Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

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

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Chapter 71

Ruan Qin had someone invite the best doctor in Wuhetan, a man named Wei Kai. He looked only a little over thirty, but his medical skills were superb, though he had a somewhat eccentric temperament.

When Ruan Qin sent someone to fetch him, Wei Kai didn’t want to come at first. It was only after the servant promised him a hefty sum that he finally agreed to bring his medical case and follow the servant to Huo Fenghua’s residence.

To avoid arousing suspicion, Huo Fenghua had Su Zeyang step out. Only he and Ruan Qin stayed in the room to receive Wei Kai.

Even though Wei Kai had come for the money, his expression was still unpleasant. He set the medical case hanging at his side down heavily on the table, then strode to the bedside. “Who is it? What’s wrong with him?”

Huo Fenghua didn’t speak. Ruan Qin answered instead. “He’s our Master’s cousin. He came from Donglin to seek refuge with our Master, but on the road, he ate a fried pancake someone gave him and was poisoned.”

Wei Kai glanced at Ruan Qin. Seeing her gentle, delicate features, he couldn’t help taking a second look and asked, “Miss, what’s your surname?”

Ruan Qin shot Huo Fenghua a look, then retreated half a step behind him. “My surname is Ruan. This is my master, Su Qiang.”

Huo Fenghua smiled and cupped his hands toward Wei Kai. “Sorry to trouble you, Doctor Wei. Please take a look and see what poison my cousin has been afflicted with.” As he spoke, he walked to the bed, gently lifted the blanket, and took Feng Tianzong’s wrist, placing it at the edge of the bed.

Feng Tianzong was awake, lying there without speaking.

Wei Kai first checked his complexion, then his eyes and lips. After that, he sat down by the bed and took his pulse. His fingers rested on the wrist for a long time before he let go and asked, “When you ate that poisoned pancake, what reaction did you have?”

Feng Tianzong said, “At the time, nothing much. I just gradually felt weaker. After a while, I got drowsier and drowsier. I ended up asleep more than I was awake.”

Huo Fenghua heard how his voice lacked strength. He crouched at the bedside, wanting to hold his hand, but he was afraid Wei Kai would get suspicious, so he forced himself to refrain.

Wei Kai frowned. “This poison seems like it built up over time. Someone gave you a poisoned pancake? I doubt you ate only one.”

Feng Tianzong gave a quiet laugh, his lips deathly pale. “Doctor truly is impressive. I traveled with that person for a stretch. He said he’d brought cakes from home and shared them with me along the way. I didn’t expect there would be poison in them.”

Wei Kai didn’t think anything was amiss. He only said, “I’ll write a prescription tailored to the symptoms first. Have someone go prepare the medicine. As for completely purging the poison from his body, I’ll have to go back and consult some medical texts.”

Huo Fenghua hurriedly said, “Thank you, Doctor Wei.”

Wei Kai rose, went to the table, sat down, and wrote out a prescription in swift strokes, then handed it to Ruan Qin.

Ruan Qin took the prescription and escorted Wei Kai out.

Only Feng Tianzong and Huo Fenghua remained in the room. Huo Fenghua crouched by the bed, took Feng Tianzong’s hand, and said, “Don’t worry. Wei Kai’s incredible. He’ll definitely be able to cure the poison in you.”

Feng Tianzong said softly, “I’m not worried. After all these years, it’s rare to have a chance to do nothing, think nothing, and just lie quietly in bed.”

Huo Fenghua looked at him. “You woke up and saw me here, and you don’t seem surprised at all.”

Feng Tianzong withdrew his hand from Huo Fenghua’s grasp, then laboriously lifted it to stroke Huo Fenghua’s face. “When you left, I kept thinking that one day, we’d still see each other again.”

Huo Fenghua said, “Sounds like you didn’t mean it when you told me to go.”

Feng Tianzong only smiled and asked, “Did you sell that jade pendant?”

Huo Fenghua fell silent for a moment, then pulled the pendant from inside his clothes.

When Feng Tianzong saw it, he reached out as if to touch it.

Huo Fenghua quickly drew it back. “You gave it to me, so it’s mine. There’s no reason to take it back.”

Feng Tianzong smiled. “I won’t take it back. As long as you want it, it’s yours.”

Huo Fenghua said, “Senior Brother is mine too.”

Feng Tianzong wasn’t angry. He smiled. “He’s yours.”

A sudden sadness rose in Huo Fenghua. His eyes reddened. “You’re mine too.”

Feng Tianzong said, “Alright. I’m yours.”

Huo Fenghua clasped the hand resting against his cheek and kissed Feng Tianzong’s palm. “Senior brother is still angry. He won’t forgive me.”

Feng Tianzong said, “He just doesn’t want to drag you down.”

Huo Fenghua’s voice was heavy. “He treats you as family, but not me. That’s why he talks about dragging me down.”

Feng Tianzong sighed. “But you were determined to leave. What do you expect him to think?”

Huo Fenghua said, “You lied to him too. It makes no sense he’s only angry at me and not at you.”

Feng Tianzong shook his head. “How do you know he isn’t angry at me?” He was probably even angrier.

Huo Fenghua suddenly thought of something else. “He’s afraid of dragging me down. Why aren’t you afraid of dragging me down?”

Feng Tianzong said, “I am. But I can’t even get out of bed. It’s not like I can crawl out of here. When your Senior Brother killed the imperial guards and carried me away, he fled into the mountains with me on his back. I kept slipping into unconsciousness. I wanted to tell him to leave me behind and save himself. But I didn’t. Do you know why?”

Huo Fenghua felt his chest ache. He said softly, “Because even if you said it, he wouldn’t listen.”

Feng Tianzong gave a faint laugh. “Exactly. So I said nothing. And with you, I’ll say nothing too.”

Huo Fenghua tightened his grip on his hand.

Feng Tianzong said, “Get up. I want to kiss you.”

Huo Fenghua stood and leaned in. After a moment, he slowly pressed his lips to Feng Tianzong’s. Feng Tianzong’s lips and tongue were cold and weak, with a faint bitterness.

When Huo Fenghua pulled back, he asked, “Did I get poisoned too?”

Hearing that, Feng Tianzong closed his eyes and chuckled, then slipped back into unconsciousness.

He slept until night. When he woke again, it was already dark.

Feng Tianzong opened his eyes and saw Su Zeyang sitting by the bed, staring at him without blinking. He said to Su Zeyang, “You’re tired. Go rest.”

Su Zeyang replied, “I’m not tired. I rested this afternoon. You haven’t eaten in a long time. Eat something first, then drink your medicine.”

Just as he finished speaking, the door opened from outside. Huo Fenghua came in personally, carrying a food box. As soon as he entered, he said happily, “General’s awake? Perfect. I brought dinner.”

The dinner was for Su Zeyang and Feng Tianzong. Huo Fenghua had already eaten outside with Xiongda and Xiong’er. He had Su Zeyang go sit at the table to eat, while he carried a bowl of porridge to the bedside and fed Feng Tianzong.

When the porridge was cooked, Huo Fenghua had specifically told Ruan Qin to procure premium ginseng. He minced chicken finely, added greens, and simmered everything slowly in a clay pot until it turned thick and silky, fragrant enough to fill the air, before pouring it into a bowl and packing it into the food box.

Huo Fenghua helped Feng Tianzong sit up against the headboard. He sat beside him, scooped up a spoonful of porridge, patiently blew until it wasn’t hot, then fed it to Feng Tianzong.

As he fed him, Huo Fenghua kept chattering, “You knew someone was trying to kill you, so why did you just let yourself get escorted back to Yujing? And the food on the road, if you knew it was poisoned then don’t eat it. Look what it’s come to now.”

Feng Tianzong humored him. Between swallows, he even answered, “Zeyang and my elder brother were still in Yujing. What did you want me to do, raise an army and rebel?”

Huo Fenghua knew that route was impossible. He was only complaining because he couldn’t stand seeing Feng Tianzong reduced to this. “How would I know what to do? I’m not the Great General of the Western Expedition. If you don’t even know what to do, what kind of general are you? You might as well go home and farm.”

Feng Tianzong was choked into silence. After a moment, he could only say, “I’ve wanted to resign and go home to farm.” But now he was a fugitive accused of treason. What came next couldn’t be decided overnight.

Huo Fenghua didn’t push it further. After feeding Feng Tianzong the porridge, he had him take his medicine, then helped him lie back down.

Feng Tianzong kept his eyes open, looking a bit more alert.

Huo Fenghua watched him. “Looks like Wei Kai’s medicine really does work.”

Su Zeyang, hearing that, came over too.

When Huo Fenghua saw him standing beside him, he couldn’t help lifting his hand and lightly brushing the back of Su Zeyang’s hand with his own.

Su Zeyang felt it and didn’t move his hand away.

Huo Fenghua turned to look at him. “Senior Brother, why aren’t you asking me how I managed to get such a huge residence in Wuhetan in such a short time?”

So Su Zeyang asked, “How?”

There was no sincerity in it at all. Huo Fenghua immediately felt dejected. He grabbed Su Zeyang’s sleeve and shook it. “Senior Brother, do you not miss me at all?”

Su Zeyang lowered his head slightly. After a moment, he said, “I do.”

Seeing Feng Tianzong still unable to get up from the bed, Huo Fenghua finally dared to grasp Su Zeyang’s hand and pull him around the room, telling him how he’d dealt with Third Master Luo on his first night in Wuhetan and seized his vast fortune.

Su Zeyang didn’t speak. He simply listened quietly.

Getting excited, Huo Fenghua also mentioned how that night, he’d discovered Third Master Luo was impotent and could only get hard by taking medicine. He picked up a small porcelain bottle from the cabinet and held it out to Su Zeyang. “This is the stuff. It’s amazing. Senior brother, want to try it with me?”

Su Zeyang stared at the bottle.

Huo Fenghua glanced at the bed and lowered his voice. “Anyway, the General’s fine now, and he can’t get up either.”

Su Zeyang lifted his eyes to him, then reached out, his fingertips touching the porcelain bottle.

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