Liu Zhenqing rode Shen Jiangyue with Huo Fenglie along the water, but the river soon branched off, and Liu Zhenqing could only give up looking for the others. Since the assassins were dead, he believed that nothing would happen to He Lan with Qin Yu there.

In the distance, Liu Zhenqing saw a city, but he couldn’t tell which one it was. After all, they had drifted along the river very far.

It wasn’t until he came to the city gate that Liu Zhenqing clearly saw that something good had finally happened. It turned out to be the Yangkun Prefecture they had been looking for.

Liu Zhenqing dismounted and left Huo Fenglie on the horse. He dealt with the city guards, then walked through the city holding the reins. At this moment, Liu Zhenqing felt that he had reached a safe place, and his body couldn’t hold on any longer. The water in early spring was freezing when he fell in, and his wound was only treated simply out in the wild, so he needed to rest as soon as possible.

First, he found a nearby inn and sent an attendant with some silver to find the best doctor in the city.

When the attendant saw Liu Zhenqing carrying the unconscious Huo Fenglie on his back, both of them with blood on them, he was somewhat afraid to accept such customers.

“Guest, it won’t be convenient here. Why don’t you take him directly to the medical clinic?”

Liu Zhenqing was already very tired, and was about to become angry when he suddenly heard the sound of tables and chairs being smashed nearby. It seemed that a guest was making a ruckus.

“Fuck, pretty boy, say that again if you have the guts! Everyone is listening, see if the officials don’t come and arrest you!”

The attendant immediately had no time to talk to Liu Zhenqing and hurriedly went to break up the fight.

Liu Zhenqing frowned and looked over to see a young man in white playing with a teacup. He was dressed as an elegant young master, handsome and vibrant. He looked like a scholar, but was filled with an understated luxurious nobility, and his clothing and accessories were not ordinary. He seemed like someone from a family with deep roots.

His features looked gentle, but they revealed a bit of cool contempt. Although there were only two servants following behind him, they seemed to be capable of martial arts, so the young man looked calm when facing the threat of three strong men holding swords.

This person gave a faint smile and said, “I just heard your fantastical words and thought we could discuss it. Why can you say such a thing but others can’t? It’s just a matter of words. Being angry is harmful to your health.”

Although there was nothing wrong with these words, the tone seemed somewhat anger-inducing.

Liu Zhenqing naturally had no patience to listen to their quarrel. In fact, he didn’t have to stay at this place, but he physically couldn’t hold on any longer. The wound on his body was probably infected, and his body also felt hot. He was already a little dizzy, and would probably faint if he took a few more steps. Right now, he just wanted to take Er-gou and quickly lie down and wait for the doctor to save him. Since the attendant wasn’t paying attention to him, he would just call the innkeeper and throw money at him.

But when he looked around, he didn’t see an innkeeper present, and he heard the argument behind him getting more and more intense.

“Everyone knows that Liu Zhenqing is a great traitor and sinner who brought harm to our Great Zhou Dynasty. It is wrong of you to speak up for him! I think you have a rebellious heart!”

Liu Zhenqing’s body stiffened, and he was speechless. He had been dead for so many years. How could he meet people fighting about him in such a place?

However, there were very few people who would speak up for him.

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but glance at the young master again, and there suddenly seemed to be some familiarity in his features.

What was interesting was that whenever there were some dissenters, they would inevitably shrink back when faced with the accusation of speaking up for the treacherous minister. However, the young master in white didn’t feel guilty at all, and refuted casually instead.

“Sure enough, people in the world are this stupid, ah. Was Liu Zhenqing treacherous and evil, or a person with unrecognized wisdom? Whether he had ulterior motives, whether he caused trouble, whether he was a disaster to the world, or whether it was a matter of life and death, how can those of us in the world judge? After all, everything he did is viewed with our personal interests in mind. If you want to know whether a person was useful or harmful to the current world and current dynasty, you’ll have to see the evaluation of future generations a hundred years later, right?”

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help being stunned when he heard these remarks. This young master’s argument was unique and very rare.

The troublemaker said angrily: “What nonsense are you speaking?”

“It’s not nonsense. You would know if you read more books. The most obvious and recent example is the period in the history of our Great Zhou Dynasty called the Eternal Kingdom of the Gods, because the emperor of that generation was the wisest and mightiest emperor in the Zhou Dynasty. However, historical records show that the common people at the time were very critical of the emperor who only married a male empress and left no biological heirs. Various unfavorable rumors remained among the people at that time, and they said that the Great Zhou Dynasty would be destroyed because of him.”

As he spoke, the man gave a refined smile: “But a hundred years later, how do you and I, several generations later, evaluate him? The emperor and empress ruled together, and times were prosperous. From then on, there would never be another emperor in the Yuan family of Great Zhou whose achievements could be compared with that one. Not to mention the capable male empress who continued the Yuan family. Nowadays, thinking about the strident comments made by the common people at that time, don’t they seem stupid? Isn’t it easier to see things in hindsight? So, ah, what do the common people know, and what qualifications do they have to speak nonsense about a person of his generation?”

After the young man in white said what he said, everyone around him was dumbfounded. They felt that there was truth to his words, but also felt a reluctance to agree.

At this moment, the innkeeper came out of the back kitchen, carrying what seemed to be a food box.

The young master in white stood up and raised his eyebrows, saying: “It is very disrespectful behavior to show off how capable and decent you are by scorning a person you don’t know or understand at all. In the future, be less unethical.”

When he came to the counter, he left silver behind and took the food box, passing Liu Zhenqing as he went to leave. Probably because Liu Zhenqing was looking at him with such shock, and because the young master in white thought the two of them were in a rather embarrassed state, he merely gave them a curious glance, but stopped in an instant.

He stared closely at the sword hanging on Liu Zhenqing’s waist, then raised his eyes as if to take a closer look at the person on Liu Zhenqing’s back. He didn’t recognize Liu Zhenqing, but the face of the person lying lifeless on his back couldn’t be seen clearly.

“This…..brother, your sword looks familiar.”

Liu Zhenqing’s expression changed slightly, and just as he was about to be vigilant, he heard the innkeeper call out: “Yue-daren, if the food is to your liking, send someone over and we will deliver it to your door.”

Yue Xuqian gave a vague reply, and just as he was about to say something, the unkempt man in front of him suddenly reached out and grabbed his sleeve.

Because he was so close and moved so fast, Yue Xuqian couldn’t dodge, and the two servants behind him were instantly ready to take action.

However, Yue Xuqian immediately raised his hand to stop them. Due to the action of grabbing him just now, the person on Liu Zhenqing’s back shifted and half of his face was exposed, which instantly made Yue Xuqian’s eyes quiver.

“Fenglie?!”

Liu Zhenqing breathed a sigh of relief at once, and as soon as he did so, he gradually couldn’t hold on any longer. With difficulty, he took out Huo Fenglie’s bottle of life-saving medicine.

“Save him…..we still have two companions…..”

After giving these instructions, Liu Zhenqing collapsed with Huo Fenglie and was hurriedly held up by Yue Xuqian.

The Lanling Yue family, once one of the major clans, also began to die out during the era when the emperor and empress ruled together. The Lanling Yue family had the best outcome, because their generation produced the most powerful prime minister in history, who was loyal to the emperor and empress, so they asked to split up and disband the clan. The Yue family and the Huo family had been family friends since long ago, and it was also in that generation that the marriage between the prime minister and a general made the relationship between the two families even closer.

It was only that they gradually moved away from the center of power in the capital to their hometown of Lanling, and either became local officials or engaged in business. This could be regarded as not seeking power, but only seeking peace. However, they still had a good relationship with the Huo family. After all, there were many marriages in subsequent generations, and the relatives of the two families were somewhat mixed. Whenever the Huo family went back to their hometown to visit relatives, they always passed by Lanling to visit.

Because Liu Zhenqing once went to visit relatives with the Huo family, he met Yue Xuqian when he was a child.

He was the same age as Huo Fenglie. When he was a child, he looked gentle, quiet, and reserved, and when he played together with Huo Fenglie, one would practice martial arts while the other read, occasionally exchanging a few words. Their relationship was very harmonious, and they were reluctant to part. He was one of the few people who could play well with Huo Fenglie, who had a somewhat introverted personality when he was a child.

The few days Liu Zhenqing and Yue Xuqian spent together were also very pleasant. After all, only Liu Zhenqing among them was good at scholarly pursuits. When he accompanied them, Yue Xuqian practically worshiped him and wanted him to become his teacher.

Because the time they spent together was limited, and occurred when he was five or six years old, it was no wonder Liu Zhenqing couldn’t recognize him now.

Fortunately, Liu Zhenqing thought of him as soon as the word “Yue” came out. Now that they were being chased by assassins and both of them were sick and injured, there was naturally no one more trustworthy than the Yue family.

Meeting Yue Xuqian here was a blessing from the gods.

. . . . . . .

One the second day, just as it was growing dark, a shout sounded in the dense forest.

“Brother Yundu, Brother Zichuan…..”

He Lan awoke faintly, feeling warmth under his body. Instantly, countless images popped into his mind, and He Lan was so frightened that he practically leaped up like a carp.

When his eyes focused and he saw the person next to him, it was like he had been hit by a thunderbolt, and he was shocked on the spot.

This time, he clearly saw the snake-shaped tattoo he had always wanted to see, but his attention was no longer on the tattoo.

Almost no part of the cold white skin that had not been exposed to light in many years was intact.

Was he a beast? Gnawing and biting?

The marks in some places looked to have blood oozing out.

Even the tattooed snake seemed to have been bullied. Not only was it covered in marks, but there was also some white…..as if he had specifically tried to pollute the cold, proud snake.

Not to mention the coagulated blood on those straight legs, which was terrible to see.

He Lan couldn’t believe that he was responsible for such a miserable scene of abuse.

He Lan was short of breath, and felt that he was not far from death. He looked again at Qin Yu, who was almost lifeless. It could be said that He Lan had never seen him so weak before. Clearly, this was the person who was constantly vigilant and was the first to wake up amongst them. But at this moment, even though someone was searching for them not far away, there was no movement at all. He simply lay motionless.

Right! Somebody was coming!

When He Lan heard the noise, he panicked for a moment and tried to find some clothes to cover himself. But he couldn’t find a complete piece of cloth at all, and most of it had even floated away with the current.

There was already sweat on He Lan’s forehead. If the others saw the two of them like this…..He Lan didn’t even dare think about it.

Just as the footsteps approached, He Lan picked up Qin Yu, whose body was piping hot, and jumped into the river beside him. Lying on the shore with the person in his arms, he looked up and saw a mess on the stone where the two had just been lying.

He Lan covered his face. Day and night, he hadn’t stopped. How many times, ah! He quickly poured water on it to destroy the evidence.

Soon, He Lan caught sight of figures. From the moment those people called them by their first names instead of their courtesy names, He Lan felt that something was fishy. It didn’t seem like something the assassins chasing them would do, and the assassins would only know their courtesy names at most, not even the characters. Especially Qin Zichuan. He seldom used that name in the Dongchang, so not many people knew about it.

“Who are you?” He Lan was the first to speak.

The four people heard this and rushed over immediately. When they saw the two people at the water’s edge, they anxiously went to save them.

“Don’t move!” He Lan warned.

“Young master, don’t worry, we are servants of the Yue family. We encountered two guests in distress before, and one of them said that as long as we call these two names to find you, and then tell you that the Yue family is looking for you, you’ll believe us.”

When they mentioned the Yue family, Huo Fenglie naturally came to mind. He Lan immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said: “All right. Our clothes were torn by the rocks underwater, and we’re undressed. Please keep your distance for now. Do you have any clothing?”

“Yes, I’ll set it down for you two.” The Yue family really thought this out comprehensively. Naturally, they would need to change into clean clothes after falling into the water.

The servants left the clothing and lit a campfire nearby, waiting for the two of them to come and keep warm. It wasn’t until this moment that He Lan was relieved.

But when he realized that he was hugging Qin Yu naked in the water, his entire body froze. Because he was hiding in the water, He Lan had Qin Yu pressed against the shore with one arm around his waist as he held onto the shore with the other.

This posture and soft touch immediately reminded He Lan of some wild scenes under the moon.

His mind felt as if it had received an electric shock. In the next moment, He Lan’s eyes widened in disbelief, and he tried to move his hips away.

It must be fake. The effects of the drug must not have worn off yet, yes, how could he treat his brother, Qin Zichuan…..

He Lan immediately gritted his teeth and helped wipe Qin Yu’s body with a guilty conscience. He blushed even more the farther he cleaned, and when he actually touched the torn wound, it was absolutely miserable. He Lan saw the person in his arms frown, perhaps because of the pain.

It felt like if Qin Yu woke up at this moment, He Lan would probably die on the shore.

But even though his face had turned pale from the pain, Qin Yu still didn’t respond. The abnormal heat of his body proved that his condition was very bad.

He Lan felt simultaneously guilty, hot, and worried. It seemed he had been tortured too much by him while he had an internal injury, which was why he was so weak and allowed himself to be slaughtered like this.

He Lan cleaned up numbly, and couldn’t help but focus on Qin Yu’s face.

Some of the blurry images in his mind from being under the influence of the drug gradually became clearer. He remembered being poisoned, and when Qin Yu took him ashore with difficulty, he knocked over the medicine bottle. Unable to control himself at that time, he had jumped on the other person.

The wound on his lip seemed to have been bitten by Qin Yu in anger when he was struggling, and the redness at the ends of his eyes seemed to have been caused by him causing the other person to cry.

Right, Qin Yu actually cried. He Lan was dumbfounded. He couldn’t even believe that the image in his memory was real. That such a cold-blooded, cold-hearted fellow could actually be made to cry by him. A person who would never shed a tear even under pain of death could actually cry.

He Lan inexplicably thought about it more and more, and his heart swelled further. A very subtle feeling caused his body to get a little out of control.

“Wu.” Qin Yu finally let out a cry of pain, and the frightened He Lan stopped his hand at once. He had obviously cleaned him up, but what was he doing just now?

He Lan’s face darkened. He quickly carried Qin Yu ashore, dried and dressed him, then checked his injuries and went back with the Yue family.

When they arrived at the Yue family home, they were quickly met by Yue Xuqian. After getting to know each others’ identities, Yue Xuqian shook his head helplessly: “It seems that the doctors we invited are not enough. You, go and invite a few more.”

He Lan had to send Qin Yu to a room first, and then he asked about the situation of the other two people.

“The young master accompanying Fenglie had a simple external injury that was easy to treat, but what happened to Fenglie? Other doctors came and said that his condition was too complicated to treat, and some simply said there was no hope. I could only send someone to Lanling to ask the most capable local doctor to come over. He should arrive soon.”

He Lan understood after hearing this that it was Huo Fenglie’s old problem, which most doctors couldn’t treat.

“He should have medicine with him. Taking that will relieve his situation.”

“He did take it, but he’s still unconscious. You look like you’re seriously injured. Go and get treated first, don’t worry about the rest. As Fenglie’s friend, I will naturally take care of it,” Yue Xuqian said.

He Lan was exhausted physically and mentally, and wanted to rest, but when he saw that the doctor was going to treat Qin Yu, he followed him in. After all, it was more appropriate for him to handle the injury in a certain place.

The doctor took his pulse, used acupuncture, and wrote a prescription to treat internal injuries. When He Lan said that there was an external injury, the old doctor was about to look at the wound when He Lan stopped him. After a hint of description, the old doctor regarded He Lan with narrowed eyes.

“Young people don’t know how to exercise restraint.” After writing down the treatment methods and ointments, the old doctor warned: “Apply it every day, and no sexual intercourse is allowed for three months!”

He Lan was astonished. “Three months!”

It was that severe? Getting injured in that place was so difficult to heal?

The old doctor blew his beard and glared: “You’re not stingy. Your lover has been tormented like this by you, why not have some compassion instead of only caring about the bed? Even though you are young and full of energy, you can’t handle it for three months?!”

He Lan instantly blushed. H-h-he didn’t mean it like that. This was an accident. How could he be with Qin Yu again…..he was only worried about the wound.

He was given a severe lesson by the old doctor, and then the medicine boy gave him the ointment. Because the two of them were a couple by default, they left the ointment and went away.

Naturally, He Lan couldn’t let others give Qin Yu the medicine, yet he felt that it was not appropriate to apply the medicine himself, ah. But now that Qin Yu was unconscious, he couldn’t ignore the wound.

He Lan had no choice but to grit his teeth and do it. Now that he was wearing clothes and covered by a quilt, He Lan really didn’t have the guts to peel it off and look. He could only apply the ointment on it by sneaking it under the quilt and clothing, feeling his way forward bit by bit. In order to facilitate this movement, he had to lie face to face with Qin Yu.

He Lan recited the Great Compassion Mantra silently in his mind and gingerly applied the medicine.

But the wound was still too serious.

He heard a muffled groan, and Qin Yu frowned. His eyelashes trembled, and he was about to open his eyes.

He Lan’s movements froze. His heart beat like a drum, and his mind went blank as he faced the violent storm of Qin Yu waking up.

As a result, he saw that those eyes that had been so cold in the past were moist due to fever, and his penetrating gaze was replaced by a blank look, as if he wasn’t aware of his current state at all. He just felt the condition of his body, painful, exhausted, and drained.

Qin Yu only saw He Lan, who was close at hand. He frowned slightly, and then with a face of numb compromise, he tried to say coldly with his hoarse voice: “Are you done?”

But Qin Yu like this made He Lan lose his mind for a moment. The knot of his throat rolled, and he breathed out a “no.”

Qin Yu’s eyes were filled with ire, as if he was trying to glare. But in the next second, he saw that familiar face approaching again. Just like many times in the past, Qin Yu instinctively put away his fangs and numbly accepted the kiss like a tamed venomous snake.

As the kiss grew heavier, Qin Yu fainted again.

And He Lan suddenly raised his head as if waking up with a start, looking at the wet mark on his lips in disbelief, the evidence of his crime.

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Chapter Fifty-Nine << Table of Contents >> Chapter Sixty-One