Chapter 141: Believing Her Dead, the Deputy Generals Begin to Spout Arrogant Nonsense

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Xie Yuheng, who had been intently eager to witness the legendary Gu insect, suddenly snapped back to reality upon hearing Shen Tianci and Brother Chu’s words. His heart skipped a beat. Seeing Brother Chu’s face pale and bloodless, his eyes rolling back as if about to lose consciousness, his spirit plummeted to the depths of despair. A shrill, cracked cry echoed throughout the tent.

“Ah! Brother Chu, please don’t die!”

Just as the deputy generals outside were about to report and enter, they were so stirred by these words that they didn’t even hesitate to ask for permission. A whole group of them burst in at once.

The stench of blood inside was even stronger than outside.

The deputy generals rejoiced inwardly. This man named Chu was probably done for. With such an intense smell of blood, how much must he have bled?

Looking again at young General Xie’s terrified face, their delight was indescribable.

If Chu died, the Jingzhong Camp would return to what it once was. Each faction would remain loyal to their own masters without interference. Their leaders would no longer unleash their fury upon them, nor would they worry about their past deeds being uncovered.

The death of Deputy General Liang had made them wary and uneasy. Now Chu had received imperial orders to freely reorganize the Jingzhong Camp.

It was clear the emperor, seeing how fiercely they had rebelled the day before, was entrusting Chu to deal with them.

The much-hated General Chu was about to die.

No one knew which kind-hearted person had taken action, but now they could finally relax, no longer living in fear.

The elderly imperial physician, hailed as the benevolent one, was nervously and efficiently tending to Shen Zhao’s wounds.

A chunk of raw flesh slipped from his hand onto the floor, unfortunately landing on blood and instantly stained deep crimson, as if freshly ripped from a living body.

The newly arrived deputy generals’ eyes all fixated on that piece of raw meat.

How much suffering must it have taken to tear off such a large piece of flesh alive?

Truly… deserved!

The uncontrollable joy within them threatened to burst forth.

They forced down their delight.

Outwardly, they had to maintain appearances—it was a critical moment and no one could afford to give others any leverage.

Suppressing their joy, they all wore mournful expressions.

Then they began to wail aloud, “General Chu, why did you have to leave us like this? We deputies still await your leadership to lead our Jingzhong Camp out of this predicament, to stand equal with the other two armies.”

“Who was so cruel as to harm General Chu? We deputies swear to avenge you, General, and wish you eternal peace.”

“General, I have always admired you and dreamed of following in your footsteps. How could you bear to leave me behind and go alone?”

As the crowd wailed, all eyes turned to the deputy general who had spoken these words. Taking advantage of Chu’s supposed death, he dared to say anything he pleased.

The uninformed onlookers believed him to be a devoted and filial man.

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Yes, filial indeed.

Such hypocritical weeping—who were they trying to disgust? Clearly, none mourned as stoically as he did.

Shen Zhao, who had been saved from bleeding out and losing consciousness, closed her eyes lightly, listening to their laments.

Very good!

She was not yet dead, yet they were already eager to mourn.

They must be yearning for her death.

But their mourning was rather entertaining, and she understood their true intentions fully.

Still, now was not the time to speak out—who knew if someone might say something even more tempting?

She would remember it all then, ensuring her suffering was not in vain.

Xie Yuheng glared angrily at the mourners. Were these people blind?

They had seen with their own eyes that Brother Chu was not dead. He was alive—well, maybe not thriving, but alive nonetheless.

And yet they were already mourning him. Were they cursing him to die soon?

He had finally found someone who truly appreciated his talents—how could he allow others to wish him dead?

Just as he was about to shout for them to stop, his hand was suddenly gripped tightly.

Looking down, he saw Brother Chu winking and silently mouthing two words: “Be quiet!”

Well, he didn’t know what scheme Brother Chu was plotting, but since he was told to keep silent, he would obey.

What a grievance—that he was only trying to look out for Brother Chu, yet Chu did not understand his good intentions.

A sense of frustration welled up—this must be what true brotherhood felt like.

Shen Zhao kept her eyes lightly closed precisely to prevent such an incident.

Fortunately, upon seeing Xie Yuheng’s furious expression, she intervened in time.

The others, hardened by years of hardship, had long learned to read the slightest cues.

Since General Chu had not lost consciousness and had not reprimanded them, they knew he must have his own plan. They would remain spectators and not ruin it.

The elderly imperial physician and the young doctor were especially perceptive.

Serving high-ranking nobles in the palace had sharpened their ability to read subtle signals far beyond others.

Especially since the elderly doctor now regarded Shen Zhao as one of their own, he could not afford to spoil this good thing.

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Could she not be one of their own? She had sold herself cheaply to General Chu just to witness the legendary Gu poison with her own eyes.

Truly sold cheaply!

Yet he did not regret it. Anyone favored by the Xie family could not be bad.

Moreover, General Chu was not the dullard that rumors claimed. On the contrary, he was intelligent and well-liked.

The ever-fearless young Master Xie, who feared nothing but his father, had not only not left General Chu’s side but had fallen silent.

This showed the high regard in which Chu was held by the young lord. To earn such sincere treatment from the little tyrant, the man must have extraordinary qualities.

Seeing Xie Yuheng’s mood sour, Shen Zhao gently squeezed his hand and silently promised, “I will invite you to drink.”

Xie Yuheng instantly revived, full of energy. He knew Brother Chu cared for him.

This scene caught the elderly physician’s eye.

He sighed deeply, moved by the heartfelt interaction. In this city chasing fame and fortune by any means, such genuine friendship was rare indeed.

Suddenly, a louder wail rose above the rest.

“General, I beg you to awaken! If you do, I will immediately lead my men to join your banner. As long as you are well, I swear to follow you loyally, never to betray you.”

His voice silenced the other wailing deputies.

Was this Han Deputy General mad to say such things? To pledge allegiance to Chu so openly?

Everyone knew exactly whose man each deputy was.

As long as their masters did not oppose each other, they maintained some camaraderie in secret.

Han was a man of the Crown Prince—how dare he speak of leading his men over to Chu?

Was he not afraid the Crown Prince would find out and have his head?

Truly desperate to stand out, he had abandoned all caution.

A weak voice came from the bedside. The deputies, blocked by the elderly doctors, could not see the speaker, but the voice was familiar—it was Chu himself. He was not dead.

“I have taken your intentions to heart. Each of you has truly moved me, especially Deputy Han. I did not know you cared so deeply. How could I possibly disappoint your loyalty?”

The deputies’ hearts sank.