Chapter 81 Following Instinct
Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao walked along the palace road outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
However, after taking only a few steps, Chu Jiubian suddenly stopped.
Qin Xiao turned his head to look at him and smiled, "What, are you going back to check my wound?"
Chu Jiubian glanced at him.
The system's voice hadn't yet faded from his mind: "[Host, believer Jiang Shuoye requests entry into the Divine Realm.]"
Jiangshuo is wild.
It has indeed been a long time since we last met.
Steelmaking has developed in the northern desert region, and many soldiers have been equipped with steel rifles and horse harnesses. They are also using modern training methods, and the soldiers' strength, obedience, and sense of honor are much higher than before.
With such an army, victory against the Tatars would be assured.
However, 80,000 men is far fewer than the Tatar army of over 100,000. They will have to recruit soldiers first in the future.
Let's wait a little longer. Once no one in the court can interfere with the conscription, Chu Jiubian can directly issue an order from the palace to conscript soldiers in Jiangshuo. At that time, the other side will not have to bear any risks.
Thinking of this, Chu Jiubian suddenly remembered that at the beginning, he had thought of using Jiang Shuoye and his soldiers to fight against Qin Xiao.
But now, there's no need for that idea anymore.
After all, unless he or Qin Xiao wanted to overthrow Baili Hong and become emperor themselves, they would have no chance to confront each other.
However, their relationship with Baili Hong is far from being at the point of mutual suspicion or even preparing to overthrow him.
Chu Jiubian snapped out of his thoughts.
He had previously given some money to the northern desert region, instructing Jiang Shuoye to refine steel and train troops, but that money should have been spent long ago.
Now that Chu Jiubian has received a share of the profits from Si Tu Zhaoling's silk sales, he can invest in Jiang Shuoye to improve military equipment and provide better food for the soldiers, making them stronger.
Moreover, once the news spread that the Northern Desert Army was well-paid and powerful, more people would sign up for future recruitment.
The earth dragon at Yaotai Residence is already finished. Chu Jiubian originally planned to move back in a couple of days so that it would be more convenient to enter the Divine Realm. He would then give Jiang Shuoye money.
However, since the other party has come to him today, he will just give it to them directly.
Chu Jiubian planned to return to Yaotai Residence now, but he couldn't let Qin Xiao feel it was too abrupt.
He was just thinking about whether to act like he was "too sleepy" when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his temple, and each one was more intense than the last.
This familiar feeling.
It's neuralgia again!
Moreover, this time the pain came faster and was more intense than ever before.
However, a ready-made excuse has been found.
Chu Jiubian thought he could use this opportunity to "fail" for a while, which would save him the trouble of explaining to Qin Xiao.
His head was throbbing, and his eyes were bloodshot, but he showed no reaction on his face. He only glanced at Qin Xiao with his tired, bloodshot eyes, as if afraid that Qin Xiao wouldn't notice that he was "pretending to be strong."
Then he changed his pace and walked towards the west side courtyard.
As Chu Jiubian had predicted, Qin Xiao's teasing expression turned serious when he met his eyes.
He quickly followed Chu Jiubian, turning his head to look at the young man's tense profile.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Chu Jiubian experienced some tinnitus, and the road ahead became shaky, yet he walked steadily step by step.
I could vaguely hear Qin Xiao's voice, but I couldn't make it out clearly. However, he calmly replied, "I want to take a nap."
Qin Xiao frowned. Even from his side, he could see the bloodshot veins in Chu Jiubian's eyes, which was somewhat alarming.
This had never happened before, so Qin Xiao didn't dare to stop Chu Jiubian and could only accompany him into the west courtyard.
The courtyard gate was paved with pebbles, but they were all worn smooth, and even Baili Hong could walk steadily on them.
However, Chu Jiubian suddenly stumbled and almost fell forward.
Qin Xiao immediately grabbed his waist and pulled him back.
But the person in his arms went limp and leaned against his chest like a boneless body.
Qin Xiao held Chu Jiubian with one arm and gently cupped his face with the other, but could only see the young man's tightly closed eyes and pale complexion.
He called out, "Chu Jiubian," but there was no response.
Qin Xiao immediately picked him up and strode towards the main house, while saying to the palace servants in the courtyard, "Go and call Imperial Physician Zhang over."
"Yes." The palace servants had never seen Chu Jiubian like this before, and their expressions changed drastically. They quickly ran to report the news.
Qin Xiao carried the person into the house, gently placed him on the bed, took off his shoes, socks, and outer clothes, and covered him with a blanket.
When Judge Zhang came running over, panting, he saw Chu Jiubian lying comfortably on the bed; anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was asleep.
But he dared not delay, and before he could even perform the proper etiquette, Qin Xiao summoned him to take Chu Jiubian's pulse.
This was the first time he had taken the pulse of this reincarnation of a deity, Grand Tutor Chu, but as soon as he felt the pulse, he frowned.
The pulse is weak and irregular.
He even switched to his other hand to take her pulse, but the conclusion was still the same.
Chu Jiubian had a very poor constitution, with various lesions of different sizes inside his body.
Is this the price of an immortal descending to earth?
Even so, Chu Jiubian descended to the mortal realm for the sake of the people and for the sake of Da Ning.
Judge Zhang felt deep respect for him.
However, the most important thing is Chu Jiubian's current headache.
These symptoms are somewhat like headaches, but not entirely; they seem to be even more severe than headaches.
"Your Excellency," Zhang Yuanpan said to Qin Xiao, "The Grand Tutor's coma was caused by a headache. I administered acupuncture to him, which should provide some relief."
"Mm," Qin Xiao replied, then looked at the person on the bed.
The young man's face was already small and pale, and now he looked even more haggard.
Why do I suddenly have a headache?
Chu Jiubian is clearly someone who can endure pain, yet he still fainted from the pain. How severe must this headache be?
It would probably hurt even more than if he had torn his own flesh apart.
Qin Xiao's expression was solemn, and his aura was dignified and cold, quite different from his usual demeanor.
Judge Zhang dared not look at him for long and quickly calmed himself down to administer acupuncture to Chu Jiu Bian.
Qin Xiao, however, vaguely recalled some clues from before.
Ever since the other person saved him, he has been spacing out or having trouble concentrating from time to time.
Looking back now, I remember that every time, the other person's eyes would be unfocused and unfocused, and sometimes they would unconsciously raise their hand to touch their forehead or temple...
Previously, he thought Chu Jiubian had suddenly thought of something, but now it seems that the other party may have been feeling pain at those times.
It's just that the other party is too patient, so they can't show it on their face.
So, did Chu Jiubian develop a headache because he was trying to save him?
Qin Xiao couldn't describe his feelings, but he suddenly remembered something from a long time ago—
His parents were very loving, and he watched them bicker and be affectionate from a young age.
Once, my mother stayed up for two whole days to take care of my eldest sister who had a persistent high fever.
Once her eldest sister's fever subsided, her mother felt relieved, but then she also developed a headache and fell into a deep sleep.
At that time, my father would remain silent with a sullen face, quietly staying by my mother's bedside.
At that time, Qin Xiao was still young and did not understand why his father would react that way when his mother was exhausted.
At that time, Aunt Wu was still her mother's maid. She secretly told him, "Master feels sorry for his wife, but he doesn't know how to express it, so he keeps it to himself."
Qin Xiao didn't understand at the time, but he kept those words in mind; he had simply forgotten about them before.
But now, he suddenly remembered the scene from that day, those people, and those conversations.
Thus, he also felt the same silent yet profound heartache that his father had felt before.
The pain was so intense that he could hardly breathe.
My elder sister once said that if you feel sorry for someone, you will love that person even more.
Qin Xiao had previously felt sorry for his grandfather who had lost his son in his old age, for his elder sister who was walking on thin ice in the palace, and for his younger brother who had been away from home since childhood. Naturally, he also felt sorry for his nephew who had lost his mother at a young age.
And these are all his blood relatives.
Looking at the unconscious young man on the bed, Qin Xiao realized with absolute clarity how much he cared about him.
In the realm of gods, Chu Jiubian sat on his divine throne, the pain in his mind never ceasing.
Neuralgia is closely related to one's state of mind; even if he enters the realm of gods, the pain will not stop.
Meanwhile, the system continued its incessant chatter in his ear: "[Host, an old man is pricking you with needles. The system has detected that he's pricking acupoints on your head, which can relieve the pain.]"
[Host, we have detected that Qin Xiao, a potential follower, is staring at you. The emotions he is conveying are complex. The system is analyzing...]
Chu Jiubian ignored it and looked down at Jiang Shuoye at the long table.
After Jiang Shuoye stood still, he bowed formally and only sat down in his place after receiving permission.
"What brings you here?" Chu Jiubian asked.
Calm, aloof, and mysterious, inspiring awe from the bottom of one's heart.
Jiang Shuoye replied respectfully as always, "High Priest, I apologize for my presumption, but I haven't felt your attention for a long time and wanted to report on the situation of the Northern Desert Army."
He has been very effective in training his troops, and now half of the soldiers in the army are equipped with steel rifles. With the encouragement of the special forces soldiers, the other soldiers are also training very hard, all wanting to advance to the next level.
As a result, the entire Northern Desert Army has greatly increased in strength.
Having not sensed any prying gazes for a long time, Jiang Shuoye was worried that he might have lost contact with the High Priest, or that he was no longer perceptive enough to sense the prying gaze. That was why he took advantage of his afternoon nap to request an audience with the High Priest.
Seeing that the high priest had not left, he felt relieved.
In fact, Jiang Shuoye had long realized that he had unknowingly become dependent on the high priest and was afraid of not receiving divine protection.
This is perhaps a psychological tendency that every mortal who receives divine favor would have.
Therefore, Jiang Shuoye was aware of these things but did not find anything wrong with them.
The gods protected not only him, but also the entire northern desert, and even the entire Great Ning.
He also knew very well that both he and Da Ning needed the gods.
Therefore, he would try every means to obtain more divine blessings and seek greater long-term benefits for the people.
Jiang Shuoye told the high priest about his recent situation and received a compliment from the priest saying "You did a good job." He felt relieved and was ready to talk about other things.
Or rather, it was an attitude of testing the gods.
"I wonder if the current strength of the Northern Desert is enough to defeat the Tatars." He spoke cautiously, clearly having considered his words carefully.
The pain in Chu Jiubian's mind gradually subsided.
Upon hearing Jiang Shuoye's words, he was also moved.
We will definitely fight the Tatars, but not now.
At present, Da Ning does not need to expand its territory at all costs; it must first stabilize its internal situation.
Therefore, the impression they need to give to foreign nations is that Da Ning has a bottom line of "we will not attack unless attacked" and will never take the initiative to send troops.
However, it doesn't matter if they can't take the initiative; they can be "passive."
They forced or guided the Tatars to make the first move.
"The time is not right yet." Chu Jiubian knew that Jiang Shuoye wanted to know his attitude towards the matter, so he said in a cryptic tone, "When the time is right, everything will be resolved."
When the time is right, Chu Jiubian can order the conscription of soldiers in the name of the emperor and then guide the Tatars to attack.
At that time, Jiang Shuoye will lead his army to counterattack, directly attack the enemy's royal court, and completely occupy that area.
In this way, the problem is naturally solved.
Although Chu Jiubian only said something ambiguous, Jiang Shuoye, who was good at filling in the blanks, seemed to understand something.
His eyes were bright, and he rose and bowed respectfully in response.
This first believer, from the beginning until now, has always been cautious and meticulous, like a quiet but hardworking good student in class.
Chu Jiubian then took out the profits from the silk production and gave most of it to Jiang Shuoye.
Jiang Shuoye could not refuse, so he accepted it with profuse thanks.
After leaving the divine realm, he immediately went to build an even larger steel mill.
Chu Jiubian also emerged from the divine realm and regained his senses regarding his body and surroundings.
He lay on the bed, covered with a brocade quilt that smelled of Qin Xiao.
Judge Zhang had already left, and Qin Xiao was not by his side either, but at a tea table separated by a screen.
Chu Jiubian slowly opened his eyes, and when he turned his gaze to the side, he could see that besides Qin Xiao, there was another figure outside the screen. Upon hearing the voice, he realized it was Qin Chuan.
Qin Chuan lowered his voice, but Chu Jiubian could still hear him clearly.
The other party said that he went to the Lu family for a banquet with Lu Yao at noon. Lu Yao is very good at interpersonal communication and can use his IQ instead of EQ to manipulate people.
Even Lu Youwei, the Minister of War, smiled and said goodbye to Lu Yao when the banquet ended, with a satisfied expression on his face as if he were looking at his own junior.
Those who didn't know the situation might have thought Lu Yao was in cahoots with him, but throughout the entire banquet, Qin Chuan never heard Lu Yao say a single word about serving the Lu family; he was simply guiding everyone to think that way.
Qin Chuan had just experienced Lu Yao's intelligence once again.
It's simply unbelievable.
Of course, Qin Chuan wasn't idle either. He took this opportunity to find out the location of most of the Lu family's defenses, as well as the location of Lu Youwei's courtyard and study.
Lu Jinfeng, the head of the Lu family, is a martial artist and a straightforward person who cannot do things in a secretive way.
Therefore, if the Lu family really conspired with the Tatars to kill Qin Jingzhao and his wife, then the correspondence or other evidence that could prove these things could only be hidden in the possession of Lu Youwei, the Minister of War.
Qin Chuan now has the location of the other party's study, and all he lacks is an opportunity to go in and search it.
"There are too many guards and soldiers protecting the place; I can't get close," Qin Chuan said in a low voice.
He had just finished speaking when there was a knock on the door.
Qin Xiao called him in, and unsurprisingly, it was Qin Chaoyang.
After entering, the other party did not look behind the screen for Chu Jiubian who might be there, but bowed to Qin Xiao and Qin Chuan first.
Qin Xiao waved his hand and said, "I have something to ask you."
"Please ask, sir," Qin Chaoyang said.
Qin Xiao: "I asked you to keep an eye on that couple from the sixth branch of the Lu family. Has anything unusual happened?"
Qin Chaoyang said, "I was just about to report this matter."
It turns out that he had been keeping an eye on the couple from the sixth branch of the Lu family. Their son was the one who ate datura with Wang Huanzhi's youngest son and was subsequently beheaded by Qin Xiao in front of the palace gate.
There had been no news from them until today, but something happened to the couple.
Qin Chaoyang recounted the news reported by his subordinates in detail.
It turns out that the Lu family had six sons in total, and the couple who lost their child were the second oldest in the family and had never been valued.
The death of their only son has given the couple a profound understanding of the coldness and warmth of human nature.
They had planned to have another child while they were still relatively young, but their family wanted them to adopt their eldest brother's son into their own family.
This couple was the most business-minded and wealthiest in their entire family.
They were forced to adopt the eldest son of the first wife, all for the sake of the assets they possessed.
The couple refused, and during the argument, the wife was pushed by someone and fell to the ground, bleeding profusely.
It was only later that I learned she was actually more than a month pregnant. However, due to excessive worry and her advanced age, the pregnancy was unstable. This fall not only caused her to lose the baby, but also deprived her of the ability to have children in the future.
“The couple must be filled with hatred right now,” Qin Chaoyang said.
They hated Qin Xiao for killing their son, but Qin Xiao was too powerful and too far away, so they had no chance to take revenge.
But the Lu family is different; those people from the Lu family are right beside them, visible and tangible.
Hatred tends to be more intense when directed at someone you are closest to.
Therefore, the couple now hates not Qin Xiao the most, but the Lu family, their biased parents, and all members of the Lu family.
"Find a way to get someone to approach them," Qin Xiao said. "Once they lower their guard, guide them to find evidence of the Lu family's treason and report it to me."
Outsiders can't get into Lu Youwei's residence, but the Lu family members will always find a way.
The couple harbored hatred towards both the Lu family and Qin Xiao. If someone told them that as long as they found evidence of the Lu family's crimes and handed it over to Qin Xiao, they could make the two sides fight to the death.
They would do it even at the cost of their lives, but they would need to have enough ability and intelligence.
"The people we send should be cautious and not rush into action. We should wait until we have more information before instructing the couple on what to do," Qin Xiao said.
Qin Chaoyang agreed.
[Test complete.]
The system suddenly spoke, startling Chu Jiubian so much that he accidentally made a sound.
The three people on the other side of the screen paused for a moment, and then Qin Chuan and Qin Chaoyang left the room in the blink of an eye, leaving only Qin Xiao behind.
Chu Jiubian: "..."
Regardless of Chu Jiubian's thoughts, the system continued: "[Through the most authoritative analysis of micro-expressions and interpersonal relationships, the system has reached the conclusion—]"
[Qin Xiao, the alternative believer, is feeling sorry for his host.]
Chu Jiubian's eyelashes trembled slightly, and his heart skipped a beat.
The next moment, the tall figure of the man walked out from behind the screen, and the two looked at each other across the distance.
Chu Jiubian avoided eye contact, turned over, and moved further into the bed.
He heard Qin Xiao's footsteps approaching and sat down by the bed.
The other side of the bed sank slightly, and then there was no more movement.
Chu Jiubian waited for a while, only to feel a gaze as if it were real falling on his back, almost as if it were staring a hole through him.
"......"
Several minutes passed, and no one moved.
Finally, Qin Xiao spoke, his voice very soft: "Are you feeling better?"
"Hmm." Chu Jiubian responded vaguely, his gaze fixed on the wall, unfocused.
There was another moment of silence, followed by rustling sounds behind him, which sounded like Qin Xiao taking off his shoes and clothes.
Chu Jiubian turned over and saw that the man had taken off his outer robe and was only wearing a black brocade inner garment.
He was kneeling on the bed with one leg on the ground, making his other leg appear even longer.
The sash of his inner garment was tied loosely, revealing a large expanse of his honey-colored, muscular chest as the man leaned forward slightly.
The incision on my left chest has healed and the stitches have been removed, but the color is still different from other areas.
I'm sure it will leave a scar in the future.
Qin Xiao noticed him turn around, so he looked up at him and found that the other person's gaze was fixed on his chest.
He chuckled softly.
Chu Jiubian looked up at him, meeting the other's ambiguous, teasing gaze, but did not flinch or look away.
It's just pectoral muscles, isn't it?
They're both men, what's wrong with him glancing at them?
His self-righteous demeanor completely crumbled when Qin Xiao released the blanket and instead grasped his hand, pressing it against his somewhat hard pectoral muscles.
But he didn't pull his hand back; instead, he instinctively remained in a stalemate with the other person.
The skin beneath my hands was warm and supple, and the powerful, rhythmic heartbeats made my palms itch.
Qin Xiao stared intently at Chu Jiubian, his gaze moving from the other's somewhat unfocused eyes to her rosy lips.
Qin Xiao's Adam's apple bobbed, and he tightened his grip on the young man's wrist, his thumb lingering intimately on the inside of the wrist, as if he could feel the pulsating blood vessels within.
Chu Jiubian suddenly felt a bit hot, and for some reason his fingertips wanted to tighten, but it looked more like he was pinching a man's pectoral muscles.
He looked up and saw Qin Xiao's deep, dark eyes that were unsettling.
They were all men.
He could feel the man's burgeoning thoughts and his intense, fierce desire to possess him with perfect clarity.
Her hand was held by the man, slowly moving downwards, tracing the clearly defined abdominal muscles.
Chu Jiubian's eyelashes trembled as her fingertips touched the cool edge of her brocade trousers. Half of her face was buried in the blanket, and the tips of her ears, which were exposed, were bright red.
But he did not pull his hand away.
Qin Xiao's chest heaved violently a few times. He closed his eyes and finally let go of the young man's hand.
Then, he lay down in the quilt, reached out and pulled Chu Jiubian into his arms, pressing him tightly against him.
Chu Jiubian could almost vaguely sense the terrifying length in his lower abdomen, with a distinct sensation.
He looked up and met the man's gaze, which was almost touching.
Qin Xiao's brow twitched, and he pressed the young man's face against his neck, his voice low and hoarse with an unspeakable huskiness: "Don't look at me like that."
Chu Jiubian remained silent.
After a long pause, he finally said in a muffled voice, "It's a bit stuffy."
After saying that, he was easily turned over by the man like a rag doll, and held in his arms with his back to him.
Perhaps due to some roughness, the two collided.
Chu Jiubian trembled instinctively, and Qin Xiao's breathing also became noticeably heavier.
No one spoke, and no one dared to move again.
Chu Jiubian closed his eyes, his mind a jumble of thoughts.
His brain couldn't process these things; it was sluggish like never before.
For a long time, ever since Qin Xiao returned seriously injured, he has not known how to get along with Qin Xiao, or how to face the things that might happen in the future.
He could only follow his instincts.
But even his instincts were always contradictory. Sometimes he wanted to get closer and closer to Qin Xiao, and sometimes he wanted to stay far away from him and have no relationship with him at all.
He couldn't understand himself.
The man behind her gradually calmed his breathing, but the changes in his body persisted.
Suddenly, Chu Jiubian heard Qin Xiao say, "Thank you."
Chu Jiubian paused.
"Thank you for saving me," Qin Xiao said. "I owe you so much."
Chu Jiubian remained silent for a long time.
After a long while, not knowing if Qin Xiao had fallen asleep, he finally spoke softly, "Then you should be even nicer to me."
Qin Xiao didn't say anything, but hugged him even tighter.
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