Page 95

The injury was the size of a teacup, the outer blood coagulated, obscuring its depth. But a seemingly shallow mark on his neck, tinged with black, was somewhat eerie.

Unsure if the medicine would help the neck mark, but seeing Gu Huo motionless, Yuan Yue still applied some.

Afterward, he took a deep breath, slumping on the bed. His gaze landed on Gu Huo's blood-speckled face, his emotions a turbulent mix.

Without this man, he'd still be happily serving his young master. Why would he be suffering now?

But... he just couldn't stand by and watch someone die, even if that someone had caused him much pain.

So be it.

If Gu Huo died, he'd starve locked in this room anyway.

"Bastard." Hugging his knees, he whispered a curse, comforting himself.

Whether Gu Huo had fainted or fallen asleep, he gave no response.

Yuan Yue blinked, slowly moving closer, trying to gauge Gu Huo's breath by placing a finger near his nose.

Just as he got close, Gu Huo suddenly grabbed his hand.

With surprising strength, Gu Huo pulled Yuan Yue close, securing him firmly against his body.

Yuan Yue struggled. "What are you doing?"

With a hint of exhaustion in his voice, Gu Huo murmured, “Don’t move, just stay with me a while.”

Concerned about accidentally aggravating Gu Huo’s wound and wasting the previously applied medicine, Yuan Yue stiffened, letting himself be held.

“I’m only sleeping, nothing else,” Gu Huo whispered reassuringly, sensing Yuan Yue’s apprehension.

Yuan Yue looked up to find that Gu Huo’s eyes remained closed, probably out of sheer exhaustion.

Sighing in resignation, he allowed himself to be held, feeling a twinge of self-pity. A hot tear slid down, landing on the back of Gu Huo's hand...

Elsewhere, Fu Yicen, holding Zhou Rendong, leaped onto a horse, evading Fu Rushang’s grasp and galloped back to the military camp.

Setting Zhou Rendong on a bed, Fu Yicen’s face remained dark and stormy, his eyes filled with guilt.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, gently touching the swollen mark on Zhou Rendong’s cheek. “I was careless.”

Zhou Rendong shook his head, his eyes red as he nestled into Fu Yicen’s embrace. But inadvertently, he brushed against a whip mark on Fu Yicen's shoulder, eliciting a soft cry of pain.

Fu Yicen’s brow furrowed, and with a quick motion, he pulled back Zhou Rendong's clothes.

The glaring crisscrossed whip marks overshadowed the marks that once belonged to him.

As his cold fingers traced the scars, Zhou Rendong winced in pain, tears pooling in his eyes.

“It hurts…”

“I’ll get a doctor…”

“No need,” sniffled Zhou Rendong, pointing to a small medicine box in the room. “There's ointment in there. Could you...?”

“Of course,” replied Fu Yicen without hesitation, retrieving the ointment and carefully applying it.

Seeing the concern on Fu Yicen’s face, Zhou Rendong tugged lightly at his robe, comforting, “I’ll heal soon.”

“Mm.”

Fu Yicen nodded, helping Zhou Rendong change out of his wet clothes and into a soft inner robe. “Rest now. I'll settle this matter for you.”

Zhou Rendong coughed a few times. Panicking as Fu Yicen turned to leave, he clutched at his robe. “I... I’m scared…”

Resigned, Fu Yicen comforted him to sleep.

However, his clothes stained with blood, he couldn’t lie down as is. He stood to change.

As soon as he began, Zhou Rendong, like a snake, snuggled up behind him.

“Rendong.”

Fu Yicen’s voice, hoarse and tinged with warning, looked straight ahead, daring not to turn around.

Ever since their feelings aligned, whenever Zhou Rendong felt insecure, he’d seek solace in cuddling and "massaging" Fu Yicen.

Fu Yicen instinctively knew what was in the other's mind when he felt him deliberately drawing closer.

“Will you let me, please?”

A soft plea emanated from behind, sending a jolt of electricity from Fu Yicen's head to his extremities, with a rush of heat concentrating in his lower abdomen.

“Alright…”

“Brother Fu, are you there?”

Fu Yicen's immediate response was interrupted by Bai Zhiqiu from outside the tent.

Bai Zhiqiu had initially assumed that Fu Yicen and Gu Huo would clash midway, fighting to the death. However, to his surprise, Zhou Rendong was safely brought back by Fu Yicen!

What happened?

His plan seemed flawless, so why did this occur?

A deep unease surged within him, feeling as though he might've overlooked some detail.

Not having much time to think, he came over to probe the situation.

If Fu Yicen didn’t suspect him, everything would proceed as planned. Once Bai Zhiqiu guided the Xia army into the maze, he'd incapacitate Fu Yicen and take him away.

However, if Fu Yicen did suspect him...

A sinister smile crossed Bai Zhiqiu’s face as he concealed a packet of sedative powder up his sleeve.

He was determined to deal with Fu Yicen!

Chapter 65: Brother Yi, can you... hurry up?

“Hmph! He's here again!”

Hearing Bai Zhiqiu’s voice, Zhou Rendong's face instantly scrunched up in annoyance. Clinging to Fu Yicen, he said, “Ignore him.”

Fu Yicen smiled softly, holding Zhou Rendong's hand, turned him around, placed him on the bed, and gently kissed his forehead.

“Mm, we'll ignore him.” His eyes filled with endless indulgence and affection.

“Brother Fu, are you inside? I have urgent matters to discuss with you,” Bai Zhiqiu called out again.

Zhou Rendong puffed up his cheeks, resembling a miffed pufferfish. He playfully covered Fu Yicen's ears, murmuring into them, “You can’t hear him, you can’t hear him…”

A smile curled on Fu Yicen’s lips. He pecked Zhou Rendong's chattering mouth. After ensuring his condition wasn't too bad, he cautiously began to undress him.

The freshly medicated wound remained unchanged. Embracing Zhou Rendong's waist, Fu Yicen carefully avoided the wound, lightly grazing his unmarred skin.

In no time, Zhou Rendong's clothes lay scattered on the ground, in disarray.