Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Due to starvation, he was rather thin. However, the obvious muscle on his arm showed he once was trained in martial arts. The muscles on his body were pleasant to the eyes. Additionally, the thick callus between the thumb and forefinger on his right hand also proved that he once learned martial arts over an extended period. The mildly deformed finger suggested that he had once been educated and studious. Disregarding his literary competency, at least he was equipped with both literacy and martial arts.

There were two old straw sandals tied to his feet. The garments he’d wrapped himself did little to keep the cold away. They were rags at best. In such dire circumstances, even his cold sores were very serious. Just looking at them was painful. Yet this person only looked calm.

Either he’d experienced such excruciating pain that he’d become numb to it, or his character was so resilient that he bore with it silently.

The soldiers even praised him for his good dining etiquette.

They did have to wonder, how could someone who had fainted along the roadside, someone who was almost buried under the thick snow, withhold his urge upon seeing the piping hot food before him?

His good manners ran deep into his bones.

Despite having sunk to the lowest point in life, how he was still able to maintain the bit of honor he had?

Jiang Pengji took a glance at this man’s face. He didn’t have a peaceable appearance. His features looked rather intrusive. His lifetime of suffering had worn away his pride. He had the calmness and tranquility of one who had experienced some terrible hardships, yet his eyes were unyielding.

To describe his appearance, this man looked like an injured wolf. Even on his last breath, his eyes would still be fixated on his enemy’s throat.

Man heavily relies on how he looks. His appearance is extremely important.

No matter how wealthy and graceful this man had been before the mishap, he hasn’t bathed for half a year at least and his countenance was unsightly.

Although her thoughts were diverted, she’d already gained understanding.

She wanted to continue her investigation, but this man had already expressed his gratitude unflinchingly.

If not for Jiang Pengji’s men coming to save him, he would have frozen to death.

She laughed, saying, “You are welcome. I can tell that, before facing such dire circumstances, you must come from a wealthy and noble family.”

Afterward, she made the man accept a set of clean winter clothes.

There were limited resources and it was impossible to get a brand new set of clothes. Nonetheless, the clothes were clean and warm, and they fit the man’s body well.

The man’s eyes felt distant and depressed. No matter how Jiang Pengji tried to extract information from him, he consistently chose to answer her with trivial responses.

To the average man, he didn’t seem to have revealed any important details. Jiang Pengji, however, had already gathered enough information.

In addition to what she’d learned from her previous analysis, she had ascertained a few more critical pieces of information.

This man wasn’t a local citizen of Dongqing. His hometown was invaded by external forces. He even mocked himself as a “dog mourning the loss of his family.” The only place fitting those criteria was Nansheng, where the four factions of Nanman had taken over. On that note, the man spoke in Nansheng’s dialect, further validating her guess.

She tried probing him a bit more. When she finally stopped, the man heaved a sigh of relief.

The soldiers found a set of clean clothes for him. In addition to outerwear, he now had a layer of inner garments that could keep him warm.

She remarked, “My subordinates made some extra hot water. If you like, you may use the hot water to wash up and change into the clean clothes. After putting them on, you will feel more comfortable. The weather is severely cold, and I see that your outbreak of cold sores is terrible. If you are not well-treated, you will suffer in the future.”

No matter how harmless and amicable she appeared to be, the man did not waver in guarding his heart.

Except, he was penniless and downtrodden now. His home country could not be revived. How could the odds ever be in this noble youth’s favor?

He secretly mocked the thought in his heart as he thanked Jiang Pengji for her kindness.

He’d forgotten how long it had been since he’d last washed up, let alone bathed properly. The last time he’d used warm water to wipe himself down had been a few months ago.

The soldiers boiled snow into hot water. The man attempted to wipe himself clean in an empty horse carriage.

Those who helped him change the water couldn’t help but comment on how much dirt there was on this man. He’d caused a snow-white towel to turn black. The basin containing hot water had to be changed multiple times.

When they initially changed the water, it was completely black. Just the sight of it left them feeling disgusted. Only after a few rounds did the basin water gradually become clear.

“This is a medication for your wounds that the lord prepared. It is effective at treating cold sores.”

The cold winter up north lasted a long time. Many of the people developed cold sores which were extremely painful. If one didn’t treat them properly, they would recur every year. One would suffer with them for the rest of his life. Therefore, the people of the north who were more well off always had some medicinal cream.

“Thank you very much.”

The man was contented after wiping himself clean briefly, but then he didn’t hold back. He also wanted to wash his long hair.

The soldier remarked, “You’re in luck to have met my lord. If someone else had found you, I’m afraid you’d have already met up with the King of Hades.”

The man wore an awkward smile on his face and kept silent.

Seeing that he did not agree, the soldier was somewhat upset and mumbled to himself, “Isn’t this person’s reaction too apathetic? We didn’t expect him to be immensely grateful, but he doesn’t have to be so unfeeling, right?”

It took a few rounds of boiling water solely for his bath.

It must be pointed out that their lord and their masters had never experienced such extravagance. The most they had were two days of wiping their bodies down or taking short baths for five days.

Moreover, it was winter. If it was summer, his entire body would also be covered in perspiration.

Feng Zhen confronted Wei Ci in the horse carriage. He’d overheard some soldiers discussing the man and it sparked his interest.

“Keke, our lord is the model representative of those who won’t wake up if there aren’t any benefits. If it is of no advantage, why would the lord be so kind? I am rather curious about his background. The lord is willing to give him special treatment then he must be some nobleman.”

Make no mistake about Feng Zhen… Even though he wastes a lot of time, he sees the heart with clarity. He was aware of Jiang Pengji’s ways.

Except…

They’d actually managed to meet such a “big shot” while traveling. Wasn’t their luck too good to be true?

As he was speaking, Feng Zhen put on his windbreaker against the cold. He ensured he was well wrapped and that no cold wind could touch him. Only then did he exit the horse carriage.

Wei Ci was helpless; he could only follow him down from the carriage.

Feng Zhen didn’t beat around the bush, asking directly about the man’s identity.

Jiang Pengji saw that the self-righteous Feng Zhen was poised to watch a good show. She looked at Wei Ci who was half a step behind Feng Zhen. It was amusing.

“Just look at your body language. You don’t seem to be here to watch the commotion. Instead, your presence here is based on an invitation from a close friend to catch someone in adultery,” She remarked mischievously. Feng Zhen was unashamed, but Wei Ci’s heart skipped a beat. She then continued, “That man is from a noble family in Nansheng country. His family standing should be prestigious.”

Nansheng?

Raising his brows, Feng Zhen smirked mockingly. “Nansheng? Isn’t it defeated already?”

Nansheng had gone from being at their mightiest point to their weakest. Finally, they suffered defeat and the country was exterminated. How many years did this take?

They’d courted their own doom. It was fine if the imperial family was killed, but that implicated ten thousand or more innocent people in Nansheng.

“Though one’s country has been conquered, the four factions of Nanman aren’t super-humans. How could their assassins carry out their assassination here? There are surely some who escaped the massacre,” Jiang Pengji replied. “It’s expected of a noble family to be cunning and prepare for the worst. It is a must-have skill. If someone is determined to escape, will the four factions of Nanman pursue them to the ends of the earth to catch the remnant of people? Nonetheless, this is my personal guess. The other party’s mouth is tight and he refuses to divulge anything to me.”