CH 99

Li Yuanlang’s heart moved, and he hurriedly stood up and reprimanded, “Presumptuous! ”

He was about to call someone to arrest Ni Lie, when Ye Xian raised his hand to stop him. He glanced up and down a few times at the tall and strong young man, his oily face interested. He had already heard of this brave and fierce general with extraordinary strength of Bei’an. The Wala people promote martial spirit, and have a natural supreme respect for strength. At this moment, seeing him take the initiative to learn with one another, his heart was itching, he stood up with great interest, raised his hand to clasp his chest, and bowed to the crown prince.

“I’ve long heard that there is a valiant general in Bei’an, heroic and fierce, able to battle a hundred enemies, how about giving me a chance to open my eyes and let the first warrior of Wala, Liang Haduo compete with him?”

Liang Haduo was stunned when he heard this, and hurriedly stood up. He made a big bow with a smile on his face: “To be able to have such an opportunity, it is really an honor.” 

Seeing that the two were so enthusiastic, the crown prince did not brush away their wishes, and only glanced at Ni Lie with dissatisfaction: “Since the lord of the country said so, we will do as you wish, but it is only a spar to learn from each other, so better to not overdo it and you can’t be reckless.”

Ni Lie saluted and agreed, his gaze seemed to sweep over the person beside Ye Xian unintentionally, just to see that dazed look on his face, as if he couldn’t feel what’s happening in the outside world.

His heart jumped violently a few times, he wanted to step forward and snatch the person into his arms, but his face was still the same. He stretched out his arms towards Liang Haduo and made an invitation gesture: “Please!” 

Liang Haduo laughed loudly, stood up smoothly, and the corners of his lips gradually relaxed: “General Ni, please don’t be too strict on me.”

Ni Lie’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Both of them were top-notch experts in their own country. This battle is not like the usual martial arts competition; you can see the two of them wre fearless and valiant, fighting without a clear advantage, making the spectators’ blood boil, and each of them secretly exerting their full strength.

Others can only see that the two are fighting anxiously, but Liang Haduo, who was in the middle of the battle, was shocked, although he would not fall behind, but he was completely unable to suppress the other party by half a point, such a stalemate seems to be deliberately controlled by the other party.

Looking at the calm and unruffled hair of the other party amidst the battle, and comparing it to him who’s going all out at the moment,  Liang Haduo’s heart became more and more frightened, but he felt that the other party’s strength was like a cold ocean that he couldn’t explore the bottom.

When he was anxious, the other party suddenly revealed a flaw, and Liang Haduo attacked it mercilessly. At that moment, his mind unexpectedly shook, he thought it was not good, but it was too late.

With a heavy beating noise on the flesh and skin, Liang Haduo groaned as his body suddenly flew out of the stage, with a loud bang. The strong body slammed heavily on the table of Ye Xian, splashing all over the place, even if the crown prince and Ye Xian dodged in time, they were also spilled with soup water.

Not to mention Li Yuanmin, his clothes were splashed on a lot, he looked at his body stunned, and then looked in front of him. In the hall, the tall man’s eyes were blood-red as his breathing was heavy, a pair of sharp eyes looked at him deeply, Li Yuanmin’s heart shivered, but in the next moment, the man had already looked away.

The accompanying imperial eunuchs brought a few clothes towels with expression full of fear, to brush away the stain on His Highness the crown prince’s body. The crown prince’s face was dark. Originally he saw that the general under his command was so brave that he greatly earned face in front of the Wala people, and his heart was happy, but he could not be happy for long when seeing him doing this and not knowing the gravity of things, his heart was on fire.

The left prime minister who was sitting at the bottom was afraid that his nephew would lose his manners after drinking, he was even more afraid that something would be caused to reach His Majesty’s ears, and without waiting for the crown prince to make it difficult, he immediately shouted at Ni Lie: “How could a subordinate not be able to distinguish between degree of seriousness, why are you still not quickly asking for forgiveness from the lord of the country?” 

Ni Lie took back his aura, hurriedly stepped forward and bowed to Ye Xian, “I’ve eaten a few more mouthfuls of yellow soup, which caused me to lose control of my strength, I hope the lord of the country would forgive me.”

Ye Xian sobered up a lot, looking at the mess around him. He was full of anger, eager to attack on the spot, but his general was easily defeated like this, if he put down his face, it would inevitably seem that he could not afford to lose, so he immediately pressed down his anger, with a smile on his face, “Martial men compete to learn from one another, they have their own victories and defeats, what is there to blame?”

Ni Lie seemed to be grateful, he lowered his body: “Thank you lord of the country for your understanding.”

Ye Xian gritted his teeth, clenched his fists tightly, and secretly glared at Liang Haduo, who was rubbing his chest on the ground, his heart sank with anger.

Because of this turmoil, the crown prince did not continue the refined attitudes, but ordered the people to find a place to settle down the Wala emissaries as he withdrew to  change, wash up and rest.

Everyone in the hall also said goodbye to each other and went their separate ways.

The moon hung high, the breeze caressed, giving birth to a slight chill. 

Li Yuanmin’s clothes were mottled, his body exuded an unpleasant smell of wine and food. When the night breeze blew on it, his whole body became cold.

He stood not far from the gate and saw Ah Ying waiting at the city gate from a distance. For some reason, he felt a little timid in his heart. He shrunk back a few steps. After a long time, he walked out from the side door.

In the middle of the moon, the night was already very deep.

There was no one on the cold street as Li Yuanmin walked through, he looked down at his dirty robe, his brows wrinkled. Without regard to having anyone watching, he removed the outer coat, the black boots were also stained. He was disturbed as he leaned over and took it off, and threw it away with his coat.

Looking at the clean under clothes, his heart became comfortable, he walked on the empty bluestone path like this.

Not far away, a black figure followed him, but maintained a short distance, looking at him from such a distance.

It was Ni Lie.

Under the moonlight, there was only a shaky figure in his eyes.

Ni Lie didn’t have any expression on his face, but he followed step by step. The street was quiet, without a trace of people, as if only the two of them were left in the entire capital.

The person in front of him was bare-footed and thinly clothed, like a white butterfly that had missed the solar term, flapping his thin wings, dancing under this cold moonlight, so fragile that a cold wind could crush him to pieces.

Ni Lie’s heart palpitated, he took a few quick steps and followed a little closer.

He walked aimlessly for two hours, and so did Ni Lie for two hours.

Sometimes he would walk faster, his hands rhythmically and lightly beating his legs, like a child getting out of class, and sometimes he would slow down and measure the bluestone slabs on the ground with his snow-white bare feet, inch by inch.

“Yue Er wan….Yue Er wan….”

He heard him singing in a low voice, singing a Lingnan nursery rhyme, his voice drifting, like an unfathomable wisp of smoke, intermittently floating in this cold night.

Ni Lie tilted his ears sideways and listened carefully.

After a long time, the wandering man suddenly stopped. Ni Lie saw him squatting in a corner of the wall. There was a dark channel, the sewage had wet the wall of the canal. it was dirty everywhere, but he knelt straight down, leaning down. After a long time, he finally stood up, holding a wet and dirty kitty in his arms, he held it tightly in his arms. The kitty meowed in a low voice, he looked at it for a long time, sighed softly, leaned against the wall and slowly slid down, before he sat down with his legs crossed. 

He stretched out his slender white fingers and ran down its hair little by little, and like a child who didn’t know dirt, he rubbed his face against it, and then hugged it tightly in his arms.

Ni Lie’s eyes were deep, he stood in place for a moment before he stepped forward, untied the big coat on his body and wrapped it up around the person and the cat, as he leaned over, and hugged him.

Li Yuanmin did not struggle, he held the dirty kitty and submissively leaned on NI Lie’s thick chest.

Back at the inn, Ni Ying was already in a hurry, she had tears in her eyes, directing everyone to look separately, with an accompanying exclamation. She looked back and saw her brother holding a person, she hurriedly welcomed him in, and was about to lift the big coat away. 

Ni Lie dodged sideways and said softly, “He’s fine.” 

Then he took a few steps forward and turned back: “Bring some hot water in.” 

Ni Ying nodded hurriedly as she wiped away her tears, and hurriedly went to arrange.

Stepping into the room, Ni Lie put him on the chair in the hall, and removed the big coat, the person in front of him still hugged the dirty kitty. The kitty was afraid of Ni Lie, his eyes were vigilant as he stared at him, but he snuggled up to Li Yuanmin quite spiritually. Ni Lie half knelt in front of him, wanting to take out the cat, but Li Yuanmin struggled slightly, refusing. Ni Lie did not force him, he only went to the back and turned out a thin quilt that he usually slept on to wrap that cat.

At this moment, the person in front of him was finally willing to let go. Ni Lie put the quilt wrapped cat aside. The cat called softly, and hid in the warm and soft quilt.

There was a stir in the outer room, it was the servants who came in with hot water, they put it away before retreating, making the room quiet again.

Ni Lie looked up at him, reached over, pinched the tie of his small coat, then paused slightly, and pulled it away. He peeled the snow-white slender body in the stained little coat, he did all this extremely smoothly, because the other party did not have any resistance at all, like an extremely obedient cat.

Ni Lie leaned over and picked him up, a cold fragrance hitting the tip of his nose. He looked down at him, didn’t say anything, only gently placed him into the warm water.

At the moment of entering the water, Li Yuanmin groaned slightly, as if afraid of the cold, he shrunk slightly and leaned his head on the edge of the barrel.

Ni Lie wet a handkerchief and helped him scrub his snow-white back, he had never done such a job, naturally he looked clumsy, but his eyes were focused and very serious.

The water gradually cooled down. Ni Lie threw the cloth in the water, fished the person out again, wrapped him in a dry bath towel, and sent him into the warm and soft bedding.

Ni Lie’s clothes were wet with a large mark, but he didn’t realize it, he only pulled a seat to sit in front of the collapse.

The person in front of him was very sleepy, and after a while, the sound of breathing became long, and because of the bath just now, his beautiful face was slightly pink, his black hair was scattered and hovered on the side of his cheeks.

Ni Lie had been sitting, his gaze never leaving his face. After a while, he approached, and his rough palm gently brushed the hair on his forehead, revealing that smooth and fair forehead and closed eyes.

After a while, the thin eyelids moved, before it slowly opened.

The moonlight shone on the ground through the windows, dancing with crystal light.

Ni Lie saw the moonlight reflected on his dark pupils as he kept looking at himself, with those eyes with watery intentions. Ni Lie’s hard heart was struck by an indescribable emotion without resistance, his Adam’s apple moved, he raised his fingers, and touched his smooth forehead.

“Don’t be afraid.”

He stroked his delicate eyebrows with his fingertips, and said again: “My Jiaojiao, don’t be afriad.”

After a long time, the person in front of him finally closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.