The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 508- 510

Chapter 508: Reunion

Yuwen Jin arrived with a team of soldiers and freed Ling Zhang from the surrounding circle of enemies.

Ling Zhang’s eyes searched the group for quite a while but the one he wanted to see was not among them. “Where’s your cousin?” he asked Yuwen Jin.

Yuwen Jin said, “He’s in the encampment.”

In the encampment? Ling Zhang furrowed his brows. “What happened to him?!”

Yuwen Jin was astonished at the piercing look in his eyes. “No–Nothing. My cousin is safe and sound.”

Ling Zhang looked incredulously at him. Feeling that Yuwen Jin didn’t seem to be lying, he gradually relaxed and said, “You guys handle the rest of them. I’ll go out of the city to see him.”

“All right,” said Yuwen Jin subconsciously. Not until Ling Zhang leaped out of the surrounding circle and whooshed towards the city gates by jumping from one rooftop to another did Yuwen Jin recall he had a question to ask Ling Zhang. “Wait, Brother Zhang! You still haven’t told me why you’re here! Don’t leave yet!”

However, Ling Zhang who had gone far away ignored him. Watching Ling Zhang’s receding back, Yuwen Jin felt hurt.

…

In the encampment of the army of the Great Wen.

“Dispatch delivery!”

“The city gates have been battered open. Our main force has gained entry.”

Yuwen Tong was somewhat surprised. So soon?

“Someone helped open the city gates from within.”

Someone helped open the city gates? The expression in Yuwen Tong’s eyes immediately changed at the report and with that he sprung to his feet. However, he had just straightened himself when his face abruptly blanched, and even his breathing became difficult, but he clenched his teeth. The man kneeling on the ground didn’t dare raise his head and thus failed to notice it.

“Where is that person?” enunciated Yuwen Tong.

“We–We haven’t seen them yet,” answered the man, nervously lowering his head further.

Yuwen Tong made towards the door but had just gone two paces when his breathing became increasingly difficult. He had no choice but to halt. After a while, unreconciled to the situation, he commanded, “Send some men to find him and keep him safe. Now!”

“Yes, Sire!” The man immediately took his leave. Before long, he led a group of soldiers towards the exit of the encampment with the intention to find that person, but he had just walked through the gate when something occurred to him and he paused. Damn it! How was he supposed to find that person when he didn’t even know who had helped open the city gates?

At this time, Ling Zhang had gone through the city gates. His bodyguards, who happened to be not far away from the gates, all felt relieved at the sight of him and hastily clustered around him. A while ago, when Ling Zhang had disappeared from their sight in an instant, all of them had been startled to such an extent that cold sweat had broken out all over their backs.

“Liuzi, pick a couple of men and stay here to help. Dashan and all the others are to go with me to the encampment outside the city.”

“Yes, Sire.”

Ling Zhang led his bodyguards in a direction precisely opposite to that of the army flooding into the city. Halfway to the encampment, they met the team of soldiers detailed to look for them. Both groups halted.

“Who are you?” The man leading the team had never seen Ling Zhang before, but he was surprised that Ling Zhang and the others had exited the city safely without being stopped by any soldiers, so he cautiously asked them to identify themselves.

Wang Dashan walked up and showed that man his ID plate.

At the sight of the words on the plate, the man leading the team was taken aback and hastily flipped aside the lower part of his coat armor with the intention to kneel to pay his respects to Ling Zhang.

“Don’t. There’s no need for formalities,” said Ling Zhang.

The captain hurriedly straightened himself again and a flash of inspiration occurred to him as he looked at Ling Zhang. Recalling his task, he hastily asked, “I wonder if it would be impertinent to ask whether Your Highness were the one who helped open the city gates.”

Ling Zhang gave a nod and looked in the direction of the encampment. “Where’s His Majesty?”

The captain was overjoyed. “His Majesty is right in the encampment waiting for you, and it was His Majesty who sent us here to go into the city to look for you and protect you.”

Ling Zhang, however, slightly furrowed his brows at these words. He was positive that the Yuwen Tong he knew, after having guessed that it was him who had helped open the city gates, would have personally come out to meet him instead of quietly waiting in the encampment. Thinking about this, he asked, “Is he occupied with something urgent?”

The captain answered, “No.”

No? Ling Zhang resumed progressing at a much quicker pace, his bodyguards on his heels. The captain hastened to order his men to follow in their wake.

Yuwen Tong was not otherwise engaged but was not here to meet him. This was very uncharacteristic of him. Ling Zhang who had felt relieved only a few moments ago became apprehensive again.

He quickly entered the encampment, but Yuwen Tong was still nowhere to be seen. He further quickened his pace in spite of himself.

When he reached the main tent, the fly was lifted and Yuwen Tong walked out. Ling Zhang involuntarily came to a halt, his eyes appraising Yuwen Tong. Yuwen Tong, however, strode towards him at the sight of him.

He walked faster and faster until he stopped before Ling Zhang. “You went to open the city gates? That was so dangerous. Are you hurt?”

As he stopped speaking, he raised his hand and lightly tucked a strand of loose hair of Ling Zhang’s behind his ear, and then he looked Ling Zhang all over very carefully to see if he had any visible wounds. “I didn’t bargain on you arriving so soon. I thought it would take you another two days. You must be quite anxious during the journey. I tightened the security after receiving your letter. Nothing happened.”

But Ling Zhang stood still, fixing him with an unblinking stare, his eyes so sparkling it was difficult to tell what he was thinking about. Yuwen Tong looked away after a brief moment’s eye contact with Ling Zhang. “What aren’t you talking? Is it because you’re tired?”

Yuwen Tong slowly reached out a hand and held Ling Zhang’s wrist, looking seriously at him. “Or is it because you’re hurt?”

“No.” Ling Zhang finally spoke, looking from Yuwen Tong’s eyes to Yuwen Tong’s hand which was holding his. Something feverish was gleaming in his eyes, but his voice was as calm as usual. “I’m fine. I’m just a little tired. I’d like to have some rest.”

Yuwen Tong furrowed his brows slightly and immediately drew him towards the main tent. “Then go inside and get some rest. The city gates have been opened, and there’s no need for us to worry about the rest. Yao Yi, get some hot water here. And a meal.”

“Yes, Sire!” answered Yao Yi immediately. He looked from Yuwen Tong’s seemingly unruffled face to Ling Zhang and hastened off to make preparations as Yuwen Tong twisted his head around to look warningly at him.

Ling Zhang glanced over his shoulder at Yao Yi and then said to his bodyguards, “You guys may go and have some rest as well.”

“Yes, Sire.”

Yuwen Tong drew him into the tent without pausing, sat him on a chair and then stretched out a hand with the intention to undo his overgarment to check whether he was wounded. Ling Zhang grabbed Yuwen Tong’s hand and put a finger on his wrist to feel his pulse. After a few moments, his fingers quivered, and the look in his bright eyes which had been calm all along started flickering uncontrollably. Even his voice hoarsened instantly. “You … “

As Yuwen Tong looked at Ling Zhang’s eyes which were turning sorrowful, his heart began to ache so badly as though someone were trying to kill him by squeezing it. The pain blinding him, he abruptly freed his hand from Ling Zhang’s grip, opened his arms and swept Ling Zhang into his embrace, holding him with all his might.

Ling Zhang felt a lump in his throat, barely able to breathe. Yuwen Tong’s terribly irregular pulse threw him into panic. “What’s going on exactly? Why is your pulse so–”

Before he could finish his sentence, his whole body stiffened. Yuwen Tong was holding him so sightly that he could feel Yuwen Tong’s heartbeat. His heart was hammering so madly as though it were going to …

He abruptly freed himself from Yuwen Tong’s hug and pressed his palm against Yuwen Tong’s heart. After a few moments, his palm started shivering as though its owner had been instantly drained of energy. “Wh–What happened? What happened to you exactly? You’ve got to stop scaring me like this.”

After saying this, he looked at Yuwen Tong’s eyes in a flurried manner only to find that Yuwen Tong was also looking at him, a scarily inscrutable expression in his eyes. It was as though the look in Yuwen Tong’s eyes were going to devour him, but it also seemed as if Yuwen Tong’s mind was wandering.

“Yuwen Tong!” shouted Ling Zhang hastily.

Yuwen Tong blinked and with that the alarmingly inscrutable glint in his eyes ebbed away. “Take it easy. I’m fine,” he smiled.

Naturally, Ling Zhang wouldn’t believe him. “Xie Shi! Xie Shi!” he called out.

Xie Shi immediately rushed inside, appearing panic-stricken. He mistakenly believed that something happened to Yuwen Tong, but after entering, he discovered that Yuwen Tong was safe and sound, while Ling Zhang was staring at him, the look in his eyes becoming frightening. “What happened to him exactly? Why is his pulse so irregular, his heartbeat so rapid? Speak!” Ling Zhang demanded.

“S–Sire is … ” Xie Shi sneaked a glance at Yuwen Tong and, taken aback by the admonitory look in his eyes, he continued through gritted teeth, “Sire is under the influence of a kind of poison. I’ve been trying to detoxify it, but I still need a little more time to finish the job. Don’t worry. It’s not life-threatening.”

“Poison?” Ling Zhang raised his voice, pressing Yuwen Tong down onto a chair. “What kind of poison?” he asked.

“It–It’s a kind of common poison that influences the victim’s mood. The poisoner’s objective is to provoke Sire and make him irritable. Fortunately we detected it in a timely manner. With the help of the alexipharmic pills given by Mr. Mu, the poison is slowly being detoxified,” replied Xie Shi, keeping his head down. In the beginning his voice had been rather jerky, but after a few moments he had become fluent.

Ling Zhang squinted at him. “Really?”

Xie Shi hurriedly bobbed his head. “Yes, of course. I don’t dare joke about Sire’s health.”

Ling Zhang twisted his head around to look at Yuwen Tong and, still holding Yuwen Tong’s hand, said, “Mr. Mu’s alexipharmic pills can detoxify any poison except for ‘Mrs. Pistil’, and there are no longer any poisons as rare and strong as ‘Mrs. Pistil’ in this world. If it’s a common poison, you would have easily detoxified it. How come it’s taking you so long?”

Yuwen Tong said, “Although we call it a poison, it actually doesn’t seem like one. It’s not very harmful to the victim’s health, and I heard that it spontaneously disappears from the victim’s body after a certain amount of time. Maybe that’s why the alexipharmic pills don’t work on it.”

Skeptical as Ling Zhang was, he felt that Yuwen Tong and Xie Shi had no reason to lie to him about it. “I’m glad to hear that the poison is detoxifiable. Was it that envoy who came out of the city that day that administered the poison to you?”

Yuwen Tong looked at him. “You know about the envoy?”

Ling Zhang inclined his head and then related to Yuwen Tong what he had heard from others and what he had found out in the enemy’s base that day. “It never crossed my mind that Chen Jing would be so cold-blooded as to sacrifice his blood relation to achieve these ends of his,” said Ling Zhang.

Yuwen Tong looked at Xie Shi, who had a grave face.

“I pursued Chen Jing, but an old gray-robed man came to his rescue and whisked him away. The storekeeper of that variety store said that the old man’s kung fu and lightness skills are excellent. I suspect that he was the very person Shan Congyi once told Xue Yi about,” Ling Zhang continued.

Yuwen Tong finally came to know some information about the one who wanted him dead, but he had no recollection whatsoever of anybody matching that description.

“I forewarned you but you fell prey to his trick nevertheless. Fortunately Xie Shi has some alexipharmic pills made by Mr. Mu. Also, I’ve sent a letter to Mr. Mu. Given the time of his departure, he should soon reach Shengzhou Pass. I’ll have him examine you after he arrives here.”

Ling Zhang looked apprehensively at Yuwen Tong’s body, still unable to have complete peace of mind. What kind of poison was a poison but didn’t function like one and couldn’t be detoxified even by an alexipharmic pill?

At this moment, Yuwen Tong’s back was soaking wet with cold sweat, his chest numbed with pain. Also, he was barely able to keep his breathing normal. He wanted to release Ling Zhang’s hand, fearing that Ling Zhang would find out about it if he kept holding it. However, his hand seemed unwilling to loosen its grip, as though it had its own will. And then he noticed the lingering apprehension in Ling Zhang’s eyes and came to realize that he might not be able to conceal the truth for long. If Mr. Mu had just left Shengzhou Pass, it would be several days before he reached Jifang City to rendezvous with him. He was not sure whether or not he would be able to keep Ling Zhang in the dark about his real condition before the arrival of Mr. Mu.

Xie Shi standing on the side observed that Yuwen Tong’s face was gradually blanching, which unmistakably indicated Yuwen Tong’s pain was going beyond endurance. He was worried that there might be unexpected consequences if Yuwen Tong kept subduing his pain like that. Then he noticed that Ling Zhang was lost in thought and hadn’t spotted the change in Yuwen Tong’s complexion, but at any moment Ling Zhang could raise his head and see it!

He could feel his pulse throbbing in his throat, his nerves being strained like never before.

Chapter 509: We’ll Talk When You Recover Your Cool

“Young Master!”

Right at that moment, Wang Dashan’s voice came from outside the tent. “Liuzi made some discoveries in the city and brought something back. Qiu Bing is examining it. Would you like to take a look at it?”

Coming to himself, Ling Zhang looked out of the tent and said, “Okay. I’ll be there in a jiffy.”

Yuwen Tong took in a large gulp of air against the pain which felt as though it were churning his insides like congee, and then said to Ling Zhang, “You may go there and check it out. Some of my men should come back to report to me soon, so I think I’ll just stay here.”

Ling Zhang inclined his head, cast him another apprehensive glance, and, seeing that Yuwen Tong’s face was far more pallid than it had been a moment ago, stiffened briefly. “Are you not feeling well? Why are you looking so much paler?” he asked.

Yuwen Tong replied, “It takes some effort to keep my cool.”

As he made the reply half in jest, Ling Zhang was unable to tell whether he was lying. He switched his gaze to Xie Shi, who gave an affirmative nod at him in response.

“Don’t worry. It’s a normal symptom.”

It was only then that Ling Zhang rose to his feet, deciding to get the matter handled as quick as possible. “I’ll go and take a look and be back in no time.”

Yuwen Tong inclined his head and walked him to the doorway of the tent. The moment Ling Zhang quickly disappeared from view outside the tent, he fully relaxed and slumped into a chair, cold sweat instantly welling up on his forehead, his face frighteningly pasty. Even sitting there seemed to be causing him pain, not to mention breathing.

With an exclamation of alarm, Xie Shi immediately hastened up to him, quickly produced some silver needles and stuck them into a couple of key acupoints in an attempt to help Yuwen Tong recover himself, because only when Yuwen Tong calmed down would all his pain ebb away.

Meanwhile, Ling Zhang, shortly after leaving the tent, felt his mind instantaneously clear as a chill wind whipped his face, and with that he came to a halt, knitting his brows.

Something was not right.

It was a Gu worm that had taken that envoy’s life. In other words, the one who had orchestrated the whole thing was at least a Gu master. How come Yuwen Tong was suffering from poisoning instead of Gu? Also, why would the culprit go to such trouble as to use a strange, non-lethal poison when that envoy could meet Yuwen Tong face to face?

Ling Zhang’s heart started racing madly, his worry intensifying instead of dissolving.

He immediately swiveled around and unhesitatingly returned to the main tent.

A while ago, when Yuwen Tong had come out to welcome him, he had felt rather strange, for Yuwen Tong’s manner had been uncharacteristically restrained – Yuwen Tong had merely stroked his hair and held his hand for a few moments; after entering the tent, Yuwen Tong hadn’t touched him on his own initiative except for that hug.

While these details were quickly flashing across his mind, Ling Zhang lifted the fly of the main tent.

Yuwen Tong’s clothes were undone. He had just received acupuncture treatment performed by Xie Shi and was now limply lying in a chair, trying to cool himself down, his eyes closed, his hand on the table balled into a fist from the effort of fighting pain, blue veins standing out on the back of his hand, his face ghastly white, his forehead covered with fine beads of cold sweat. Maybe because he was concentrating all his efforts on battling against the anguish, he failed to notice that Ling Zhang had suddenly come back.

Xie Shi, like Yuwen Tong, hadn’t bargained on Ling Zhang returning so soon either. He was taken aback at the sight of Ling Zhang standing in the doorway. “Your–Your Highness?” he stuttered.

On hearing Xie Shi’s astonished voice, Yuwen Tong promptly opened his eyes, which then met Ling Zhang’s dismayed ones.

“You lied to me,” said Ling Zhang, his hand which was holding the fly quivering, his eyes staring squarely at Yuwen Tong.

His chest and throat felt dry and constricted as though there was a lump in either of them, his lips pressed tightly together. Every breath he took brought him knifelike pain, as if the sight of Yuwen Tong cutting a feeble figure were a dagger sticking in his heart.

“I’m okay.” Yuwen Tong managed two words in a would-be consoling tone, looking at Ling Zhang, the apple of his throat giving a quick bob.

But the state he was in made him very unconvincing. At the sight of the scared and seemingly injured look in Ling Zhang’s eyes, he found himself unable to utter another word, and the pain that had just subsided surged in his heart again. Yuwen Tong stifled an anguished groan, slightly hunching forward in spite of himself, cold sweat streaming down his forehead, his fist on the table clenching.

Ling Zhang, who had never seen Yuwen Tong like this before, was scared out of his wits and hurried up to him as quick as he could. “Where’s your pain? Where’s your pain? Xie Shi!”

Xie Shi was faint with anxiety. At the sight of Ling Zhang reaching out a hand to touch Yuwen Tong, he subconsciously yelled, “Don’t touch Sire!”

Ling Zhang was amazed, but after only an instant, he rapidly withdrew his hand. He had no idea what was happening to Yuwen Tong, and Xie Shi was a physician, so he was willing to heed Xie Shi’s words, but the next moment, Xie Shi said, “Your Highness, I’m afraid I have to ask you to leave!”

Ling Zhang found that request somewhat unacceptable. How could he leave Yuwen Tong when the latter was like this?

“I’ve already seen this. Is there something else you want to keep secret from me?”

Xie Shi hastily shook his head. “I’ll explain it to you later. If you stay here, Sire–”

“Shut up,” huffed Yuwen Tong through gritted teeth, casting Xie Shi a ferocious look. Then he slowly unclenched his tight fist on the table and made an attempt to take Ling Zhang’s hand.

Xie Shi had his heart in his mouth. Why did Sire still want to hold His Highness’ hand when he was already in such great pain? Was he trying to kill himself with the agony?

Ling Zhang felt that there was something terribly wrong with the current situation, and this feeling was particularly strong when he noticed that Xie Shi had almost jumped in alarm at the sight of Yuwen Tong reaching out to hold his hand. A quite vague idea crossed his mind and with that he subconsciously dodged Yuwen Tong’s hand.

An expression of disbelief instantly appeared in Yuwen Tong’s eyes as his attempt to hold Ling Zhang’s hand failed. Though what with the pain, cold sweat was still trickling down his face constantly, in that instant his eyes turned ferocious like never before, some kind of anger and resentment welling up inside him. Someone wanted him to suffer pain every time he thought of Ling Zhang, and they wanted to make sure he could never touch Ling Zhang again. How could he yield like this? He would hold Ling Zhang tight and in no circumstances would he let go, not even if the anguish killed him!

“You will not leave!” Right after Ling Zhang withdrew his arm, Yuwen Tong flung out a hand, grabbed Ling Zhang’s and pulled him into a rib-cracking hug.

The cuddle was so tight a pained expression appeared on Ling Zhang’s face as he was drew into Yuwen Tong’s embrace. Yuwen Tong’s arms were wrapped around him so firmly as though they were made of iron. Yuwen Tong was hugging him very hard, but the pain it caused was nothing. What startled Ling Zhang was Yuwen Tong’s reaction in that instant, his now abnormally high body temperature and the deathly pale face of Xie Shi who was standing opposite him. Even if Ling Zhang were retarded, which he was not, he would have by now come to realize that they were concealing something from him. He raised his hands and grabbed Yuwen Tong’s arms. “I’m not leaving. Let go of me and let Xie Shi treat you!” he said urgently.

“There’s nothing he could do,” said Yuwen Tong, resting his head on Ling Zhang’s shoulder. The pain in his heart was so sharp his vision began to blur, but his eyes were still fierce, his arms still binding Ling Zhang tightly. “The pain is endurable, but not seeing you is not.”

These words struck Ling Zhang as rather weird. Was there some kind of conflict between seeing him and letting Xie Shi treat him? And, Xie Shi couldn’t cure him? How was that even possible? Given Xie Shi’s consummate medical skills, he sure as hell should be able to cure Yuwen Tong. After hearing those words, Ling Zhang decided to stop Yuwen Tong from acting willfully, forcibly pulled Yuwen Tong’s arms off him and demanded, “What happened exactly? How come Xie Shi couldn’t cure you? What kind of poisoning are you suffering from? No – that envoy was killed by a Gu worm. Is there a Gu worm in you as well?!”

Realizing how the situation was developing, Xie Shi no longer dared keep the truth back and decided to be honest with Ling Zhang so that Yuwen Tong would let him help, though Yuwen Tong might mete out punishment to him afterward.

“Previously I was uncertain about it, but now that we’ve come to know the cause of that envoy’s death, I’m sure there’s a Gu worm inside Sire’s body. This Gu worm is very strange. It’s not poisonous, and normally it doesn’t cause any harm, but once Sire thinks of you, he feels a throbbing pain in the heart. The closer you are to Sire, the worse the pain. Before meeting you, Sire was able to subdue the pain, but now it’s getting past his endurance.”

Xie Shi finished what he wanted to say in one breath, allowing Yuwen Tong no time to stop him.

Ling Zhang stiffened at the explanation, his heart sinking. Where did such a weird Gu worm come from? With this worm inside Yuwen Tong’s body, Yuwen Tong felt pain when thinking of him, and anguish when touching him.

He made an attempt to free himself from Yuwen Tong’s embrace, but Yuwen Tong, who had anticipated it, tightened his hug, refusing to let go.

“Let go of me,” said Ling Zhang anxiously. “Let go of me. I won’t leave here.”

Yuwen Tong took a deep breath. Sweat was welling up all over him faster and faster, and blue veins were flickering in his temples, but eventually he still slowly slackened his embrace.

No sooner had he released Ling Zhang when the latter immediately left his side and said aloud, “Xie Shi, take care of him!”

With that he quickly left the tent without pausing for a single moment.

Yuwen Tong abruptly started coughing badly, pressing his hands onto the table and exerting himself to stand up. “Come back! Come back here!”

“Only when you calm down will I talk to you. If you keep acting like this, I won’t say another word to you,” replied Ling Zhang, standing outside the tent, not showing the slightest inclination to walk back into the tent.

“Sire, His Highness is doing this only because he’s worried about you. You need to listen to me and stop moving, or else His Highness might never be able to see you again!” Xie Shi cautioned Yuwen Tong.

Yuwen Tong clenched his teeth, staring fixedly at Ling Zhang’s figure outside the tent. It was quite a while before he sat back into the chair, leaned against the back of it again and closed his eyes. “Do it,” he said.

“Yes, Sire.” Xie Shi was relieved and immediately resumed the acupuncture treatment.

Ling Zhang stood outside the tent. For a few moments his mind was blank and he was at a loss what to do. He had made the decision instinctively. He had been holding his breath during that long silence of Yuwen Tong’s, and it was not until he had heard Yuwen Tong sit back into his chair to let Xie Shi resume the acupuncture that he had heaved a sigh of relief, his mind gradually starting to function normally.

Yuwen Tong had fallen victim to a Gu worm.

This Gu worm was very odd. It caused Yuwen Tong to suffer throbbing pain in the heart whenever Yuwen Tong thought of him, and if Yuwen Tong touched him, the pain would be even severer. Never once had he seen Yuwen Tong act like that before.

There was nothing Xie Shi could do about that weird Gu worm.

In other words, they didn’t have a way to settle this matter, at least not until Mr. Mu arrived.

Ling Zhang looked in the direction of Shengzhou Pass, his brows knitted. Even if Mr. Mu traveled non-stop, it would still take him at least seven days to finish the journey from Shengzhou Pass to this encampment.

Yuwen Tong would continue suffering pain in the next seven days. More importantly, there was no telling whether or not the Gu worm inside his body would suddenly cause any other forms of harm to him!

Ling Zhang involuntarily balled his hand into a fist, pressed it against his lips, opened his mouth and clamped it between his teeth. He was exerting himself to calm down as quick as possible, inwardly telling himself to stay composed and figure out a temporary expedient.

His hand which had coiled into a fist was quivering in spite of himself, so he raised his other hand and gripped it to make it stop trembling.

Chapter 510: Your Pulse Is Getting Irregular Again

While Ling Zhang was standing outside the tent, Wang Dashan who had waited in vain for quite some time came to look for him. He was astonished at the sight of Ling Zhang biting his own fist with his whole body tensed. He had never seen Ling Zhang so nervous as to look vulnerable. Ever since Ling Zhang had become the empress of the Great Wen, nobody had seen him look nervous or scared, not to mention helpless.

“What’s the matter, Young Master?” asked Wang Dashan immediately, hurrying up to him.

Ling Zhang looked up at him, released his fist from his teeth and put it down, his grave eyes on Wang Dashan. “I’ll write a letter to Mr. Mu, and I need you to have it delivered by a carrier hawk right away!”

Wang Dashan had a hunch that something had happened, but Ling Zhang didn’t tell him what it was about, so he didn’t persist with his questioning. Instead, he promptly left to prepare paper and a writing brush for Ling Zhang.

Ling Zhang quickly wrote a letter and had Wang Dashan arrange for a carrier hawk to deliver it to Mr. Mu. If the bird was fast enough, there would be a reply in three days, but before that, he would have to wait.

Ling Zhang glanced over his shoulder at the tent and recalled that his grandfather had once told him he had power over animals because of the Force of Blood in him.

He didn’t know whether it would work on creatures like Gu worms.

But he wouldn’t dare try that unless he had to, because if by any chance the method had the opposite effort, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

He decided that he and Yuwen Tong should stay out of each other’s sight in the next three days.

However, before he could tell Yuwen Tong about this decision of his, Yuwen Tong’s disapproving voice issued from inside the tent. “Get that thought out of your mind. I’d rather die right away than not to see you.”

Ling Zhang immediately turned on his heel, and, facing the fly of the tent, took in a large gulp of air and said aloud, “Shut up!”

If Yuwen Tong said the word “die” once again, he would have Yuwen Tong regret it!

There was a few moments’ silence inside the tent. Then he heard Xie Shi say after a cough, “Sire, your pulse is getting irregular again. Please calm down.”

On hearing this, Ling Zhang outside the tent was torn between worry and anger. At the thought that Yuwen Tong was suffering pain in there, he couldn’t bring himself to make any more reproachful remarks.

Yuwen Tong was indeed a strong-willed man. Though having lost his composure, he could recover himself quickly if he wanted to. He was still in pain, but the pain was now bearable.

Before Xie Shi came out, Ling Zhang kept waiting outside the tent, not even having any room in his head to think about going to check the suspicious thing brought back from the city by Yang Liuzi and the others.

“Sire has calmed down. I’ll go and decoct some medicinal herbs. You … ahem … should stop being angry lest Sire get worked up.”

“I see. You may go.”

Xie Shi inclined his head and hastened off to decoct medicinal herbs for Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang didn’t enter the tent immediately, unsure as to whether it was the right thing to do to meet Yuwen Tong, who had had a hard job cooling down. What if Yuwen Tong let his emotions get the better of him once again? There would be only three days before the arrival of Mr. Mu’s reply, and he was positive that Mr. Mu had a way to temporarily hold the Gu worm inside Yuwen Tong’s body at bay. The two of them hadn’t seen each other for quite some time, and it was indeed a torture for them to stay out of each other’s sight when they were so close to each other, but they only had to endure it for three days.

“I–”

“Get in here.”

Ling Zhang wanted to tell Yuwen Tong that they should not meet in the next three days, that the latter should have a rest cure, but he had just uttered one word when Yuwen Tong interrupted him.

“Help me change clothes. They’re soaking wet with sweat.”

Ling Zhang hesitated for a brief moment, recalling that Yuwen Tong had indeed been drenched with cold sweat a while ago. Summer was not yet in sight, and the weather was still rather chill. Things would get tricky if Yuwen Tong caught cold, especially when there was a Gu worm inside him.

However, he had just pivoted around and touched the fly when he withdrew his hand. No. Yuwen Tong would suffer pain at the sight of him. Helping him change clothes was an easy job, and a lot of others could handle it. “I’ll have someone else help you change clothes.”

Yuwen Tong had risen to his feet inside the tent. On hearing this, he clenched his teeth. After standing there for a few moments, he walked up to the fly, reached out a hand and drew Ling Zhang inside. “I would be suffering even worse pain if you stand out there tantalizing me,” he observed through gritted teeth.

Startled, Ling Zhang hastened to look at him. “Then I’ll go a little further away.”

Yuwen Tong, “…”

No. Calm down.

He took a deep breath, trying his best to clear his mind. “Help me change clothes.”

Ling Zhang freed himself from his embrace with the intention to feel Yuwen Tong’s pulse, but he had just stretched out his hand when he felt it was a bad idea and snatched his hand back. As he saw that Yuwen Tong was stubbornly staring at him, silently insisting on his helping him change clothes, the lines around his mouth tightened. After a while, he said, “Okay.”

He followed Yuwen Tong into the inner compartment of the tent, fished out a change of clothes of Yuwen Tong’s, and then told him to stand still.

“You are not to do anything. I’ve written Mr. Mu a letter, and his reply should arrive in three days. I think he has a way to temporarily keep the Gu worm inside you at bay. All you have to do is hold on for another three days.”

On hearing these words, Yuwen Tong, who wanted to hug him, was surprised and drew back his hand. “Really?”

Ling Zhang said, “I trust Mr. Mu.”

Yuwen Tong gave it some thought. Feeling that Mr. Mu was indeed the best physician he had ever seen, he said, “Okay. Three days it is.”

Ling Zhang glanced up at him and then quickly lowered his head. “Take off your clothes by yourself. Do it quick.”

Yuwen Tong furrowed his brows, somewhat hurt that Ling Zhang was unwilling to undress him. No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than he felt an excrutiating pain in his heart and had no choice but to shift his attention elsewhere. He silently unclothed himself, appearing rather sullen.

Ling Zhang didn’t raise his head, but he could tell from Yuwen Tong’s silence that the latter was unhappy. Still, there was nothing he could do. He really didn’t dare touch Yuwen Tong once again.

After Yuwen Tong stripped, he handed Yuwen Tong one after another the clothes he needed to change into. “Put them on by yourself.”

It was a few moments before Yuwen Tong quietly took the clothes and put them on one by one. The silence struck Ling Zhang as rather insupportable. Even he, who was in good health, found it unbearable, let alone Yuwen Tong who was suffering from a special condition. Therefore, he brought up something else to distract their attention. “Do you have any idea who that old gray-robed man might be?”

Yuwen Tong replied in a husky voice, “No.”

Half of the time he was straining every sinew to clear his mind, and the other half, he was looking at Ling Zhang, which was why he was too ambivalent and distressed to recall anything particular about the possible identity of that old gray-robed man.

“Then let’s forget about that old gray-robed man for the moment. We don’t know for sure whether he’s the one Shan Congyi once mentioned anyway. But there’s a very high chance the one who put a Gu worm in you was the very person Shan Congyi talked about. All Gu worms, one way or another, have something to do with South Xinjiang. The only Gu master from that area we had dealings with was the one who assisted Yuwen Zhi with his conspiracy to usurp the throne belonging to you. I don’t know whether there are any links between the two matters. If there are, it would be fairly understandable that someone wants to take revenge on you.”

This was what Ling Zhang had thought of when he had seen the Gu worm in the envoy’s body. It had just never crossed his mind that Yuwen Tong would still fall victim despite the fact that he had forewarned Yuwen Tong and come to this encampment as quick as he could. This made him feel rather depressed.

Yuwen Tong finally managed to spare some attention to that so-called Gu master. “Sooner or later I’ll have South Xinjiang flattened,” he said with a sulky face.

Ling Zhang sighed, “But presently our first priority is to rid your body of that Gu worm. I wonder what kind of Gu worm it is. Even Xie Shi doesn’t know how to handle it. I’m really worried.”

Yuwen Tong said, “There’s no need to concern yourself. If worst comes to worst, I’ll just force it out of my body at the cost of all my internal energy.”

Ling Zhang frowned. That should be regarded as a last resort. Deep down there he was utterly unwilling to see things come to that.

“I could start all over again if my internal energy is gone. Besides, I’m an emperor now, not a marshal, and I have a lot of people protecting me. It makes no difference to me whether I have kung fu or not,” said Yuwen Tong, sounding surprisingly optimistic.

Ling Zhang might have believed Yuwen Tong had he not cultivated internal energy himself. However, his internal energy was pretty powerful as well, so he naturally knew that it made a big difference. There was no way Yuwen Tong could fool him on that score.

“We’ll talk about that later. Let’s just wait for Mr. Mu’s reply, and we should try to avoid seeing each other in the next few days.”

“I can do that.”

Ling Zhang looked up at him and then said, “Come and sit here.”

Yuwen Tong was confused, but he still walked up to the bed beside Ling Zhang and sat down and with that Ling Zhang suddenly thrust a pill into his mouth. “Swallow it.”

Yuwen Tong knitted his brows, swallowed the pill and then asked, “What is it?”

Ling Zhang looked at him. “You should have asked first before swallowing it. Are you not afraid I might poison you?”

Yuwen Tong was just about to contradict him when he felt a surge of drowsiness. “Hypnotic drug?”

“Sort of. Have some sleep. I’ll be here making sure everything’s in order. The city has been taken. General Xiao and the others can handle the rest, and it’ll be some time before the army could finish regroupment and be ready to depart for Jifang City, so just relax and sleep,” said Ling Zhang.

Yuwen Tong disagreed. The two of them hadn’t seen each other for such a long time. He wanted to spend some time alone with Ling Zhang, though he would be suffering pain while doing that. How could he lie down and sleep? However, the pill Ling Zhang had given him was quite potent. On top of that, in the past few days his mental energy had been depleted, and a while ago he had had yet another battle against pain, so he failed to resist the effect of the pill and soon drifted off.

As he saw Yuwen Tong fell asleep, Ling Zhang felt relieved, carefully adjusted Yuwen Tong’s sleeping position, took off his overgarment and shoes, and then tucked him in. At the sight of the dark circles under Yuwen Tong’s eyes, a twinge of sadness swept over him.

Not feeling like finding himself a chair, he directly crouched down at the bedside, holding Yuwen Tong’s hand, looking at his sleeping face. Feeling Yuwen Tong’s pulse becoming perfectly steady and even after he fell asleep, Ling Zhang inwardly heaved a long sigh of relief.

He kept holding Yuwen Tong’s hand, unwilling to let go. He had really been scared earlier this day. He hoped that Mr. Mu had a way to get rid of that Gu worm in Yuwen Tong’s body. Otherwise he would have to use his Force of Blood, but even if it worked, the worm would only be restrained temporarily, and if the problem was to be solved thoroughly, Yuwen Tong would have to, like he himself had said, force the worm out of his body at the cost of all his internal energy, but that would no doubt take a heavy toll on Yuwen Tong’s health.

He didn’t want to see things come to that. He wanted Yuwen Tong to stay healthy, to have powerful internal energy to protect himself, to enjoy longevity. It was at that very moment that Ling Zhang suddenly lost interest in unifying the three countries, feeling that all those things paled in comparison with Yuwen Tong being safe and sound, that if Yuwen Tong died, his life would cease to be worth living.