Chapter 439 Ge Quan x Fang Jinrong 8

Chapter 439: Ge Quan × Fang Jinrong 8

"Is it something I did wrong that makes you unwilling to talk to me?" Ge Quan knelt on one knee before Fang Jinrong, his voice restrained yet gentle, his angular fingers with clearly defined joints brushing against Fang Jinrong's cheek, gently cupping the face that haunted his dreams.

Fang Jinrong's eyelids twitched, his chest feeling clogged and suffocating—not pain, but a sour ache tinged with astringency that made his throat tighten. He wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.

That slightly cool hand finally settled on Fang Jinrong's face, accompanied by a sigh. "What exactly... must I do to make you understand my feelings?"

Fang Jinrong's lips trembled. When he opened his eyes, he met Ge Quan's soulful phoenix eyes. "I... I don't understand what feelings you're talking about." His eye sockets felt hot and swollen, and before he could even finish speaking, a few tears slipped down.

It dawned on him belatedly—Fan Xue's words from last night. Ge Quan liked him. But he didn't understand what "like" meant. Those two words were too broad and generic. His father, brother, and sister-in-law had all said it to him, but he knew Ge Quan's feelings were different from theirs.

Ge Quan had been with him for so long—even when bandits were about to kill them right before his eyes, Young Master Fang hadn't cried. Now it was clear he'd been pushed to his absolute breaking point; he had no words left to describe his misery—only tears remained.

Ge Quan's hand hadn't left his cheek. Fang Jinrong's tears fell onto his fingers like magma meeting hail, scorching Ge Quan and splitting him apart. The vapor that rose then condensed into clouds, and in a flash, a downpour flooded his heart.

"Rong'er, I'm no saint. In all these years, only my master has ever caused me such concern. I've never been so meticulous and caring toward anyone else." Ge Quan was also falling in love for the first time—he wanted to be good to Fang Jinrong, to indulge his every whim, and even more, to press him into his very being so they could read each other's hearts without a single word.

"My heart delights in you. I want to be with you in every moment, in this life and in every life after."

Fang Jinrong's tears fell in an unbroken stream. He didn't know why he was crying, or why the tears had suddenly multiplied. He only felt that the bitter ache in his heart was now laced with a sense of fullness, as if something were trying to sprout from the earth, only to be tightly bound by a thin shell, leaving him breathless and stifled.

Ge Quan couldn't bear to see him cry. His qi and blood surged, throwing his mind into chaos, but his movements suddenly grew firm. Slowly, with a desperate, all-or-nothing resolve, he leaned into Fang Jinrong...

Their two thin lips joined, and both shuddered simultaneously. The warmth on their lips belonged to the other. It was only a simple act of lips brushing against each other, yet somehow it was utterly intoxicating.

Ge Quan reached behind Fang Jinrong's head, following instinct as he used his tongue to part Fang Jinrong's lips, surging straight in to ravage freely. It was rare for him to be so assertive with Fang Jinrong. Every one of Fang Jinrong's inexperienced reactions and emotions was devoured by Ge Quan, leaving him to passively submit, sinking deeper into abandon.

The tender shoot, cocooned in its shell, under Ge Quan's tireless nurturing, finally and unyieldingly burst through its restraints, blooming into a radiant little flower in his heart, each petal inscribed with Ge Quan's name.

The northwest winter wind was cold and unyielding. Fan Xue sat outside, his cheeks chapped red by the wind. He leaned against the carriage window, faintly catching the soft, wet sounds coming from inside. He shifted into a crouch, wanting to enter the carriage to check, but was grabbed by Ji Wunian. "If you don't want your Ge-ge to toss you off this carriage, I suggest you stay put."

It was a long while before Ge Quan emerged from the carriage, his brows smooth and eyes clear, the corners of his lips flushed red with a smile. Fan Xue's heart gave a lurch. He entered the carriage and found Fang Jinrong already curled up in the blanket, facing the inner wall, fast asleep.

The group left the town and entered Lü City a few days later, and with that, their peaceful days were shattered from that moment on. On the very day they arrived, people challenged Ge Quan under various pretexts. Without a weapon, he mostly fought with controlled restraint, stopping at the point of contact—a far cry from the brutal ferocity he'd shown in the town.

"Ah Xue!"

Ge Quan found an inn to settle in. He had no intention of staying here to find Fan Xue's relatives. The single night's rest was purely for Fang Jinrong's sake—they had already gone above and beyond for Fan Xue and his brother. But as luck would have it, just as they reached the inn's entrance, they ran into Fan Xue's older brother.

"How did you find your way here?" Fan Xue's brother was a young man in his twenties with a plain, good-natured face, wearing a sable hat, with fur stitched into his collar and boots.

Cotton-padded jackets couldn't keep out the bone-chilling wind; this was the standard attire for Lü City's residents and travelers alike.

"Big brother!" Fan Xue's gloom of the past few days instantly lifted. He threw his arms around his brother and burst into tears.

Fan Xue's brother was named Chen Feng. He was in Lü City at this time because his sect, the Zhongyue Sect, was also wading into the murky business of the Tuyuhun secret treasure. As a hall master, Chen Feng had brought a contingent of disciples to set up camp in Lü City, gathering intelligence while awaiting the sect leader.

When Chen Feng learned that Ge Quan had taken his bounty to escort Fan Xue all the way here, he was deeply grateful. He bumped the original twenty taels of silver up to two hundred to properly repay Ge Quan, but Ge Quan only accepted twenty. They stayed at the inn for one night before hurrying on to Jincheng.

As Fan Xue bid farewell to Ge Quan's group, he stared at Ge Quan with pleading, hopeful eyes, his beautiful eyes seeming to say so much, yet holding back—but Ge Quan conveniently turned a blind eye.

"By the way, have you found any leads on your parents' murder?" Ji Wunian suddenly asked before boarding the carriage.

At the mention of their deceased parents, both Chen Feng and Fan Xue's expressions turned sorrowful. Fan Xue momentarily forgot his hopes for Ge Quan and looked at Chen Feng with tearful eyes.

"I dare not forget the agony of my parents' murder. I already found some leads while in Yangzhou." Chen Feng's eyes gradually filled with hatred. "It's linked to You City of Lin'an. I heard they'll be coming to the northwest this time too. If something should happen to me by then, please help take care of Fan Xue..."

"I see. Well then, see you in Jincheng." Ji Wunian cut off Chen Feng's words the moment she heard what she wanted. Ge Quan flicked the reins, and the carriage rolled on without a backward glance.

Their relationship with the Chen brothers was purely that of employer and hirelings. Delivering him here was already more than enough.

Jincheng was only seven days' journey from Lü City. The closer they got, the heavier the snow and wind. To arrive as quickly as possible, they barely stopped along the way, finally entering the city on the morning of the eighth day.

The snowdrifts came up to half the carriage wheels, and thick snowflakes continued to fall from the sky, only to be scattered and tossed wildly by the gale before landing silently.

Inside and outside the city walls, disciples of various sects were stationed—all top-tier sects of the martial world. The second-rate sects, like those in Lü City, had knowingly backed off. Of course, rogue martial artists without a sect paid no heed to such rules and had entered the city long ago.

Jincheng was originally a quiet city, but recently it had attracted a flood of martial artists. The city magistrate knew of it but couldn't afford to offend them, so he simply turned a blind eye.

Neither Ge Quan nor Ji Wunian was a nobody. No sooner had they entered the city than every major faction had its eyes on them. Of the two, they had precious few friends and considerably more enemies. Ji Wunian, being a physician, was mostly tolerated by those she'd crossed, since they might one day need to beg her for help. Ge Quan, however, had dealt with many factions since his youth—the sect masters and pavilion lords knew his background and martial prowess far better than the Zhixuan Pavilion, which compiled the rankings of jianghu heroes—so their followers dared not make a move.

"You actually have connections with the Round Moon Sect in Jincheng?" Ji Wunian hopped off the carriage with her luggage. Ge Quan had already explained that he'd brought her here to treat a friend from the Round Moon Sect. They'd proactively sought out the sect's members outside the city walls and were now trailing them to the entrance of a residence.

"I came here with my master when I was young and lived in Jincheng for three years." Ge Quan scooped Fang Jinrong up from where he sat on the carriage rail and carefully set him down. Fang Jinrong stomped his feet—they were so numb they felt like they'd disappeared, and the cold wind and snowflakes kept burrowing into his neck.

"Hero Ge, please go inside and settle in. We'll fetch our senior brother to see you right away."

The Round Moon Sect members were courteous, calling over a few junior disciples to set up their rooms. People of the martial world weren't so fussy about such matters—they didn't bother with distinctions like front courtyards and inner quarters—and the three rooms were adjacent. Ge Quan followed Fang Jinrong into his room as a matter of course, while Ji Wunian sensibly retreated to her own room to rest. The three of them hadn't rested properly in days due to the relentless travel.

"Cold?" Ge Quan squeezed Fang Jinrong's hand. Ever since they'd opened up to each other, such intimate little gestures came to him involuntarily.

A charcoal brazier was lit in the room. Fang Jinrong moved closer. "I'm freezing."

Ge Quan stood up. "I'll go buy you some heavy local winter clothes. I'll ask Ji Wunian to come stay with you."

He came back carrying armfuls of ready-made clothes, but Fang Jinrong's room was empty, and so was Ji Wunian's next door.

"Hero Ge, the senior brother just returned and has invited Divine Physician Ji to Seventh Senior Sister's quarters. The young man traveling with you is there as well." A Round Moon Sect disciple, seeing Ge Quan return, stepped forward to tell him without waiting for him to ask.

The Round Moon Sect had two tiers of disciples: outer disciples and direct disciples. Ge Quan's friend from his youth was the sect leader's head direct disciple—Xue Bing.

"Didn't you say your junior sister could last a while longer? What happened?"

There wasn't the faintest hint of makeup or fragrance in Xue Bing's seventh junior sister's room—neat and tidy, with a row of assorted flexible whips hung on the wall.

In the inner bedroom, an unconscious woman lay on the heated brick bed. Ji Wunian had already finished taking her pulse and was writing out a prescription. Beside her stood Fang Jinrong and another man in blue robes, with sword-like brows and starry eyes.

Xue Bing's face broke into a delighted surprise at the sight of Ge Quan. He clasped his shoulder tightly. "Thanks to you for getting Divine Physician Ji here in time. Seventh Junior Sister's condition took a sudden turn for the worse the day before yesterday, and she's been confined to bed ever since."

It had been seven or eight years since the two had last met. Though Xue Bing was anxious about his junior sister's illness, the strange affliction had lingered for a long time, and with Ji Wunian present, he felt much more at ease—so all that remained was the joy of reuniting with an old friend after so long.

Ge Quan touched his nose. He hadn't exactly rushed here at breakneck speed to save anyone.

"Rong'er, come here." Ge Quan brought Fang Jinrong over to introduce him. "This is my betrothed husband."

Fang Jinrong's eyes rounded in shock. "Huh?"

Xue Bing was equally surprised. "I was planning to introduce my junior sister to you, but it looks like you were quick and found someone yourself."

Fang Jinrong shifted his wide-eyed glare to Xue Bing.

This residence was merely a stronghold of the Round Moon Sect. Xue Bing had remained here all this time solely for the sake of Seventh Junior Sister's illness. Apart from the two direct disciples, only a dozen or so outer disciples were present.

That evening, Xue Bing had a restaurant chef come over to put together a banquet, and roasted a whole suckling lamb. Too bad Fang Jinrong didn't eat mutton—but he happily tucked into the red-braised beef and the assorted hotpot soup.

Ge Quan and Xue Bing hadn't seen each other in ages, and Xue Bing was deeply grateful for his visit. The two drank and feasted, clinking glasses and refilling each other's cups, and later, the topic of Seventh Junior Sister's strange illness came up.

Xue Bing asked Ji Wunian, "Divine Physician Ji, you said earlier that Ding Ling isn't suffering from a strange illness but has been poisoned. But a violent poison should kill instantly, shouldn't it?" His seventh junior sister had been feeling unwell for over half a year now.

Ji Wunian sat with her legs splayed, gnawing on a lamb leg with grease all over her mouth. "Who said poison has to kill you on the spot? Ding Ling isn't just poisoned—she's got two poisons in her. The two toxins work against each other, capable of killing instantly or slowly eating away at a person's body."

What she said rang a bell, and Ge Quan asked, "Same situation as the Qing Gang leader's poisoning?"

After Ji Wunian had lost the Qing Gang leader, she'd been racking her brain over what went wrong. It wasn't until later that she discovered he'd been hit with a double poison, so she now had experience and knew exactly what to do with Ding Ling.

"Exactly."

Ji Wunian searched for a handkerchief but couldn't find one. Figuring her clothes hadn't been changed in days and needed a wash anyway, she just wiped her greasy mouth on her sleeve. Fang Jinrong wrinkled his nose in distaste and edged away.

"I see." Xue Bing looked thoughtful, like something had clicked.

"Try this." Ge Quan pushed the yogurt on the table toward Fang Jinrong, then asked Xue Bing, "Any leads on who poisoned her?"

Xue Bing looked at both of them, his face turning serious. "Before my junior sister was poisoned, members of the Youcheng faction showed up in the city."

Jincheng was the territory of the Round Moon Sect, and they were the first to know of any trouble, even if the Youcheng people kept a low profile.

Ji Wunian said, "It could be the Youcheng faction behind it. I've heard they're good at training all kinds of people, and they've got plenty of poison experts." And Fan Er had also dug up the Luo family, but got scared off.

Xue Bing snorted coldly. "Coming to Jincheng to cause trouble—do they really think the Round Moon Sect has nobody who can fight back?"

The meal didn't go on too late. Once Fang Jinrong grew drowsy, Ge Quan got up right away and took him back to rest.

—

"Your junior disciples said Ge Quan's here?"

Xue Bing said to the middle-aged man in front of him. "Yes, he brought Ji Wunian along, with a young guy in tow. But he's unsteady on his feet and his breathing's off—he's just a regular guy."

The middle-aged man sighed. "It's tough on your junior sister Ding Ling. If it weren't to lure Ge Quan here, she wouldn't have purposely poisoned herself with the Youcheng stuff."

Xue Bing furrowed his brow. "The Youcheng people keep showing up in greater numbers. Could the Luo family, with all their money and power, really be interested in the Tuyuhun secret treasure?"

"The Luo family wants to meddle in the succession struggle—why would they turn down more money?" The middle-aged man talked about the Luo family like he knew them well, then said quietly, "And rather than being interested in the treasure itself, they seem more like they want to use it for something else. Why else would they be so low-key about it?"

Xue Bing took a deep breath. "They're not after the same thing we are, are they?"

"No, the Youcheng people aren't as desperate for help as our Lezheng family."

----------------------------------------