Chapter 112: "Guiguzi"...

Stepping outside the affairs office, the cold wind swept away much of Li Yuanjing’s exhaustion, leaving him feeling significantly more clear-headed.

While he had indeed saved the red-haired giant out of a genuine appreciation for talent, his primary motivation was to probe why Feng Da had appeared in this county seat.

However, through his exchange with Zhang Wuwei, Li Yuanjing had keenly identified another crucial point.

In this era, firearm wounds were considered "incurable," even among the Tatars who could not withstand them.

Reflecting on this, it was easy to understand why. Firearm projectiles were lead bullets, and setting aside the inherent toxicity of lead, how could sterilization possibly be performed effectively in this age during the extraction process? Even if someone were lucky enough and naturally resilient enough to survive the extraction, they would almost certainly succumb to lead poisoning later.

This realization immediately gave Li Yuanjing a new "persona" to adopt: a peerless physician dedicated to healing the world.

After all, history had repeatedly proven—from the Great Sage Zhang Jiao and the Heavenly King Hong Xiuquan to the Wenxiang Sect—that such a persona held supreme influence among both the rural folk and the commoners. Furthermore, even in later ages, who would be foolish enough to offend a brilliant doctor?

Li Yuanjing was quite confident in the red-haired giant’s condition. The giant had been fortunate enough to be wounded in the arm, a non-vital area, and Li Yuanjing had performed the surgery almost immediately. Given the man’s robust constitution, he had not developed a fever post-surgery; even without medicinal detoxification, simply drinking water should allow his kidneys to filter out the lead toxins.

"Master..."

"Master, are you alright?"

Seeing that Zhang Zhiji and Zhao Bingchun were still in discussions, Li Yuanjing was about to find a warm place to rest when he saw Zhuzi, Xiangzi, and the others approaching quickly, led by several of Zhang Wuwei’s soldiers.

Li Yuanjing’s spirits lifted, and he let out a sigh of relief. "I am fine. Are all of you unharmed?"

Zhuzi and the others nodded hurriedly, though they quickly checked him over, terrified that he might have suffered even the slightest injury. Seeing that everyone was safe, the group finally relaxed, and Li Yuanjing immediately asked about the situation outside.

"This..." Zhuzi and Kuizi were at a loss for words.

Xiangzi, having gained some experience in intelligence gathering, leaned in and whispered a few words into Li Yuanjing’s ear.

Li Yuanjing walked to the steps and stood on his tiptoes, peering toward the inn, where flames were still lighting up the sky. His brows furrowed tightly. He suddenly understood the source of Zhao Bingchun’s confidence in approaching Zhang Zhiji—or at least, one of the sources.

Although Zhang Zhiji had managed to control the situation tonight, the damage caused by the fire to Fengcheng County was immense. Many civilian homes had inevitably been ignited. If Zhang Zhiji wanted to handle the aftermath properly, he would likely have to rely on Zhao Bingchun to perform the "dirty work."

However, this was not the place for such talk. Li Yuanjing had no intention of failing at the final step by overstepping his bounds. He signaled for Zhang Wuwei’s soldiers to take Zhuzi, Xiangzi, and the others away to rest.

No sooner had they left than Zhao Bingchun emerged from the office.

The old man appeared somewhat weary, but his energy was noticeably better, a stark contrast to his earlier demeanor. Seeing Li Yuanjing, he bowed and smiled, "My dear brother, I will keep your kindness in my heart. Once I have finished with these matters, we shall have a proper drink together."

As he spoke, he gave Li Yuanjing a meaningful look, implying that he still hoped Li Yuanjing would put in a good word for him before Zhang Zhiji. Li Yuanjing, naturally, would not make things difficult in public, so he returned the bow with a smile.

Once Zhao Bingchun had departed, Zhang Zhiji, who had already spotted Li Yuanjing, called him into the room and spat viciously, "Sir, that bastard Zhao Bingchun actually dared to threaten me with the fire in the city! I really cannot tolerate this!"

Li Yuanjing, having grown to understand Zhang Zhiji well, saw that the anger was genuine and spoke in a low voice, "Young Duke, do you truly despise Zhao Bingchun so much that you must replace him?"

"Hmm?" Zhang Zhiji started, then looked at Li Yuanjing. "Sir, please instruct me."

Li Yuanjing, already having a plan in mind, whispered, "Young Duke, I once read an ancient text that taught a very interesting principle. It essentially states that we should make as many friends as possible and as few enemies as we can. Especially when handling such matters, we must prioritize the greater good. Otherwise, we risk failing in our objective and creating new problems. Furthermore, Zhao Bingchun is now essentially under your thumb; do you think he would dare ignore your orders?"

"Sir!" Zhang Zhiji exclaimed, "My parents gave me life, but you, Sir, truly understand me!"

Zhang Zhiji, who had just been infuriated by Zhao Bingchun, was overjoyed. "Sir, that is indeed the truth. I was so angry I nearly lost my head. In your view, what should we do now? And by the way, what was the name of that ancient text? I would love to read it."

Li Yuanjing, having stabilized Zhang Zhiji, felt a sense of relief. "The book is called 'Guiguzi.' I read it years ago, but it was lost when my family met with misfortune..."

"Ah?" Seeing that he had stirred up painful memories, Zhang Zhiji smiled, "It is no matter. Please, do not be sad. It is just an ancient book; I will certainly have someone find a copy for you!"

Li Yuanjing bowed repeatedly in gratitude and then asked, "Young Duke, how is the hunt for the assassins going?"

Zhang Zhiji’s anger flared again. "They are all useless! Aside from the few we cut down initially and those killed on the spot outside the hall, we haven't caught a single one alive!" He gnashed his teeth. "Sir, these assassins all carried deadly poison in their mouths. Zhang Yuzhu managed to capture one, but the man committed suicide right in front of everyone..."

Li Yuanjing had anticipated this outcome and comforted him, "Young Duke, it is no matter if you cannot catch them for now. Your elite troops have entered the city and imposed a curfew. Unless these assassins have wings, how could they possibly escape? We will simply root them out slowly. For now, I believe we should first ensure your safety, and then prioritize extinguishing the fire to prevent further loss of innocent lives. Otherwise, while the loss of a few commoners is a small matter, it would surely damage your reputation."

"Sir, your words are excellent, truly excellent."

Li Yuanjing’s words clearly struck a chord with Zhang Zhiji, especially the emphasis on his safety and reputation. "Sir, it is hateful that I am being watched by those assassins and cannot go to fight the fire myself. I must trouble you with this matter. Also..." Zhang Zhiji hesitated slightly before lowering his voice, "Sir, as for my reputation, I must trouble you to take extra care of it..."

This was exactly what Li Yuanjing had been waiting for. By now, he understood that the events of the night were far from simple, especially given the references Zhao Bingchun had made to various "lords." Although Zhao Bingchun had not spoken plainly, Li Yuanjing’s experience allowed him to guess at least a portion of the truth.

The chaos in Fengcheng could not possibly be just the work of the Wenxiang Sect. They were not foolish enough to bring fire upon themselves. The Prince of Qi, and even Murong Mubai who was far away in the capital, were likely fueling the flames.

"Young Duke, rest assured. I will lead men to fight the fire now and strive to have it extinguished before dawn!" Li Yuanjing declared.

Zhang Zhiji was delighted. "With you assisting me, it is as if I have grown wings." He shouted, "Zhang Wuwei!"

"I am here!"

Moments later, Zhang Wuwei, who had been waiting outside, entered the room and knelt on one knee respectfully.

Zhang Zhiji commanded with authority, "Immediately dispatch eighteen of the elite Yiding cavalry and fifty elite soldiers to protect the Sir’s safety! Furthermore! Send word outside immediately! Except for those hunting the assassins, everyone—whether they are my soldiers or county yamen runners—must follow the Sir’s commands. Prioritize fighting the fire above all else!"

"Yes!"