"Don't move!"
The old man pretended to be panicked and jumped up from the bed.
"My lords, what's the matter at this late hour?"
The guards looked at the old man carefully, then pointed at the man in black, "Who is this?"
"In reply to your question, this is a young man from a wealthy family from another city. He was sent here specially to see me for medical treatment."
"From out of town? Wake him up, I want to question him!"
The old man looked troubled. "General, to be honest with you, this young master has contracted a strange disease and has been in a coma for two years. No one can wake him up. If he wasn't still alive and his family members were unwilling to give up, he would have been buried by now."
After hearing this, the guards took two steps back in disgust, "Hey, isn't this a dead person?"
"No, no, he's not dead. He's still breathing. Come over and touch him and you'll know." The old man smiled, stroking his beard.
"Forget it, forget it. It's bad luck. It looks like there's nothing to investigate here. Let's go."
Several guards turned around and walked out of the room, turning back to threaten the old man before leaving.
"I'm telling you, you better not lie to me. This time the order came from the Imperial City. If something goes wrong, we won't be able to escape, and you won't be able to escape!"
Yes, yes, yes, I understand.
After sending off a few guards, Zhao Litang lifted the wooden board and jumped out, clasping his fists and bowing to the old man.
"Thank you, old man. I don't know why you helped us, but I will remember this kindness in my heart. If you need help in the future, just bring this sign and come to the border to find me."
Zhao Litang took off a small tag from his body and wanted to give it to Lao Lang, but he was pushed back by Lao Lang.
"I didn't save you for any reward. Meeting is fate. I have never made a mistake in judging people. You are a good match for me. I am just helping you. It's nothing to worry about."
Zhao Litang had no choice but to take back the sign.
"It's not advisable to stay here for long. You two should leave as soon as possible."
The old man said, "The medicine I prepared can help slow down the progression of his illness if he takes it every day, but his body can't keep running around like this. He needs to rest well."
Zhao Litang picked up the still unconscious little guy with a complicated expression, and then left the inn.
When Wu Quan and the coachman heard about the guards' search, they came out and made preparations. Zhao Litang carried the person into the carriage and left quickly.
The old man stood at the window on the second floor of the inn, looking at the carriage running in the moonlight, and stroked his gray beard thoughtfully.
—Qi Changyi woke up several times in a daze on the way, but his consciousness was still unclear. He half-opened his eyes and asked for a few sips of water, and then fainted again. Fortunately, his body was no longer hot.
The carriage did not dare to stop or delay and caught up with the marching troops as quickly as possible.
Zhao Litang then felt relieved and ordered Wu Quan to follow Qi Changyi closely and take care of all matters concerning Qi Changyi. If anything happened, he would be held accountable.
The army resumed its normal marching process. Zhao Litang issued an order that they were not allowed to leave the city and disturb the order of the people, so they were only allowed to station outside the city.
Wu Quan knew some medical skills after all, and with the prescription given by Lao Lang, Qi Changyi took it every day, so his fever never came back. This might also be related to his relaxed attitude.
Although marching with the army required traveling day and night and the conditions could even be described as harsh, Qi Changyi was well taken care of and had no mental stress. His energy and spirit seemed to be slowly recovering.
However, this recovery did not seem like recovery. In the words of the soldiers who were discussing privately, "This is probably just a last gasp of energy."
Finally, we arrived at the border area where the army had set up camp. Although this place was in a desolate area, it had everything it needed. Although the customs of the city residents were not as open as those of the barbarians, they were much more open than those of the imperial capital. We could even see some foreigners in the city.
Qi Changyi's mother, Concubine Ning, was a foreigner, so Qi Changyi actually has foreign blood as well. He developed a strange sense of familiarity with this place.
Zhao Litang set up a separate barracks for Qi Changyi in a secret place in the military camp, and assigned people to guard it. On weekdays, he was not allowed to have much contact with the burly soldiers outside, and was only allowed to stay in the barracks to recuperate.
It's just that Wu Quan, a soldier who usually kills countless enemies with a gun in his hand, now can only stay in the military camp all day long to serve a soft and weak little person, and worry about everything like an old nanny. He really holds the delicate and weak little beauty in his hands and protects her like an ancestor every day.
Fortunately, although this little guy has a very noble status, he is not arrogant at all. Instead, he is simple, kind and lovely. No wonder the general is so worried.
"Brother Wu, Brother Wu?" Qi Changyi went around to Wu Quan's ear and raised his voice a little, "Brother Wu..."
Wu Quan's ears were shocked and he finally came back to his senses.
"Your Highness, I am not worthy of your title. If you have anything to say, just tell me directly."
"Mother said that we must be polite and well-mannered when we go out. Brother Wu treats me so well and he is older than me. If not Brother Wu, what should I call you?"
Qi Changyi blinked and looked at Wu Quan. Although he looked innocent and harmless, Wu Quan began to stutter.
"Forget it... forget it... you can call me whatever you want..."
"Brother Wu, the sun finally came out today. I want to go out for a walk. Is that okay?"
Wu Quan hesitated. Today's weather was indeed good. The sun had dispelled a lot of the cold, and it was a little warmer outside, but the winter wind was still biting.
"Your Highness, you are still weak now. You can't go out in the wind. If you catch a cold..."
Qi Changyi gently tugged at Wu Quan's sleeve, "But... I really haven't been out for a long time. I promise, I will be obedient and will never wander around. Brother Tang went out for an inspection today and he probably won't be back early. I'll just go out and take a look, is that not okay?"
The little guy's eyes turned red as he spoke, and it was really hard to say no to him.
"Okay, fine, at most half an hour, you must be back!"
"Yeah!" Qi Changyi smiled and nodded vigorously.
Wu Quan put a thick cloak with a fur collar on him, wrapping the little guy completely inside. The white fur collar was pulled up to cover most of his face, leaving only a pair of bright almond eyes exposed.
—As he walked out of the barracks, the cold wind blew in his face, and the round little guy in his clothes couldn't help shivering.
Wu Quan led the way in front, and Qi Changyi followed obediently with his head down. When passing by the soldiers' training ground, the deafening sound of the call made him turn his head to look a few more times, but these glances made the soldiers stunned.
None of them had seen the general hiding deep in the military camp. Now they only saw a milky white little girl following behind the general. The collar covered most of her face, but just by looking at her eyes, it was enough to tell that she was a little beauty.
After leaving the military camp quickly, Wu Quan brought Qi Changyi to the city gate. Before taking him into the city, he warned him, "My Lord... Young Master, you must not run around or act stubborn. If you feel tired or cold, we will go back."
Qi Changyi nodded his little head vigorously under the fur collar, and Wu Quan then took him into the city.
There are also many small vendors in the city, selling a wide variety of things.
Wu Quan followed Qi Changyi, walking slowly with him, watching the pedestrians passing by, the vendors bargaining, and the lively children running and jumping around.
Qi Changyi walked to a stall selling lanterns. He didn't expect that such a small border town would sell such exquisite things. Unfortunately, they were all very simple shapes, and there were no rabbit or lotus lanterns.
"Which one do you like, young master? Just buy it."
Qi Changyi didn't say anything, his eyes dimmed a little, he shook his head and walked away silently.
Not far away, a peddler selling candied haws came and walked around the street, holding a straw stick with red balls on it and hawking his wares.
Qi Changyi suddenly stood still, looking at the strings of candied haws. He didn't know what he was thinking about, and the more he looked, the more mist filled his eyes.
"Brother Wu, I want to eat that..."
Wu Quan took a look and then waved his hand, "No, that candied haws must not be made cleanly. You can't eat anything carelessly now. If you eat something bad, it will be fatal."
Qi Changyi slowly lowered his head, "Well, I understand. I was just asking casually. I don't really want to eat that much."
The two walked aimlessly on the street for a while. Qi Changyi's breathing gradually became unstable and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead. He was very weak and was already out of breath after walking only a short distance.
Wu Quan said, "Young Master, why don't we stop here today? Let's go back."
Qi Changyi nodded, and let Wu Quan support him as he turned and walked out of the city.
At this moment, the sound of a horse neighing suddenly came from the street behind him. Two rows of guards came out to clear the way, pushing everyone on the road to the sides.
Qi Changyi was almost pushed away, but fortunately Wu Quan protected him in time, took him to the side of the road, and hid him under a wooden shed of a vendor.
The sound of horse hooves could be heard not far away on the street. Several people were riding horses quickly down the street, followed by the uniformed guards.
After the huge crowd of people had passed, the guards who had led the way also withdrew. The pedestrians on the street talked about it, and then went back to their busy work.
The little man standing behind the wooden shed seemed to be frozen, staring at the empty street with slightly wide eyes, motionless.
The man who rode past just now was a man wearing a luxurious black robe, with a resolute and cold profile that flashed by in an instant. Even though others couldn't see clearly, Qi Changyi could recognize him at a glance.
It’s Pei Zheng!
His whole body slowly became colder and colder, and Qi Changyi's fingers tightly grasped his cloak.
Wu Quan also saw Pei Zheng and became a little flustered.
"Let's go! Let's get out of the city quickly!"