Ning Chen left Feng Qizheng behind to work with Zisu and Meng Jianbai on the antidote.

He was the only one who could ring the bell.

Ning Chen took Liu Dachun and led five thousand men, with thirty-odd of the Ning'an Army, straight for Fengshou County through the night.

They did not get there until the following afternoon.

Fengshou County had been hit by the snow too. Nine houses in ten stood empty.

Ning Chen had the army make camp and went himself to Liu Dachun's house.

Three thatched rooms. The snow had brought two of them down, and the third looked ready to follow.

The Ning'an Army soldier who had risked his life to carry the message was lying on a board spread with straw, with more straw over him... badly hurt, starving and frozen, and near the end.

Ning Chen had brought an army physician for exactly this, and told him to get to work.

The physician just barely kept him alive.

"My lord prince, he's in a bad way. There's only so much that can be done here. He has to go back to Qingzhou for treatment at once."

Ning Chen nodded and was about to give the order to send the wounded man back when the soldier woke.

"My — my lord prince..."

He struggled, trying to get up.

"Don't move." Ning Chen came over to him. "Rest easy. This prince is sending you back to Qingzhou now. I promise you'll be all right. Give it a while and you'll be up and running around again."

Every man of the Ning'an Army was a man with iron in his bones, and Ning Chen could not bear anything happening to them.

"This — this small man has shamed my lord prince. I should have put the letter into my lord prince's hands myself."

Ning Chen's face went stern. "What kind of talk is that? You have done very well... This prince is entering a commendation for you here and now."

"Th-thank you, my lord prince!"

"Can you hold out a little longer? If you can, tell this…