Prince Ning collapsed, throwing the entire lodge into chaos. From Governor Liang Fang to representatives of the local gentry, everyone crowded into Li Shi’s bedchamber, craning their necks anxiously while holding their breath.
When Li Shi finally woke up and swept his cold gaze across the room, he said icily: “Leave.”
Liang Fang cautiously stepped forward. “Your Highness, how are you feeling…”
Li Shi frowned deeply and snapped: “Get out!”
Everyone scrambled out like frightened mice.
Li Shi turned to Qi Lin and ordered, “Bring Qu Ling’er here.”
Qi Lin hesitated for a moment before replying softly: “Your Highness… perhaps tomorrow.”
Li Shi closed his eyes with an exhausted expression, but his tone left no room for argument: “Go.”
Qi Lin had no choice but to bring Qu Ling’er over.
By now, Qu Ling’er had learned that Prince Ning had coughed up blood because of Brother Su. Only then did he realize—it wasn’t indifference at all. It was pretense—a desperate attempt to act as though everything was normal. Because if everything stayed normal… maybe Brother Su would come back again someday, smiling warmly and complaining playfully: “This journey has been exhausting.”
Self-deception is the refuge of those unwilling to face reality. Even the seemingly invincible Prince Ning had such a soft spot—once shattered, it left wounds deep and bloody within.
Qu Ling’er recounted the events of that day in full detail. He had watched helplessly as Brother Su fell into the abyss, knowing all too well how slim the chances of survival were. No matter how much he wished otherwise, he could only accept this as the truth.
Li Shi sat on the bed, listening silently until Qu Ling’er finished. Without saying a word, he waved him away.
“Take men to the base of the cliff and bring him back,” Li Shi said, closing his eyes. “My people—even in death—must die by my side.”
—
Su Cen lay motionless for two days before barely managing to stand. Supporting himself against the stone walls, he walked a single lap around the cave but was soon gasping for breath. Large beads of sweat dripped from his pale forehead, his lips bloodless. Hot sweat mixed with cold sweat, leaving him looking as though he’d been pulled from a river.
His body was far too weak. After just a few steps, his legs trembled uncontrollably, almost unable to bear his weight. With legs like these, how could he possibly make it to Xuzhou City?
Biting down in frustration, Su Cen let go of the wall in defiance and took two steps forward—only to collapse onto the ground. His hand landed on a jagged stone in desperation, immediately slicing open a bloody wound.
The sharp pain made him suck in a cold breath, tears welling at the corners of his eyes as he stared at his broken body in frustration. It couldn’t even manage two steps without faltering, yet it had no hesitation when it came to pain.
After resting long enough to regain some strength, Su Cen struggled for half an hour before finally getting back on his feet. He decided not to torment himself further and sat down instead, staring blankly at the bleeding wound on his hand.
He couldn’t go on like this any longer. Xuzhou City’s situation was unknown; Li Shi’s fate was uncertain. He had come carrying imperial orders, yet now he was stranded in this cave, unable to move.
But what could he do? Sixty miles of mountain roads—he couldn’t crawl there, could he?
When Huzi entered and saw blood everywhere, he froze in shock. Seeing Su Cen sitting there with blood streaming from his hand yet remaining indifferent startled him even more. He quickly set down the bowl he was carrying and rushed over to examine Su Cen’s injury.
Fortunately, the wound wasn’t deep; it only looked alarming because of all the blood. Huzi cleaned it with water and applied some herbal medicine before handing Su Cen the bowl. “Big Brother, it’s time to eat.”
The “bowl” was actually half of a gourd filled with murky soup tinged with an earthy yellow hue. A few dark strips floated on its surface.
Su Cen took the gourd and frowned at its muddy color before closing his eyes and downing it all in one gulp before he could taste anything.
His throat moved as he swallowed, but nausea quickly rose within him. Tilting his head back, Su Cen gritted his teeth and forced himself to endure until the urge subsided. Only then did he lower his head again and return the gourd to Huzi with a faint smile as he patted the boy’s head. “Thank you.”
Huzi glanced at the finger marks pressed into the gourd from Su Cen’s grip and made a playful face at him before leaving.
Uncle Cao had remarked that this man used to be a pampered young master—hard to take care of—but since they had rescued him, they should do their best to nurse him back to health. He suggested feeding him live creatures for their medicinal properties to aid his recovery from injuries. Over these past few days, Uncle Cao had led Er Ya everywhere—digging worms from the earth (which he called “earth dragons” for their cooling and pain-relieving effects), catching cicadas (to calm wind and nerves), and even collecting shed cicada shells as herbal ingredients. In the end, they stopped questioning what went into their concoctions; whatever they found went straight into the pot.
At first, Su Cen would ask about what was in the soup—but after vomiting several times upon hearing their answers, he eventually stopped asking altogether. His only request now was for them to crush everything thoroughly during cooking so that he wouldn’t have to see its original form clearly.
Sure enough, after just a few days of drinking the strange concoctions, Su Cen’s complexion had improved significantly. Huzi genuinely thought that this pampered young master wasn’t so hard to take care of after all.
Two more days passed, and Su Cen was finally able to leave the cave. Leaning on a tree branch for support, he followed Huzi around as the boy dug for worms and caught cicadas.
To Su Cen’s dismay, Huzi even secretly picked up a dung beetle rolling its ball of feces and tossed it into his cloth bag.
Su Cen’s face darkened. “…That one can’t be eaten.”
“Really?” Huzi looked disappointed as he pulled the dung beetle out. “It looks like it might taste good.”
Su Cen felt his stomach churn. “It really can’t be eaten.”
“Oh.” Huzi reluctantly placed the dung beetle back beside its ball of dung.
When they returned to the cave, Huzi excitedly carried his bag full of live creatures to prepare soup for Su Cen. Su Cen decided to avoid seeing or knowing what went into the pot, staying far away to ensure he wouldn’t lose his appetite later.
As he entered the cave, however, he noticed that all the villagers were gathered inside, seemingly focused on something. Su Cen casually grabbed one of the people on the outskirts and asked what was going on. He learned that Er Ya had developed a fever—her body was burning hot, and she had already lost consciousness.
A bad feeling surged in Su Cen’s heart. He immediately said, “Everyone, step outside!”
The villagers turned to look at him but hesitated, their attention still on Er Ya’s condition.
“Get out!” Su Cen’s brows furrowed tightly. “It might be a plague.”
The villagers’ faces turned pale as they quickly retreated a distance of about ten feet.
Leaning on his crutch, Su Cen approached Er Ya and checked her forehead—it was indeed burning fiercely. Plagues often broke out after floods, typically starting with fever and potentially progressing to joint pain, vomiting blood, and other severe symptoms. They were highly contagious; mishandling such cases could lead to entire villages or cities being wiped out.
Su Cen instructed firmly: “Everyone stay outside. No one should enter the cave for the next two days. Have Huzi prepare medicinal soup and leave it at the cave entrance. I’ll take care of her during this time. Whether it’s truly a plague will become clear by tomorrow night—if her fever subsides.”
There was no other option available under these circumstances. The villagers nodded nervously and withdrew from the cave.
Huzi prepared the soup and brought it to the entrance but kept peeking inside repeatedly until Su Cen scolded him several times before he finally stopped. Being an orphan like Er Ya, Huzi had grown up sharing meals from various households with her, so their bond was naturally deep. Unable to stay away entirely, he paced back and forth outside the cave entrance, occasionally asking in worry: “Is Er Ya feeling better?”
Su Cen had to repeatedly remind him—She’s not better yet; keep your distance. But within moments, Huzi’s small head would appear at the entrance again.
Inside the cave, Su Cen fed Er Ya his own medicinal soup made from various ingredients—including several herbs with cooling properties. In this barren mountain cave where resources were scarce, he could only treat her fever with whatever was available and hope for the best.
However, despite her fever rendering her semi-conscious, Er Ya still managed to recognize that the soup tasted awful. After much effort getting her to swallow one mouthful, she immediately turned her head and spat it back out.
Su Cen: “…” Wasn’t she all excited when she dug those worms for him earlier?
After feeding Er Ya a bowl of soup, Su Cen was drenched in sweat. The little girl complained about feeling cold, so he held her in his arms to keep her warm.
By the latter half of the night, Er Ya’s fever subsided, and she showed signs of waking up.
Su Cen finally breathed a sigh of relief. Though his luck was often bad, it seemed his resilience was strong enough to pull through.
As soon as he set her down, Er Ya opened her eyes and stared at him with curiosity. “Big Brother, do you like me?”
Su Cen: “…Why do you ask?”
Er Ya pouted. “I heard everything. You said I might have the plague and chased everyone away, but you stayed to take care of me. You were willing to risk your life for me—if that’s not liking me, then what is?”
Su Cen’s lips twitched slightly. He figured such a young child didn’t truly understand what “liking” meant. He decided to humor her and replied casually, “You saved me and have been very obedient. Of course I like you.”
Er Ya smiled weakly. “Then can I be your wife?”
Su Cen: “…”
Er Ya blinked her big eyes at him. “I already promised Huzi that I’d be his wife, but lately I don’t like him anymore.”
Su Cen couldn’t help but laugh. “Why not?”
“Because Huzi isn’t as good-looking as Big Brother,” Er Ya said earnestly. “Huzi used to be the most handsome person in Cao Village, but now that Big Brother is here, he’s not anymore. So I don’t like him now.”
Su Cen found this amusing and thought to himself that if Huzi ever learned he had been replaced in Er Ya’s affections, he might stop digging worms for him altogether.
Clearing his throat and suppressing his laughter, Su Cen replied gently, “But Big Brother already has someone he likes—a person he wants to marry as his wife. So I can’t marry you.”
Er Ya pouted. “Is she prettier than me?”
Su Cen chuckled softly. “He’s very good-looking.”
The little girl felt wronged and muttered with pursed lips, “Is he younger than me?”
Su Cen smiled wryly, thinking it wouldn’t be polite to tell her that the person in question was old enough to be her father. Instead, he stroked her braids and said with a smile, “He’s a very capable person—he can fight battles, strategize, and save many lives. He’s fierce with others but treats me very well. He’s currently in Xuzhou City, and I came here to find him. Unfortunately, I got injured along the way, so he hasn’t heard from me yet—and he must be very worried.”
Er Ya frowned thoughtfully for a moment before admitting defeat. She wasn’t capable like that—she couldn’t fight battles or understand strategies. Finally, she sighed and said reluctantly, “Then I’ll just marry Huzi instead.”
Su Cen smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. “When you’re feeling better tomorrow, you can tell him yourself.”
Though it had been a false alarm about the plague, it served as a wake-up call for everyone in the village. The next day, Su Cen gathered the villagers together and taught them how to purify water properly. He instructed them to let any collected water settle for half a day before use, then filter it through fabric before boiling it thoroughly. To demonstrate this process, he even cut up one of his fine silk garments for them to use as a filter. He emphasized that everything they consumed—including wild fruits—must be washed clean and cooked thoroughly before eating.
After ensuring these precautions were understood by everyone, Su Cen went to find Uncle Cao and spoke directly about his intentions: he wanted to lead these people to Xuzhou City.
Uncle Cao took a puff from his pipe and asked skeptically, “Isn’t Xuzhou City flooded?”
But Xuzhou City had that person. Su Cen firmly believed that even if the city was flooded, with him there, everything would be handled properly. The disaster victims would be cared for and organized. These thoughts, however, were not something he could share with outsiders. Instead, he said, “We can’t just keep living in a cave, can we? It’s summer now, and there are wild fruits and vegetables to eat. But what will you do when winter comes? This time Er Ya was lucky—it was just a cold. What if someone really contracts a plague? There isn’t even a single medicinal herb here. How would you treat it? Living like this isn’t sustainable. Xuzhou City has tens of thousands of people, and no matter what, its resources are far more abundant than here. And another thing—if the court’s disaster relief funds arrive, you’ll be able to receive aid sooner.”
Uncle Cao bit down on his pipe and squinted for a while before saying, “You want us to beg that corrupt official to help us?”
“He’s the court-appointed governor. If he’s truly guilty, the court will hold him accountable. Haven’t you heard? The court has already sent an imperial inspector to investigate the breach of the embankment. You’ll get your explanation.”
Uncle Cao studied Su Cen through the thick smoke barrier. “Who exactly are you? How does a merchant know so much about court affairs?”
“Who I am doesn’t matter,” Su Cen lowered his gaze and said sincerely, “You saved my life—I wouldn’t turn around and bite the hand that fed me.”
Uncle Cao took another puff from his pipe, exhaling slowly along with a sigh. “Even if we go, there’s no guarantee they’ll take us in. So many people, so many mouths to feed—why would they share their grain with us?”
Seeing that Uncle Cao had softened slightly, Su Cen smiled warmly. “Don’t worry about that—I’ll handle it.”
As long as Li Shi was still in Xuzhou City, Su Cen wasn’t afraid of being turned away at the city gates.
Uncle Cao smoked in silence for quite some time before finally nodding. “Alright—we’ll trust you this time.”
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
![Flying Dust [Fei Chen]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/9k.png "Flying Dust [Fei Chen]")
