After Being Abducted by the General Chapter 170

Chapter 170

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Yuan Li didn’t know how he had come to the banks of the Huai River, but he remembered Crimson Feather running at a speed no one could match.

The cold wind blowing towards him made his blood flow backwards, gradually turning cold. His brain was throbbing from the cold wind, and Yuan Li thought Crimson Feather shouldn’t have stayed with him; instead, he should have stayed with Chu Hechao. The horse was fast, and perhaps it could help Chu Hechao escape this danger.

As the scout had said, the signs of the battle were still present by the Huai River.

Bodies were strewn all over, and most of the five thousand soldiers sent to follow Chu Hechao had died. Yuan Li recognized many faces among the dead. He looked around, feeling a silence so deep that he couldn’t hear the sound of wind or water, only his own breathing.

He stepped over the bodies and approached the riverbank.

The dried blood on the soil was almost erased by the dust, and Yuan Li lowered his head, looking at the turbulent Huai River in front of him.

The river surface was over a zhang high from where he stood, churning and carrying tree branches and debris below. The water was deep, and nothing could be seen beneath it.

The smell of fish hit him.

Suddenly, it smelled like blood.

Yuan Li felt lost and confused; his mind was slow to react.

It was nearly winter; why was the river flowing so rapidly?

Just looking at it made him feel cold. Yuan Li shivered several times without even touching the water, feeling the cold wind seeping into every crevice of his bones.

What had he come here for?

Oh, right, to find Chu Hechao.

Nonsense, why would Chu Hechao be here? He should have climbed ashore long ago.

Jia Qing and the scout hurried over from behind, looking at Yuan Li standing by the riverbank with shock, and immediately dismounted to hold him back, anxiously saying, “My lord, don’t go any further!”

After a while, Yuan Li finally understood their concern and found it amusing. He forced a smile and said, “You think I’m going to jump into the water? Don’t be ridiculous; why would I do that? The Grand General has already safely left. Even if I jump into the water, I won’t find him.”

Then, he pretended to be lighthearted and said, “Let’s search for them. Inch by inch, along the river. If they haven’t been captured by the enemy, they must have already escaped along the water flow. I taught them how to swim, and they’ve been practicing for years. This water is nothing to them; they must have climbed ashore already.”

Jia Qing opened his mouth as if to say that a wounded person falling into such turbulent waters would have a hard time surviving, and that the coldness of the river during this season could claim lives, even if they knew how to swim, they could still be frozen and lose the strength to swim.

But looking at Yuan Li’s pale face and forced smile, he didn’t say anything, and whispered, “…Okay.”

“Send people to search the villages on both sides of the river, and the county should also send people to look. Chu Hechao is injured, and his condition worsened after falling into the water. After others bring him ashore, they will find a place to treat him. You should carry medicine with you; he might need it. If you find him, don’t rush back immediately. First, give him money to find a clean and safe place to rest, then find a skilled doctor for him, not a witch doctor who forces people to drink yellow talisman water. After settling him down, then come back and inform me – you personally go with them.”

Jia Qing agreed with a quiet “yes.”

Yuan Li wiped his face and looked around at the people, “Don’t be so dramatic. Rest assured, they’ll be fine. So many commanders jumped into the water together; they can pull each other ashore. Besides, this might be their plan, a plan to escape danger. They’ll be fine.”

Jia Qing remained silent for a few moments before echoing, “Yes, the Grand General and the others must have escaped unharmed.”

“That’s right, after escaping, they didn’t even report back to me, which is quite infuriating,” Yuan Li said, shivering from the cold. He rubbed his hands together, then glanced down at the river, and with a panicked look, he raised his eyes, “When they come back, I will definitely scold them thoroughly.”

Jia Qing said, “As you wish, my lord.”

Yuan Li fell silent.

After a while, Jia Qing thought that Yuan Li had no further instructions, so he prepared to lead a team to search for Chu Hechao and the others. But as he took a couple of steps back, Yuan Li whispered, “Jia Qing.”

Jia Qing looked at his silent and slender figure and said, “I’m here.”

Even in this freezing weather, Yuan Li’s forehead, neck, back, and palms were covered in sweat. The sweat quickly turned cold, making his insides spasm. Yuan Li’s throat felt blocked, and he spoke in a hoarse voice, “You must find him.”

For a moment, Jia Qing felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. He looked at Yuan Li with concern and raised his clasped fists, saying, “I will do everything in my power to find the Grand General.”

“Good, good,” Yuan Li’s voice became fragmented, “go quickly, and come back quickly.”

Jia Qing left with his team. The remaining men searched inch by inch, burying their fallen comrades and trying to identify the enemies.

Actually, they didn’t need to identify the enemies; they already guessed who it was. Only Chen Wang had the ability to ambush with the navy and try to kill Chu Hechao.

Yuan Li’s gaze returned to the river’s surface. The wind was getting stronger, and the river water began to churn. The guards surrounded Yuan Li tightly, their spirits tense, fearing he might do something foolish.

Yuan Li was lost in thought.

At this moment, he hated himself for not having the eyes to see what was under the river, and yet, he was grateful he didn’t have such eyes.

He feared seeing something he didn’t want to see.

He scolded himself internally, saying, “Why have you become so timid, Yuan Li?

Look, your hands are trembling with fear.

Why be afraid? There’s nothing to fear; they are all safe.”

As another surge of water came up, Yuan Li saw a red rope entwined around some dry branches. His gaze suddenly froze, and reality grabbed hold of his heart like a giant hand. He struggled to say, “What is that?”

One of the guards glanced and replied, “My lord, it should be a fine rope used for hanging jewelry.”

Yuan Li shivered again, “Pull it up.”

The guards took out a rope, and three of them held one end while another tied it around his waist and skillfully descended into the water. He carefully untangled the red rope from the branches.

Soon, the red rope was handed to Yuan Li.

Below the red rope was a jade Buddha, buried in decaying leaves, extremely familiar. Yuan Li’s eyes turned red as he recognized this item.

The wind that blew felt like a knife, scratching at his throat. Suddenly, he bent over and started coughing violently, taking a while to straighten up again. He wiped off the dirt from the jade Buddha with trembling hands, his heart feeling like it was being twisted.

This was the birthday gift he gave Chu Hechao, and he clearly remembered the surprised expression on Chu Hechao’s face when he received it. Every day, he would carefully touch this item and then hide it in his clothes.

Occasionally, when he touched it, the jade would become warm from Chu Hechao’s body heat, just like the fiery heart beating in Chu Hechao’s chest, concealed by a raging fire.

But now, the precious thing that Chu Hechao treasured so much had fallen into the water, soaked in the chilling and bone-piercing cold of the river.

Even if Yuan Li wanted to deceive himself, he knew that Chu Hechao wouldn’t have discarded this item if he wasn’t in danger.

His eyes were stinging, and every breath became difficult. Yuan Li tightly clenched the jade Buddha, its edges piercing into his palms. Along with the pain came an intense anger surging in his heart, turning his expression dark and terrifying.

Chen Wang.

How dare he?

How dare he lay hands on Chu Hechao?

His fury overwhelmed him, and for the first time, Yuan Li wanted to kill someone, to hate someone so intensely. He closed his eyes, his fingertips turning white from gripping the jade Buddha tightly. After a while, he opened his eyes and said, “Continue searching.”

They searched from noon to dusk, but found nothing. Yuan Li didn’t waste time and expanded the search along the river’s flow, looking elsewhere.

During these days of searching for Chu Hechao, Yuan Li’s health deteriorated. He frequently coughed and couldn’t eat or drink properly. However, he knew that he couldn’t collapse at this time, forcing himself to eat and drink, even with nausea threatening to make him vomit, he persisted in searching with the soldiers.

He placed some hope in Jia Qing, expecting him to bring good news. But when Jia Qing returned from the search, he hesitated to tell Yuan Li, “We found nothing.”

Yuan Li was stunned for a moment before saying, “Finding nothing is also good news; it means they are hiding well. If we can’t find them, it’s unlikely that Chen Wang can find them either…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Yuan Li started coughing again, covering his mouth and coughing so hard that Jia Qing felt anxious.

Jia Qing immediately suggested that Yuan Li return to the city to rest. “My lord, please take care of your health.”

Yuan Li rarely asserted himself so forcefully, but this time he did, “No need. I know my own body; keep searching.”

Jia Qing was so anxious he wanted to tie Yuan Li up and bring him back. He could only try another approach, “My lord, if you push yourself too hard and harm your health, Grand General will feel guilty and blame himself. Even for the sake of the Grand General, please go and see a physician.”

After hesitating for a moment, Yuan Li finally nodded.

When he returned, the physician examined him and gave Yuan Li many instructions, frowning with concern. Yuan Li seemed to be listening attentively, but he didn’t hear anything.

The physician sighed and called Lin Tian over to give him a few instructions. That night, Lin Tian brought Yuan Li a stewed pear soup to moisten the lungs and relieve coughing.

As Yuan Li tasted the pear soup, he couldn’t help but smile, “It tastes as sweet as the autumn pears that Chu Ciye used to pick for me.”

Lin Tian and the others already knew that Chu Hechao’s fate was unknown. Seeing Yuan Li looking so untroubled, their eyes couldn’t help but become moist.

But they were afraid of causing their lord discomfort, so they didn’t dare say anything more. After Yuan Li finished the pear soup, Lin Tian carefully took care of him to ensure he could rest.

During these two weeks, it was the first time Yuan Li slept in a warm and windless room. However, he couldn’t sleep peacefully; he had one nightmare after another and woke up in the middle of the night.

The room was pitch black, and Yuan Li laid alone under the covers. He kept his eyes closed, wiping the sweat from his forehead, and murmured as if in a dream, “Ciye, my throat hurts, can you pour me a glass of water?”

There was no sound in the room, and the person who used to jump up to fulfill his every request was nowhere to be seen.

Yuan Li curled up in the bed, his eyes still shut.

After a while, he reached for the jade Buddha around his neck and kissed it, tears silently streaming down his face. He tasted bitterness in his mouth as he whispered, “Brother, please come back soon…”

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