Although it sounded like provocation, it was still a proper apology at least.
“It’s alright,” Wang Dian slightly tightened his embrace, holding the person closer, and said in a gentle voice, “I forgive you.”
Liang Ye probably felt like he lost face, holding him without making a sound, his back somewhat stiff. Wang Dian lifted his head, looked at his dark expression and smiled, then cupped his face and kissed him lightly, “Sorry, did the hit hurt?”
“Doesn’t hurt,” Liang Ye frowned slightly, licked the corner of his mouth, “Kiss here again.”
Wang Dian generously kissed the corner of his mouth again.
It was light, but also gentle, very comfortable.
Liang Ye raised an eyebrow, his voice gradually becoming pitiful, “Nose.”
So Wang Dian patiently kissed his nose, and then voluntarily moved to his eyes. Liang Ye’s voice sounded even more pitiful as he gestured for Wang Dian to grab his belt, “Below.”
“…” Wang Dian was silent for two seconds, reached out to grab the paperweight from the table, and asked ominously. “Where?”
Liang Ye regretfully moved his Adam’s apple and turned to run.
“Liang Ziyu, have some shame!” Wang Dian felt both angry and amused, watching him dash out of the tent like a gust of wind. He weighed the heavy paperweight in his hand before throwing it back on the table.
He waited quite a while before going out to look for him.
It was always awkward after formally apologizing to someone. Wang Dian still remembered when he made mistakes and apologized as a child, he would hide in the basement and refuse to come out. When his father found him, he was both happy and uncomfortable…
Liang Ye’s current expression was almost exactly the same.
Liang Ye was feeding grass to his ugly horse. When he saw him, his eyes brightened slightly, then he casually looked away, angrily rubbing the horse’s head. The spotted horse, annoyed by him, stamped its hooves twice and snorted.
Whenever Wang Dian saw this ugly horse, he thought of the thoroughbred he bought from Quan Ning – beautiful and friendly, but unfortunately died tragically at Liang Ye’s hands.
“Is it pretty?” Liang Ye gave him a handful of grass.
Wang Dian held it to the spotted horse’s mouth to watch it chew, looking at its patchy black, red, and white coat, its indescribable mane, and the extremely incongruous eyes on its face. His conscience slightly aching, he said, “…Yes.”
“If you like it, I’ll give it to you,” Liang Ye said generously.
“No need, I don’t use horses often, and you need it for battles. Suddenly changing horses could make you uncomfortable,” Wang Dian declined tactfully.
Liang Ye felt this made sense. He leaned against the pillar watching him, using a piece of dry grass to play with his jade pendant’s tassel, asking casually, “Where’s the jade pendant I tied for you?”
“Here.” Wang Dian lifted his outer robe, the jade pendant was tied inside, its bright red tassel particularly eye-catching.
Liang Ye crossed his arms and smiled smugly, the dry grass in his hand lightly brushing across the back of Wang Dian’s hand. He cleared his throat and asked, “Is it uncomfortable?”
“It’s fine,” Wang Dian took some dry grass and continued feeding the horse, saying casually. “Can’t bear to take it off.”
Liang Ye couldn’t suppress his smile even if he wanted to. He turned his head to look at the rising sun on the horizon. The clouds and morning glow were hazy yet intense, even the cold, dry wind on the Gobi Desert made one feel content.
Wang Dian patted the dust off his hands and patted the ugly horse’s head, “Let’s go back, it’s already dawn.”
Liang Ye straightened up, “Let’s go.”
There were few people near the horse grounds. As they walked, they drew closer together, their wide robe sleeves rubbing and tangling together, their hands naturally intertwining, hidden within the layers of complex fabric.
****
In a certain tent in the corner of the main camp.
Chong Heng, holding his sword, glanced at the empty right sleeve of the person opposite him, “The Master has already granted you a noble title, which has also given face to your adoptive father. Why do you still insist on starting as a common soldier? You don’t know martial arts, and you’ve lost an arm. If you’re not careful, you’ll be killed on the battlefield. Why bother?”
The youth with the stern expression sat on the edge of the bed with one leg bent, biting one end of a cloth strip with his teeth. With his remaining hand, he wrapped the cloth around his calf several times, tightly securing it and tying a firm knot. He said coldly, “I want to avenge my brothers.”
“The Master will help you get revenge,” Chong Heng didn’t understand, and his words were piercing, “How many people can you kill on the battlefield?”
“I’ll kill as many as I can!” Yang Wujiu said fiercely, “I must kill Wei Wanlin!”
“The Master has sent so many people but still hasn’t found him,” Chong Heng said, “How long will it take you alone to find him?”
Yang Wujiu stared at him coldly, “What exactly did you come here for?”
“We’re old acquaintances after all,” Chong Heng rubbed his nose.
Yang Wujiu sneered, “Spare me. I’m the adopted son of a eunuch, you look down on me.”
“Ah,” Chong Heng said awkwardly, “But Wang Dian asked me to persuade you, saying we’re about the same age, we have that what’s it called—”
He searched for a while before remembering the term Wang Dian used, “Common ground.”
“…” Yang Wujiu was silent for a moment before realizing something, suddenly raising his head, “Wang Dian is here? What’s he doing on the battlefield?”
“Has fighting made you stupid?” Chong Heng fiddled with the crude bowls, chopsticks, and medicine on the table, picking them up to look and throwing them back down in disgust, “Wang Dian was made the Prince of Danyang by the Master. He’s the one who escorted the weapons and provisions this time. Besides him, who else would care about a small fry like you?”
He only knew how to kill, not how to persuade. Although he was obedient in front of Liang Ye and Wang Dian, having grown up with Liang Ye since childhood, his personality and style were exactly like Liang Ye’s. The secret guards under him were terrified of him, but Wang Dian treated him like a similar hothead to Yang Wujiu, sending him to do this kind of task.
“Prince of Danyang?” Yang Wujiu really didn’t know.
He spent every day either fighting or training, his mind and eyes completely focused on revenge, never paying attention to outside news.
“Go back to the capital and be a proper wealthy young master,” Chong Heng sat on the table, one foot resting on the slightly wobbly bench, lifting his eyelids to look at him, “You made great contributions by transmitting messages, the Master gave you a title and rewards, and you’re friends with Wang Dian. Take good care of your adoptive father in his old age, marry a few wives, have lots of children, live comfortably for the rest of your life. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
Yang Wujiu asked, “Is that what Wang Dian said?”
“That’s what I’m saying,” Chong Heng lifted his foot to rock the bench, “He only said he respects your decision, but as a friend he still wants to persuade you, so he sent me to hang out with you first, tch.”
What could he possibly have to do with Yang Wujiu, who was just a fool.
Yang Wujiu’s mouth twitched as he sat silently on the bed, but Chong Heng clearly had no intention of leaving. The two looked at each other with distaste, uncomfortably sharing the room in an awkward atmosphere.
“Aren’t you busy?”
“Aren’t you going to train?”
Another weird silence fell.
“Half day rest today.” Yang Wujiu was actually hungry and wanted to eat, but Chong Heng was playing with his chopsticks, and he was annoyed but didn’t dare say anything.
“Oh, Wang Dian said I must stay for at least half an hour,” Chong Heng said.
“Is Jian Ling dead?” Yang Wujiu searched for something to say. Since that rainy night when he left the capital, he had completely lost touch with news from the palace.
“Dead, by suicide,” Chong Heng frowned as he recalled the unrecognizable corpse.
“Jian Ling committed many evil deeds, he deserved to die,” Yang Wujiu still felt disgusted from the bottom of his heart when he thought of Jian Ling’s face, “He aided the tyrant’s evil deeds for so many years, countless people died by his hands, I almost died by his hands too.”
“Yang Man’s kill count is no less than his.” Chong Heng reflexively retorted.
“…” Yang Wujiu was left speechless.
The conversation came to an abrupt halt. Chong Heng irritably scratched his hair, “It’s been about half an hour, I’m leaving.”
He jumped down from the table and lifted the curtain to leave the tent.
After capturing Jian Ling, Chong Heng personally conducted the interrogation, but that Jian was too tight-lipped. Despite enduring various tortures, he didn’t utter a single word against Cui Yuxian.
He was loyal indeed, but since he meant harm to Liang Ye, Chong Heng wouldn’t show any mercy.
The Master was his only master, and he absolutely wouldn’t allow anyone to harm the Master, even if… even if it was Tan Yishuang.
The resolute and sorrowful look in Tan Yishuang’s eyes and the blade that Wang Dian took for him flashed before his eyes again. He rubbed his face hard, making his eyes red.
Tan Yishuang was their enemy.
He took out the lotus-embroidered sachet from his robe front, and just as he finally decided to throw it away, someone called out, “Chong Heng.”
He instinctively stuffed the sachet into his sleeve and looked up.
Wang Dian showed half his body from the main tent, beckoning to him, “Come in.”
He sniffled hard, “Coming.”
Liang Ye had been discussing matters with his commanders for most of the day. Wang Dian mostly just listened quietly without speaking. Finally, when everyone dispersed, just as he wanted to pull someone into his embrace, Wang Dian left the tent, and when he came back, there was someone following behind him.
“In the capital, you kept calling for your master every day, but now that you’re here, you’re quiet,” Wang Dian patted Chong Heng’s shoulder, “Your master just asked where you went, go to him.”
Chong Heng hesitated, while Wang Dian had already lifted the tent curtain and left.
“Come here,” Liang Ye glanced at him.
Chong Heng walked silently to Liang Ye’s front and obediently knelt down, “This servant failed to protect Wang Dian and let him get injured, please punish me, Master.”
Liang Ye walked in front of him with his hands behind his back, sat on the steps before him, and reached out to touch his neck, “Wang Dian told Zhen she almost stabbed here?”
“Yes.” Chong Heng lowered his head in shame.
Tan Yishuang didn’t know martial arts, and that speed was something he could have easily dodged, but he was completely off guard against her, which almost let her succeed. If Wang Dian hadn’t blocked that strike, he would have died.
If Wang Dian had died, he dared not imagine how his master would react, “Please punish me, Master.”
“For failing to protect, go receive your punishment,” Liang Ye said, “However, considering Wang Dian’s plea for mercy, the punishment will wait until we return to the capital.”
“…Yes.” Chong Heng sniffled.
“You’re not two or three years old, why are you crying?” Liang Ye held his neck and looked him over, “Are you injured anywhere else?”
“No,” Chong Heng said sullenly.
Liang Ye released his hand and said indifferently, “Since she tried to kill you, she clearly doesn’t have much feeling for you. Zhen won’t spare her.”
Chong Heng kept his head down and was silent for a long time, “Brother, I… don’t like her anymore.”
Liang Ye rubbed his head hard, “I know, now get lost.”
“Yes.”
