Outside Mianshui County, within a certain grove of trees, inside a thatched shack...
Nan Batian held a cornbread in his hand, using two tree branches to scoop wild vegetables stewing in a medicinal cauldron, disheveled and dirty, appearing utterly miserable.
Seven days, a full seven days—none of you would know what he had been through these past seven days.
He was even worse off than a beggar, with his injuries not yet healed, and he didn’t dare wander far from the shack, only nibbling on hard cornbread and eating the bitter wild vegetables every day.
A once respectable gang leader, he had now become the image of a beggar.
As Nan Batian ate the cornbread in his hands, he peered through a gap in the shack, eyeing the forest. Today was the seventh day; his senior sister should be arriving soon, as today was the inauguration ceremony for Chen Jiusi.
If he wanted to counterattack, today was the most suitable day.
With that thought, suddenly he saw a cloud of dust rising within the forest, and Nan Batian furrowed his brow and stood up.
Clenching the cornbread in his mouth, his eyes held caution but not much panic because his strength had returned somewhat. Although his meridians and Dantian were cracked, he could still wield the power of the Energy Transformation Level.
Though there was a gap compared to before, it was still enough for him to protect himself.
He stared at the forest, and then he saw several horses running in, with a strikingly beautiful woman dressed in glamorous clothes, riding a jujube-red horse, bursting into the forest. Upon seeing the woman, Nan Batian immediately relaxed—it was his senior sister. His senior sister had returned.
The woman arrived in front of the shack, dismounted her horse, glowing and dressed in a finely made dress, her face adorned with exquisite makeup, evidence that she had been living well these past days.
Upon reaching the forest and seeing the disheveled Nan Batian, she pinched her nose.
With a wave of her hand, two subordinates approached him, both of them handsome and strong-looking young martial artists. Each holding a set of clothing and some washing utensils, one of them also had a roasted chicken wrapped in butcher paper.
"How did you end up , all disheveled and dirty."
His senior sister frowned as she looked Nan Batian up and down, a hint of disdain in her eyes.
Nan Batian responded with a distressed face, "Senior sister, I haven’t left this shack for seven days..."
"Alright, alright, I know you’re suffering. Here’s a roasted chicken for you. Hurry up and eat. After you’re done, take a bath, change your clothes. The Garrison Commander has arrived. You’ll come with me to meet the Lord Governor in a bit."
"The Garrison Commander has arrived? Good."
Upon hearing that the Garrison Commander had arrived, Nan Batian immediately perked up; his chances of making a last stand relied on the Garrison Commander.
Thinking this, Nan Batian grabbed the roasted chicken beside him and started devouring it. When the delicious taste of the meat burst forth in his mouth, he even felt a tiny bit of emotion—his senior sister still cared for him. Otherwise, why would she remember to bring him a roasted chicken to alleviate his cravings?
"Hmm? Why doesn’t this roasted chicken have wings?"
Nan Batian looked at the roasted chicken in his hands, puzzled about where the wings had gone. Meanwhile, Yu Man’er said with a look of disdain, "Hurry up and eat."
"Alright, don’t worry, senior sister. I won’t delay your business."
Nan Batian agreed, while Yu Man’er turned and went to rest in the nearby forest, without giving Nan Batian another glance. As for why she would bring a roasted chicken for Nan Batian, the reason was simple—leftovers!
Yu Man’er liked to eat roasted chicken but only enjoyed the wings. That morning, she ordered three roasted chickens. After eating her fill, she was left with this wingless chicken. Rather than throwing it away or feeding it to the dogs, she thought, hmm, my junior brother might really need it, so she brought it along.
Nan Batian really needed that roasted chicken and wolfed it down, wishing he could even swallow the bones at the end.
After he had eaten his fill, he found a clean river to wash in and changed into a new outfit.
Clean and dressed in a new set of clothes, Nan Batian felt renewed and looked at his senior sister with a smile.
Yu Man’er glanced at him and said, "Mount up. The Garrison Commander will be here soon. We have to go welcome him."
Hearing this, Nan Batian said, "Oh, okay."
At her words, the group mounted their horses and headed straight for the official road outside Mianshui City. After about half an hour, they saw a procession of more than two hundred people coming down the road, led by a middle-aged fat man riding a tall horse, with a stern face and a black mole between his eyebrows.
He looked imposing without anger.
This man was the Garrison Commander of Huangzhou Prefecture, a Mulan noble by the name of Lord Ba Tan.
As the procession drew near, Yu Man’er immediately led Nan Batian and the others to greet them with a shout.
Ba Tan looked up, saw Yu Man’er, and waved his hand promptly, bringing the convoy to a halt. Ba Tan alighted from his horse, and Yu Man’er’s group dismounted and approached to meet him.
Ba Tan outstretched his hand, and Yu Man’er went straight into his arms.
Nan Batian watched from the side, his brow furrowed, inwardly wondering why it had to be this way.
Still, he reassured himself, "It’s fine, it’s fine. The hug is probably a Mulan Clan greeting, quite reasonable."
After hugging his senior sister, Ba Tan did not release Yu Man’er but kept his arm wrapped around her waist.
Nan Batian clenched his fists, "It’s fine, it’s fine, just a coincidence, a coincidence."
But the next moment was even more unbearable for Nan Batian; to his dismay, Ba Tan’s hand moved to Yu Man’er’s buttock and began to fondle it.
Nan Batian’s world collapsed within him, his goddess-like senior sister...
As Ba Tan’s hand grew bolder, Yu Man’er stopped Ba Tan’s further actions, saying, "Lord, my junior brother is still here. Let me introduce you."
Ba Tan frowned and said, "Man’er, it’s been half a month since I’ve seen you... You..."