Wen Qingci slowly lowered his eyelids, remaining silent.
In an instant, the sounds of battle seemed to fade away.
Xie Bufeng didn’t understand why Wen Qingci was silent.
“Qingci, why don’t you speak…”
He struggled to adjust his breathing while caressing the corner of Wen Qingci’s eye with his finger.
The next moment, the imperial physician in moon-white finally looked up at Xie Bufeng.
“If this subject speaks, will Your Highness be able to let go of regrets?” Wen Qingci’s words were extremely respectful, but his tone was unusually cold and hard.
Xie Bufeng had no sense of pain, making it difficult for Wen Qingci to judge how serious the wound was from his appearance.
But the feeling under his hand told him-Xie Bufeng’s condition was not good.
Did the young man now think he was going to die in this battle?
This speculation made Wen Qingci feel angry and fearful.
Xie Bufeng paused for a moment before understanding… Wen Qingci was unhappy.
Only when he was unhappy would he address him this way.
“Let’s go, Your Highness.” As if he hadn’t heard what Xie Bufeng had just said, Wen Qingci, under the protection of soldiers, gritted his teeth and struggled to support the young man toward a corridor, “With me here today, you definitely won’t come to harm. If you say any more such disheartening words, I’ll abandon you.”
Xie Bufeng’s body carried a heavy scent of rust.
As he spoke, Wen Qingci finally couldn’t help but feel a tightness in his nose: “Your Highness still hasn’t repaid me; how could I let anything happen to you?”
In the courtyard, long knives clashed, sending sparks flying that landed at Wen Qingci’s feet.
As they spoke, the two returned behind the corridor pillars.
The moment the light dimmed before their eyes, Xie Bufeng suddenly lifted Wen Qingci’s chin forcefully, then looked deep into his eyes.
The young man smiled, slowly shook his head, and said to Wen Qingci word by word: “It’s not disheartening talk, but rather irrepressible emotion.”
That hasty farewell that day was out of necessity.
During the dozens of days and nights of separation, Xie Bufeng had constantly wanted to return to Wen Qingci’s side and tell him what was in his heart.
Now seeing Wen Qingci again, Xie Bufeng didn’t want to delay a moment.
A voice in his heart compelled him to tell everything to Wen Qingci.
…What did Xie Bufeng’s words mean?
The fires of war in Changyuan had not yet subsided.
But this always serious and responsible young commander, at this moment, lowered his head and firmly kissed Wen Qingci’s lips.
And the imperial physician was stunned for a moment before realizing-Xie Bufeng had, at some point, grown taller than himself.
There was no time to think further.
The next moment, Wen Qingci’s attention was completely captured by the pain on his lips and this clumsy kiss.
In that instant, they embraced each other desperately.
*
Later, Wen Qingci learned that the battle at Changyuan was actually revenge from the Northern Di who had been driven to desperation.
These desperate men had chosen a surprise attack.
Fortunately, Xie Bufeng arrived in time, and in the end, the Wei Dynasty army still won this battle.
The scene of Xie Bufeng and Wen Qingci embracing in the small courtyard was also witnessed by countless people.
Xie Bufeng commanded great respect in the army.
The soldiers who saw that scene originally didn’t dare to mention it openly.
But later they discovered… during his recovery period, Xie Bufeng and Wen Qingci were inseparable, with him almost constantly by the imperial physician’s side.
Seeing this, everyone understood Xie Bufeng’s intentions.
His Highness seemed to have no intention of hiding his relationship with Imperial Physician Wen.
Xie Bufeng’s injuries were not light, but fortunately, they only affected his skin and flesh.
Under Wen Qingci’s careful care, it didn’t take long for Xie Bufeng’s wounds to heal completely.
At nightfall, two warhorses, one black and one white, galloped out of the city gate toward the stream.
“Be careful.” Xie Bufeng supported Wen Qingci as he jumped down from horseback.
The two sat side by side by the stream.
Unlike that night, tonight the moon was bright with few stars.
The round silver disk hung at the edge of the sky, spilling clear light everywhere.
Wen Qingci’s long eyelashes seemed to be covered in frost, gleaming with silver light.
The night wind was somewhat cool.
He instinctively pulled his collar closer.
When he looked up again, he noticed that the young man beside him had been watching him all along.
Xie Bufeng didn’t speak, but held Wen Qingci’s hand in his palm.
Using his body heat to warm the fingers that had been chilled by the night wind during their ride out of the city.
“Qingci, I haven’t finished asking my question from last time.”
“What question…”
Xie Bufeng’s gaze was too serious, and Wen Qingci couldn’t help but avoid the young man’s eyes.
But Xie Bufeng’s words gave him no space to hide.
“Are you willing to be with me?”
After that kiss, the relationship between Wen Qingci and Xie Bufeng had instantly become ambiguous.
But until today, neither had broken through that thin veil.
The young man had never been so aware of his own greed as now.
He didn’t just want that sweet ambiguity.
He wanted to be with Wen Qingci forever.
Wen Qingci’s heartbeat quickened because of Xie Bufeng’s question.
…Wen Qingci had never carefully considered this question, but everything that had happened during this time clearly told him that his relationship with Xie Bufeng had long crossed the boundary of friendship.
He did like Xie Bufeng.
Since he liked him, then…
In Songxiu, Wen Qingci might have been hesitant and cautious.
But his experiences in the northern regions, and the recent unceasing warfare, had made him increasingly uninhibited.
Wen Qingci didn’t speak, but suddenly turned his body.
By the moonlight, he smiled at the young man.
Before Xie Bufeng could react, he slowly closed his eyes and carefully kissed the young man’s cheek.
The slightly cool yet warm sensation, like a flower petal floating down from the sky, brushed past Xie Bufeng’s cheek.
In that instant, he seemed to return to Songxiu Prefecture.
Back to the day when the roses were in full bloom.
After the kiss, Wen Qingci sat up straight, somewhat embarrassed.
However, the next moment, the young man suddenly leaned closer and gently removed the jade hairpin that bound his hair.
Like a waterfall, the black, glossy long hair fell from Wen Qingci’s shoulders.
The moonlight cascaded down with it.
Before he could react, Xie Bufeng also removed his own crown, letting his slightly curled black hair fall.
Then, with utmost solemnity, he tied the ends of his long hair with Wen Qingci’s black hair.
…Wen Qingci seemed to have never seen him being so attentive before.
“There,” Xie Bufeng slowly held the long hair in his palm, leaned forward to peck the cinnabar mark on Wen Qingci’s forehead, then whispered in his ear, “With the moonlight as witness, we will never be apart.”
Finally, he lowered his eyes and smiled.
Xie Bufeng didn’t tell Wen Qingci that although he was a prince, the luckiest thing in his life… was entering that clinic full of roses in Songxiu.
The Northern Di were severely weakened, and the war temporarily ceased.
The news spread to Yongdu in no time, and then to the entire world.
Within days, the people of Changyuan who had fled to other towns for refuge had gradually returned to their hometown.
The town once again became lively.
By rights, Xie Bufeng should have been resting well at this time.
But he didn’t do so.
At some point, the news that the current Emperor was incompetent and had abandoned the Nine Northern Towns had spread throughout the land.
Along with this was the fact that Xie Bufeng had been isolated and without support recently.
There were even fearless people in the common world who directly mentioned-perhaps the Emperor wasn’t just incompetent; he deliberately wanted Xie Bufeng to die on the battlefield.
The most important evidence was: Wei Dynasty had been harvesting abundantly for nearly ten years.
But until today, the Emperor still found excuses to withhold several months’ worth of provisions and fodder.
Everything seemed to confirm those jianghu rumors.
In reality, these weren’t entirely voices from the common people; a large part of the content was Prime Minister Su creating momentum for Xie Bufeng.
That winter, Xie Bufeng, having fully recovered from his injuries, appeared in Changyuan City on horseback one clear morning.
Accompanied by the cheers of the city’s people, he led countless troops out of the city, heading south.
This time, the young man’s destination was Yongdu.
Though a prince, raised on the books of sages,
Xie Bufeng, who could hear the malice in people’s hearts from birth, didn’t truly believe in these teachings from the bottom of his heart.
In his view, so-called “propriety and righteousness” were principles that could only be discussed when one had the luxury of life.
In matters of life and death, one couldn’t care about such trifles.
Though the Northern Di had fled back to their territory in disarray,
The effects of the white disaster had not dissipated, and they hadn’t plundered the resources they wanted in this battle.
Their return was only a matter of time.
…This victory against greater numbers had already been perilous.
He didn’t think he could achieve another great victory against the Di people with a do-or-die mentality, especially lacking provisions and supplies.
The young man had almost no choice.
Outside Changyuan, there was a vast expanse of snow.
The biting cold wind blew past, taking away all body heat.
Xie Bufeng’s armor also became colder than ice at this moment.
The young man narrowed his eyes, looking toward the south.
-Today was the day.
He would fight his way back to Yongdu and force his “father the Emperor” to abdicate.
A million troops were stationed outside Changyuan.
Wearing a great cloak and riding a white warhorse, Wen Qingci pulled the reins, slowly turning his head to look back at the city.
The snow was still falling, and bonfires had somehow been lit at the encampment.
Wen Qingci paused for a moment, then smiled as he rode forward to be beside Xie Bufeng.
He raised his eyebrows and said softly: “Let’s go, Young Master Su.”
Wen Qingci’s voice, carrying a faint smile, was instantly scattered by the northern wind.
Then, like snowflakes, it fell into Xie Bufeng’s heart.
The next moment, he galloped forward like a silver-white lightning bolt.
“Alright-”
The young man patted his warhorse and followed.
The knife-like wind of the northern regions cut across Xie Bufeng’s cheeks.
But not only did he not frown, he actually began to smile at this moment.
The Emperor could easily guess that he was going to rebel.
This journey to Yongdu would not be easy.
But what of it?
In an instant, Xie Bufeng caught up with Wen Qingci on the winding mountain path.
He rode side by side with his beloved, heading toward that distant direction.
At this moment, Xie Bufeng only needed to know that Wen Qingci was by his side.
The game board of the world had already been set up, just waiting for him to make his move.
Xie Bufeng’s million-strong army marched southward.
The sounds of hoofbeats and footsteps echoed through the valley.
They shook the snow that had already fallen to the ground, making it dance up and down in this moment.
Like phosphorescent fire, burning fiercely before their eyes.
##
