Return (I)
Li Qingshan was surrounded by a group of people he was not very familiar with and was being polite to them. Soon he felt tired of dealing with them.
The endless questions made the smile on his face become increasingly stiff, almost unable to maintain.
He answered the chatter absentmindedly, and his eyes couldn't help but drift to the corner of the corridor where He Shu left.
Is Wuming comfortable being alone in the unfamiliar Ye Mansion?
"Why didn't Young Master Li participate in the Spring Examination this year? Everyone thought someone close to him would become the provincial champion!"
"It's Qingshan's fault. He let everyone down."
Li Qingshan smiled bitterly:
"He's weak now. He won't adapt to the climate once he leaves the city. He's been leaving several times and hasn't even made it out of the city. If he insists on going to the capital, he'll probably be burned into a fool before he even gets there."
"Oh, that's such a pity..."
Everyone echoed in agreement. Li Qingshan's eardrums were rubbed so hard by the noise that he had no intention of continuing the endless questioning.
At this moment, a sudden uproar from afar tore through the feast.
He followed the gaze of the crowd and his heart suddenly jumped. The gray figure that flashed by on the high wall was like a needle that pierced his already tense nerves, and uneasiness instantly enveloped him like a dark cloud.
Is that Wuming? What happened to him?
Li Qingshan no longer cared about socializing, pushed through the crowd and followed the direction of the commotion.
"Brother!"
He was stopped by his sister's cry, and just as he stopped to catch his breath, he hurriedly grabbed her:
"Alan...what happened? Where's Doctor He?"
There was an unconcealable anxiety in his voice, and his eyes were still closely following the wall where the figure disappeared, as if he could penetrate the bricks and stones and see the person he wanted to see.
"Li Qingshan!"
But before his sister could answer, Li Qingshan saw Ye Qi, who was soaked and had a head full of duckweed, rushing towards them like a mad beast, ripping off the leaves still hanging on his head and throwing them hard on the ground.
"Look at what your mistress has done!"
Li Qingshan frowned and rushed to protect his sister, not even noticing the water splashing on his sleeves.
He suppressed his surging anxiety and tried to keep his voice steady, but the gloom in his eyes grew deeper and deeper.
"Mr. Ye, before you throw dirty water on others, please clean up your own body first."
He had become accustomed to Ye Qi's targeting. Although they did not have much in common, this man was always unfriendly to him for some reason, as if there was some deep hatred between them.
It would have been fine if he was a suspect in the past, but now that Wuming was missing, he really didn't want to get entangled with this reckless man.
Li Qingshan wiped the remaining water stains from his face with his hands behind his back. He first comforted his sister softly, then asked his mother to take the person away before continuing:
"I don't have a mistress, so I naturally don't know what he did to you, sir."
"No mistress?"
Ye Qi frowned, and suddenly he stretched out his hand and pushed. Li Qingshan, who was worried about He Shu, was unable to dodge and his back hit the cold and hard rockery heavily.
My chest suddenly felt tight, the severe pain stifled my breathing, and a fishy-sweet taste surged in my throat.
He gritted his teeth and swallowed hard, his face turned pale in an instant, and fine beads of cold sweat oozed from his forehead.
"Who was that bitch who pushed me into the water? He came into my Ye Mansion with you. He's a male prostitute who uses his beauty to please others. If he hadn't had your permission, how could he have dared to hit me? Does he want to die?"
Ye Qi's vicious curse pierced Li Qingshan's last bit of luck, and his head suddenly buzzed -
The grayish white on the wall is really...
Wuming...is really gone...
He lowered his head, and a cold sense of loss suddenly gripped his heart, even overwhelming the dull pain in his back. The sweet taste he had just forced himself to swallow now tasted indescribably bitter.
Yes, Wuming is not from here, he will have to leave one day...
"Oh, that bitch has such a fierce temper. I don't know how your small body can withstand it. Don't let that happen... and die in bed..."
Ye Qi's malicious whispers pierced Li Qingshan's ears like a poisonous snake, pulling him back from his trance. Even more unbearable words followed.
"But he is indeed a beauty. His face is smoother than that of an ordinary woman. I can't let go of it when I touch it..."
"shut up!"
A suppressed roar burst out from Li Qingshan's throat. This roar was much louder than his usual voice, and it was hoarse and instantly drowned out the surrounding noise.
Ye Qi was stunned by this sudden resistance, and his fingers that kept poking Li Qingshan's shoulders froze.
He looked in disbelief at the usually gentle and patient man in front of him who slowly raised his head. The suppressed calmness in his eyes seemed to be completely torn apart, and he couldn't help but take a step back.
"Young Master Ye..."
Li Qingshan spoke in a low voice, emphasizing each word.
"I wasn't there just now, and I have no intention of arguing with you. Since you said the person who pushed you into the water was my companion, then let's just assume it was him..."
He spoke very slowly, but his body was already tense. His right leg retreated half a step, like a bowstring filled with force.
"But no matter why he did this, please be respectful..."
Before he could finish his words, Li Qingshan suddenly turned sideways, neatly grabbed the arm that was pushing him, twisted and pushed it hard, and Ye Qi screamed as he was thrown hard onto the cold rockery.
The years he had spent cultivating on Luzhu Mountain were not in vain. Although he was still ill, he was more than capable of dealing with such a good-for-nothing.
"Brother He is my doctor and my honored guest, not a 'bitch' or 'male prostitute' that you can insult at will!"
The smell of blood that he had just suppressed surged into his throat again, but Li Qingshan didn't care and stubbornly pressed the man down.
"Let go! Disgusting homosexual!"
Ye Qi, who was being held down tightly, seemed to feel an unprecedented threat. He struggled and twisted frantically, allowing the rough surface of the rock to scratch his face and leave many bloody marks.
The pool water that had not yet dried on his hair splashed everywhere, and he was almost sober. He howled hysterically:
"Where are the guards? Guards, what are you doing? Quickly pull this damn homosexual away! Ahh ...! This is so disgusting! Don't let him touch me!"
"Young Master Ye."
Li Qingshan took the initiative to release his hand before the guard came forward, and returned to his usual gentle appearance, but the smile on the corner of his mouth was full of mockery.
"Even if I'm a homosexual, I have no interest in you. There's no need to be so alarmed."
The surging blood in his chest and the violent coughing could no longer be suppressed. He swayed slightly and took two steps back.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his sister break free from her mother's hand and run towards him. She was soon beside him, grabbing his trembling arm, her face full of panic and worry.
"Brother, are you okay?"
"Nothing..."
Li Qingshan was about to comfort his sister when he could no longer suppress the fishy and sweet taste in his throat.
He could only turn his head to the side and cover his mouth tightly with his hands. A suppressed cough escaped from between his fingers, and his body hunched over, almost unable to stand.
"Brother still has things to deal with, you better go back to mother..."
He tried to say something, but was interrupted before he could finish his words:
"Asshole, it was you who bullied Doctor He first!"
Li Qinglan put his hands on his hips and shouted angrily,
"You failed to tease me and ended up getting pushed into the water. You still have the nerve to cry and say it's my brother's fault? How shameful! You scared Doctor He away, and we haven't even come to you to settle the score and get him back, yet you're the first to complain... Ugh, how shameless!"
"you--"
Ye Qi was sorely hurt by Li Qinglan's words that he became so angry that his face turned ashen and veins on his forehead throbbed.
He took two steps forward, his fists clenched so tightly that they made a creaking sound. His tall figure almost enveloped his sister.
"Why, you dare to do it but not take responsibility for it? You're just a coward who only knows how to gossip behind others' backs. Shame on you!"
"Li Qinglan!"
Seeing that something was not right, Li's mother ran over and tried to drag the brother and sister away.
"Aqi, don't bother with my daughter. I've spoiled her so much that she's a bit outspoken..."
"Mother..."
"Shut up! Ah Qi, that man is indeed the doctor hired by our Li family, but he..."
"Who asked you that? Get out of here!"
Ye Qi swung his hand roughly to push Mother Li away, almost hitting her. His bloodshot eyes fixed on Li Qingshan, who was coughing so hard that he could barely stand up, and he grinned:
"Li Qingshan, I don't care who that bitch is. You must give me an explanation today! He insulted me and hurt others because he looked down on the Ye family! I'm going to report him to the authorities. You two can just wait to be beaten!"
“Cough… cough cough…”
Li Qingshan gasped for breath. He raised his head, his face as pale as paper, with a faint trace of blood visible at the corner of his mouth.
"Brother He... I was harassed by you... so I fought back... The guests all saw it... The prefect is very perceptive..."
He spoke incoherently, each word seemed to be squeezed out from his lungs, and it took him a long time to suppress the violent coughing.
"And... and I didn't do anything..."
He struggled to stand up straight, and walked towards Ye Qi, who looked fierce but was actually weak, step by step. His steps were light but he did not stop.
"Sue an official?"
Li Qingshan repeated in a low voice, his eyes swept over his mother who was still in shock and his sister who was protecting her, and finally fixed on Ye Qi's arrogant and twisted face. The vicious curse seemed to still linger in his ears.
"good……"
The tearing pain in his chest and abdomen almost made him faint, but the breath he couldn't swallow held him up. He raised his foot regardless of anything and kicked Ye Qi's lower abdomen hard with his last bit of strength.
The man was caught off guard and stumbled and fell into the pool again.
"Puff—cough cough cough..."
Li Qingshan could no longer hold on and violently vomited a mouthful of blood, staining his front red. His violent coughing seemed to be vomiting out all his internal organs, and his vision went black.
His knees gave way and he could no longer stand, falling heavily to the ground.
Blood dripped from his fingers onto the bluestone slab. He strained his bloodstained lips to form a cold smile, and said hoarsely to the figure floundering in the water:
"I...I'm waiting..."
His vision finally blurred the outline of the high wall, the anxious shouts in his ears became distant, and darkness completely engulfed him.
I already knew the outcome, so why am I still reluctant to let go?
Wuming is a white crane belonging to the sky, and should not stay for someone like himself.
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