Chapter 1239: Loyal Dog Shou Care Guide 03

Seven days later.

Yangzhou, Danyang Commandery, at the foot of Nanfu Temple Mountain.

Inside the deep mountain forest, a blood-soaked youth wandered the dark path, with thorny thickets on both sides; an ordinary person walking would likely end up covered in wounds, but for Yajiu, this was already the safest viable route.

Excessive blood loss, shattered meridians corroded by deadly poison, and having gone nearly a month without a full meal.

Any one of those would be enough to kill, yet Yajiu stubbornly survived.

A belief deep in his heart was enough to sustain him for a long, long time, even if just clinging to life.

Plop.

Yajiu didn't notice the tree root protruding from the ground beside the road and was tripped hard.

His back, covered in whip wounds, slammed into the ground, causing intense pain.

Cold sweat trickled down; Yajiu truly had no strength to rise, so he could only rest like this for a while.

His pale eyelids lifted, gazing at the lush tree shadows; Yajiu licked his dry lips and guessed in his heart.

This was already Lujiang Commandery; it had been the … third month of his escape, and he hadn't seen his pursuers for nearly half a month.

Yajiu wasn't sure whether the organization had given up, but he dared not stop, nor dare go to places with people.

With effort he raised his arm, which had been dislocated several times and then forcibly set; Yajiu touched the object hidden close to his chest and muttered something.

"Wanling City..."

He had to deliver this item to Wanling City, into the hands of the Inspector of Yangzhou, the Han King.

Yajiu's consciousness grew hazy; after confirming there was no danger here, he thought of sleeping a while, and only after waking would he have the strength to continue on his way.

Rumble—

Jiangnan sees much rain, and now that autumn has arrived it is even heavier.

Yajiu was jolted awake by the downpour; he could only drag his body up and take shelter under the large tree he had just seen, his stomach clenched in severe pain.

He licked his lips again, looked around, and casually pulled some rain-soaked wild grass to stave off hunger.

Yangzhou was far better than the desert; Yajiu tried to make the best of a bad situation, thinking at least there was something to eat, and he didn't have to wake up to just sand every day.

In such a downpour, there was no way to keep moving.

Yajiu could only hide under the tree, eating wild grass while staying alert to his surroundings.

When the rain gradually eased, Yajiu spat out the grass roots, his gaze lingering half a second on the patch of bruise brought out, and he instinctively touched his stomach.

He didn't think much of it, preparing to continue on his way.

Suddenly, Yajiu turned his head to the left; his ears twitched slightly.

A faint breaking-wind sound came, a noise Yajiu was very familiar with.

A special concealed blade that only the organization's assassins possess.

Supporting his body with effort, he quickly rose and fled deeper into the remote mountains.

He only needed to cross this mountain to reach Wanling City.

But in the end, fortune turned against him.

Yajiu had barely gone deep when he was blocked by two mating pythons.

Hiss—

The larger viper coiled around the tree, hanging, its gaze fixed on Yajiu, whose body was covered in scale wounds and blood.

In the struggle with the viper, Yajiu inevitably made a sound.

"There's movement!"

"Quick! Over there!"

Yajiu's attention wandered; the python bit his arm, he grunted in pain, strained to slam the python hard to the ground, holding his breath as he ran forward.

"Who goes there!" The rear guard of the carriage convoy immediately spotted Yajiu fleeing into the roadside thicket and drew their swords.

At that very moment, the organization's assassins also spotted him.

The two groups faced each other across the thorn thicket, across the dazed Yajiu.

"Who are you! How dare you follow the Han King!"

The prefecture soldiers, seated on horseback, shouted threateningly, "If you don't withdraw at once, don't blame us for blind swords!"

Han King...

Yajiu's vision dimmed; upon hearing that title, a sudden surge of endurance burst forth, and he summoned his last strength to charge forward.

The prefecture soldiers, however, thought he was launching a surprise attack and all drew their swords.

"Hold it!" Jin Chen shouted angrily; his sweat-blood steed, sensing his master's urgency, sped up.

"Your Highness, Heir Apparent! Be careful!"

The prefecture soldiers, seeing Jin Chen dismount and sprint straight toward the unidentified assassin, grew so tense they even halted their breathing.

If this little troublemaker came to harm, their heads would all roll!

Yajiu took a few steps and saw only a green-clad figure rushing toward him.

The body, deprived of consciousness's support, collapsed instantly; before the pain of landing could register, Yajiu had already plunged into darkness.

Jin Chen held the person steady, frightened by Yajiu's injuries to the point of thinking he'd lose his wife; he hoisted him onto the horse and rushed toward the front of the convoy.

"The accompanying prefecture physician!"

【Detected villain of this world, triggering Blackening Value; current Blackening Value: 70!】

【Mission requirement: reduce Blackening Value to zero, change the villain's tragic ending】

—

"Prince, the Young Heir Apparent just rescued someone."

The prefecture soldiers reported to the front of the convoy; they had just experienced a downpour, and the unit was now resting in place.

Chen'er saves people—what kind of person did he save?

Jin Xuanqi's chess piece fell from his hand, and he and Xu Wangyue looked doubtfully at the prefecture soldiers.

It's the person being chased by assassins, covered in wounds; the young heir apparent seems very nervous about him, even dismounting to embrace him personally.

A brief statement shocked the couple repeatedly.

Xu Wangyue's wrist trembled, dropping her jade chess piece: 'Assassin? Did Chen'er get hurt?'

He even dismounted to embrace him personally—could it be that he also knows that person?

The prefecture soldiers cupped their fists: 'Report to the princess consort: the young heir apparent is unharmed; the assassins fled in fear.'

Now the prefectural physician has entered the young heir apparent's carriage.

Hearing that Jin Chen was uninjured, Xu Wangyue waved her hand: 'Go on.'

"Yue'er, shall we go take a look?" Jin Xuanqi asked.

"Since there's no issue, let him go—it's just keeping a person around."

Xu Wangyue continued playing chess, quite open-minded: 'He's already twenty-one; it's normal for his emotions to bud.'

Jin Xuanqi: "......"

In the deep mountains and old forests, emotions budding…… is that normal?

No wonder she is his princess consort.

——

When Yajiu awoke again, he saw the exquisitely carved red ruyi carriage ceiling; his whole body was no longer cold, enveloped in warm richness.

He blinked dazedly, but had no strength to rise; turning his gaze, he saw a blue-clad figure sitting on the couch.

This time, Yajiu clearly saw his appearance.

A very handsome young lord, his brows and eyes brilliant and arrogant, more noble than the young lords Yajiu saw in the capital.

To say it's love at first sight spanning ten thousand years is not an exaggeration.

"Yo, you're awake."

Jin Chen pushed aside the storybook he hadn't even seen, casually tossed it behind him, and shook his jade fan with great interest.

"Do you know who saved you?"

Yajiu nodded, wanting to speak, but his throat had been cut by the wild grass he swallowed, leaving him unable to speak.

"Still a little mute." Jin Chen's question went unanswered; he wasn't annoyed, and lightly tapped Yajiu's forehead with his closed fan.

"Seeing how delicately you are made, that's why I picked you up; from now on you belong to the heir apparent."

Yajiu thought it was to acknowledge a master and become a slave; the benefactor saved his life, which is also appropriate.

Thus he nodded again, quietly showing a gentle smile.

"Right, what is this thing?"

Jin Chen picked up the blood-stained cloth the prefectural physician had removed from Yajiu's chest: 'If you don't want it, just throw it away; it's filthy.'

Yajiu's expression suddenly changed; his already pale complexion worsened, he shook his head pleadingly and grabbed Jin Chen's sleeve.

"No."

His voice hoarse and rough, uttering a single word brings discomfort; his throat already tastes of bloodiness.

"Important... secret, hand it over to... Han, the Han King."

Jin Chen was surprised: 'Hand it over to my father king; you came to Danyang Commandery for this?'

But how come this matter is never mentioned in the original plot?

He didn't think much, and pressed Yajiu, who was trying to get up, back down.

"Lie still; it was hard to save you—recover quickly to serve the heir apparent!"

But Yajiu could feel that his movements were light, done with pity.

For no reason, Yajiu's heart stirred momentarily; he blankly lifted his head to look at Jin Chen.

Jin Chen lifted the door curtain: 'Da Hu!'

"Eh, what's wrong, young master?"

"Go and personally hand this over to my father king, saying it's important secret obtained from this person."

"Yes."

Da Hu received it with both hands, not daring to be careless.

Jin Chen sat back down, and saw Yajiu still looking at him; that gaze was very strange, he annoyed tapped him again.

"What's your surname and name, where are you from, why are you being chased?"

Yajiu lowered his eyes, seeming to want to say something, but ultimately said nothing.

He just begged, feeling that this person would not harm him.

"Pain."

Yajiu touched his own throat, indicating he couldn't say much; his trembling thin fingers, and he secretly pinched Jin Chen's garment corner.

"Alright, alright, then I won't ask for now."

Jin Chen stuffed his hand back into the quilt on the couch, instructing: 'The medicine is being boiled; the prefectural physician said your throat is injured, you need to warm it before you can drink.'