The three of them looked at each other, and Xu Dongqing mused, “Why don’t you, Ah Qiu… Mr. Qiu, take a separate room? I know a little bit about medicine, so I can also take care of his injuries.”
Qiu Yutong thought about it and thought it seemed good, so he nodded and then looked at Lu Xiao, “What do you think, Xiao-er?”
Lu Xiao silently lowered his eyelashes and didn’t say anything.
Qiu Yu Tong raised his eyebrows gently. He had watched little Lu Xiao grow up and naturally knew that this expression meant that he was –not happy about it.
He understood, “Yes, you don’t like to be close to people. How about this: I’ll stay in a room with Dongqing and you’ll stay in a separate room? If anything happens, there’s only a wall between us, so just call me.”
His young apprentice was an injured person after all and should be taken care of, so he and Xu Dongqing could make do for the night.
Lu Xiao raised his head violently and said in a stern voice, “No!”
“What’s wrong again?” Qiu Yutong was a little confused as he looked at him. This won’t work, that won’t work either, what did this kid want?
At that moment, “Rumble!!!” The muffled sound of spring thunder rolled slowly across the roof.
“Oh, so that’s it.” Qiu Yutong gave an “oh” in a dazed manner, Lu Xiao pursed his lips, seemingly acquiescing, while Xu Dongqing looked at them both, still with an unsure expression.
As Qiu Yutong looked at Lu Xiao’s face which had turned pale from his injury, he couldn’t help but feel a slight softening in his heart, so he said to Xu Dongqing, ”Dongqing, you can stay in a separate room, while Xiao-er and I stay in one room. He is afraid of… ahem, he is afraid that I will disturb you, I am not a good sleeper.”
In front of outsiders, it was necessary to save face for his young apprentice. Lu Xiao’s fear of thunder was a problem he had never told anyone about.
“Afraid of disturbing me? He won’t, I’m a particularly heavy sleeper,” Xu Dongqing turned his head to look at Lu Xiao and assured him very sincerely. “Really, don’t worry Brother Xiao, Mr. Qiu won’t disturb me, I’m exactly like a dead person when I’m asleep. “
Lu Xiao said indifferently, “Just follow Shizun’s arrangement.”
“Oh, that’s fine.” Although Xu Dongqing still had some doubts, he didn’t say anything more.
He thought about it, and then brought out Luo Wuyou’s Qiankun bag, “Mr. Qiu, take this Qiankun bag. Medicine bottles, jade tokens, and stuff are all in here. Brother Xiao has to take another bear gall red sage pill at night, and the ointment for the wound has to be changed once.”
Qiu Yutong nodded, “Mm, I’ll make a note of that.”
…
The three of them made their arrangements and went into their respective rooms.
The inn was in the middle of nowhere and the upper room was not very ornate, but it was quite clean and tidy, with hot tea on the table and a snow-white curtain hanging around the carved bed. Lu Xiao sat down on the edge of the bed, gently pressed against the wound, and couldn’t help but frown.
“You’ve been tossing and turning all day, so your wound hurts again, right? Take a pill first then take a breather,” Qiu Yutong fished out a small pill bottle from the Qiankun bag, poured out a bright red bear gall red sage pill, poured a cup of hot tea, and brought it to Lu Xiao.
“Xiao-er, take your medicine.”
Lu Xiao was slightly hesitant when looking down at the bright red pill in his palm, “This Bear Gall Red Sage Pill is indeed miraculously effective for injuries, but there are only five of them in the bottle and I already took one yesterday… Master, we are heading to the Blood Prison Valley this time and we don’t know if we will encounter any accidents on the way, so why don’t we keep this elixir just in case.”
Qiu Yutong couldn’t help but secretly roll his eyes, ‘This little apprentice was good at everything, but was too careful, always thinking ahead.’ He slapped the pill on Lu Xiao’s palm, “Okay, okay, stop blathering. I said take the medicine so just take it. Why so much nonsense?”
Lu Xiao hesitated, still refusing to take it.
Holding on to his patience, Qiu Yutong persuaded two more times but was still unable to persuade him. This little disciple was as stubborn as a donkey! He was a bit impatient, but there was no good way. Suddenly he had a bright idea. He lowered his voice, and slowly said, “Are you going to take it or not? If you don’t, I’ll feed you like I did last time!”
“…Feed, feed me?” Lu Xiao froze and involuntarily looked at the corners of his lips as the edges of his ears grew red.
As Qiu Yutong watched his embarrassed expression, he couldn’t help but laugh in his heart. This kid had always been calm and reliable, but this shy look was rarely seen. The threat was really effective.
He paused and then put on a fierce look, glaring at him intently, ‘Hmm? Are you going to take it or not? If you don’t, I’ll really feed you!”
Lu Xiao’s eyelashes dropped in panic, his eyes wandering everywhere, almost not daring to meet his eyes, and after a few moments, he whispered, “I’ll take it.”
He really didn’t make any more excuses and swallowed the pill with a tilt of his head without even drinking the tea.
“That’s right.” Qiu Yutong nodded in satisfaction. This kid Lu Xiao was really a stubborn donkey, he wouldn’t move when being led and would only turn back when beaten; he’s so big, yet even taking a pill was so troublesome. Luckily he knew how to deal with him, tsk .
Qiu Yutong scolded him in his heart while secretly feeling smug, then took out the box of Deer Antler Ink Ointment from his Qiankun bag, “Take off your clothes.”
Lu Xiao was dumbfounded, “Huh?”
Qiu Yutong sighed, “I said you should take off your clothes, it’s time to change your medicine.”
He was a bit confused. Why did he feel that after being injured, this kid’s reactions had all become dull? It couldn’t be that he had lost too much blood and his brain was lacking blood, right?
Lu Xiao stammered, “I, I’ll just do it myself.”
“…” Qiu Yutong looked at him speechlessly for a moment, sighed, and persuaded him almost bitterly, “Xiao-er, this is a penetrating sword wound. Although it didn’t hurt your heart and lungs, it’s still very serious. And it’s fine for the front, but how are you going to medicate the wound on the back? Do you want to pull the wound? Besides, when you were unconscious before, I already gave you medicine once…”
Lu Xiao wiggled his lips and seemed to want to say something else, but Qiu Yutong was already impatient and went straight to picking up his shirt while lecturing in a deep voice, ”What are you hiding from? Tsk, squirming as if you’re not a man! Hey, no moving around!”
Lu Xiao was given a lecture and could only sit stiffly on the bed as Qiu Yutong unceremoniously stripped his upper body naked, opened the small box, and dug out a large pile of ointment. Suddenly, the room was filled with the fragrance of medicine.
Qiu Yutong put the ointment on Lu Xiao’s back wound while trying to be sarcastic, but suddenly touched something and couldn’t help but be silent.
On Lu Xiao’s broad back, in addition to this hideous fresh sword wound, there were many old scars that were slightly whitish and although most of the scars were now so faint that they were almost invisible, they still had a special roughness when touched gently by his fingertips.
These scars, some were burns and whip wounds, left behind by Lady Jiang’s abuse when Lu Xiao was a child… Some were also cuts and arrow wounds from the battlefield… and this one arrow wound was left when Lu Xiao blocked an arrow for him. Although at that time his cultivation was very high, and he didn’t need anyone else to block the arrows for him at all, according to Lu Xiao, when he saw the feathered arrow coming towards him fiercely, his brain went blank and he forgot everything, unthinking as he pounced on him… this made Qiu Yutong angry and amused but also softhearted.
After applying the medicine, Qiu Yutong couldn’t help but gently stroke those almost faded wounds again, somewhat languidly lost in thought.
Lu Xiao suddenly opened his mouth, his voice almost unable to hold on, “Master, you… …you don’t touch blindly.”
Qiu Yutong came back to his senses and with a “pop” couldn’t help but hit his back. “I was the one who applied the medicine for all those wounds when you were a child, wasn’t I? What’s the point of being shy now?”
The muscles on Lu Xiao’s back tensed up and he said roughly, “That was before.”
When Qiu Yutong saw that he was really stiff and seemed to be unable to take the teasing, he could only stand up helplessly. He threw the medicine box at him casually, “All right, the medicine has been applied to your back, so you can apply it to your chest yourself.”
Lu Xiao silently picked up the medicine box on the bedding and pulled the quilt all the way to his waist before turning around to apply the medicine.
Qiu Yutong was speechless when he saw how he was covering up, but couldn’t be bothered to argue with the wounded man, so he simply went out and brought in a basin of hot water.
Lu Xiao finished rubbing the medicine with great difficulty, and then stared blankly at the basin of water in front of him, “Master, this is…”
“You’re covered in mud and blood, you have to wipe it off a little.” Qiu Yutong saw that he looked very hesitant and hurriedly said, “I know, I know, you’re too noble for people to look at. I’ll wait outside the door in the corridor, you can take your time.”
Lu Xiao pursed his lips and said hesitantly, “It’s just the beginning of spring, and there’s no fire pit in the corridor, so it’s quite cold.”
This kid was really quite troublesome… Qiu Yutong had no choice but to sit upright on the low chair next to him and close his eyes, “This is okay, right?”
Lu Xiao gave an “mmm” sound, followed by the soft sound of water.
He scrubbed very slowly and Qiu Yutong ran his spiritual energy through his body for several cycles and was almost on the verge of falling asleep before he heard Lu Xiao say, “I’m done.”
Qiu Yutong opened his eyes and saw that Lu Xiao had changed into a clean snow-white undershirt; his hair had been let loose, and he was sitting on the bed, pursing his lips and looking at him, with a pair of dark, heavy eyes.
This boy was extremely calm and decisive when things went wrong, and sometimes very shy and introverted, but at this moment he looked like a good boy, no different from when he was a child… his little disciple’s nature, was really complicated.
Qiu Yutong muttered in his mind while walking over to help Lu Xiao fix his pillow and carefully help him lie down. Tucking the blanket in for him, he said, “Go to sleep.”
Lu Xiao lay honestly on the bed, his dark eyes looking at him quietly when suddenly he asked softly, “Shizun, you are really not going to leave right?”
Qiu Yutong’s heart turned soft as he stroked his hair gently, “I’m not leaving.”
The sound of thunder across the roof was muffled, like the tribulation lightning of yesteryear. Fine raindrops pattered on the windows, rustling softly… It was the first spring rain of the year.
In the soft sound of the spring rain, the two looked at each other quietly for a moment before Qiu Yutong sighed lowly and said again, “I’m not leaving.”
After a long time, Lu Xiao nodded gently, “I believe Shizun.”
“Hmm, it’s getting late, hurry up and go to sleep.” Qiu Yutong sat on the edge of the bed, gently stroking his hair and humming a mountain song that used to lull little Lu Xiao to sleep, and although it was a bit tone deaf, Lu Xiao’s breathing gradually evened out.
……
The next day, after the spring rain, the sky was a clear blue.
The three of them went downstairs for breakfast early in the morning, and as Qiu Yutong ate the hot soup dumpling, he suddenly remembered something and looked up at the shopkeeper. “Shopkeeper, where are the girls in green shirts from yesterday?”
The shop assistant laughed and said, “Sir, you’re too late in asking that. The girls got up earlier and left the shop a long time ago.”
Qiu Yutong was stunned and couldn’t help but be a little disappointed that he hadn’t asked for the way to the Blood Prison Valley yet.
Lu Xiao frowned and said, “Which direction did they go?”
The shopkeeper looked at Lu Xiao and smiled without saying anything.
Lu Xiao put a small ingot of silver on the table and raised an eyebrow, “Hm?”
The shop assistant smiled broadly and spoke, “This customer, it’s like this, the five girls went west along the avenue outside the door after settling the bill and I heard them talking, saying that they were going to meet up with their master at the mouth of some valley. By the way, they didn’t ride a horse or a carriage, so if you want to catch up with them, guests please move a little faster or hire a carriage. Perhaps you can still make it, heh heh.”
The three of them looked at each other, and Lu Xiao nodded to the waiter and got up to settle the bill, “I know. Here, the bill.”
After settling the bill, Lu Xiao forked out another five taels of silver and hired a carriage at the entrance of the inn. The three of them rode in the carriage, along the avenue in front of the inn, heading west.
In the time it took to brew a cup of tea, the carriage left the town. Qiu Yutong lifted the curtain to look out, only to see the endless green wheat fields on both sides of the road. The road was lined with endless fields of turquoise wheat, like a soft green carpet, stretching as far as the foot of the freshwater ink-colored distant mountains.
The fresh air of the fields greeted them through the car window, and the three of them chatted about the secret realm of Blood Prison and the Four Sects all the way, in a much looser mood than the previous two days.
The carriage went on its way, and before they knew it, it was noon. The sun was getting stronger, and the horse whinnied lowly a few times, but no matter how much the coachman whipped, it went slower and slower.
“Guest, the horse doesn’t want to move, let’s take a break!” The coachman turned his head and shouted.
Xu Dongqing lifted the curtain, used his hand to shade his eyes and squinted, “There’s a big tree ahead, Mr. Qiu, why don’t we go and rest under the tree… eh, there seems to be someone there?”
Qiu Yutong gazed up, “It seems to be those girls from Qingxia Temple.”
Lu Xiao mused, “Let’s go over and have a look first.”
When the carriage came closer, underneath the huge yellow fruit tree, there were indeed those young girls from Qingxia Temple yesterday, sitting under the tree drinking water and resting. When they heard the sound of the wheels, they looked up and were amazed.
Xu Dongqing was the first to jump down, and then Qiu Yutong also helped Lu Xiao slowly get off the carriage.
Yuzhu said softly, “Huh, Senior Sister, it’s those three people from yesterday.”
When Senior Sister Yuxin saw the visitors, she frowned immediately and said, “Yuzhu, ignore them.”
“Oh.”
Qiu Yutong touched the fake beard on his upper lip awkwardly and smiled in embarrassment.
In order not to attract attention and to reach the Blood Prison Valley without fail, the three of them were still dressed in the same grey and puffy outfits as yesterday, and as Qiu Yutong’s original appearance was too conspicuous, Lu Xiao had to paint his face yellow and give him a mustache. Although Qiu Yutong was extremely reluctant, the overall situation was important, so he didn’t resist.
Seeing that the female cultivators looked wary, the three of them didn’t say anything and sat down on the other side of the yellow fruit tree. Fortunately, the shade was wide enough to keep out the scorching sun. The horseman unloaded the horse and took it to the side to graze.
The three of them had just sat down for a few moments when a melodious banging sound came from far ahead: “Soft beancurd ~ Fresh soft beancurd~ Freshly made this morning~ “
Qiu Yutong’s spirits lifted, his eyes lighting up.
Lu Xiao looked at him then said, “Shizun, I’m a little hungry, why don’t we order some beancurd?”
Xu Dongqing licked his lips, seemingly a little hungry too, and looked at Qiu Yutong blearily, “Mr. Qiu, how about it…”
Qiu Yutong nodded haughtily, “Since you’re hungry, then let’s.”
Lu Xiao’s lips curved up gently, then he beckoned to the old man selling beancurd, “Three bowls of that!”
Yu Xin, the eldest sister of Qingxia Temple called out as well, “We’ll have five bowls too!”
Responding, the old man picked up two large buckets of beancurd and walked slowly, trembling and shaking as he put his burden under the tree. He wiped a handful of fine sweat from his forehead, and said with a very attentive smile, “Guests, do you want the beancurd sweet, or salty?”
Qiu Yutong said resolutely, “Sweet!”
Yuxin said sternly, “Salty!”
The two slowly turned their heads and two stern gazes met head-on, the heavy smell of gunpowder filling the air.
