Chapter 12

Rong Tang was startled for a moment, then calmed down again.

Rong Tang isn’t surprised that Liuyun is able to find this place. On the contrary, it verified his speculation: Su Huaijing is indeed responsible for the Second Prince’s achievements.

And if Su Huaijing had met the patient on the bed, the Case of the Remnant Rebels in his previous two lives would probably not have had that outcome. Therefore, it is highly likely that Su Huaijing isn’t here.

As long as Su Huaijing isn’t here, it will be easier to handle everything. Even if he is suspected in the future, Rong Tang can explain that he was on his way out of the city to enjoy the early spring when he’d come across Xiao Zhu begging for help and followed him after feeling sorry for him.

With this thought, he made up his mind. He first bowed to Liuyun, thanking him, and then turned to look at the invalid. He was helpless but desperate, frustrated yet amused at the same time: “Your didi knelt on the road, pleading for me to save you. It wasn’t easy to persuade me to come, and you want to kill me as soon as you get up?”

Chen Feiyi’s attention is completely focused on the person who suddenly appeared at the door. He was startled when he heard it, and then he looked at Xiao Zhu with an indescribable expression.

Xiao Zhu had cried himself into a state and only came to his senses now. He threw himself on the bed and clung onto Chen Feiyi’s arm, fearing that he would send another dagger flying towards Rong Tang again: “Gege, don’t kill the kind gege… He is here to save you, woo woo woo.”

Rong Tang stood aside with his arms folded and eyed Chen Feiyi coldly: “Your didi is filial, but you don’t seem to cherish it? I don’t save those who are ungrateful.”

He feigned anger and turned to leave. Xiao Zhu hastily ran over and hugged his waist, burying his face in his back. He was a source of heat like a small stove that continuously attached itself to him, and his tears again soaked his outer robe: “Don’t! Kind gege don’t go! I beg you to save my gege… My gege didn’t mean it…”

Rong Tang couldn’t bear seeing a child cry. At first, he was pretending for Chen Feiyi to watch. He was somewhat distressed, seeing that, and he instinctively stroked Xiao Zhu’s hair. He angled his face and gave Chen Feiyi a cold look: “Do you want me to save you?”

Rong Tang couldn’t see where Chen Feiyi was injured since he is covered with a quilt, but anyone could tell that his complexion is clearly bad. He struggled dreadfully as he bit his lip.

After a long time, he finally let go of his strength and said, “Thank you very much, Young Master. I’m ‘Chen Fei’. I’ve offended you today. If I can make a full recovery in the future, I shall definitely serve you diligently.”

Rong Tang was a little caught off guard, but he didn’t show it on his face. He walked out of the room and told Shuang Shou to drive the carriage to the city to find a doctor.

Shuang Fu caught a glimpse of the wound on his neck; his face turned pale for a moment. He staggered over and said in a quivering voice, “Young Master…”

“It’s not serious.” Rong Tang shook his head and pressed a handkerchief on it for a while until the bleeding stopped before walking to the middle of the courtyard.

Liuyun hadn’t left yet.

Although Chen Feiyi’s change of attitude from beginning to end was sudden, it wasn’t difficult to understand. At the moment, he is alone with two children on the outskirts. Without a doctor’s treatment, it is possible that he might die at any time.

But he can’t die. He needs to exact revenge for his adoptive father and brethren.

Therefore, when Rong Tang gave him a ladder, he immediately climbed down, but Liuyun…

The fact that Liuyun would save him is rather strange. It is even stranger that Liuyun didn’t leave after saving him.

After falling victim to Liuyun’s poison in his first life, Rong Tang deliberately dedicated time to investigating him during his second life.

He was an orphan picked up by Su Huaijing in Sichuan. When they met, he was only seven-years-old; now he is only sixteen years old and has fledgling sentiments towards Su Huaijing.

When Liuyun was young, he suffered a disaster at home, and his temperament became indifferent. During his childhood, there was a long period of time when he could not even speak. He could only say “Aah, aah“. It was Su Huaijing who found someone to cure him. His association with Su Huaijing are that of a ruler and his minister, while also sharing a deep camaraderie.

He is a concealed blade lurking in the shadows alongside Su Huaijing, with the blade tip always pointing outward. The entire world has nothing to do with him. He obeys and follows the orders of Su Huaijing alone, listening only to his commands.

Based on Rong Tang’s understanding of him, Liuyun is here to keep a watch on Chen Feiyi. Thus, even when Chen Feiyi kills him and he lies lifeless on the ground, Liuyun would remained unfazed and vigilant at his post.

Unless……

Rong Tang narrowed his eyes.

Unless Liuyun believes that his emergence will disrupt Su Huaijing’s plan.

Rong Tang calmly walked to Liuyun, bent down and clasped his fists again, and gave a profound bow: “Thank you for saving me, sir. May I ask your name?”

“Liuyun.” His tone was chilly all the way, as if he were freezing someone to death.

Goosebumps appeared on Rong Tang’s arm, and he said with a smile, “I am Rong Tang, Prince Ningxuan. I’m indebted to Mr. Liuyun’s life-saving grace, but I’m unable to return the favour. If there’s anything I can do to assist in the future, there’s no need for Mr. Liuyun to be polite. I am at your service.”

Liuyun looked at him silently with an unreasonably chilly gaze, yet it also contained a barely discernible bewilderment: “Oh.”

After saying that, he turned around, found a quincuncial stake in the yard, and set it up. He cast his cold gaze at the bamboo house with the open door; his shadowed stakeout now switched to openly monitoring.

Chen Feiyi has probably been aware from early on that there’s a highly skilled person watching him. When he first noticed, apart from the initial shock, he subsequently closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Rong Tang is very self-aware and doesn’t interfere with them. Instead, he followed Xiao Zhu to feed the chickens and, at the same time, divided all the candied fruit among the two children.

The doctor arrived at three-forty-five in the afternoon. The sunlight had dimmed a little. Rong Tang had come out today without bringing a cloak or scarf. By this time, he is already a little cold and sleepy. He obediently hugged the stove and observed as the doctor carried out his treatment.

There are many stab wounds on Chen Feiyi’s body. New wounds are piled on top of the old ones and appeared quite appalling. The latest one is a diagonal slash all the way from his left shoulder to his abdomen. He’s tended to it, but had likely exhausted his strength and hadn’t done a good job. The wound has become infected, and the condition isn’t optimistic.

Xiao Zhu and the other child wept silently. Rong Tang couldn’t bear it anymore and gave them some loose money before he left. He instructed Xiao Zhu to go to the city and seek the doctor every two days to come for another consultation. If that didn’t work, he could go find him at Duke Ningxuan’s Palace.

Liuyun heard this, and there was a slight pause in his expression. He turned his head and, as usual, threw him a somewhat uncertain look. Rong Tang smiled at him before turning around, getting into the carriage, and heading back to the city with the doctor.

He originally wanted to have Shuang Shou remain and take care of him. However, it was like he’d said. First, he shouldn’t be overly intentional. Secondly, the injuries on Chen Feiyi’s body are evidence that he is being hunted by his enemies. Shuang Shou is a young lad who doesn’t know even the slightest bit of martial arts. If he happens upon them, it will be like sending him to his death.

Besides, Liuyun is here. He will definitely inform Su Huaijing of today’s encounter with him. Thus, given Su Huaijing’s mistrustful temperament, even if he didn’t come to see Chen Feiyi this time, he probably wouldn’t hand him over to the Second Prince directly.

Moreover, when the doctor comes for another diagnosis in two days, Rong Tang can accompany him here.

Having settled these matters, Rong Tang felt a great deal more relieved. He knocked on the carriage door and said, “I heard that there is a shop in the western suburbs outside the city that makes very good peach blossom cakes. Buy one to bring home on our way back.”

He isn’t really fond of sweet pastries, but Su Huaijing likes them, and tomorrow he can have someone deliver them to him.

Rong Tang is used to telling the system his thoughts whenever he felt like it. At the moment, the system’s condition isn’t too good, and it mostly just stays with him. It heard this and asked, [You’re not going yourself?]

Rong Tang: “My neck is injured. If I go, he will easily notice it.”

[Oh,] the system said.

It had obviously uttered only one syllable, but Rong Tang inexplicably sensed something wasn’t right. He frowned. “What is it?”

[Su Huaijing was outside the yard just now,] the system said.

Because the host isn’t performing tasks, the host’s access is restricted, as are most of the system’s functions. Every time the access is used to check a character’s status, it consumes a lot of energy, so it generally doesn’t do it.

However, the Liuyun just now has too many discrepancies compared to the Liuyun that it recognises from the past. Before leaving, it still scouted the surroundings, and sure enough, it detected Su Huaijing outside the courtyard. In addition, he is being accompanied by another confidant, Xingfeng.

Rong Tang’s mouth gaped, and he appeared a little dumbstruck. After a moment, he let out a helpless laugh: “Bothersome.”

[?]

“Can you wake me up a little earlier tomorrow morning?”

[For what?]

“To coax Boyboy.” Rong Tang smiled.

After thinking for a while, he drew open the carriage curtain and said with a smile, “Better to buy two peach blossom cakes.”

–

The small courtyard in the bamboo forest.

After Rong Tang’s departure, Liuyun stopped watching Chen Feiyi and turned to go out.

In an open space not far behind him, Xingfeng is sporting a tensed expression, and his palms are tightly clenched into fists.

“Master,” Liuyun said.

The young man’s face resembles the bright moon, and his eyes are slightly pale. At first glance, he looks extremely gentle, but upon closer inspection, he’s actually perpetually indifferent.

Su Huaijing nodded. “He’s gone back?”

“Yes.”

“Mmm.” Su Huaijing finally moved and walks toward the bamboo house.

Xingfeng immediately kneels down and kowtows: “Begging Master to have mercy and pardon Feiyi!”

Su Huaijing didn’t cease walking, and he seemed to laugh softly: “What if I don’t?”

“Master!” Xingfeng’s heart ached grievously as he stared at Su Huaijing’s back with a horrified expression.

Su Huaijing walked directly to the bamboo house. Sunset has slowly approached, scattering the ground with gold. There are two children within the courtyard—one decocting medicine and the other making dinner. Su Huaijing walked all the way into the room without anyone noticing.

It wasn’t until he closed the door, sat on the bamboo chair, and slowly poured himself a cup of tea that Chen Feiyi opened his eyes: “Your Excellency is finally going to make a move?”

He only discovered the night before yesterday that there was someone monitoring outside the house. Initially, he thought that the other party would soon take action. He is now bedridden, which is the perfect time. But for some reason, the young man in green remained outside the courtyard as motionless as a stone and continued to keep watch for two more days.

He then knew there’s someone else behind the scenes, and presumably it is this person in the room.

Chen Feiyi doesn’t fear death. He only hates himself for not being able to kill the dog emperor. He also hates that he doesn’t have enough time to send Xiao Zhu and Xiao Ye away. He pursed his dry lips and said, “I don’t know what kind of hero you are. It’s my bad luck to have fallen into your clutches today. It’s just… misfortune doesn’t befall children. The two children in the courtyard outside are too young and don’t know anything. I hope Your Excellency will let them live.”

Su Huaijing released a light laugh that was either sarcastic or in jest: “Cut the weeds and rid the roots to leave no future troubles. Aren’t you aware of the principle?”

Chen Feiyi stared, and beneath the quilt, his hand prepared to launch an attack.

He keeps three blades. Earlier, he used two on the wealthy young master. If those two highly skilled ones outside don’t enter, he is thirty percent certain that he can kill him with this final blade…

Su Huaijing suddenly asked a question: “Do you know him?”

Chen Feiyi was slightly taken aback. “Who?”

“Rong Tang.”

Chen Feiyi was baffled for a moment before he realises that he is speaking of the young master who’d just left. He shook his head. “I don’t know him.”

“Forget it.” Su Huaijing spoke softly, as if he’d lost interest. He put down the tea cup and walked slowly towards the bed. In a flash, the porcelain cup behind him fractured, disintegrated into powder, and scattered onto the floor. Coincidentally, it didn’t taint him one bit.

Chen Feiyi was shocked when he saw this. He tightened his grip on the blade in his hand.

Su Huaijing looks at him condescendingly. His expression is indifferent, but he has a smile on his lips: “Chen Feiyi.”

“!” Chen Feiyi’s eyes narrowed. Not caring that his body’s strength is at its end, he flips forward, twists his arm, and restrains Su Huaijing in a chokehold, pressing the blade firmly against his neck. “Who are you?! How do you know my name?!”

Chen Feiyi is the name given by his adoptive father. In these years, he’s been using a pseudonym instead of this when he travels around.

Su Huaijing is getting increasingly bored and glances down at the tip of the knife as he says coldly, “Chen Qing said that his adopted son was reckless, negligent, and had an unpredictable temper. He ought to go to the military camp to train and gain experience for a while before returning… Your training has turned you into this?”

The final words remained largely unaltered, yet the tone was subdued, and the delivery exuded a serene but innate air of aristocratic authority that instilled a sense of dread.

Chen Feiyi’s wrist trembled slightly, and he stared at Su Huaijing in shock. “How… do you know the name of my adoptive father?”

Su Huaijing raised his hand. Chen Feiyi didn’t even see his movements clearly, only feeling his arm go numb; his entire body drained of strength, then the blade tumbled to the ground.

Su Huaijing turned to look at him with an indescribable mood, yet it carried a little regret and hints at a hidden murderous intent: “You were originally going to die tomorrow.”

At this moment, Chen Feiyi doesn’t care at all whether he dies tomorrow or today. “Who exactly are you?!”

“My san ge took you to Jiangnan; how did you survive?” Su Huaijing asked softly.

Su Huaijing tilted his head with a childlike suspicion: “You survived, but allowed my san ge to be beheaded?”

It was in this split second that Chen Feiyi finally reacted. He gaped at the face before him that has practically no resemblance to the late emperor. He trembled for a long time before asking with a quivering voice, “Seventh, Seventh Highness…?”

–

It’s nighttime at Duke Ningxuan’s Palace.

Today, Rong Tang has been on the move all the time and developed a low fever in the evening. Before going to bed, he said lamely to the system, “How many days can the peach blossom cake be kept?”

The system rolled its eyes at him and went dormant.

It is normal for Rong Tang to have a fever and then pass out. He doesn’t really care about it and only hopes that the fever will subside the next day. It’ll be best if he doesn’t faint; otherwise, the peach blossom cake might spoil.

As he teetered between sleep and wakefulness, he experienced a sensation akin to suffocation. It was as if someone has their hands around his neck, attempting to silently end his life as he slept.

But in the end, the person loosened his hands. The illusion of being targeted by wild beasts can be sensed even in one’s dreams. Rong Tang tried desperately to open his eyes, but couldn’t, no matter what he did. An unknown amount of time passed before he heard a somewhat hatred-filled murmur: “I’ll give you a chance.”

There was no further sound after that.

The next day was a rainy one. Rong Tang is surprised that he’s awake and even more surprised to find that his fever has abated. He happily rushes out, carrying the peach blossom cake. Shuang Fu held an umbrella as he chased after him and told him to slow down.

Outside the window, the rain falls gloomily, reducing the temperature. Rong Tang wore a scarf, and a whole ring of soft rabbit fur has been draped around his neck. He can’t resist caressing it again and again between his fingers.

The palace doctor has prepared a medicinal salve for him, and Rong Tang brought it along with him to find Su Huaijing.

When he walked in, Su Huaijing is playing chess and resting on the beauty couch, where Rong Tang often reclines. When he saw him enter, he stopped playing chess and glanced back at the continuous spring rain outside the window. “Why have you come?”

Maybe it was the gloomy weather, or maybe he was still incensed, but Rong Tang detected a sort of unapproachable iciness in his tone, several times frostier than the first time they met.

Rong Tang knew deep down it wasn’t good and obediently walked up to him. He places the food box on the low table, sits on the round stool nearby, then raises his head and looks at Su Huaijing: “I heard that this peach blossom cake is especially delicious, and now it’s in season, so I purposely went out of town yesterday afternoon to buy it.”

Su Huaijing lowers his eyes, silently eyeing him for a while. Then he spoke slowly, each word rolling off the tip of his tongue: “Purposely?”

Rong Tang nodded without hesitation: “Mmm! I left the city after returning from your place yesterday afternoon. Consequently, something happened on the way, and I was delayed for a while. Luckily, I was able to make it! Want a taste?”

Rong Tang is actually very good-looking, with dashing eyebrows and sparkling eyes, a straight nose bridge, and slightly thin lips. An embodiment of beauty. Because he is afflicted with illness, he is a little pale, which actually weakens the sharpness of his facial features and makes his overall appearance softer. When his glistening eyes blink and gazes at others, it easily gives people the invariable illusion that they are speaking to a small animal.

Su Huaijing’s eyes wandered and stopped on the loop of fur around his collar. Instead of answering, he asks, “Is it cold?”

“A little…” At first, Rong Tang paused for a moment, then answered unequivocally. Once he answered, he sensed that Su Huaijing’s reaction was too cold; his features were creased, appearing a bit timid and vexed: “Yesterday, someone scratched me. I wore it because I was afraid of being reproached by my mother.”

As he spoke, he unties his scarf and grumbles softly but furiously: “You don’t even know how outrageous that person was. I kindly helped him find a doctor for treatment, but he actually wanted to kill me! Luckily, I was quick to dodge and only received a small flesh wound.”

The young man’s tone was swift, yet he sounded aggrieved and wronged. His exposed neck is long and white, with the soft bone protruding slightly. At the side is a sudden slash of dried blood on the white patch, which somehow appears a little delicate and pitiful.

Under the scratch, there are five round bruises, which are the marks formed when someone single-handedly strangles the neck. They are gorgeous, extravagant, and lifeless.

It’s a pity that Rong Tang isn’t aware and even casually revealed his weakness in front of the executioner again.

The sound of rain outside the window is getting increasingly louder. The tree that had just been planted two days ago is happily stretching its branches and leaves to absorb the water. Su Huaijing lowers his eyes and places his hand on Rong Tang’s neck, stroking the scratch with extremely gentle movements. His fingers gradually match the pressure marks. “Does it hurt?”

Rong Tang is forced to lift his head, stare unblinkingly at Su Huaijing, and whisper coquettishly, “It hurts…”

Su Huaijing gently presses his thumb on the wound, then casually slides it to the fragile Adam’s apple. Su Huaijing askew softly, “Then I’ll help Tangtang kill him, alright?”

“…?” For a second, Rong Tang was dazed. He wasn’t sure whether he’d overacted or whether the villain had darkened in advance. He blinks to conceal the fact that his pupils are trembling slightly and whispers, “That’s not good. That person is unwell after all.”

“Mmm.” Su Huaijing responded casually, but his hand didn’t move. His thumb slowly and softly grazes Rong Tang’s Adam’s apple. He doesn’t use any force and just strokes it tenderly. “Did Tangtang lie to me?”

Rong Tang looked at Su Huaijing with some uncertainty. His eyes have a little dampness because his head has been raised for a long time and there is some pressure on his Adam’s apple, but he still shook his head brightly: “I won’t lie to you.”

Su Huaijing’s voice is gentle and his tone is clear, but it evokes a sense of danger akin to drowning. “Why?”

The sound of rain became even louder. The wind slipped in, blowing Rong Tang’s hair until it fluttered. He tilted his head and leaned forward a little, causing his Adam’s apple to be pressed harder. He then turned his face sideways, as if he were the most docile and domesticated beast in this world, and rubbed his cheek against Su Huaijing’s wrist. His Adam’s apple rolled slightly, and his voice was hoarse: “Because you are my soon-to-be wife.”

“I haven’t had a chance to protect you, so why would I lie to you?”

“Do you want to eat peach blossom cake?” The little beast withdrew and asked him with a smile.