Chapter 59 - Xiao Nong: Little Master?
The water flowed too fast, and Zhong Yansheng only had time to hold on to Xiao Nong before he was washed down by the rushing water. In the chaos, he was suddenly pressed into Xiao Nong's arms, and a "bang" sound came to his ears, but he couldn't tell what the sound was.
Fortunately, this section of turbulent water converged into a wide pool, and the water flow gradually calmed down. Zhong Yansheng was dizzy and didn't know where they were washed to. His head was dizzy and aching. After tossing and turning for so long, the medicine given by Lou Qingtang seemed to have no effect.
But Xiao Nong's condition was obviously much worse than his. The hand holding him was no longer as strong as before, and he seemed to have lost consciousness and sank silently.
Zhong Yansheng panicked: "Brother... Xiao Nong!"
Xiao Nong jumped so gracefully that he thought Zhan Rong was joking.
It turns out that he really can't swim!
Zhong Yansheng tried desperately to tell himself to stay calm. He took a deep breath, dived into the water again, leaned over and put his lips on Xiao Nong's, and slowly breathed in.
The hand that was originally hooked on his hand with no strength seemed to move.
Just now in the woods, it was Xiao Nong who carried him running, but now that they fell into the water, it was Zhong Yansheng who tried hard to carry Xiao Nong and swim to the shore.
Xiao Nong was much taller than him. Zhong Yansheng stopped several times before he reached the shore. He first climbed onto the shore and then struggled to pull Xiao Nong ashore.
After doing all this, Zhong Yansheng was left with no strength left. He knelt on the shore, panting, and let Xiao Nong rest his head on his knees to help him calm down a little. Seeing that Xiao Nong still didn't move, he felt a chill in his heart and put his trembling fingertips under Xiao Nong's nose.
Fortunately, he is still breathing.
Zhong Yansheng's body softened, and only then did he feel cold.
It might be almost Yin time now, the coldest time of the night. The wind was blowing on my body, and my wet clothes felt heavy and icy cold to the bone.
[Almost Yin Hour = Before 3 A.M.]
The moon finally came out. It was almost Mid-Autumn Festival, and the moon was almost full. The bright moonlight fell down, rippling on the dark water and illuminating Xiao Nong's pale face.
Zhong Yansheng had never seen His Royal Highness Prince Ding so weak, and he vaguely realized something.
Xiao Nong...Xiao Nong's injury!
Also, when they were being rushed down, Xiao Nong seemed to have blocked something for him.
Zhong Yansheng hurriedly felt his arms, fortunately the medicine bottle and dagger were still there.
With shaking hands, he hurried to take off Xiao Nong's clothes. The wet belt was very difficult to untie. Zhong Yansheng pulled it several times, but it became harder and harder. In a hurry, he simply pulled out the dagger with shaking hands and said guiltily: "Yes, you asked me to use the dagger."
After he finished speaking, he cut Xiao Nong's belt with a "swish", unbuttoned his robe, revealing Xiao Nong's upper body.
Xiao Nong's body was much stronger than Zhong Yansheng's. His chest was firm, and the muscles on his waist and abdomen were thin, tough, and powerful, flowing smoothly under his belt. Under the moonlight, his skin was moist and wet.
Such beautiful waist and abdominal muscles must be very powerful.
Zhong Yansheng was stunned for a moment, his face turned red for no apparent reason, and he shook his head.
What are you thinking about! Xiao Nong is injured!
When he brushed away the clothes on Xiao Nong's waist, Zhong Yansheng saw clearly the scars of various sizes on his body, most of which were old injuries.
Zhong Yansheng liked beautiful and flawless things, but when these injuries fell on Xiao Nong, he did not think it was ugly. Instead, his eyes became hot and he pursed his lips.
After pushing aside the clothes on his waist, Zhong Yansheng could clearly see the wound on Xiao Nong's waist.
It was a deep knife wound, as long as his thumb. The bleeding had stopped, but after a fight with Wanzhou and running with him for a while, the wound opened again and bled. It was soaked in water for a while, and it looked horrible.
The injury should have been sustained during the attack in the evening. Afterward, Xiao Nong probably had a headache and was separated from Zhan Rong and the others. The injury has not been treated yet, and it can't be delayed any longer.
Zhong Yansheng's eyes became even hotter. With red eyes, he dipped his fingers in the ointment and carefully applied it to his waist.
As he wiped his tears, they started to fall again.
Zhong Yansheng had been in poor health since childhood and was spoiled with many minor ailments, but he seldom cried. But tonight was the second time he cried.
Thinking that the pursuers might appear again, Zhong Yansheng fell dizzy again. He didn't know when he would wake up. He was exhausted, his head was hot and he felt dizzy. He couldn't drag Xiao Nong. It was so cold at night, and they couldn't burn firewood without a tinderbox. They might not survive tonight...
The tears fell even harder.
Zhong Yansheng didn't dare to sob out loud. He cried secretly while applying medicine to Xiao Nong. He stopped for a while when he was tired and continued again. Tears flowed down his chin and dripped onto Xiao Nong's body. After a while, his fingers were suddenly hooked.
Zhong Yansheng was stunned, and looked at Xiao Nong with tearful eyes, and said with a heavy nasal tone: "Brother?"
Xiao Nong touched his fingers again.
This gave Zhong Yansheng great strength and courage. He quickly wiped away his tears, tore off a large piece of his soft silk clothes, and barely managed to bandage Xiao's wound.
When he was putting Xiao Nong's clothes back on, Zhong Yansheng realized that it was a bit stupid to cut Xiao Nong's belt. He should have cut his clothes directly.
It's already been cut...there's nothing I can do but cover it up.
Zhong Yansheng shrank his head, hoping that Xiao Nong would not say anything strange to him after waking up. He took out the wind-cold pill specially made by Lou Qingtang and stuffed it into Xiao Nong's mouth.
He originally thought that it would take some effort to stuff the medicine into Xiao Nong's mouth, but unexpectedly Xiao Nong was very obedient, and the medicine was successfully fed in with almost no hindrance.
After doing all this, Zhong Yansheng felt a little hot, like a small animal that huddled in Xiao Nong's arms for warmth. He huddled in his arms, looked at his lips that were too pale under the moonlight, couldn't help but raise his head, and for the first time took the initiative to kiss the corner of his lips: "Brother, you must hold on... I, I haven't shown you the picture of the little man I drew yet."
Thinking of what Xiao Nong had done to him in the cave, his eyelashes trembled, and he asked in a low voice, holding back his shyness: "Do you really want to sleep with me..."
Zhong Yansheng's memory of that night on the painted boat was already very vague. When he recalled it now, he only remembered the pain and tiredness. After returning home, he felt uncomfortable for several days.
Zhong Yansheng bit his lip and said, "Yes, it's not impossible, but you have to learn how not to hurt me. I'm afraid of pain."
The more Zhong Yansheng thought about it, the hotter his forehead became. He didn't know where he got the courage to say these things. Or maybe he was not very brave. He certainly wouldn't dare to say these things in front of Xiao Nong who was sober.
It seemed that these words were useful. Xiao Nong seemed to have heard them and tightened his hands that were loosely around his waist.
Seeing that it worked, Zhong Yansheng suppressed his shame and continued: "I can draw two pictures of sleeping people on my little man picture..."
Yun Cheng was a young man with a playful mind and was curious about love affairs. When he was in Gusu, he got a fire avoidance map from somewhere and secretly read it with Zhong Yansheng.
As a result, they were discovered by Mr. Zhou, and both of them were beaten with a ruler and forced to copy the Book of Rites several times.
Zhong Yansheng only took a quick glance and was too embarrassed to look at it any further. He only remembered that the poses were all kinds of weird and the drawings were not very pretty.
If he were to draw it, he would definitely be able to draw it beautifully.
If I draw him and Xiao Nong...
Zhong Yansheng didn’t dare to think about it anymore. He buried his head in Xiao Nong’s arms, suspecting that he was about to catch fire.
He did have a fever, his face was red, and the high fever that had been suppressed by medicine rebounded, and was even worse than in the afternoon. Although his body was wet, his throat was dry and painful, and his head was throbbing with severe pain. He felt a little more comfortable only when he rubbed his body in Xiao Nong's cold arms.
Zhong Yansheng lay in Xiao Nong's arms. In his daze, he heard footsteps approaching.
He clenched the dagger tightly, and when he turned around, he heard a few voices: "Huh? Not soldiers... Where did the two people who fell into the water come from?"
"Take them back first!"
Zhong Yansheng sensitively sensed that the people who surrounded him had no murderous intent. He opened and closed his fingers weakly a few times, and before he passed out, he held Xiao Nong's hand tightly.
Xiao Nong also held his hand tightly.
This cold became much more serious than the beginning. Zhong Yansheng felt like he was burned and withered. When he was drowsy, he had many messy dreams. The first dream was about his childhood when he was too weak to get out of bed and could only lie in bed and look out the window.
Later he dreamed that when he was in Gusu, he had recovered from his illness and could finally run and jump like many normal people. However, he still could not go out often. He could only wait for Yuncheng to come back and bring him news from the outside world and interesting books.
Later, he came to the capital and met Xiao Nong...
Many people secretly laughed at him and called him a fake. Wan Zhou also said that with malicious intent before he died, thinking that he could hurt him.
But in fact, Zhong Yansheng didn’t care that much.
He was indeed disappointed and sad that he was not from the Marquis of Huai'an and his wife, but he felt relieved that he was not the eleventh prince.
The old emperor owed the Xiao family a blood debt, and he sent Xiao Nong, who was not even twenty years old, to the chaotic Mobei with 50,000 reinforcements to quell the rebellion. It was clear that he wanted to kill Xiao Nong.
Xiao Nong hated people from the royal family, and he didn't like them either.
Fortunately, he is not from the royal family, so he won’t feel uneasy even if Xiao Nong treats him well.
Zhong Yansheng had layer upon layer of dreams, and he even dreamed of Xiao Nong from his youth.
Uncle Wang described to him what Xiao Nong was like when he was a teenager.
At that time, Xiao Nong had not yet incorporated the old subordinates of King Ding. There was no invincible Black Armored Army. There was only the empty and dilapidated palace, the old and weak uncle Wang, and the cousin who could only hug his thigh and cry.
He was originally a free eagle in Mobei, but his family suffered a great change. After returning to Beijing, he had to endure the pitying, sympathetic and mocking gazes of various noble families. He was forced to lower his head by the old emperor. He was no better than now, strong and calm, composed and confident. He was extremely alert to everything around him, and spoke little and was silent.
Uncle Wang said that he always looked gloomy, sitting in a corner polishing his sword, and was not as high-spirited as portrayed in operas.
In the dream, he stumbled towards the gloomy boy Xiao Nong with a stumbling step. The indifferent and impatient boy Xiao Nong watched him approach, and finally opened his arms, caught him, and cursed him with disgust.
"Fool."
Zhong Yansheng thought vaguely that if only he could be born a few years earlier and be healthier, he could meet the young Xiao Nong.
As he was thinking, he woke up from a deep sleep. He opened his eyes and was confused for a while before he found that he was actually lying on the bed.
It was already daybreak, and the scene before him was extremely unfamiliar. It was a simple little room. Apart from the small bed he was lying on, there was only a table and two chairs. It was extremely shabby.
It’s not in the post station in Baoqing Prefecture.
...Where is Xiao Nong? !
Zhong Yansheng sat up hurriedly, his head dizzy for a moment, and then he noticed Xiao Nong beside him.
Xiao Nong was sleeping next to him. He had changed into clean clothes. His handsome face was still a little pale from blood loss, but he was fine, and his breathing was still even.
Zhong Yansheng's heart suddenly fell back to where it was.
No matter where this is, he is not so scared as long as Xiao Nong is by his side.
He had a fever last night and his whole body was aching. His head was still dizzy. He stretched out his hand weakly, trying to touch Xiao Nong's forehead, but accidentally touched something at hand, and it fell to the ground with a thud.
There was someone guarding outside. When he heard the noise, he pushed the door open and came in. Seeing Zhong Yansheng sitting up, he asked in surprise, "Hey, you're awake?"
Zhong Yansheng subconsciously moved sideways to block Xiao Nong and raised his eyes to look at the person coming.
His eyes were burning red and his black hair was disheveled, making his snow-white face look even paler and more haggard. His beautiful features were as clear as water, and his gentle temperament made him look like a soft and injured little animal, which made people feel soft-hearted and unconsciously let down their guard.
The young man at the door glanced at him twice, not daring to look any further, and scratched his head: "You had such a severe fever before, we thought you would not wake up until at least tonight."
It's someone I've never seen before.
Zhong Yansheng looked at the unfamiliar face, felt the dagger in his sleeve, and quietly tightened it. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse and soft, innocent and harmless: "Big brother, where is this?"
"This is Shuiyun Village." The young man smiled broadly at him. "Don't be afraid. We won't harm the people. We just saw that one of you was seriously injured and the other was seriously ill. If we don't bring you back, we're afraid you'll die in the woods."
Zhong Yansheng was stunned.
Shuiyun Village... No way?
Could this be the bandit lair they have been looking for?
The bandit’s lair that the local officials of Baoqing Prefecture had spent more than half a year trying to find was unexpectedly encountered by him and Xiao Nong?
However, the forest was so lively last night. In addition to the officers and soldiers of Baoqing Prefecture, the soldiers of the Five Army Camps he brought with him, there were also Xiao Nong's black-armored soldiers, and several groups of assassins of unknown origin. The mountains and plains were full of people. It was estimated that in the past, when Baoqing Prefecture sent troops to encircle and suppress bandits, there was never such a large-scale battle.
The bandits in the mountains must have noticed it, so it seems normal that they would send people out to investigate the situation.
Although I have heard that this group of people would not hurt anyone, the identities of Zhong Yansheng and Xiao Nong are really special.
They are...imperial envoys from the capital city who came to suppress bandits.
If the criminals knew their identities, there was no telling what would happen.
Being in a den of thieves with no one around, Zhong Yansheng felt his back go numb. He guessed that they probably didn't know the identities of him and Xiao Nong yet, so he didn't dare to say much for fear of being exposed. He showed a hint of gratitude: "Thank you."
Zhong Yansheng was handsome and well-behaved, and the young man couldn't help but want to say a few more words to him: "Who is that next to you? When I brought you back, he was unconscious, but he was still holding on to you and refused to let go."
Zhong Yansheng: “…”
The young man smacked his lips and continued, "Both of your clothes are wet. I wanted to separate you last night to change your clothes, but he almost beat me. He is really strong. I am one of the strongest people in the village. But in the end, he sobered up for a while and changed your clothes."
Zhong Yansheng wiped the sweat off his forehead after hearing this.
If Xiao Nong hadn't been injured, bleeding so much, and choking on water for a long time, and was at his weakest, he would probably have twisted this man's hand into a knot.
The young man was very friendly to good-looking people, and his words were a bit like Xiao Wenlan: "By the way, my name is Li Yimu, you can just call me Amu. There has been some chaos in the mountains these past two days, and the leader and his men have gone out to investigate the situation. They will probably be back in two or three days, and then they will meet you and ask about your situation."
Zhong Yansheng nodded obediently: "Okay."
The leader of Shuiyun Village is the one who took the lead in robbing the official granary. He doesn't sound like an easy character to deal with.
Others may not be able to see that he and Xiao Nong have special identities, but that person may not be the case.
Seeing how well-behaved he was, Li Yimu couldn't help but rub against the bed again: "What's your name, and how old are you this year?"
Just as Zhong Yansheng was about to reply, he felt his waist suddenly tighten. Xiao Nong, who was standing behind him, pulled him into his arms and held him possessively.
The person behind him moved, buried his head in the back of his neck, and took a deep sniff, like a ferocious beast holding its prey, revealing a somewhat lazy demeanor, and the tip of his tall nose rested on his birthmark and rubbed it slowly.
Zhong Yansheng was caught off guard and his waist was softened by him, and a light red quickly spread around his ears.
Li Yimu was also stunned and stuttered: "You...he..."
Zhong Yansheng made up his mind and said hard to avoid unnecessary extraneous conversation: "Actually, I am his master, and he is the male concubine I bought in the Western Regions."
When the resounding "male favorite" came out, not only Xiao Nong behind him was stunned, but Li Yimu was also stunned: "Ah? Ah? Oh, oh!"
The contours of Xiao Nong's eyebrows and eyes are deeper and more three-dimensional than those of people from the Central Plains. He is handsome and upright, and his blue eyes have a hint of exotic colors.
Those blue eyes are so famous, Li Yimu must have seen them last night.
Zhong Yansheng gritted his teeth and lifted Xiao Nong's chin with his backhand, saying calmly, "Isn't this face nice? The eyes are blue, and it cost me a lot of money."
To those who don't know the truth, it seemed like Zhong Yansheng was clamping Xiao Nong, but only Zhong Yansheng knew that Xiao Nong was lazily rubbing his fingers with his chin.
Who would have thought that this seemingly harmless young man was actually a playboy who was addicted to sensual pleasures and bought and sold male favorites!
Li Yimu's eyes changed completely when he looked at Zhong Yansheng: "I see... Well, well, you guys take a rest, I'll be leaving first, I'll bring you food and medicine later!"
After saying that, Li Yimu ran out of the door in a panic.
Zhong Yansheng breathed a sigh of relief.
The clothes he and Xiao Nong wore were all made of extremely precious materials, especially his clothes, which were made of the softest brocade. You might not be able to see it at night, but in the daytime, when the dim light flowed, you could tell at a glance that they were of great value.
These bandits have been robbing the goods of passing merchants for years, so how could they not see it? There was no point in lying to Li Yimu and saying that they were ordinary people.
It would be better to establish a reputation as a wealthy and dissolute businessman.
Li Yimu was scared away, but Xiao Nong was still rubbing against him behind him.
Zhong Yansheng turned around worriedly: "Brother, what should we do now? What if we are discovered..."
When he met Xiao Nong's eyes, his voice choked.
Xiao Nong woke up, but it was not what he thought.
Those deep blue eyes were exactly the same as when he lost his mind in the cave before, chaotic and dark.
The only difference was that this time Xiao Nong seemed to be much more well-behaved than before. Apart from sticking to him in an especially domineering manner, he was not particularly aggressive or impatient.
Zhong Yansheng didn't expect this to happen. He was stunned for a moment, then remembered that Xiao Nong seemed to have some reaction to his blood, so he hurriedly took the dagger and wanted to cut his hand to let him drink some of his blood.
However, Xiao Nong, who had been staring at his neck hungrily before, completely changed his attitude. He keenly noticed his movements, snatched the dagger away, put it into his sleeve, and continued to hold Zhong Yansheng and enjoy smelling it.
Zhong Yansheng was almost in despair: "Xiao Xianwei, can you please be more normal in your mind?"
Xiao Nong was in a confused state and seemed to be able to only understand some words, and had no reaction when he heard them.
When Li Yimu came over with the sweet potato porridge and medicine, Zhong Yansheng was still in Xiao Nong’s arms and was unable to move out of bed.
Li Yimu grew up in poverty and had been hungry for a long time. He hated the government and the unkind merchants. He also knew that some rich people liked to keep beautiful women. They would take their pets with them wherever they went, and even had secret affairs with their pets in the carriage. He was so scared that he became paralyzed when he robbed them.
But he had never seen a wealthy businessman as delicate and beautiful as Zhong Yansheng, nor had he seen such a...big and cuddly beloved one behind him.
Seeing Li Yimu constantly looking at Xiao Nong behind him, Zhong Yansheng forced a smile: "He is a bit clingy."
Li Yimu's mood became more complicated: "I can see it."
More than just a little, the man behind this handsome young rich businessman really wants to hang himself on him.
After a pause, Li Yimu saw that the two of them were still in bed and couldn't help asking, "Uh, aren't you hungry?"
Zhong Yansheng said sadly: "He is not very smart and is a little afraid of people. He dare not get out of bed if there are outsiders around."
Li Yimu: “…”
Alas, he is still a bit stupid. No wonder he did not allow him to touch his master even though he was bleeding last night.
Li Yimu walked to the door and couldn't help but look at Zhong Yansheng again.
Just in time to meet the gaze of the man who was holding Zhong Yansheng tightly in his arms, his narrow eyes raised slightly, a cold and faint blue color, like an ice lake in winter, without any temperature, as if he was driving away the beast that invaded his territory, which was creepy.
Li Yimu felt an instinctive fear and immediately stepped out and closed the door.
Zhong Yansheng wiped his sweat and pushed Xiao Nong's head. Considering his injury, he didn't dare to use too much force. He cursed him in a low voice: "Xiao Xianwei, if you don't let me go, I will kick you."
Not only did Xiao Nong not loosen his hand, but he gripped his waist even tighter.
Like a big, unreasonable dog, its tall nose moved along the side of his neck to his ear, sniffing him and filling his body with its scent.
Then Zhong Yansheng heard Xiao Nong speak. His voice was beautiful and tingling in his ears: "Master."
As if he found it very interesting, he lazily called out, "Little Master?"
Zhong Yansheng: “…”
Xiao Nong's voice was so harsh that it was really unfair. His heart beat faster, and he blushed for a while. He turned his head and looked at Xiao Nong for a moment, who was also tilting his head to look at him. He felt that Xiao Nong didn't seem to be acting.
An idea suddenly popped into his mind, and he numbly reached out his hand and touched Xiao Nong's head.
Sure enough, there is a small bump on the back of his head.
After falling into the water last night, the current was too fast, and he was held in Xiao Nong's arms. He heard a bang, but he was really exhausted and didn’t notice then After applying medicine on Xiao Nong, he didn't have the strength to check again.
Now it's confirmed.
In addition to the impact of the headache, Xiao Nong also hit his head.