Polygonum flower candy is not a product of Jiangnan, but rather a specialty of Yongdu.
In other words, today's move was not a spur of the moment decision by Xie Bufeng, but was well prepared.
The sun rose little by little, the huge Dragon Boat went against the current to the north, and the Luanfengyin was also blown to pieces by the wind.
Only circles of ripples remained, still weakly hitting the river bank.
Like a final farewell.
The thick green fog dissipated without anyone knowing when.
He returned to the human world.
Wen Qingci couldn't help but peel off the candy wrapper bit by bit, then stood quietly by the river and put a candy into his mouth.
A faint sweetness spread like ripples on the tip of his tongue.
But Wen Qingci's nose suddenly felt sore for no apparent reason.
He once regarded Xie Bufeng's words as a fleeting liking and unintentional dependence in his youth.
I thought time could smooth it out.
After Xie Bufeng became emperor, he saw a more vast, gorgeous, and even bizarre world. The glimmer of hope in his youth was no longer so rare.
But now this scene is reminding him that Xie Bufeng has not forgotten.
Even as time went by, he fell deeper and deeper into depravity.
For a moment, Wen Qingci's heart was also in turmoil.
"Junior brother, why do you put all the dirty stuff in your mouth?" After cursing, Song Junran turned around and saw Wen Qingci put Liao Huatang in his mouth. He couldn't help but be shocked, "I picked it up from the ground!"
Isn’t Junior Brother always very clean
And if he remembered correctly, Wen Qingci didn't like sweets, let alone candy.
The little brown horse behind him snorted.
Song Junran was stunned here.
Wen Qingci shook his head slowly and did not answer his senior brother's words.
He even turned around to get a cloth bag from the horse's back and put all the Liaohua candies he had picked up in his arms into it.
Finally, he looked back at the dragon boat and said "goodbye" softly in his heart.
Wen Qingci couldn't help but think that he might never see Xie Bufeng again.
One of them sits high in the government, while the other is far away in the world. They are people from two different worlds.
Today's farewell at the ferry may be a farewell forever.
Seeing Xie Bufeng's current appearance, it would be a lie to say that he doesn't regret it.
Maybe I shouldn't have gotten so close to him...
But no matter what, "Wen Qingci" has long been a dead person.
The dead cannot be resurrected.
"Let's go, brother."
"… good."
Wen Qingci didn't like to be in the limelight, and he didn't like grand occasions. In his previous life, he always felt uncomfortable when he was called upon to answer questions.
But today, there is only a sour feeling lingering in his heart.
The morning breeze gently blew up Wen Qingci's veil, bringing a little bit of fishy smell.
He couldn't help but sniff, and finally quickened his pace, heading towards the green mountains and forests south of the canal.
As the only person who knew the situation by the river, Song Junran, who recognized the coffin, became extremely wary of Xie Bufeng in an instant.
He simply took a shortcut with Wen Qingci and returned to the valley early.
As soon as they arrived at the destination, the little white snake swam out from Wen Qingci's sleeve.
The next second, Song Junran pinched it by the vital point and brought it right in front of him.
Song Junran glanced at the snake, then said meaningfully, "Why do I feel like this snake has gotten a lot fatter?"
After he finished speaking, he took advantage of Wen Qingci's inattention and pulled up his wrist.
Song Junran saw that the bite marks on Wen Qingci's wrist had increased by 30% to 40% in a short period of time.
He didn't know when he had bandaged his wrist.
But through the gauze, you can still see that there are still a few blood holes, bleeding out.
All of this looked particularly glaring against the pale skin.
Wen Qingci accelerated his treatment.
Seeing that his senior brother had discovered his secret, Wen Qingci looked away somewhat unnaturally.
He pushed Song Junran with his right hand, trying to push the other's hand away from his wrist.
After several unsuccessful attempts, he could only say calmly: "It was OK that I couldn't move before, but now that I can move a little, I'm a little anxious. I want to recover quickly so that it will be more convenient for me to do daily activities."
His voice was gentle and calm.
What Wen Qingci said was half true and half false.
He did think about speeding up the treatment recently, but not for his daily life.
Along with the memories of Shanyujian, what was also awakened was the obsession and desire for "medicine" hidden deep within this body.
The hand is too important to the doctor. At this moment, Wen Qingci can't wait to make it recover and want to hold the silver knife again.
Little did he know that what he just said still irritated Song Junran: "Why are you in such a hurry? Doesn't it hurt to have so many scars on your hands?"
After he finished speaking, Song Junran muttered as he took the little white snake back: "From now on, I will only give you one hour every day, so that it won't bite your left hand so badly that you can't even face others."
Then he left without looking back.
After returning to the valley, Song Junran repeatedly told the servant in charge of purchasing medicine to be careful in his words and actions and not to let anyone know where the Valley of Divine Doctors was.
We must not let Xie Bufeng know that Wen Qingci is still alive.
Now, in his eyes, this little emperor is a dangerous person.
Song Junran even found it hard to imagine what terrible thing Xie Bufeng would do if he knew that Wen Qingci was alive.
Xie Bufeng's madness is completely different from that of his father Xie Zhaolin.
The deposed emperor was muddle-headed and mad.
But Xie Bufeng is more sober than anyone else...
*
Wherever the dragon boat passed, people stopped and looked back at the ship.
But in a blink of an eye, this wonderful scene on the Yinchuan Grand Canal spread from one person to a hundred, and spread throughout the entire Songxiu Prefecture.
Next, there are other prefectures and towns in Jiangnan.
It was raining on the Yinchuan Grand Canal.
The wooden coffin was finally carefully moved into the cabin.
Different from the lively scene just now, there is only Xie Bufeng here.
Without Luanfengyin, the only sound Xie Bufeng could hear was the loud noise of waves hitting the cabin.
His eyes were somewhat empty.
After a long time, Xie Bufeng finally slowly opened his palm and looked at the Liao Huatang in his hand.
He had already taken off his cloak for fear that the rain would wet it.
At this time, Xie Bufeng was wearing a dark robe with narrow sleeves, and he had a solemn and murderous aura.
He stood beside the wooden coffin, slowly unfolded the candy wrapper, and put the candy into his mouth.
Xie Bufeng thought back to the day they first met, when Wen Qingci stuffed honey into his mouth... He had never tasted anything so sweet.
"Someone—"
There was a sound of armor clashing outside the cabin, and a soldier walked in quickly and saluted him.
Xie Bufeng lowered his eyes, folded the candy wrapper in his hand, and said lightly: "Bring me my sword."
The sword he was talking about was the heavy black iron sword he brought back from the north.
This sword is not convenient to carry, so someone is responsible for its safekeeping.
Not long after, someone held it in front of Xie Bufeng with both hands.
The heavy sword that could cut iron like mud glowed coldly under the candlelight.
Xie Bufeng took it with one hand.
His muscles tensed up in an instant, with the narrow sleeves outlining his twisted lines.
Before the man could react, a loud "whoosh" suddenly came from his ears.
That was the sound of a heavy sword cutting through the air.
The next moment, the heavy sword smashed straight into the coffin.
"Ah!" The soldier couldn't help but screamed subconsciously. He almost fell to the ground and broke out in cold sweat.
Xie Bufeng never looked at him twice from beginning to end.
The emperor, dressed in black, tightly grasped the heavy sword in his hand and stared at the wooden coffin in front of him.
He was like a trapped beast that was about to die and had found its prey.
The heavy sword smashed towards the coffin wrapped in red silk and nailed shut one after another, and wood chips flew everywhere in an instant.
His actions were ruthless, but in his light amber eyes, there was not a single trace of hatred, even the hostility had disappeared.
Only indescribable tenderness and expectation remain.
Hearing the loud noise, all the soldiers guarding outside the cabin rushed in.
“Click—”
With another loud noise, a long crack appeared on the coffin lid.
Like a bolt of lightning struck here.
Another sword fell.
The coffin lid was completely lifted up and deformed.
Xie Bufeng finally stopped.
He slowly loosened his grip and dropped the heavy black iron sword to the ground.
Then he walked step by step to the wooden coffin.
"Stand back."
The emperor's cold voice echoed in the cabin again and again.
"Yes... yes, Your Majesty."
In an instant, Xie Bufeng was the only one left in the cabin.
His breathing was disrupted by the waves outside the window.
The scarred fingers carefully touched the coffin.
Then he suddenly exerted force and pushed the coffin lid weighing hundreds of pounds open a foot in just one push.
Xie Bufeng reached out his hand tremblingly, picked up the candlestick from the side, and shone it inside.
The next moment, the bottom of the coffin was brightly lit.
Xie Bufeng then opened his eyes wide.
"empty… "
The emperor in black robes narrowed his eyes.
This time he stuffed the entire candlestick directly into the coffin.
The coffin, which had been sealed for a year, was thoroughly illuminated.
The coffin that was supposed to contain Wen Qingci's old clothes was actually empty.
Xie Bufeng clenched his teeth, even his breathing was trembling...
He slowly reached his hand to the bottom of the coffin, patiently feeling the ridges in the wood grain with his fingertips.
Xie Bufeng clenched his palms suddenly and laughed deeply.
The laughter kept echoing at the bottom of the coffin, like a demon.
The next second, a tear unexpectedly slid down his cheek, fell heavily to the bottom of the coffin, and broke into pieces.
Is there any cenotaph in this world without clothes
Since Song Junran was able to travel thousands of miles to Yongdu, he must have attached great importance to Wen Qingci and would never be so careless as to forget about the burial.
Unless he did all this on purpose.
Ecstasy came like a wave, sweeping over in an instant.
At this moment, Xie Bufeng found another new piece of the puzzle.
Why did Song Junran do this
If Wen Qingci was really dead, why was he unwilling to bury his fellow apprentice's clothes here and receive incense and offerings
Xie Bufeng couldn't find a reason.
On the contrary... If Wen Qingci hadn't died, then Song Junran's behavior would make sense.
After all, in this world, is there really a tomb built for a living person
Xie Bufeng slowly narrowed his eyes, put his hand in front of the coffin lid, and suddenly his veins bulged, and he pushed the coffin lid weighing hundreds of pounds to the ground.
"boom-"
The heavy coffin lid fell to the ground, instantly collapsing a section of the floor.
The candlelight and incense beside it also extinguished in an instant.
The rich aroma filled the entire cabin.
The flickering lights made people feel confused.
Without the covering of the coffin lid, everything inside the coffin fell into Xie Bufeng's eyes.
Even after more than a year of burial, there is still not a speck of dust in the sealed coffin.
Only in the corner of the coffin, there lay quietly a petal of magnolia that had accidentally fallen into the coffin and had already dried up.
And inadvertently, it pierced Xie Bufeng's eyes.
Xie Bufeng's fingers trembled slightly.
He held his breath, slowly reached out, and pinched the magnolia petal between his fingertips.
The lingering fragrance seeped into his heart and lungs.
Xie Bufeng slowly closed his eyes, and his heart, which had been beating wildly just now, gradually calmed down.
In the early spring of this year, he had been staying in Yuguang Palace and had never set foot in the Imperial Medical Bureau. He even asked someone to lock the gate of the palace.
At that time, there were rumors in the palace that he might have forgotten Wen Qingci and was no longer as obsessed with him as he was last year.
How could Xie Bufeng forget Wen Qingci
He just didn't dare to go to the Imperial Medical Bureau.
I just don’t dare to look at the magnolias in that courtyard anymore.
-try to find.
Xie Bufeng slowly clenched the petals in his hand.
Even if the entire Wei Dynasty is overthrown, Wen Qingci's trace must be found.
His breathing became disordered again.
The fire burning beneath Xie Bufeng's skin turned into magma at this moment, which was pumped out by the heart and spread to his limbs and bones through the blood.
He had almost determined in his heart that Wen Qingci was still alive.
But at this point, Xie Bufeng no longer wanted any vague "evidence". He wanted to verify the matter thoroughly and find Wen Qingci's trace!
Xie Bufeng turned around abruptly, clutching the magnolia flower, and walked quickly out of the cabin.
The Valley of Divine Medicine is near Songxiu Prefecture. If we send troops to search the mountain, how can we not find its location
If a thousand people are not enough, then try ten thousand people. If ten thousand people are not enough, then try a hundred thousand people!
But when the cabin door opened, steam rushed in his face, and countless people knelt on the ground to salute him, Xie Bufeng calmed down again.
He may not understand the ways of the world, but he is a natural hunter.
Xie Bufeng's instinct told him that he couldn't do this.
If I really dig out the Divine Doctor Valley, Wen Qingci will definitely be displeased...
Besides, the noise of searching the mountain was too loud, and perhaps the Valley of the Divine Doctor would be deserted before Wen Qingci was found.
Since Song Junran dared to play tricks and steal things right under his nose, who knows what else he will do
You must be patient.
In more than a year, Xie Bufeng has never been as calm as he is now.
Certain clues and memories that he had overlooked became clear at this moment.
The wind and rain on the Yinchuan Grand Canal were quite strong, and in just a moment, most of Xie Bufeng's body was wet.
Seeing that he didn't say anything, some soldiers couldn't help but secretly look up at Xie Bufeng.
The next second, a slight curve appeared on His Majesty's lips.
It’s like being immersed in some beautiful memories.
He opened his mouth slowly and gave an address - it was a clinic in Songxiu Prefecture.
The soldiers looked at each other, not understanding why His Majesty mentioned this place, but they still hurriedly wrote down the address.
Just now, Xie Bufeng suddenly remembered something.
When Wen Qingci arrived at Songxiu Prefecture during his southern tour, he was commissioned by the imperial physician Yu Guanlin to purchase precious medicinal materials.
At that time, he did not go to any of the old medical clinics in Songxiu Prefecture, nor did he just go in and ask.
Instead, he took himself through the long streets, found a clinic located in the back street with familiarity, and successfully bought what Yu Guanlin wanted.
Wen Qingci was obviously very familiar with and knowledgeable about the clinic, and even knew what medicinal herbs were sold there.
Although he only resigned once with Wen Qing, that place was still deeply engraved in Xie Bufeng's mind.
The fingerprints at Shanyujian must have been left in recent period of time.
If that was really left by Wen Qingci... then it means he has not been in the valley recently.
"You guys change into plain clothes and go to the vicinity of this clinic to see if there have been any strangers visiting recently."
"If so, thoroughly investigate where he went."
Xie Bufeng lowered his voice and slowly instructed: "Remember, you must not alert the enemy."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The soldiers took the order and retreated. Not long after, they changed into short brown clothes, left the dragon boat on a small boat, and went downstream towards Songxiu Prefecture.
Xie Bufeng did not hold an umbrella. He stood alone at the stern of the boat covered with red silk and watched them leave.
Until this moment, he still held the magnolia petal tightly in his hand.
Faster, faster—
When he thought that Wen Qingci might have been in the same land with him not long ago, he felt endless regret and unwillingness.
This forced Xie Bufeng to almost go crazy.
(End of this chapter)