Chapter 416: Devil, Darling, Dear Brother

Wei Ting reached out and touched the infant’s little cheek.

Ji Qingwu’s heart clenched. She was afraid Wei Ting would wake the baby again.

She took a breath and couldn’t help but glare up at him, her eyes filled with reproach.

Wei Ting met her gaze, his expression faltering slightly. He seemed a little surprised.

Seeing Wei Ting suddenly fall silent at this critical moment, Hu Lie asked anxiously, "What is my eldest brother’s greatest crime? Stop being so mysterious!"

Wei Ting’s gaze slowly swept over Ji Qingwu before he finally spoke. "Treason."

Ji Qingwu, still holding the baby, turned slightly to the side. Wei Ting’s stare made her skin crawl.

Hu Lie and Hu Chen’s faces instantly filled with disbelief. They shouted, "Impossible!"

Wei Ting said, "Your brother’s letters with Yu Wen Tianqing have all been found. The evidence is conclusive."

Hu Feng said, "No one knew about this besides me—not my brothers, not my family."

Wei Ting raised a large hand and let it fall upon the infant’s swaddling clothes.

"This child is your blood relative. Since you have committed such a great crime, the child cannot be allowed to live."

Hu Feng’s eyes turned bloodshot, and his voice was hoarse. "Please, General, spare this innocent child! The baby has done nothing wrong!"

Hu Chen started cursing loudly, while Hu Lie began slamming his fists and head against the iron door with a loud CLANG.

The wave of noise threatened to tear the dungeon apart.

The baby in Ji Qingwu’s arms began to whimper again, as if about to break into a full-blown wail at any moment.

"Be quiet."

A woman’s voice, though suppressed, could not hide its emotion, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

Ji Qingwu had held back as long as she could, but in the end, she couldn’t stop herself from speaking.

As a mother, she couldn’t stand seeing someone wake a baby she had just managed to soothe to sleep. Even less could she stand seeing someone use a child as bait to threaten others.

Besides, this poor child wasn’t even born to Qi Peiyao and had suffered greatly since birth.

But Ji Qingwu couldn’t expose the truth on the spot. It would ruin Wei Ting’s plan and be detrimental to Beili.

Her only option was to find a way to help Wei Ting resolve this matter quickly so he could return to the Northern Border Army.

So, Ji Qingwu said in a low voice, "General, this child might not belong to the leader."

When Wei Ting heard her voice, his expression froze for a split second.

He slowly turned his head to look at the pasty, pancake-like face before him, a strange feeling stirring in his heart.

Wei Ting thought he was hallucinating.

He felt that the voice and tone were somehow familiar.

However, Wei Ting quickly shook his head.

’Ji Qingwu should be safe and sound at the Lin’an Ji Family estate, confined to the house by Ji Bo Lian, forbidden to go out.’

’How could she possibly be in Black Wind Village? It must just be a similar-sounding voice.’

Having convinced himself, Wei Ting frowned.

"Why do you say that?"

Ji Qingwu held the baby upright in her arms, watching him warily, on guard against any attempt to snatch the child away.

She said softly, "There’s something you may not know, General. The father is one of these three brothers. The child’s bloodline is similar to all of them, so it’s impossible to determine whose it is for now."

Obvious confusion appeared on Wei Ting’s brow.

’What does she mean, the father is one of the three brothers?’

A nearby soldier stepped forward and whispered a few words in Wei Ting’s ear. Wei Ting’s expression shifted several times.

’As expected of a bandit’s den, to even engage in wife-sharing.’

Then, on second thought, he realized, ’This midwife is both kind-hearted and clever. She didn’t expose my bluff and also protected the child.’

Hu Feng also realized what was happening.

Ji Qingwu was trying to sever the child’s connection to him. He shot her a grateful look, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Ji Qingwu looked back at him and said, "Leader, this child is still young and needs your care. A fatherless child has a very pitiful life."

The thought of this scenario caused Hu Lie and Hu Chen to calm down.

Hu Feng’s fingers, gripping the bars, turned white from the force. Their own deaths were insignificant, but how could they rest in peace if they left behind a widow and orphan to be bullied?

Seeing that the time was right, Ji Qingwu fanned the flames.

"The lady is very capable; she’ll live a wonderful life even without you. But... you wouldn’t want your child to grow up trailing after another man, calling him ’daddy,’ would you?"

The Hu Family’s Three Brothers could no longer remain calm.

This was especially true for Hu Feng. He had always wanted a child of his and Yao’er’s blood, a child that would create an unbreakable bond with Qi Peiyao.

Ji Qingwu’s lips curved into a small smile as she continued, "They’d also have to call another man—"

"My devil."

"Sweetheart."

"My good brother."

The faces of the Hu Family’s Three Brothers turned uglier and uglier.

Ji Qingwu had guessed their pillow talk pet names perfectly.

Wei Ting’s expression also became unreadable. He scraped his chin with his index finger, wondering how this village woman could know such intimate details about them.

But compared to Wei Ting’s various threats, Ji Qingwu’s words were clearly far more effective.

Under the anxious gazes of Hu Lie and Hu Chen, Hu Feng took the initiative. "General Wei, whatever you want to ask, I’ll tell you everything."

His tone was even a little desperate, as if he were afraid Qi Peiyao would abandon them in the next instant and find another lover.

Wei Ting was surprised by this sudden turn of events.

But he accepted it just as quickly. The three brothers’ obsessive love for that woman trumped everything else.

Seeing that her goal was accomplished, Ji Qingwu said in a low voice, "General, it’s not appropriate for me to hear the rest. I’ll take my leave with the child now."

Wei Ting turned his head and studied her for a moment, but he couldn’t see even half a shadow of his old acquaintance in her.

"Take her outside and keep an eye on her."

Ji Qingwu’s shoulders slumped in resignation.

*

Ji Qingwu was locked in a thatched hut closest to the dungeon.

Soldiers stood guard at the door. An hour passed, and whatever Wei Ting was discussing with the Hu Family’s Three Brothers still wasn’t over.

The little baby, placed on a wooden plank bed, had fallen fast asleep again. Thankfully, Chunhua had fed him before they came.

Ji Qingwu pouted slightly. ’Seems I can’t escape my fate of coaxing babies, no matter where I go.’

Just then, the faint sound of a shifting tile came from the roof.

Only in the quiet room could one notice the slight vibration.

Ji Qingwu looked up toward the source of the noise. A tile and some straw were pushed aside, revealing Si Hai’s face.

"Miss Ji," Si Hai called in a low voice.

Ji Qingwu glanced at the door. The guards hadn’t noticed yet.

She slipped off the bed quietly, walked under the roof beam, and asked in a low voice, "Si Hai, have you found Lan Ling?"

Si Hai shook his head, his tone tinged with anxiety. "No. I’ve searched the entire village but haven’t seen any sign of Lan Ling."

Lan Ling was missing. Even a Hidden Guard, an expert in tracking, couldn’t find her.

There were only two possibilities: either Lan Ling was taken by an expert, or she was deliberately hiding her tracks.

Si Hai said, "Miss Ji, I’ll go search the area within a three-li radius."

Ji Qingwu shot to her feet, her voice firm. "Si Hai, don’t go. Lan Ling should be fine."

The ones in trouble, instead, were them.

Ji Qingwu had almost forgotten Lan Ling’s true identity.