Ling Rui waved his hand, insisting Ah Wu stay behind.
Ah Wu stood still, watching him for a few seconds before following after him.
“I’ll walk with you for a while.”
Ah Wu wasn’t convinced. “Are you sure you can read the map?”
“Of course!”
Ling Rui grinned and patted his chest confidently, “I won’t get lost. Don’t worry.”
Still holding his hand, Ah Wu led him to pack his things personally.
Once packed, Ah Wu escorted him out of the city gate.
“Zai Zai, let me know when you arrive.”
“Got it.”
Ling Rui was about to embark on a long journey, so he had to transform back into his fluffy little form.
In front of Ah Wu, he instantly turned into a small white dumpling. The dumpling nuzzled Ah Wu’s pant leg in a cute farewell.
Ah Wu bent down and picked the little white dumpling up.
“Come back soon.”
“Chirp!”
Got it.
The little dumpling kicked his tiny legs as Ah Wu lifted him up.
He looked so small in Ah Wu’s hands.
Ah Wu held him for a moment before letting him go.
Ling Rui, still worried about his uncle, didn’t linger with Ah Wu too long.
After walking a few miles outside the city gate, the little white dumpling studied the map for a bit before deciding to take a shortcut.
After taking two wrong turns on his “shortcuts,” the little dumpling gave up and obediently followed the main road on the map.
His sense of direction was average, and taking shortcuts clearly wasn’t his strong suit.
Although he wasn’t the fastest, his speed still outpaced even the fastest horse.
He barely rested.
After running day and night for less than four days, the little white dumpling finally reached his destination.
His little paws were so worn out they almost bled.
Upon arrival, the little white dumpling didn’t even take a moment to relax before transforming back into his human form. He appeared at the gate, calling to the guards stationed there, “Is Murong Xu here? I need to see him.”
“I’m from the palace.”
Ling Rui quickly produced his waist tag to prove his identity.
Without it, he would have been mistaken for a spy.
“Seventh Prince, we didn’t know you were coming. Please forgive us for not welcoming you properly.”
“No worries, no worries.”
After verifying his identity, Ling Rui walked inside. “Have someone explain my uncle’s situation to me.”
Several days had passed since he received his uncle’s letter.
In those few days, many things could have changed.
Murong Xu had been facing numerous difficulties here. During battles with the enemy, they constantly employed underhanded tactics.
While Murong Xu wasn’t afraid of such tactics, some were unavoidable—such as the increasing number of sick soldiers.
The military physicians had tried their best, but nothing was working.
Murong Xu, thinking about the situation in his army and his carefree nephew out having fun, decided to write and call him over.
He trusted his nephew’s abilities.
“Your Highness, I am Bai Peng, a Zhonglang General in the army. I can brief you on the situation.”
“Go ahead.”
Murong Xu wasn’t present at the moment, so Ling Rui instructed the person in front of him to explain the army’s situation in full.
After finishing his explanation, Bai Peng hesitated and asked, “Your Highness, your friend isn’t far from here. Would you like to see him?”
“Jiang Yan and Chen Zhou are nearby?”
“Yes.”
Chen Zhou’s family had long since fallen, so he had made up his mind to join the army early on.
Joining the military was the fastest way to build merit.
Chen Zhou had come to earn military accolades, while Jiang Yan, the shizi of a noble family, didn’t need any. He came simply to pursue his own personal ideals.
Although the two of them had different goals, they were doing the same thing, and they had teamed up on this journey.
Hearing news about them brought a slight smile to Ling Rui’s eyes.
“They’re probably busy, don’t call for them. I’ll go see them when I have time.”
“Understood.”
“Alright, you may leave for now. I’ll wait here for my uncle.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
After sending Bai Peng away, Ling Rui sat in his uncle’s tent to take a short break.
He was utterly exhausted after running all the way here.
Though Murong Xu seemed easygoing, he was quite particular about his privacy, and no one was allowed to enter his tent casually or clean it without permission.
The only person who could lounge around so comfortably in Murong Xu’s tent was his precious nephew.
Even though the bed wasn’t particularly soft, Ling Rui quickly fell asleep after lying down.
He slept deeply, and for once, he had a rare dream about Ah Wu.
It was an innocent dream.
In the dream, Ah Wu gently held him, and the two of them were watching the stars together.
Ling Rui looked at the stars and then at Ah Wu.
Blushing, he boldly and straightforwardly asked, “Ah Wu, do you like my mating dance?”
Amusement flickered in Ah Wu’s eyes.
Under the vast, starry sky, Ling Rui heard Ah Wu’s deep voice as he leaned in.
“I do.”
Ah Wu said, “I like both the dance and the person.”
Ah Wu’s words were so sweet that Ling Rui started laughing in his dream.
He laughed and laughed, and before he knew it, his laughter woke him up.
When he opened his eyes, still a little groggy, he vaguely saw someone sitting beside him.
Startled, Ling Rui instinctively kicked out.
“You little rascal, waking up in a bad mood, are we?”
Murong Xu, who had just returned not long ago, slapped away Ling Rui’s leg.
It took Ling Rui a few seconds to distinguish between dream and reality.
“Uncle…” he mumbled.
“Hmm, you got here even faster than I expected.”
Murong Xu pinched his nephew’s cheek, clearly fond of him.
The reunion between uncle and nephew was as affectionate as ever.
Ling Rui clung to his uncle’s back, just like he used to, and wanted Murong Xu to carry him around.
Laughing, Murong Xu picked him up and walked a few steps around the tent.
But after just a short walk, Murong Xu suddenly started coughing.
Hearing the cough, Ling Rui thought it was because carrying him had tired his uncle out.
“Uncle, put me down.”
Once Ling Rui was back on his feet, he walked in front of Murong Xu, frowning. “Uncle, am I too heavy?”
“Of course not.”
Murong Xu suppressed his cough with a fist to his mouth and smiled. “You’re not heavy at all. I could carry you for two more hours without breaking a sweat.”
“My coughing is just because I haven’t been feeling well lately.”
“Not feeling well?”
Ling Rui was immediately concerned. “Have you seen the army doctor?”
“I have, it’s nothing serious.”
As they talked, their conversation shifted from Murong Xu’s health to the other sick soldiers in the camp.
“Uncle, can I go check on the other patients?”
“Of course, I’ll take you there.”
Murong Xu led his nephew to the large tent where the sick soldiers were being treated.
On the way, Murong Xu asked about Ah Wu.
“When you were dreaming earlier, you were laughing and muttering Ah Wu’s name. What were you dreaming about?”
“Oh, just a good dream.”
Ling Rui thought about the dream he hadn’t finished and rubbed his face with a bit of regret. “I wish I had slept a little longer.”
It was such a good dream, and he wasn’t sure if he’d ever dream it again.
“What kind of ‘good dream’ could you have with Ah Wu?”
“Not telling you.”
“Tsk, you’re keeping secrets from your uncle?”
Despite his curiosity, Murong Xu couldn’t get the details out of him, but remembering how Ling Rui had looked while dreaming, he couldn’t shake the strange feeling in his heart.
When they entered the large tent, the sounds of coughing, groaning in pain, and various other noises filled their ears.
Ling Rui glanced at the injured soldiers lying on their beds. He turned his head and asked quietly, “Do they have any painkillers?”
“There are some herbs that can help with pain, but their effectiveness is limited.”
“Guan Shan Residence has medicine.”
Ling Rui said, “They have painkillers.”
Looking at the dire situation, he furrowed his brows and muttered to himself, “I should’ve called Shui Shui here.”
Shui Shui was much more helpful than him.
“Uncle, I’m going to write a letter and ask Shui Shui to come.”
Ling Rui was quick to act on his thoughts. As soon as he decided to write to Shui Shui, he immediately sat down to pen the letter.
It would take some time for Shui Shui to arrive.
In the meantime, Ling Rui rummaged through his luggage and pulled out a handwritten booklet.
“I know a little bit about making medicine.”
Flipping through his booklet, Ling Rui told Murong Xu, “Uncle, watch me make some medicine for you!”
Painkillers, anti-inflammatory medicine—his teacher had mentioned how useful they were.
He had the booklet, though he hadn’t made any of the medicine himself yet.
But he believed he could do it!
Ling Rui busied himself in the camp, finding plenty to keep him occupied every day.
In all that busyness, he barely had time to think about Ah Wu.
Meanwhile, far away in Great Qing, Ah Wu was starting to feel a bit down due to the lack of word from Ling Rui.
The Qi Dynasty and Great Qing were currently at war.
Ling Chen, the emperor of Qi, hadn’t asked Great Qing for any help.
Since Ling Chen had ascended the throne, his reliance on Great Qing had gradually diminished.
Ah Wu understood that, given time, Ling Chen would likely lead Qi to sever ties with Great Qing completely.
The Qi Dynasty wouldn’t want to rely on Great Qing forever.
Ah Wu pondered the relationship between Qi and Great Qing, and as he thought, his gaze darkened slightly before he entered his study.
Among the tasks Ah Wu needed to accomplish, securing territory for his precious one was a top priority.
Now that Great Qing was in his hands, he was about to begin expanding his domain.
Staring at the map hanging on the wall, Ah Wu focused on it for a moment, then marked the Qi Dynasty.
The Qi Dynasty belonged to his little one, so he decided to forgo that territory.
While Ling Rui was busy working in the army, Ah Wu was plotting territories.
Both of them had things to keep them occupied, and once people get busy, time can easily slip away unnoticed.
Half a month had passed before Ling Rui even realized how quickly time was flying by.
During those two weeks, he had diligently made medicine and even followed his uncle to the battlefield.
The battlefield was dangerous.
Murong Xu initially didn’t want him to come, but Ling Rui insisted on seeing it for himself.
“I won’t be a burden, Uncle. I passed all my martial arts classes.”
Although Ling Rui wasn’t as skilled as his fourth brother, he had still managed to pass his martial arts courses.
Murong Xu couldn’t dissuade him, so he brought him along.
In the midst of battle, soldiers from both sides often hurled insults at each other.
Murong Xu had engaged in such exchanges before.
This time, the insults escalated, and Murong Xu’s face darkened.
It was rare for him to react to such taunts.
But now, there was only one reason for his blackened expression—
Amidst the enemy’s insults were vulgar remarks directed at his precious nephew.
Ling Rui heard the crude comments too, and with a tight expression, he gritted his teeth and said, “You’re dead!”
How dare they speak to him like that—they were as good as finished.
As Ling Rui stepped onto the battlefield, Ah Wu, far away, received news from his people.
