Chapter 152

Chapter 152 - The Suffering Is Difficult to See the True Feelings?

Upon bringing them to the Yin Residence, Yin Xu first requested a doctor to tend to their internal injuries, but they had to rely on themselves for treatment. Yin Xu had no intention of assisting them, not even offering a drop of his valuable medicine.

By the time everything was arranged, dawn had broken. Zuo Shaotang and Xiao Feng had battled all night and sustained severe injuries, and no matter how resilient they were, they couldn't withstand it any longer.

Therefore, he had them taken to rest. Before leaving, he warned, “This young master's mansion is heavily guarded, so don't wander around, or you may lose your lives.”

Zuo Shaotang responded with a forced smile and nodded, while Xiao Feng maintained his usual expressionless face, as if Yin Xu were his mortal enemy.

One must remember that he and Teng Yu had killed dozens under Xiao Feng's command, all of whom were subordinates he had spent years training.

However, the depth of their animosity couldn't be considered great.

After Teng Yu and Yin Xu entered the room, they ordered two large buckets of hot water. They would bathe before lying down to rest.

Teng Yu wanted to ask about the last one released, as despite the distance, it had an oppressive presence. He was certain both Zuo Shaotang and Xiao Feng had shown some surprise at that time.

Yin Xu found a comfortable spot, closed his eyes, and muttered, “Watching a show is exhausting, not worth it,” before falling asleep.

Teng Yu touched his long hair, a warm smile appearing on his face. He realized that since being with this person, he could accept anything, no matter how absurd.

His life had shifted from monotonous to rich and varied.

He wondered how the palace's overseer would react upon hearing their news.

He recalled having four Dark Guards by his side in his youth. According to the Emperor, they were there to protect him.

But after certain events, he believed these Dark Guards also had the task of supervising him.

Once, he intentionally put himself in danger and got injured. Naturally, those around him bore the burden of failing to protect him.

The four Dark Guards were then replaced.

At the time, he hadn't fully considered the implications. He merely wanted to change the Emperor's assigned people, forgetting that new ones would continually come to replace them.

Subsequently, he learned to be clever and strategic, slowly dismantling the surveillance around him, pretending to deceive those nearby, and secretly building his own power under their watchful eyes.

In the beginning, it was exceedingly difficult, so much so that he was on edge every day, fearing the Emperor would discover his actions.

Back then, he viewed the Emperor as his enemy, hating him most during that period. All he wanted now was to avenge his mother and seek justice for her.

After tying Teng Yu's clothes incorrectly for the third time, Teng Yu couldn't help but brush away his hand. “Let me do it.”

Yin Xu let go and watched as Teng Yu skillfully tied his belt, outer coat, and sash. “Since you were a child, you've never lacked people to serve you, why would you learn this?”

A dignified Third Prince should always have someone at his beck and call.

Teng Yu thought of something and self-deprecatingly said, “For a while, I kept thinking that if I ever lost favor and was demoted to a commoner or exiled a thousand miles away, what would I do? So, I learned these skills of life.”

At that time, like a man possessed, he wanted to learn everything—martial arts, daily life skills, statecraft, and even farming and business.

Sometimes he even thought that if he ever got tired, he would leave the palace, find a place where no one knew him, buy some land, build a house, and live as an ordinary person, free from starvation.

However, he later realized how childish that idea was.

It was hard to say if the Emperor would let him off, but Teng Yi would definitely not let him live if he ascended to the throne.

Yin Xu nodded in understanding, “That's good. In the future, we won't need any servants in our room.”

The corner of Teng Yu's mouth twitched, and he walked out of the room.

Yin Xu chased after him and dragged him into Zuo Shaotang's and the others' room. To make it easier to guard, they had arranged to sleep in a single room.

When Yin Xu entered, he saw Zuo Shaotang changing the medicine for Xiao Feng. Both were bare-chested, with criss-crossing wounds, yet they hadn't made a sound when Yin Xu approached.

Zuo Shaotang looked up and, seeing Yin Xu, laughed. “I've long heard that the bond between the Third Prince and Seventh Young Master Huo is stronger than gold. I'm truly envious.”

Yin Xu moved a chair and sat in front of them, crossing his legs and knocking on the table. He stared at some of the cuts on Xiao Feng's body and joked, “You two are quite a pair. Got into trouble?”

Zuo Shaotang paused, then laughed aloud, “Seventh Young Master sure knows how to joke. We are brothers from the same sect; even if we don't get into trouble, we have the bond of true disciples.”

He glanced at Xiao Feng, who still wore an ice-cold expression. Even after knowing him for over twenty years, Zuo Shaotang couldn't read Xiao Feng's thoughts, leaving him unsure of what to feel.

“Really? I think the Right Protectorate might have a different view, right?” Their relationship was ambiguous—they could be close, yet sometimes very distant. It was hard to say, but other times, they showed great tacit understanding.

Just like now, Yin Xu felt an unspoken warmth between the two, even though the camaraderie between two grown men was stronger than usual.

Xiao Feng didn't reply. He simply pulled up his clothes to cover his wound-laden body.

Many wounds marked his body, and only a few were from last night. Clearly, he had faced numerous life-and-death experiences.

“I wonder if this Seventh Young Master can tell you the conditions to repay this debt of gratitude?” Zuo Shaotang went straight to the point.