VGAB Chapter 16

Wei Chao had speculated about what the young master might look like in the past, perhaps a gentleman with refined features like jade or someone of elegant and ethereal charm. However, none of those descriptions came close to the sheer awe he felt at this moment.

At this moment, he couldn’t summon any adjectives.

That wasn’t a countenance that an ordinary person should possess. Those eyes seemed more like those of a god-king looking down upon mortals from atop a divine throne, neither sad nor happy. Even a second glance felt like blasphemy against the divine.

Despite being so close, it felt as though there were an insurmountable distance between them.

General Sun Hua and the others had their backs to Qi Heng, their attention entirely focused on Wei Chao, so they didn’t witness this scene. At the same time, the bloody arrow was placed on a piece of white cloth, and Sun Hua hurriedly sprinkled hemostatic powder on the wound.

“Get the gauze quickly!” the military doctor shouted, while the elderly physician handed over a trembling piece of gauze.

Qi Heng put his headdress back on, caught sight of Wei Chao’s fixed gaze, and his eyes briefly passed over the bloodied arrow. He brushed his sleeves, concealing his power and prestige, and then left the clinic to get some fresh air.

“These days, Third Prince mustn’t move around recklessly,” the military doctor said as he carefully cut the gauze. “Especially during dressing changes, we must be incredibly careful not to reopen the wound.”

Qi Shao rushed in, and his gaze moved from Wei Chao’s chest to his absentminded face. He teased, “Brother Wei, does my elder brother look handsome?”

“Handsome,” Wei Chao nodded dazedly. Qi Shao grinned, “Then is your wound hurting now?”

Wei Chao subconsciously shook his head, then immediately snapped back to reality and looked at the spot where the arrow had hit. He realized that the arrow had been removed at some point, and his chest was now wrapped in white gauze with traces of blood seeping through.

“Ouch! It hurts…”

The military doctor chuckled and tied a knot in the gauze. “This Fufeng City truly changes people. The Third Prince has been here for so many days, and he can even endure the pain of arrow extraction without a whimper.”

General Sun Hua and the others nearby had strange expressions, as if they were struggling not to burst into laughter.

Wei Chao: “…”

Don’t think I can’t tell you’re mocking me.

But Wei Chao couldn’t help but feel a surge of gratitude in his heart. He remembered how the young master, despite his formidable martial skills, had never taken off his headdress when facing assassins. Now, in order to spare him the pain of arrow extraction, the young master had willingly revealed his true face to divert his attention.

What a profoundly touching friendship!

As for the military doctor’s taunts, Wei Chao had long cast them aside. If there was anyone to blame, it was his own shallow obsession with appearances. How could he blame the well-intentioned young master for that?

However, he still needed to find time to explain his true identity to the young master. He didn’t want the young master to misunderstand his intentions.

As he was thinking this, a familiar figure walked in from outside.

“Wang Shao.”

At first, Qi Shao didn’t react, but Zheng Er poked him, and he suddenly remembered that Wang Shao was the name he was currently using.

“It’s time to return to the inn,” Qi Heng said calmly, his gaze resting on Wei Chao, who had been watching him all this time. “Take good care of your injuries, Master Wei. I cannot stay any longer.”

“Wang Shao,” Wei Chao stammered, and at that moment, many images flashed through his mind. There were images of the young master remaining calm amidst imminent danger, of him removing the headdress that concealed his face, and those unforgettable eyes.

But with all these thoughts racing through his mind, what he wanted to say most was, “I’m sorry…”

However, the figure in white didn’t pause and left without a word. When Wei Chao caught sight of the dark stains on his sleeves, his guilt deepened.

“No need to apologize,” Qi Shao stopped in his tracks and shrugged. “We never blamed you. You’re a prince, and if you walked around using your real name, that would be a real problem.”

Touched, Wei Chao’s eyes welled up with gratitude. “Brother Wang, you’re truly my brother now.”

Qi Shao’s gaze shifted for a moment, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy. He had also concealed his true identity, and Wei Chao’s apology made him feel somewhat guilty. But then, Wei Chao believed him so easily after just a couple of sentences. Wasn’t that a bit too trusting?

Were the princes of the Wei State all so easily fooled?

Suddenly, Qi Shao felt a sense of intellectual superiority. He walked lightly, catching up with Qi Heng and Zheng Er.

With Wei Chao’s injuries under control, Sun Hua and the others finally had the opportunity to inquire about the circumstances of his assassination.

The old physician had wisely retreated to the outside, hoping that the Third Prince wouldn’t remember his refusal to remove the arrow.

Wei Chao truthfully recounted his purpose for leaving the boat, whom he had met, and the events after disembarking from the pleasure boat.

Sun Hua and the others listened with furrowed brows. It was just too coincidental that the Third Prince had invited them for a boat ride, and then an assassination attempt occurred, only to be thwarted by them. Moreover, the assassins had poisoned their arrows, and these three individuals happened to have highly precious antidote pills. The whole situation was very suspicious.

“Did the Third Prince notice anything unusual about those three men?” Sun Hua asked.

Wei Chao denied without hesitation, “Impossible.”

“Your Highness, please calm down and allow me to analyze the situation,” Sun Hua furrowed his brow. “Don’t you find these events too coincidental? You were attacked, and they happened to be nearby to save you; that’s within a reasonable range. But how did they know you were poisoned and brought antidote pills in advance?”

“Moreover, this type of antidote that can neutralize poison without knowing its source must be made from the Hundred-Year Ice Toad. Even in our Wei State, it’s rare to come by. Your Highness, are you willing to offer such a precious item to someone you’re not familiar with?”

“We are close friends,” Wei Chao protested, his tone unfriendly. “You don’t need to speculate about him. How could someone like Young Master Wang order an assassination on me? Your suspicions are an insult to his character!”

Besides, if Young Master Wang really wanted to take his life, there was no need to involve assassins.

But Wei Chao’s chest was hurting, and he didn’t want to continue the conversation.

“I think it’s better to go back and interrogate those captured individuals instead of making baseless assumptions,” Wei Chao said coldly. “Thanks to Young Master Wang and his companions leaving earlier, they owe a debt of gratitude to this prince for saving my life. Your earlier words were unjust and unrighteous, trying to implicate me.”

“We’ve already started the interrogation before coming here,” Sun Hua replied. But seeing Wei Chao’s current demeanor, he didn’t press further about those three individuals.

There would be clues, as the third prince said. They should focus on the interrogation here.

“Your Highness, would you prefer to return to the military camp to recuperate or go to the Lord’s Manor?” Sun Hua asked.

“Your Highness, it’s better to recover at the Lord’s Manor,” the military doctor spoke before Wei Chao could respond. “The Third Prince’s current condition doesn’t allow much movement, and the Lord’s Manor is closer. It’s also conveniently situated near this clinic, making it easier for the servants to fetch medicine.”

“Then, as the military doctor suggests, let’s go to the Lord’s Manor.”

As the three of them walked back to the inn, Qi Shao followed behind Qi Heng, his brows furrowed.

“I’ve messed up your plan. Just tell me if I should live or die,” Qi Shao couldn’t bear the turmoil in his heart and blurted out.

Luckily, there were only a few pedestrians on the road, and they were at a distance, so their conversation didn’t draw any unusual attention.

Qi Heng was puzzled, “What are you talking about?”

Qi Shao hesitated and spoke in a weak voice, “I gave him the antidote pill you gave me. He’s probably suspicious of our identity now, right? Wasn’t your plan to get close to him? It seems like we… exposed ourselves.”

When he administered the antidote pill, he didn’t even think about it. He just gave it to Wei Chao when Zheng Er mentioned it.

The more Qi Shao thought about it on his way back, the more suspicious everything seemed. When he considered that he had just happened to take out the antidote pill, it raised numerous questions. It was just too coincidental. If he didn’t know that Qi Heng hadn’t brought anyone else to Fufeng City, he might even have suspected that the assassins were arranged by Qi Heng.

The doubts he could think of, the people from Wei State could surely think of as well.

As Qi Shao realized this, he felt like the heavens were conspiring against him. And the silence of Qi Heng during the journey surely meant that he was thinking of how to deal with the person who had disrupted his plan.

Qi Heng raised an eyebrow, sounding slightly surprised as if he had witnessed a mentally challenged child suddenly grasping a concept. “You think my plan was to get close to him?”

Qi Shao was exasperated, but he didn’t want to provoke Qi Heng.

“Isn’t it?”

“Don’t worry, you didn’t ruin the plan,” Qi Heng reassured him with a sidelong glance, seeing the fear in his nephew’s eyes. “But you only guessed half of it.”

Wei Chao was just an unexpected shortcut that appeared. His original goal was to infiltrate Fufeng City and even the Wei State military camp to obtain the information he needed. But Wei Chao showing up in front of him was simply a better option.

“What about the antidote pill…”

“Giving it to him doesn’t matter. Although the materials are a bit hard to find, consider it an advance apology to him,” Qi Heng explained.

Qi Shao sensed the deeper meaning in Qi Heng’s words and fell into silence. He was both amazed by Qi Heng’s ruthlessness and surprised that even after all the time they had spent with Wei Chao, Qi Heng showed no emotions. Despite knowing Wei Chao’s identity and intentions, Qi Heng remained entirely composed, using the situation to his advantage. He had managed to make Wei Chao want to please him.

Qi Shao regretted his past actions. How had he dared to go against Qi Heng before?

On the other hand, Zheng Er maintained an unusual silence throughout the journey. Qi Shao felt like something was missing behind him and turned to look. He realized that Zheng Er had fallen five steps behind them.

“Zheng Er,” Qi Shao called out, “What are you daydreaming about back there? If you keep dragging your feet, it’ll be dark soon.”

Zheng Er was snapped back to attention by the call. He took big strides to reach Qi Heng’s side and said as they walked, “I’ve had this feeling all along that we might have forgotten something!”

“Forgotten something?” Qi Shao reviewed the events of the day in his mind. “I don’t see anything amiss.”

The three of them arrived at the inn’s entrance, and suddenly, Zheng Er slapped his forehead. “Oh no, we forgot to release the pressure points on Young Master Wei!”

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