At dawn, Xiao Rong and the others finally arrived at the dock by the Huai River. Their boat was waiting there, and as soon as they saw them arrive, they quickly untied the ropes. Fortunately, there were their own men at the dock. If they had to fight the water army on the shore, no one knew how much time it would have delayed.

The horses under them were exhausted. As soon as they boarded the ship, they started panting heavily. By the time they reached the opposite shore, half of these horses would likely be lost.

Still, there was nothing they could do. At critical moments, who could care about the lives of the horses? They were lucky enough to be alive.

Among the major powers of the Central Plains, the Northern Army should be the one least lacking in horses. During the process of driving the Hun people away, almost all the surviving horses had become their war spoils, so they didn’t need to buy horses from foreign tribes.

However, war spoils were also consumables. The Central Plains didn’t produce horses, and sooner or later, they would have to trade with the Hun people on the grasslands. Xiao Rong wondered whether defeating the Xianbei Murong clan this time would allow the common people of the Xianbei to raise horses for them.

The possibility seemed low. The Central Plains held a deep hatred for the Xianbei, and the Xianbei people were indeed wild and wolf-like. On the surface, it seemed like they were only raising horses, but in reality, they might be planning a rebellion. They couldn’t just pick up sesame seeds and lose the watermelon.

Sitting on the horse’s back, with the faint mist of water in front of him, Xiao Rong couldn’t see what was on the other shore, but his mind couldn’t calm down. He could only use this method to relieve his inner anxiety.

This was a technique he had learned before. When he encountered situations he couldn’t handle, he would stop trying to deal with them and directly divert his attention. This way, he would feel much better, and the people around him wouldn’t worry about him too much.

However…this self-deceptive behavior was only somewhat effective. It seemed like he had diverted his attention, but in reality, no thought stayed in his mind for long. He could almost change his thoughts every two seconds.

Xiao Rong’s eyes anxiously gazed at the water in front of him. His pupils trembled slightly from side to side. Anyone who looked closely could tell that he was extremely nervous, but they didn’t know exactly what Xiao Rong was nervous about. Wasn’t the King fine?

They were all on the boat now, and it was unlikely that they would encounter any pursuers.

In military campaigns, who didn’t get injured? Even Zhang Biezhi, who specialized in transporting prisoners, had a few scars on his body. Even if the enemy didn’t hurt him, the daily sparring and practice would make his flesh suffer. To these soldiers, as long as their intestines didn’t spill out, it wasn’t considered a big deal.

Clearly, Qu Yunmie had the same mindset. Throughout the journey, he saw Xiao Rong being so tense, and tried to talk to him. Xiao Rong didn’t respond. If he got annoyed, he would turn his head and tell him to shut up.

Qu Yunmie: “…”

He felt a little aggrieved but didn’t say anything.

He truly didn’t think his injury was anything serious, but gradually, he started feeling a bit sleepy, and his energy wasn’t as good as before. As the sky brightened a little, he lowered his head and saw that his side had turned a deep red. Blood was flowing out, dyeing a large patch of his horse’s fur, and even Xiao Rong’s clothes were stained.

The sticky, dark red bloodstains looked difficult to wash. Qu Yunmie silently pinched the fabric that had turned red with his fingers.

Xiao Rong noticed this. He turned his head, and it seemed like this was the first time they had really looked at each other properly since they had been apart for several days.

Qu Yunmie’s lips had turned a bit pale. He lowered his eyes and looked at Xiao Rong, who was close to him. His expression was quieter than usual.

Xiao Rong didn’t expect him to turn his head. Qu Yunmie paused for a moment before saying, “After we return, have them make you a new set of clothes.”

It was summer, and the fabric was already thin, so Xiao Rong could naturally feel the sticky, large patch on his back. He immediately understood why Qu Yunmie said this, but staring into Qu Yunmie’s eyes, Xiao Rong still said two words: “Shut up.”

Qu Yunmie: “…”

After going to Jinling, how did he become even more arrogant than before?

The main river channel of the Huai River was about a hundred zhang wide, and the dock they were at was even wider, about a hundred and twenty zhang. Without electricity, crossing the river required the boatmen to row hard, so the crossing took a while, at least fifteen minutes.

The pursuit had already subsided. Although they couldn’t see the opposite shore, everyone felt much more at ease. Once they disembarked, they would be home.

Qu Yunmie wasn’t happy, but he didn’t want to argue with Xiao Rong in front of so many people. Besides, he no longer had the strength for it, so in frustration, he rested his head on Xiao Rong’s shoulder, using him as a human pillow.

However, this position was uncomfortable. Xiao Rong was a bit shorter, and Qu Yunmie was so tall that he had to crane his neck to rest on him. Now that he had already done it, he couldn’t back out, or he’d lose face. Xiao Rong was smart and would surely realize he had shot himself in the foot. Even if Xiao Rong didn’t say anything, he would probably laugh at him in his heart.

So, Qu Yunmie endured, endured, and kept enduring until he eventually closed his eyes.

 

…

 

He was really tired. Blood loss made him feel sleepy and cold, but he could only treat Xiao Rong as a human pillow, never as a human-sized body pillow. He didn’t even dare to think about it.

As his consciousness grew heavier, he seemed to forget that he had initially done this to secretly get back at Xiao Rong. Xiao Rong, who was the target of this “revenge”, showed no reaction and simply allowed Qu Yunmie to lean on him.

However, out of sight, Xiao Rong slightly moved his head. He adjusted his position, apparently wanting to glance at Qu Yunmie behind him, but worried that a big movement might make Qu Yunmie think he was uncomfortable. If that happened, he would sit up straight no matter how tired he was, until he couldn’t bear it anymore.

Xiao Rong furrowed his brows. He felt the boat was too slow, and while he stared at the water, willing the boat to go faster with his thoughts, he suddenly felt someone was looking at him.

He turned to look, confused, and found that Song Shuo was staring at him energetically, his eyes darting between him and Qu Yunmie.

Xiao Rong: “…”

 

＊

 

When the boat reached the shore, Qu Yunmie woke up, looking no different from usual, still moving freely. He was about to give orders, but Xiao Rong pressed him to return to the main tent and stood by as the doctor treated his wounds.

The doctor was already nervous. Although he was a military doctor, he usually treated regular soldiers, and he had never encountered the Northern King. Not only did he see him, but now he was even touching him.

His medical skills were good, but the situation made him uneasy. To make matters worse, Xiao Rong kept asking him questions.

“Why are you not disinfecting the wound?”

The doctor: “What is disinfecting?”

Xiao Rong replied, “You know, cleaning the wound before bandaging it! He lost so much blood, and the journey exposed him to the wind and sun, plus all the dirt. What if it gets infected if you don’t clean it?”

The doctor stared blankly at him. “What’s an infection?”

Xiao Rong said, “It’s when he gets a high fever and develops sores.”

The doctor finally understood and explained that water shouldn’t be used to clean the wound because it would cause more bleeding.

Xiao Rong didn’t know much about these things, but hearing the doctor’s explanation, he remembered that platelets help with clotting, and without professional cleaning tools, washing the wound could make it worse.

Accepting the doctor’s explanation, Xiao Rong still said, “Fine, if you’re not cleaning it, at least wipe the area around the wound clean. It’s too dirty, and if the area around the wound is so filthy, it could lead to infection!”

The doctor: “…”

The doctor sighed and complied. Next, he was about to apply powder to the wound, but Xiao Rong suddenly asked, “Don’t you want to stitch it up?”

The doctor looked at him in confusion, as if he didn’t understand what “stitching” meant. Xiao Rong made a gesture of holding a needle and thread with his fingers and moved them up and down. “Stitching, do you understand?”

The doctor: “…”

This was a person, not an animal skin blanket!

The doctor looked at Xiao Rong with increasing fear. He quickly tried to persuade Xiao Rong not to do it, saying that in his twenty years of medical experience, the King’s injury would heal in about ten days of rest. He should trust in the King’s strong constitution—small injuries like this would heal on their own with just a few doses of medicine.

Xiao Rong eyed him suspiciously, but since the doctor was so confident, he decided to trust him. Still, he added, “But stitching would indeed speed up the healing. If you ever encounter a patient with no effective treatment in the future, try this method. It’s just a matter of trying something new to save a life.”

The doctor forced a dry laugh, nodding, but in his heart, he thought, ‘I’m not doing that. If someone were to die and I tried acupuncture, I’d be struck by lightning!’

 

…

 

After much effort, the doctor bandaged Qu Yunmie’s wound, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and prepared three prescriptions: one to prevent internal injuries, one to stop bleeding and replenish blood, and one to prevent any potential high fever.

Normally, when soldiers were injured, the doctor would say nothing, even when giving prescriptions. Whether they were ordinary soldiers or generals, they all received the same treatment, but today Xiao Rong had turned the doctor’s visit into a new experience. He asked about everything, including the strength of the medicines and any side effects. He even asked how long Qu Yunmie should rest.

The doctor: “…”

The doctor stared blankly at Qu Yunmie, who remained silent. When he noticed the doctor was looking at him, he merely blinked.

The doctor genuinely wanted to tell Xiao Rong: Look at how strong our King is. Does he really need bed rest? Just sleep for a bit, and he’ll be fine, alright?

Still, Xiao Rong asked persistently for a specific number of days, so the doctor sighed and said, “Three days.” Xiao Rong was surprised, as though he thought three days was too little.

“…”

Once the prescriptions were written, the doctor quickly grabbed his medical box and hurried away. He feared staying any longer would result in even stranger situations.

Yu Shaocheng went to prepare the medicine, and the others returned to rest. Song Shuo and the others were assigned to a nearby tent. After everyone had rested enough, they would return to Chenliu. Everyone had been working nonstop all day and were exhausted, so when they heard Xiao Rong tell them to rest, they couldn’t wait to leave.

After they all left, only Xiao Rong and Qu Yunmie remained in the main tent.

Xiao Rong, now no longer showed concern in front of others. He turned around, his face expressionless, and glanced at Qu Yunmie, who was still sitting. He said, “Your Highness, rest now. I will wake you at noon.”

Qu Yunmie, wearing his outer clothes, had several layers of white cloth wrapped around his waist. Blood was slowly seeping out, forming a blood-red circle around the wound, but after reaching a certain extent, it stopped spreading.

Qu Yunmie was a person who valued privacy. He didn’t allow others to bathe or dress him, and he never exposed his chest on the battlefield. Perhaps he disliked the formalities of scholars, but he always kept his attire neat.

Today, due to the special circumstances, he had loosened his clothes, but after the bandaging, he immediately put them back on, covering everything that needed to be covered.

Upon hearing Xiao Rong’s words, he slightly loosened his grip on his clothes, frowning as he looked at Xiao Rong. He had felt something strange all along during the journey, but now it was at its peak. “You seem angry with me.”

Xiao Rong looked at him, his gaze moving down from the white cloth around his waist before looking away. He lowered his eyes and said, “I’m not angry. The sun has risen, Your Highness, you should rest quickly.”

After saying that, Xiao Rong was about to sit down, but when he turned around, Qu Yunmie thought he was about to leave. His face darkened, and in a warning tone, he called out his name, “Xiao Rong.”

Xiao Rong paused, turned back, and saw Qu Yunmie looking at him with a serious expression. “If you have something to say, just say it. I don’t like people acting vaguely in front of me.”

Xiao Rong stood up straight, slowly asking, “What does Your Highness want me to say?”

Qu Yunmie replied, “It should be what you want to say. Do you think I’ve done something wrong? Are you still upset that I crossed the Huai River, or about me injuring myself? If it’s neither, then please enlighten me.”

Xiao Rong: “…”

Except for the first few days they got to know each other, Qu Yunmie rarely ever acted so formally but today he did, though in a sarcastic tone.

After a brief silence, Xiao Rong said, “I blame the King for not resting properly and obsessing over these trivial matters.”

Qu Yunmie was taken aback. He had already been a bit upset, and now his displeasure turned into anger. “You are becoming more and more audacious. Why should I do whatever you ask just because you tell me? You keep calling me ‘the King,’ but I have never seen you treat me as such. Whenever things don’t go your way, you show me a dark face. Xiao Rong, have you forgotten what conscience means?”

Xiao Rong had been looking at the lamp stand, but upon hearing this, he suddenly turned his head. “When things don’t go my way?”

He smiled beautifully. “Would you please explain that, Your Majesty? Is this what you call ‘things not going my way’?”

Qu Yunmie furrowed his brows slightly. Instead of lowering his head as Xiao Rong had said, he looked directly at him and said, “This is just a minor injury. It’s nothing. You’re overreacting because you’ve never seen it before. In battle, who doesn’t get injured?”

Xiao Rong’s smile gradually faded. He suddenly stopped avoiding Qu Yunmie’s gaze and stared straight at him.

Qu Yunmie: “…”

This was the prelude to Xiao Rong’s verbal attack. Qu Yunmie instinctively felt a bit of regret, but it was too late.

Xiao Rong said, “The King is right. In battle, injuries are inevitable, but last night’s fight could have been avoided! If the King had listened to me, if the King had honored our agreement, then—”

Qu Yunmie interrupted impatiently, “Then you would be a corpse by now! Don’t talk about me, talk about yourself! How did you guarantee that nothing would happen in Jinling? You swore that no one would dare harm you, and what happened? This proves I was right, and you were wrong. From now on, you will never set foot outside Chenliu again!”

Xiao Rong exclaimed, “Just because I didn’t account for an accident?!”

Qu Yunmie replied, “Just because you were reckless and ignorant, thinking you could rely on your talent and almost lost your own life!”

Xiao Rong was so angry that he almost choked. “Who just said that in war, injuries are inevitable? The same goes for danger in unfamiliar situations! But I knew what I was doing. I wouldn’t have killed myself. Even if the King didn’t come, I would have found a way out. It was the King’s presence that almost cost me my life!”

Qu Yunmie was stunned. “What do you mean by that?”

Xiao Rong’s expression grew colder. “If something had happened to you, would I have had the face to return to Chenliu and plead for forgiveness?”

Qu Yunmie: “…”

“Everything I do is my own decision. What does it have to do with you? The Northern Army doesn’t practice collective punishment. Even my soldiers wouldn’t die because of me!”

Xiao Rong was very agitated inside. This had nothing to do with Qu Yunmie’s thoughts, but he couldn’t speak his mind. Moreover, what truly angered him wasn’t this point.

He quickly said, “The King speaks lightly, but at that point, the King’s back was already covered by someone else. About the lives of others, even if the King wants to care, he can’t!”

Qu Yunmie: “…”

He was really angry. “Xiao Rong, I saved your life, and this is how you repay me? This small injury doesn’t even matter to me, why are you so concerned about it?”

Xiao Rong said, “Small injury?! If it weren’t for the King’s good luck, that person wouldn’t have only scratched the King’s side. If he had hit the King’s internal organs, the King wouldn’t even have the chance to sit here now!”

Qu Yunmie’s face turned a bit ugly, and he said, “I wasn’t lucky, I dodged it!”

The words that Qu Yunmie blurted out made Xiao Rong freeze for a moment.

Qu Yunmie’s expression wasn’t good either. When Xiao Rong had asked him how he got injured, he had said he didn’t remember, but he did remember. When he went to find the archer, someone took advantage of his weakness. If he hadn’t dodged at that moment, the knife would have cut him open. He reflexively dodged, turning what could have been a fatal wound into just a flesh wound.

Yet, because he dodged that one moment, the arrow had shot toward Xiao Rong. Although it didn’t hit him, that was something he learned only later. Before Xiao Rong called out to him, Qu Yunmie thought that his fear of the young man’s death had caused Xiao Rong to get hurt.

Maybe it wasn’t just fear of death. On the battlefield, he was always fearless. He didn’t need to watch over others, nor worry about their safety. He just needed to kill the enemy, kill the enemy, and keep killing the enemy.

A single mistake had made him experience what overwhelming regret felt like. If Xiao Rong hadn’t been upset with him, he would’ve been lying in bed right now, reflecting on his actions. What kind of result he would have come to, he couldn’t predict.

He hadn’t intended to talk to Xiao Rong about this. He didn’t even want to talk to anyone about it. It was too embarrassing.

He lowered his head, not wanting to look Xiao Rong in the eye, but Xiao Rong just stared at him for a long time.

Xiao Rong had many reasons to be anxious last night, but the most important one was that he never imagined that one day he would become the cause of Qu Yunmie’s death.

Though if Qu Yunmie died, Xiao Rong would die too, but his focus wasn’t on that. It was on the former. He came as a savior, how could he let things become so absurd? Qu Yunmie had come to rescue him, only to die on the official road, being chased by two thousand private soldiers. If history recorded this, people would laugh at it for thousands of years.

Xiao Rong couldn’t accept such a situation, nor could he accept becoming the culprit. He didn’t want to experience that feeling of total failure.

After a moment of silence, Xiao Rong moved to sit beside Qu Yunmie, a fist’s distance away, and said, “This danger… is truly my responsibility. I thought I knew enough, but I was only half-informed. If the King hadn’t come last night, today I would have to bear several debts of blood, and I feared that.”

Qu Yunmie didn’t know when he raised his head. Xiao Rong rested both hands on the bed board and sighed with a faint smile. “Whether it’s the King or those soldiers who protect me, I don’t want anyone to lose their life because of me. I don’t want to owe anyone a favor. I thought the King was injured severely to stop someone from hurting me, but now I know that the King would choose to protect himself at a critical moment. That stone in my heart has fallen.”

He smiled at Qu Yunmie and said, “The King choosing to protect himself is the right decision, because the King must believe one thing: no one in this world deserves to make the King sacrifice himself. Protecting the King is protecting the entire Northern Army, because as long as the King is here, the Northern Army won’t fall apart.”

Qu Yunmie stared at him with an unreadable expression.

Xiao Rong froze for a moment under his gaze.

Qu Yunmie slowly opened his mouth. “I saved you, and in your heart, you think you owe me a favor?”

Xiao Rong was stunned.

Qu Yunmie continued, “So whether it was last night’s rage or today’s endless arguments, it was because you didn’t want to owe me.”

Xiao Rong opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to deny it, but when the words reached his throat, he closed his mouth. After a pause, he nodded. “I am already serving the King. If I owe the King a favor, I’m afraid I won’t be able to repay it.”

Qu Yunmie listened to his words, and for the first time, he realized that Xiao Rong’s words could sound so harsh.

He turned his gaze away, his expression changing ever so slightly. When he raised his head again, he looked normal.

Except for a moment when he lost his desire to talk to Xiao Rong.

He took off his boots and grabbed a wooden pillow beside him. He pressed his lips together, lay down, and closed his eyes. He even used his arm to shield his eyes, saying in a faint tone. “I’m a bit tired. You should go to sleep too.”

Xiao Rong still sat there, not speaking, just silently watching the hand lying beside him. Qu Yunmie may not have realized it, but he was tightly gripping his hand, his knuckles trembling slightly, as if trying to ease the intense emotions swirling inside him.

After a while, Xiao Rong raised his gaze, looking at the exposed abdomen caused by Qu Yunmie’s movements.

As a dance student, Xiao Rong couldn’t help but look at the muscle lines of others and compare them with his own. Qu Yunmie’s body should be the kind that all men desire, with eight-pack abs, full of masculine and healthy beauty. Xiao Rong didn’t notice that because he was focused on counting the shallow and deep scars on Qu Yunmie’s body.

As he counted, he lost track. The scars were scattered randomly, and each time he reached the middle, he realized he had counted wrong.

After some time, he withdrew his gaze and lowered his eyes to look at his own palm. Unlike Qu Yunmie, he didn’t have any scars on his body. The worst injury he had ever had was a scrape when he fell on the asphalt road as a child, and the pain from that moment still stayed in his memory.

He sat there quietly for a long time. Finally, he lifted his head, pursed his lips, and looked at Qu Yunmie, who had unknowingly lowered his arm. Even with his eyes closed, he looked sharp, as if getting closer to him might hurt.

After a heavy breath, Xiao Rong’s legs had gone numb. He tried to move up slightly, then reached out to touch the edge of Qu Yunmie’s clothes. He adjusted Qu Yunmie’s clothes to cover his body, then reached out again to touch Qu Yunmie’s forehead.

The next moment, the person who should have been asleep opened his eyes. Qu Yunmie looked at Xiao Rong, his eyes very clear.

Xiao Rong froze for a brief moment but didn’t show any sign of being caught. After a pause, he continued to feel the warmth in his palm. Seeing that there was no sign of fever, he turned around, facing away from Qu Yunmie, and lay down beside him, still clothed.

Injured people needed someone to care for them. Xiao Rong had asked the doctor about this before, but he hadn’t said that he would stay to care for him personally.

He seemed to always be like this, assigning a lot of tasks to others, but never saying what he would do himself. It was only after he did it that everyone realized his intentions.

Qu Yunmie stared at the back of his head, as if trying to burn a hole through him with his gaze. He had a lot of things to say, many questions to ask, but in the end, he just blinked lightly.

Maybe he shouldn’t ask, or listen. He just needed to watch, because although Xiao Rong spoke many lies, his actions never deceived him.

One day, he would understand what kind of heart Xiao Rong truly had—whether it was made of ice or of coal.

 

…

 

Gradually, both of the people inside fell asleep. Yu Shaocheng and Ah Shu silently crouched outside, each holding a bowl of cold medicine.

Ah Shu said, “It seems like they’re not arguing anymore…”

Yu Shaocheng replied, “Hmm, they probably fell asleep.”

Ah Shu made a bitter face and said, “Then what about the medicine? Should we brew another batch?”

Yu Shaocheng answered. “Let’s wait until the King wakes up before brewing more. After such a tiring night, the King must sleep for a while.”

Ah Shu sighed. “My eyes are about to close too.”

Yu Shaocheng kindly said, “Then you should go back and sleep. I’ll stay here and watch.”

Ah Shu was a bit surprised. “Captain Yu, aren’t you going to rest?”

Yu Shaocheng smiled. “It’s fine, I’m not tired.”

When the King and Mr. Xiao had argued earlier, he had already managed to sleep with his eyes open for a while.

He really couldn’t understand why everyone else loved to sleep so much. Sleeping wasn’t something that couldn’t be done just whenever there was a gap of time!

 

Edited by: Antiope

 

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