Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 70

Huo Fenghua had a carriage brought over and took Su Zeyang and the unconscious Feng Tianzong back with him.

Before the carriage rolled into Huo Fenghua’s residence, Su Zeyang lifted the curtain a sliver and looked at the plaque above the gate, murmuring, “Boonie Bears?”

He glanced at Huo Fenghua.

Huo Fenghua held his hand and gently rubbed it against his cheek. “This is my home now.”

Su Zeyang didn’t pull his hand away.

The carriage entered the residence. Huo Fenghua was the first to get down. He said to Ruan Qin, who came forward to greet him, “I brought two people back. Set them up in my room. Don’t let it spread. Go find the best doctor in Wuhetan.”

Ruan Qin looked surprised and glanced toward the carriage. She didn’t ask who they were. She only nodded and immediately went to find people and arrange everything.

Huo Fenghua personally carried Feng Tianzong back to his room and gently laid him on the bed.

Su Zeyang and Wen Heyi followed in. Wen Heyi walked behind Su Zeyang, stealing curious looks at him. Whenever Su Zeyang turned to look back, Wen Heyi immediately averted his gaze, but a moment later he couldn’t resist edging closer and whispering, “Mom?”

Su Zeyang sighed helplessly. “Martial Uncle, what happened to you?”

Wen Heyi quickly hid behind Huo Fenghua.

After a while, Ruan Qin knocked outside. “Master Su, Master Xiong’er is back. He wants to see you.”

Huo Fenghua knew he couldn’t hide this from Xiongda and Xiong’er, and he didn’t plan to. He turned and called out, “Let him in. You come in too. I’ve got something to tell you both.”

Ruan Qin replied, “Alright.”

Once Ruan Qin left, Huo Fenghua saw Su Zeyang looking at him and heard Su Zeyang murmur softly, “Master Su?”

Huo Fenghua stepped over and took his hand. “I was thinking about you every moment, so I used the alias Su Qiang here in Wuhetan.” His gaze was sincere as he looked at Su Zeyang.

Su Zeyang lowered his eyes and didn’t respond.

A short while later, Ruan Qin knocked again. “Master Xiong’er is here.”

Huo Fenghua immediately said, “Come in, quick.”

Ruan Qin pushed the door open from outside and let Xiong’er step in first. Seeing so many people in Huo Fenghua’s room, Xiong’er froze for a moment. Then he looked in shock at Feng Tianzong lying on the bed, and after that he couldn’t help studying Su Zeyang carefully.

Ruan Qin entered and shut the door. She didn’t seem as curious. She simply stood quietly to the side, waiting for instructions.

Xiong’er swept his gaze around the room and finally asked Huo Fenghua, “Who are they?”

Huo Fenghua pulled him aside and whispered into his ear, “The man on the bed is Feng Tianzong, the Great General of the Western Expedition.”

Xiong’er’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Huo Fenghua. “Feng Tianzong? Didn’t he get accused of treason and escorted back to Yujing?”

Huo Fenghua raised a finger to his lips and shushed him. “This Young Master Su is his wife. He rescued Feng Tianzong from Donglin’s imperial guards and brought him here to Wuhetan. We don’t know whether the pursuers have discovered their whereabouts yet.”

A storm of thoughts flashed through Xiong’er’s mind before he finally said, “Hiding him like this will bring us trouble!”

Huo Fenghua slung an arm around his shoulders. “Besides you and Ruan Qin, nobody knows I’m hiding him. And this is Wuhetan, not Donglin. What are you so afraid of?”

Xiong’er lowered his voice. “So what if it’s Wuhetan? Even if the whole place banded together, we still couldn’t fight the Donglin army. And we’ve only just gotten our footing!”

Huo Fenghua patted his chest. “Don’t panic, don’t panic. I’m thinking of a way. First, have people scout toward Xichou and see if any pursuers are coming. Also check whether outsiders have been slipping into Wuhetan lately, or whether any rumors about their arrival have started spreading. If nothing’s leaked, we should be safe for now. I’ll think about how to handle the rest.”

Xiong’er looked agitated. He craned his neck and glanced at Feng Tianzong again. Earlier, he hadn’t really taken him in, his attention had been caught by Su Zeyang’s looks. Now he looked again at the man whose name shook the Central Plains. He looked terribly weak, his face ashen, lying there soundlessly, like anyone could kill him with one hand.

Huo Fenghua soothed him with a steady pat on the shoulder. “Brother, calm down. If you don’t take risks, how are you supposed to accomplish anything big?”

Xiong’er said, “Then tell me. Why do you want to save him?”

Huo Fenghua thought for a moment. “Fine. Find a time and we’ll sit down and talk it through slowly. I won’t hide anything from you or your brother. Don’t worry.”

Xiong’er hesitated a bit longer, then finally nodded and left after opening the door.

Only then did Huo Fenghua turn to Ruan Qin. “You heard all that just now too?”

Ruan Qin nodded, far steadier than Xiong’er.

Huo Fenghua said, “Their identities absolutely can’t get out. Otherwise it’ll bring trouble for all of us.”

“I understand,” Ruan Qin said.

Huo Fenghua smiled. “Sister Qin has always been bold but careful. I didn’t really need to say any of that. Right now we just need a skilled doctor. And it’s not convenient to have servants here, so I’ll have to trouble you with a lot of things.”

Ruan Qin said, “I already sent someone to fetch a doctor. I also told the maids not to come near this room. I’ll handle everything personally.”

Huo Fenghua nodded. “Then please have someone bring a bucket of hot water and find two sets of clean clothes. If I think of anything else, I’ll call for you.”

Ruan Qin answered, “Alright,” and left the room.

Su Zeyang walked to the bed and adjusted Feng Tianzong’s blanket, then said, “Once he’s a bit better, we’ll leave immediately.”

Huo Fenghua neither agreed nor refused. He only said, “Let’s get the poison out of him first.”

All this while, Wen Heyi stayed hidden behind Huo Fenghua, secretly watching Su Zeyang.

Su Zeyang looked over at Wen Heyi with concern and asked Huo Fenghua, “What exactly happened to Martial Uncle?”

Huo Fenghua tapped his own head. “Seems like he injured it. When I ran into him in Wuhetan, he was already not clear-minded.”

Su Zeyang couldn’t understand. “Even if he’s not clear-minded, how could he end up thinking you’re his father?”

Huo Fenghua didn’t answer this time. He scratched his chin with one finger and changed the subject. “When the water comes, Senior Brother, you wash up and change first. I’ll have someone bring some pastries too. Eat something.”

Su Zeyang didn’t press the question. He only lifted his head to look around the room. “You’ve been living well in Wuhetan.”

Huo Fenghua smiled. “It’s all taken from someone else. But that person wasn’t anything good, so you don’t have to feel sorry for him.”

Su Zeyang said, “If I’d known you were in Wuhetan, I wouldn’t have brought Tianzong here.”

That stung. Huo Fenghua leaned against the display cabinet and lightly stroked a small porcelain bottle sitting on it. “Do you really hate me that much? You won’t forgive me?”

Su Zeyang shook his head. It wasn’t that he refused to forgive him, he only blamed himself for disrupting Huo Fenghua’s life. Since Huo Fenghua had chosen to stay away, he should have truly drawn a clean line.

Not long after, Ruan Qin had the hot water delivered.

Huo Fenghua chased Wen Heyi out of the room and latched the door. He let Su Zeyang bathe inside with the hot water while he dampened a piece of cotton cloth and wiped Feng Tianzong down.

In his memory, from the first time he’d met Feng Tianzong, he’d never once seen him so fragile and defenseless. He stripped Feng Tianzong bare, then started with his face and slowly worked downward with the wet cloth, along his neck and torso, saying as he wiped, “You’re filthy. You’ve gotten my bed and blanket all dirty. Later I’ll have to ask Sister Qin to change them.”

Su Zeyang sat in the tub, his long hair floating on the surface, and said softly, “We’ve been running for our lives.”

There hadn’t even been time to find a doctor to detox Feng Tianzong, let alone bathe.

Huo Fenghua spread Feng Tianzong’s long legs and scrubbed firmly between them.

Suddenly, he heard a faint groan from above. He looked up and saw Feng Tianzong had opened his eyes.

Feng Tianzong was still weak. He frowned slightly at first, as if he didn’t know whether this was real or a dream. Then his brow eased, his lips curling faintly upward as he said, weak and breathless, “You can be a little gentler.”

Huo Fenghua’s hand clenched hard around the cloth. He stared at Feng Tianzong, his eyes turning a little wet, but he still muttered, “I’m going to cripple you, then I’m eloping with Senior Brother.”

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