Chapter 49 – Astray Demon Lord’s Son (7)
The next morning, when Chen Luosong woke up, his hair, which had been wet the night before, had returned to its usual state. He simply put on a robe and walked out of his room, hearing sounds coming from the kitchen.
Zhou Ji had already prepared breakfast, ready to eat after washing up.
During the time he drank his medicine after breakfast, Diligent Zhou took the usual task of tying Chen Luosong’s hair, using the same hairband as before.
Neither mentioned the item in the pouch seen the previous night, and Chen Luosong did not bring it up.
Usually, he did not need to go to the pharmacy every day, but they had been short-staffed recently, and Zhou Ji was naturally roped into helping. Chen Luosong, unable to work for long periods, spent most of his time on the second floor, handling minor tasks.
When the shop was empty, Uncle Zhang, the assistant with a small tuft of beard, asked about his trip to the capital to get medicine. Chen Luosong briefly explained the process in a single sentence.
Uncle Zhang, though middle-aged, had a gossip-loving heart rivaling any young person’s. Catching the key points from Chen Luosong’s brief recount, he curiously asked, “Does he know you’re often here?”
Chen Luosong took a sip of tea and replied that he had written the address.
Uncle Zhang couldn’t help but sigh.
It had been quite some time since Chen Luosong’s trip to the capital for medicine. If the other person was interested, they should have visited by now. Although he didn’t know who the other person was, being from the capital, they should at least be literate. Uncle Zhang had seen Chen Luosong’s handwriting, which was clear and neat, understandable to anyone literate.
Given that the person knew the address but hadn’t visited in so long, it was likely the matter had ended.
Chen Luosong agreed. Unlike Uncle Zhang’s sigh of resignation, he showed no particular reaction, calmly drinking his tea, appearing completely unbothered.
It seemed the Sword Sovereign’s emotional trial had concluded.
One less task was a good thing.
“Those people were never reliable anyway.”
After a busy morning, Master Zhou walked into the shop, handed the letter in his hand to the person sitting and drinking tea, and said, “The people from the Chamber of Commerce just delivered this.”
Chen Luosong took the letter, opened it, and slowly read its contents.
As he read the letter, the person beside him glanced at him, then looked away and said, “Having just me around is indeed enough.”
In stark contrast to Uncle Zhang’s behavior, he seemed to be in a good mood.
Without moving his eyes from the letter, Chen Luosong raised one hand.
Realizing he was about to get hit on the head again, Zhou Ji skillfully bent down and lowered his head.
Instead of the familiar light tap, the other person only tugged at his hair before withdrawing his hand.
His brows and eyes, hidden by the falling strands of hair, moved slightly. Zhou Ji turned his head and looked at the person sitting beside him, noticing the faint smile on his face.
“…”
After a moment of silence, without any thought, Zhou Ji reached out and held the withdrawn hand. Meeting the gaze of the other person who finally looked at him, he shifted his eyes to the side, smiled, and said, “If you like, you can touch it a bit longer.”
Unexpectedly, Uncle Zhang, standing on the other side, tightened his grip on his beard, almost pulling out the last few strands, and looked at the harmlessly smiling Zhou Ji.
Finally realizing what was happening, his eyes gradually widened.
The last few strands of his beard couldn’t hold on and were pulled out by his own hand.
Chen Luosong obligingly tugged Zhou Ji’s hair a couple more times, then withdrew his hand, folded the letter he was holding in the other hand, and said, “I’m going on a trip in a few days.”
Zhou Ji, with his hair in disarray, stood up and asked where he was going.
“The neighboring town,” Chen Luosong replied, “There are some matters with the Chamber of Commerce.”
Here, as long as there is business, one cannot avoid the existence of the Chamber of Commerce. Occasionally, members of the same chamber need to meet to discuss matters. These meetings are usually composed of merchants from neighboring areas, notified in advance by letter, making the meetings relatively convenient.
This time, without anyone needing to say it, Zhou Ji already knew he would be staying behind at the pharmacy, so he could only remind him to be sure to stay safe.
Every time there was an outing, he would say these words. Chen Luosong did not interrupt him, letting him speak while he put the letter back into its envelope.
The actual departure happened a few days later.
The skies were gloomy during those days, with constant winds but no rain. Before leaving, Chen Luosong accepted the umbrella handed to him by Zhou Xiaoji, saying he would return to the pharmacy before dinner.
The neighboring town wasn’t far, and it was possible to make the round trip within a day.
The residence was at a distance from both the neighboring town and the pharmacy. If he returned late, with no time to go back home, he could stay in the resting room on the second floor of the pharmacy for the night.
Zhou Ji watched him leave.
Under the overcast sky, the white figure disappeared from his view. His hand hanging by his side moved slightly, and his heart inexplicably skipped a beat.
The sky was gloomy when Chen Luosong left, and the rain that had been brewing for days finally began to fall as he returned from the neighboring town.
The sound of the rain was continuous, falling on the umbrella, blurring the surrounding scenery. The muddy ground was slippery, but he took it in stride, slightly tightened his outer robe, and slowly walked forward.
As long as he walked out from this path to the main road he usually took, he would be halfway home.
Probably because of the heavy rain, the road, which usually had a few people, was now deserted. The sky was already dark, and visibility was lower than usual. All he could see were the continuous raindrops.
This rain was too heavy; he might return later than expected today.
After getting onto the main road, the path became easier to walk. Holding the umbrella, he walked along, his ears filled with the constant sound of rain. Amidst the noise, Chen Luosong noticed something and slightly paused, stepping to the side.
There were hoofbeats, specifically the sound of a horse-drawn carriage. From barely perceptible, it gradually became clearer. As it approached, besides the sound of hooves and rolling wheels, he could also feel the vibrations caused by the horse’s steps on the ground.
Along with the sound came a flickering light, from a lantern on the carriage, sheltered from the rain.
The light passed by him, continued forward, and gradually faded into the darkness.
After walking a few more steps, the sound of the carriage disappeared. Only then did Chen Luosong slightly lift his gaze.
The light had stopped not far ahead. The carriage hadn’t disappeared; it had stopped.
As he got closer and the light became brighter, a figure emerged from the carriage.
He saw a face he thought he would never see again.
Qi Ming also hadn’t expected his luck to be this good, encountering the person he was looking for on the road.
The writing on the paper he received earlier was incomprehensible. He had waited at the city gate several times during this period, but never managed to meet him. He finally decided to leave the city and try his luck, choosing a town based on a vague impression. Shortly after setting out, it began to rain heavily, making it even harder to find anyone. He had planned to return once he reached the town, but things turned out differently.
A pleasant surprise.
Once inside the carriage with him, he casually wiped the rain from his face and sat up slightly, glancing at the person sitting beside him. His gaze involuntarily shifted backward.
The carriage’s interior was well-lit, allowing for clear vision. He noticed the headband tied around the other person’s head.
It was a very ordinary band, not the one he had given him.
His eyes drooped slightly, and his overly heated mind finally cooled down a bit. Qi Ming withdrew his gaze, turning to look at the still-dripping umbrella placed aside. He forgot what he originally intended to say and awkwardly remarked, “Today’s rain is really heavy.”
The person beside him responded with a sound of agreement.
Outside the carriage, amidst the sound of rain, the voices of the coachman and the guards conversing could be heard. After a brief silence, the stationary carriage resumed its journey.
Following the heavy rain came rumbling thunder, spreading with each peal, and flashes of lightning.
Chen Luosong sat by the window, slightly lifting the curtain to look outside. Rainwater, carried by the wind, splashed obliquely onto his face. He squinted his half-open eyes, and the usual smile on his face faded a bit.
Qi Ming watched him and asked, “Did something happen?”
Chen Luosong replied, “Something’s not right.”
The previous sounds and lights didn’t quite resemble thunder.
The guards riding on both sides also sensed something amiss. They exchanged glances, and their pace gradually slowed down.
Another loud crash sounded, and the ground trembled. This time, it was much closer, almost as if it were right nearby.
After the crash, several flashes of light followed.
The sound came before the light—this wasn’t thunder.
The vibrations from the loud noise had not yet dissipated when the horses, terrified, let out sharp whinnies and bolted uncontrollably forward.
In the darkness, light flared up again, and in the blinding brightness, several dark figures approached at an eye-blurring speed. The guards, still gripping their reins tightly in an attempt to control the horses, failed to notice the figures. Those who did notice only had time to shout, “Your Highness!”
The wind blew up the curtain, and both men in the carriage glimpsed the figures in the brief flash of light. Amidst the sound of rain, the guards’ muffled shouts and the horses’ whinnies could be heard.
Not knowing what was happening, Qi Ming turned to try and comfort the person beside him, but he was suddenly pulled into a bitter, medicinal-smelling embrace. His mind went blank as he heard the other person say, “If you’re scared, close your eyes.”
The next moment, the world spun.
The carriage, once traveling along the road, toppled over and rolled down a steep slope, ultimately crashing into a large rock at the bottom, shattering completely.
The once warm light of the lantern flickered and died, illuminating the figures quickly reaching the bottom of the slope.
Perhaps those were not human, judging by their strange leaping movements and other features.
Halfway down the slope, Qi Ming, pulled out of the carriage just in time, finally dared to open his eyes. He could smell the unique scent of heavy rain mixed with the bitter aroma of medicine…and the stench of blood.
In an instant, his eyes widened. Just as he tried to check on the person beside him, he saw shadows moving toward the bottom of the slope.
Those were his guards.
Before he could see more, a pair of icy hands covered his eyes, blocking all sight. In the darkness, he heard the other person lean in and whisper, “I won’t let you die here.”
It was a calm voice.
In the rain, the guards descending toward the bottom of the slope had no time to make a sound. The moment they saw the strange figures at the bottom, their lives were extinguished, and they fell onto the rocky slope.
Rainwater flowed through the cracks in the stones, turning red as it passed over the fallen bodies and pooling around the feet of the dark figures standing by the shattered carriage.
More light appeared in the distance. The figures quickly searched the wreckage of the carriage and the surrounding area, visibly growing more agitated. Then they dispersed, keeping an eye on the distant light as they leapt into the forest.
Chen Luosong watched everything quietly, his light-colored pupils reflecting the approaching figures without a trace of emotion.
He knew what he had to do.
As a split soul of the Sword Sovereign, Qi Ming could not die here today.
The torrential rain muffled all sound, and being unable to see meant being completely isolated from the outside world.
Unaware of what was happening, Qi Ming felt the hands covering his eyes move away, and he opened his eyes.
When he did, all the light had vanished. The flickering lanterns and everything else disappeared, leaving his vision in complete darkness.
He tried to softly call out the name of the person beside him.
There was no response.
The light he had seen before reappeared. This time, it wasn’t nearby but directly beside him, illuminating the entire slope.
“…”
He realized why the other person hadn’t responded.
The light illuminated his vision, his dark pupils trembling, reflecting the cold glint of a blade.
Qi Ming saw the pair of hands that had just been covering his eyes. The pale hands gripped a curved blade tightly, its edge deeply embedded in the flesh. Bright red blood mixed with the relentless rain, sliding down the wrist and into the depths of the arm.
Close by, the person beside him blocked a dark figure that had approached unnoticed. The usually smiling light-colored eyes stared calmly into the dark vertical pupils of the figure holding the blade.
Even with a weak body, Chen Luosong could intercept the sweeping curved blade, but only for a moment. The dark figure smirked and exerted more force.
Chen Luosong smiled too.
A moment was enough.
As the dark figure exerted force, another white figure attacked, a bright sword light flashing directly at the dark figure.
Caught off guard, the dark figure had no time to react, leaving a hand behind.
Literally leaving a hand behind. The severed hand, cut cleanly by the sword light, fell to the ground. The dark figure quickly retreated, disappearing into the dense forest in an instant.
The remaining three dark figures, noticing the commotion, also fled. As the others prepared to pursue, the first to arrive sheathed his sword and said, “Do not pursue further. There are wounded. Save them first.”
Light charms were activated, illuminating the dark forest without the previous harshness, revealing the true scene within the woods on the slope.
Blood stained the white clothing of the half-sitting figure, their long hair hanging down, their face drained of all color.
A few others, dressed in the same white attire, came to inspect the wounds, gasping at the sight. Qi Ming supported the person, watching the blood spreading across his hands. His frantic breathing nearly halted for a moment, unable to make any other movement or speak.
The half-opened eyes of the injured man looked at him, or perhaps through him to someone else. He smiled faintly and softly said, “I will make sure you survive.”
He seemed to say something more, possibly a name, but Qi Ming couldn’t make it out. He could only stare blankly.
Since their first meeting, this person always had a smile on his face, but Qi Ming had never seen this kind of smile before.
It made his heart race uncontrollably.
