Linglong chided me, "Master, you are the physician, why ask me? We know nothing about medicine. I can't perform 'inspection, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking' for the life of me."

My face flushed. My own medical knowledge was shallow at best, relying solely on a few pieces of advanced medicine. The "inspection, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking" I’d spoken of at the Wu residence was just casual talk; I knew nothing of true diagnosis.

But why were these two bandit spies here? Had Sun Dasheng not listened to me yesterday and secretly done away with them after all? I certainly didn't want Sun Dasheng to be one way to my face and another behind my back.

However, considering Sun Dasheng's temperament and personality, he had no reason to deceive me about this. So, what was the deal with these two bandits? Had an internal conflict erupted among them? The wound on the still-breathing bandit's abdomen looked like it was caused by a saber. But since the battle two days ago had yielded so many sabers from Feiyu City, the nature of the wound couldn't definitively prove who the attacker was.

I said to Linglong, "Stop the bleeding and dress the wound."

Linglong objected, "He's a bandit! Instead of just finishing him off, you want to save him?"

I replied, "A bandit is still a person. Let's save him first." More importantly, a nagging question was suffocating my heart; I wouldn't feel right until I understood the situation.

Linglong swung down from her horse and rummaged through my medicine chest for hemostatic and anti-inflammatory agents. She had picked up these procedures pretty well by now, so there was no need for me to act. Dali Wan helped carry the wounded bandit to a dry, elevated spot. Soon, the two of them finished treating the wound.

Yun Yao asked me, puzzled, "Why waste our time saving an irrelevant bandit?"

I explained, "I clearly told Sun Dasheng to release them yesterday. Why were they attacked? I need to know the reason."

Yun Yao questioned, "You don't trust your friend?"

I shook my head. "I saved his life, and he’s a straightforward man, as trustworthy as Constable Sun. Maybe the bandit was wounded by someone else, but I won't be at ease until I clear this up."

Hearing this, Cheng Susu suggested, "Then let's rest here for a while. If he's lucky, he should wake up soon."

Dali Wan found a place to bury the corpse of the other bandit and stood guard by the injured one, gripping his staff. As soon as the wounded bandit stirred slightly, Dali Wan shouted, "He's awake!"

This wasn't the bandit who had been tortured yesterday, but the one who seemed somewhat simple-minded. He slowly opened his eyes. I asked, "How did you two get ambushed here? Didn't we spare your lives yesterday? Who tried to kill you?"

The bandit’s eyes were filled with despair and agony. He glanced at me, closed his eyes, and refused to speak further. It suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't translated today; perhaps he hadn't understood a word I was saying.

Linglong huffed, "That’s enough. His life is saved. What a waste of Master's divine medicine on a mute. Since we can't get answers, shouldn't we be on our way?"

As soon as Linglong finished speaking, she suddenly waved her hand at us again, then, ignoring the mud, bent low to listen intently. Her expression drastically changed. "Hoofbeats! A large number of hoofbeats! It's the bandits! He—he was a lure!"

Dali Wan erupted in fury upon hearing this. A hunter hates being tricked the most. He raised his heavy staff and brought it down toward the bandit’s head. I rushed forward to stop him. "Wait! I promised yesterday I wouldn't kill them; how can I go back on my word? Let's go! Yun Yao, scout the situation from the air!"

Yun Yao flew up and observed closely for a long time before returning. "The forest is too dense, and since the heavy rain just passed, the ground isn't kicking up dust. I can't see any trace of the bandits."

Linglong mounted her horse. "Let's take the original route. We'll use the swamp beasts to stop them!"

I glanced at the bandit on the ground, then mounted my own horse. "Go!"

Suddenly, the bandit on the ground opened his eyes and shouted to me, "Take me with you!"

Linglong’s ears were the sharpest. "Whoa..." She pulled her horse to a halt. "What did you say! Our Master saved your life twice, and instead of showing thanks, you dare to order us around now!" Crack! Linglong's whip cracked, about to lash out at the bandit.

Alas, this young Linglong had quite a temper. I spoke up, "My dear young lady, can you be a little more ladylike? Since he can speak the Shuangcheng dialect, don't you want to learn more about the bandits from him?"

Linglong retracted her whip. "I—I just forgot. We can understand what he's saying."

"Giddy up..." I urged my horse forward two paces toward the bandit. "We don't have much time. Speak quickly. Even if you want us to take you, you need to make us trust you first."

The bandit hesitated for a moment, then seemed to make up his mind. "I am not actually from the Wanma Kingdom. My mother is a commoner from the Shuangcheng Kingdom. Twenty years ago, she was abducted to the Wanma Kingdom as a slave while pregnant, and after giving birth to me, I joined the ranks of the bandits when I grew up..."

Ma Xiaoda, held tightly by Linglong, had been silent the whole trip. Hearing the bandit speak, he couldn't help but roar, "Since you are a citizen of the Shuangcheng Kingdom, why did you enter our borders to slaughter our people!"

The bandit replied, "I had no choice. My mother is in their hands. But I have never personally killed a single citizen of the Shuangcheng Kingdom; this is what my mother repeatedly warned me about."

I said, "Good, I believe you. Hurry up and tell the rest, or it will be too late."

The bandit said, "My real name is Ma Chong. This time, the leader sent me and another person into the city to scout for information. But unexpectedly, the leader didn't trust us. He sent another group following behind to both monitor us and act as a second scouting party. After we were captured, the leader found out very quickly. As a result, when we found the main horse contingent early this morning, they assumed we had betrayed them. No matter how I explained, the leader wouldn't believe me. Not only did he personally kill the two of us, but he plans to return home and kill my mother as a warning to the descendants of the slaves not to harbor rebellious thoughts."

Hearing this, I turned to Yun Yao. "Yun Yao, give one horse to this Ma Chong, and let's... hurry!" Perhaps this Ma Chong didn't know his friend had already betrayed them. Looking at it another way, the leader killing them wasn't entirely without reason.

Yun Yao didn't question my arrangement, but Linglong certainly did, and Ma Xiaoda refused outright. Both said, "No!"

Ma Chong was also greatly confused. "I—I didn't give you a reason to trust me."

I said, "Aren't you trying to save your mother's life by saving your own? Then come with us."

Ma Chong was deeply moved. A flicker of life finally returned to his desperate eyes. He said, "Thank you. This is the first time in my life I've said the word 'thank you,' Ma Chong. But as long as I can live to save my old mother, this life of mine belongs to you. You can smash me or hack me to death; I will not utter a single complaint!"