Chapter 26 Half-covered
"Master, please have some porridge first, it might get cold if you wait any longer," Cheng Yuan reminded him.
Chu Qingyuan sat down at the table, took a sip of the porridge, and tasted the familiar flavor.
Cheng Yuan is quite talented in cooking. Even though no one has ever taught him, he can still make a simple bowl of porridge into something fancy. He hasn't tasted it for seven years and does miss it.
Seeing that Chu Qingyuan had drunk a few more mouthfuls of porridge, Cheng Yuan couldn't hide his smile and said to Chu Qingyuan, "I learned some new moves today, Master, can you take a look at them?"
After receiving Chu Qingyuan's permission, Cheng Yuan couldn't wait to pick up the Liuyin Sword and run out. Chu Qingyuan followed him, sat down next to the chessboard, and watched Cheng Yuan wield his sword with graceful movements. Every move was fluid and agile, and occasionally a falling bamboo leaf would gently brush against the blade and be lifted up by the wind from the sword.
"Master, Master, how was it?" Cheng Yuan asked anxiously as soon as he finished a set of moves.
Chu Qingyuan smiled and nodded, saying, "That's right."
Cheng Yuan immediately became happy. At his age, he was most susceptible to praise. When he heard Chu Qingyuan say that it was good, he hurriedly ran over, but his legs suddenly gave way and he fell straight down. Fortunately, Chu Qingyuan stood up in time and caught him.
"Don't always be so impatient," Chu Qingyuan advised.
Cheng Yuan gave a muffled "hmm," but still held onto Chu Qingyuan tightly, refusing to let go.
Chu Qingyuan thought he was injured somewhere and hurriedly tried to pull him up to check, but Cheng Yuan didn't cooperate. Instead, he hugged him even tighter and couldn't push him away.
Chu Qingyuan was having trouble breathing and wanted to ask him what was wrong, but then he heard Cheng Yuan call out, "Chu Jianshan."
Chu Jianshan's heart skipped a beat. He looked down at Cheng Yuan's face but found it was already blurred. He looked around in panic. The Sleepless Abode, the bamboo forest, and the chessboard on the stone table were all slowly disappearing.
"don't want……"
Chu Jianshan wanted to stop all of this, to at least let him see this place one more time, but he couldn't move at all, and he couldn't make a sound even if he wanted to shout. He could only hear someone calling his name over and over again.
"Chu Jianshan..."
"Chu Jianshan!"
He suddenly opened his eyes, panting heavily. A few strands of hair stuck to his face, and his clothes were soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to his skin, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
"Chu Jianshan, how are you?" Cheng Yuan asked anxiously, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
As consciousness slowly returned, Chu Jianshan realized he was lying in Cheng Yuan's arms. After struggling for a while, he managed to make a sound, his voice hoarse and pitiful: "What happened to me?"
Bai Qianfan walked over, placed a bowl of medicine on the bedside table, and said, "What's wrong? I told you to go out in the middle of the night and catch a fever without you even knowing. If Cheng Yuan hadn't come to find you today, I'm afraid you would have quietly died in the room."
"Look at you, how old are you? Still acting like a young man. Don't you know your own body? And..."
Bai Qianfan kept chattering away, but Chu Jianshan turned his head slightly away, not wanting to listen to his rambling. He was clearly the elder, yet he always had to listen to these juniors' lectures.
Cheng Yuan noticed Chu Jianshan's reluctance and turned to Bai Qianfan, saying, "Senior brother, the medicine is getting cold. Please change it."
Bai Qianfan was immediately enraged. He could easily understand what Cheng Yuan meant, and he shouted, "I don't care about you anymore!" Then he strode out of the room.
Chu Jianshan's lips curled up slightly, it seemed that Cheng Yuan was still on his side, but the next second he saw that Cheng Yuan had already brought the medicine to his lips, so Chu Jianshan put his smile back down.
"Drink the medicine." The two cold and ruthless words came out of Cheng Yuan's mouth.
Chu Jianshan was naturally unwilling, and with a strength he didn't know he had, he pushed Cheng Yuan away and tilted his head to one side.
Seeing that his head was tilted so much that his neck was almost broken, Cheng Yuan had no choice but to soften his tone and gently coax him, "It's not bitter, I added sugar."
"Really?" Chu Jianshan was skeptical, but he stuck his head out and took a small bite. The bitter taste of the medicine quickly spread throughout his mouth and up to his palate.
The medicine was so bitter that he couldn't speak, and could only protest with "uh-uh" sounds.
Who said this medicine isn't bitter! How come even my apprentice has learned to lie!
Cheng Yuan couldn't help but chuckle and said, "I'm afraid adding sugar will affect the medicine's effectiveness. Just bear with it for now, and I'll give you the candied fruit after you finish drinking it."
Chu Jianshan glared at him, then glanced at the darkened medicinal soup, took a deep breath, pinched his nose, and gulped it down. Before his tongue could react, he quickly pried Cheng Yuan's hand open and took the candied fruit hidden inside with his mouth.
Perhaps due to a lack of control, Chu Jianshan's tongue lightly touched Cheng Yuan's palm.
The warm, moist touch made Cheng Yuan's body stiffen instantly, and his eyes became somewhat unfocused. He could only lower his gaze to prevent Chu Jianshan from noticing anything amiss.
The sweetness of the candied fruit masked the original bitterness, allowing Chu Jianshan to catch his breath. He then asked Cheng Yuan, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
"No...it's nothing."
Cheng Yuan lowered his head, unsure of what to say.
Chu Jianshan didn't understand what trick he was up to again, and simply said, "Then you can go out first. I want to change my clothes; I'm all soaked."
"How about I help you?"
When Cheng Yuan asked the question, both of them were visibly stunned for a moment, and then Chu Jianshan said decisively, "No need! I... I can do it myself."
Cheng Yuan didn't make things difficult for him. He nodded, closed the door, and left.
In fact, Chu Jianshan himself didn't understand why he refused so quickly. They were both grown men, and helping each other change clothes didn't seem like a big deal.
When he finally started changing his clothes, he understood why Cheng Yuan had helped him. He really had no strength left, and it took him ages just to get off the bed.
After struggling for a while, he finally managed to take off his original clothes. When he tried to get the clean clothes on the rack, his legs suddenly gave way and he fell forward, collapsing to the ground along with the rack.
Cheng Yuan heard a loud noise from inside the house and hurriedly asked, "What happened?" He then tried to open the door to go in.
"Don't come in!"
Chu Jianshan cried out in panic, for he was still naked!
But it was too late. Before Chu Jianshan could even shout, Cheng Yuan had already pushed the door open and entered. In a moment of panic, Chu Jianshan grabbed some clothes from the floor and covered his private parts, closing his eyes and not daring to look at him.
So when Cheng Yuan entered, this was the scene he saw: Chu Jianshan was sitting on the ground, his thin blue robe barely covering his upper body, his fair skin on his shoulders was completely exposed, his messy hair covered his slightly red face, and his occasional heavy breathing would blow a few strands of hair away.
Chu Jianshan couldn't see anything with his eyes closed. He wondered why Cheng Yuan hadn't reacted for so long. When he slowly opened his eyes, he saw Cheng Yuan pull the blanket off the bed and cover him with it.
Just as he was about to tell Cheng Yuan that he was alright, he was picked up by him. This was the first time Chu Jianshan had ever been held like this in his life. He thought he would struggle, or at least verbally refuse, but who knew that he would accept it so readily.
Cheng Yuan placed him on the bed and covered him with the blanket. When Chu Jianshan looked up, he could only see Cheng Yuan's profile. He didn't understand why Cheng Yuan's face was also a little red. As if possessed, he gently touched his face.
Cheng Yuan was taken aback, his hands stopped moving abruptly, and he looked up at Chu Jianshan, his breathing becoming somewhat heavy.
Cheng Yuan's bright eyes were fixed on him, as if asking Chu Jianshan what his action meant—was it a caress, an invitation, or something else?
Chu Jianshan seemed to realize something was wrong and abruptly withdrew his hand.
Cheng Yuan's eyes darkened instantly. He gently covered him with the blanket and said, "You should rest well first." Then he left without looking back.
Chu Jianshan reached out his hand, but the words of retention he wanted to say were swallowed back down. He wanted Cheng Yuan to stay, but he didn't know what reason to give.
The next morning, Chu Jianshan was awakened by firecrackers.
Only after asking Bai Qianfan did I learn that the coronation ceremony of the Qingyao City Lord was today.
Bai Qianfan said, "Isn't it a coincidence? The city lord is about to host a banquet for all the heroes after his succession. I was worried about how to meet the city lord."
Chu Jianshan interrupted, "They're hosting a banquet for the chivalrous heroes of Qingyao City. Who are you?"
Bai Qianfan turned his head, gave him a knowing smile, and said, "Then naturally we'll have to use some real money."
Chu Jianshan opened his mouth but didn't know what to say. What a blatant display of wealth! All he could say was that it's good to be rich.
"How are you feeling?" Bai Qianfan asked.
Chu Jianshan, however, gave an irrelevant answer: "Your medicine almost killed me with its bitterness."
Bai Qianfan said confidently, "Then it's almost healed."
He was always confident in his medical skills; as long as Cheng Yuan could coax him to drink it, he would definitely get better.
"Now that everything is ready, let's set off."
"So fast?" Chu Jianshan asked.
Bai Qianfan said, "Quickly? Don't you even know what time it is? If Cheng Yuan hadn't stopped me, I would have dragged you out of bed long ago. Besides, your poison hasn't been cured yet, this is your only chance. The sooner you go, the sooner you have a glimmer of hope."
Chu Jianshan pouted and teased him, "Do you think this is a market sale, where you can grab good stuff by going early? I think A Yuan did the right thing. I'd rather have this time to sleep a little longer."
Bao Qianfan said sarcastically, "Oh, you're calling him A Yuan again now. I haven't seen you acknowledge your disciple. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't even be able to see him now."
Chu Jianshan was furious: "You dare bring this up again? I knew it was you who did this!"
Bai Qianfan said, "Still pretending? Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. With a disciple like you around, at least you'll be more careful with your life and stop always rushing to the front."
Chu Jianshan knew Bai Qianfan's good intentions, but who could predict the future? He could only plead, "Don't tell him my identity. Let's keep it a secret for as long as possible."
Bai Qianfan wanted to say something, but swallowed it back and sighed softly.
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