Just as dawn was breaking, Bai Heting opened his eyes.
There was no one beside him. Only a neatly folded, clean nightrobe remained on the bed, and a faint, lingering trace of Alpha pheromones could still be smelled in the room.
Bai Heting did not have the habit of letting people attend to him when getting out of bed. He slipped on the nightrobe, stepped onto the floor, and suddenly froze upon pushing open the bedroom door.
Luo Congye, who was fully and neatly dressed, was standing in the long corridor alongside another attendant. Seeing him awake, they bowed to him at the same time.
It appeared his “personal guard” had already taken the initiative to report on duty.
“Is the water hot?” Bai Heting asked the attendant.
The man hurriedly replied, “Yes, it is.”
Bai Heting said further, “Go find Qiu Chen and bring him here.”
“Yes.” Having complied, the attendant looked down at the items in his hands, momentarily at a loss for what to do.
He was currently holding the clothing the general was to wear today with a large bath towel draped over them.
Yet Bai Heting had already casually strolled far down the hall.
“Give them to me.” Standing quietly to the side, Luo Congye came to his rescue just in time by extending his hands toward him.
*
Bai Heting sank his chin all the way into the water.
The bathroom was filled with thick, swirling steam. Warm water streamed steadily from beneath the outstretched wings of a white crane statue, cascading into an ivory marble bathtub that stretched two meters in both length and width. The wooden door opened and then shut again. The footsteps of the newcomer came to a halt not far behind him, yet for a long while, no further movement followed.
Bai Heting raised a hand to wipe the water droplets from his face and said lazily, “What are you daydreaming for? Come wash my hair.”
Only then did Luo Congye take a few steps forward.
Kneeling beside the tub, he picked up a bar of sweetly scented soap from a small dish and damped it with water. Working it between his palms, he built up a rich, thick lather before carefully spreading the foam through Bai Heting’s fine, silky hair.
Bai Heting felt slightly surprised. “You even know how to do this.”
He had originally thought Luo Congye would clumsily rub the soap bar directly onto his head or messily smear the foam all over his skin.
Yet the technique he used to wash his hair was actually quite practiced.
“Attending to the master’s bath and clothing is something all servants must learn.” Luo Congye replied calmly.
His palms were broad, but the movements of his hands were exceedingly gentle. His fingers brushed past Bai Heting’s ears with a touch that was seemingly attached yet detached, making Bai Heting feel a bit ticklish.
“Rinse it.” Bai Heting bent his neck uncomfortably while dodging his hands.
Luo Congye collected a basin of fresh water from the water outlet. While helping him rinse his hair, he delivered his prepared statement, “Early this morning, I went to see Physician Zhou.”
Bai Heting closed his eyes and let out a muffled “mm.”
“Hearing that your suppressants failed, he seemed very surprised. It looked…” Luo Congye said calmly, “…like it wasn’t an act.”
Bai Heting didn’t chime in this time.
Luo Congye waited for a moment, then continued, “Since you didn’t tell him about your poor health in the south, he should already understand that he has lost your trust. To be safe, it’s better to have Adjutant Qiu find a new physician for you.”
Bai Heting still didn’t say a word.
His intuition had always been sharp, but when it came to Zhou Chengbei, he found himself second-guessing his judgment over and over again.
Even at this very moment, he remained uncertain whether his questioning of Zhou Chengbei was failing to do justice to the man’s loyalty.
Neither of them spoke further. Bai Heting soaked quietly in the water for a while. It wasn’t until the bright daylight poured through the high small window and into the tub that he finally stood up from the water.
Rivulets of water coursed over his broad, smooth shoulders and down his back, pausing momentarily in the shallow dimples above his hips before continuing over the firm curve of his buttocks and along his long, straight legs, eventually splashing back into the bath with a loud patter.
The moment he stepped out of the bath, his body was wrapped in a thick, large towel.
Luo Congye dried the water off him, then picked up his clothes from the side. He helped Bai Heting into the undergarments, trousers and the fitted tunic piece by piece, before dropping down to one knee and picking up a boot from beside his hand.
“Right foot.” He reminded him.
Bai Heting braced his hands on Luo Congye’s shoulders as he lifted his right foot.
Luo Congye put the boot on for him, tucking the perfectly flattened pant leg neatly into the shaft of the boot, before reaching for the other shoe.
“Is this all Su Xingchuan taught you?” Bai Heting used the toe of his shoe to nudge the space between the young man’s legs, letting out a cold snort. “Did he ever tell you that in a situation like this, you’re supposed to be beaten?”
“Go ahead and beat me then,” Luo Congye said in a cold, solemn tone while keeping his head lowered. “With you looking like this, I cannot keep my mind clear of impure thoughts.”
Bai Heting froze.
He’s answering back again.
He lifted his foot to kick right between Luo Congye’s legs, but his movement was swiftly intercepted by the quick-witted youth.
Luo Congye caught that foot in his hand and lifted his head.
“Don’t provoke me.” The words slipped out of his mouth.
“Say that one more time?” Bai Heting was utterly astonished.
Those words just now were indeed far too offensive. Luo Congye took a deep breath, remaining dead silent as he finished putting on the boot, then stood up by pushing off his own knees before reaching out to grab the silk outer robe.
Studying the solemn expression on the youth’s face as he dressed him, Bai Heting said coldly, “It seems I really have spoiled you rotten.”
The moment the words left his mouth, the sash around his waist suddenly tightened. The force made Bai Heting’s body sway, while a hand simultaneously pressed firmly against his lower back.
Before he could even react, Luo Congye had already released that forceful, brief, and ambiguous embrace.
“I have finished dressing you.” He picked the towel up from the floor, instantly reverting to his humble and submissive manner. “Adjutant Qiu should have arrived by now. I will go call him in.”
With that, he walked briskly out of the bathroom.
He truly did not dare meet Bai Heting’s gaze again.
Even up until this very moment, he remained completely uncertain whether he had made the right choice.
He had barely slept the previous night. Before dawn had even broken, he had knocked on Zhou Chengbei’s door.
Zhou Chengbei had seemed to expect it. He listened quietly to Luo Congye’s interrogation, neither admitting to nor denying anything, only offering a smile as he countered with a question of his own, “If his suppressants had been ineffective back then, would you have gone south with him?”
Luo Congye had frozen.
He suddenly realized one thing—Zhou Chengbei’s objective had always been crystal clear. He did not care whether Bai Heting lived or died, nor was he afraid of Luo Congye betraying him.
Or rather, he was confident. He was entirely convinced that Luo Congye would never sell him out.
Luo Congye let out a dejected breath.
“What on earth do you people want me to do?” He asked in a low voice.
Zhou Chengbei answered him once more, “Come home with me.”
“Other than that.” Luo Congye shook his head. “You deliberately schemed your way into this place; it cannot possibly just be to take me back to Urdan.”
“Urdan?”
Hearing those words, a dry laugh escaped Zhou Chengbei’s throat.
Once he laughed his fill, he cleared his throat with a few sharp coughs, “There is no going back to Urdan; it was ruined long ago. You wouldn’t want to know what it looks like now.”
In the darkness before dawn, Luo Congye looked up toward the direction of the man’s voice, his hands involuntarily clenching into fists.
“It’s true that my deliberate infiltration of this place does involve a few other tasks.” Zhou Chengbei dropped his cynical attitude, lowering his voice as he said, “Certain causes require a bit of faith to sustain them.”
“Faith?” Luo Congye asked, his voice deep.
“Actually, it doesn’t require you to do much of anything.” Zhou Chengbei’s tone grew light again. “It’s just that… a determined army requires a spiritual leader.”
Luo Congye fell silent.
This protracted, tense standoff lasted until the early-rising birds began to chirp and twitter, and the sounds of servants moving about could be heard outside the door.
Zhou Chengbei let out a yawn.
He walked through the darkness to the edge of the bed and sat down with a thud. Just as he was about to dismiss his guest, Luo Congye spoke up abruptly.
“But you are not allowed to do anything that threatens the General’s safety ever again.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Zhou Chengbei chuckled, his voice cutting through the dark. “If the day comes when he and I face each other on the battlefield, am I supposed to just lie down and let him slaughter me?”
“This is my only requirement,” Luo Congye said, placing his hand onto the door ring while pronouncing each word distinctly. “If you do not agree, then there is no deal.”
“You are the leader,” Zhou Chengbei pouted. “Whatever you say goes.”
Luo Congye remained silent for a brief moment. In the end, he said nothing and pulled the door open.
“Pei Yan.” Zhou Chengbei suddenly called out to stop him.
His voice was extremely low, but Luo Congye still shut the door back tight in a sheer panic.
“Do you think our lives are too long?”
Zhou Chengbei ignored the inadvertent hostility spilling from the youth’s tone.
“You should know,” he said softly, “regardless of whether you agree or not, in my heart, you will always be that little squirt who used to follow right behind me.”
Having said that, as if recalling something from the past, he curved his eyes and let out a soft, gentle laugh. “And I will also always be that Big Brother Chengzhou who took all of you riding horses and climbing trees.”
