After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

moment.

Zhu Cuiwei slowly walked out of the woods, her footsteps so light they were almost inaudible. Her eyes, like autumn water, were fixed on the soft mud on the ground, and she remained silent.

She was originally following closely behind Ning Nan.

This young doctor only has a few rudimentary skills and is too soft-hearted. If he runs into two ruthless bandits who have killed many people, there is a high chance that something bad will happen to him.

Li Erlai, Li Sanzhuang, and the archer were all country boys. Not only were they unskilled, but the blood they had probably seen was from killing chickens and pigs. They lacked discipline, and when it really came down to it, their mouths would dry and their hands would tremble.

This situation is not uncommon in the army. There are always many new recruits who seem arrogant at first glance, but once they actually encounter the enemy charging into battle, their faces turn pale and their spears are dropped by the sound of horses' hooves.

...That was her original thought, and she was already prepared to make a move.

But what just happened was too fast and too violent, far exceeding my original expectations. Even now, my mind is still filled with the image of blood and gore, and I can't calm down.

Next to the bloody, soft mud.

Young Li Sanzhuang slumped to the ground, cold sweat pouring down his face. The iron hammer in his hand was soaked with blood, which dripped down in a viscous manner, a horrifying sight.

The burly young man was panting heavily, his chest contracting and expanding repeatedly.

Li Erlai, whose face was covered in pockmarks, looked fierce. His lips twitched, the knife in his hand trembled, and his eyes seemed to be vertical, staring intently at the corpse on the ground, as if the corpse might come to life at any moment and he would not feel at ease until he had dismembered the body into eight pieces.

Both of these young men are good candidates for military service.

The archer we'd never seen before was also formidable. The arrow that struck Xu Jun in the eye was both accurate and deadly. Zhang Cheng was hiding behind a tree, but the archer quickly moved to a different position, and two arrows locked Zhang Cheng in place. This demonstrated the archer's boldness and meticulousness. Even in the most elite Yuwei Camp of Daliang, this man could probably be considered a master archer who could hit a target from a hundred paces.

Slowly organize your thoughts.

Zhu Cuiwei pursed her pink lips, gradually regaining her composure. She lowered her gaze and took a step.

Back in the military camp, when she had just mastered martial arts, she enthusiastically sparred with the experts in the army and won every time. Although she knew they were letting her win, her beautiful moves, her lightness skills, the broken wooden stakes, the snapped bowstrings... none of these were fake. She was proud of herself.

But Master Lu shook his head and told her that these things were useless on the battlefield.

On the battlefield, it all comes down to who's the fiercest.

Three parts ferocity make a good soldier, seven parts ferocity make a fierce general, and ten parts ferocity with a calm face are worthy of being appointed as a general!

With such fierce energy, even without any martial arts skills, one can intuitively choose the fastest and most effective path to strike with just a knife, cutting down martial arts masters with the blade.

"To control others, not to be controlled by them. His Majesty wants me to teach His Highness martial arts, primarily because His Highness is physically weak. Martial arts will strengthen his body, but His Highness must not become addicted to it..."

"A son of a wealthy family should not risk his life under a dangerous roof. Your Highness should study diligently to select talents and govern people..."

She didn't quite understand what Master Lu was saying before.

But about ten days ago, when the maid Ziyuan stabbed herself in the abdomen, there was a fierce and resolute look in Ziyuan's eyes. Her martial arts skills, which she was so proud of, were of no use at all. She fell directly into a pool of blood and lost consciousness.

After waking up, I gradually understood some of what Master Lu had said.

She snapped out of her daze, looked at a slightly thin figure in front of her, and lowered her eyes.

The person behind that figure slit Zhang Cheng's throat, saw Li Sanzhuang smash him to death with a hammer, and after confirming that the other was dead, he picked up his knife and walked towards the deep pit ahead... There was also Li Liang inside, but of course, he was no longer a threat.

Every time she thought she understood a person, he would show her another side of himself.

"Extremely fierce yet with a calm face... He becomes a completely different person the moment he picks up a knife."

She took a slight breath and silently followed.

When Erlaizi saw the person, he was stunned for a moment. The fierce expression on his face disappeared, and he hurriedly nodded and greeted her, "Sister Cui Cui." His smile was ugly.

San Zhuang, his face covered in sweat, wiped it with his sleeve: "Sister-in-law... oh no... Sister Cui Cui, be careful."

A few days ago, they heard that their older brother was sick. When they went to visit him, they learned that he actually had a cousin. Li Xing confidently said that she would probably become his sister-in-law in the future.

Zhu Cuiwei nodded, pursing her lips, "Yes, you've worked hard, please get some rest."

"Alright." Er Laizi slumped down as well. Zhu Cuiwei handed Er Laizi a bamboo jar and gauze that Ning Nan had given her in advance. She noticed that Er Laizi was injured. "These are the medicines your older brother prepared for you."

"Okay, thank you, Sister Cui Cui." Er Lai Zi grinned and thanked her.

Ning Nan carried the knife and walked towards the deep pit, squatting down at its edge.

This pit was dug a few years ago for hunting wild boars. Inside, there is a movable wooden frame with two ropes attached. If you pull on it, the frame will fall apart.

A wooden plank was placed on top of the wooden frame, and the plank was covered with fine soil and fallen leaves, making it look just like flat ground.

Li Liang, lying in the pit, was deathly pale and still wailing. He held on to the ground with both hands to keep his back from collapsing, otherwise he would be pierced by the bamboo tips.

Ning Nan squatted down by the pit.

Li Liang immediately cried out, "Ningwa, Ningwa, it's Uncle Liang, Uncle Liang! Uncle Liang will never dare to do it again!"

Ning Nan spat out a mouthful of saliva and looked him over. Li Liang's buttocks must have landed on a bamboo tip, but his buttocks were thick and fleshy. It must have hurt, but it was relatively okay. His right thigh had been pierced, and blood was flowing heavily. He didn't know if it had hit an artery. His left thigh had also landed on a bamboo tip, but it hadn't been pierced, which was lucky. However, his left calf had been pierced, and blood was flowing quite a bit.

"Uncle Liang," Ning Nan said gently, looking at Li Liang's face, which was gradually losing its color. "Don't worry, it's nothing, just superficial injuries."

Li Liang cried out, "Ah ah!"

"Uncle Liang, I'll ask you a question, you answer it quickly. I've rested enough, I'll carry you to see the doctor right away. Doctor Jiang? You know him, right? The miracle doctor, the kind who can bring the dead back to life."

Li Liang opened his mouth and made some unintelligible shouts, but nodded.

Cui Cui came up behind him. Ning Nan glanced at her but didn't say anything. Instead, he continued talking to Li Liang.

"Uncle Liang, do you know why your boss killed that woman?"

Li Liang shook his head, crying out, "Help me, help me, Ningwa..."

"I'll save you, I'll definitely save you, Uncle Liang, don't be afraid... Uncle Liang, how did you get out of prison? Did you escape?"

Li Liang shook his head violently, muttering the words "County Commandant... County Commandant..." weakly.

Ning Nan nodded and asked a few more questions.

Until Li Liang was barely breathing and his eyes were slightly closed.

Ning Nan waved and called over Wang Fu, the peddler who was hiding nearby.

At this moment, Li Erlai took Zhang Cheng's harpoon and handed it to Wang Fu, whose face had turned pale.

The peddler was trembling with fear.

Ning Nan squatted down, revealing a set of white teeth, and smiled: "Brother Wang," he pointed to Li Liang at the bottom of the pit, "please have some mercy and go down to see my Uncle Liang off while he still has a breath left."

The sharp harpoon still bore traces of Er Laizi's blood from the back of his hand. Under the cold, pale moonlight, Wang Fu's hand, holding the harpoon, trembled incessantly.