Chapter 129
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Chu Hechao’s clothes were dripping with water, leaving wet footprints with each step he took.
He was followed by seven or eight soldiers, carrying a head covered in hair and soaked with water, leaving a trail of wet marks on the ground.
Yuan Li widened his eyes, staring at Chu Hechao in disbelief. The worry hadn’t completely dissipated, but now it was replaced with a sudden surge of joy.
Yang Zhongfa exclaimed happily, “General!”
Chu Hechao’s face was still covered with mud, his hair messy. Seeing them having dinner, he stopped a couple of steps away from the table and smiled at them, “I’m back.”
He looked tired and haggard, but his eyes were as sharp and alert as a tiger or wolf. Though he appeared bedraggled from the rain, his tall figure standing there was like a pillar of strength, comforting everyone’s hearts.
Yuan Li observed him from head to toe. Chu Hechao had lost weight, and his face looked fatigued, but his eyes remained vigilant and full of spirit. Though his appearance seemed weary, his presence was like a stable anchor, making everyone feel at ease.
Yuan Li finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, “It’s good to have you back.”
He quickly glanced at the head Chu Hechao was carrying.
This should be Li Li’s head, right?
In the past, when Yuan Li completed a mission, the system would immediately inform him, just like when Wu Kai successfully eliminated the bandits. However, this time, even though Chu Hechao had killed Li Li, the system remained silent. It seemed that the system didn’t consider Chu Hechao killing Li Li as Yuan Li completing the task.
Yuan Li had already anticipated this result, and although he was somewhat disappointed, he was just glad that Chu Hechao was safe.
“Mm.”
Chu Hechao responded and swept his gaze around the room.
After not seeing each other for several days, he looked thinner and his complexion seemed tired, giving off a weary vibe.
He shifted his gaze to Yang Zhongfa and asked, “You were going to support me?”
“Yes, Lord Yuan was worried that the General might encounter Wu Shanshi’s army,” Yang Zhongfa said with relief, “Thankfully, you’re safe and sound, returning unharmed.”
Chu Hechao listened quietly, handing the head in his hand to one of his soldiers, and then he walked to the table and sat down. His posture was straight, and he spoke calmly, “I did encounter Wu Shanshi’s army.”
Yuan Li, Yang Zhongfa, and others were shocked and looked at him in disbelief.
Chu Hechao smirked, “But I didn’t clash with them. Wu Shanshi also came to chase and kill Li Li, but he had too many infantry soldiers, and they couldn’t match the speed of my cavalry. When I caught up with Li Li and was returning, I encountered Wu Shanshi’s army. My scouts had already discovered their army in advance. The difference in strength was too great, so I abandoned the unnecessary baggage of Li Li and only brought him and his gold, silver, and jewels, leading my cavalry to bypass Wu Shanshi’s army.”
“Wait,” Yuan Li’s eyes lit up, “You brought Li Li back? Then whose head are you carrying?”
Chu Hechao looked back at one of his soldiers.
The soldier raised the head, revealing a pale and astonished face.
Yuan Li had never seen this person before, so he frowned, “Who is this?”
“A strategist named Wang Yun, who was by Wu Shanshi’s side,” Chu Hechao said slowly, resting his hands on his legs, “Although I led my cavalry to avoid Wu Shanshi’s army, I couldn’t let my guard down. So I sent scouts to secretly follow behind Wu Shanshi’s army to see if they would chase after me. Unexpectedly, they caught Wu Shanshi killing this strategist in anger.”
Chu Hechao grinned, “It seems that Wu Shanshi saw the abandoned baggage and dead private soldiers, realizing that Li Li had been killed by someone else before him. This made him furious, and he killed the strategist who had suggested a fake cooperation with Li Li… My scouts witnessed the scene, and as soon as Wu Shanshi left, they brought me the head of the strategist. I don’t know if this head is useful, so I brought it back to show you.”
“Wu Shanshi…” Yuan Li shook his head, unable to hide his disappointment, “He’s even more impulsive than I imagined…”
As for Wang Yun’s head, Yuan Li pondered, thinking that there might be some useful information.
But suddenly, Yuan Li’s nose twitched, and his expression changed, “Are you injured?”
Chu Hechao remained composed, “No.”
Yuan Li sniffed again, suspicious, “But I smell blood.”
“It must be the blood from that head,” Chu Hechao said calmly, “Perhaps it’s the blood from the people I killed splattering on me. I’ll go change my clothes, then you won’t smell it anymore.”
Yuan Li thought of how even if Chu Hechao accidentally pricked his arm on a bed board, he would scream in pain. He didn’t think much of it, “Alright, go change your clothes, don’t catch a cold. No need to hurry for a bath, wait until after dinner.”
Chu Hechao nodded and called Yang Zhongfa outside to ask a few questions.
He inquired about what had happened in Luoyang during the past few days, whether Yuan Li had encountered any danger, if he had been eating well, what he had been doing each day, and if he was in good spirits.
Before Chu Hechao left, Yang Zhongfa took over the responsibility of looking after Yuan Li. He remembered everything clearly during Chu Hechao’s absence and reported everything to him.
Chu Hechao listened patiently, glancing at Yuan Li in the dining hall. The young man was covered in candlelight, and he appeared thinner, making Chu Hechao feel concerned. “He looks thinner.”
Yang Zhongfa got goosebumps, feeling even more nervous than when he just got married to his wife. He was afraid of being scolded by Chu Hechao, so he tried to say something comforting, “Lord Yuan has been too busy and too worried about General, that’s why he hasn’t been eating well…”
Chu Hechao stood there for a moment and said, “Alright, you may go.”
About ten minutes later, Chu Hechao came back after changing his clothes.
Yuan Li had reheated the food, and when he saw Chu Hechao approaching, he casually asked, “Why did it take you so long to change your clothes?”
Chu Hechao replied calmly, “I sent someone to detain Li Li.”
Yuan Li understood, “What are you planning to do with him?”
Chu Hechao’s lips slowly pressed together, his gaze deep, “I intend to kill him with my own hands in front of my parents’ grave.”
“Good,” Yuan Li said with satisfaction, “This way, you can properly pay tribute to the souls of Chu Wang and the Madam.”
Chu Hechao reached out and tucked the hair next to Yuan Li’s ear, “Mm.”
Zheng Rong, who saw this scene, couldn’t help but sigh to Wu Kai, “The bond between the Lord and the General is really profound.”
Wu Kai: “…”
He nodded stiffly.
To celebrate Chu Hechao’s return, Yuan Li had the kitchen prepare some extra delicious dishes. However, Chu Hechao only picked a few dishes nearby to eat and didn’t touch the ones further away. Yuan Li found it strange and asked, “Don’t you usually like meat and fish dishes? Why are you picking vegetarian dishes today?”
“Change of taste,” Chu Hechao casually said, “These vegetarian dishes are good too.”
Yuan Li furrowed his eyebrows upon hearing this and gently put down his chopsticks, staring directly at Chu Hechao. His gaze felt like a mountain weighing on Chu Hechao’s shoulders. Chu Hechao’s eyes quickly shifted away for a moment, then turned back, calmly asking, “What’s wrong?”
“You’re hiding something from me,” Yuan Li said firmly, “Chu Hechao, you’re not acting like yourself.”
Chu Hechao’s heart tightened, and he mumbled vaguely, “There’s nothing.”
Yuan Li continued to silently watch him.
Chu Hechao’s demeanor wasn’t aggressive, and his eyes remained calm. But for some reason, Chu Hechao felt a little afraid inside. He rubbed his temple and scolded himself in his heart for being a coward. How could he be afraid of his wife? But he still coaxed softly, “Let’s talk after dinner, okay? You’ve lost weight these past few days, so eat well and nourish yourself.”
Yuan Li pursed his lips, his lips turning pale, but he didn’t say anything.
Chu Hechao added, “I’ve been rushing around for several days, feeling a bit exhausted. I just need to rest for a while.”
But this time, Yuan Li stood up directly and said, “Chu Hechao, I’ve told you before, I don’t like it when you lie to me and evade the truth. You guys continue eating, I don’t want to eat anymore.”
He turned around to leave, and Chu Hechao immediately grabbed him, but the movement was too strong, causing the wound on his waist to open up, and a look of pain crossed his face as the smell of blood filled the air.
Yuan Li immediately turned back to look at him, his expression turning unpleasant, “You are indeed injured.”
Chu Hechao held onto his hand and didn’t let go, “It’s just a minor injury, it will be fine in a few days.”
Yuan Li’s expression changed, clearly not believing what he said. He turned to Lin Tian and said in a stern voice, “Quickly, go get a skilled doctor.”
He then instructed the servants to prepare hot water and bandages. In a hurry, he found a room for Chu Hechao to lie down, saying, “Lie down and don’t move, let me take a look at the wound.”
Chu Hechao obediently laid down, his eyes fixed on Yuan Li’s face. “Don’t be angry.”
Yuan Li tightly pursed his lips and ignored him. He quickly untied Chu Hechao’s robe and saw that the fine cloth wrapped around his waist and abdomen was already soaked with fresh blood. Chu Hechao’s chest was sweating with pain.
With this appearance, did he really think he could pretend like nothing happened?
Yuan Li was almost amused by anger. His heart was burning with rage as he carefully, with a cold expression, removed the cloth and asked, “What kind of injury did you suffer?”
There was no point in hiding it anymore, so Chu Hechao honestly replied, “A knife wound.”
As he spoke, the cloth was removed, revealing a large and terrifying knife wound across Chu Hechao’s waist and abdomen. It oozed blood with his every breath.
The wound was frightening, and Yuan Li’s face turned dark. He took a deep breath and examined the wound professionally. The assailant must have intended to kill Chu Hechao, but fortunately, Chu Hechao managed to avoid a deeper blow by dodging in time.
Even so, it was evident that the situation had been extremely dangerous.
Chu Hechao reached out and touched the side of Yuan Li’s face. His lips turned slightly blue, but he still smiled and reassured him in a hoarse voice, “I’m tough, I’m fine.”
“Don’t talk,” Yuan Li immediately said, “I don’t want to talk to you right now.”
He was unhappy, very unhappy.
It wasn’t just because his partner was injured, but also because Chu Hechao had been seriously injured and still rushed through the rain to come here. Moreover, he intended to hide it and act as if nothing happened.
Yuan Li was filled with anger, feeling uncomfortable.
He didn’t even look at Chu Hechao and turned his gaze to Chu Hechao’s guards. “You, come here, and explain how your General got injured.”
The guard looked hesitant, glancing at Chu Hechao.
Chu Hechao nodded slightly, and the guards then explained the whole situation, “In order to catch up with Li Li in time, the general and we all took off our armor and rushed a thousand miles. But when we were about to capture Li Li, he used a hidden dagger to stab the general.”
Yuan Li listened without any particular expression, his mouth pressed into a deeper line as he silently cleaned the bloodstains around the wound.
By the time the medical officer arrived, he had already finished dressing Chu Hechao’s wound.
In truth, whether the medical officer came or not didn’t matter much. Yuan Li was a studious person, and ever since the system released a medical book as a reward, he had been studying its contents diligently. After all, knowing life-saving knowledge brought him peace of mind.
He had already achieved some level of proficiency and was not inferior to any medical officer he personally trained. He still instinctively called for the medical officer when he saw Chu Hechao injured, not because he didn’t trust himself, but rather because he was anxious and not entirely at ease.
After examining the wound, the medical officer nodded and said, “The wound has been well-dressed. General has passed the most dangerous days, as long as he rests and recuperates slowly.”
Yuan Li added, “He was also out in the rain with the wound.”
The medical officer was shocked and looked at Chu Hechao with distress, “General, you…”
However, no matter how dissatisfied he felt, he didn’t dare to speak openly. He could only shake his head and sigh, then had someone prepare medicine for treating fever and instructed Chu Hechao to take it.
By the time everything was settled, it was already late into the night.
The sound of rain outside was continuous, and the cool breeze seeped in through the cracks in the door.
Yuan Li covered Chu Hechao with the blanket and then stood up with an expressionless face. He instructed the guards by Chu Hechao’s side to take good care of him.
Chu Hechao sensed that something was off, “Where are you going?”
“Back to my room,” Yuan Li said, “I know you’re injured and feeling uncomfortable, and you want me to be with you. But I’m really angry right now, and I don’t want to see you or talk to you tonight. If there’s anything, let’s discuss it after tonight. I need to calm down and cool off.”
Saying that, Yuan Li turned around and left.
Chu Hechao didn’t even have a chance to say anything before he watched Yuan Li close the door. He took a deep breath, veins pulsing on his forehead, and suddenly pounded the bed heavily, his eyes showing determination as he cursed with frustration.
The guards were taken aback.
They thought the general was angry with Yuan Li, but from the general’s expression, it seemed like he was angry at himself.
The guards exchanged confused glances.
They were at a loss, wondering what was wrong with the general.
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