Chapter 10

After gathering enough wild fruits, he fed Bu Nian two of them. But Bu Nian turned his face away and refused to eat any more.

“Save the rest for later. We’ll eat them tonight. Right now, I’ll teach you how to start a fire.”

Lian Ai replied with a soft “Alright,” and set the fruits aside.

Bu Nian instructed him to shave the dry wood into fine strands using the blade on his hairpin, pile them up, then pin the silver hairpin against the wood and rapidly spin it to create friction and heat.

His instructions were clear and straightforward. Lian Ai understood easily, but doing it was a different matter. In no time, he jabbed his own hand and broke the skin.

Lian Ai sucked on the wound, frustration all over his face. But more frustrated than him was Bu Nian. If he could move, there’d be no need for Lian Ai to lift a finger. The fire would’ve been lit an hour ago.

He tried to keep his tone restrained, but with little success. “Besides serving men, what else can you do?”

Lian Ai froze. He lowered his hands and looked down at the small wound on his skin. “Apart from pleasuring someone in bed, I’m good for nothing.”

“You..” Bu Nian sucked in a breath, only to collapse again from the pain.

He slowly let out the air from his lungs, unsure if he was speaking to himself or to Lian Ai. His tone softened with forced patience. “Don’t rush. Take your time. It’s still early before sunset.”

Lian Ai knew Bu Nian looked down on him, but with no one else around, he had no choice but to rely on him.

A fire lit inside his chest. He worked faster, grinding the stick with more force. This time, he actually succeeded. A faint spark flickered to life.

“General, I did it!” He turned to Bu Nian with a face full of pride, like a child seeking praise.

“Wait until the fire gets stronger before adding anything else.” Seeing the flame finally catch, some color returned to Bu Nian’s face.

Night fell once more, but this time the cave wasn’t cold. The bonfire brought warmth.

With food and warmth taken care of, survival was no longer so urgent. Lian Ai finally felt ready to ask Bu Nian about what came next.

He thought Bu Nian would share a general plan. Maybe when they’d leave once he recovered, or how they’d contact the General’s Manor. But instead, Bu Nian said something completely unrelated.

“Tomorrow is the night of the full moon.”

Lian Ai froze. “Right…” Then it hit him. The full moon meant the Mianmian in his body would flare up.

Bu Nian saw his expression shift and knew he had figured it out. He dropped another blow that sent Lian Ai straight into despair.

“I no longer have the antidote.”

Lian Ai bit his lip hard, then suddenly dropped to his knees and gave Bu Nian a deep bow. “Please, General. Break the curse for me. You’re injured. I’m the only one who can take care of you.”

He sounded sincere, but Bu Nian knew he just wanted to survive.

“Give me the hairpin.” He reached out with effort.

Lian Ai didn’t hesitate. He handed over the long, sharp silver hairpin. Without blinking, Bu Nian drew it across his palm in one clean stroke.

He wiped the blood on his sleeve, paused for a moment, then tore the fabric off and threw it into the fire. The smell of burning cloth filled the cave.

The pain Lian Ai had just barely recovered from the day before came roaring back to life. His fingers clawed into the dirt as he looked at Bu Nian in anguish. “General…”

Bu Nian pressed down on his wound and forced himself upright, still clutching the hairpin.

“Endure it.”

At those words, Lian Ai clenched his jaw and bit down on his lip, refusing to make a sound.

Bu Nian scooted closer to the fire, held the blade of the hairpin to the flames for a moment, then tilted his chin toward Lian Ai. “Come here. Sit in front of me with your back turned.”

Lian Ai crawled over to him, trembling. Every step felt like walking across blades and fire.

By the time he reached Bu Nian, he was drenched in cold sweat. His lips were already bleeding from how hard he’d been biting them.

Bu Nian was also enduring the pain deep in his bones. He paused, then pushed aside Lian Ai’s dark hair at the nape of his neck. His voice was low and stern. “Don’t move, no matter how much it hurts. I’m injured. If my hand slips, you die.”

Lian Ai bit down on a strand of hair, nodding in response.

Bu Nian saw he was ready. He switched his grip, reversed the hairpin in his hand, and without hesitation stabbed downward.

His hand was steady. But with the poison flaring inside, Lian Ai’s body couldn’t take even the slightest touch, let alone a sharp blade tearing through skin.

The instant the tip pierced his flesh, his whole body jolted uncontrollably. Sweat poured down in seconds. Through the haze, he remembered Bu Nian’s warning not to move. So he kept biting down, eyes losing focus.

The pain went beyond anything he could handle. His body shut down. As the searing pain tore through the back of his neck, his eyes rolled back, and he finally passed out.

When he woke the next day, he was lying by the fire, his body drained, as if he’d just recovered from a long illness.

He slowly pushed himself up and saw Bu Nian already awake, staring out of the cave, deep in thought.

Having given his hairpin to Lian Ai, Bu Nian no longer had anything to secure his crown. He had tied his hair back with a torn strip from his sash. With his rugged appearance, he looked more like a wandering swordsman than a general.

“General…” Lian Ai called softly.

Bu Nian looked over at the sound. When he saw Lian Ai awake, he casually extended his hand, holding out the hairpin. “Help me outside.”

They weren’t far apart. Lian Ai crawled over and took it, puzzled as to why he insisted on walking. He tried to reason with him. “You shouldn’t move around like this. Whatever you need, I’ll go get it for you.”

Bu Nian stared at him, not the least bit embarrassed. “I need to take a piss.”

Lian Ai froze. Of course. He’d completely forgotten something that important. No wonder the general had eaten so little yesterday. He must’ve been trying to avoid getting up too often.

“I was careless.” He dashed out of the cave, and soon returned holding a large banana-leaf shaped leaf. “You really shouldn’t move around. Just go in this.”

He rolled the leaf into a cone, brought the narrow end close to Bu Nian’s crotch, and was about to undo his pants.

A vein popped at Bu Nian’s temple. He grabbed Lian Ai’s hand and growled, “Help me up.”

Lian Ai backed down. He opened his mouth but didn’t argue. Under that powerful glare, he gave in and supported Bu Nian’s uninjured side as they made their way outside.

They’d already done more intimate things than this. One didn’t know what shame was, and the other didn’t feel like it mattered. Outside the cave, Bu Nian undid his trousers and let go. The stream was fierce and long, clearly held in far too long.

Lian Ai kept holding onto Bu Nian to keep him from falling. He was used to seeing men naked, but he couldn’t just keep staring. He shifted his gaze around, looking anywhere else.

He was just trying to pass the time, but the moment his eyes landed on something, all the color drained from his face. He went rigid, nearly collapsing.

Bu Nian had just finished adjusting his pants when he felt the tension in Lian Ai’s body, stiff like a drawn bowstring.

“What are you doing?” he asked, frowning.

Lian Ai’s voice was barely a whisper, but they were close enough. All he had to do was bring his lips close to Bu Nian’s ear.

“General, to your right. In the tree. There’s a huge, huge snake.”

He had grown up in a brothel deep in the capital city, surrounded by wealth and comfort. Even seeing a stray dog was rare, let alone a massive snake.

The thickest part of its body was as wide as his thigh. Its head was flat and wide, black and glossy. It looked like it could swallow half a man in one bite.

Bu Nian hadn’t expected that kind of answer and froze. He held his breath and slowly turned his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a long dark shape hanging in the tree.

The snake had already noticed them. Its head dangled from the branch, staring at them with its forked red tongue flicking out.

Snakes that size didn’t rely on fangs. It was the crushing force of their coils that made them deadly. Get caught, and your bones would snap one by one.

The snake was sizing them up. Moving slowly through the branches, not in a hurry to strike.

“Where’s the hairpin?” Bu Nian’s voice dropped, almost as if afraid the snake would hear.

Lian Ai’s hand shook as he pulled the hairpin from his waistband and gave it to him.

Bu Nian was injured, ribs broken, but his skill hadn’t dulled. He gripped the hairpin between two fingers, charged it with inner strength, and launched it straight at the snake’s vital point.

The snake screeched, mouth wide, body convulsing as it fell from the tree.

It writhed on the ground, twisting over itself. It was hard to tell where the head was or the tail. After a while, it finally stopped moving.

Bu Nian watched it for a while, then said, “Go check.”

Lian Ai felt weak just looking at it. Now he was being asked to go near it. The blood that had just returned to his face drained away again. But he couldn’t defy Bu Nian. The hairpin had to be retrieved, so he helped him over.

Up close, the snake looked even bigger. Lian Ai swallowed hard and bent down to pull out the hairpin.

“Don’t touch it,” Bu Nian warned sharply.

But it was too late. Lian Ai’s hand was already on the pin. He felt something shift. Suddenly, the supposedly dead snake reared up and coiled around his arm.

The coils tightened. Lian Ai screamed and fell back, almost blacking out from fear.

Bu Nian moved instantly. He clutched the snake at its weak point, fingers digging in until there was a wet pop. Inner force burst from his fingertips, and the snake exploded.

He ripped the corpse from Lian Ai’s arm and flung it aside. Then he turned to him, saw his pale face and dazed eyes. The pain had twisted his own features, but now his frown deepened.

“Did it bite you?” Bu Nian asked.

Lian Ai raised his head. The sunlight was behind him, so he couldn’t see Bu Nian’s expression. But his voice sounded more patient than ever before.

He moved his sore arm. After a moment, he said, “No. It didn’t.”

Bu Nian let out a long breath. The tension in his chest finally eased.

After confirming that Lian Ai was unharmed, his voice turned stern again. “From now on, before you do anything, you follow my orders. If I don’t give permission, you don’t move. Understand?”

Lian Ai knew he had been reckless. If his arm had been crippled, their situation would have become even more difficult. He wasn’t certain he could endure the pain of broken bones like Bu Nian had.

The mountain forest was full of hidden dangers. He should have been more cautious.

He hugged his arm, stood up, and bowed his head. “You’re right, General. I understand.”

Bu Nian was used to commanding rough men in the army. They were loud, hardened, and well-trained. Compared to them, Lian Ai couldn’t even lift a shoulder or carry a load. A single python had nearly scared the soul out of him. Bu Nian felt helpless.

He looked down at the snake’s mangled remains. “Pick up the meat. We’ll roast it tonight.”

In Great Qi, even among butchers and farmers, few handled meat directly. As for Lian Ai, who came from a brothel in the capital, the hands he used most were for playing instruments or touching men. He had never handled anything so bloody and raw.

He crouched and picked up a chunk of snake flesh. It was torn and bloody from Bu Nian’s blow. The moment he lifted it, he turned his face to the side and started retching.

Bu Nian watched and let out a breath. He had nothing more to say.

Lian Ai tied the snake meat with a strip of tough grass and fastened it to his waist. When he stood up to help Bu Nian back into the cave, he caught sight of the man’s expression. He could tell Bu Nian thought he was useless.

The excitement of having meat for dinner instantly faded.

He lowered his head and helped Bu Nian back into the cave. Without needing any orders, he quietly began preparing the snake meat.

He washed the blood off in the underground pool, peeled away the skin with the silver hairpin, and skewered the meat onto sharp wooden sticks.

Just as he leaned forward to place the meat near the fire, Bu Nian spoke from behind him.

“Don’t place it too close. The outside will burn while the inside stays raw. Keep it farther from the fire. Stick the branches into the ground at an angle and turn them every so often.”

Lian Ai followed his instructions. As he moved, his sleeve brushed against something hard. He suddenly remembered the peace lock he had taken from the general. Two days ago, while warming Bu Nian’s body, it had been inconvenient to wear, so he removed it and kept it with him. After that, so many things had happened, he had completely forgotten it was there.

He quickly pulled it out and held it in both hands, offering it to Bu Nian. “General, when Zuo Lingyu captured me that day, he saw this and thought you had given it to me. He took it with him when he fled the mansion. Later, I asked him for it and kept it on me so I wouldn’t lose it.”

Bu Nian took the lock and held it in his palm, slowly running his fingers across its surface. He was surprised. “He thought I gave it to you?” He let out a cold smile. The mockery in his tone was obvious.

Lian Ai pressed his lips together and lowered his gaze to a pebble on the ground. “Young Master Zuo was only teasing. This is too valuable. Why would the general give something like this to someone like me?”

He was like that tiny stone in the mud, unnoticed and meaningless. When nobles passed by and kicked it underfoot, they didn’t even bother to look. Even if he disappeared one day, no one would grieve. After all, who would shed tears over a pebble?

Lowly as dust. Worthless as ash. People like him were never meant to be cherished.

Bu Nian kept rubbing the lock, completely unaware of the despair hidden in Lian Ai’s words.

“Why did Zuo Lingyu take you?” Zuo’s son was impulsive and unpredictable, acting on every whim. He was spoiled by both his father and older sister.

“He said he was taking me to find my birth parents. Said I might be the child the Helian family from Zhongzhou lost years ago.”

Bu Nian’s hand paused. “Looking for your family?”

Lian Ai didn’t intend to hide anything. He knew he wouldn’t be able to lie to Bu Nian anyway.

Zuo Lingyu had many unreliable traits, and Lian Ai didn’t believe everything he said. A young master from the Helian family? He wasn’t naïve enough to think he could be one of the rare lucky ones.

And even if he did find his real parents, then what? Would a powerful and proud family like the Helians truly accept someone like him? Just sharing their blood didn’t mean they would recognize him. The ancestors might not even acknowledge his existence.

“It must’ve been Young Master Zuo who got it wrong. When I was little, my parents sold me to a broker. Then Madam bought me from him. How could someone like me be the lost young master of a noble family?”

Bu Nian wasn’t truly concerned with his background. Hearing that, he said nothing more.

As the snake meat cooked, it began to release a rich aroma that lingered in the cave, making Lian Ai’s mouth water.

There were still enough wild fruits to eat, but sour and sweet things never filled the belly for long. No matter how much he ate, he always ended up feeling empty again.

Lian Ai licked his lips. Right on cue, his stomach let out a loud growl.

He moved forward to check the meat. The outside was golden and crisp, juices bubbling from the surface. Even without any seasoning, the smell alone made his mouth ache. He picked up one of the fully cooked skewers and held it out to Bu Nian first.

Bu Nian didn’t take it. To him, wild fruit and snake meat seemed no different.

“You eat first.” It was the same answer as always.

Lian Ai took two skewers and chewed them slowly, bite by bite, until only the bones were left. Then he fed the remaining ones to Bu Nian.

They stayed in the ravine for five days. Even someone as compliant as Lian Ai was starting to feel restless.

“General,” he said, “the mountains around us are steep, and the forests are thick. When your injuries heal… can we really make it out?”

Bu Nian had rested for five days. Though he still couldn’t move freely, the internal damage had eased somewhat. He sat carving a branch with the tip of the silver hairpin, shaving it little by little into a sharp point.

“I never planned to walk out on my own.” His tone was calm as he worked.

Lian Ai couldn’t guess what he meant. He sat by the fire with his arms around his knees, tossing in a stick of firewood now and then.

After a while, Bu Nian finished carving. He tested the weight in his hand, seemed satisfied, then drove the makeshift spear into the ground. For once, he offered an explanation.

“If I weren’t injured, getting out would be easy. But with wounds like this, there’s no chance I can do it alone. My men should have been searching for me these past few days…” He glanced at Lian Ai. “Searching for us. If we light signal smoke during the day, it might help them find us faster.”

Lian Ai turned his face toward him. His soft black hair shifted with the motion, brushing past his cheek and covering most of his face.

Annoyed by the mess, he tucked it behind his ear, then picked up a random twig from the ground and twisted his hair into a loose bun, pinning it in place.

“Why didn’t General do that earlier?” he asked. “Would’ve saved us days of suffering in this ravine.”

When he tied up his hair, the pale, delicate curve of his neck was revealed. Bu Nian stared at the back of his neck for a moment, then beckoned him over with a wave.

“Come here.”

Lian Ai obediently moved closer. Bu Nian drew a circle in the air with his finger, motioning for him to turn around.

“Because the first ones to arrive may not be my men.”

His warm fingers touched the bare skin at the nape of Lian Ai’s neck. Lian Ai flinched slightly, unable to suppress the reaction.

Bu Nian held his neck, inspecting the wound he had made days ago. Only a thin scab remained now. The healing was going well.

Lian Ai had always been sensitive. When Bu Nian’s calloused fingers touched the newly healed scar, he couldn’t help but let out a soft sound.

“Mm…” The moan slipped out from his throat before he could stop it. By the time he realized it and tried to cover his mouth, it was too late.

Behind him, Bu Nian’s thumb paused. A second later, his hand left Lian Ai’s skin.

“It’s healed,” he said.

Lian Ai answered softly but didn’t turn around.

Now the General must think even less of him. Even in a moment like this, he was still so shameless.

All of his thoughts were focused on holding back the wave of frustration rising inside him. He felt useless. It took him a long while before he realized what Bu Nian had meant with those earlier words.

He turned around abruptly, tense. “Are there others looking for you?”

“That’s right.” Bu Nian’s gaze shifted to the sharpened spear planted in the ground. His tone was calm and slow. “The ones who want me dead.”

Lian Ai had once been nothing more than a brothel courtesan, meant to spend his life serving guests day after day. But ever since Prime Minister Lu had handed him over to the old general, he had faced death repeatedly. This past year, each time had come closer than the last.

People always said those who survived great hardships would be blessed afterward. He had been through so many hardships already, but that so-called blessing had never arrived. Maybe it never would, not even when he died.

His voice was low and strained. “If the assassins find us first, what will you do?”

Bu Nian’s face remained calm. Not a single trace of fear. “That’s why I’ve spent these five days recovering. As long as you follow my orders, both of us will live. If you don’t, we both die.”

Lian Ai trembled slightly. It felt like a warning. The general was telling him not to even think about betraying him.

The next morning, the weather was clear. No wind.

Bu Nian taught Lian Ai how to gather different plants. They also collected some animal droppings and built a crude signal fire pit.

Once it was ready, Lian Ai lit it using a burning branch from the campfire. Before long, trails of black smoke began to rise from the ravine, drifting slowly into the sky.

All that day, Lian Ai kept his distance. He sat far off and stared at the smoke as it climbed upward. In his heart, he kept praying. If someone was coming, please let it be the general’s men.

But it seemed even the heavens liked to toy with him. Two hours later, shadows began to appear in the ravine. They weren’t dressed in anything he recognized.

Lian Ai’s face turned pale. He knew the worst had happened. The ones who found them first were not allies, but the assassins sent to kill Bu Nian.

He rushed back into the cave and told Bu Nian everything he had seen.

“Did you get a clear count?” Bu Nian had already considered this possibility. He wasn’t surprised.

Lian Ai tried hard to recall. “Four… four people.”

Bu Nian gripped the wooden spear and pushed himself upright. “This ravine is large. They’ll likely split up to search.” His voice was firm. “We’re heading deeper inside.”

Lian Ai wasn’t the type to argue. Whatever Bu Nian said, he followed. He quickly helped him deeper into the cave system.

The cave twisted and turned like a natural maze, full of sharp bends and hidden corners. It was the perfect refuge for someone in their situation.

They hadn’t gone far when they heard movement at the entrance. Someone had come in.

Lian Ai held his breath. He didn’t even dare to make a sound. He turned to Bu Nian, eyes wide, waiting for instructions.

Bu Nian looked straight at him and whispered in a breathy voice. “You. Go out there. Lure him in for me.”

Lian Ai’s eyes flew open. Fear gripped him in an instant.