185: 129: Conquer the Qin Spoon!
185: 129: Conquer the Qin Spoon!
“City Lord, City Lord…” Yan Tingyi and the head of the guards rushed forward to support Gui Xingfu.
After vomiting blood, Gui Xingfu’s body swayed a few times before he managed to stand steadier.
How could we possibly lose?
On Chaos Stone Island, there were at most a hundred Suo samurai and just over a thousand salt slaves.
The Gui Clan’s naval forces that went to battle were two to three thousand strong.
Even ten Chaos Stone Islands could be conquered—how could the entire force be annihilated?
This naval force represented over a decade of his heart and soul.
With it, he could ensure that Linhai City was safe from pirates, and he could also switch roles, capable of both attacking and defending.
Now, with nearly three thousand naval soldiers gone, what could he use to protect the waters around Linhai City?
A regular army could be barely trained in a year, but a navy required shipbuilding and soldiers skilled in naval combat.
Without three to five years, a navy could not be properly trained.
Just thinking about it, Gui Xingfu felt an excruciating pain in his heart.
Ever since he inherited the title of City Lord of Linhai, he had never suffered such a great loss.
This was far more than a mere setback.
It was all because he had spoiled his daughter too much, allowing her to become wild and reckless, doing whatever she pleased.
And how did she know where he hid the Commander’s Seal?
Despite his overwhelming affection for his only daughter, to the point where he wanted to give her everything, the Commander’s Seal was too important.
He was the only one who knew its location.
Although it was Gui Qinzhong who led the troops, Gui Xingfu could easily guess that the instigator behind this was Gui Qinshao, coupled with his wife Turing Si.
These two women, these two women…
They truly seek to doom the Gui Clan!
Gui Xingfu ground his teeth in anger, his right hand trembling.
If Turing Si and Gui Qinshao stood before him, he truly wished he could slap them hard.
When he thought of Gui Qinzhong and Gui Qinshao falling into Suo Lun’s hands, his heart gave a violent throb of pain.
Gui Qinzhong was manageable; setbacks were good for a man.
But his precious daughter had never suffered any hardship, coddled like a princess, not quite a princess yet more than one.
The entire family doted on her, enabling her to boss around even her three older brothers.
Now that she was in Suo Lun’s hands, he really didn’t know how she might be humiliated.
The anger in Gui Xingfu’s heart towards his daughter evaporated clean away, leaving only profound distress.
Reminded of her usual coquettish reliance on him, Gui Xingfu madly rushed back to Linhai City.
The naval force was already lost; nothing could change that fact.
Now, the most urgent matter was to rescue his daughter.
Every moment he delayed, she suffered a moment longer.
That brat Suo Lun, what wouldn’t he do?
In the dungeon, Gui Qinshao had reached the extreme point of hunger, even starting to hallucinate.
By now, she lay on the ground, desperately praying for Suo Lun to come quickly.
To come and scold or humiliate her, just so long as he brought her something to eat.
She was so hungry, the feeling of starving to death.
At last, as if hearing her prayers, Suo Lun appeared again.
With all her strength, Gui Qinshao rushed to the bars of the cell, crying out, “Give me something to eat, quick, I’m starving…”
Suo Lun extended his hand, holding a moldy bun, black and stinking, with a bug crawling on it.
“Do you want to eat?” Suo Lun asked cruelly.
Tears streaming, Gui Qinshao knew Suo Lun was once again humiliating her.
She was supposed to refuse proudly, she should have shaken her head, chosen death over eating it.
Yet, for some reason, she found herself nodding.
Suo Lun threw the moldy bun into the cell.
Gui Qinshao grabbed it and was about to stuff it into her mouth.
“Wait…” Suo Lun suddenly said.
Gui Qinshao instinctively froze, maintaining her open-mouthed stance.
Suo Lun stepped forward, snatched the stinking bun from her hand, and threw it far away.
Immediately, Gui Qinshao could no longer contain herself and burst into tears, “Suo Lun, what are you doing?
Why are you torturing me, humiliating me ?
Just kill me, please!”
Then, she grabbed Suo Lun’s hand and pressed it against her own neck.
Suo Lun’s other hand produced a fresh, warm steamed bun, placing it in her hand, and set a cup of clear water in front of her.
“Go ahead.” Suo Lun said.
Gui Qinshao was startled, then devoured the fresh bun ravenously.
She choked, unable to swallow, urgently picked up the water to drink, still choking painfully in her throat.
Suo Lun opened the cell door, sat down beside her, and gently patted her back.
Finally, with difficulty, Gui Qinshao managed to swallow the bun in her throat.
“Ah…” Suo Lun let out a soft sigh, then pressed firmly on her chest to ease the pain of choking.
That sigh seemed to carry endless layers of emotion, causing Gui Qinshao’s heart to flutter.
Initially, he had intended to make her eat the moldy, black bun, to torment her like a dog, to eradicate the hatred in his heart.
But when she was actually about to eat the rotten bun, he gave it up, seemingly unable to bear it, preserving her last shred of dignity.
These thoughts flashed through her mind, and Gui Qinshao continued to eat the bun, this time taking small, rapid bites.
Soon after finishing it, she looked up at Suo Lun.