CH 12

Chapter 12: Don’t Pinch it. The Previous Wounds Haven’t Healed Yet And You Want To Add New Ones?

Qi Ci paused and hurriedly took the medicine from Bian Zhonghua’s hand: “I’ll do it myself….”

Bian Zhonghua held his head as he watched Qi Ci slowly wiping the medicine on his own. Then he said: “You know, your mother’s jade pendant is unique in the world, and it originally belonged to Empress Dowager Xianyi’s dowry. Not to mention your mother’s name, appearance, or the birthmark on your chest, everything is consistent with the characteristics of the Prince we are looking for. You should’ve guessed that I’m, in fact, a Secret Servant. At the beginning, when State Master Li established the Secret Servant sect, in addition to eliminating demons and monsters, we were appointed with an extremely important task. To find the Prince.”

“But, but I grew up in this small town in the north, and I….. I…..” Qi Ci was unable to speak coherently. As he took a deep breath, his right hand pinched his left arm, and when he was about to twist it hard, his hand was blocked by someone.

Bian Zhonghua held Qi Ci’s wrist and said: “Don’t pinch it, I just finished applying the medicine. The previous wounds haven’t healed yet and you want to add new ones?” After he said this, Bian Zhonghua took out an oiled paper bag tied with a hemp rope from his bosom, opened it, and took out a plum candied fruit. Then he stuffed it into Qi Ci’s mouth and asked: “Is it sweet?”

The plum candied fruit in Qi Ci’s mouth was sprinkled with powdered sugar, filling his mouth with a sweetness accompanied by some sourness. The sourness was relieving the overly sweet taste. As Qi Ci nodded, he said: “It’s sweet.”

Bian Zhonghua said with a smile: “This isn’t a dream.”

Qi Ci licked the candied fruit, tasting it carefully. After a long time passed, he was reluctant to spit out the plum core. As Bian Zhonghua thought that he was unwilling to give up the sweetness of the candied fruit, he laughed at him: “Once you go to the Capital and become a Prince that would live in the Imperial Palace, not to mention this ordinary plum candied fruit, but even if you want to eat luxurious food, you can have as much as you want.”

Qi Ci was still holding onto the plum core, and with his bulging cheeks, he raised his eyes to look at Bian Zhonghua. His pupils shimmered like the water greeting people’s reflections, and it took him a long time to suppress the ripples under his eyes before Qi Ci could say: “My mother was seriously ill, and before she died, she took my hand and told me to not got to the Capital for the rest of my life. Not only should I not go, but I should also stay far away from that place. Before, I couldn’t understand what she meant, but I understand now….”

“Then, will you still go to the Capital?” Bian Zhonghua asked.

“I’ll go.” Qi Ci replied without hesitation. “I want to find my mother’s belongings. If I don’t take revenge, then I’m not a man.”

Bian Zhonghua applauded: “Excellent! You have a strong spirit! The strong wind is blowing, the clouds are flying, and the mighty are returning1-…”

Qi Ci clenched his fist and completed: “To! The! Land! Of! Dreams2!”

Bian Zhonghua: “Yes, let’s go to bed now. Great minds think alike.”

The two got along well, each mightily and vigorously covering themselves with the quilt to meet with the Duke of Zhou3.

…

It was March, at the beginning of the mid-spring season, when the plums turned yellow, and the rain fell, wetting people’s clothes.

Not far from the Capital, the Xu Family’s residence welcomed two passers-by.

The morning mist was thick, and the rooster was cackling as it shook off a few willow leaves. Uncle4 Xu, who couldn’t sleep, got up early in the morning. As he knocked his old arms and legs, he planned to go to the East street to buy steamed buns.

However, who would’ve known that the moment he went out, he would see two people standing aside.

One of them was a young man with an extraordinary qi wearing black clothes. That young man said in a deep voice: “Are you sure this is the place?”

He had a noble demeanor and high minded manners.

If only he weren’t holding an oil cake in his hand.

Qi Ci asked: “Why are you eating all the time? You’re always carrying all kinds of pastries, candied fruits, and candies in your pockets….”

Bian Zhonghua stuffed the last bite of the oil cake into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed before saying: “If you’re hungry, don’t you want to eat?”

“……Yes.”

“Then why do you ask?”

“But…. why are you always hungry?”

“Did I eat your food?”

“…. No.”

“Then why are you asking?”

Qi Ci frankly admitted defeat.

Uncle Xu saw them bickering like a couple in front of the door for such a long time that he even forgot about buying the steamed buns. It took him a long time to react until he finally went forward. As he bowed, he said: “These two Gongzi5 came to my Xu family’s residence so early in the morning, what can I help you with?”

Qi Ci bent down and returned the greeting: “Uncle is too polite. We just want to ask you about someone.”

“Oh? Who is it?”

“Does Uncle know a young man named Xu Run?”

As soon as the name came from Qi Ci’s mouth, Uncle Xu’s face instantly turned blue, and his tone became severe: “What’s your relationship with Xu Run? Why do you want to know about him?”

Before Qi Ci could reply, Bian Zhonghua smilingly answered for him: “We’re enemies. He stole some things from my friend, and we’re looking for him to get them back.”

“It turned out to be like this.” After hearing such bad things, Uncle Xu’s face actually softened. As he stroked his white beard, he said indignantly: “Hmp! It does sound like something that animal would do!“

Qi Ci couldn’t help but glance at Bian Zhonghua after hearing this.

Then, Qi Ci asked: “Uncle, I heard that Xu Run’s family were all killed by thieves-….”

Before he could finish his words, Uncle Xu interrupted Qi Ci as he shouted: “That’s nonsense! His parents were killed by his own hands! Gongzi, ah, I’m really sorry, my Xu family no longer has any kind of relation with that beast, and we don’t know where he is now. I’m ashamed to let you see our disgrace.”

Without getting any information, the two of them had to bid farewell to Uncle Xu and head in the direction of the Capital.

Qi Ci sighed: “Now, I really don’t know where to find Xu Run. The Capital is so big, would we have to ask one medical shop after the other?”

Bian Zhonghua smiled and joked: “Don’t worry, we’ll go to the Capital first, then we’ll rest, and maybe the news will come to us on their own.”

Right after saying that, a pigeon hit Bian Zhonghua on the head.

Bian Zhonghua hissed with pain and covered his forehead with his left hand. With his right hand, he grabbed the dizzy pigeon. After reciting the word ‘retribution6’, he untied the secret letter on the pigeon’s leg.

After Bian Zhonghua read the letter at a single glance, his face slowly showed astonishment, but then it returned to normal right after. Then he shook the note gently, and suddenly, the paper ignited on fire as it floated in the air, turning into ashes: “The news really came on their own.”

Qi Ci was surprised: “What?”

Bian Zhonghua said: “The Secret Servant sect called back all the Demon Slayers. As for the secret letter, it said that the Prince, who has been living among common people until now, has been found.”