Chu Xinian held Xie Jingyuan's shoulders with both hands, lost in hesitation and contemplation, not knowing whether to push him away or hold him tight. Until the man in his arms gradually woke up, frowned and uttered an indistinct mumbling, he withdrew his hand as if he had been electrocuted.
Chu Xinian quickly pushed Xie Jingyuan to the side, in case he woke up and couldn't explain himself clearly. However, before he could move, he was unexpectedly met with a pair of narrow, half-closed eyes.
"… "
Chu Xinian didn't expect Xie Jingyuan to wake up so quickly, and asked a little later: "... Are you awake?"
Xie Jingyuan seemed to be a little sleepy. He closed his eyes again without saying anything and rubbed Chu Xinian's shoulder unconsciously. After a while, he asked in a hoarse voice, "What are you doing?"
He looked lazy, with his eyes half-closed, like some ferocious animal with its claws retracted, but at least at this stage he was harmless.
Chu Xinian thought for a long time and answered him with a more rigorous word: "To keep warm."
Xie Jingyuan stared at him motionlessly, then closed his eyes, hummed without emotion, and said to himself, "It's quite warm."
His answer was not quite what Chu Xinian had imagined, in any case it was too calm. Xie Jingyuan stripped off his clothes and lay in bed with a man. It would have been fine if he was not angry, his attitude could even be called peaceful, it was not unusual for the sun to rise from the west.
Chu Xinian felt that he had to explain: "It was an emergency move, please don't blame me, General."
Xie Jingyuan didn't seem to mind, and even changed to a more comfortable position and lay in his arms, still without even blinking: "Yeah."
Who knows what his "hmm" means? Even Chu Xinian, who can see through people's hearts, doesn't know.
Chu Xi was at a loss for words, which was rare in his life. He saw that Xie Jingyuan had no intention of getting up, so he could only lift the bed by himself, but his waist suddenly became tight, and Xie Jingyuan pulled him back, and he fell back into the bed.
The current posture is that of Chu Xi, Xie Jingyuan.
In order to stabilize his body, Chu Xinian could only lean on Xie Jingyuan's side, his dark black hair falling on his shoulders. He had no trace of the mundane worldly airs. He whispered, "General?"
"Didn't you say you wanted to keep warm?" Xie Jingyuan lay beside him, his long eyelashes casting a shadow, his lips still pale and bloodless, and he raised his eyebrows: "How can I get warm if you leave?"
His shoulders were exposed to the air and soon became cold again. The burning charcoal was of no use at all.
Chu Xinian seemed to have a reasonable reason after hearing this. This reason could convince both him and Xie Jingyuan. After a few seconds, he slowly lay back down, hugged Xie Jingyuan in his arms again, and then hummed, as a response to the question just now.
They were so close together that not even the air could get in.
Xie Jingyuan leaned against Chu Xinian's chest, not knowing what he was thinking. He raised his head inadvertently, and his dry lips brushed against Chu Xinian's chin, and both of them froze.
"… "
Chu Xinian held Xie Jingyuan's hand tightly, silently telling himself to stay calm and not panic. He knew that the tighter the situation, the less likely he should panic, and staying calm was the most important thing.
calm.
Chu Xinian could only do nothing, but his suddenly accelerated heartbeat revealed his emotions.
Xie Jingyuan pressed against Chu Xinian's chest and naturally found the clue. His eyelashes trembled, and he glanced at Chu Xinian's slightly protruding Adam's apple. He stretched out his hand and gently stroked it, his voice hoarse: "Chu Xinian..."
Chu Xinian moved his fingertips, as if he wanted to reach out to stop the other party, but in the end he did not make any move. He endured the strange itch in his Adam's apple and uttered a word with a hint of doubt: "Hmm?"
"nothing."
Xie Jingyuan closed his eyes without saying a word, then slowly withdrew his hand, placed it back on Chu Xinian's waist, and hugged the human-shaped heater.
The candle burned out, and the scenery inside the room gradually dimmed and blurred. In the darkness, people's senses would be magnified countless times.
Chu Xinian could even feel the warm jade around Xie Jingyuan's neck, the uneven scars on his right face, and the smooth and delicate jade-like left face.
Xie Jingyuan's body was still strong as he had led troops in battle, but he was weak due to being bedridden for many years. At this moment, he just lay quietly and obediently in his arms.
Chu Xinian couldn't help but reach out and gently touched Xie Jingyuan's injured right face in the dark, then he gently tucked him in, closed his eyes and went to sleep. He thought he couldn't sleep, but the sleepiness came in an instant, and he soon fell into a deep sleep.
Naturally, he missed the system notification sound.
Ding!
Please note that the villain's blackness has dropped to 83. Please continue to work hard. Come on, come on, come on~
The next morning, Chu Xinian woke up late, which was unusual. When he woke up, the room was empty, only the mattress beside him still had some residual warmth, and Xie Jingyuan was nowhere to be seen.
He was stunned for a while, then got up and dressed. Yun Que saw the movement and came in with a basin of water to help him wash up: "Sir, breakfast is ready and warming on the stove. I saw that you went to bed late yesterday, so I didn't call you this morning."
Chu Xinian hummed: "Where's the general?"
Yun Que glanced outside, then lowered her voice and said, "I have asked someone to beat him up. It is said that the black-clothed man brought back yesterday wanted to commit suicide. The general and the prince went there, and Doctor Wan also went there."
Qin Shuang wants to commit suicide
Chu Xinian smiled when he heard this. That's right, strictly speaking, this person is actually Qin Daoyan's assassin. If he fails in his mission, Qin Daoyan may be implicated, so the best way is to "commit suicide".
It's just... there are many things in this world that are more painful than death.
Chu Xinian threw the towel into the basin, asked where Qin Shuangguan was, and left with Yun Que. But when he reached the door of the dungeon, Jiu Yong stopped him as expected.
Yun Que was disgusted with this coffin face: "Why are you haunting me? Get out of the way."
Jiuyong looked at Yunque coldly, raised his sword to stop her, and said meaningfully: "This is a restricted area, no outsiders are allowed to enter."
Chu Xinian looked at him thoughtfully, and soon understood Jiuyong's meaning. He smiled, walked straight up the stairs, and entered the dungeon entrance. Jiuyong did not stop him.
Seeing this, Yun Que blinked in confusion, not understanding what he meant. He wanted to follow in, but Jiuyong blocked him.
Yun Que was furious: "Why are you stopping me?!"
Jiuyong frowned: "I said, no outsiders allowed in."
The general only ordered that Chu Xinian could be allowed in, but he did not say that the little bird could be allowed in.
The dungeon was deep and dark, with a damp smell everywhere. The smell of decay in the ground mixed with the stench of blood, blending into a unique smell of death.
Chu Xinian ignored the armored guards beside him and walked along the lights, twisting and turning, and finally stopped in front of the prison gate.
Qin Shuang lay half dead inside, and Doctor Wan was bandaging him. The back of his head was bloody and it was not difficult to see that he wanted to die. Fortunately, there was such a thing as internal force in this era, otherwise Qin Shuang would have died long ago.
The prince covered his mouth and nose with his sleeves and stood aside to watch the excitement. Xie Jingyuan stood with his hands behind his back, and when he saw the movement behind him, he looked back as if he had noticed something, only to see Chu Xinian standing outside.
"Why don't you come in? What are you doing standing there like an idiot?" Xie Jingyuan raised an eyebrow. The other half of his face was covered by a mask, making it impossible to piece together his complete expression.
Chu Xinian was totally out of place in this dungeon. He often wore white clothes, was dust-free, and always had a faint smile in his eyes, making him hard to understand. The blood and screams around him were isolated by an invisible barrier and could not touch him at all.
Xie Jingyuan's eyes darkened.
But the calmer Chu Xinian was, the more he wanted people to see what he looked like when he was confused and lost in love. The cleaner he was, the more he wanted people to stain him with dirt.
Xie Jingyuan raised his hand and slowly gathered the wind cloak on his shoulders. He couldn't help sighing in his heart. Dead things are dead things after all. How can they be as warm as the living people last night? He walked to the prison door and untied the iron chain, making a clattering sound.
"I knew you would come." Xie Jingyuan glanced at Chu Xinian and smiled strangely.
The prince heard this and seemed to want to show off his intelligence, so he also echoed, "I had already guessed that you would come."
Xie Jingyuan glanced at him sinisterly.
Chu Xinian didn't notice the undercurrent between the two of them. He thought of what happened last night, and still felt a little strange. He avoided Xie Jingyuan's eyes and turned to look at Qin Shuang: "What's wrong with him?"
The prince snorted coldly: "He banged his head against the wall, trying to commit suicide, but was discovered by the guards. There is no point in keeping him around, and nothing can be pried out."
Qin Shuang's Ba Wanji Miao was connected, but his limbs were dislocated and he still couldn't move. Hearing this, he stared at the prince with his scarlet eyes and gritted his teeth, "I won't say anything, just kill me!"
The prince had ill intentions and was trying to divert the blame. He pointed at Chu Xinian on purpose and said, "It was him who sprinkled chili powder on you, not me. What's the point of glaring at me?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Shuang glared at Chu Xinian again, his teeth gritting. It was obvious that he had not expected that he would stumble and be defeated by a weak and powerless dandy.
Chu Xinian then discovered that Qin Shuang had no self-thinking and was easily influenced by the words of others. He thought for a moment, then smiled and asked, "Are you doing this to protect Qin Daoyan?"
The tone of his voice when he said this was very strange, with a hint of pity, and his eyes also hid sympathy. It seemed that Qin Shuang was very pitiful.
When the three words "Qin Daoyan" were mentioned, Qin Shuang immediately shut his mouth tightly, not saying a word. However, Chu Xinian's tone still aroused his curiosity, and his eyes, which were swollen with pepper powder, stared at him all the time.
Chu Xinian slowly stroked his sleeves and asked, "You killed Jiu Niang, didn't you? We are from the same root, why are you so anxious to hurt me?"
The prince didn't understand what Chu Xinian was doing, but he still didn't think Chu Xinian could pry Qin Shuang's mouth open.
Xie Jingyuan observed Chu Xinian calmly, not knowing what he was thinking.
Qin Shuang was so excited that he blurted out, "She betrayed her foster father's kindness in raising her. She deserves to die!"
"Upbringing?"
Chu Xinian is best at finding people's weaknesses. Hearing this, he chuckled and said slowly, "You are all talented martial artists with excellent aptitudes. It's a pity that you have recognized a thief as your father. You don't even know how much you have lost."
The thief he was referring to was naturally Qin Daoyan.
Qin Shuang respected this foster father very much. Hearing this, he ignored his injuries and struggled hard, wishing he could kill Chu Xinian: "What nonsense are you talking about!"
Chu Xinian remained calm and asked slowly, "Aren't you curious about how your parents died?"
"Aren't you curious about where Qin Daoyan found so many orphans to adopt, and why these orphans are all martial arts geniuses with excellent physiques?"
Qin Shuang froze for a moment, his eyes suddenly widened, he panted heavily, and waited nervously for Chu Xinian's answer. Even the prince pricked up his ears to think about the reason.
At this moment, Chu Xinian closed his mouth again and remained silent, closing his eyes.
Qin Shuang gritted his teeth and spat out a word: "You say!"
He was very emotional: "If you don't tell me, I will kill you!"
There were gravels on the ground, and Xie Jingyuan kicked hard, hitting Qin Shuang squarely, knocking out one of his teeth and choking him sobs.
Xie Jingyuan's eyes were sinister and his tone was cold: "Kill him!"
This person cannot be kept, or he will seek revenge in the future, which will cause endless troubles.
Doctor Wan, who was standing next to him, was so angry that he threw the medicine box and said, "If you want to kill him, why did you ask me to save him? I'm old, and I've been busy decocting medicine and giving him acupuncture for most of the day, and now you say to kill him. Are you kidding me?!"
He was so angry that his beard almost broke off, and rushed to Xie Jingyuan to reason with him. Chu Xinian stopped him and said to comfort him: "Doctor Wan, don't worry, the general was just angry, we will not kill him."
Xie Jingyuan smiled wryly and snorted coldly.
Doctor Wan was so angry that he was shaking. "You bunch of bastards, if you have a headache in the future, don't come to me again. I kill and save, save and kill, do you take human life as a joke?!"
After saying this, he packed up his medicine box, turned around and left the dungeon angrily.
The prince tutted and looked at Chu Xinian again: "Why don't you continue what you wanted to say? I'm still waiting."
Chu Xinian smiled and said, "Prince, do you know that sixteen years ago, Qin Daoyan led his troops to conquer the northern Hu tribe and killed thirty thousand of them in battle?"
The prince thought for a moment and nodded: "It seems to be the case."
Chu Xinian walked slowly to Qin Shuang, imaginatively imitating his facial features, and casually said, "This man has very deep eye sockets, pale yellow eyes, and a hooked nose. He is half Hu blood."
Xie Jingyuan raised his eyebrows slightly, instantly understanding what he meant. He ignored Qin Shuang's pale face and added as if he was watching a good show: "Qin Daoyan slaughtered all thirteen tribes of the Hu people, large and small, and dozens of villages. No one was left alive, regardless of gender, age or status. He was initially impeached by the censor, who said he was too cruel."
Where do so many orphans come from in the world, and why do they all happen to be martial arts geniuses
All we can say is that these orphans were carefully selected.
But what if there are young children with both parents? How can we make them orphans
The answer is self-evident.
Qin Shuang was struck by lightning when he heard this. He trembled all over and gasped for breath, but he couldn't even say a word. What did Chu Xinian mean? ! Did Qin Daoyan kill his parents? !
Chu Xinian looked at Qin's eyes and said nothing more. He signaled Xie Jingyuan and the prince to leave the dungeon.
The prison door was locked, and Qin Shuang's crazy shouting came from behind them.
Chu Xinian pretended not to hear anything. After they walked away, he said to Xie Jingyuan, "General, if he still refuses to say a word before tonight, let him go."
Xie Jingyuan frowned: "Why?"
Chu Xinian: "It is useless to keep a witness who is unwilling to speak. If he does not return at night, Qin Daoyan will definitely be suspicious. Letting him go will dispel his suspicions, so that Qin Daoyan will not be more vigilant against us and send assassins to silence us."
The prince fell into deep thought: "Aren't you afraid that he will tell the truth and tell Qin Daoyan that we have arrested him?"
Chu Xinian asked him back: "Will you tell the truth to someone who might be the murderer of your father?"
The words just now had already planted the seeds of doubt in Qin Shuang's heart. Judging from his behavior, he was definitely not indifferent. If Qin Shuang really wanted to find out the truth and returned to Qin Daoyan, he would definitely hide the fact that Xie Jingyuan had caught him.
The prince asked suspiciously, "How do you know that Qin Daoyan killed his parents? Isn't it true?"
Chu Xinian raised his eyebrows and asked, "When did I say that Qin Daoyan killed his parents?"
He just said that Qin Daoyan had massacred a Hu village more than ten years ago, and Qin Shuang happened to have some Hu blood, but he didn't say a word.
Some things sound false if they are described in too much detail, while leaving them half-revealed can increase their credibility.
Chu Xinian just felt that the origins of the orphans in Qin Daoyan's hands were suspicious, so he made a hypothetical guess and guided Qin Shuang in a certain direction without leaving any trace, which slightly alienated the relationship between him and Qin Daoyan.
As to whether Qin Daoyan killed the parents of some orphans, probably only God knows.
The prince exhaled slowly: "Chu Xinian, you are so insidious."
He suddenly began to believe that Chu Xinian was not on the side of Prince Jin, and Prince Jin could not control such a person.
However, the prince did not like Chu Xinian's confident look, so he attacked him: "If he doesn't do what you guessed, I will see how you end up."
Chu Xinian smiled and said, "Your Highness, there is nothing that is 100% certain in this world. Most of the time, it depends on gambling."
The prince waved his hand and said nothing more to him: "I'm going back. If I don't come back at night, it will be embarrassing for others to see me. Remember to hide the letter."
The latter sentence was addressed to Xie Jingyuan. In Jiu Niang's handwritten letter, the sentence "Thinking of the chaos at Tai'an Gate in the past" contained too many hidden secrets and was of great importance. The prince and Xie Jingyuan seemed to know something, but they just didn't tell Chu Xinian.
Chu Xinian felt that it didn’t matter. He would find out sooner or later anyway. This person wouldn’t be able to hide it from him for long.
Before the prince left, he suddenly remembered something and asked Xie Jingyuan with great interest, "By the way, the young prince of Guangping will hold a banquet for all the heroes tomorrow. I remember he also sent you an invitation. Are you going?"
Xie Jingyuan was not interested: "No."
Chu Xinian: "Go."
They both spoke at the same time, causing the prince to look at them several times.
Xie Jingyuan glanced at Chu Xinian, his slender eyebrows knitted together: "What's the point of going there, a bunch of sour pedants."
"Hey, I don't agree with what you said. Chu Xinian, his Banquet of Heroes is really fun. If he doesn't take you, I will take you."
After the prince finished speaking, he gave Chu Xinian a knowing look, making people feel that he was not going to a banquet for heroes, but a brothel.