Chapter 66 Bipolar

Chapter 66: Bipolar Disorder

After a short while, Cheng Ge darted back into the cave, holding two bamboo tubes.

He arranged the leftover firewood and lit it, then wiped the dew from his face.

The bamboo tubes were filled with water. Once they boiled over the fire, Cheng Ge tossed in all the goji berries he had on him.

He pulled the tubes out of the fire, wrapped them in a few layers of leaves, bent down to carefully blow on the water to cool it, and quickly propped Lin Nanshu up.

"Here, drink some hot water." Cheng Ge supported Lin Nanshu, brought the bamboo tube to his lips, and carefully fed him.

Lin Nanshu leaned weakly against Cheng Ge. After a few sips of hot water, he seemed to look a bit better.

"How you feeling?" Cheng Ge asked softly, his eyes filled with concern.

Lin Nanshu shook his head slightly, looking at Cheng Ge's face, which was smudged with ash. His voice was weak: "You... shouldn't have come. It's too dangerous here."

Cheng Ge gave Lin Nanshu the rest of the goji berries and water, a smile on his face, his eyes bright like glass.

"Ah, don't talk like that. When you're in trouble, I gotta come."

He tilted his head to wipe the sweat off his forehead, then grabbed the other bamboo tube. "You want more?"

"No, you take it." Lin Nanshu's fingertips, pale, pressed against the stone.

Cheng Ge didn't hold back. He downed it in a few gulps, not leaving a drop.

"I looked around earlier. There are footprints nearby—someone's already been here looking.

Your injuries can't wait any longer. We need to get back as soon as possible. I'm gonna take you out of here soon."

Lin Nanshu looked down, glanced at the cave entrance, and stayed quiet, which was rare.

In his current state, he couldn't do anything. He might even hold Cheng Ge back.

...

"Search over there! Make sure you check every spot!" A harsh voice echoed through the forest.

"On it!" The group answered right away and sped off in another direction.

Once the group had faded into the distance, something cautiously poked out from a nearby bush.

Cheng Ge had a big hat made of leaves on his head, looked left and right. After making sure no one was around, he turned and kept going.

He carried Lin Nanshu on his back, both of them covered in green vines, their faces smeared with green plant sap. They looked like they were related to the Hulk or something.

Both of them were wearing bright-colored clothes, and wandering through the dense forest in broad daylight was like asking to be a target.

With no other choice, Cheng Ge had to do a little improvising for camouflage.

Cheng Ge carried Lin Nanshu, moving as quietly as possible, carefully weaving through the trees.

Lin Nanshu's hands rested lightly on Cheng Ge's shoulders, his head slightly lifted, watching Cheng Ge's profile.

The temperature difference between day and night in the forest was huge. Now that the sun was out, it was humid and hot.

The mountain path was tough to walk, and carrying someone made it even harder.

Before long, Cheng Ge was drenched like he'd been dunked in water, beads of sweat rolling down his cheeks.

Seeing Cheng Ge like this, Lin Nanshu's heart hurt. He gently reached out and wiped the sweat away.

"Am I too heavy? Take a rest," Lin Nanshu asked softly.

Cheng Ge shifted Lin Nanshu's weight, giving him a little bounce, and quickly shook his head. "No, you're lighter than Cui Ji."

Lin Nanshu's expression went blank for a moment, and he immediately asked, "Muyu has carried the prince before?"

Without thinking, Cheng Ge replied, "Yeah, Cui Ji went to the palace once, and it happened to be pouring rain.

His leg was lame back then, and someone had left him in a pavilion. He looked so pitiful."

Lin Nanshu, perhaps tired, gently rested his head on Cheng Ge's neck.

"Aren't you afraid he'll be angry, calling the prince by his name like that?"

Cheng Ge thought for a second at his words. "Not really. When he's not mad, he's pretty easy to talk to."

Speaking of which, Cheng Ge suddenly lowered his voice and whispered, "But I suspect he has bipolar disorder."

"Bipolar disorder?" Lin Nanshu had never heard the term before.

Cheng Ge, carefully avoiding branches, was about to explain.

Just then, a commotion came from not far away, mixed with the sounds of clashing swords and fighting.

Cheng Ge immediately fell silent, crouched down, set Lin Nanshu down, and they hid behind a large tree.

Through the gaps in the leaves, they saw a group of people locked in combat.

From a distance, there seemed to be about twenty people, dressed in two different factions' attire.

Cheng Ge frowned and whispered to Lin Nanshu, "Are any of them here to find you?"

Lin Nanshu glanced back and nodded. "The ones with blue sashes are my grandfather's men."

Lin Nanshu's grandfather was Grand Tutor Lin Zhufeng, who often taught the crown prince and Cheng Ge.

Lin Zhufeng was rigorous in his conduct but not overly rigid, learned and virtuous, truly a great scholar.

It was said that before he came of age, he had achieved the top honors in the imperial examinations three times in a row. With his handsome face, he became famous overnight.

Later, he rose to the highest ranks of officialdom, serving as the late emperor's right-hand man.

But now, advanced in years and with the change of emperors, he rarely involved himself in court affairs.

However, as the saying goes, a good bamboo shoot can come from a bad bamboo. Lin Zhufeng had only one son, Lin Nanshu's father, Lin Fangze.

He was useless at everything but excelled at causing trouble, leaving Lin Zhufeng to clean up his messes time and again.

In his youth, to rein in his wild nature, Lin Zhufeng arranged a marriage for him.

The woman was Lin Nanshu's mother, Shen Qingyan, the legitimate daughter of the then Vice Minister of Rites. She was gentle, refined, and dignified.

But Lin Fangze was dissatisfied. After bringing her into the household, he treated her coldly and later took many concubines.

Shen Qingyan eventually gave birth to a son for Lin Fangze—Lin Nanshu.

However, due to the damage to her body during childbirth and Lin Fangze's complete neglect, Shen Qingyan passed away within just a few years.

Lin Fangze showed no grief; within three months of Shen Qingyan's mourning period, he even tried to make a concubine his principal wife, which pissed Lin Zhufeng off so much he brought out the family punishment.

Eventually, Lin Zhufeng became utterly disillusioned with Lin Fangze and took Lin Nanshu under his wing to raise.

After that, he stopped bothering with Lin Fangze, and Lin Hengyu was the son born to the concubine before she was elevated to principal wife, now counted as a legitimate son of the Lin family.

Lin Nanshu, however, proved himself worthy; by his teens, he was already crazy talented and famous all over the capital.

Even though Lin Zhufeng hadn't stepped down as head of the family yet, everyone knew the position would eventually go to Lin Nanshu.

Yet, with so many family members and mixed agendas, dirty tricks for profit weren't exactly rare.

Now that Lin Nanshu was in trouble, it probably had something to do with the Lin family.

Cheng Ge stared hard at the two sides; the fight was getting more intense, and many had already fallen to the ground.

Dark clouds slowly gathered in the sky, accompanied by the rumble of thunder.

Lin Zhufeng's men were clearly outnumbered and started losing ground.

Finally, the last two survivors broke through the encirclement and fled in their direction.

Cheng Ge's heart jumped, and he instinctively pulled Lin Nanshu closer.

Holding his breath, Cheng Ge fixed his gaze unblinkingly on the approaching figures, as alert as a wary leopard.

One arm tightly encircled Lin Nanshu's waist, while the other rested on the hilt of his sword.

Lin Nanshu's forehead was nearly buried in Cheng Ge's chest, and a faint scent of spring snow lingered at the tip of his nose, seeping into his bones bit by bit.