Chapter 20: Chapter Twenty: The Little One Is Sick

The two Jiedai happily entered the city as they had wished.

This little interlude left no ripple whatsoever in anyone's heart; the group re-disguised themselves and continued on their way.

On the road, Feng Shan and Wu Meng were driving a Horse Carriage; he leaned close to Wu Meng's ear and asked softly.

"Boss Wu, did you see what happened earlier?"

He secretly glanced backward.

"Do you think the Cheng Family has really mastered some kind of mysterious ability, like communicating with the gods, or commanding ghosts, that sort of thing?"

Wu Meng gave him a slap on the back of the head.

"Don't talk nonsense!"

Feng Shan rubbed his head while muttering softly.

"Anyway, I think the Cheng Family is way more impressive than the National Preceptor. Just take that move of summoning heavenly thunder — the National Preceptor couldn't do it."

Saying so, he grinned and nudged Wu Meng with his elbow.

"Boss Wu, what do you say — how about we throw in our lot with the Cheng Family from now on?"

"Look, on this trip of ours, even if we finally complete the mission and turn in our report, keeping our lives would already be pretty good. Promotion and wealth? Don't even think about it!"

Feng Shan kept analyzing on his own.

"But following the Cheng Family would be different. If they succeed in their Rebellion someday, we'd have what do you call it…"

"Right! From-the-Dragon Merit!"

The next second, he was clutching the back of his head and hissing in pain.

"Hiss!"

"Why'd you hit me?"

Wu Meng glared at him and growled in a lowered voice.

"Are you crazy or just muddled?"

He glanced toward the Cheng Family's Horse Carriage.

"Setting aside whether the Cheng Family will rebel or not, right now all the Cheng Family's men are gone, leaving only a group of women. Even if they succeeded, since ancient times, has there ever been an Empress?!"

Feng Shan rubbed the back of his head while muttering softly.

"Without the Cheng Family, Da Yin would have no more generals to lead troops; it wouldn't be far from perishing as a nation."

"So what if it's an Empress? In my view, not to mention Cheng Old Madam, even any one of the Cheng Family young ladies pulled out at random would be stronger than the one sitting on the throne right now!"

"Besides…"

He gave Wu Meng a meaningful look.

"Who says the Cheng Family has no men left?"

The moment those words left his mouth, Wu Meng was shocked and instinctively tightened the reins.

"Whoa—"

He whipped his head around to look.

"What did you say?!"

The commotion here caught Cheng Qiuyun's attention; she turned her horse and rode toward them.

"Colonel Wu, what happened?"

Wu Meng composed the shock on his face and shook his head.

"Nothing major, just Old Feng here saying his wound is hurting terribly."

Feng Shan cooperatively clutched his wound, putting on a miserable, weak look.

"Yes, yes."

Cheng Qiuyun nodded.

"In that case, since it's nearly dark anyway, let's rest up ahead for a while and have my mother take a look at you."

The two nodded in agreement.

"Thank you."

After Cheng Qiuyun left, Wu Meng grabbed Feng Shan's arm tightly and stared hard at him.

"What did you mean by what you said earlier?"

"Could it be that Pingnan Marquis and the others didn't die?"

Feng Shan shook his head and said softly.

"That's not quite the reason."

"I only vaguely recalled it when I was unconscious earlier — the day we entered the village, I caught Zhao Shi and He Qiang meeting in secret and overheard some things."

Wu Meng curled his lip and looked at him with disgust.

How come he never noticed in normal times that Old Feng had the habit of eavesdropping on such things?

Seeing that look in his eyes, how could Feng Shan not know what he was thinking?

He waved his hands frantically to explain.

"Don't misunderstand! It's not what you're thinking!"

"I'm not that shameless — I haven't been starved to that point yet!"

"Besides, I have a family; I'm absolutely devoted to my wife!"

"When I bumped into that kind of thing, I couldn't get out of the way fast enough. But Zhao Jiaojiao's tone was especially agitated, and I vaguely heard something about a man disguised as a woman, actually being a boy."

Feng Shan stroked his chin.

"At first I was completely baffled too. It was only the night Cheng Yu'an was taken away that I started to pick up some clues."

"You can also see how precious Cheng Yu'an is to the Cheng Family on a normal day — they even avoid other people when he goes to the privy. There must be something off!"

Listening to his analysis, all those suspicious points from before magnified infinitely in Wu Meng's mind.

Thinking it over carefully, it really was very possible!

"We'll rest here tonight!"

Suddenly, Cheng Qiuyun's voice came from beside his ear.

The two exchanged a glance, and the topic was dropped right there.

Meng Shi helped Wu Meng and Feng Shan check their wounds, while Cheng Jiuling and her daughter and Cheng Qiuruo started a fire to cook.

Seeing there was no urgent situation on their end, An Luo exited the Live Stream Room, preparing to first make a trip to the market to buy a few outfits for Zaituan.

Over on the Dayin Dynasty's side.

During the meal, Cheng Old Madam noticed the great-grandson beside her seemed somewhat absent-minded.

Looking listless and wilted.

"What's wrong with Yu'an?"

Yu'an reached up and rubbed his eyes.

"Great-Grandmother, Yu'an is so sleepy, I feel uncomfortable, my head feels all swollen."

Cheng Old Madam reached out and felt his forehead and cheeks, and feeling the temperature on the back of her hand, her heart gave a sudden lurch.

Oh no, how did the fever get this bad?!

Hearing the commotion, Meng Shi also hurried over and grabbed the little fellow's arm.

After taking his pulse, her expression changed drastically.

She hurriedly had Cheng Qiuyun carry Yu'an back to the Horse Carriage, then soaked a cloth in cool water and placed it on the little fellow's forehead.

"Pomo, I'll go brew some cold medicine for Yu'an first."

Cheng Old Madam also followed and got onto the Horse Carriage.

Tian Shi was inside watching over him, wiping the little fellow's sweat as she went, tears falling like pearls off a broken string, pattering down.

Hearing the movement, she looked toward the person who came.

"Grandmother, why don't we go ask the Immortal for help."

He's so feverish, Yu'an is so small, how could he bear it!

"It hurts, it hurts so much…"

Xiao Yu'an kept his eyes tightly shut, his delicate brows knotted together, muttering softly in discomfort.

Looking at Yu'an's little face flushed with an unnatural blush, Cheng Old Madam's heart was torn with anguish.

Yu'an had been carefully nurtured by them since he was little, and rarely fell ill.

This was the first time he had ever been this sick.

And she had once heard in the Capital that many families' children simply couldn't pull through a high fever…

"Pomo, the medicine is here."

Meng Shi walked in carrying the medicine bowl.

Tian Shi gently helped Yu'an sit up, letting him lean against her chest, calling to him softly.

"Yu'an? Wake up quickly, drink the medicine, and you won't feel uncomfortable anymore."

Hearing the voice, Yu'an groggily opened his eyes, his little nose twitched, and he scrunched up his little face.

"So stinky, so bitter!"

Meng Shi brought the bowl to his lips, then took out the Milk Candy she had put away earlier.

"Be good, drink the medicine, and Grandmother will give you sweet candy, alright?"

"Do you still remember this Little Rabbit Candy?"

Seeing the familiar packaging, a spark of life came into Yu'an's eyes, and he reached out his little hand to grab the Milk Candy.

"Candy, Fairy Sister…"

Right!

He had to get better quickly, he couldn't let his family and Fairy Sister worry.

Yu'an took the bowl, held the bowl that was as big as his entire face, and gulped down all the bitter medicine in one go.

Cheng Old Madam lovingly rubbed his little head.

"Yu'an is such a good boy."

But the next moment, Yu'an went "wah" and threw up all the medicine he had just drunk.

He choked and coughed without stopping, coughing so hard it was heart-wrenching, his face flushed completely red, and finally he fainted outright.

The three of them turned pale with shock.

"Yu'an!"