In the end, the commotion was barely resolved when Yi Yefeng casually draped a piece of clothing over himself. However, it was loosely worn, still revealing his abs. Xueya couldn’t help but steal a few more glances before angrily burying his head in He Xulan’s chest.
Why do they both have abs, and I don’t?
There was only one grilled fish, and as usual, Yi Yefeng began to divide it. Seeing his actions, Xueya quickly spoke up, “I don’t want any fish. I’ll just eat the flatbread today.”
He Xulan glanced down at Xueya and then looked toward Yi Yefeng, “You eat the fish. The two of us will have the flatbread.”
Yi Yefeng didn’t argue and started eating the fish. He ate quickly, and in just a few bites, the fish was gone. The aroma of grilled fish still lingered in the air, and Xueya sniffed at it, silently convincing himself that the flatbread in his hand was really fish.
After they finished eating, they continued their journey.
Normally, Xueya would be feeling sleepy by this time, but tonight he couldn’t sleep at all. His fox-like eyes were wide open, staring out of the carriage window. He Xulan noticed and lowered his head slightly, “Are you feeling uncomfortable?”
Xueya shook his head but gripped He Xulan’s clothes more tightly, “Brother, will we make it to Kangwu County safely?”
He Xulan was silent for a moment before replying, “We will.” Then, he gently stroked Xueya’s face, “Get some sleep.”
Xueya understood that He Xulan was about to switch places with Yi Yefeng. Every time, he waited until Xueya fell asleep before going out to drive the carriage.
After undressing and crawling into the blankets, Xueya grabbed He Xulan’s hand again, “Brother.”
His voice was very soft.
“Hmm?”
Xueya pulled He Xulan closer and whispered in his ear, “I want to touch your stomach.”
He Xulan looked at Xueya, seeming to understand, and indulgently allowed him to slip his hand under his clothes. Xueya fell asleep while feeling He Xulan’s abs, fully content. Even though he didn’t have abs, He Xulan did.
What belonged to He Xulan was his too, and that included the abs.
***
Since the day they encountered the first wave of pursuers, they faced several more groups, each with increasing numbers. Eventually, there were too many for Yi Yefeng to handle alone. When Xueya saw He Xulan pull out the long sword from under the seat, he froze. It wasn’t until He Xulan was about to leave the carriage that Xueya quickly grabbed him, “Brother.”
“It’s alright, I’ll be back soon. Stay in the carriage and don’t come out.” He Xulan pushed Xueya back onto the carriage seat before stepping out.
Even though he had been told not to come out, Xueya couldn’t resist. While he didn’t leave the carriage, he opened the window and leaned out to watch.
Yi Yefeng fought fiercely, cutting down anyone in his path, leaving a bloody trail behind. He Xulan was entirely different—his movements were ghostly, always aiming for the throat. Before Xueya could even see He Xulan strike, his opponents had already fallen.
When only He Xulan and Yi Yefeng remained standing, He Xulan had only a few bloodstains on his sleeves. He tore off the bloodstained section, wiped his sword clean, and discarded the fabric before turning to return to the carriage. But just then, another group of pursuers appeared in the distance.
Unlike the previous groups, these pursuers had archers, and they began firing arrows as soon as they spotted He Xulan and Yi Yefeng, making it clear they had no intention of taking them alive. He Xulan’s expression hardened as he raised his sword to block the arrows, calling out to Yi Yefeng.
Understanding his cue, Yi Yefeng and He Xulan began blocking the arrows as they retreated toward the carriage.
The leader of the pursuers, seeing that He Xulan and Yi Yefeng were trying to escape, searched ahead and soon spotted the carriage hidden among the trees. He immediately ordered his men to fire arrows at the carriage.
When Xueya saw the arrows aimed in their direction, he immediately ducked back inside. But the pursuers had already targeted the carriage. Xueya watched as an arrow suddenly pierced through the carriage, grazing past his head, causing his legs to go weak. Even so, he remembered what He Xulan had instructed him.
The carriage had been specially modified. The narrow bed Xueya usually slept on, which served as a seat during the day, was hollow underneath, with iron panels surrounding it.
Xueya was just about to pull the iron panel open and hide inside when another arrow shot into the carriage. This time, his luck ran out.
The arrow struck his forearm, and Xueya burst into tears from the pain. Despite the agony, he quickly bit down, broke the arrow in half, and trembled as he crawled under the seat, closing the iron panel behind him. He used his hand to press tightly against his wound to slow the bleeding.
He didn’t know martial arts, and the most important thing right now was not to hold back He Xulan and Yi Yefeng.
Before long, the carriage suddenly lurched forward, and Xueya hit his head on the iron panel—it must have been because the horses pulling the carriage had been shot. He became even more afraid to make a sound or move.
After about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Xueya felt someone climb into the carriage. Terrified that it might be a soldier sent by the court, he held his breath. When light suddenly flooded in, he shrank back even further. Only after recognizing He Xulan did he dare to let out a whimper.
“Brother.”
The moment He Xulan got into the carriage, he saw the blood on the floor and the half-broken arrow, his face turning pale. His first instinct was to check Xueya’s injuries. After confirming that only his arm was wounded, he sighed with a little relief. But just then, the sound of hoofbeats echoed from afar.
Three waves of pursuers, each more aggressive than the last, indicated that Cui Lingjing was becoming increasingly desperate to kill them. He Xulan exchanged a glance with Yi Yefeng and made a decision.
“We’ll split up. You take Xueya and leave; I’ll lure them away.”
When Xueya heard this, he immediately started crying and shaking his head, “Brother, I don’t want to be separated from you.”
Yi Yefeng frowned at this and said, “I’ll lure them away. You two go.”
“Their true target is me. Only I can draw them in. Yi Yefeng, I need you to swear that you’ll protect Xueya.” He Xulan’s eyes locked firmly onto Yi Yefeng. “I’m entrusting him to you.”
Yi Yefeng looked at He Xulan and solemnly nodded.
Seeing this, He Xulan immediately turned back to Xueya. Without caring that Yi Yefeng was standing right there, he pulled Xueya into a tight embrace and kissed his forehead, “Guanguan, we’ll meet in Kangwu County.”
With that, he got up and left the carriage.
Xueya wanted to chase after him, but Yi Yefeng stopped him. Yi Yefeng quickly tore some fabric from the nearby bedding and wrapped it around Xueya’s wound before taking him out of the carriage. Right beside the carriage was a slope. Yi Yefeng held Xueya by the waist with one hand, while covering Xueya’s mouth with the other, swiftly walking down the slope.
Meanwhile, He Xulan mounted a horse taken from the pursuers. After glancing in Yi Yefeng’s direction one last time, he listened to the increasingly close hoofbeats behind him. Making sure the pursuers could clearly see his face, he spurred his horse toward another direction.
By the time Yi Yefeng hid Xueya in the tall grass, Xueya was already crying uncontrollably. He tried to pull Yi Yefeng’s hand away from his mouth, but Yi Yefeng’s grip was as strong as iron and couldn’t be moved.
Xueya heard the pursuers shouting, “It’s the rebel He Xulan! After him!”
As the sounds of pursuit grew distant and finally faded away completely, Yi Yefeng removed his hands from Xueya’s mouth and waist. Xueya stood up, wanting to find He Xulan, but He Xulan’s figure had already disappeared.
He saw the hoofprints on the ground and, in his panic, started running to catch up. After a few steps, he realized he couldn’t catch up on foot and decided to mount a horse instead.
Xueya went to grab one of the pursuers’ horses, but as he did, his eyes met the corpse on the ground. Seeing the large wound on the man’s neck, Xueya almost threw up.
The flesh was mangled, and it seemed the tendons were exposed.
“We can’t stay here. We need to leave quickly,” Yi Yefeng’s voice came from behind.
Xueya ignored him, forcing himself to suppress the nausea as he tried to climb onto the horse. Just as he managed to get on, Yi Yefeng leaped up and sat behind him.
Yi Yefeng reached over Xueya to grab the reins and steered the horse in a direction completely opposite from where He Xulan had gone. Xueya realized this and struggled to get down.
But Yi Yefeng’s other hand held him tightly, preventing him from moving. Xueya was on the verge of tears as he screamed, “I want to find my brother! Let me go!”
“He entrusted you to me, so I’m in charge of you now,” Yi Yefeng replied in his usual calm tone. “If you’re upset, save it for when you see him again.”
Xueya turned to look in the direction where He Xulan had disappeared, tears streaming down his face. By the time they were far enough away that even the carriage was no longer in sight, Xueya suddenly remembered the gold he had left inside.
He almost told Yi Yefeng about the gold in the carriage, but just as the words were about to come out, he stopped himself. The gold chest was heavy, and there were already two people on the horse.
Xueya rarely felt this sad. It was as if he had gone back to when he was eight years old, returning home to find his mother unresponsive, no matter how much he called out to her.
That day, he lost his mother.
Today, he had lost the gold—and He Xulan too.
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