Before dawn the next day, everyone packed up their things and prepared to leave.

Liu Xian’an dreamt all night, and now his head was muddled. Half-wrapped in a blanket, he stared ahead in a daze. A-Ning stepped forward and shook him several times, but failed to bring him to his senses.

Gao Lin passed some food to Liang Shu and took two more servings to give to A-Ning, turning around just in time for the red sun to burst out of the clouds. The light from the sky was soft like a dream, enveloping Liu Xian’an where he sat under a tree. The young master’s white clothing was dyed gold, and the surrounding fields were full of brilliance as the entire world awoke and lit up at this moment. The birds were melodious, the vegetation was verdant, and everything was full of vitality.

Gao Lin had never witnessed such a spectacle. He stopped and looked at Second Young Master Liu in front of him, whose hair was shining, and was rather stunned: “Wow.” Did he become an immortal or what?

Liang Shu glanced at him: “What, you want to marry him?”

Gao Lin immediately withdrew his gaze and shook his head firmly. “Won’t marry. I stand at the prince’s side, and if I want to marry, I can only marry the prince.”

Liang Shu ruthlessly refused: “But I don’t want to marry you.”

Unaffected, Gao Lin was full of confidence for the future: “Then who can say for sure.”

Cheng Suyue stood to the side and listened to this strange conversation, feeling as if she was going deaf.

Under the tree, A-Ning finally managed to drag Liu Xian’an away from the boundary of Immortal Ascension and then quickly stuffed him with a warm pancake and a pot of tea: “Hurry up, Young Master, everyone is waiting for us.”

Liu Xian’an made a sound of agreement and took a slow bite of pancake, chewing it twice without tasting it. He was still sleepy and his unfocused eyes wandered here and there, drifting around until they met the gaze of His Royal Highness Xiao Wang.

“…….”

The two looked at each other, and remembering what had happened last night, Liu Xian’an suddenly became more awake.

Liang Shu nodded slightly, fully demonstrating his noble bearing and broad mind. It seemed that he didn’t care at all about the matter of being woken up in the middle of the night by someone hitting him with their head. Just as he was making a persistent effort to further show off his charming royal demeanor, Gao Lin, who had been staring on the sidelines for a long time, couldn’t take it any longer. He took two steps forward and forcibly took his prince away, ending this one-sided posturing game early.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Liu Xian’an quickly swallowed the cake in his mouth, stood up, and got into the carriage with haste.

“Young Master, Young Master!” A-Ning lifted the curtain. “Didn’t you agree to ride a horse today? Why are you being lazy again?”

Liu Xian’an closed his eyes and pretended justly and righteously to be asleep, seeing nothing, hearing nothing, knowing nothing.

Entering the gates of infinity, touring the unbounded wilds. In short, completely shielded from outside noises.

He wouldn’t wake up.

A-Ning had a headache: “Ai, seriously.”

There was absolutely nothing to be done.

The convoy continued on.

Cheng Suyue obeyed her elder brother’s order to guard Liu Xian’an’s carriage at all times, but she didn’t fully understand her task. What did it mean to “beware the prince?” The prince was not a rogue bandit, what was there to guard against?

Gao Lin said: “This matter is a bit complicated. First do what I tell you, and I will explain it slowly when we return to the Northwest in the future.”

Cheng Suyue proposed: “But if the prince wants to talk with Second Young Master Liu, how can I stop him?”

“We’ll be in Chixia City soon, and our prince won’t have a chance to……chat for some time. You just be smart.” Lieutenant General Gao patted the girl on the shoulder. “All right, I’ll lead people to find the way.”

Cheng Suyue was bewildered. She only partly understood and wanted to ask more, but Gao Lin had already poked her horse’s buttocks with the hilt of his sword. The horse leapt forward in fright and Cheng Suyue tilted back. She grabbed the reins with haste and said irately: “Ge!”

Gao Lin laughed loudly and beckoned a few guards to go ahead together and check the road conditions.

In the carriage, Liu Xian’an also heard the sharp “Ge” from outside. He called A-Ning and whispered a few words in his ear. After a while, A-Ning got out of the carriage and handed a smoky pink porcelain jar to Cheng Suyue: “Cheng-guniang, this is for you from my young master.”

Cheng Suyue took it and smelled a light fragrance before opening the lid.

“The winter in the Northeast is so cold, this pot of flower oil can cure frostbite,” A-Ning said. “It was made by the Third Young Lady of my family, and smells better than the ones in ordinary pharmacies. By taking advantage of summer to heal old wounds, one will not easily relapse in winter.”

Actually, Cheng Suyue didn’t like to use these kinds of fragrant things. She was used to smelling the wind, sand, and moon dew in the desert, and these flowers and plants were too sweet and cloying. But even if she didn’t like the smell of flowers, it didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate kindness, so she clasped the pot in her palm and said with a smile: “Then it is my pleasure.”

If one accepts a gift from others, one must return it. Cheng Suyue rode forward on her horse, thinking about what Second Young Master Liu might need. On the other side of the mountain road, Gao Lin had already turned back with his guards. In addition, there were more than ten people behind him, driving carts filled with containers. It looked like a caravan.

“Boss.” Gao Lin reported to Liang Shu, “These are members of the Northwest Merchant Group, selling wine and silk to and from the south. They just passed Chixia City two days ago.”

The caravan leader appeared upright. Cheng Suyue threw over two pieces of silver: “What good wine is there, brother? Let us try some.”

The merchant caught them and said with a smile: “Then I will make it cheaper for the girl.” While speaking, he personally picked out two jars of fine wine. Once the business was done, the conversation started. He casually said: “You fellows are going to Chixia City?”

“Yes, to see a friend.” Liang Shu nodded.

“That’s probably not good,” the merchant kindly warned. “There seems to be a plague in Chixia City. The gates of the east, west, north, and south are locked, and the defenses are tight. I asked the city guards there, and they said they would not open for three to five months.”

Cheng Suyue was surprised: “Then how did you enter the city?”

“We didn’t enter the city.” The merchant explained, “In order to make it easier for passers-by, the local officials of Chixia City built a small road more than ten li away from the city so that the city could be circumvented. There are also a lot of officers and soldiers guarding along the way. In addition, there are three tea sheds where you can rest for supplies. Although the food is definitely not as good as the restaurants in the city, at least you will not go hungry.”

“What is sold at the tea sheds?”

“Tea and sesame seed cakes. I heard that if you get there early, you can still find braised beef.”

“Is it expensive?”

“It’s not expensive, only slightly higher than the normal market price. After all, it takes some effort to transport things in the wilderness. This is nothing, very understandable.”

After hearing this, Chegn Suyue let out a pei to herself.

Liu Xian’an knew what she was upset about. Chixia City had a famine and plague recently, and the state of the common peoples’ lives could be accurately guessed without thinking. Things were like this, and the government still had enough energy to set up stalls on the mountain road to sell cakes and meat. There was no telling whose pockets the money earned would fall into.

After the caravan finished unloading the wine, they chatted a little more before continuing south.

A-Ning had distributed the anti-plague pills to the group early in the morning. Presently, they took them one after another, then started on the road again. In the afternoon, there was indeed a fork in the road ahead. A group of officers and soldiers stood at the intersection, raising their hands to signal the group to stop.

Gao Lin dismounted his horse: “Officers, we are going to Chixia City.”

“You cannot, the city gates have been closed, entry and exit are currently prohibited.” An officer waved his hands, “Go back quickly.”

Gao Lin was taken aback: “It was fine a while ago, why did it suddenly shut down? What happened?”

The officer was impatient: “Why are you asking so many questions? In any case, you cannot enter the city now. You must turn back or go to the next city by detour. Do you understand?”

“We have urgent business in Chixia City.” Gao Lin took out some broken silver from his sleeve and stuffed it covertly into the hands of the officer. “Further asking these officers to make it convenient.”

The officer accepted the money with a smile but still did not let them go, turning his face without acknowledging the debt. Gao Lin said impatiently: “Hey, you —”

“Ge, Ge!” Cheng Suyue stepped forward and grabbed him. “Don’t embarrass these officers, let’s detour to the next city, ba. We can stay there for a few days and wait for the city to reopen.”

She had a charming appearance and a pleasant voice. When the officer saw the pretty girl, this attitude finally improved a little. “We are just following orders, there is no need to deliberately embarrass anyone. All right, you can take the path next to the city, but if you want to wait for Chixia City to open, a few days may not be enough.”

Cheng Suyue asked: “Then how long must we wait?”

The officer shook his head: “It’s hard to say. By my estimate, it will take at least three months, so you had best go back to where you came from. Don’t wait, otherwise staying at an inn will be a big expense.”

Cheng Suyue did not follow his suggestion. After thanking him, she still directed the convoy to follow the path, and the officers and soldiers did not stop her. Liu Xian’an lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked out, seeing that the road was very flat and wide. After traveling for a while, there was indeed a tea shed ahead, which was also run by officers and soldiers.

Gao Lin went up to inquire about prices. Tea was a copper coin for a big pot – this could not be considered swindling, but if there were still sky-high prices in this kind of place, the passers-by would suffer a loss. They would inevitably complain elsewhere, which could easily cause trouble. Small profits but quick turnover was indeed the most convenient arrangement.

There were officers and soldiers patrolling the road at all times. At the end of the mountain road, there was another deep, dense forest. As long as one passed through it, they would be completely out of the jurisdiction of Chixia City.

Cheng Suyue said: “That person surnamed Shi has no skills elsewhere, but he planned meticulously to see guests off and collect money.”

Gao Lin found a dry, open space in the forest and ordered everyone to set up camp there, planning to go to investigate the city in person after nightfall.

Liu Xian’an got out of the carriage: “Lieutenant General Gao.”

Gao Lin walked up to him: “Is something wrong, Second Young Master Liu?”

“En.” Liu Xian’an nodded. “Currently, everything about Chixia City is unknown. If the plague is truly fierce and Lieutenant General Gao breaks in like this, I fear that it will be dangerous. How about you take me with you?”

He was sincere, and his request was reasonable, but Gao Lin wanted to protect Master Liu’s son, and had some doubts about whether Liu Xian’an could cure the plague. Thus, he found an excuse and said that he would just act as a spy, going and returning quickly. There would be no trouble in such a short amount of time, so naturally there was no reason to bring the highly-skilled doctor with him.

“All right, then.” Liu Xian’an didn’t force it, but before leaving, he still dutifully warned that when there was a plague in the south fifteen years ago, anyone who came in contact with it would get sores all over their body. Even three or four layers of cloth towels would not prevent contracting it. There was also a wilderness village twenty-one years ago, where the villagers would be infected through talking with one another. In addition, there were those who passed by each other, who lived in the same courtyard, who washed their hands in a stream, and who burned incense in a temple…..all of them had the possibility of getting sick. In short, Lieutenant General Gao must be careful, I will go back to the carriage to sleep first.

“Wait!” Gao Lin crumbled a little upon hearing that. “If it is useless to use three or four layers of cloth to cover the mouth and nose, how should I be careful?”

“I don’t know,” Liu Xian’an said truthfully. “Treatment depends on the specific disease. The pills prepared by A-Ning before can only prevent the most common plagues, and cannot cure all diseases, so I suggest that it is best to bring me on this trip.”

“This……” Gao Lin was in a dilemma.

“This lord will enter the city with you.” Liang Shu’s voice came from behind.

“My prince, absolutely not.” Gao Lin hastily dissuaded, “We don’t know what it is like in the city. This subordinate can go alone, how can the prince go with —-” His words cut off abruptly as he realized, oh, it turns out that he didn’t mean to go with me.

Liang Shu looked at Liu Xian’an and repeated again: “Tonight at midnight, I will take you into the city.”

“Okay,” Liu Xian’an said. “Midnight it is.”

So Gao Lin began to worry again. It was truly hard for him not to worry. According to past practice, such nightly visits were usually carried out by him and his sister. Why did the prince suddenly become interested this time with Second Young Master Liu involved? Wasn’t this really another way of having fun? And when it came to controlling a plague, the more experienced the doctor, the safer it was. It was best to be over half a hundred years old with a white beard stretching all the way to the chest. That would be more reassuring. Someone like Liu Xian’an……he was really worried. 

But no matter how anxious he was, there was no way that His Royal Highness Xiao Wang would listen to him, and Second Young Master Liu would not listen either. Afterwards, Gao Lin went to find A-Ning in an attempt to work through a proxy, asking him to come forward and persuade the young master. As a result, with the righteous face of a doctor, the young boy resoundingly stated: “The disciples who come out of Baihe Mountain Village will only rise to the challenge. What reason could there be to avoid a plague? Not only my young master, but I will also go into the city to give medical treatment. I also ask Lieutenant General Gao not to make such unreasonable demands in the future.”

With him standing on the moral high ground like this, Gao Lin left abruptly in shame.

Cheng Suyue looked at her brother with sympathy: “When has our prince ever done something he wasn’t certain about? Why are you so nervous?”

“He can have certainty on the battlefield and in the court, but can he handle a plague simply because he wants to? Besides, the prince has never dealt with this sort of disaster before.” Gao Lin urged her, “Go, you try to persuade them again.”

“I won’t persuade them. I think Second Young Master Liu is quite capable, he must be able to find a way.” Cheng Suyue refused to move. “You mind your own business and just wait to provide support tonight.”

Lieutenant General Gao had run into walls everywhere, and was physically and mentally exhausted.

How could no one but him understand?

Night fell once more.

At midnight, the dew condensed into a sheet of white fog, and the forest was quiet.

Liu Xian’an took out his red bay pony, brushed its mane, and fed it half a piece of delicious soybean radish cake.

Liang Shu asked: “Are you going to ride it?”

Liu Xian’an nodded.

He had only one horse.

His Highness Xiao Wang’s black horse also paced over at this time. It was almost twice the size of the mare, with flared nostrils and a wide body. It looked like a peerless overlord who could travel thousands of miles each day. So Liu Xian’an said apologetically: “My horse runs relatively slowly, so there may be a bit of delay on the way…..Ai!”

Liang Shu lifted the person one-handed and mounted the horse together with him. Xuan Jiao let out a long neigh into the air, and without waiting for its master to prompt it, it swept through the mountain air and galloped into the distance, its four hooves like iron, crushing the moonlight along the way.

A-Ning was dumbfounded by this set of natural and flowing bandit tactics, and stood open-mouthed for a long time. When he came back to his senses, he hurriedly chased two steps after them and shouted: “Young Master, you didn’t bring your cloak!”

Liu Xian’an naturally did not hear this. He was jolted so hard that he almost fell off the horse’s back. He didn’t even bother with the cloak, and only had time to grab the handlebars on the saddle with both hands, turning his head with some confusion.

Liang Shu caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye. In a good mood again, he lowered his stance slightly and kicked the horse’s belly with the soles of his boots, and the speed became as fast as lightning.

As Xuan Jiao passed by, the fireflies in the grass were startled and flew up altogether. They gathered and tumbled in the air, suddenly wrapped around the two of them like ribbons, and then blew with the mountain wind all over the trees and blooming flowers, glowing beautifully.

Gao Lin looked at this dreamy summer night scene in the distance, thinking that the paintings of those court painters amounted to a fart, and nudged his sister with his arm: “Yue, ah, do you think our prince will become an immortal after spending a long time around Second Young Master Liu?”

“The prince is already an immortal.” Cheng Suyue took a bite of wild fruit. “Isn’t it true that he has been saving people all these years?”

A-Ning was as pure as paper in this regard, and asked in amazement: “The prince actually understands the teachings of Buddha?”

Gao Lin choked, and said quickly and humbly: “Not much, just a little.”

As for the specific amount, it was probably just enough to send his opponent on the battlefield to reincarnate at an auspicious time.

T/N: Liu Xian’an is a Disney princess, confirmed.

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Chapter Eight << Table of Contents >> Chapter Ten