Chapter 26: Opportunity

Chapter 26: Opportunity

Chen Jingxian waited all afternoon for his son but instead received news that His Highness the Sixth Prince had brought Chen Shuoan back to the palace.

The poor man with an empty nest slumped over the table, weeping bitterly, more convinced than ever that there was no one decent in that palace.

Chen Fu stood by, not knowing how to comfort his master, so he could only join Chen Jingxian in crying.

Chen Jingxian shot up, furious: "What the hell are you crying about? Our young master went to study properly, not to be tied up and given away as some bride. Cry, cry, cry—you're bawling like we're marrying off a daughter. Stop crying."

Chen Fu was at a loss for words and simply fell silent, leaving Chen Jingxian to grieve alone.

————

This was a dilapidated cowshed.

Yuan Wu sat dully in the corner, his heart turned to ash.

The cowshed was pitch dark, and he had no idea how long he'd been stuck there.

The bandits didn't bring meals on any kind of schedule, so he couldn't tell what day of his captivity it was from how often they fed him.

He sat shrouded in darkness, like a rotting corpse.

He heard a faint rustling outside the earthen walls—two people talking.

Yuan Wu quickly scrambled up and pressed his ear against the wall, straining to catch every word.

"Did you hear? This morning the boss found government officials on that road we robbed a few days back!"

"Really? What would officials be doing in a place like this?"

Yuan Wu's heart leaped. The court must have noticed something was off and sent people to find him. Soon he would be able to leave this godforsaken place.

"Would I lie to you? But the boss rushed over and grabbed the people and their stuff. Too bad there weren't many of them, and their goods weren't worth much."

Yuan Wu, pressed against the wall, felt his heart sink in an instant.

Then he heard the man laugh again: "But waylaying officials like that, the boss is mighty pleased. Tonight he ordered them to dig up the wine stashed in the cellar and let everyone drink their fill!"

"Everyone?"

"Yeah, don't keep guarding. You're not going to disobey the boss's orders, are you? Come on, hurry up!"

"Coming!"

Yuan Wu listened as the two voices grew fainter and fainter, until everything went quiet again.

He clenched his fists and made up his mind to escape.

That night.

Yuan Wu lay with his eyes closed, feigning sleep. No bandit came to bring him food—he figured the mountain folk had drunk themselves silly and forgotten about him.

He felt the time had come. Slowly rising, he drew back his leg and kicked hard at the rickety door.

With a thunderous crash, the wooden door crashed to the ground.

Yuan Wu seized the chance and bolted outside, running like a chicken with its head cut off across the open mountain.

The moonlight spilled across the ground, painting everything a ghastly white.

Tall, sinister trees loomed around him, and the air was filled with mournful bird cries and the deafening buzz of katydids.

Yuan Wu's heart tightened. He ran while glancing back, as if a horde of demons were chasing him.

His face lit up with joy when he spotted a downhill path.

It was the same road the bandits had used to haul him up the mountain.

Guided by the moonlight, he sprinted desperately toward it.

Yuan Wu felt his throat burn as if it were on fire, his legs trembling and weak, and each breath carried a thick, metallic taste of blood.

But he couldn't stop, not even for a second.

His heavy, ragged breathing echoed through the silent forest, putting his senses on high alert.

He suddenly stopped.

Ahead, faint and flickering, torchlight was rushing up the mountain.

Yuan Wu was frozen in terror.

He quickly crouched down, hiding behind the bushes, watching the torches pass by.

Yuan Wu let out a breath of relief. His voice, hoarse from the long run, carried far into the distance.

"Who's there!"

The group was on him in an instant, parting the dense shrubs to reveal Yuan Wu hiding behind them.

Yuan Wu's lips were pale, his face ashen, his eyes glaring fiercely at the man who stepped out from the back.

The man was handsome, with a jade-like complexion and a gentle, refined air.

The flickering torchlight played across his face, shifting between light and shadow, giving him an eerie quality that belied his demeanor.

He and his attendants knelt before Yuan Wu in salute, and said in a warm voice: "Your subordinate, He Sui, Magistrate of Bozhou, has come to your rescue, albeit late."

————

Chen Shuoan returned to the palace in a daze.

By the time he woke, it was already dark.

His whole body ached so much he could not even crawl out of bed, but the surroundings looked very familiar. Chen Shuoan shook his throbbing head and suddenly realized this was the Sixth Prince's room.

Chen Shuoan: "..."

He had left in the morning and returned in the evening.

He felt like he was stuck in a time loop—at this hour last night, he had been lying in this very bed.

What a coincidence. We meet again.

He went to bury his face in Yuan Rang's pillow again, only to wince in pain the next instant.

Things were different now.

Chen Shuoan lay on his back, feeling that life had no joy at all.

The world kisses me with pain, and I just die from it.

"Having fun?"

Chen Shuoan opened his eyes in alarm and saw Yuan Rang beside him, his entire figure hidden in the darkness, tall and slender. Moonlight from the window fell across his brow, making him look stern and handsome.

Chen Shuoan said obediently, "Not fun."

Go ahead and ask, my liege.

Yuan Rang stepped out of the darkness and sat beside Chen Shuoan. He pulled him up, fitting him snugly into his embrace.

Chen Shuoan leaned in docilely, feeling the hands holding him tremble slightly.

Yuan Rang tightened his arms, burying his face in the crook of Chen Shuoan's neck, inhaling the bitter scent of medicine that clung to him.

It stank horribly, and he wished Chen Shuoan would never have that smell on him again.

Yuan Rang's chest ached unbearably, and he held on even tighter, his voice trembling as he said, "I'm so scared."

Seeing him like this, Chen Shuoan felt a pang of sadness.

He wrapped his arms around the boy before him with tender concern, soothing him softly, "Don't be scared, we're not scared."

Yuan Rang's heart ached so much he couldn't describe his feelings. The Sixth Prince, usually so eloquent, now seemed struck mute, only sobbing silently against Chen Shuoan's shoulder.

Chen Shuoan felt the dampness spreading across his neck, and stroked Yuan Rang's soft black hair again and again.

He reasoned with him, desperately hoping the Sixth Prince on top of him would stop shedding those little golden tears, and explained, "Those Hu people are suspected of inciting fierce beasts to harm others, and every one of them is a skilled fighter—they're clearly no ordinary folk. When I spotted them at the window, I naturally couldn't let them escape, but reinforcements hadn't arrived, so I had to fight them to buy time."

"I came too late, I came too late..."

Yuan Rang murmured to himself, his hands, resting at Chen Shuoan's waist, curled into fists, fingers clenching hard enough to tear through the skin of his palms, blood immediately welling up and streaming.

Chen Shuoan noticed his action and was so angry he wanted to slap him.

"What are you doing?!"

Yuan Rang's expression was manic, his eyes dark and terrifying, staring at Chen Shuoan and saying word by word, "If Shuo'an is hurt anywhere, I would be injured there too, because this pain can't compare to even a fraction of what I feel in my heart."

He gently stroked Chen Shuoan's pale cheek, blood dripping from his slender fingers onto the thin silk quilt, leaving red stains.

Yuan Rang seemed both unhinged and pitiful, saying, "Shuo'an, Shuo'an, if you care about me..."

"If you care about me, then please take good care of yourself."