Chapter 154 Getting Married Upon Returning to Kyoto
At the same time, Lu Yuan opened his eyes and observed his surroundings without making a sound.
After taking the pill, he found that he had lost all his internal energy and had very little strength in his body.
Inside a dark wooden cabin, sunlight streamed in through the cracks in the window frames, and the noise from outside could be heard.
Lu Yuan turned his shoulder, opened the door, and went out.
When the guards at the door saw that he had woken up, they gave him a set of clothes from the village to change into.
“My name is Zhao Zishou. I’ve had nothing to do these past two days, so the boss sent me to lead you on patrol and guard duties around the village, and also to help you get to know people.”
“I am Lu Zhao,” Lu Yuan nodded and asked him, “The medicine in my body…”
Zhao Zishou patted him on the shoulder, "Brother Lu, everyone who comes to our village goes through this. It's to prevent people with ulterior motives from sneaking in. The effects of the medicine will wear off in two days, so don't mind it."
Lu Yuan immediately expressed his understanding.
Seeing that although he didn't talk much, Zhao Zishou was tall, strong, calm and reserved, so he couldn't help but strike up a conversation with him.
While Lu Yuan followed him to familiarize himself with the terrain of the village, he discreetly gathered information.
"How are those two people who came with me yesterday?"
Zhao Zishou looked at him suspiciously, "You know them?"
"I don't know him. I've only seen him in the fishing village. I never expected that such a frail-looking scholar would be an imperial envoy sent by the court. I'm quite curious."
"So what? Those who make the decisions are all these proud and arrogant scholars, while it's us poor folks who are the ones who work our butts off. One day I'll make something of myself too," he complained.
Lu Yuan also feigned a sigh, "Back in the military, when the generals gave the order, we would fight. They didn't care about the lives of us soldiers at all."
"That's right, it seems Brother Lu is in the same boat as us."
Lu Yuan sighed, "These scholars are used to living in luxury, how can they get used to living in such simple houses in the village?"
Zhao Zishou spat, "They're used to enjoying life. They even had the boss prepare the best room in the south for them, and his woman moved in with them too."
His face was filled with indignation. "That girl is really beautiful. I'm tired of all the women in the village. I wonder when we'll get a taste of something new."
Lu Yuan felt a chill in his heart, but pretended not to care, silently noting down the information about the village that had been revealed during their casual conversation.
Jiang Zhi stayed by Shen Ci'an's bedside all night.
During this time, some villagers brought medicine and food to bring in, but Jiang Zhi only told them to leave them at the door and wait until she was sure no one was outside before opening the door to get them.
Unfortunately, Shen Ci'an kept her lips tightly closed and didn't wake up no matter how much she called her.
Jiang Zhi had no choice but to put the incredibly bitter medicine in her mouth and lean down to feed it to him with her lips.
His lips were thin and soft, yet cool, like a winter's day immersed in a frigid pool.
After forcing him to drink half a bowl, Jiang Zhi was already panting heavily.
Fortunately, in the early hours of the morning, just as Jiang Zhi was about to fall asleep, she noticed that the knuckles of her hand twitched slightly.
She was immediately awakened from her sleepiness.
"Master, how are you feeling?"
Shen Ci'an had just opened his eyes from unconsciousness, his pupils still somewhat unfocused. It took him a while to focus and see the person beside him clearly.
“Young Miss…” His voice grew increasingly hoarse.
Jiang Zhi helped him lean against the couch and poured him a glass of warm water.
After taking a few sips, Shen Ci'an asked her, "Did they make things difficult for you while I was unconscious?"
"No, don't worry, Master," Jiang Zhi reassured him. "You rest well, I'll stay by your side."
“My injuries have healed, but I’m a little weak from just waking up,” Shen Ci’an said, frowning. “I’ll be fine. You need to rest too. Come up and get some sleep.”
“No, I’m afraid you’ll disappear again when I open my eyes. I’ll only feel at ease if I stay here and watch over you,” Jiang Zhi insisted.
Helpless, Shen Ci'an couldn't help but lower his head and place a cool kiss on her forehead.
"Young Miss, let's get married as soon as we get back, okay? I don't want to wait any longer." His voice was so low it sounded like he was talking in his sleep.
"Okay, we'll get married as soon as we get back to Kyoto."
Shen Ci'an managed a weak smile, but ultimately, exhausted, he fell asleep again.
Jiang Zhi couldn't resist the sleepiness and fell into a light sleep by the bed.
No one saw that a dark figure was standing outside the window at that moment.
Although the two spoke in low voices, their conversation did not escape Lu Yuan's ears.
Should we get married?
He gripped the hilt of his knife, his fingertips clenched until they turned white. His body was hidden in the shadows, with only half of his cold, hard profile visible. He was as suppressed as a bowstring stretched to its limit.
*
Shen Ci'an and Jiang Zhi stayed in the village for three days before receiving a message brought back by a carrier pigeon.
For the past three days, Tian Yan has been sending him tonics every day and has tried his best to meet all of Shen Ci'an's needs in order to help him recover as soon as possible.
After all, he still had to retrieve the account books himself.
Tian Yan stared at the densely packed coded text on the letter, his rugged brows furrowing deeply. "What does all this say?"
Shen Ci'an's face regained some color, and his voice returned to its usual coldness, "He is already on his way back. If nothing unexpected happens, he will arrive in Sizhou in three days."
Tian Yan couldn't understand the coded message and refused to believe it easily. "What if this person doesn't come in three days?"
"Aren't my wife's and my lives in your hands?" Shen Ci'an glanced at him indifferently. "You can do whatever you want with us when the time comes."
“Tell me how to crack the ciphertext, and I’ll take a look myself,” Tian Yan said, still wary.
But Shen Ci'an shook his head, "If I didn't have a way to control you, I would lose my life in an instant, not to mention—"
He gave Tian Yan a half-smile, "Even if I told you, you wouldn't be able to learn it in a short time, so why waste your time?"
"You!" Tian Yan's face turned ashen.
"Boss, there's no need to be angry. It's just the truth. Anyway, it's only three days. Our lives are still in your hands, so we certainly wouldn't dare to lie to you."
Tian Yanqiang suppressed his anger.
Once he gets his hands on the ledger, he'll tear Shen Ci'an to pieces to vent his hatred!
Jiang Zhi also saw the secret text on the paper and was shocked.
She roughly understood the information above.
Shen Ci'an had indeed kept a trick up his sleeve.
Although the man did bring back the account books, he also contacted Yu Jun and her group, who were recuperating in Sizhou, as instructed by Shen Ci'an.
Yu Jun has now led a group to join Gao Xi.
Jiang Zhi, who had been on tenterhooks for the past few days, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
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