Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

"Help, help me—!!"

Zhou Wenqing was also startled and quickly pressed down on Liu Bang's lower back to help him steady himself. He looked up and saw the short dagger gleaming coldly in Wang Ben's hand, its tip only inches from the back of Liu Bang's neck. His heart tightened, and he quickly shouted to stop him:

"Wang Ben! Stop! What are you doing?!"

"Mr. Zhou, please don't worry about it!"

As expected of someone fresh from the battlefield, Wang Ben's eyes were filled with murderous intent, his gaze sharp as a blade, fixed on Liu Bang's neck and spine. Judging from his posture, if it weren't for the cleanliness of the carriage, he would have already stabbed him straight down.

His gaze remained fixed on Liu Bang's vital points, his voice cold and hard, each word uttered from between his teeth:

"I sensed this guy was incredibly unruly from the first time I saw him, and now it seems I was right—he dared to bully you! You're kind enough to overlook it, but I can't tolerate it. Hand him over to me!"

"What 'insulting'? Who will be punished? What does all this have to do with anything?"

Zhou Wenqing was completely confused. He went through Wang Ben's words in his mind and recalled the scene just now before he finally understood.

Looking at Wang Ben's indignant expression, he felt both helpless and amused, and reluctantly let go of his hand.

"Alright, nothing of the sort, it's all a misunderstanding. Put the person down first. What kind of impression will this make in front of everyone?"

"gentlemen?!"

Wang Ben's brows furrowed deeply, his eyes filled with disapproval.

"I already said it was a misunderstanding, don't you even believe me?"

Zhou Wenqing's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable firmness.

"Let go, put down your weapon, and we'll talk about it when we get back."

Wang Ben stared at him for several breaths, and seeing that there was no sign of reluctance in Zhou Wenqing's eyes, and considering that Fan Kuai was holding onto Liu Bang's legs tightly and wouldn't let go, and that the stalemate was going to have a bad effect if it continued, he had no choice but to give up.

He then let out a cold snort and slowly released his grip.

Wang Ben obediently let go, but Fan Kuai, who had been blindly following his instincts the whole time, couldn't keep up with the rhythm and lost his ability to resist. He couldn't immediately loosen his grip on Liu Bang's waist and legs.

"Sizzle—!"

A clear, piercing sound of tearing silk suddenly rang out. Immediately afterward, Liu Bang felt a dizzying sensation before his eyes, and he was swung away like a sack, tracing a smooth, standard arc in the air.

"Thump!"

Successfully landed headfirst in a classic "handstand" motion.

"Aww~!"

His head hit the floor of the carriage, his feet were still hanging high in Fan Kuai's hands, his upper body was lying on his back, and one of his trouser legs was torn from the knee, revealing a section of dark underwear underneath.

The carriage was silent for a moment.

"Brother Ji, are you alright?!"

Fan Kuai belatedly realized what was happening and suddenly came to his senses. Looking at Liu Bang hanging upside down, he panicked and hastily released his grip on Liu Bang's legs without thinking.

"Wait, no!"

Before Liu Bang could finish speaking, there was another "bang," and his back slammed solidly against the cart floor. Something also poked his side, causing him to scream in pain again.

"My back! It's broken!"

He grimaced, his back arched like a shrimp, his hands covering his head, and he twisted and turned on the narrow platform, groaning and groaning incessantly, looking utterly miserable.

Fan Kuai stood frozen in place, wanting to approach but not daring to go forward, and for a moment he seemed a little at a loss.

Zhou Wenqing's lips twitched, and he couldn't bear to look at Liu Bang, so he turned his head away. After listening to Liu Bang howl for a while, he coughed lightly and turned his head away.

"Okay, stop yelling. If you keep twisting like that, your back will really hurt. The car is padded with soft padding, you won't get hurt."

is it?

Liu Bang remained in the bowed-over-the-shrimp position, but his twisting motion suddenly froze.

He hesitated, then released his hands from the back of his head, carefully and subconsciously moved his neck and gently twisted his lower back.

It doesn't seem to hurt too much.

I almost thought I wouldn't be able to get married!

Once he was sure his back wasn't broken, an indescribable sense of embarrassment washed over him. Liu Bang coughed, rolled over, sat cross-legged on the cart, and gave Zhou Wenqing an awkward smile.

"Um, I'm fine now."

Zhou Wenqing and Fan Kuai: "..."

However, Liu Bang was no ordinary man, and the slight embarrassment on his face lasted no more than three seconds before being replaced by a surge of indignation.

That heavy fall just now, that piercing pain in my side, was definitely not faked. What on earth dared to hurt me like that?!

He immediately reached into his shirt at his waist and rummaged around for a moment, his fingertips precisely touching a hard object. He pulled it out and took a closer look—

It was the wolf bone stone that he had just carefully hidden and buried in his clothes.

It seems that Wang Ben's intervention and the subsequent pulling and shoving by everyone caused the "spirit stone" to quietly slip and shift, moving from his chest to his waist.

You could say they brought it on themselves.

Liu Bang clutched the "spirit stone" in his hand, raised his head with a complex expression, looked at Zhou Wenqing, and spoke with a hint of aggrieved accusation:

"Sir, could it be that your spirit stone was trampled and damaged by that pig's head earlier, thus losing its spiritual power?"

It was supposed to be a protective charm, but it didn't even protect him, and now it's even betraying him!