiao Lie set off back to the northern frontier, a light rain fell in Yinzhou City.

Emperor Jing, Jiang Jun, held an umbrella to see him off, as if bidding farewell to an old friend.

"Your Highness, many years will pass, and I don't know when we will meet again..."

"I sincerely hope that you and Min'er will have everything go smoothly and live a peaceful life for the rest of your days."

Xiao Lie pulled on the reins.

"I truly do not know which of Your Majesty's words are true..."

"However, it's alright. If Your Majesty has the time in the future, I will certainly accompany you to the end!"

After saying that, both of them smiled.

Xiao Lie, along with Luo Daniu and five hundred elite soldiers, escorted the Panlong Guards and the wooden cage containing Mo Shu, and quietly left the city gate.

Moshu was placed in a wooden cage about half the height of a person. The wounds on her limbs had scabbed over, but the wounds were still shocking to behold.

Xu De changed his dressing every three days, keeping him alive but not letting him die, nor letting him have an easy time.

Mo Shu, inside the wooden cage, had unfocused eyes and drool dripping from the corner of her mouth; she could no longer distinguish between day and night.

Along the way, Xu De treated each of the Panlong Guards with antidote, and these loyal and righteous men finally regained their senses.

After regaining his senses, Tie Gong remained silent throughout the journey, only speaking when they were nearing Qingzhou.

"Your Highness, how is Mu Yun?"

Xiao Lie nodded.

"She's in the northern frontier. I asked her to help protect the future princess of the northern frontier. Everything is fine, but I'm very worried about you."

"Oh, right!"

Xiao Lie turned around and pointed at Luo Daniu.

"This is your nephew! His father is your elder brother, Tieshan."

Upon hearing this, Luo Daniu turned his head, looking bewildered. Xiao Lie lashed his shoulder with a horsewhip.

"You idiot! This is your uncle!"

"Call for help!"

Luo Daniu then realized what was happening, quickly jumped off his horse, ran to Tie Gong, knelt down, and kowtowed.

"Nephew Luo Daniu, father Tieshan, pays respects to Uncle!"

Tie Gong helped Luo Daniu up and carefully examined his features. With just one glance, tears streamed down his face.

"Okay! Okay!"

"Our friend's family has an heir!"

Just like your father!

"I wonder if my brother... has he returned?"

Luo Daniu, with an honest and simple expression, scratched his head as he replied.

"My father is doing well! He was in Yongzhou before, but he should have already returned to the Northern Frontier to prepare for the Prince's wedding!"

"You'll see it in a few days!"

At this moment, Xiao Lie, who had been silent, noticed that Tie Gong's smile faltered noticeably.

Afterwards, Tie Gong chatted with Luo Daniu about many everyday matters. Finally, Tie Gong suddenly said something.

"Over the years, your uncle has not married. He found a girl in the mountains, adopted her as his goddaughter, and named her Tie Muyun."

"You've probably met Da Niu before."

Luo Daniu nodded repeatedly.

"I saw her in Bingzhou! The Muyun girl is an incredibly accurate archer, and she's also very pretty!"

Tie Gong nodded upon hearing this.

"Sigh... all these years, hiding in the mountains, I've developed a host of health problems. Who knows when I might be gone..."

"Da Niu... I'm entrusting Mu Yun to you!"

Luo Daniu chuckled and patted his chest to assure him.

"Don't worry, Uncle! Mu Yun is my own sister!"

"Oh, by the way! That Dr. Xu is very skilled. You should have him take a look at you. Stop overthinking things; you have a long good life ahead of you!"

Tie Gong gave a wry smile and turned to look at Xiao Lie, who happened to be looking at him as well.

"Uncle Tie...you've suffered so much these past years..."

Xiao Lie took a deep breath and said softly.

Tie Gong sighed and wiped his eyes as he looked at Xiao Lie's face, which resembled the late emperor's face by seven or eight parts.

"Your Highness...I..."

Xiao Lie patted Tie Gong's shoulder forcefully.

"Uncle Tie, rest assured, Miss Tie will not be bullied in the Northern Frontier. If she becomes a nun in the future, I will certainly treat her with the respect due to a princess!"

Tie Gong bowed to Xiao Lie.

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

"We're... almost at Qingzhou, right?"

Xiao Lie nodded.

"Hmm, fifteen li to go."

When passing through Qingzhou, Xiao Lie's original plan was to display Mo Shu in front of the government office.

But after thinking it over, I still think Liushugou is more appropriate.

Here, Xiao Lie had personally buried countless people who died from the plague...

The amount of smoke rising from the chimneys in Liushugou is several times greater than a year ago. Children are chasing and playing under the big locust tree at the village entrance, and elderly people are sunbathing with canes on the ridges of the fields.

Xiao Lie rode on his horse for a while, then turned his head to look at the iron bow.

Tie Gong nodded with a relaxed expression, and then both of their gazes fell on Mo Shu.

"Your Highness, this will do..."

"Back then, this was the area."

Xiao Lie closed his eyes and then slowly opened them again, then turned to Luo Daniu and said.

"We're not going into the city."

"Right here."

"Go and tell the villagers..."

"I, Xiao Lie, the King of the Northern Frontier, have righted their wrongs!"

Luo Daniu asked.

"Your Highness, over here?"

Xiao Lie dismounted.

"The person who buried this place should be the one to settle this score!"

A simple platform was set up in the open space of Willow Gully. Xiao Lie stood on the platform, and Mo Shu's wooden cage was carried up and placed in front of the platform.

When the people of Qingzhou heard that Xiao Lie had returned, they immediately put down what they were doing and rushed over from all directions.

They stood below the stage, waving whatever they were holding and shouting at Xiao Lie on stage.

"Your Highness! I heard you were seriously ill. Are you feeling any better?"

"Exactly! We're really worried!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Just a few months ago, someone said you were in Bingzhou..."

Xiao Lie responded with a smile, and finally raised his hand to quiet the room.

"A year ago, a plague broke out in eastern Qingzhou, killing tens of thousands of people. I personally buried them in front of you..."

"You think it's a natural disaster?"

"No! Today I tell you—it's a man-made disaster!"

"This man is called Mo Shu. He was originally the deputy commander of the Panlong Guard. Over the years, he has used the late emperor's dying wish to commit all sorts of evil deeds and disregard human life!"

"To cover up his raising horses and training troops in the mountains, he sent people to poison the water sources, spreading the plague to every village in eastern Qingzhou."

The people below the stage were stunned and didn't know how to react for a moment.

The plague... is a man-made disaster, not a natural one!

That son of a bitch! Utterly depraved!

Xiao Lie continued speaking, his tone softening slightly when he mentioned the iron bow.

"Iron Bow, commander of the Panlong Guard, was misled by Mo Shu and made a grave mistake, but he realized his mistake and turned back from the wrong path."

"They were of great help when I was hunting down Mo Shu."

"Fellow villagers..."

"Your Highness! That's enough!"

Before Xiao Lie could finish speaking, Tie Gong interrupted him.

Tie Gong stood below the stage, wearing an old leather robe and holding the broken knife in his hand.

He walked onto the stage and knelt down in front of everyone with a thud.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

Three slaps of the head can produce a deafening sound.

The people in the audience, however, did not buy it.

"What good is kowtowing? Can you bring my mother and father back to life?"

"A life for a life!"

The crowd below was furious. Xiao Lie was about to say something when Tie Gong stopped him.