Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Shen Lian saw the young male concubine at the door take a water flask, tilt his head back, and chug it down without stopping.

Shen Lian was a bit curious. He crawled across the bare wooden bed to the bedpost and pressed his face against it to get a better look.

It looked kind of like a military canteen—a huge one.

Why was the little male concubine drinking so much water?

Actually, it was probably because Shen Lian was too heavy—carrying him all the way back must have worn him out, right?

Ha, he was still acting like it was easy, but he was totally wiped. So the young male concubine was that prideful—no wonder he got so sulky when told his kidneys were weak.

But weird—being that exhausted, how was the young male concubine not gasping for air?

Could it be that some people, when worn out, don't pant but just get thirsty?

If Shen Lian had sprinted back to the temporary palace at that speed—even naked and carrying no one—he'd have been dizzy and gasping for air.

"Dian Xia, you're going with Prince Xi to the front lines to boost morale—you only need to show up before the battle, right? Do you actually have to fight? Otherwise, why the rush to train in horseback archery?"

Shen Lian was a bit worried, because this border crisis would trigger the major calamity the original novel's dragon-spine protagonist had to face.

If the young male concubine followed Prince Xi into battle and got assigned to that ambush, he'd be sold out by the mole.

Even though the male lead changed formations and fought with everything he had, he only brought back half his men in the end.

The death rate was as high as fifty percent.

The dragon-spine protagonist had plot armor and inhuman combat skills—he didn't even have a bruise. The other soldiers weren't so lucky.

Among them was a highly skilled old general. The dragon-spine protagonist covered for him and managed to save him, but he ended up dying from an infected cut on his thigh.

That old general was the one who had recognized Prince Qi's talent and helped him rise. That event hit the protagonist hard.

Xie Yuan finished the whole flask of water before turning his head to glance sideways.

The young imperial physician was clinging to the bedpost like a limp vine, kneeling by the bedside, his big, watery eyes looking at him with worry.

Xie Yuan turned away, still feeling parched.

He recalled when he first met the young imperial physician—he'd gotten drunk, stumbled into the wrong sleeping quarters, kicked the door open, and held the young physician while he slept all night.

The young physician had been terrified, but he hadn't called anyone to drag him away. He'd just foolishly let himself be wrapped up and slept with all night.

When he woke up, Xie Yuan was shocked. When he questioned him afterward, the young physician had been lying on the bed looking at him just as soft and boneless.

At the time, Xie Yuan hadn't realized the young physician thought of him as his male concubine. He only thought this insignificant Imperial Medical Bureau official had some nerve to answer him like that.

Recalling it now, it felt completely different.

The pliable young physician lying on the bed wasn't calm or arrogant—he was lost, helpless, and resigned.

But Xie Yuan hadn't understood that at the time.

"Lord Shen's worried about me?"

Shen Lian admitted: "Right, war isn't something you need to show up for just to save face. Why did Prince Xi bring you along? Can't you just say no? Since it's a border crisis in the northern desert, Prince Qi will definitely lead the troops. Isn't having the War God of Great Wei enough? Can't you two just sit this one out? It's too dangerous."

The young male concubine smiled, tossed the flask onto the flower stand, and walked over to the head of the bed. He put one hand on the bedpost Shen Lian was leaning against and looked down at him: "What kind of talk is that? Isn't Prince Qi the hero you admire most? So if there's danger and he goes alone, you don't care?"

"Because His Highness Prince Qi is invincible—he definitely won't have any trouble. But ordinary people like you, with flesh and blood, are different." No plot armor.

Xie Yuan thought for a moment, feeling something was off. He looked down and questioned the young physician: "When you went out of the palace for consultations, you complained he was too poor to give you ten taels as a tip. When you wanted to offer the Water Mill, you said he wasn't powerful enough yet and you were afraid of offending Prince Duan and Prince Rong. Now that the battlefield is dangerous, Prince Qi suddenly becomes invincible?"

"Otherwise, why do you think Prince Qi is the War God of Great Wei? He's just that good." Shen Lian explained: "Even if something unexpected happens, Prince Qi can protect himself—no need to worry. But the soldiers who go with him on the ambush don't have that kind of ability. Anyway, you have to promise me: this time when you go to the northern desert, absolutely do not leave the pass with Prince Qi's troops."

Xie Yuan laughed: "Three towns have had a third of their elite forces transferred away—it might not even come to battle. And you want to go on the offensive? Where would you ambush?"

Shen Lian blinked, trying hard to recall the original plot: "Anyway, this time, if Prince Qi gets intel from scouts and finds some valley or something as an ambush point, you must not join in the fun. No matter how Prince Qi foresees everything and wins every battle, we can't take that credit, understand, Dian Xia?"

Xie Yuan was startled: "Valley? You mean Fengchi Valley? How do you know about a small pass south of the Yinma River?"

"That's it!" Shen Lian's eyes lit up, and he knelt up, gripping the post: "It was called Feng... mm!"

In an instant, it felt like a steel needle had pierced his temple.

Shen Lian's vision went dark.

All sensation suddenly vanished.

"Level One Alert: Host has leaked key plot information."

"If the main plotline deviates, the calamity will be redirected to the host."

"If the chain reaction affects more than fifty thousand people, the host will be expelled from the system."

...

"Shen Lian!"

Suddenly gasping for air, Shen Lian opened his eyes. His body, slowly coming back to him, was pressed tightly against someone's chest and being shaken back and forth.

"Shen Lian?" The young male concubine stared at him in shock: "What's wrong with you?"

"Ah..." Shen Lian looked around and found he was still by the bedpost, just collapsed in the young male concubine's arms: "What happened to me?"

"You almost pitched headfirst off the bed just now." The young male concubine looked at him, confused: "What kind of imperial physician are you, with such poor stamina? Carrying you a few miles wore you out this much? Good thing I picked out a fine bow for you—should I swap it for a slingshot? Can you even pull it back?"

"No, I just heard..." The ache in Shen Lian's head still throbbed faintly, and the system's warning was still echoing in his mind.

It hit him belatedly.

So he couldn't leak key plot points from the original story?

And deviating from the plot would cause trouble for him personally?

Prince Qi had the dragon-spine protagonist's plot armor to survive, but if Shen Lian ran into a calamity that big, wouldn't he blow up on the spot?

"Dian Xia!" He grabbed the young male concubine's lapels and pleaded nervously: "What we just talked about—you absolutely cannot tell anyone. Not Prince Xi, not Prince Qi. Prince Qi is very capable—you don't need to worry about him leading troops out of the city. Just stay hidden in the camp and don't get involved. Promise me!"

"Fine." The young male concubine said: "I'll hole up in the city and not care whether Prince Qi lives or dies."

Only then did Shen Lian let go of his lapels.

The young male concubine was now kneeling on one knee on the bedboard, his other leg still planted by the bedside—he must have stepped onto the bed in one stride to catch him as he fell.

Seeing that Shen Lian had regained his senses, the young male concubine supported his back with one arm and slowly lowered him onto the hard bedboard.

Shen Lian, dissatisfied, instinctively grabbed the Young Male Concubine's lapels again. "Don't let me go."

The Young Male Concubine tilted his head. "What's wrong?"

Snapping back to reality, Shen Lian looked up and met his gaze in silence.

Why did he suddenly blurt out such an unreasonable, out-of-nowhere demand? What excuse was he supposed to come up with?

Shen Lian swallowed hard, let out an awkward laugh, released his lapels, and smoothed the wrinkles on his chest. "Nothing. Weren't we just playing that game where I'm the wife taking care of her husband? You failed at the end. Wanna give it another shot? Otherwise, your wife's gonna be real disappointed in you."

Prince Qi's pupils dilated violently again.

This young imperial physician was seriously scheming.

Damn, his methods were ruthless.

These little sodomites usually seemed gentle, harmless, clueless, and innocent.

Yet now he'd come up with such a viciously tempting game that Prince Qi couldn't help but be curious.

The weird feeling from that bellyband fantasy earlier was still there—actually, it was getting worse.

If he kept getting this close, the other guy might notice how flustered he was.

Before Prince Qi could react, the young imperial physician was already in character, reaching out to wrap his arms around Prince Qi's neck again, and asked eagerly, "Dian Xia, what kind of wife do you picture? Haha! Is she one of those talented beauties with that delicate, poetic, artsy vibe? A beauty? If you had to pick between brains and looks, which one you going with?"

Xie Yuan got distracted by the question, his gaze drifting as he thought, then he smirked. "Is that even a question? You've known me this long and still haven't figured out how shallow I am? As long as she's hot enough, I'd even take two extra spoonfuls of salt."

"Haha, figured as much. Hmm..." Shen Lian pursed his lips and thought for a second. "You like 'em taller or more petite?"

"Either's fine."

Shen Lian mimed pinching the cheeks of the guy's future wife. "Is she the type with those big round almond eyes? All innocent and cute?"

The Young Male Concubine patted the arm around his neck, trying to get Shen Lian to let go so he could get up.

"Just tell me first," Shen Lian insisted.

The Young Male Concubine narrowed his eyes and smiled helplessly. "Nope."

"Then what kinda eye shape do you like?"

"I don't know."

"Come on, think about it! It's gonna take you forever to buy me out, so it's fun to practice in advance."

"You ever seen those little cats they get as tribute from Persia? My mom... my mom keeps one. Its eyes tilt up at the corners, looking all pitiful, like it never gets enough to eat, so people keep feeding it, and now it's super fat."

Shen Lian was taken aback.

The guy actually liked cat eyes.

Not only did he want three wives, but his standards were this damn high.

Shen Lian poured cold water on that: "Cat eyes aren't just pretty because of the shape—it's the whole package. The features are all compact, the proportions are easy on the eyes, so the big eyes really pop. But seriously, who has eyes that take up a third of their face? That'd be creepy."

Seeing that Shen Lian wasn't letting go, the guy had no choice but to compromise and sit sideways on the bed. He thought seriously for a moment, then explained, "It's mainly the look in their eyes. They seem to need me so bad. I like being looked at like that."

"Fine." Shen Lian crawled over on his knees and sat next to him. "Then picture your gorgeous but shallow wife staring at you with eyes that desperately need you to feed her."

The Young Male Concubine glanced at him sideways. "Why are you making me picture all this right now? You planning to fix my kidneys before I head off to war?"

Shen Lian was speechless.

The truth was, deep down, he wanted the guy to suddenly feel like he desperately needed a hug.

Shen Lian could play the wife and score more cuddles that way.

A seriously sneaky scheme.

Realizing how messed up his behavior was, Shen Lian sheepishly let go of the guy's neck.

He looked down to change the subject. "Dian Xia, where did you put the bundle I brought? This time I didn't just make you warming medicinal powder—I also packed you several pouches of White Immortal Powder. I didn't use porcelain bottles so they wouldn't break on the road. And I got a few new bottles of medicine for tetanus. Bring them over, and I'll teach you how to use them."

Xie Yuan was surprised. "Several pouches? Didn't you say that White Immortal Powder was hard to make?"

Shen Lian gave an awkward smile.

It wasn't hard anymore. The system's popularity points had exchanged for high-tech equipment—just mix the ingredients, pour them in, and by the time you wake up, it's automatically produced.

Xie Yuan stared at the young imperial physician's flushed cheeks, marveling inwardly.

This little sodomite had actually been working day and night to make medicine powder for him because he was going to war.

His heart felt swollen, beating heavily.

Why had this little sodomite suddenly started loving him so much?

Could it be because last time he let the young imperial physician sleep in the warm pavilion of Prince Xi's residence...

Sleeping in the bed he himself had slept in—was that a hint of possession for a consort?

Had he given the young imperial physician the wrong signal?

Damn it.

Prince Qi had originally only planned to take three consorts.

If he added one male consort, though it wasn't in the plan, it wouldn't be a big deal. The young imperial physician was a money-grubber, so satisfying him would be simple.

But if they became that kind of relationship, wouldn't he have to do husband-and-wife things with the young imperial physician?

Xie Yuan felt like he was facing a great enemy. His narrow, long eyes coldly scrutinized the young imperial physician's figure up and down.

Shen Lian felt goosebumps rise all over.

Why was the Young Male Concubine looking at him with that devouring gaze again?

Could he have figured out that Shen Lian was trying to trick him into cuddling?