Chapter 36: Choice
Feng Qi had a dream, a dream that took him back to when he was thirteen.
In the dream, he saw Wen Ning’an being dragged away by an ugly, ragged old woman.
“Ning’an!” Feng Qi was furious. He twisted his body, trying to break free, but the ropes were tied too tightly. It was impossible for a young boy to untie them.
“Test the poison for me, test the poison… let’s see…” The old woman, her face full of excitement, scooped a spoonful of dark green liquid from the pot and forced Wen Ning’an to swallow it. Seeing his face immediately turn blue after drinking it, the old woman laughed and cried out, “Murong Ya has made me so miserable, so miserable… I will kill him… kill Murong…”
The old woman screamed heart-wrenchingly, sometimes crying, sometimes laughing. First, two streams of tears flowed down, then she threw her head back and laughed. But Feng Qi had no time to pay attention to her.
“Ning’an! Ning’an!” Seeing Wen Ning’an lying motionless at the side, Feng Qi’s eyes turned bloodshot with anxiety.
“He will be fine.” The child who had been sitting beside Wen Ning’an, his whole body rotted beyond recognition, said, “The old woman’s poison is not life-threatening, nor will it cause pain. It’s just that he will find his skin getting softer and softer, and then dark spots and wounds will appear all over his body. The wounds will get bigger day by day, and finally…”
The muscles around the child’s mouth were rotten, so his speech was not very clear, but Feng Qi still heard him clearly.
“Finally, he will become like me…”
…
Then, the scene changed again. Feng Qi and Wen Ning’an had already spent two dark days in this small hut. Feng Qi was leaning against the wall, and Wen Ning’an was leaning against him. Dark spots had already started to appear on Wen Ning’an’s body. There was no chance for an imperial physician to diagnose him now, so Feng Qi wanted to use the oldest and simplest method to detoxify him—using his inner energy to force the poison out. However, Feng Qi was just a child who had only recently started practicing martial arts. His inner energy was not enough to fight the poison in Wen Ning’an’s body.
The visibility in the room was not good, and thick smoke filled the air, lingering for a long time. The old woman had already moved the large pot away, replacing it with a cross made of crudely nailed wooden planks. Not only that, but she had also piled a lot of dry grass under the cross and set it on fire. The flames climbed up the wooden planks, crackling as they burned.
“Oh, heavens! Please bless me, let me kill Murong!” The old woman knelt on the ground with a devout expression, kowtowing to the moon.
The boy sighed and said to Feng Qi, “I don’t have long to live…”
Feng Qi frowned. What does he mean?
The boy gestured with his chin at Wen Ning’an, who had fallen asleep from the fatigue of the corpse poison, and asked, “Do you want to save him?”
“Of course. Do you have a way?”
“I do, but… alas, you should weigh it yourself.” The boy leaned forward slightly, his body trembling. Feng Qi saw pieces of flesh with white bones attached fall from the boy’s body, and he turned his head away without a change in expression.
Feng Qi was puzzled. How can this child still be alive like this, and still be conscious?
With a “thud,” a thin book fell from the boy’s robes. The book looked old, yellowed and worn, as if it would fall apart at any moment.
“You can take a look. Decide after careful consideration.” The child was only ten, younger than both Feng Qi and Wen Ning’an, but his eyes held a calmness and thoughtfulness beyond his years.
As he was speaking, the old woman came to them and pulled the child up. “You are Murong’s son! The father’s debt is paid by the son… go to hell!”
A miserable scream echoed through the small wooden hut. The foul smell of burning and the terrifying scene made some of the children even start to vomit. Wen Ning’an was woken up, and seeing the tragic scene before him, his face also turned pale.
Feng Qi looked at the tattered book lying quietly on the ground. Four large characters were printed on it—”Annihilating Yang White Bone.”
Although he was bound by ropes, Feng Qi still twisted his hands and with great difficulty, opened the first page of the book.
“Annihilating Yang White Bone, destroying heaven and earth. Unparalleled in the world, abandoned by all.”
…
As he opened his eyes and his consciousness slowly returned, the first thing he saw was the Immortal Nanbai’s blood-stained and slightly weary face.
“…Master?”
As soon as he opened his mouth, a cold wind rushed into his body. Feng Qi saw that he was still in the ice chamber, but the surroundings were clearly different from before he had passed out. It was a mess of melted ice and bone-chillingly cold water, with chaotic signs of a fight everywhere.
When Feng Qi moved, a heart-wrenching pain came from his chest. He looked down and saw a long sword stuck in his left chest, the position just missing his vital points and blood vessels, so there wasn’t much blood, but the pain made his face pale.
The Immortal Nanbai wiped the dried blood from the corner of his mouth, pulled Feng Qi up, and supported him as he walked towards the door of the ice chamber. “Let’s get out of here and see the imperial physician.”
“Hiss—” The large, still-bleeding gash was pulled violently, and Feng Qi couldn’t help but suck in a cold breath.
Just because I won’t die doesn’t mean you can be so rough!
Feng Qi was helpless. He thought to himself that since he was young, his master had never seemed to show him a kind face.
“A dignified seven-foot man, the ruler of the world. Don’t be so delicate.”
In a daze, Wen Ning’an felt a stream of clear water flow into his throat, cool and soothing, as if he had been reborn. Then came warm white porridge, mixed with sweet minced meat, which was both filling and not harmful to his empty stomach.
“Yixin…”
A familiar voice echoed in his ear. Someone gently placed a wet cloth on his head, tenderly stroking the top of his head.
“It was my negligence…”
The dream was full of gentleness.
However, when Wen Ning’an woke up, the bedchamber was still empty, not a soul in sight. Wen Ning’an touched the wet cloth on his head and looked at the full teapot and the plentiful pastries on the bedside table.
He was just here.
And at this moment, Feng Qi was standing outside the bedchamber, leaning against the railing, but for some reason, he dared not go in, dared not face Wen Ning’an.
He must hate me to the core…
After coming out of the ice chamber and hearing what Qin Zhaohuang had said, he had rushed into the room where Wen Ning’an was before his wounds were even bandaged, for the first time so out of sorts, so disgusted with himself.
Feng Qi sighed, feeling frustrated and desperate. Unlike the days they had spent together at the villa, he had suddenly lost all anticipation for the next day.
Perhaps I was truly wrong…
“Reporting to Your Majesty, the Immortal Nanbai has already left safely.”
Feng Qi nodded and waved for the young eunuch to leave. He couldn’t help but think of what the Immortal Nanbai had said to him before he left.
“The inner energy in your body is in chaos and without order. Sooner or later, it will destroy your heart meridian. You don’t have much time left. If you die one day, what will happen to the one in your room? It’s better to let go early to avoid harming others.”
“Decide on a successor to the throne as soon as possible to avoid chaos in the world in the future.”
Feng Qi shook his head. To curse the Son of Heaven, only his fearless master would dare to say such a thing in this world. No wonder it was rumored in the martial world that you could offend anyone but Nanbai of Fengzhou. Although his martial arts were not the best in the world, he had no ties and no worries, and was the most fearless person in the world.
Seeing the young eunuch kneeling at the side, not daring to leave, Feng Qi frowned. “Is there anything else?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, the National Preceptor, Qin, requests an audience.”
Qin Zhaohuang?
Feng Qi turned and walked towards the courtyard of the west hall. “Let him come and see me.”
The garden was full of maple trees, with rockeries and flowing water. Since it was in the Hundred Flowers Garden of the emperor’s residence, the scenery was naturally one of the best, impeccable.
At this moment, Feng Qi was sitting at a stone table, playing with the dragon-shaped yellow jade in his hand.
“Greetings, Your Majesty, Your…”
Feng Qi rubbed his temples with some annoyance and interrupted, “No need for nonsense. State your purpose.”
Qin Zhaohuang took a deep breath, exhaled, then took another deep breath. With a look of someone facing death, he took out a brocade box from his robes, held it with both hands, and said to Feng Qi, “Your Majesty, this is a good thing that this subject is presenting to you.”
“What is it?” Feng Qi raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Reporting to Your Majesty, this is Huanhuan Grass.” An image of Wen Ning’an as he had seen him in the bedchamber not long ago and the dragon coiled in the pond appeared in Qin Zhaohuang’s mind. He gathered his courage and said, “Huanhuan Grass can be called a divine grass. It is very common in pleasure districts and in the backyards of high officials and nobles. As long as it is taken during lovemaking, it is guaranteed that General Wen will never be able to leave Your Majesty, and will be obedient and docile.”
“I know what Huanhuan Grass is!” Feng Qi’s eyes were bloodshot as he swept the tea set on the stone table to the floor.
The tea splashed onto the corner of Qin Zhaohuang’s robe. Before he could kneel down, his neck was tightly gripped by Feng Qi.
“That is something for sex slaves in the black market! Qin Zhaohuang, are you looking for death!”
His feet were slightly off the ground. Qin Zhaohuang stood on his tiptoes and said with difficulty, “This subject is ignorant. I thought Your Majesty was currently planning such a thing, so I dared to offer a plan to Your Majesty… cough, to relieve your worries…”
Feng Qi’s eyes were filled with ruthlessness. He tried his best to control the strength in his hand so as not to snap Qin Zhaohuang’s fragile and slender neck.
“Anyway… cough, what Your Majesty wants is not a lover or a good person to spend the rest of your life with, but an object that won’t resist, right? Then why go to so much trouble to slowly grind General Wen into the shape Your Majesty wants? Just one blade of grass, and everything will be solved.”
“Qin… Zhao… Huang.”
Qin Zhaohuang closed his eyes, thinking he was probably going to die, so he spoke even more recklessly, “Your Majesty, kill me… obliterate General Wen… and it would be best to take the Empress Dowager with you. That way, no one can stand in your way. The country will be in your hands for a thousand generations!”
Thud—
Feng Qi flicked his hand and used his inner energy to throw Qin Zhaohuang away. Qin Zhaohuang flew up, drew an arc in mid-air, and then fell into the bushes not far away.
“Take your thing, and scram.” The brocade box also fell beside Qin Zhaohuang. If it had been a little more to the side, it would have hit a vital point and killed him instantly.
After Feng Qi left with a flick of his sleeves, Qin Zhaohuang still lay in the bushes in a daze, unable to come back to his senses. Feng Qi hadn’t done anything to him, and…
Before he left, were Feng Qi’s eyes red?
Qin Zhaohuang shook his head, thinking he must be hallucinating. In broad daylight, how could he see a ghost?
The night was as cool as water. Wen Ning’an was woken by the clashing of iron chains.
He saw Feng Qi sitting on the edge of the bed with a blank expression, gently unlocking his handcuffs. Wen Ning’an looked down; the ones on his ankles had also been removed.
Before coming, Feng Qi had specifically had the imperial physician bandage him properly and had used a strong incense. However, Wen Ning’an still noticed it, frowning slightly, and his hand couldn’t help but touch Feng Qi’s chest.
Feng Qi reached out and held Wen Ning’an’s hand, pulling him into his embrace.
“Yixin… I don’t want you to be unhappy…”
After a trip to the ice chamber, Feng Qi felt as if he had been woken by the cold.
Taking a deep breath, as if using up all the courage of his life, Feng Qi said, “I have already had a carriage prepared. You can leave for the frontier tomorrow morning. Yixin, go wherever you want to go…”
Wen Ning’an was stunned.
“Yixin, I don’t just want you. I truly like you… Because I like you, I want you. Whether you believe it or not, I might have… liked you since a long time ago. It’s just that you didn’t know, and I didn’t know myself.”
Feng Qi buried his head in the crook of Wen Ning’an’s neck, his voice muffled.
“I really, really like you.”
Feng Qi smiled and handed Wen Ning’an his bundle. “No matter where you go, I will always wait for you, just like you waited for me in the past. You have to remember, this trip to the frontier is different from before. I will be waiting for you in the capital.”
“I am the same as you. From the very beginning, since I can remember, there has only been you. It will be the same in the future, for a lifetime. I will always love you.”
Wen Ning’an was held by Feng Qi, speechless for a long time.
And Feng Qi held him for the whole night. For the entire night, the two of them leaned against each other, not moving at all.
