Chapter 130: Covering Up the Truth

“Qi Family Army?” Zhao Da revealed the identities of the two men.

Qi Third and Qi Fifth immediately started looking around, their eyes scanning the passersby.

“Where are the Qi Family Army?” Qi Third asked, his face full of confusion.

“Do the Qi Family Army still exist?” Qi Fifth added in disbelief, followed by an expression of excitement. With a perfectly straight face, he said, “Brother, where are the Qi Family Army? I’ve admired General Qi since I was a child. I never thought I’d be so lucky to catch a glimpse of the Qi Family Army!”

Su Wan: “…”

Zhao Wei: “…”

Zhao Da: “…”

Was he mistaken after all?

How could the Qi Family Army possibly include someone as clueless as this?

Qi Third sensed the subtle shift in the atmosphere and decided to play along with Qi Fifth’s words. “The two of us originally aimed to join the Qi Family Army, but we were born a few years too late. By the time we were old enough to enlist, the old General Qi had already passed away, and the Qi Family Army had disappeared. We had no choice but to find work at a security agency to make a living.”

Qi Fifth put on a bitter face, looking genuinely regretful.

Zhao Wei, seeing their expressions, extended an invitation, “You could join the Zhao Family army.”

The brothers were startled, quickly shaking their heads. “No, no, we can’t! It doesn’t have the Qi name!”

Zhao Da wasn’t pleased with their reaction. “What’s wrong with the Zhao Family army? There are countless people who’d give anything to get in! Sure, the Qi Family Army were impressive, but the Zhao Family army today is even more—”

Zhao Wei shot him a glance, cutting him off. Zhao Da paused mid-sentence, then pinched his thumb and pinky finger together, indicating a tiny margin with his fingers, “Well, maybe we’re just a tiny bit less impressive.”

Qi Third and Qi Fifth were left dumbfounded by Zhao Da’s boldness. “If you guys are so bad, recruiting the two of us would just be wasting talent, wouldn’t it?” they blurted out.

Zhao Da’s eyes bulged in anger, and he looked as if he wanted to smash their heads together.

He was only holding back out of respect for Su Wan!

Su Wan hadn’t intended to keep the Qi Family Army hidden, which was why she felt comfortable having them by her side. Since Qi Third and Qi Fifth preferred not to reveal their true identities, she respected their decision.

“Alright, let’s get moving. Go load the goods,” Su Wan said to Zhao Wei, adding, “I have some things to take care of, so I’ll go on ahead.”

Zhao Wei nodded, “We’ll go together.”

Qi Third and Qi Fifth drove the carriage, and they all set off.

Zhao Da frowned, scrutinizing the two brothers as if trying to see right through them.

The two were dressed in simple coarse clothing, with straw sandals on their feet. As they bent over, a knife hidden on one of their backs became visible.

Zhao Da glanced over at Zhao Wei, who had also noticed the knife. Zhao Wei gave Zhao Da a subtle signal.

“Brothers, let me give you a hand!” Zhao Da offered as he went over to help load the goods, using the opportunity to chat with Qi Third and Qi Fifth, trying to find out which security agency they worked for. The group then proceeded into the city.

Zhao Wei’s gaze briefly flicked to the married woman’s hairstyle Su Wan was wearing, and he said quietly, “We’ll head to the examination hall first. If we get the chance, perhaps we can all have a meal together.”

“Sure,” Su Wan replied, knowing well that it was just polite conversation.

Zhao Wei led Zhao Da a short distance away, and Zhao Da analyzed, “General, these two might not be from the Qi Family Army. The Qi Family Army are known for their expertise with spears, meteor hammers, swords, and other weapons, but out of the eighteen traditional weapons, they are not skilled with knives.”

He continued, “Su Wan is very important to the Qi Family Army. Escorting her with goods to the prefectural city means they’re likely to encounter bandits. Even though the Qi Family Army can take on ten enemies at once, without their preferred weapons, they might be at a disadvantage.”

Zhao Wei, who only recognized Qi Guang but not the others, listened carefully.

“Have someone keep an eye on Su Wan,” Zhao Wei ordered.

Whether the Qi Family Army were indeed under Su Wan’s command would eventually become clear.

“Understood,” Zhao Da replied, his mind sharp as always. “I’ll send someone to the security agency later to check if those two men are registered there.”

—

As soon as Zhao Wei and Zhao Da left, Qi Third and Qi Fifth breathed a sigh of relief. “That was close! We were almost exposed.”

It wasn’t a secret that the Qi Family Army were not known for their skill with knives, but over the years, Qi Guang had been strict about making them train with knives, so they had become quite proficient.

They needed a legitimate identity to stay close to Su Wan, so even after becoming well-off, they continued working at the security agency. They weren’t too worried about Zhao Da investigating them.

“What are you afraid of? Is the Qi Family army something to be ashamed of? With me around, if anything happens, I’ll be the one to shield you,” Su Wan said seriously. “You were left to me by my grandfather. You are exceptional, a source of pride, not something to hide.”

Qi Third and Qi Fifth, feeling ashamed, replied, “Our current situation is delicate, so it’s best if we remain in the background to avoid bringing trouble to you.”

“If I thought you were a liability, I wouldn’t have kept you around from the start,” Su Wan reassured them, her mind already made up. It seemed that the Regent was on her side; even if he wasn’t exactly an ally, at least he wouldn’t harm her. The fact that she had been married to Gu Huaizhi might have had other underlying reasons behind it.

Su Wan held the cure to the Emperor’s poison, and if things ever came to that, she not only had an empty imperial edict to protect her people but could also trade her life for the Emperor’s. Besides, Zhao Wei owed her three favors.

With these cards in her hand, as long as the Emperor himself wasn’t determined to destroy the Qi Family Army, she could keep them safe under her wing. And with the Qi Family Army at her disposal, she could ward off any lurking threats, making anyone who tried to harm her think twice.

“You are heroes who should stand tall in the sunlight,” Su Wan declared, her words ringing with conviction.

Her statement had a profound impact, shaking Qi Third and Qi Fifth to their core. The last vestiges of their hesitation were shattered, and their doubts were finally dispelled.

“Let’s go, deliver the goods to the medical clinic. After that, we’ll look around and find a suitable house to set up a workshop.”

Su Wan was calculating in her mind. Since she wouldn’t be in the prefectural city often, she needed to hire a trustworthy manager.

Seeing the concern on Su Wan’s face, Qi Third said, “Young lady, if there’s anything on your mind, just tell us. We may not be particularly skilled, but we’ve got plenty of ideas.”

Su Wan shared her thoughts with the two of them and sighed, “The people I trust either aren’t capable of managing a business, or they aren’t interested in the job.”

Qi Third’s eyes lit up, and he immediately recommended someone. “Young lady, we do have someone on Qingfeng Mountain who could fit the bill. She comes from a merchant family and is excellent at running a business.

After her family fell on hard times, she was rescued by us and has been living on Qingfeng Mountain, handling our accounts. Everyone calls her the ‘Iron Lady.’”

Qi Fifth nodded in agreement. “If it weren’t for the Iron Lady, we wouldn’t have been able to save enough for your dowry.”

“Alright, I’ll meet her when the time comes,” Su Wan replied, feeling relieved that a significant matter was being resolved.

“There’s a shortcut through an alley up ahead that will take us straight to Guangren Hall,” Qi Third said as he steered the carriage toward the alley.

“Help! Help—”

As soon as they entered the alley, they heard a woman’s cry for help.

Su Wan’s expression turned serious, and before she could react, Qi Third had already leaped off the carriage and dashed into the depths of the alley.

Four black-clad figures surrounded two guards, attacking them from all sides. A sword flashed, slicing across a guard’s neck, and he collapsed to the ground.

Qi Third quickly realized something was off—the fallen guards seemed to have been drugged, making them easy prey for the attackers.

He surveyed the scene, noting five or six more guards lying scattered on the ground, and saw the black-clad figures lifting an unconscious woman, attempting to throw her into a carriage.

Without hesitation, Qi Third drew his sword and charged at the attackers.

The black-clad figures frowned, turning to focus their assault on Qi Third.

Meanwhile, Zhao Wei and Zhao Da, who happened to be nearby, heard the sounds of battle and turned to investigate. They arrived just in time to see Qi Third, who had claimed to be a simple security escort, skillfully wielding the distinct sword techniques of the Qi Family.