Qiang Jin Jiu (Author : Tang Jiuqing 唐酒卿)

Chapter 146 : Yuanzhao

All votes and comments are much appreciated :)

—————

Shen Zechuan suddenly said, “Ding Tao.”

Ding Tao kept his little book away and leaped over the obstruction to grab the arm of one of them. “What are you people hiding? Move away for the Young Master to take a look.”

Fei Sheng noted their shifty eyes and hemming and hawing, so he bellowed, “What? Is this donkey not yours?”

A sharp-eyed Ding Tao yelled, “Young Master, there’s a man below!”

The surrounding Imperial Bodyguards stepped forth and encircled them. Most of these people were local ruffians from the city of Dancheng, and they could not help but cower in fear when they saw the hostile expressions of the Imperial Bodyguards, what’s more when these Imperial Bodyguards were also all armed with blades. So before Fei Sheng could give his order, they all dispersed in an uproar, revealing the man on the ground.

Yu Xiaozai lifted the hem of his robe and moved in closer for a look. He bent over and exclaimed in shock, “Why is there so much blood? Quick, help him up quickly and call for a physician!”

Fei Sheng squatted down to check on the man. “These legs are a goner. Someone broke them.”

This man refused to look up, instead propping himself up for a moment to say in a hoarse voice, “… The cat is mine.”

Embarrassed, Fei Sheng picked the cat up and put it before the man, explaining, “I thought it was a stray cat. Is this donkey yours too? You’re not from Dancheng, are you?”

The man did not answer. He coughed at the ground. As he covered his lips, Fei Sheng caught a glimpse of the handkerchief in his palm. This handkerchief was exquisite. Even though it was dirty, its quality and material were not commonplace. These fingers were long and slender, without any calluses on them; it was not the hand belonging to someone used to manual labor or menial work.

In an instant, Fei Sheng changed his attitude and said, “Let me help you up. You can no longer walk on these legs of yours, and you are so badly ill. The most important thing at present is to have a physician take a look as soon as possible.”

The man suddenly clenched his fists, and his coughing intensified. The handkerchief he used to cover his lips was stained with blood. He was clearly in a terrible state, yet his etiquette was impeccable as he lowered his eyes and said, “I wouldn’t dare to trouble you. Thanks for asking.”

Yu Xiaozai saw the zhaowen bag hanging around the man’s waist and realized that this man was a scholar. He could not help but feel more deeply concerned as he turned his head back to say to Shen Zechuan, “Vice Commander, he doesn’t seem to be a wicked person to me. Why don’t we—”

“Vice Commander?” The man’s tone suddenly changed. “Vice Commander Shen, Shen Zechuan?”

The surrounding Imperial Bodyguards promptly held on to their blades. Shen Zechuan raised a hand as a gesture for them to hold it and asked, “Are we old acquaintances?”

The man felt a tidal surge of emotions. He wanted to say something, but he ended up coughing out blood. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his coughing grew even more intense as his pale, trembling fingers bent and dug into the ground, gouging out tracks while he mumbled over and over again, “Shen Zechuan, it’s you!”

This voice gave Qiao Tianya a sense of déjà vu. He turned around.

Shen Zechuan slowly crouched down and looked directly at the man. The man moved away the handkerchief covering his lips and propped himself up on the ground with his arms. His eyes seemed to have been set ablaze, filled with the madness of someone who was staking it all on a cast of the dice. He lifted his head. Just as everyone thought he would wail and go hysterical, he let out a very soft laugh. This laugh was like the ripple of spring waters, fleeting and ephemeral, before it quickly plunged into a bottomless abyss of raging inferno, where the fire burned everything clean along with his unbending pride and free spirit, turning an immortal free from worldly cares into a pile of filthy ashes.