A divine healer, a general, a young marquis! Who can rival them!

Once the epidemic subsided, Yang Hu's prestige in the Western Camp soared to its zenith.

The higher one's reputation, the more restless the hand lurking in the shadows becomes.

Yang Hu's investigation of the military supplies accounts could not be kept secret from those who were paying attention. The military clerk, who repeatedly appeared at the end of the allocation records and was stamped with a small seal, was finally moved.

On this day, a transfer order was issued to the wounded soldiers' camp.

The order stated that there was another outpost south of the city that lacked medical care and medicine, and that the medical officer Yang Hu was to go there immediately to take charge.

On the surface, it was an act of valuing and entrusting him with important responsibilities, and no one could find fault with it. But that southern detachment of the city, far from the heart of the central army, was only home to a hundred or so old and weak people; it was a desolate, godforsaken corner.

This transfer order, seemingly a promotion, was in reality a demotion in disguise. It was clearly intended to push Yang Hu, this thorn that was getting deeper and closer, away from under the nose of the central command tent, to some remote corner where he couldn't even touch the edge of the military supplies ledger.

The method was undeniably brilliant. Without making a sound or leaving any evidence, a seemingly legitimate transfer order was enough to nullify all his previous relentless pressure.

"It was the work of that military clerk." Qin Ying, disguised as a medicine boy, had a chilling glint in her eyes. Having been immersed in the military for many years, she could see through this trick at a glance. "The wording of the transfer order and the way the seal was affixed are all in the hands of the military clerk. You investigated the supplies too closely, you touched a nerve, and he can't sit still, so he's going to transfer you."

She paused, lowering her voice even further: "For someone to issue such an order from the central command and execute it so flawlessly, the higher-ups above him must have given their approval."

Yang Hu accepted the transfer order without changing his expression. He knew perfectly well that this was a counterattack from the other side. The closer he got to the source of the hidden channel, the more determined they were to remove him, this thorn in their side.

"Once we get to the south of the city, this line will be cut off," Yang Hu said slowly. "His move hit the nail on the head."

But this transfer order came from the central army, and it was perfectly legitimate. How could a mere medical officer like him resist it?

"We can't fight back head-on." Yang Hu's eyes darkened. "We need to play a stronger card and push back."

The card he needed was right in his hand.

Yang Hu did not make a fuss. To confront and defy orders head-on would be a poor strategy, giving the other party a handle to accuse him of "disobeying orders."

What he needed to do was leverage the situation. By taking advantage of Chen Xiaowei's immense achievements in suppressing the epidemic and Chen's appreciation and trust, he could legitimately block the transfer order.

He turned around and went to find Captain Chen.

"Is Dr. Yang leaving?" Upon hearing the transfer order, Captain Chen's brows immediately furrowed. "How can the entire battalion's medical and healthcare operations function without you? This major epidemic has only just subsided, and our strength hasn't recovered yet. Who made this blunder by transferring you at this critical juncture?"

"I am also reluctant to part with the brothers of this battalion," Yang Hu said earnestly. "However, the transfer order came from the central army, and I am but a lowly person with little influence, so I dare not disobey."

These words struck a chord with Captain Chen.

Captain Chen was a military officer who had crawled out of piles of corpses with his sword and spear. What he despised and hated the most was the kind of clerical work where people sat in the central command tent, unaware of the lives on the front lines, and only knew how to wield their pens and give blind orders.

A medical officer who could stop a major epidemic in the entire camp and snatch lives from piles of corpses during a night raid was a precious asset that Captain Chen had painstakingly preserved, a true lifeline for the brothers in this camp. How could he be sent away so easily with a vague and unclear transfer order?

"The army is in dire need of manpower right now," Captain Chen sneered, his eyes flashing with anger. "The epidemic has just subsided, and the camps are full of wounded and sick. What are their intentions in transferring the person in charge of medical affairs at this time?"

"I'll talk to them about this." Captain Chen patted his chest. "You saved the entire battalion's lives. This merit is greater than the sky. Anyone who's blind enough to want to transfer you will have to get past me first."

Captain Chen was a true military commander in the Western Camp, far more important than those who wielded pens in the scribe's office. He was determined to protect Yang Hu, and his great contribution in suppressing the epidemic was evident, giving him complete confidence in the matter.

With Colonel Chen stepping in to defend him, and silencing the public with the overwhelming merit of suppressing the epidemic, the unclear transfer order was indeed forcibly suppressed. After being submitted for a few days, it disappeared without a trace, as if it had sunk into the sea.

Taking advantage of his outstanding achievements in suppressing the epidemic and the appreciation of Commandant Chen, Yang Hu steadily pushed back the outstretched hand.

The military clerk hiding in the shadows, despite his meticulous planning, failed in his first counterattack.

When the news spread, the soldiers in the camp clapped and cheered; their Doctor Yang, who had saved the entire camp's lives, had finally stayed. But in that somber central command tent, someone's face was probably extremely grim.

But Yang Hu knew in his heart that this time he had stood up to Chen Xiaowei's influence and the lingering power of the epidemic control efforts. The other party was merely testing his strength and would never give up so easily.

"He knows I'm investigating." As night fell, Yang Hu stood outside the ward, gazing at the heavily lit central command tent deep within the camp, his voice low and menacing. "From now on, he'll keep an even closer eye on things."

Qin Ying, disguised as a medicine boy, stood beside him, his hands, hidden in his sleeves, quietly clenching into fists.

She understood better than anyone that this covert struggle had only just begun. If their probing failed today, they would resort to even more ruthless methods tomorrow. Her disguise as a medicine boy, smeared with ash and with hunched shoulders, was the most dangerous move in this game. In this camp where countless old acquaintances, whom she had once commanded, still remembered, the longer this identity held, the greater the risk of collapse. Once a flaw was revealed, it would implicate Yang Hu, leading to utter ruin.

But the more dangerous the situation, the more fiercely her eyes, hidden behind her smeared face, burned with the blood and courage of a military family.

This hidden struggle is extremely dangerous, but it is also the destiny she has been hiding for more than a year and finally dares to face.

"Scared?" Yang Hu, who had been guarding the ward for three days and three nights, sounded exhausted. He turned his head and glanced at her.

"I, Qin Ying," she raised her eyes, her gaze hidden beneath her smeared face shining with an astonishing light, "have never known the meaning of fear."

Her answer was soft, yet every word carried immense weight. Yang Hu looked at her eyes, which shone remarkably brightly despite her dusty face, and a faint warmth spread across her tired brows.

With someone like that walking alongside him on this treacherous path, the perilous journey through the muddy waters, fraught with peril, didn't seem so cold after all.

The night wind swept through the camp, making the curtains of the sick shed flutter and carrying the lingering sound of the distant watchman's drum.

Yang Hu stared at the large tent, his eyes cold and stern.

That hand had already sensed him; every step from now on would be a dance on a knife's edge. But he had no way out, Qin Ying had no way out, and neither did the souls of those who died unjustly in that city, nor the entire Lu family, whose blood was shed in injustice.

He won this battle by leveraging external forces and his reputation as a doctor. But going forward, now that the other side has torn down the first layer of pretense, the open and covert attacks will only become more ruthless and merciless.

During his night patrol, he walked around the tents of the wounded soldiers. Of the thirty-odd lamps, about twenty were still lit—those of soldiers who couldn't bear the pain and couldn't sleep. He stood outside each tent for a while, but didn't go in.

He returned to his tent and wrote down everything he had heard and seen that day, one by one, on a piece of paper. When he finished, he burned it by the lamp.

The water grew deeper and deeper, almost drowning him. But he insisted on inch by inch, stepping on the sharp edge of the knife, wading to the deepest, darkest bottom, to tear that hand out by the roots, so that the wronged souls of this city could rest in peace.