Chapter 42: Chapter Forty-Two He Is a Useless Assassin

Chapter 42: A Useless Assassin

The cliff, though appearing formidable, was in fact only a hundred *zhang* (approximately 333 meters) high. Wei Zheng had previously ordered safety nets to be installed at its base, anticipating a potential fall.

However, after he had all the assassins killed, the nets seemed unnecessary. Yet, despite all his foresight, he hadn't accounted for the rock fissure at the cliff's bottom giving way.

Falling rocks tore through the safety nets, but the remaining ropes provided enough cushioning for the two men.

They landed at the bottom with only minor scrapes, otherwise unharmed.

Not far from their landing spot, the body of the assassin leader lay mangled.

The cliff bottom was dark and sunless, with dense foliage almost completely obscuring the sky. Even the torrential rain was largely intercepted by the canopy.

Whether from being drenched and chilled, or the sheer shock of the fall, Wei San felt lightheaded. He shivered with cold one moment, burned with fever the next, and his abdomen was wracked with waves of cramping pain.

He gritted his teeth, enduring the discomfort, his face alarmingly pale.

Trembling, he pulled a bottle of golden wound medicine from his sleeve and hastily sprinkled it over his injuries.

The high-quality medicine quickly stemmed the bleeding. Unfortunately, before it could fully take effect, it was slowly washed away by rainwater dripping from his hair.

"There's a cave ahead. Let's rest there for a while," Wei Zheng said, turning back after scouting the terrain. He immediately noticed Wei San's distress.

Wei San leaned against a tree trunk, weak and unsteady, on the verge of collapse.

Wei Zheng quickly approached, taking Wei San by the shoulders. "Are you sick?"

Martial artists typically possessed excellent night vision, and Wei San knew he couldn't hide his condition. He nodded weakly. "I must have been in the rain too long."

"It's a fever from the cold," Wei Zheng declared, his brow furrowing as he felt Wei San's skin, scorching hot against his palm. He reached out to check Wei San's forehead, his concern deepening.

"Come, let's get into the cave and start a fire to warm up."

Starting a fire was easier said than done. The rugged mountain terrain and incessant rain made dry kindling scarce. Fortunately, inside the cave, they found a half-burnt fire pit and some dry logs nearby, likely left by the assassin guards who had previously scouted the cliff bottom.

There wasn't much firewood, but it would barely last until morning.

By the time Wei Zheng got the fire going, Wei San was shivering uncontrollably, only able to mumble about the cold.

Wei Zheng realized this wouldn't do. He stripped off both their clothes and laid them by the fire to dry, leaving them in only their thin undergarments.

He held Wei San in his arms, using his own body heat to warm him.

Whether trapped in a nightmare or not, the unconscious assassin's brows remained tightly furrowed, his lips moving silently. Wei Zheng leaned closer and finally discerned the words: "I'm sorry."

Sorry to whom? Why the apology?

Wei Zheng was filled with questions, but clearly, no one was there to answer them.

The rain continued for several hours before finally ceasing. Wei Zheng estimated it was nearing sunset.

Wei San still hadn't woken up; in fact, his condition seemed to worsen. One moment he cried out from cold, the next from heat, and then whimpered in pain.

Wei Zheng's heart ached. As soon as the rain stopped, he laid Wei San on a pile of dry grass and left the cave to search for herbs to reduce fever and ward off the chill.

He scoured the mountain and, fortunately, not only found plenty of suitable, mild herbs but also managed to hunt two wild rabbits.

By the time he returned to the cave, it was completely dark.

Without a pottery pot for brewing medicine, Wei Zheng found a concave stone and used his dagger to carve it into a makeshift pot. He then collected rainwater from leaves at the cave entrance and tossed the herbs into the stone pot to boil.

The dagger's edge was dulled from carving the stone, but it was still more than adequate for preparing the two rabbits.

Wei Zheng took the skinned and gutted rabbits outside to wash them. Upon returning, he skewered both on a branch and propped them near the fire to roast.

After hours of exposure to the fire's heat, their soaked clothes had completely dried. Wei Zheng took them down one by one and carefully dressed Wei San.

When his fingers brushed against the rain-bleached wound on Wei San's neck, he paused.

The wound was small—a thin, long cut—but Wei Zheng found it extremely displeasing. He struggled to restrain himself, then narrowed his eyes and tore a strip of cloth from the hem of his undergarment. Searching Wei San's body, he indeed found a half-used bottle of golden wound medicine.

He carefully bandaged the wound on Wei San's neck, dressed him, and fed him the medicinal broth before finally resting.

Perhaps because he was finally warm, the man who had been complaining of cold all along finally fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Wei Zheng gazed at his profile for a long moment, unable to resist reaching out to poke the sickly flush on his cheek. "You sleep soundly," he muttered. "Since when does a master serve an assassin?"

The firewood had burned halfway. Wei Zheng added more wood and turned the rabbits to continue roasting.

Without any seasonings, the roasted rabbit tasted rather bland. He ate a few bites hastily, stopping once his hunger was satisfied, no longer touching the rabbit meat.

Wei Zheng pulled Wei San back into his arms, holding him tightly. He reached out to feel his forehead—the fever had subsided compared to before.

He breathed a sigh of relief and murmured to himself, "You'd better recover by tomorrow, or else you'll have wasted all the effort I put into taking care of you."

As if hearing his words, the person in his arms stirred and let out a soft murmur.

Inside the cave, peace reigned, while outside, chaos ensued as everyone searched for the two of them.

"Has there still been no news of the Virtuous Prince?"

The Old Emperor clutched his chest, breathing laboriously, one hand trembling uncontrollably. He was indeed getting old, and his health was poor. With one son severely injured and unconscious and the other still missing, the successive blows had triggered his illness.

The Director of the Imperial Medical Bureau stood by, administering acupuncture needles. He lowered his head upon hearing the question, afraid the Old Emperor might suddenly turn to him for answers.

The palace attendants dared not even breathe loudly. Only Zhao Fu mustered the courage to speak: "The Virtuous Prince is blessed by fortune and will surely be safe. Your Majesty must take care of your health."

The Old Emperor moved his lips as if to vent his anger but seemed to think better of it. With a weary and somber expression, he pinched the bridge of his nose and said nothing more.

After the Senior Imperial Physician finished the acupuncture treatment and removed the needles, he stepped aside.

The Old Emperor waved his hand at the attendants. "I am tired. All of you may leave. If there is any news of the Virtuous Prince, inform me immediately."

The attendants bowed and withdrew. Just as Zhao Fu was about to leave, the Old Emperor called out to him, "Zhao Fu, stay. I have something to instruct you."

Zhao Fu’s eyes flickered subtly as he retracted the foot he had already stepped out with.

"At Your Majesty’s command."

Wei Er had failed to hold onto the two of them and had almost jumped down after them. Fortunately, at the last moment, he remembered that safety nets had been set up at the bottom of the cliff. Given his master’s and Wei San’s skills, they might not be in grave danger. The priority was to find a way down to the cliff bottom as quickly as possible to locate them and provide medical attention if they were injured.

He quickly turned and ordered his assassin guards to dispose of the bodies on the ground, leaving the traces of the fight untouched. After giving the orders, he immediately dispatched two men to inform Commander Duan of their master’s accidental fall and led a few assassins to search for a path down to the cliff bottom.

Not long after the assassin guards had withdrawn, the imperial guards searching for the Virtuous Prince appeared at the cliff edge. The rain was still pouring, but it could not mask the overwhelming scent of blood rising from the blood-soaked earth.

The Commander of the Imperial Guards crouched down, picked up a pinch of soil, sniffed it, and then looked at the fresh, damp cracks in the earth at the cliff's edge. His expression changed drastically.

"Damn it! The Virtuous Prince was attacked by assassins and fell off the cliff! Send someone to inform His Majesty immediately!"

On the other side, Duan Lin was furious when he received the news.

"The master fell off the cliff, and Wei Er just stood by and watched? Useless!"

He knew that blaming Wei Er now was pointless, so he immediately ordered all assassin guards to assemble and search for their master.

At the bottom of the cliff, Wei San woke up hungry.

Even before opening his eyes, he caught the scent of roasted meat and felt a pair of warm hands rested against his forehead.

"Still a bit warm, but the fever should have subsided."

A casual voice reached his ears. When he opened his eyes, he met Wei Zheng’s slightly teasing gaze.

"Little assassin, I’ve taken care of you all night without proper sleep. How do you plan to repay me?"

Wei Zheng pinched the cheek of the dazed assassin, who seemed not yet fully conscious, and shamelessly sought his own advantage.

After a moment’s thought, he said meaningfully, "I’ve heard that there are many little toys in brothels and taverns meant for bedroom pleasures. How about we get some and try them out once we return to the manor?"

Wei San: "…………"

Having previously infiltrated a brothel for a mission and spent days posing as a courtesan, Wei San had seen those little toys up close. His face flushed red, and he had no idea how to respond. He could only pretend to still be disoriented from his illness, turning over and curling up like an ostrich, refusing to engage.

Seeing that Wei San was lively enough to sulk, Wei Zheng felt reassured that he had recovered—and indeed, his earlier idea took root.

Using some toys to spice things up wasn’t a bad idea. As he pondered having some custom-made later, he turned to fetch the stone pot in which he’d brewed medicine.

"Drink this medicine first, so you don’t relapse."

He pulled Wei San up, holding him in his arms with his head resting against his shoulder.

"There are no bowls in the cave, so I had to whittle a wooden spoon. Make do with it."

As if by magic, he produced a crude wooden spoon, filled it with medicine, blew on it to cool it, and brought it to Wei San’s lips.

Wei San felt extremely awkward. It was just a fever—he hadn’t lost the use of his limbs. Now that he was mostly recovered, such care wasn’t necessary.

Seeing him hesitate, Wei Zheng urged, "Drink it."

Wei San held back his discomfort, not daring to refuse his master’s kindness, and obediently drank the medicine spoon by spoon.

Perhaps Wei Zheng had grown fond of caring for him; watching Wei San drink the medicine gave him a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. He even felt it wasn’t enough—he wanted to give Wei San more good things, to pamper and cherish him.

After feeding him several spoonfuls, Wei Zheng estimated the dose was sufficient and stopped. The person in his arms frowned at the bitterness of the medicine. Out of habit, Wei Zheng wanted to reward him with a piece of candied fruit, only to remember they were not in the manor and had no such luxury.

He settled for the next best thing and handed Wei San the second rabbit he had roasted that morning.

Having gone without food for a full day and night, Wei San was indeed hungry. But he didn’t eat immediately. Instead, he looked puzzledly at Wei Zheng, who showed no intention of eating with him. "Aren’t you going to eat, Master?"

He glanced around the cave—aside from the roasted rabbit in his hand, there was no other food. Without a second thought, he handed it back to Wei Zheng.

"You eat, Master. This humble subordinate is not hungry."

Wei Zheng glared at him. "Eat it now that I’ve given it to you. This rabbit has no salt or flavor—I can’t stomach it."

Wei San blinked in confusion. Right, his master was used to delicacies and was extremely picky. He’d rather starve than eat coarse food like roasted rabbit.

He needed to regain his strength quickly to lead his master out of this wretched place and find him proper, delicious food.

With that, Wei San felt no more hesitation.

Seeing him finally willing to eat, Wei Zheng felt relieved but grew increasingly dissatisfied with the crude cave. He couldn’t help but click his tongue in disdain.

Wei Zheng walked to the cave entrance and looked out. The sky was bright, a clear day without a cloud in sight.

Without turning back, he said to Wei San, "Once you finish eating, we should find a way out."

Indeed, they needed to contact Duan Lin as soon as possible. The little assassin was still recovering and needed nutritious meals to regain his health.

His mind was preoccupied with how to feed the convalescent little assassin, unaware that Wei San had misinterpreted his actions.

Though Wei San seemed focused on eating the rabbit, his peripheral vision remained fixed on Wei Zheng. Seeing his master’s look of disdain, his heart sank, and the already bland rabbit meat tasted even worse.

Was his master thinking he was a burden? It made sense—he had been useless from start to finish, falling ill and requiring his master’s care, even taking his food.

He was a worthless assassin.

The more Wei San thought about it, the worse he felt. He even wondered if Wei Zheng would grow impatient and abandon him.

Not wanting to be left behind, the assassin quickly finished the remaining rabbit meat. In his haste, he choked on the last bite.

Wei Zheng had never seen anyone choke on a piece of meat. He shook his head in amusement. "Why eat so hurriedly? Did you think I would snatch it from you?"

Fortunately, he had cut some bamboo segments while gathering herbs the previous night to use as water containers. He quickly fetched one now.

Wei San coughed until his face turned red. He took the water and drank several gulps before catching his breath.

He bowed his head in shame. "Apologies, Master. I was afraid of making you wait too long, so I rushed."

Wei Zheng hadn’t expected that to be the reason. He pinched Wei San’s cheek and said, "Eat slower from now on. I can wait a little longer."