Chapter 48
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
Kept calling his name?
Furrowing his brows, Fu Nian’s suspicions deepened. “Apart from calling out the name ‘Fu something,’ were there any other characteristics?”
Pei Zhou’s gaze remained vacant, as if he hadn’t heard his question. “He kept saying, ‘Fu Nian is back, my Fu Nian is back,’ repeating this name over and over…”
Fu Nian saw that Pei Zhou’s response was irrelevant and asked, “Young Master Pei? Can you hear me?”
“He kept saying, ‘Fu Nian,’ and even smiled and said, ‘Fu Nian is back’…”
“Rest for now.” Fu Nian noticed that Pei Zhou seemed disoriented and couldn’t provide any coherent answers, so he decided to leave it at that. He comforted him, saying, “It’s okay; you’re safe with me. Rest for a while, alright?”
After saying that, Fu Nian comforted Pei Zhou and gently laid him down on the ground.
Once he had settled the injured man, he slumped to the ground himself, his eyes vacant.
Fu Nian laid on the ground, glancing at Pei Zhou, who had fallen into a deep sleep.
In his previous life, he had lived in the Distant Moon Sect for so many years, so he had seen some unusual occult arts that normal people considered extraordinary. However, he hadn’t witnessed any witchcraft involving wanton slaughter. Even if there were corpses, they were the remains of sect disciples, which would be quickly buried without much delay and wouldn’t stay for long.
Never mind, he couldn’t return to the sect this time. Pei Zhou was in critical condition, with a small frame bearing multiple injuries. Fu Nian needed to quickly go down the mountain and find a physician.
With doubts in his mind, Fu Nian managed to sleep for a bit.
He had just fallen asleep when he sensed movement outside. He quickly got up, drew his curved blade from his waist, and held his prosthetic limb like a short dagger, lowering his breathing.
“Awoo…”
Hearing a low beastly roar, Fu Nian hastily covered the fire, which had just been painstakingly kindled, with damp soil.
“Awoo, awoo…” The roar was growing closer.
The sound of footsteps was disorganized, indicating a group.
Fu Nian tightened his grip on his blade, pressed against the rock, and squatted motionless, praying that they weren’t approaching their direction.
Soon, Fu Nian recognized from the footsteps that the wolf pack not only was heading in their direction but also attempting to encircle the area around the cave.
He didn’t dare hesitate, quickly grabbed his water pouch and medicine bag, pulled up the still unconscious Pei Zhou, and slung him over his back.
As soon as they left the cave, Fu Nian was preparing to climb onto the nearest thick branch, but before he could leap, there was a sharp whistling sound behind him.
Turning around, Fu Nian suddenly drew his blade.
The sensation of cutting through flesh and blood reached the tip of his blade, and Fu Nian swiftly evaded backward, but he couldn’t avoid being splattered by the blood that had burst out.
Wiping away the blood that had splashed onto his lips, Fu Nian was about to prepare for further combat when suddenly, he felt the person on his back move. He thought that Pei Zhou had fallen off from behind, so he quickly used his prosthetic limb to support him.
“Blood, blood…”
“Stay still!” Fu Nian saw Pei Zhou move and quickly scolded in a low voice.
After scolding, Fu Nian sensed movement behind him once again and quickly lowered himself, preparing for combat.
“He, he’s coming…” Between half-dream and half-awake, Pei Zhou continued to excitedly shout, his hands slightly trembling.
Fu Nian was running a fever, and with limited strength, carrying a person heavier than himself while facing a wolf pack was already pushing the limits. They couldn’t afford to have the person on his back moving erratically.
“I told you not to—” Fu Nian hadn’t finished scolding when suddenly the sound drew near. He turned around, his eyes quick and his actions fierce as he thrust his blades through the two wild wolves charging at him.
The stench of blood grew even stronger, and Fu Nian could hear at least eight more howls echoing around him compared to before.
In his anxious state, Fu Nian felt the person behind him still moving.
He temporarily set down Pei Zhou and adjusted his left shoulder.
He had to deal with the wolf pack first. It wasn’t convenient to carry someone who kept moving around.
Feeling another wolf attacking, Fu Nian was prepared to strike.
But before he could make a move, his prosthetic limb’s ankle was grabbed tightly.
“He’s coming after me! Help me!” Being grabbed, Fu Nian almost stumble.
In a rush, Fu Nian urgently knocked the back of Pei Zhou’s head.
Before he could confirm whether Pei Zhou had already fainted, he felt the wolves leaping toward them.
Fu Nian quickly drew his blades.
However, this time, the sensation at the tip of the blades was empty, as if they hadn’t struck anything.
It was over.
He missed…
For a brief moment, his mind went blank. Fu Nian felt the rush of blood-soaked air, almost choking off his breathing. The viscous liquid also obscured his vision, leaving him able to see only crimson.
But the sensation of pain had yet to reach him.
Without much thought, Fu Nian quickly wiped away the blood that had obscured his vision with his sleeve.
What came into view was a slender figure, standing straight in front of him. The moon-white robe he wore was stained with blood, and he held a longsword in his right hand, its blade piercing through a wolf that had barely managed to survive.
Senior Brother?
Fu Nian thought he was seeing things, so he stared harder.
The man in front of him casually cast aside the wolf from his blade, disdainfully wiped the blood off his sword with a handkerchief, and then sheathed the blade.
He turned his head, and Fu Nian saw that familiar face, confirming that it was indeed Fu Zhen.
Surviving the ordeal, Fu Nian was a bit slow to react. He stared blankly for several seconds before finally speaking, “Why are you here…”
Fu Zhen furrowed his brows, surveying the wolf-blood-soaked figure before him who was clutching a curved blade. After a moment, he asked, “Who are you?”
“…” Fu Nian quickly wiped the blood off his face with his sleeve and revealed his prosthetic limb.
“Why is it you?” Seeing a familiar face, Fu Zhen’s brows furrowed even tighter, and his entire demeanor involuntarily tensed up. “Why are you here?” After speaking, Fu Zhen’s gaze turned to the person lying behind Fu Nian, Pei Zhou.
“Ordered to leave the palace,” Fu Nian explained very briefly. “Thank you, sir, for saving us. Thank you on behalf of my friend too.” After explaining, Fu Nian lifted up the unconscious Pei Zhou, carrying him on his back again. “Originally, we were just passing through here, didn’t expect to encounter an old acquaintance and almost die here.”
“By ‘old acquaintance,’ do you mean the one you’re carrying on your back or me?” Fu Nian asked.
Fu Nian replied, “The one I’m carrying on my back. Do you know him, sir?”
After asking, Fu Zhen approached and lifted Pei Zhou’s face, carefully examining it, then answered thoughtfully, “I probably don’t know him; his face is covered in injuries, making it hard to recognize.”
Fu Nian wanted to ask Fu Zhen how he ended up in this place.
Did he just come out from their sect?
He hadn’t figured out how to inquire without revealing his identity when Fu Zhen sat down on the ground. “I originally planned to go to… well, I planned to go to the mountains. But the road ahead collapsed, and all the landmarks I set earlier are gone. I ended up circling back here. If it rains tonight, I’ll have to go down the mountain…”
Fu Nian didn’t rush to respond, and it seemed he was right; originally, Fu Zhen was heading back to Distant Moon Sect.
“Do you have any food? I’m starving,” Fu Zhen added.
He quickly took out some dry rations from his pocket and handed them over, saying, “Please make do with this for now, sir.”
Fu Zhen didn’t mind and accepted the rations, eating them hungrily.
“May I ask, sir, where is the nearest town around here?” Fu Nian asked while Fu Zhen was eating. “My friend is severely injured and urgently needs to find a clinic.”
“We’ll go together later, and I’ll guide you,” Fu Zhen mumbled with his mouth full.
Fu Nian was just about to wonder why Fu Zhen was being so helpful when he heard Fu Zhen continue, “I happen to have no money with me, so I’ll have to ask you for help.”
Fu Nian: “…”
Carrying such a heavy person on his back, Fu Nian had to grit his teeth occasionally to keep his balance.
He felt dizzy.
Almost all the fever-reducing medicine had been given to Pei Zhou, who was already in a bad condition and he hadn’t rested during the journey.
Fu Nian stopped and leaned against a tree trunk, lowering his head to alleviate his discomfort.
“What’s wrong?”
Feeling that Fu Zhen had also stopped in his tracks, Fu Nian hurriedly said, “It’s nothing.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt a hand reaching towards his forehead.
He quickly brushed it aside, but before he could straighten up, he felt something light on his back.
“You have such a high fever, why didn’t you say anything earlier?” Fu Zhen took Pei Zhou from his back, sounding somewhat displeased. “Carrying someone and trying to fight a wolf pack with a fever like that, do you know you could have died? Did that old fox teach you to value your life like this?”
Fu Nian didn’t offer any excuses and just shrugged his left shoulder.
“Did you even listen to me?” Fu Zhen’s tone became much more serious. “We’ve been walking for so long, didn’t you feel like speaking up or seeking help from the people around you?”
“I heard you. If I’m dead, I’ll be wolf food,” Fu Nian weakly replied.
With that, he stood up straight and continued walking.
After a couple of steps, he felt a tug on his artificial limb.
He looked down and saw a pouch in his hand.
“These herbs can still be used,” Fu Zhen said.
Fu Nian replied, “Thank you.”
After saying that, he opened the pouch and saw the medicinal herbs inside. Fu Nian paused for a moment.
The flowers on the herbs were still fresh, showing no signs of wilting.
He had frequently consumed this type of herb back at his sect, and it grew abundantly in the territory of the Distant Moon Sect. Although there were some in the mountains, they were not densely packed and were scattered around. You had to make an effort to collect even a small pouch like this.
Earlier, Fu Zhen had claimed that he had gotten lost on his way back to the sect and had coincidentally encountered them.
Fu Nian held the herbs up to his nose, confirming that they were the herbs commonly found in his sect’s territory. He became instantly wary.
He pretended to put one of the herbs in his mouth, chewed it for a moment, and then hastily feigned retching, spitting it out.
“It… it tastes like wolf’s blood…” He gritted his teeth, then bent over again, trying to reach for a water flask with trembling hands.
Fu Zhen didn’t say a word but handed the water flask to him.
He took a sip and then pretended to weakly stand up. “Thank you, sir.”
“First don’t die here before thanking me,” Fu Zhen said as he noticed Fu Nian standing up, but then he withdrew his hand that was about to touch his back.
Fu Nian didn’t respond further.
When they arrived in the town, it was getting dark.
The three of them, covered in wolf’s blood, knocked on the door of the clinic, startling the physician.
Fu Nian swallowed the herbal soup, laid down on the clinic’s mat, and began to focus on alleviating the weakness in his limbs.
Meanwhile, the physician was still cleaning Pei Zhou’s wounds.
As he rested, Fu Nian noticed Fu Zhen returning, holding two roast chickens, some baked cakes, and a steaming bowl of almond tea.
Smelling the food, Fu Nian couldn’t help but lift his head.
“There’s your share,” Fu Zhen said.
Of course, Fu Nian knew there was his share. After all, he had paid for it. If there wasn’t his share, he would definitely demand an explanation from Fu Zhen once he recovered.
He got up from the mat, took the bowl of piping hot almond tea, and without using a spoon, he drank a large mouthful.
The sweet fragrance of almond tea mixed with the crushed almond nuts and hawthorn chunks entered his mouth. It revived him somewhat.
After finishing the sweet, hot almond tea, Fu Nian put the bowl down and started tearing the meat from the roast chickens.
When he had eaten enough and regained some strength, Fu Nian finally had the energy to speak. “A few days ago, sir, you were seriously ill. Are you much better now sir?”
“Not completely recovered, but I’m out seeking some remedies,” Fu Zhen replied casually. “I happened to run into you again.”
Fu Nian didn’t say anything more.
In his previous life, when he had been poisoned, it had taken nearly half a month to recover to some extent. Even after resting for several days, he could only perform simple tasks.
Even if Fu Zhen had a strong constitution, it would still take longer than just three or four days to recover from poisoning…
“Last time, I asked you about the origin of the poison on your body, and you didn’t answer. Now—”
“I won’t answer now either,” Fu Zhen interrupted. “Some matters are better left unspoken.”
“Thank you for saving our lives, sir,” Fu Nian said. Afterward, he got up from the mat and went over to the physician to inquire, “Doctor, has his injuries been treated? How is he?”
“They’ve been treated, and there’s no immediate danger to his life, but he still needs proper rest.”
“Thank you.” Fu Nian handed over the payment for the treatment and attempted to lift Pei Zhou again.
“Young man, both you and your friend are still unwell. Is there something urgent—”
“Hey, where are you going?” The physician hadn’t finished speaking when Fu Zhen stepped forward to block their way.
“Yes, yes, please advise him too. He can’t leave just yet,” the physician hastily agreed.
With Pei Zhou on his back and Fu Zhen pulling at him, Fu Nian walked all the way to the door before speaking in a low voice, “I still have a mission to complete and can’t stay for long. There’s no time to rest, so I need to get on the road quickly.”
“You’re still unwell, and you’re carrying such a heavy person with you on the road?” Fu Zhen held onto him, refusing to let go, and questioned, “No, you at least helped me steal medicine; I can’t just watch you… go to your death. I just saved you from the wolf pack, and now you’re going to throw your life away? And you’re taking your friend with you? No, even if he’s like this, you’re still dragging him along. Are you trying to murder him—”
Sir, please forgive my frankness, but you talk a lot.
Fu Nian had this sentence on the tip of his tongue, but after thinking for a moment, he decided not to say it out loud.
Seeing that Fu Nian had made up his mind, Fu Zhen added, “How about this, where is your friend from? If he’s from nearby, I can take care of him for you. Consider it repayment for the meal today. What do you think?”
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
