Li Cheng'an turned his head and saw it was a tavern. It was nearing noon, the time when the patrons were most abundant.

On the second floor, there was a storytelling table, and it seemed they were discussing Fang Linyuan's notebook.

He had heard about this notebook, where Fang Linyuan was praised as a reincarnation of a war god. They didn't like hearing it back then, but why didn't Fang Linyuan like hearing praise?

He was puzzled but still nodded. "Yes..."

Fang Linyuan pointed at him and didn't forget to say, "I'll go deal with the wound and come back. If you dare to make any mistakes, I'll skin you."

He threatened him again.

Li Cheng'an's expression couldn't help but show some dissatisfaction as he reluctantly responded.

But as Fang Linyuan turned around and took a few steps, he resignedly turned back.

"Let's forget about that matter," he said.

"What?"

"About burning the notebook," Fang Linyuan said with a stern face.

"Ah... Alright."

Whether it was his imagination or not, he heard Fang Linyuan sigh resignedly when he turned away.

"Never mind, I'll just ignore it..."

Fang Linyuan's figure gradually disappeared at the end of the Sijiang Street.

Li Cheng'an led the guards and, following Fang Linyuan's orders, waited quietly outside the Green Qi Tower for the Brocade guard to leave.

"I heard from the madam inside that those Turks who just came were seeking revenge," whispered one of the Sixteenth guards.

"Revenge? What kind of revenge?" asked a guard.

"They said their sweetheart ran away with a Han man and came to the capital," the person explained. "After coming to the capital, they searched around and finally found news of their sweetheart. It turns out they were lured by the money and status of the Green Qi Tower and came here to sell themselves..."

The Sixteenth guards were all amazed.

"So, they came armed today, isn't it...?" someone asked.

"Yes! They came to kill their sweetheart!" the guard whispered.

"Fortunately, our general is agile..."

The surrounding guards praised one after another but stole glances at Li Cheng'an, as if afraid he would be angry if he heard these words.

After all, the deputy commander and the general weren't on good terms, and yesterday the general made him lose face in front of many people.

But when Li Cheng'an turned his head, he glared at them.

"What are you looking at?" he said fiercely.

The Sixteenth guards immediately fell silent.

But then Li Cheng'an turned his gaze away, and although his expression was fierce, he said, "If it weren't for the general today, I would have lost my life. I don't care about anything else in the future, but if I see anyone disrespecting him, it's like slapping my face."

The Sixteenth guards nodded repeatedly at his words. Seeing him speak like this, they no longer held back.

"We wouldn't dare to be disrespectful! Our general is truly an extraordinary hero!"

"Yes! Yesterday, my father even heard about our almsgiving on Rongchang Street from the palace and gave me an unusual reward when he returned."

"Although the general is strict in military matters, he is really good to us!"

Li Cheng'an turned his gaze away.

He admitted that he used to dislike Fang Linyuan. Anyone meeting him for the first time wouldn't drag him down from his horse and force him to reveal what he hid in his mouth.

But...

Li Cheng'an's mind involuntarily flashed with the image of Fang Linyuan holding the dagger blade with one hand.

He really is a good person, he thought.

*

On the other side, separated by a courtyard wall, the Brocade guards systematically searched the entire Green Qi Tower.

Lin Zizuo stood quietly at the staircase on the fourth floor, with the middle-aged man in a round-necked robe standing beside him.

"Minister Qiu, you know my principles," he said lightly. "This is a one-time exception."

Standing beside him was Qiu Shuo, the current salt transport commissioner of the Ministry of Revenue.

Qiu Shuo smiled ingratiatingly and approached him a little, saying, "Why does Master Lin say that?"

Lowering his voice, he said to Lin Zizuo, "The one offended is a big shot, isn't he? He's one of His Majesty's right-hand men, right? Clearing obstacles for him is also making achievements for our Commandery."

Qiu Shuo smiled obsequiously, but Lin Zizuo only gave him a cold glance and distanced himself.

At that moment, a Brocade guard came to report that the upper and lower floors had been searched and there were no abnormalities found, asking for further instructions.

Without looking at Qiu Shuo again, Lin Zizuo went forward on his own and entered the room in the middle of the fourth floor.

"Take that down," he pushed the door open and pointed to the parrot cage hanging by the window.

The Jinyiwei immediately stepped forward and took down the birdcage from the window.

Lin Zizuo glanced around, finally fixing his gaze on the Hu dance girl standing timidly and delicately in the room.

"Please, miss, come with us," Lin Zizuo's gaze lingered on her face for a moment before continuing.

*

Fang Linyuan returned to the mansion.

Because his sister-in-law's health was not good, there were two doctors in the Anping Marquis Mansion, both of whom were quite skilled. Since he needed to change his clothes anyway, he decided to save himself another trip to the clinic and treat his wound directly in the mansion.

As soon as Fang Linyuan returned home, he sent someone to invite the doctors to the Fu Guang Pavilion. Meanwhile, he covered the blood-stained hand with his other arm and strode back to the courtyard.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Wu Shunhai standing there, waiting ominously at his doorstep.

Fang Linyuan was taken aback.

"Your Lordship," Wu Shunhai bowed and greeted him respectfully. "His Highness is waiting for you inside."

Zhao Chu was here? Wasn't he still recovering from his illness?

Fang Linyuan looked puzzled at the news, nodded, and stepped over the threshold.

Passing through the main hall, he immediately spotted Zhao Chu sitting by the window.

His complexion still seemed pale, and the strong sunlight outside almost made his skin look translucent. The dark circles under his eyes became visible in the sunlight, revealing a fragile appearance as if he had not fully recovered from a serious illness.

Hearing him enter, Zhao Chu looked up.

"Is your stomach better? Why did you go out today?" Fang Linyuan asked as he approached.

However, Zhao Chu lowered his gaze, looking at the hand wrapped in a blood-soaked handkerchief on his left side.

Furrowing his brows, his gaze turned cold.

Fang Linyuan suddenly came to his senses and awkwardly tried to hide his injured hand behind his back.

"Stop hiding, come and sit down," Zhao Chu said coolly.

Fang Linyuan chuckled awkwardly and sat down in front of him.

"It was an accident. I called the doctor just now, and he'll be here soon," he said, reminding him, "Don't tell my sister-in-law, she's prone to tears."

Just as he sat down and was about to ask the maid to bring him a cup of tea, he saw Zhao Chu glance at the maid standing by.

The maid was holding a small box in her hands and placed it in front of Zhao Chu.

"Give me your hand," Zhao Chu said, lowering his eyes as he opened the box.

Was there something he wanted to give him? It seemed mysterious.

Fang Linyuan extended his hand curiously.

But Zhao Chu gave him a cold look, as if he thought Fang Linyuan was playing dumb. "The other one."

In front of Zhao Chu, there were many bottles and jars in the box, along with a roll of snow-white silk cloth.

They were all medicines for wounds bandage.

Fang Linyuan looked into the box curiously, leaning closer, but Zhao Chu suddenly stood up.

Soft strands of hair brushed against Fang Linyuan's ear, causing him to instinctively lean away, but Zhao Chu grabbed his wrist.

Zhao Chu's hand was very cold, as if a cold and hard jade bracelet had encircled his wrist. Fang Linyuan's fingers trembled slightly as Zhao Chu pulled his hand up, palm facing upwards, and brought it in front of him.

Fang Linyuan's Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

He always felt it was a bit strange for two men to be pulling each other's hands like this, but whenever Zhao Chu's hand touched him, there was a sensation of something alive but not alive, like an entangled demon or a serpent slithering over him.

It made him momentarily unable to react.

Fortunately, as soon as Zhao Chu placed his hand, palm up, flat on the table in front of him, he released Fang Linyuan's hand.

"Don't move," Zhao Chu reminded him.

Just then, Hanlu led the doctors from the mansion into the room and was met with the scene before them.

The room was quiet, the two figures intertwined, and it seemed a bit inappropriate to bring the doctors forward.

Seeing them enter, Fang Linyuan quickly looked up and gestured to Hanlu to bring the doctors in quickly!

But when Hanlu met his gaze, she blinked slightly, then gave Fang Linyuan a knowing yet somewhat lecherous look.

With a smile on her face, she nodded reassuringly at Fang Linyuan, as if to say, "Don't worry."

"Please, sir, come in for a moment," she then turned to the doctor and said, "Madam will be dressing the Marquis's wounds herself. Please come this way, sir, and see if the Marquis needs any medication."

Fang Linyuan's eyes widened in disbelief.

‘Hanlu, do you even know what you're saying!’

But the others didn't give him a chance to express his opinion. The doctor simply nodded and said that since the weather was getting warmer, it would be advisable to prescribe some internal medicine to prevent the wound from festering.

Hanlu then directly led the doctor outside to prescribe the medicine. As she was about to leave, she winked at Fang Linyuan.

She actually dared to wink at him!

Fang Linyuan was so angry he couldn't speak. As he stared at the backs of the departing figures, suddenly, there was a cold sensation in his palm, as if a snake with an icy kiss gently touched his palm.

Fang Linyuan turned his head and saw Zhao Chu, who was unwrapping the bandage covering his palm.

Fang Linyuan couldn't help but pull back his hand slightly. "Shouldn't I do it myself?"

After all, he had just wrested the dagger from that Turkic man barehanded, and his palm probably didn't look very pleasant now. Zhao Chu, being from the palace, probably hadn't seen scenes like this before.

But Zhao Chu raised his eyes and gave him a faint glance.

Fang Linyuan awkwardly stopped his movements.

Zhao Chu's hands were light and steady, and Fang Linyuan hardly felt any pain as he unwrapped the wound. As the layers of cloth were peeled away from the wound, the smell of blood gradually dissipated.

Fang Linyuan looked at his hand.

The wound gradually became visible, and it looked quite terrifying. The flesh on his fingers and palm had been cut by the sharp blade, and because the wound was deep, the edges of the flesh were slightly turned outwards.

Fortunately, the bleeding had stopped. Fang Linyuan had applied a lot of force when bandaging the wound earlier, which prevented the blood from flowing uncontrollably out of his hand.

Fang Linyuan was quite confident in his own abilities.

A hint of self-satisfaction appeared in his eyes, but Zhao Chu's movements on his hand seemed to hesitate slightly, and his gaze on the wound paused there.

For a moment, there was no movement.

Feeling Zhao Chu standing still, Fang Linyuan looked up and saw Zhao Chu staring at his wound with his eyes lowered, lost in thought.

Fang Linyuan withdrew his hand slightly. "It's okay, I can do it myself."

Got scared, huh? he thought.

But Zhao Chu stopped him by holding his wrist and quietly removed the bloodstained cloth, then took a handkerchief from the box and wiped away the bloodstains around the wound.

"I heard that you got injured while saving Li Cheng'an," Zhao Chu mentioned.

There were no others around, and Zhao Chu's voice, low and hoarse, sounded like a cold-blooded killer lurking in the shadows, yet it carried a hint of indistinct trembling, as if he were suppressing something.

Fang Linyuan looked up at him and saw his lowered eyelashes. The flickering shadows of the sun fell on his face, making him look calm and beautiful.

He replied truthfully, "Yes, I did. He angered a group of Turkic people, and at that time, the situation was complicated. Those Turkic people almost took his life."

"But he's just a waste," Zhao Chu retorted with his eyes lowered.

Fang Linyuan couldn't help but chuckle at his remark. "That's natural. But he's still a useful waste. With the Minister of War covering for him, they cleaned up half of Sijing Street this morning."

But Zhao Chu gently set down the handkerchief and picked up a bottle of powdered medicine from the box.

"But he's caused you quite a bit of trouble," he said.

As he lifted his eyes, Fang Linyuan clearly saw the coldness flickering in Zhao Chu's eyes.

It was only then that he realized that Zhao Chu's previous coldness and sharpness were not a joke at all.

"Don't mess around!" he hastily said.

But Zhao Chu looked up at him.

Fang Linyuan continued, "He's just a useless playboy, not really that bad at heart. They're used to being pampered and privileged in the capital. I've dealt with them a lot, so it's just tit for tat. There's no need to take their lives."

Zhao Chu remained silent, but the fine white powder fell gently onto Fang Linyuan's wound.

...Ouch!

The sudden pain made Fang Linyuan's arm twitch, and he reflexively tried to pull his hand back. Zhao Chu raised his hand to hold his wrist, allowing him to only move a few inches away, as if he were bound in place by icy restraints, his muscles tensing from the cold.

"This medicine works quickly and will be a bit painful. Just bear with it," Zhao Chu explained.

Fang Linyuan's lips turned white.

The pain left him speechless for a moment, but hearing Zhao Chu's words, he gritted his teeth and endured it, his arm stiffly resting on the table.

He saw Zhao Chu look up at him.

A pair of eyes, like bottomless abysses, blinked lightly, resembling butterflies fluttering their wings.

The next moment, he saw Zhao Chu bowing his head, his pale yet soft lips getting closer to his palm.

His eyelashes drooped slightly, like a demon surviving on human vitality, approaching him to seduce and lure him, greedily extracting bits of his soul from his flesh.

A gentle and cool breath fell on his palm.

*

Fang Linyuan almost jumped out of his skin.

He didn't know that this was also unfamiliar and awkward for Zhao Chu. He had never made such a move before, but seeing Fang Linyuan in extreme pain, he subconsciously wanted to find a way to alleviate it for him.

Fang Linyuan had only one thought in his head.

No, he couldn't be too close to Zhao Chu.

Zhao Chu seemed to sense his tension all over, stopped blowing air, and straightened up, looking at him. "Feeling better?"

Fang Linyuan nodded stiffly.

Zhao Chu then released his wrist and picked up the roll of cloth from the box.

"Why would you think I wanted to kill him?" he asked.

Fang Linyuan's mind was still stiff, not yet recovered. "Huh?"

But Zhao Chu looked up at him. "Why would you think that I wanted to kill Li Cheng'an?"

Fang Linyuan regained his senses and felt a little embarrassed.

Maybe it was his suspicious mind. He always felt that Zhao Chu wasn't a good person. But Zhao Chu did always have a gloomy look, so he subconsciously thought he was going to kill someone, and he probably wronged him because of it.

"Just in case," he scratched the back of his head with his good hand and said.

Zhao Chu remained silent.

He really didn't care about Li Cheng'an's life.

His only purpose in being alive was probably to restrain his father. But if someone else could replace his father's function, keeping him alive would be a waste.

Moreover, he had caused others to suffer such serious injuries just to save him.

He deserved to die.

However, although he did have the intention to kill, when he looked into Fang Linyuan's worried eyes, he felt a little uncomfortable for some reason.

Was he the kind of person who would casually end someone's life?

He lowered his eyes, seemingly casual, but under the flickering light, there was a trace of grievance.

"I never thought that way," he said.

This made Fang Linyuan feel very sorry.

Exactly! Zhao Chu came all the way to bandage his wound before he fully recovered from his illness, and with just a casual remark, Fang Linyuan inadvertently misunderstood him.

He hurriedly said, "No, that's not what I meant. Please don't think too much about it."

But Zhao Chu shook his head and calmly said, "It's alright."

Fang Linyuan didn't know what else to say for a moment, feeling like he was on pins and needles as he watched Zhao Chu bandage his wound and then release his hand.

Zhao Chu was indeed skillful.

When Fang Linyuan retrieved his hand, he saw that the bandage on it was neatly and beautifully done, even the knot was tied delicately and neatly, making it easy to move without any hindrance.

Zhao Chu's craftsmanship was truly impeccable; even bandaging a wound looked like embroidery.

Fang Linyuan didn't forget the slight guilt he felt earlier, so now he didn't hesitate to praise Zhao Chu.

"It looks really good!" he sighed.

Just a little regret—

When he was a bit flustered, his words seemed a bit lacking.

 

--

The author has something to say:

Zhao Chu: (sharpening a knife)

Fang Linyuan: Please don't kill anyone!!

Zhao Chu: I didn't mean to; QAQ

 

Translator : DarNan