Feng Ke shifted his gaze from the blood in the basin to Lian Shenwei's face and asked, "When did it start?"

He spoke slowly so that Lian Shenwei could see his mouth shape clearly. The latter obviously saw it clearly, and Feng Ke did not ignore the guilty look that flashed across Lian Shenwei's eyes.

Feng Ke took a deep breath, his heart stiffened, and he suppressed his anger.

When he was angry, he would speak very fast, and when he spoke fast or said too much, Lian Shenwei couldn't understand him. He couldn't imagine himself arguing with Lian Shenwei word by word.

He will feel like a fool.

But after suppressing the anger, what is left is a deep feeling of powerlessness.

He squatted down, grabbed the wrist of the young man who seemed to want to dodge, and slowly tightened it. Feng Ke felt the weak beating of the pulse representing vitality in his palm, and his eyes turned red: "Lian Shenwei, if you still regard me as a friend, tell me the truth."

"Were you like this before or after you lost your hearing?"

Lian Shenwei looked at him for a moment.

"Before."

He lowered his eyes and gave a more precise time: "After I used my inner strength for the first time."

…It turned out to have appeared so early.

Feng Ke: "Why didn't you say it then?"

"Just a little cough of blood."

Lian Shenwei smiled at him, patted his hand, and said in a friendly manner: "It doesn't hurt."

This smile in the eyes is like a thorn piercing the heart, making the person bleed.

"Believe me," Feng Ke said in a dry voice, "...I can cure you. I have been saving your life for so many years, and I can do it this time too."

Lian Shenwei: "I'm in trouble. You'll have to work very hard to find some herbs that I can use and then develop them into new medicine."

"I don't want you to be too tired."

Feng Ke: "The work of studying medicine is not tiring."

"...But I'm tired," Lian Shen smiled and leaned back, sighed, and said softly, "I'm very tired."

He is very conflicted.

In other words, he feels that he is very selfish.

I don't want to die now, but I also don't want to live for a long time.

So he took his medicine on time and was obedient. So when he saw the hope of prolonging his life, he chose to ignore it in his heart.

Without the shackles of hatred, his life was like a breeze that no one could hold.

"The last time I was unconscious, I was walking on a foggy road. Halfway down the road, I heard you shouting and threatening to stab me with a needle."

"You scared me back."

"Maybe my life is over and I shouldn't come back. This is the punishment."

Lian Shenwei pointed to his ears.

The last sounds it heard from the human world were the shackles that he could not let go of, one after another.

Feng Ke sneered: "What punishment? If there is any punishment, punish me. I was the one who called out. How can it be justified to punish you? If there is really such a mess..."

He spoke faster again.

Lian Shenwei managed to keep up at first, but then he started to not understand.

He seemed to be isolated, and the world was completely silent.

Feng Ke actually wanted to liven up the atmosphere, but after he finished speaking he realized that Lian Shenwei couldn't hear him, so he probably didn't understand what he was saying.

He was silent for a moment, then lowered his voice: "Can you hold on a little longer?"

Lian Shenwei agreed easily and said obediently, "Okay."

Lian Shenwei's eyes were calm. To him, it made no difference whether he agreed or not. It was as if he could make his friend happy, whether it was good or bad, he would be happy to comply.

Feng Ke felt powerless again.

He pulled the handkerchief out of Lian Shenwei's hand and threw it into the basin.

"Shuiliang, you still have a fever, wipe your hands and go to bed."

Feng Ke pulled him up.

When Lian Shenwei stood up, his eyes went dark for a moment. He hadn't eaten much in the past few days and always felt dizzy. Feng Ke supported him and let him relax for a moment. When he was no longer dizzy, he pressed him to the edge of the bed and said, "Sit down."

Feng Ke called Ming Cang in and asked her to take the basin of water out and replace it with a warm one.

Ming Cang was stunned for a moment when he saw the blood in the basin, then he suddenly raised his head and asked, "...Master?"

Feng Ke shook his head, "Go change the water. Clean the towel thoroughly, your master's blood is poisonous after all." Those green plants that suffered were also pitiful.

Mingzhu glanced at the bedside worriedly and quickly fetched some water.

"From now on, your master is not allowed to use a black handkerchief," Feng Ke bent down, wet the face towel with warm water, and handed it to Lian Shenwei while wringing it dry, "Wipe it yourself."

Lian Shenwei couldn't hear, and didn't know that his handkerchief would be ruthlessly changed to a different color in the future. He pursed his lips, took the handkerchief and wiped it, wiping the blood off his lips, which was particularly glaring on the white face towel.

Very obvious.

Ming Cang frowned after taking a look: "Yes, Mr. Feng."

Now, between her and Tiannan, Mr. Feng's words sometimes have to come before the master's orders.

Feng Ke had no way to deal with Lian Shenwei now. He couldn't hear any scolding, and he couldn't understand any more reasoning. His natural bad temper was gradually being tamed.

"I will be away from you for a while, maybe a few months, maybe half a year."

Lian Shenwei blinked, identified it clearly and said, "Okay."

Feng Ke: "I'm not giving up on you. I asked Qiu Che to get some new herbs before, but it's hard to say whether there are any in the border areas... I want to go to Nanting and Lansui, which are rich in medicinal herbs, to have a look."

This sentence was a bit long, and Lian Shenwei answered a little slowly, "When are you leaving?"

Feng Ke: "Tomorrow."

There is no time to delay.

In fact, he wanted to leave tonight, but he still had a lot of things to explain, otherwise he would be worried.

He gave Ming Cang a look, then said to Lian Shenwei: "Go to sleep and have a good rest."

After Feng Ke watched him lie down, he left Lian Shenwei's bedroom and called Ming Cang and Tian Nan together.

He returned to his room and briefly explained Lian Shenwei's current condition.

"So, now his physical decline is very serious. He can easily catch a cold and develop a high fever. Don't let him drink cold water or eat spicy food. No matter how expensive the warming and tonic medicine is, buy more and prepare more. Feed him every day according to the medicinal recipes I wrote."

Feng Ke recalled carefully and wrote down the points one by one.

"And there may be other situations that may arise in the future..."

Ming Cang and Tian Nan listened very carefully.

Feng Ke wrote for most of the night and finished a thick stack of papers. He was not sleepy when he handed them to the two of them. He rubbed his face and rummaged through the boxes to find medicine that Lian Shenwei could use.

The table was filled with food.

The quantity is quite sufficient.

Finally, he emphasized again, "You can't stop taking nourishing supplements. They are what keep him going. No matter what, you have to force him to eat them."

"Anyway, he can't beat you now, so just treat it like trying to force a kitten or a fox to eat. You can force it in eventually."

Tiannan was silent: "...I understand."

It took me until the next morning to consider every detail.

Feng Ke packed his bags and went to Lian Shenwei's bedroom. It was just dawn at this time and the man, who still had a low fever, was sleeping soundly.

After he fell asleep, Feng Ke gave him the last injection and then pulled the quilt up again.

Then he left the Regent's Palace silently, carrying his bag, and rode away on horseback.

The morning breeze was cool, the morning mist was faint, the leaves on the ground were yellow and withered, and there was a hint of frost.

Feng Ke left much faster this time than the last time he left in anger.

frontier.

Heavy snow.

"Uncle Qiu!"

The young man holding the spear was steaming, and he rolled down from the martial arts stage swiftly. Li Ningfeng's eyes were bright, and he smiled and said, "Uncle Qiu, what are you doing here? Aren't you leaving?"

The boy's tone was very familiar, and Qiu Che's expression relaxed.

Li Ningfeng's leg has completely recovered and he is trying his best to recover to his previous level. He takes time out every day to practice.

He made rapid progress and understood things quickly. Moreover, he was the heir of Fudu Villa and had some resemblance to Ximian when he was young, so Qiu Che would inevitably take better care of him.

Qiu Che's experience in swordsmanship can be said to be that of a master. Just one or two words of advice from him is better than practicing for many years on one's own.

Li Ningfeng had always been sensitive and felt this kind of implicit love from an elder. Gradually, he changed his way of addressing Qiu Che from the extremely polite "Mr. Qiu" to "Uncle Qiu", and he respected and loved him very much.

"I'll give you something. Your master asked me to give it to you." Qiu Che handed him the sword case in his hand. "Open it and take a look for yourself."

"My Master?!"

Li Ningfeng was really surprised. He had never mentioned his master in front of Qiu Che. Now it seemed that his master also knew Uncle Qiu?

He took it quickly and opened the scabbard.

"This is——"

A long glazed sword lay quietly in the scabbard. It was not delicate at all, but about three fingers wide as a man's. The blade had no patterns on it, and was cold, clear, and very clean.

"Carrying a snow sword?"

Li Ningfeng was surprised. He knew a lot about the martial arts world and was obsessed with weapons, so of course he recognized this sword.

This is the inherited sword of Fudu Villa. After the tragic case that wiped out the whole family, the Fuxue Sword disappeared and no one has ever seen it again.

Now it is in his hands and is related to the teacher.

Qiu Che: "Use your mental skills and make a few sword moves at random."

Li Ningfeng did as he was told, and was surprised to find that his internal energy flowed exceptionally smoothly. His nameless mental method seemed to have some connection with this sword.

"Found it?"

Li Ningfeng put away the sword and said solemnly, "Uncle Qiu, what is going on?"

"The mental method you learned by accident is actually the unpredictable Fuxue Sword Method, and it is one and the same with the Fuxue Sword," Qiu Che explained to him.

"Your master has a long history with Fudu Mountain Villa. He accepted you as his apprentice because you learned the Fuxue Sword Technique. He asked me to give you this sword to complete the inheritance of the mountain villa."

"Also, your master said that, seriously speaking, you have little to do with Fudu Villa. You don't have to worry about or investigate their past grudges. If you are interested, just go to Fudu Villa and burn some incense every three to five years."

It was cold outside and there were a lot of people talking, so the two of them went back to the tent while talking.

Qiu Che basically never told lies, but for the sake of Ximian, he made an exception. So not everything he said was a lie.

He only said that his master had a past relationship with Fudu Villa, and did not reveal any other information about Lian Shenwei.

No normal person would associate a martial arts hero with the regent of the imperial court, not even Li Ningfeng, but he had other guesses in his mind.

Pouring Qiu Che a cup of wine warmed in hot water, Li Ningfeng touched the Fuxue Sword and pondered for a long time, then suddenly asked, "Is my master Master Ximian?"

“Ahem!”

Qiu Che swallowed a mouthful of wine in his throat.

"Uncle Qiu!"

Li Ningfeng was startled and quickly patted him on the back.

Qiu Che was truly shocked.

He recalled that he really didn't say anything else. How could this kid link his master with Ximian? !

Li Ningfeng carefully glanced at his expression, hissed silently, and confirmed in a low voice: "My master is really Master Ximian?"

It seems there is nothing that cannot be said...

Ximian just told him not to reveal his identity as regent.

Qiu Che groaned: "Why do you guess like that?"

"You know Master, and Master was able to let you pass on something as important as the Fuxue Sword to me, which shows that you two must be very good friends. You also said that Master and Fudu Mountain Villa have an old relationship, and asked me to go and pay my respects every three to five years when I have time."

"Uncle Qiu, you are very famous in the martial arts world." Li Ningfeng liked the chivalrous spirit of the martial arts world when he was a child. He was a teenager of Qiu Che's generation. "Master Ximian, Uncle Qiu, and the descendants of the Feng family, the three of you have left many legends. When I was a child, I read many books about your chivalrous deeds."

Li Ningfeng talked about it like he knew everything about it.

"Master Ximian once almost massacred the entire Fallen Moon Clan for the sake of Fudu Villa. Later, Jingjue... His Majesty told me that when he was still the crown prince, he was rescued by Master Ximian during his southern tour, and Master Ximian asked him to go to Fudu Villa to pay homage. Obviously, his relationship with the villa is extraordinary."

"Similarly, the master can even decide on the successor for Fudu Villa. This relationship is even more special."

"Uncle Qiu doesn't seem like the type to make many friends."

"There are very few coincidences like this in the world."

Li Ningfeng finished speaking, "Uncle Qiu, am I right?"

Really very sensitive.

Qiu Che was silent for a moment, and then he realized that he couldn't justify it, so he just admitted it: "Yeah."

Li Ningfeng was stunned for a moment. Qiu Che stared at his open mouth. The calm and analytical look just now disappeared. His eyes were frighteningly excited. The boy suddenly slapped the table. The table was made of stone. He let out a roar and shook his hands.

Qiu Che: “…”

Li Ningfeng murmured: "Master Ximian was the most admired chivalrous warrior in my youth..."

"The person I admire the most actually became my master..."

He was in a very complicated mood, mostly happy, but suddenly he remembered something and his excited expression instantly collapsed.

Qiu Che was speechless: "What's the matter now?"

Li Ningfeng hesitated: "Master's right hand?"

He had heard from Ying Jingjue that Master Ximian's right hand tendons were severed, and he was looking for a descendant of the Feng family to treat him.

Ying Jing had no idea about the Jianghu, but when Li Ningfeng heard it, he knew that Master Ximian was deceiving him. Ximian was good friends with the heir of the Feng family, and if he asked carefully, he would know that if the tendon could be saved, why would he keep delaying it?

He didn't make it clear.

Now that I think about it, the teacher must have lied because he didn't want Jingjue to worry after saving him.

Qiu Che: “You know?”

At this time, Li Ningfeng still held a glimmer of hope in his heart, but when he saw Qiu Che's expression, his heart sank and he asked nervously, "Is the injury to Master's right hand really that serious?"

Qiu Che was silent for a moment: "He..."

"He hasn't been able to hold a sword in his right hand for many years."

Li Ningfeng's pupils shrank, and his palms clenched tightly for a long time, "Uncle Qiu, who did it?"

Qiu Che patted his shoulder and said, "If he doesn't want you to know, then don't ask. It won't affect your daily life, so you can write and eat without any problems."

Li Ningfeng recalled that in one of the letters his master had written to him, the pen tip was a little more timid than before. At that time, he thought it was because the teacher was not in good health, but now he knows... it must be because the teacher's right hand hurts.

Even though it hurt, I still wrote back to him and answered his questions.

Young people always show their feelings on their faces when they are in front of people they want to be close to. Qiu Che saw that he was still upset and said helplessly: "His left-hand sword is also very powerful, not much worse than his right hand."

Lian Ningfeng raised his head.

Qiu Che: "I came to help you this time because I lost the duel with him, so he asked me to come."

The boy's dark eyes no longer showed any excitement. He touched his leg and whispered, "Is Mr. Fu Biao, who treated me, the heir of the Feng family? He is also a friend of my master."

Fubiao is the wind.

Therefore, Fu Biao is probably a pseudonym.

Qiu Che acquiesced.

Li Ningfeng was stunned for a moment, "So that's how it is."

This time, the catastrophe that could have crushed his life was overcome by his master who silently helped him overcome it.

Mr. Fu Biao is, and so is Uncle Qiu.

How could he deserve such care and protection?

He could even imagine his master, who was far away, frowning as he worried about his unfilial disciple.

It was hard to describe the feeling. Li Ningfeng stared at the blazing fire. After staring for so long, his eyes felt a little sore.

"Don't think too much. I need your help with something else," Qiu Che said. "Your master is not in good health. I came to the frontier to help you and to find some medicinal herbs that are not available in the Central Plains."

Li Ningfeng suppressed the complicated thoughts in his mind, came back to his senses, and nodded solemnly: "Leave this matter to me, but in this case, Uncle Qiu will have to stay here for a while."

Qiu Che: "Nothing, I'm just sitting around doing nothing."

This was more interesting than he had thought.

The tent became quiet again. The water in the stove was bubbling and warm steam was rising.

Li Ningfeng: "Uncle Qiu, can you tell me about Master?"

"Okay."

Qiu Che smiled and began to understand why the uncles he met when he was a child liked to talk about their past.

It's really fun to talk to the younger generation.

"When I first met your master, he was drinking at Phoenix Terrace, lying casually under a tree with his sword lying there. That was the first time I fought him..."

When the first victory news from the frontier reached the capital, it seemed to have brought the cold and snow there as well.

Lian Shenwei stood by the window watching the snow.

The young man was wearing a thick dark blue cloak, and his gentle gaze fell on the jade sandalwood plum in front of the window.

"The plum blossoms are blooming soon, in the cold weather."