The Changshui River originated from Sipan Mountain. The water flow was already turbulent, and after a night of heavy rain, when the explosives detonated, the mountain collapsed. The flood carried rocks and trees rushing down with tremendous force.
Wang Dian was pushed forward with full force by Liang Ye, almost running by inertia and instinct. When he hastily turned back, he discovered Liang Ye had not followed. He staggered forward as if exhausted, and somehow the long sword from Bian Feng’s hand, which had previously been restraining him, directly pierced through his waist and abdomen.
“Damn you!” Wang Dian’s eyes nearly burst with rage. He almost used all his strength to kick Bian Feng away and supported the person who had collapsed to the ground, “Liang Ye!”
Liang Ye gripped his hand tightly, tried to speak, but blood continuously spilled from his mouth.
Bian Feng laughed hoarsely while climbing up from the ground. “Your Majesty’s body is truly remarkable. So much poison was applied to the blade, yet you managed to survive until now.”
He dragged his blood-stained long sword towards Liang Ye again, but suddenly his neck was strangled by a long rope. Chang Li tightened the rope, creating a large gash on his own neck from which blood flowed, and he gritted his teeth. “Young Master, his entire body is coated with deadly poison. Don’t touch him…..go!”
Bian Feng’s eyes flashed coldly. He suddenly broke free from the rope, and his long sword thrust directly towards Liang Ye’s heart. Wang Dian raised his arm, and a short arrow suddenly shot out, jolting the sword blade off course. Before Bian Feng could react, another arrow shot out, which he dodged but which struck his shoulder.
Wang Dian gritted his teeth and lifted Liang Ye from the ground, “Chang-”
The flood roared down, covering the sky.
Wang Dian could only tightly embrace Liang Ye, and with his last breath, fastened their waists together using the buckle of his sleeve arrow.
Pain and darkness followed in succession. He protected Liang Ye’s head and neck in his embrace and completely lost consciousness.
****
As dawn approached, the rainstorm had not subsided. The turbulent Changshui River broke through mud and sand, rushing southward.
“Keep searching!” Li Mu stood in the pouring rain, shouting loudly, “Expand the search area!”
Countless soldiers spread out, searching for people among the broken wood and mud. They even brought hunting dogs. Amidst fierce barking, they excavated only severed limbs.
“General Li!” A deputy rushed over in the rain, “The Prince was also on the mountain last night and has been untraceable!”
Li Mu’s face was covered with abrasions. He spoke in a low voice, “The rebel army destroyed the mountain last night, and the heavy rain triggered a flood. It appears a fierce battle occurred here. Not finding His Majesty and the Prince might be good news. The flood rushed down from here, directly southward. They might have been swept to the middle or lower reaches of the river.”
The deputy’s face immediately turned ugly. “Chuanzhong and Chuandong are mountainous and rarely inhabited. Moreover, after spring, the bears, wolves, tigers, and leopards in the mountains become active…”
He became increasingly afraid to contemplate further. Chuanzhong and Chuandong were vast territories. The Changshui River flowed through areas with few settlements. Even healthy people would struggle to survive, let alone in the current devastating circumstances. His Majesty and the Prince might be injured.
“This is still considered fortunate,” Li Mu took a deep breath and lowered his voice. “Before finding His Majesty and the Prince’s whereabouts, no one is allowed to leak any information.”
The deputy asked with uncertainty, “Shouldn’t we immediately notify the generals and officials?”
“Absolutely not!” Li Mu gritted his teeth and steeled himself. “I have a personal imperial decree. We will proceed as I say. If there are future inquiries, I will bear the responsibility alone!”
“Yes!” The deputy immediately relaxed.
Li Mu turned around and shouted loudly, “Stay alert and continue searching!”
As soon as his words fell, the deputy behind him gripped his knife and silently pressed it against Li Mu’s neck.
Li Mu was suddenly terrified.
****
The sound of water seemed to resonate right next to his ear. Wang Dian breathed with difficulty and began to cough violently.
He opened his eyes, his body feeling like it had been dismantled and reassembled. The pain made him grimace, and the large stone pressing on his chest nearly made him pass out again.
Chaotic memories gradually returned. The moment Bian Feng stabbed Liang Ye made him startle awake from the pain, “Liang Ye!?”
Liang Ye, lying on top of him, difficultly curled his fingers slightly.
“Liang Ye!” Wang Dian’s throat was dry and painful. Violent coughing brought up several mouthfuls of blood mixed with mud and sand. His hand trembled as he fumbled to undo the buckle, lifting Liang Ye off him, “Liang Ye… wake up, Liang Ye?”
Liang Ye moved his lips with closed eyes. They were covered with dry sand, but the blood was fresh, though dark in color.
Wang Dian’s shaking hand wiped away the sand and blood from his lips, “Liang Ye, Liang Ye, open your eyes.”
Liang Ye grimaced painfully at the sound.
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Wang Dian supported his neck, looking around at the unfamiliar environment. They had apparently been swept by the flood to a mudflat. The Changshui River had been blocked by high ground, which fortunately allowed them to be washed ashore.
Those who could become emperors indeed had great luck.
Wang Dian wasn’t sure if he was being superstitious or trying to comfort himself. His right calf hurt terribly, whether twisted or broken. He laboriously dragged Liang Ye from the shallow water and laid him flat on the shore, finding several bottles in his front lapel. Two had gone into the water, with barely half a bottle remaining.
But he didn’t know what the medicine was.
Liang Ye’s waist and abdomen had been stabbed through. The previous wound from Yu Polu hadn’t fully healed, and now he was stabbed directly through the waist and abdomen. Wang Dian wasn’t sure if any vital organs had been pierced. His vision became blurry. Gritting his teeth, he tore open the cloth around Liang Ye’s waist and abdomen, revealing a gruesome, pale wound. The protruding flesh made Wang Dian’s breathing difficult.
Liang Ye’s shoulders, arms, legs, chest, and back were covered with purple-black knife and sword wounds. The poison had deeply penetrated his flesh and blood. Wang Dian held the remaining half-bottle of unknown powder, momentarily unsure where to apply it.
He gazed at Liang Ye in despair, holding him in his arms. He scattered the entire half-bottle of powder on the knife wound in his waist and abdomen, binding the wound with his half-dry inner garment using his teeth.
“Cannot die,” he muttered to himself, “Cannot die here. Liang Ye, open your eyes… please.”
Liang Ye lay with closed eyes, his gradually weakening breath seemingly silently mocking him.
Wang Dian supported his neck, the unwillingness and hatred in his heart almost consuming him entirely. He closed his eyes, then opened them again, neurotically staring at Liang Ye, “…I cannot die here.”
****
When Liang Ye opened his eyes, half his face was painfully burned by fire. He tilted his head and met Wang Dian’s bloodshot eyes – hollow, cold, almost numb.
He moved his lips, wanting to speak, but could only produce a dry, hoarse sound.
Wang Dian tilted his head, staring and examining him for a long time before uncertainly calling out, “…Liang Ye?”
Liang Ye painfully made a single syllable, which seemed to suddenly wake Wang Dian, who almost immediately pulled him into his arms and supported him.
“…Hurts,” Liang Ye difficultly moved his arm, trying to cover his stomach.
“Don’t move, the herbal medicine was just applied,” Wang Dian gripped his wrist.
Liang Ye smiled slightly, almost whispering, “You… know herbal medicine?”
“I vaguely saw it when finding Li Bu after your arrow wound,” Wang Dian wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, speaking woodenly, “Quite lucky.”
Liang Ye glanced at Wang Dian’s messy wounds and laughed, “Don’t worry, I won’t die.”
“Won’t die, my foot…” Wang Dian’s breathing was slightly unstable, “You had no breath two hours ago.”
Liang Ye closed his eyes and felt his hand tightly gripped, “Don’t sleep.”
“I’m not sleeping,” Liang Ye furrowed his brow, leaning closer to him, “I’m just… tired.”
Wang Dian clutched his hand tightly, “If I hadn’t found a pill in your boot leg, you’d be more than just tired.”
Liang Ye tried to laugh but coughed instead, taking several breaths before saying, “That was… a life-saving pill from my master.”
“How improper, hiding it in your boot,” Wang Dian spoke in a numb voice, “Did you expect it to jump into your mouth on its own?”
“…Ah,” Liang Ye drooped his eyelids, “If I were alone, I could only wait for death.”
Wang Dian held onto his hand. They silently watched the burning fire for a long time before Liang Ye difficultly moved again, “I’m serious.”
“I know,” Wang Dian said.
Liang Ye stared at the dancing flames, uncomfortably clearing his throat, “Wang Dian, you didn’t need to come to Sipan Mountain to find me.”
“I was free,” Wang Dian draped his dried outer robe over him.
The scorching warmth instantly enveloped him, dispelling the cold loneliness. Liang Ye squinted comfortably, examining the abrasions on Wang Dian’s hand.
Wang Dian unconsciously curled his fingers.
“I initially suspected Sipan Mountain might be a trap you set with the noble families,” Liang Ye spread out Wang Dian’s curled fingers, interlocking them, saying happily, “But then I thought… you’re not that despicable.”
“Shut up,” Wang Dian genuinely admired his ability to invite trouble.
Liang Ye persistently moved, finding a comfortable resting position, “No, what if… this is… my final moment? I must properly… dictate my last words.”
Wang Dian furrowed his brow, instinctively reaching to touch his neck, only to feel a cold, motionless surface.
“Liang Ye!!”
—
Wang Dian suddenly opened his eyes.
The fire crackled and popped. Liang Ye still lay quietly beside the fire, his weak breath seeming to stop at any moment, far less lively than the Liang Ye who could speak in his dream.
Wang Dian harshly pinched his palm, trying to stay more alert. The half-crushed herbal medicine lay by the fire. Liang Ye’s wounds were covered with herbs. He didn’t know if this would work, only hoping for luck.
During the assassination at Shizai Mountain, Liang Ye had also been severely poisoned but merely vomited some foul blood before bouncing back to life.
Nothing would happen.
Wang Dian thought this, smearing all the herbs on Liang Ye, turning him into a small green man.
His eyes were bloodshot, intensely staring at Liang Ye for a long time before finally laughing.
If this was all just a dream, perhaps the dream was about to collapse.
He reached out and poked Liang Ye’s face, heated by the fire, speaking to no one in particular.
“Wake up.”
