Yes, listen to the Marquis's sophistry

“Smack!”

“Smack!”

“Smack!”

…

Two soldiers were viciously beating Pei Wugou.

There were plenty of soldiers counting aloud, but no one pointed out that Chen Song’s count was wrong. On the contrary, because of what Chen Song was doing, quite a few people who had originally wanted to kill him developed a favorable impression of him.

During the punishment, Pei Wugou regained consciousness several times, evidently because of the pain. But the cudgels in the soldiers’ hands never stopped. Whenever he woke, they beat him unconscious again; whenever he passed out, they beat him awake once more.

Pei Wugou had no idea what he had gone through. All he knew was that his entire body was in unbearable pain, and he unconsciously let out miserable cries. His handsome, immaculate face was now covered in dishevelment.

—The most wretched state he had ever been in since the day he was born!

At last, the punishment was complete. As soon as the soldiers stepped aside, Wen He rushed over.

“Ah Wu, Ah Wu…”

She threw herself onto Pei Wugou as though she were mourning a dead man.

In truth, what she should have done at that moment was have Pei Wugou carried back to camp and immediately apply medicine to his wounds. Unfortunately, Wen He was experienced at saving people in general, but when it came to treating Pei Wugou alone, she was utterly at a loss.

All she could do was cry!

Cry without stopping!

Cry endlessly!

In the end, even Shadow couldn’t bear to watch any longer. He was also worried that Pei Wugou would hold him accountable afterward, so he said, “W-We should take him back, shouldn’t we?”

Only then did the soldiers, looking thoroughly unwilling, lift Pei Wugou up and carry him back to the tent assigned exclusively to Wen He. It was only then that Wen He seemed to come back to her senses.

She took out the wound medicine Pei Wugou had given her before, opened his clothes, and prepared to apply it.

But the moment she saw his wounds, her vision went dark.

What had they done to him?

His flesh and blood were a mangled mess. There wasn’t a single patch of unbroken skin left anywhere on his back.

“Ah Wu, Ah Wu…”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

“It’s all my fault. It’s my fault for making you suffer…”

Wen He sobbed as she applied the medicine.

Pei Wugou, however, had fallen into a deep coma and showed no sign of waking.

That was when someone came charging in with heavy footsteps.

“Re—re—reporting…”

Deputy General Chen Song shouted loudly, “Marquis, something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened!”

“Huh? The Marquis still hasn’t woken up?”

“There’s an urgent matter that requires the Marquis’s attention!”

“What are we supposed to do if the Marquis won’t wake up?”

Chen Song wore an anxious expression. He glanced at Wen He, then turned toward the unconscious Pei Wugou and said, “Marquis, this is an emergency. I truly have no choice but to make you suffer a little first.”

Wen He had yet to understand what sort of suffering he intended to inflict on her Ah Wu—and besides… why was Chen Song calling him “Marquis”?

She watched as Chen Song swung his arm in a wide arc. Then…

“Smack!”

He slapped Marquis Jingyi Pei Wugou across the face.

At that moment, the only unharmed part of Pei Wugou’s body was his face. Yet under that slap, a handprint immediately appeared on his cheek.

All five fingers were clearly visible!

Pei Wugou merely let out a grunt and still didn’t wake up.

“Marquis, this really is an emergency. I have to wake you today. Please forgive me.”

Deputy General Chen Song drew back his left arm and swung it in a wide arc. Then, with another sharp “smack,” he slapped Pei Wugou hard across the face.

Now, clear handprints appeared on both of Pei Wugou’s cheeks. They were perfectly symmetrical, lending his battered appearance an added touch of aesthetic balance.

As though he sensed that someone was defiling the face he valued most, Pei Wugou, deep in his coma, actually forced his eyes open.

“Why… why do I feel like someone just hit me?”

Wen He cried out in delight. “Ah Wu, you’re awake?”

“General Chen Song, why is he calling you Marquis?”

After his back hurt, then his face hurt, Pei Wugou now grew nervous. “Chen Song, what nonsense are you spouting?”

“I’m merely one of your personal guards. Don’t go around calling me that!”

“It’s an emergency!” Chen Song shouted, while mentally assessing Pei Wugou’s condition.

Good grief. He could still wake up after that? He had taken a hundred and twenty blows, and the soldiers had struck him so hard. They really weren’t human.

He said, “Marquis, this is bad! This is very bad! Zhenjiang City is in chaos.”

“Just now, I discovered that a small force has infiltrated Zhenjiang City. Judging by appearances, they should be Ren Tianye’s soldiers.”

“They’ve already started causing trouble in our city.”

“Marquis, this is a serious matter. You need to handle it personally!”

Pei Wugou struggled for a moment, then sighed. “I can’t. My entire body is in excruciating pain. I can’t even stand.”

“No, Marquis, you have to stand up!” Chen Song said. “The entire army is counting on you. If you don’t get up and take command, what are all the soldiers supposed to do?”

“But…” Pei Wugou’s face was full of pain. “I really… can’t get up!”

“You really can’t get up?”

“I really can’t!”

Chen Song’s heart was filled with wild joy. The outcome was exactly as he had imagined. However, being the cautious man he was, he didn’t immediately put his plan into action. Instead, he continued probing by every means possible.

After all, Pei Wugou’s strength was truly abnormal.

When dealing with an abnormal monster, one had to be cautious—cautious, and then even more cautious.

Just as he was about to initiate the second step of his contingency plan, Wen He suddenly stood up beside him. Her face was filled with disbelief, and there was even anger in her eyes.

“Ah Wu, who exactly are you?”

“Why is General Chen Song calling you Marquis?”

“How did you become a Marquis?”

The tension in Pei Wugou’s heart instantly turned to panic. “Little He, you—you have to let me explain.”

Chen Song hurriedly added, “That’s right, Miss Wen He. Listen to the Marquis’s excuses.”

“I said, let me explain!” Pei Wugou roared furiously. Realizing that he had shouted at Wen He, he quickly softened his tone. “Little He, things aren’t what you think.”

“That’s right,” Chen Song said. “Miss Wen He, things aren’t what you think. They’re exactly what you see.”

Pei Wugou nearly leaped out of bed, but the intense pain racking his entire body made him grimace and collapse back down the moment he moved.

“Little He, listen to me. I—I’m your Ah Wu…”

“And also Marquis Jingyi Pei Wugou!” Chen Song added.

The instant those words were spoken, Wen He’s expression completely changed.

She had already realized that the Ah Wu standing before her was, apparently, perhaps, most likely, Marquis Jingyi Pei Wugou.

An endless despair surged through her heart.

The Ah Wu she had thought of day and night was actually Marquis Jingyi Pei Wugou… and yet Ah Wu had kept it hidden from her all this time!

What had he taken her for?

When two people loved each other, was even this little bit of sincerity too much to ask?

From the first time she had met Pei Wugou until now, so many years had passed. Yet the Ah Wu before her had never once truly opened his heart to her!

Despair!

Utter, overwhelming despair!

Despair so deep it had left her numb!

Wen He stood and made to leave.

Pei Wugou was practically going mad!

First, he turned on Deputy General Chen Song. “Chen Song, have you lost your mind?”

“How dare you reveal my true identity?”

Deputy General Chen Song immediately replied in trepidation, “Marquis, it wasn’t my intention to reveal it. It’s just that… this is an emergency!”

“At a time like this, a small force belonging to Ren Tianye has infiltrated Zhenjiang City. If you keep hiding your identity, Zhenjiang City will be lost.”

“I’m doing this for your own good, too!”

After a pause, Chen Song stopped Wen He and said, “Miss Wen He, I’m doing this for your own good. I want you to learn the marquis’s identity sooner, and to find out sooner that you’re going to be the future Marchioness. That way, you won’t have to suffer any more. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

…