CH 78

Time seemed to freeze again, and Xie Chaoling was stunned until Xie Chaoyuan touched his fingertips again, and a stabbing pain came. Only then did he seem to come back to his senses and spoke with difficulty, “Since you already know, why ask more?”

“I want to hear it from my brother’s mouth. Did you have to lift the Gu even if it meant injuring yourself like this?” Xie Chaoyuan stared at him with determination, demanding an answer.

Xie Chaoling’s throat rolled, “Yes, I had to lift it.”

“Have to lift it?” Xie Chaoyuan’s eyes grew more pained. “Have to lift it?”

“Yes, have to lift it.”

Not wanting to see him in so much pain, Xie Chaoling lightly touched his face with the back of his hand. “Little brother, don’t do this. Aren’t you already vomiting blood from the Gu’s backlash? Why didn’t you tell me? If the Gu isn’t lifted, you will die. And then what? Do you want to keep me even in death? If you die, how can you keep me? What’s the point of all this?”

Xie Chaoyuan’s eyes were bloodshot as he stared fixedly at the person in front of him. “So, are you insisting on lifting the Gu for me?”

“If I say yes, will you believe me?” Xie Chaoling said.

“As long as my brother says it.”

Xie Chaoling lowered his voice. “I don’t want to see you die. Losing your life over a Gu like this has no meaning. You shouldn’t have used yourself from the beginning. This is the only way to lift the Gu, and I have no choice but to do it.”

“By using this method to lift the Gu, the one who might die is you,” Xie Chaoyuan said hoarsely. “Aren’t you afraid?”

“I’m afraid, of course I’m afraid,” Xie Chaoling sighed. “It’s very painful, this way of lifting the Gu. If it weren’t for you, I would never have wanted to go through this.”

Xie Chaoyuan was stunned. Xie Chaoling said it was because of him.

But he would rather Xie Chaoling kill him than lift the Gu in this way.

Xie Chaoyuan held Xie Chaoling’s hand again, lowered his head, and his hands were still trembling slightly, but he didn’t say anything.

After a while, Xie Chaoling heard his suppressed sobbing. Xie Chaoyuan was crying in front of him.

This was the first time he had seen Xie Chaoyuan shed tears in front of him. He never knew that this person could cry too.

“…Are you crying?” Xie Chaoling spoke, realizing that his voice also sounded choked.

“Forget it,” he sighed softly, raising his hand to touch Xie Chaoyuan’s wet face, feeling even more uneasy in his heart. “The Gu has been lifted. Fortunately, I didn’t die, and you won’t die either. It wasn’t all for nothing. Let’s not talk about this anymore.”

“Sixth brother, just listen to me this time, don’t be so willful in the future.”

Xie Chaoyuan never looked up.

Xie Chaoling patted his back gently, “Don’t cry, everything’s fine now.”

After a long while, Xie Chaoyuan stopped choking and wiped his face. He stood up and went out.

Xie Chaoling was taken aback.

Xie Chaoyuan quickly returned and knelt in front of him again, taking his hand and applying medicine for him.

“This medicine was brought from Daliang, from the hospital. It’s better for wound recovery,” Xie Chaoyuan wiped the moisture off his face. His voice was still hoarse and unclear amidst the sound of the crackling candle.

Xie Chaoling didn’t refuse. His own medicine was bought by Wang Jin on the street and was far inferior to the medicine Xie Chaoyuan brought from Daliang. If applying the medicine again could make Xie Chaoyuan feel a little better, he was willing to cooperate.

Xie Chaoyuan didn’t speak again. He carefully pinched Xie Chaoling’s hand and applied ointment to his fingers one by one. The red lantern outside the window was swaying in the wind, and the flickering light and shadow cast through the window paper slid across Xie Chaoyuan’s profile, and the light in his eyes followed suit. Xie Chaoling stared at him intently, with a complex and indescribable feeling in his heart.

After the last finger was treated, Xie Chaoyuan still didn’t move and asked in a softer voice, “Do you hate me, brother?”

“I forced you repeatedly, designed you to fall off the cliff, deceived you to imprison you in the mansion, and threatened you several times after you returned to the palace. I didn’t hesitate to ruin your reputation, forcing you to stab yourself in the heart for self-preservation, and now you’re suffering from such inhumane torture because of this Gu. Everything I did was no different from an animal. You should hate me.”

“But I just wanted you. If I didn’t use such despicable means, I can never have you. Brother, please hate me.”

“I don’t hate you,” Xie Chaoling shook his head, “hating you is meaningless, and I can’t bring myself to hate you. If I really hated you, I wouldn’t agree to marry you, even if you forced me. You don’t have to overthink it. At least for today’s wedding, I am sincere.”

“I know. If you really hate me, just kill me. Killing me can break the Gu. This Gu doesn’t actually threaten you at all. Brother, you just can’t bear to see me die. I always take advantage of your indulgence and keep testing your bottom line.”

Xie Chaoyuan self-mockingly smiled, “But in the end, brother, you have too many people and things in your heart that you can’t let go of. You are different from me, and you will never treat love as the only thing.”

Xie Chaoling frowned, and Xie Chaoyuan raised his hand to rub his brow, “So, brother, you always have the upper hand. Every time we play chess, it seems like I am pressing you step by step and taking the lead, but in the end, the initiative is always in your hands, and the winner is always you.”

“Are you complaining to me?” Xie Chaoling asked.

Xie Chaoyuan looked up at him, with a glint of tears in his eyes. “I feel sorry for my brother. He’s stuck with a stubborn and obstinate little beast like me, but he doesn’t have the heart to kill me. So he keeps giving in and hurting himself to maintain his advantage. He shouldn’t have to go through this hardship and pain. It’s all my fault.”

He turned red-eyed again. “My brother has always known where my weakness lies. If anyone else threatened me, I would kill them. But the person who threatens me is you. What should I do?”

Xie Chaoyuan asked him what to do, but at this moment, he really didn’t know what to do.

Xie Chaoling looked at him blankly for a moment before saying, “Love is not unique, but you are.”

He struggled to go on, “I can’t say cheesy love words. But if you want to hear them, I can learn to say them for you. I give you this matching jade pendant as my promise. As long as you believe me.”

Xie Chaoyuan saw a different Xie Chaoling from usual. Xie Chaoling rarely spoke sincerely, often speaking in a hypocritical way. But now, he was speaking sincerely and his words of comfort and promise were genuine.

Xie Chaoling asked him, “Do you believe me?”

They had a silent exchange of glances, and Xie Chaoyuan lowered his eyes to help Xie Chaoling bandage his finger, which had been medicated. He put on his gloves again and said seriously, “The finger wound will heal easily, but losing blood for seven days will take a lot to replenish. If you don’t take it seriously, it could leave a hidden illness. From today on, brother, you need to eat well, not be picky, sleep more and rest more. Even if the medicine is bitter, you have to take it.”

Xie Chaoyuan gave him careful instructions, his voice still hoarse and his eyes still bloodshot. Xie Chaoling had never seen Xie Chaoyuan like this before, and his heart was stifled. He couldn’t say anything.

The only person who could repeatedly make him lose his composure and even be at a loss was Xie Chaoyuan. Love may not be his only priority, but Xie Chaoyuan held a significant place in his heart. He could make him feel alive and make him suffer, both at the same time.

Xie Chaoyuan held his hand and asked, “Can my brother listen to me?”

Charmed by his eyes, Xie Chaoling nodded. “Yes.”

Xie Chaoyuan’s mouth pulled into a forced smile, and he finally replied, “I believe in my brother. If my brother can listen, then I can listen too. I won’t do anything to make you angry again.”

Xie Chaoling bent down and hugged him tightly.

At the second watch, Wang Jin lightly knocked on the door from outside. Xie Chaoling slowly let go of Xie Chaoyuan, forcibly suppressing the torrent of emotions inside, and said in a hoarse voice, “Can you pour me a glass of water? I’m thirsty.”

Xie Chaoyuan silently watched him for a moment before standing up and walking to the table.

After Xie Chaoyuan turned around, Xie Chaoling blushed and lowered his eyelashes.

Xie Chaoyuan poured water and sat down next to Xie Chaoling, supporting him and feeding him warm water. Xie Chaoling slowly drank half a cup and then lifted his hand to caress Xie Chaoyuan’s cheek. Before he could frown, Xie Chaoling leaned over and kissed him.

Their lips gently rubbed against each other, and Xie Chaoling’s tongue entered Xie Chaoyuan’s mouth, intertwining with him intimately.

Xie Chaoyuan always looked at him, but his pitch-black pupils revealed no emotions.

Xie Chaoling handed him something from his mouth, and his tongue pushed it into Xie Chaoyuan’s throat. Xie Chaoyuan was forced to swallow it, and the hand on his waist slowly tightened. Xie Chaoling continued to kiss him, and their familiar breaths mingled together as they tangled and kissed passionately. However, the taste that slid down their throats was bitter.

Finally, Xie Chaoling let go of Xie Chaoyuan and pressed his lips against his, closing his eyes with sadness.

Xie Chaoyuan calmly asked him, “What did you feed me, older brother?”

At the hour of the Pig, the city guards came to the door again.

This time, Tebumu led his troops himself, and there were three or four times more people than before. They no longer asked politely and directly surrounded the entire mansion.

The gatekeeper was shocked and exclaimed, “General Tebumu, what is the meaning of this? This is the mansion of the Little Prince. Are you really going to barge in?”

Tebumu looked indifferent and drew his sword. “We were ordered by the king to arrest the assassin who killed the Buddha’s disciple. We have received accurate information that the culprit is hiding in the Little Prince’s mansion. We must search it. Make way.”

“You–!”

The city guards rushed in and the guards and attendants in Xie Chaoyuan’s mansion could not resist, only watching them break in.

When the news was hastily reported outside, Xie Chaoling withdrew from Xie Chaoyuan’s embrace. Finally, he held his hand and said hoarsely, “It’s the same thing you fed me last time, but the effect doesn’t last as long. You’ll be back to normal tomorrow morning.”

Xie Chaoyuan could no longer move, and he understood the meaning behind Xie Chaoling’s words. He closed his eyes with difficulty and murmured, “You’re leaving, aren’t you, older brother?”

Xie Chaoling lightly replied, “Mm, I’m leaving.”

“I see,” Xie Chaoyuan whispered, “I never asked you how you knew the method to remove the Gu, or who helped you. And now, there’s no need to ask. That Tebumu, is he a spy from Daliang? Did he kill the fake prince and the Buddha’s disciple? And did he create tonight’s chaos to take you away?”

“Shouldn’t I be content that my older brother waited until after we paid our respects to heaven and earth before leaving?”

Xie Chaoyuan quickly lost the strength to speak, and Xie Chaoling thought he would explode in anger, but he didn’t. He just looked at himself with sadness and reluctance, as if he had known this day would come.

Xie Chaoling avoided his gaze and said with difficulty, “I’m sorry, I have to go.”

Xie Chaoyuan’s eyes completely dimmed, and he smiled bitterly, closing his eyes and falling unconscious on the bed.

Xie Chaoling instinctively reached out to help him, but there was a knock on the door again outside. It was Wang Jin’s voice: “Your Highness, the general has arrived.”

Xie Chaoling clenched his fist, closed his eyes and opened them again, his face calm again. He said calmly, “Please let him in.”

Tebumu entered the room and saw Xie Chaoling, who was weak despite wearing his wedding clothes. He frowned, but now was not the time to ask questions. He handed over a set of Xirong soldier’s clothes and said, “Change into this. We’re leaving now.”

Xie Chaoling did not say a word, and took the clothes.

Wang Jin helped him change quickly, and except for the jade pendant and short knife Xie Chaoyuan had given him, Xie Chaoling didn’t bring anything else. Before leaving, he cut off a strand of his own hair with the short knife, tied it tightly with red silk, and placed it beside Xie Chaoyuan. Finally, he looked at him and left without hesitation.

Wang Rang and the others in the courtyard were detained by Tebumu’s soldiers and watched Xie Chaoling follow Tebumu out.

Tebumu glanced coldly at them and ordered, “Nothing was found here, continue searching elsewhere.”

Wang Rang opened his mouth, but didn’t dare say anything else.

Leaving Xie Chaoyuan’s residence, Tebumu’s men continued to search for people in the next location, while he himself led Xie Chaoling to mount and headed towards the city gate.

The gate had already been closed at this hour, but Tebumu had the Xirong King’s token and no one dared to stop them.

Tebumu turned back to signal Xie Chaoling behind him, and Xie Chaoling nodded.

Several Xirong soldiers slowly pushed open a small door, and the road out of the city was in front of them.

Suddenly, there was the sound of galloping horses behind them. Xie Chaoling instinctively turned his head, and in the darkness, Xie Chaoyuan rode towards them alone. Tebumu immediately drew his sword and stood in front of Xie Chaoling, coldly watching as the rider approached.

With a long sigh, Xie Chaoyuan’s horse stopped in front of them, and the rider only looked at Xie Chaoling, with eyes darker than the night.

Xie Chaoling tightly grasped the reins in his hand, looking at him with a complex expression.

Xie Chaoyuan explained proactively, “The medicine that brother used on me wouldn’t work. I have a high resistance to drugs.”

Xie Chaoling said in a deep voice, “What do you want to do?”

Tebumu’s sword was already pointed at Xie Chaoyuan, as if he would not hesitate to take action if he made any sudden moves.

Xie Chaoyuan’s gaze fell on the road out of the city without a trace of light, then looked at Xie Chaoling, his throat rolling: “It’s too dark, let me accompany you on your way.”

Xie Chaoling frowned.

Xie Chaoyuan sighed lightly: “At this moment, what else can I do? I am alone. Once we leave the city, there must be people waiting to pick you up outside the city. What can I do then, brother? I just want to see you off.”

He said, “Brother, let me send you back.”