Chapter 105 The Long Night (2) The chapter Erfeng most wanted to delete (Author's Note...)
Changsun Qingjing bent down and turned around, eager to find the imagined hole in his clothes that had been snagged by a tree branch. Mr. Wei, however, stopped asking and only ordered Li Fanniang to carry the lamp and walk ahead. After the three of them groped around for a while, Mr. Wei finally settled Duan Zhixuan on the bed in the main room.
"Fan Niang, take Young Master Gao to bring the stove over. Be careful." After saying this, Mr. Wei handed the oil lamp to Li Fan Niang.
The two men, who had just escaped danger and were still worried, groped around in the dim light for half a day and finally dragged the stove and charcoal to Duan Zhixuan's side.
A dilapidated, multi-branched lamp flickered in the main room, making the room slightly brighter than before. Duan Zhixuan lay supine with his right arm exposed, his wounds already treated with lime powder and tightly bandaged with clean white linen.
Li Fanniang skillfully prepared a soup with scallion whites and salt to clean Duan Zhixuan's wounds.
Mr. Wei, finding Li Fanniang too weak, personally stepped forward and cut the blood-soaked white blouse even more...
Changsun Qingjing dared not look directly at him, and simply sat at a distance.
"This kid's got some serious skills with stone locks and strong bows. Look at that broad chest and ape arms, tsk tsk." Mr. Wei looked at Duan Zhixuan's exposed chest, half teasing and half genuinely admiring, "He's got the makings of a warrior, no less capable than I was in my youth. No wonder a bunch of good-for-nothings from Hanjiacang and Henan County couldn't catch you..."
Having said that, he straightened his shoulders as if to show off, as if tensing his limbs would make him appear even more powerful under the glow of the lanterns.
Li Fanniang found Mr. Wei's words too blunt, and turned her head away shyly, ignoring their nonsense.
Changsun Qingjing could only offer an awkward smile, unsure of where to look.
"What are you judging?" Changsun Qingjing asked warily.
"Which of the two is more valiant and heroic?" Mr. Wei exaggeratedly gestured with his arms across his chest. Fortunately, Mr. Wei at least considered his adopted daughter's shyness and his words were still relatively elegant and dignified.
Obviously, giving him a factual answer will suffice.
"The old man just said a few words of common sense and then started sowing discord again," Duan Zhixuan sneered.
Mr. Wei waved the beryllium needle and said, "How could I dare to provoke you brothers? I just want to make you feel better so that it will be easier to clean your wounds."
She would never stoop that low!
“Mr. Wei is right,” Changsun Qingjing said, feigning maturity. “In my opinion, the two of them are equally matched.”
“I understand,” Mr. Wei said thoughtfully. “Although the four of you are of one mind, Young Master Gao is still wholeheartedly protecting his old friend. Therefore, aside from your bias towards that boy, Li Shimin should be slightly inferior. Is that right?”
"Mr. Wei is too kind." Changsun Qingjing's heart was in turmoil. She felt that this old gentleman was scheming and trying to get information out of her, and that his thoughts were unfathomable. It would be inappropriate for him to discover that she was a woman.
"Xiaojing, once I'm healed, I'll treat you to a hunting trip to Jinyang!" Duan Zhixuan interjected smugly, and Li Fanniang couldn't help but smile, no longer feeling awkward or shy.
"You're really easily flattered, kid." Mr. Wei loosened the white linen bandage wrapped tightly around Duan Zhixuan's shoulder to stop the bleeding and laughed. "I was the one who praised you first, so why don't you invite me to Jinyang?"
"Thanks, but I don't deserve it!" Duan Zhixuan said sarcastically. "I can't persuade a big shot like you who's always ready to fight."
Everyone burst into laughter.
"Hey Duan, I'm asking you, are you married?" Mr. Wei asked casually, using a needle heated by a lamp flame to pick up the filth from Duan Zhixuan's right shoulder wound.
The other three people in the room all found the question quite bizarre.
Duan Zhixuan already disliked this old scoundrel. First, he was annoyed by his stalking and eavesdropping; second, he was annoyed by his unwarranted accusations against Zhang Liang; and third, he was annoyed by his domineering attitude towards Li Shimin. If it weren't for the fact that Li Fanniang was his adopted daughter, and that he genuinely felt guilty for disrupting the innocent girl's wedding, he would have already spoken rudely.
"Sir, you should just focus on treating my injuries. It's probably inappropriate for you to pry into my family affairs and marriage."
He answered coldly. In truth, he had long been resentful: this old scoundrel had acted like a domineering father-in-law towards Zhang Liang, mocked Li Shimin for being unmarried and lacking social skills, and now he was actually inquiring about his marriage! Utterly ridiculous!
"I haven't even fed you the datura wine yet, and you're already spouting so much nonsense, you peacock!" Mr. Wei said. "The treatment of your wound is related to whether or not you've married!"
"Of course I have a fiancée. What's it to you!" Duan Zhixuan retorted weakly. He felt that this old man had a peculiar habit of deliberately toying with young people, and that every question he asked was a trap with unfathomable depths.
"What do you mean?" Duan Zhixuan asked irritably.
"Hmph." Duan Zhixuan responded with a cold laugh, "With such treacherous thoughts, why doesn't Yama (the King of Hell) arrest you?"
“Boy, I won’t hide anything from you. I was supposed to be lying at the bottom of Fan Zigai’s pit, but Han Zitong, the Grand General of the State, loved me so much that he couldn’t bear to let me die, so he released me from the bottom of the pit?”
"Did you join Yang Xuangan's rebel army or eat Yang Xuangan's chestnuts?" Duan Zhixuan asked sarcastically.
Mr. Wei laughed heartily: "You yourself said that stealing from Yang Guang's house doesn't count as stealing, so I guess wanting Yang Guang to die wouldn't count as rebellion either."
"That old scoundrel's words resonate with me!" Duan Zhixuan laughed, his wound causing him to gasp.
"Fan Niang, wash this boy's wound several times with scallion and salt water; Young Master Gao, grab his chin and feed him datura wine; I'll tie him up..." Mr. Wei began searching the room for rope.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Duan Zhixuan asked warily.
Mr. Wei found a few thin hemp ropes and said, “Kid, let me tell you the truth. First, your wound is too long. Golden wound medicine alone probably won't close it. Even if it closes this time, it'll likely burst open again when your cronies bring you to Xin'an in a carriage, and then your life will be in danger. So, I need to sew it up securely with mulberry bark thread. Second, the potency of my datura wine varies from person to person. Even if Chao Yuanfang personally mixes the wine today, I can't guarantee whether you'll faint, become delirious, or go mad after drinking it. If I don't tie you up securely, do you expect me to stab you with a knife?”
"You've gone too far!"
"Alright, alright, Zhixuan, listen to me. Mr. Wei doesn't mean you lack the courage to undergo bone-scraping surgery, but he can't feel at ease suturing you if you don't drink the datura wine. He's also afraid that you might lose control after taking the medicine and injure the doctor in a daze, which would only harm yourself." Changsun Qingjing acted as a peacemaker. "Mr. Wei, am I right?"
“This is not Young Master Li’s fault,” Li Fanniang said with a smile. “Zhang Liang is not good in every way, but knowing that I have lost my father, he still wants to save face for me. Since you, sir, are not here, Young Master Li can only take your place…”
While the old man and the young woman were arguing about the marriage again, Changsun Qingjing started feeding Duan Zhixuan datura wine. Duan Zhixuan glared at her, and she glared back: "Drink it now, and don't cause any trouble!"
Author's Note: Mini-Theater (Part 1)
Erfeng: 500 gold coins, delete this chapter!
Fishbone: I have integrity.
Erfeng: 1000 gold coins, replace all instances of "Duan Zhixuan" with "Li Shimin" in this chapter.
Fishbone: I'll think about it...
Mini-Theater (Part Two)
Mr. Wei: A man's ambition is so simple and unpretentious.
A-Jing: You guys are too down-to-earth.
Erfeng: You've never even seen me naked and you're already spreading rumors! I'm heartbroken, I have to take my clothes off to show you and clear things up!
Ah Jing: Get away, you're going to step on my foot!
Mini-Theater (Part 3)
Erfeng: Where did your fighting spirit go when you were arguing with your aunt? Old Wei said I'm not as good-looking as others, and you just agreed with him like that?
Ah Jing: Although, I'm a very honest person. When they ask me how well I've built my muscles, I don't know either...
Erfeng: Is there any need to doubt this kind of thing? Of course, I'm better at it than Xiaoduan!
Ah Jing: You were wrapped up so tightly, how was I supposed to know...?
Erfeng: Is it because I like to be wrapped up so tightly?
Ah Jing: That's just for the sake of the plot...
Erfeng: Need my ass! I asked you to go to the martial arts arena to admire my perfect figure the other day, but you wouldn't go! Now you don't have the confidence to praise your husband in front of outsiders, do you?
Mini-Theater (Part 4)
Short passage: Although I was pleased that the Empress praised my muscle definition as being better than His Majesty's, I was still more interested in the fact that the Empress mistook me for His Majesty...
Fishbone: Because for people who seriously do upper body strength training, the feeling of muscle stretching is like having wings on their backs. If they are not careful when walking, their arms swinging will be unnatural. Even carrying a trash bag downstairs will look like they are going to fight someone.
Xiao Duan: …………
Fishbone: Don't ask me how I know, I grew wings during the years I seriously worked out weightlifting...
Xiao Duan: Speak like a human being.
Fishbone: The Queen just thought your backs looked a bit alike, like you both had invisible wings.
Xiao Duan: Speak in plain and easy-to-understand language
Fishbone: The Empress said you and His Majesty are a pair of birdmen... [evil grin]
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