HXC Chapter69

Fine snow was fluttering down indicating that winter had arrived. Ji Zhen stood outside a military tent he had never been to before as his heart filled with anxiety.

 

There were voices talking inside. He didn’t show his token right away but instead pricked up his ears to listen.

 

Divine Physician Sai was performing acupuncture on Shen Yanqing with seventeen silver needles stuck into his clean, lean body. The further the treatment went, the more piercing the pain became. Even Shen Yanqing was drenched in cold sweat and clenched his fists tightly.

 

“Three more needles to go.”

 

After saying that, Divine Physician Sai expressionlessly twisted a silver needle into his chest. This one felt like a poisonous snake’s fangs biting into the most vulnerable part of his heart and fiercely tearing off a piece of flesh. Shen Yanqing instantly tensed up. Faint blue veins protruded on his forehead and the side of his neck, a clear sign that he was at the brink of his endurance.

 

It was at this moment that Ji Zhen slowly lifted the curtain and walked in.

 

Since it was daytime, the tent was quite bright, allowing him to clearly see the scene inside. Shen Yanqing was sitting cross-legged on a low couch with his bare upper body. There were silver needles stuck all over his shoulders, arms, chest, and even his back. Perhaps the pain was too severe, his face was completely drained of color and the knuckles of his tightly clenched fists were white and prominent.

 

Ji Zhen was stunned by the sight before him.

 

Divine Physician Sai skillfully inserted another needle into his chest and said with a laugh, “Young Master Qin is here.”

 

Shen Yanqing, who hadn’t made a sound after so many needles, now seemed to be in unbearable pain and let out a muffled groan from his throat as the needle had just pierced into his firm flesh.

 

That sound brought Ji Zhen back to his senses. No matter how much he wanted to hide his emotions, he couldn’t help but reveal his true feelings by looking at Shen Yanqing, who was stuck with needles like a hedgehog worriedly.

 

Divine Physician Sai understood and, with swift hand movements, teased, “He even needs someone to care for him before he’ll make a sound.”

 

Ji Zhen didn’t understand the deeper meaning of Divine Physician Sai’s words and only registered the word “pain.” He pursed his lips and stood there, not daring to move closer at all.

 

Shen Yanqing stared at him without moving as if he were a magical cure for pain. The two hadn’t seen each other so calmly in a long time. Ji Zhen felt a bit uncomfortable from the scrutiny and only stared at Shen Yanqing’s chest.

 

Although Shen Yanqing was officially a civil service official, Ji Zhen knew that he had a lean and solid physique, though he never showed it. He had lost some weight during these days of hardship, but perhaps due to Divine Physician Sai’s care over the past half-month, besides being thinner, his overall condition had improved significantly.

 

What was different from before was that Shen Yanqing’s fair skin was covered with many new and old scars.

 

The round scars protruding from his shoulder blades were the most obvious, followed by some fine cuts and sword marks…

 

Divine Physician Sai pulled out the silver needles one by one according to the appointed time and left the tent for the two of them.

 

Ji Zhen still stood there without moving. Shen Yanqing casually put on his outer robe, straightened his posture and stared at the hesitant figure. His dark eyes were filled with a deep longing. He half-raised his hand as if to touch Ji Zhen but then slowly lowered it and changed his question to, “Would you come closer?”

 

Ji Zhen hesitated for a moment but still took a few steps forward slowly.

 

Shen Yanqing seemed unable to wait any longer. When Ji Zhen was about to get close, he finally grabbed his wrist and pulled him between his legs that were hanging over the edge of the bed, then held him tightly. He also wrapped his arms around Ji Zhen’s waist and held him desperately as if he had found a long-lost treasure.

 

One of them was sitting down while the other standing up. Shen Yanqing buried his face longingly in Ji Zhen’s chest and abdomen. The two were so close that their bodies formed a small, enclosed space between them.

 

Ji Zhen was completely held captive in his arms. Just as he was about to struggle, Shen Yanqing slowly lifted his clear eyes to look up at him. His voice was as soft as a drizzle and with a gust of wind, a wave of contentment washed over him. “You came to see me.”

 

“I…” Ji Zhen’s breathing paused slightly. “Let go of me.”

 

“If I let go of you now, I don’t know when you will come again.” Shen Yanqing held him tightly and refusing to let go, then said in a deep voice, “Ji Zhen, thank you for saving me.”

 

Ji Zhen smelled the constant scent of herbal medicine coming from Shen Yanqing’s clothes. After all, he was mindful of his injuries and did not struggle excessively. “If you want to thank, you should thank my elder brother. He was the one who asked Divine Physician Sai to treat you.”

 

Shen Yanqing hummed in agreement and buried his face deeply in Ji Zhen’s arms again.

 

Ji Zhen had never seen Shen Yanqing like this before… It was as if he was so dependent on him. He lowered his eyes to look at the other party’s dark hair while his own face seemed to feel a little hot and his earlobes turning a faint shade of red.

 

Such a peaceful and quiet time together was so far away from them, so far that the blood and tears of the past ten months seemed like nothing more than a long nightmare they had. Ji Zhen was even a little reluctant to break this hard-won peace.

 

When he heard the soldiers talking outside, he remembered where he was. He suddenly came to his senses and pushed Shen Yanqing’s shoulders. “If you keep this up, I won’t come over again…”

 

Only then did Shen Yanqing reluctantly let go.

 

Ji Zhen retreated a few steps to create a safe distance between them. He glared at Shen Yanqing, feeling both shy and angry but he didn’t know what to say.

 

He had indeed only come to see how Shen Yanqing’s injuries were. The Shen Yanqing in front of him seemed to be fine apart from his pale complexion.

 

Ji Zhen felt relieved and said, “I have to go back. You should take care of yourself…” He paused, then lowered his voice, “When we’re close to the capital, find a way to escape yourself.”

 

He hadn’t forgotten that no matter how his treatment had changed, Shen Yanqing was still a prisoner.

 

Once he had recovered, it would be easier for Shen Yanqing to escape.

 

“What if I can’t escape?”

 

Ji Zhen said angrily, “Then you’ll just have to wait to be paraded through the streets.”

 

Although his tone was harsh, the concern in his words was evident.

 

After Ji Zhen said this, he walked away without looking back. After walking a short distance, he realized the snow had stopped.

 

He lowered his head with a faint smile, unsure whether it was because of the clear weather or something else.

 

The mighty army swept through thousands of miles with both victories and defeats, but also paying a heavy price for capturing cities.

 

The Great Heng army and the Jiang family army both suffered countless casualties. After over four months of marching, the Jiang family army was ambushed and trapped in a valley by the Third Prince’s forces. Just when it seemed they had reached a dead end, Jiang Yunyu made a final, desperate gamble and managed to break through the formation led by the Third Prince, Li Muhui.

 

Li Muhui had never led an army. Although he was knowledgeable in both military strategy and governance, as the saying goes, “What’s learned on paper feels shallow in the end.” Although the sons of the Wang family were brave, they had been stationed in the capital for many years and hadn’t fought in a long time. They had their victories but also their miscalculations. Jiang Yunyu had been on the march for three years and had the help of experienced generals as well. With no way back, he was determined to fight to the death.

 

Under these circumstances, by the fifth month, the Jiang family army was like a hot knife through butter, they were unstoppable, while the Great Heng army suffered repeated defeats and was forced to hold the capital. Jiang Yunyu finally joined forces with the army led by Deputy General Lin in Jizhou a hundred miles outside the capital.

 

At this point, the outcome of the nearly half-year-long bloody battle was almost decided.

 

Jiang Yunyu ordered his troops to set up camp in Jizhou. If the Great Heng army didn’t surrender within five days, his cavalry would break through the city gates which would lead to another bloody battle.

 

After enduring hardships for many days, fighting under the name of “rebellious traitors” for nearly half a year, the soldiers finally saw a glimmer of hope. The sounds of laughter in the military camp were much more frequent than usual.

 

“Young Master Qin, where are you going? Come have a drink with us, brothers.”

 

A few soldiers gathered together and waved to Ji Zhen as he walked by.

 

Ji Zhen was also affected by this rare moment of ease. He took the wine jug the soldier handed him and took a sip. The strong liquor burned from his throat all the way to his lungs, warming his entire body. He coughed a few times from the spicy kick, which made the soldiers laugh.

 

After he walked a bit further, the soldiers who were just laughing were now crying while holding their heads in their hands and mumbling vague words like “we’re going home, we’re going home.” Hearing their sobs, his heart was filled with a mix of emotions.

 

The capital, where he had grown up, was only a hundred miles away. He hadn’t expected it would take a whole year to return to his hometown.

 

Everything had changed completely.

 

Ji Zhen saw Jiang Yunyu and his elder brother talking in the distance and jogged over. Deputy General Lin teased him, “Long time no see, Young Master Qin is still as lively as ever.”

 

Deputy General Lin was wounded in a battle and lost one eye. He now wore a rounded black patch over his left eye but his personality was still as cheerful and straightforward as ever.

 

Ji Zhen raised his hand and punched Deputy General Lin’s shoulder as he smile, “Deputy General Lin is still as fond of teasing people as ever.”

 

Deputy General Lin said with emotion, “Everyone has suffered over the past half-year. There’s a poem from the Central Plains, what’s it called? ‘Waiting for the clouds and the moon’…”

 

Ji Zhen quickly answered, “Waiting for the clouds to part to see the bright moon!”

 

“What a good knowledge, Young Master Qin!”

 

Jiang Yunyu couldn’t help but laugh when he heard this. “Deputy General Lin, stop praising him. He used to be known in the capital as…”

 

Ji Zhen glared at him. “Don’t you dare say it.”

 

“I will say it,” Jiang Yunyu raised an eyebrow, “he was known in the capital as a… silly goose!”

 

Ji Jue watched the two of them bickering again and said helplessly, “Deputy General Lin must be amused.”

 

Deputy General Lin laughed heartily, “Haven’t I seen enough of that?”

 

After they joked for a bit, a soldier came to report that a letter had arrived from the capital. Ji Zhen watched the expressions of the other three people instantly turn serious. He slowly wiped the smile off his face and said, “You guys go talk business. I’ll go back to my tent first.”

 

He watched the three of them walk to the military tent. The laughter from just a moment ago seemed to be just his own illusion.

 

As they neared the end, even though victory outweighed defeat, this crucial moment left no room for any mistake. The unease in everyone’s hearts grew rather than lessened.

 

There were only two more days until the deadline Jiang Yunyu had given.

 

If Li Muhui decided to fight to the death, what kind of tragic scene would that be?

 

Ji Zhen arrived in front of the tent where Shen Yanqing was being held but he didn’t go inside. For the past month, the closer they got to the capital, the more anxious Ji Zhen felt. He had urged Shen Yanqing more than once to find a way to escape quickly. Shen Yanqing had agreed, but he never made any plans.

 

Ji Zhen naturally didn’t know the reasoning behind this, since Ji Jue was willing to help the two of them, if Shen Yanqing wanted to escape, Ji Jue would likely turn a blind eye to it.

 

But Shen Yanqing chose not to reveal his intentions and enjoying Ji Zhen’s pretense of indifference while truly being filled with worry for him instead.

 

He asked Ji Zhen, “If I leave, wouldn’t we be unable to see each other for the rest of our lives?”

 

Ji Zhen couldn’t answer. When he noticed that Shen Yanqing refused to leave, he just sat there and sulked. So Shen Yanqing would take his hand and pull him into his arms without saying a word and just holding him, truly unable to be separated for even a moment.

 

“Does Young Master Qin want to go in?”

 

Seeing Ji Zhen standing for a long time, the guarding soldier couldn’t help but ask.

 

The weather was bad today with a dense fog in the sky. There had been a heavy snowfall in the morning.

 

Ji Zhen felt that something bad was going to happen. His heart was in turmoil, and knowing Shen Yanqing had ignored his advice, he wasn’t in the mood to talk. He shook his head and walked toward his own tent instead.

 

Seeing that he was distracted, Ji An asked, “Young Master, what happened?”

 

Ji Zhen pressed his chest, feeling as if a heavy stone was stuck inside, and said in a low voice, “I don’t know…”

 

“Don’t worry, Young Master. We’ll be home soon.”

 

Ji Zhen also thought he was just being overly concerned, but this feeling of unease finally materialized that night.

 

That night, a huge snowstorm fell with large flakes.

 

Amid the falling snow, the military camp came under attack. Flaming arrows rained down like meteors, and the air was filled with fire and screams.

 

Ji Zhen, who ran out of his tent in a panic, saw the soldier who had given him wine at noon, who had cried and shouted “we’re going home,” now lying motionless on the ground after being struck by the arrows.

 

The rain washes away the white bones, while blood stains the grass. The moon chills the yellow sand, while ghosts watched over the bodies.

 

Wandering soul, wandering soul, where is your home?

 

I have no home to return to.