Chapter 17

Lian Ai forced his weak body upright and crawled toward Daoist Ji Yuan’s corpse. The moment he saw the man’s eyes wide open in death, his heart clenched. He quickly turned his face away and reached for the man’s waist.

His hand brushed over the key at Ji Yuan’s waist. Gripping it tightly, he turned back and struggled to unlock the cell door. His legs had no strength left, so he slumped against the doorway.

Bu Nian slowly opened his eyes. He braced himself against the iron bars and stood, each step taking effort.

He reached the cell door and saw Lian Ai sitting on the floor. His clothes were in complete disarray, both long legs bare and exposed. Bu Nian frowned, then took off his outer robe and tossed it onto him.

Darkness swept across Lian Ai’s vision as the warm cloak covered him. He pulled it down and peeked out just as Bu Nian said, “Wear it.”

Lian Ai gathered the garment around himself. He tried to thank him, but the moment he made a sound, pain tore through his throat. It felt like his larynx had shattered.

He clutched his neck and forced out a broken whisper. “Thank… you, General.”

Bu Nian stared at the crown of his head. After a moment, he said, “You did well today.”

Lian Ai shook his head and lifted his face to look at him. “I… didn’t manage… to kill him.”

Bu Nian extended a hand. “The odds of you killing Ji Yuan in one blow were under thirty percent. I never pinned all my hopes on you.”

Lian Ai grabbed his hand and froze at those words. Then Bu Nian continued, “In other words, there was a seventy percent chance you’d be killed by an enraged Ji Yuan. So, do you still want to thank me?”

Lian Ai used the support to stand. Eyes lowered, he remained silent for a long time.

Bu Nian thought he had gone cold again and gave a faint smirk. He turned toward the hidden door where Ji Yuan had appeared earlier.

He had only taken a few steps when Lian Ai rasped behind him, “General… your chest holds great strategy… even thirty percent is better than having none.”

A thirty percent chance at success. He had failed, but he had also lived. That was already more than enough.

Bu Nian raised an eyebrow and looked back. “You don’t blame me?”

Lian Ai shook his head.

Nothing in this world was guaranteed. Bu Nian hadn’t forced him to act. How could he blame someone else for a choice he had made himself?

“It was General, who saved me.” If not for that strike from Bu Nian, he would be the one dead now.

As they spoke, the sound of shifting gears came again from the direction of the hidden door. It creaked open slowly. Song Qiao appeared behind it.

“General!”

The moment Song Qiao saw Bu Nian alive, relief swept over him. He rushed forward but stopped short when his eyes fell on Ji Yuan’s corpse. His face changed instantly.

“General, are you hurt?”

As the hidden door opened, fresh air flowed into the chamber. The moment it hit him, Bu Nian felt the weakness in his body ease.

“I’m fine. Just inhaled a bit of knockout incense.”

Song Qiao saw that he wore only his inner robe, while the outer coat was on Lian Ai. His thoughts moved quickly. He removed his cloak and held it out in front of Bu Nian.

Bu Nian took it and draped it over his shoulders.

He looked down at Ji Yuan’s corpse and spoke coldly. “Drag it into the woods. Feed it to the dogs.”

Song Qiao didn’t ask anything. He bowed. “Yes, sir.”

While Song Qiao and his men moved around the chamber, Bu Nian left first. He had no interest in staying even a moment longer.

The door led to Ji Yuan’s bedchamber, and from there, a hidden tunnel stretched out underground until it surfaced above.

Lian Ai followed behind, but before long, his steps slowed. Eventually, he had to stop and brace himself against the wall, gasping for air. His body had never been as strong as Bu Nian’s to begin with. After the drug and everything that happened in that cell, even though the incense had worn off, his legs were still shaking too badly to walk.

Bu Nian noticed the silence behind him and stopped. He turned around, his brows furrowed.

Lian Ai had just caught his breath and was about to take another step when he looked up and saw Bu Nian returning.

“Genera—” he began, but before he could finish, Bu Nian lifted him into his arms.

He didn’t look at him. He simply held him and walked on, steady as ever.

“You’re too slow.”

Lian Ai leaned against his chest. His voice came out hoarse and low. “I’m sorry…”

Bu Nian paused briefly, then clicked his tongue. “Stop talking. I’ll get a doctor to check your throat once we’re out.”

Lian Ai gave a small nod and stayed quiet. He was exhausted. Being held like this felt solid, warm, and safe. In no time, he had fallen asleep.

When he woke again, they had already arrived at the Qingzhou post station to rest.

The doctor examined him and said his spleen and kidneys were weak. It would be best to avoid sex for a while.

Bu Nian, seated nearby, rubbed his nose and asked, “What about his throat…?”

The doctor picked up his brush and wrote out a prescription. Stroking his beard, he said, “His throat’s fine. Just take the medicine for a few days and it’ll recover on its own.”

Now that Daoist Ji Yuan was dead, Bu Nian had no reason to remain in Qingzhou. The next day, he bid farewell to the local governor, and the group returned to the capital.

Bu Nian had come back from Qingzhou empty-handed. Not only had he failed to retrieve the so-called miracle drug, but he had also killed the old Daoist who made it. From then on, no matter who went begging, or how many treasures they brought, the drug was gone for good.

The Emperor flew into a rage. Ignoring the ministers’ protests, he charged Bu Nian with incompetence and ordered thirty lashes to be carried out before the court.

The number of lashes wasn’t many, and the eunuch carrying out the punishment went easy on him. But even so, a general being whipped in public was too humiliating. Even the faction led by Prime Minister Lu, long opposed to the military, found it difficult to watch.

By the time Bu Nian was carried back to the general’s estate, word had already arrived. Lian Ai had been waiting at the gate since morning with Fen Zi. He was already anxious, and the moment he saw Bu Nian, his breath caught. Blood had soaked through the general’s back, nearly drenching his inner robe. Lian Ai began to tremble, and his voice came out unsteady.

“Why… why are you this badly hurt?” His throat was still hoarse, and it sounded almost like a sob.

Fen Zi gave the order to have Bu Nian carried to his room. She told the servants to heat water, the maids to fetch wound medicine, and then grabbed both of Lian Ai’s hands to comfort him.

“The general will be fine. He’s survived far worse than this. It’s just a little punishment, it’s nothing. Go talk to him. Keep him distracted and he won’t feel the pain so much.”

Lian Ai was pushed into the room. The moment he stepped inside, the thick smell of blood clung to his nose, making his heart pound.

He stepped past the screen and saw Bu Nian lying unconscious on the bed, one arm hanging loosely over the edge. He looked even more battered than he had inside Ji Yuan’s cage.

As soon as he got closer, Bu Nian opened his eyes.

“That look on your face. Anyone seeing it would think I’m on my deathbed.”

Of course, he was injured. His complexion was far from good. But like Fen Zi had said, this wasn’t anything serious. He still had plenty of strength left in him.

Lian Ai pressed his lips together and sat at the edge of the bed. “General will live a long life.”

Bu Nian let out a quiet laugh. “A hundred years, huh…” He closed his fingers into an empty fist. “That’s not all I want.”

At first, Lian Ai didn’t understand. He paused for a while, then realization struck like cold water pouring down his spine. He froze on the spot. His limbs turned cold, and the blood drained from his face.

He didn’t dare make a sound. After hearing something so wild, fear crept over him. He wished more than anything he could pretend he had never heard a word of it.

“Scared?” Bu Nian didn’t lift his head, and Lian Ai couldn’t see his expression. But if he had shared something like that, it wasn’t because he wanted to be lectured.

Lian Ai curled his fingers tightly and said, “General, you’ll get what you want…”

There was no telling how much of what he said was true. Even Lian Ai himself wasn’t sure if he had said it to flatter the other, or if it had come from the heart.

Bu Nian turned to look at him. His gaze was sharp. “Do you even know what you’re saying?”

Lian Ai opened his mouth but had no idea how to answer.

His mind had gone blank when Fen Zi entered with a few servants carrying hot water and medicine.

They began treating Bu Nian’s wounds, and Lian Ai had no choice but to step aside.

The blood-soaked robe was cut open, revealing a back covered in savage whip marks. In a daze, Lian Ai recalled scenes from the brothel, where the madam punished disobedient prostitutes. If they weren’t allowed to eat, they were beaten. But she never hit them this hard. She was afraid of leaving scars, afraid it would ruin their looks. She used willow switches over their underclothes. The lashes would leave welts, and that was usually enough.

The madam beat them because she believed they were disobedient. The emperor beat the general for the same reason. But whether it was them or someone like Bu Nian, punishment didn’t work on those who truly refused to submit. The more you beat them, the more defiant they became.

Once the attendant had finished applying the medicine and wrapping the bandages, he quietly withdrew. Fen Zi packed away the supplies and left as well. No one said a word to Lian Ai. It was as if he had been invisible the whole time.

He had no choice but to stay and keep the general company.

“Would you like some water?” He poured a cup and knelt on the footstool in front of the bed, speaking softly.

Bu Nian’s head rested on his arm. His lips looked dry.

Lian Ai waited for a while, but there was no reply. He thought the general had fallen asleep and was about to set the cup aside when he heard him speak.

“Help me sit up.”

Lian Ai quickly moved to support him, lifting one side of his body and helping him sit. Bu Nian didn’t seem to care about his injuries. His movements were as direct as ever. He took the cup from Lian Ai and drained it in a few gulps.

“Have you ever seen my father?”

Lian Ai was caught off guard by the question. It left him even more unsure of what Bu Nian was thinking.

“No, I’ve never met the old master.” The night he was sent to the old general’s private mansion, the man was already on his way to Queling Mountain to pay respects to his late wife and was assassinated along the way. From then on, Lian Ai became a thorn in the side of Concubine Yi and the others, as if the old general’s death had all been his doing.

“My father was blindly loyal, and cold-hearted too,” Bu Nian said, his voice even and slightly lazy. “The first time I led troops, I was ordered to retake Fancheng, which the Huayue had seized. When we reached the gates, they pushed a ten-year-old girl off the wall. She hit the ground right in front of us and died, a mangled heap of flesh and blood.”

Lian Ai’s chest tightened. The image was already taking shape in his mind.

“They said if I didn’t pull back, they would use the women and children in the city as shields. They’d tie them to the walls and kill them one by one. Even if we reclaimed the city, it would already be filled with corpses.”

There were few things more vile in war. Bu Nian, still young then, was forced into an impossible decision. He could either attack the city and march over the bodies of his own people, or retreat and search for another way.

“What about you? What would you have done?” Bu Nian threw that same question at Lian Ai.

“Me?” Lian Ai had grown up in luxury, confined to a brothel, never trained in strategy or philosophy. All he could offer was what he truly felt.

“I wouldn’t attack. I’d retreat and think of another way.” He couldn’t bear the thought of watching innocent women and children die in front of him. He wouldn’t be able to live with that.

Bu Nian smiled. “That’s what I did. I pulled the troops back.” His eyes dimmed a little as he recalled it. “But the moment word reached camp, my father sent a messenger through the night. His order was to attack immediately. If I disobeyed, I would be punished by military law. I had no choice.”

Lian Ai’s heart was still caught in the fate of those trapped in the city.

“What happened to the people of Fancheng?”

“When I broke through the gates, there was almost no one left.”

Lian Ai froze. “You mean…?”

“When the Huayue took the city, they slaughtered most of the population. They only left the elderly and the weak, those who couldn’t fight back. That threat at the walls was nothing but a way to buy time.”

A chill crept down Lian Ai’s spine. “They were all… already killed?”

The cruelty of war was far beyond anything Lian Ai could imagine. He had injured Daoist Ji Yuan in self-defense, and even now he still felt uneasy about it. How could there be people who took lives so easily, without a trace of guilt?

Bu Nian had once been just like him. Born into power, raised in luxury, and still clinging to a shred of compassion for life.

“I regret not attacking sooner.” Since that battle, even that last bit of hesitation in him had gradually faded. “If sacrificing one person can save thousands, then why not? I thought I was protecting the people of Fancheng, but in the end, I only allowed them to suffer longer in the hands of devils. That was arrogance. I should have acted when it was time.”

The Battle of Fancheng brought Bu Nian great merit, but he was still punished by his father.

The old man had lashed his back with thorny switches, striking as he shouted, “A general must rid himself of a woman’s compassion! If killing one brings victory, why don’t you kill? If sacrificing ten wins the battle, why don’t you sacrifice?”

The lashes tore skin and flesh, leaving his back soaked in blood. The wounds looked severe, but they weren’t life-threatening. The old general had held back, not out of pity for his son, but because he still needed him. If he hadn’t, the punishment would have been far worse.

Lian Ai listened to the story in a daze, still unable to fully process it.

Was the Old General wrong? Was Bu Nian also wrong? All they had done was try to save lives. But they only wanted to save lives. How could that be the wrong side?

The world shouldn’t be this way, and neither should reason.

“General, you weren’t wrong. Neither was the old general.” He hesitated briefly, then looked Bu Nian straight in the eyes. “The ones who were wrong were the Huayue, and that war.”

Bu Nian froze for a moment. Seeing the seriousness on Lian Ai’s face, he suddenly laughed, only to wince the next second as it pulled at his wound.

“You really are a fool.” He reached out and caught a lock of Lian Ai’s hair, twirling it around his finger. “Whether you meant it or not, it was still pleasant to hear.”

Lian Ai didn’t dare move with his hair caught in the other’s hand. He said nothing, but inwardly, he argued back.

What he said had been genuine. There hadn’t been a single false word.