T/N: Thanks so much to Ana for the Kofi donation! Here’s a double update! (Plus an extra since I haven’t updated in so long)

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Liu Zhenqing stopped teasing Er-gou and let him off the hook, feeling soft-hearted.

After Huo Fenglie fell asleep, Liu Zhenqing went to find his master to discuss follow-up treatment.

“At least ten days.”

“That won’t work.” Liu Zhenqing shook his head, saying, “We have other things to do.”

His master just glared and began to pull his ear. “Are you not able to learn? Do you want to make the same mistakes again?”

“Aiya, I’m not, la. How can this be considered making the same mistakes? I’m currently hiding behind everyone, and nobody can hurt me no matter what.” Liu Zhenqing quickly covered his ears and put distance between them.

His master naturally looked at Liu Zhenqing in disbelief.

Liu Zhenqing knew that he had no credibility in the eyes of his master, and could only say: “Ai, we have friends who took action first, and we can’t leave them alone. Plus, I’m only putting in a small effort this time, not to mention that Er-gou is following to protect me.”

With a wave of his hand, Liu Zhenqing said: “And although I want Er-gou to recover from his injuries, he can’t stay here forever. With the temperament of the Huo family, he won’t be able to bear it. Therefore, isn’t it up to Master to find a way to speed up the treatment?” After some thought, Liu Zhenqing said, “Of course, the first priority is Er-gou’s health.”

When he heard the last sentence, his master’s complexion finally improved a bit, and he also noticed that Liu Zhenqing’s state of mind was different from that in his past life. Now, in his heart, the people around him were more important than the common people.

At last, after Liu Zhenqing’s hard work, he came up with a solution. In fact, the follow-up was these auxiliary treatments. Since Liu Zhenqing could handle them like he did today, Huo Fenglie could work and recuperate at the same time.

In addition to acupuncture, subsequent medication could be changed to medicated baths once every few days. After the treatment was over, they would rush to Medicine Valley as soon as possible for the second stage of treatment.

Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie repeatedly confirmed with him that he had no problems using his internal force now, and his master instructed that he couldn’t go crazy again before his treatment was complete.

Hearing his master’s emphasis, Liu Zhenqing also engraved all of these precautions into his heart. Once again, he tried his utmost to learn all the medical skills related to Huo Fenglie’s condition from his master. Although his master taught him seriously, he never looked down upon him. 

His master probably had doubts about whether he failed to learn medical skills out of laziness or because he truly had no talent.

He planned to remain here temporarily and let Huo Fenglie receive treatment from his master. However, they soon received news.

After He Lan and Qin Yu snuck in, Yue Xuqian had asked his people to notify the informants along the river to at the minimum pay attention to where the ship ended up.

The news that came this morning was that the ship had entered the shipping area at a port in Ming’an County.

Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie were both slightly taken aback when they heard the name of the place.

Because the Huo family’s hometown was in the county next to Ming’an, every time they returned to their hometown to pay homage to their ancestors and visit relatives, they would inevitably pass through Ming’an County. The Huo family also had its own villa there, and Liu Zhenqing had lived there for a long time.

As a coastal area, Ming’an County also had the best port resources, so it was naturally a more prosperous area in the south. There were many ships coming and going, so it was easy for people to fish in troubled waters. Now that the ship had been brought to the sea, apart from waiting for He Lan and Qin Yu to return with news, they could only go to the local Liu Family Chamber of Commerce to investigate the problem with the shipping.

The two of them said their farewells to Yue Xuqian and the Master, setting off again without further delay.

Just halfway through the trip, they passed through a town to stay for the night. But when they were eating, something happened. 

Someone accidentally knocked over their dining table, and when the waiter was about to re-serve the food, Liu Zhenqing changed his mind and wanted to go back to the room to eat. Having said this, he took Huo Fenglie back to the room.

The food was served soon after, and Liu Zhenqing sat down with Huo Fenglie to eat. After a while, they two passed out at the table. At this time, a man in black broke into the room. Seeing that the two were unconscious, he raised a blade and slashed at their throats. 

But in the next second, a cold light flashed. Just as Liu Zhenqing sat up and stretched, four people had fallen in the room, and the fifth one was paralyzed on the ground with the Chunjun sword to his throat.

“You moved so slowly that my waist and back hurt.” Liu Zhenqing looked at the assassin peevishly and asked, “Do you want to die?”

The assassin scoffed coldly, and in the next second, he fell back.

“They are assassins, and won’t have any useful information. As annoying and worthless as flies.”

“Let’s go.”

Huo Fenglie shook the blood from his sword and took Liu Zhenqing elsewhere to rest in secret. Because the food had been wasted, Huo Fenglie went around to the kitchen and brought some roast chicken to fill Liu Zhenqing’s stomach.

Once the candles were lit in the new room, Liu Zhenqing read the note in his hand again while chewing on a chicken leg. It had been left by the person who overturned their dining table, taking advantage of the chaos. The person had left in the mix of people without showing his face. It warned of poisoning and assassins.

“This is the second time.” Liu Zhenqing said in a deep voice: “Those who wish to assassinate us must want to prevent us from investigating the rebels, and the one helping us must oppose them. And every time, they are one step ahead, warning us. There is clearly a traitor among the rebel forces, ah.”

Huo Fenglie glanced at Liu Zhenqing’s intrigued expression and said: “Then why doesn’t this person meet us and tell us directly? Or discuss cooperation.”

“That proves that they are not the emperor’s person, because you represent the emperor, and they do not want to cooperate with you. There are only two reasons why they would spare your life.”

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend?”

“Right, and the other reason is that, after all, you are the general who guards the country. Unless they were truly insane, who would want you to die? Wouldn’t that just throw Great Zhou into chaos?” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile.

Huo Fenglie couldn’t bear the teasing, and shook his head: “Without me, someone else would lead the army.”

“Then if one day you are no longer allowed to lead troops to fight, do you want to retire and live in seclusion?” Liu Zhenqing asked suddenly.

Huo Fenglie was startled for a moment, and turned to look at Liu Zhenqing.

The light and shadows of the candle flickered gently between the two of them, and Liu Zhenqing had a rare look of nervousness on his face.

Huo Fenglie said slowly: “I am not a qualified Huo family member.”

Liu Zhenqing momentarily froze and looked at Huo Fenglie in confusion. 

Huo Fenglie looked at Liu Zhenqing silently and said nothing.

The Huo family attached great importance to Great Zhou and the Yuan clan. He had been educated by the Huo family since he became sensible. He was obedient and teachable, but deep down in his heart, he was as stubborn as stone, and that major part of him was never influenced.

Even on his birthday, when he was young and didn’t know how to hide his thoughts, his elder brother and sister-in-law gave him gifts and asked him what he wanted to do in the future, because he had just been told by an Imperial Academy master to continue his studies.

He answered directly: “I want to practice the most advanced martial arts. I want to be a bodyguard.”

His brother thought he wanted to be an armed guard to protect the emperor, so he didn’t say much.

But his sister-in-law smiled and asked him why. Before he could answer, Liu Zhenqing finally came over, somewhat in disarray and muttering under his breath.

His brother quickly stepped forward to inspect him.

His sister-in-law asked: “You were called to attend a birthday party, did you get into trouble by provoking someone again halfway?”

“How could I have, it’s clearly……” Liu Zhenqing wiped his face and complained: “Sure enough, it’s not safe if the boss isn’t by my side. From now on, I should listen to Grandpa and arranged for a personal bodyguard.”

His brother didn’t respond, but his sister-in-law was taken aback when he heard this and turned to look at Huo Fenglie, who was quietly cleaning the stains on Liu Zhenqing’s hands.

“Indeed, you cause trouble too easily and don’t know martial arts. If you have a bodyguard to protect you, then no matter what you do in the future, the guard can handle it for you.”

Liu Zhenqing nodded in agreement, planning to choose a bodyguard in the future.

Sister-in-law poked the side of Huo Fenglie’s head and said out of nowhere: “You are really promising.”

Huo Fenglie touched his head without much of a reaction. At that time, he didn’t know what this feeling was called, and only knew that Liu Zhenqing needed a guard. Therefore, he wanted to be a guard, and didn’t want Qing-ge to be harmed in any way.

But later, he understood that what Qing-ge needed was not a guard, but someone who could help him stabilize Great Zhou.

So he forced himself to grow into such a person quickly, but still lost Qing-ge.

Liu Zhenqing had never thought about competing against the loyal soul of the Huo family, so he did not continue to ask. He had already prepared himself , and if Huo Fenglie said he wanted to be stationed at the border, he would try all the western-style fish.

Ai? Wait, when had he decided on that? No, no, he hadn’t thought about it!

How terrible!

Liu Zhenqing glared at Huo Fenglie with dissatisfaction for a moment, and then vented his anger: “Come on, take off your clothes, it’s time for treatment.”

Huo Fenglie immediately trembled. After the two of them hit the road, the most painful thing every day was the treatment process. He could drive this person out for the medicinal baths, but could not completely avoid the acupuncture.

He was familiar with those acupuncture points, and it was no exaggeration to say that he could pierce himself quickly and accurately.

But Qing-ge…..

Huo Fenglie could only tighten his nerves to avoid the dilemma of almost being discovered by Qing-ge last time.

Liu Zhenqing looked at the healthy wheat-colored skin under the candlelight and raised his hand with a smile on his face. Recently, he felt that the more he touched it, the more addicted he became. Firm and elastic, with smooth contours. He could feel the strength contained beneath the skin, and his hormones released invisibly.

Especially when he pretended to accidentally bump into two rosy spots, Er-gou’s reactions became more and more interesting. There was also the Shen Que point, which was a sensitive spot discovered by Liu Zhenqing. Every time he touched it, those firm abs would tremble slightly, which looked particularly sexy.

Liu Zhenqing suddenly stretched out his finger and pressed that point. Huo Fenglie instantly sucked in a cold breath of air and grabbed Liu Zhenqing’s hand at once. “Qing-ge!”

Liu Zhenqing looked up with an innocent expression and said: “Can’t I play for a while?”

Huo Fenglie choked. How could he be so bold and confdent?!

The word “no” lingered in Huo Fenglie’s mouth, but looking at Liu Zhenqing’s sincere face, it seemed like he would be petty by refusing. He could only inwardly suppress the urges caused by such teasing.

After he finally survived the treatment, Liu Zhenqing climbed onto the bed and began to take off his clothes.

Huo Fenglie’s expression stiffened. The fire in him had not completely subsided.

“Are you going to watch what I’m doing or go to sleep?” Liu Zhenqing said: “You don’t want me to sleep separately in this situation, right? If another assassin comes, I would just…..”

Liu Zhenqing made a slashing gesture across his neck, which instantly left Huo Fenglie speechless, and he could only lie down straight.

After lying down, Huo Fenglie quickly took his pillow and gave it to Liu Zhenqing.

Watching Huo Fenglie’s silent behavior, Liu Zhenqing raised his eyebrows and took it with a smile. “So attentive.”

Huo Fenglie felt that behind Liu Zhenqing’s teasing, his smile held murderous intent.

Sure enough, halfway through the night, Huo Fenglie suddenly opened his eyes when he felt his body being entangled. The pillow that Liu Zhenqing was supposed to be holding had long been thrown to his feet, and now he had become Liu Zhenqing’s pillow.

Huo Fenglie went blue in the face, because a certain person’s legs were not only bent up, but they also climbed higher from time to time. A hand stretched around him, into the skirt of his robes.

Gritting his teeth, Huo Fenglie tried to get up and retrieve the pillow to save himself.

The result of this was that when he moved, Liu Zhenqing practically climbed up to embrace Huo Fenglie. He drew close to Huo Fenglie’s neck with a hum, sounding hungry, as if he hadn’t eaten enough that night and was dreaming of food. Then he took a bite, showing no mercy.

Huo Fenglie naturally didn’t feel the pain, and only felt that everything was upended by that sensation.

He turned his head and tried to move his neck, but Liu Zhenqing just held the meat in his mouth and refused to move.

When he finally let go, he was restless for a moment, still wanting to lick away the delicious food.

Such torment caused Huo Fenglie’s bones to tremble slightly, and his qi and blood instantly concentrated at a certain place.

Huo Fenglie’s eyes darkened. Nearly losing control, he swiftly turned his head to look at the person holding him to do evil, and his arms unconsciously hugged him tightly. At the moment, Liu Zhenqing was lying on his shoulder, head tilted toward him slightly. A pair of red lips were so delicate and tender. Defenseless, ready to be plucked. It seemed that as long as he lowered his head, lowered his head…..

Moreover, Liu Zhenqing hadn’t even woken up when he made such a big movement. Didn’t this prove that no matter what he did, Liu Zhenqing wouldn’t find out?

Huo Fenglie slowly opened his mouth and moved closer to Liu Zhenqing, as if he wanted to kiss or devour him.

But in the next second, Huo Fenglie froze. He broke away from Liu Zhenqing’s arms at an almost twisted angle with great speed. He picked up the pillow and put it back, then his figure flashed behind the screen in the room.

And Liu Zhenqing opened his eyes slightly where he lay on the bed, a look of dissatisfaction on his face after failing a challenge. Moving his body, he looked outside the bed. The moonlight shone into the room and illuminated a silhouette on the screen.

He could see the man leaning against the screen awkwardly, but didn’t know what he was doing.

But soon, low breathing sketched a certain picture, and Liu Zhenqing raised his eyebrows. Progress, ah, let’s see how long Er-gou can endure it.

Satisfied, he turned over to go back to sleep, but the sound of breathing was like a whisper everywhere. Liu Zhenqing’s face gradually turned red with embarrassment, and he quickly covered himself with the quilt. If he continued to listen, he might also…..cough, cough, cough.

It was all Er-gou’s fault! Unpromising!

A night of enchanting dreams caused Liu Zhenqing’s entire person to feel unwell when he awoke. And Huo Fenglie, as if nothing was wrong, calmly arranged everything for them to continue on their way.

But with this kind of calmness, Liu Zhenqing asked to sleep on the same bed every night.

Assassins were pursuing them, after all. There was nothing that could be done.

However, Liu Zhenqing discovered that when Huo Fenglie encountered one of their pursuers, he would be extremely ruthless, as if venting his resentment.

And there was a person warning them from time to time along the way.

Of course, Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie would not actually let others lead them by the nose. A planned detour successfully got rid of the two groups, and they finally arrived in Ming-an County.

“There are still 30,000 Eastern Navy troops stationed here?” Liu Zhenqing asked as they sat in a carriage into the city and looked at the bustling streets.

Huo Fenglie nodded.

Liu Zhenqing leaned against the carriage window and chuckled: “This is probably one of the few reforms I arranged that haven’t been overturned.”

“To keep the waters safe, your idea is quite right. There must be a strong army to deter pirates.”

Liu Zhenqing said: “It wasn’t my idea. It was something I thought of with your brother and that person back then, and was only implemented after I took power.”

“Are you talking about the Sea King, Song Xingmu? I remember that you became acquainted with him when you first went south with our family?” Huo Fenglie asked.

“Pfft, Sea King…..who gave him this title? There shouldn’t be any kings of a different surname in the Great Zhou Dynasty. It’s too inappropriate.” Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but laugh.

Huo Fenglie explained: “The populace gave it to him. In the past year, he swept clean the southeastern sea area and made great achievements. The emperor transferred him back from the south, and he regained control of the 30,000 strong army here.” 

Liu Zhenqing stood in amazement when he heard this. “What? Song Xingmu was originally a young general here. I directly gave him military power back then. What do you mean by ‘regained control?’”

Shaking his head, Huo Fenglie said: “I don’t know. It was eight years ago. The emperor directly issued a transfer order, commanding him to go to the Southern Islands to train new recruits. But the Song family household remained unchanged.”

Liu Zhenqing’s expression changed. Didn’t that mean he was demoted? At that time, his relationship with Song Xingmu was not close. On the surface.

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Chapter Seventy-Two << Table of Contents >> Chapter Seventy-Four