Chapter 285: It's Carrying, Not Hauling

On the other side, Luo Chen was riding Xiao Hong, while Luo Fan lay heavily pressed against his back. The weight made it difficult for Luo Chen to move, but fortunately Xiao Hong seemed very familiar with the way back and could proceed on her own without much guidance from him.

When the two of them finally rode Xiao Hong back to the starting point, the people who had been sitting in their seats all stood up, looking over this way with faces full of curiosity. An Wangfei even spotted her daughter's beloved horse — Xiao Hong — from a distance. However, to her shock, the ones on the horse were not her own daughter, but two unfamiliar figures.

Yan Shuang'er was frantic with worry at this moment. She stared fixedly at An Wang, her voice trembling slightly as she said, "Father King, nothing has happened, has it?"

As a martial artist, An Wang's gaze was naturally sharp beyond what ordinary people could achieve. With a single sweep of his eyes, he instantly sensed something was wrong and immediately shouted loudly, "Imperial Brother, summon the Imperial Physicians! Quickly, quickly, quickly!"

Hearing this, the Emperor did not dare delay in the slightest and hurriedly instructed Eunuch Sun beside him to go fetch the accompanying Imperial Physicians at once.

In the blink of an eye, An Wang's figure flashed and he leapt forward. Once the horse had come to a steady stop at the starting point, he swiftly reached out and hauled Luo Fan down from the horse's back — Luo Fan, whose breath was faint and who seemed about to faint at any moment.

Luo Chen recognized at a glance that the imposing man before him was none other than the renowned An Wang. After all, as the War God Prince with illustrious military exploits, An Wang was a household name known to everyone in the entire Dachang Kingdom.

Luo Chen held back his tears with great effort and pleaded to An Wang in a choked voice, "Your Highness An Wang, please, save my Elder Brother..."

Just then, a figure hurried over with quick steps. On closer look, it was a middle-aged man slightly older than An Wang. He wore official robes and bore a refined scholarly air — he was precisely the father of the Luo brothers, Luo Minghui, Chief Academician of the Hanlin Academy.

Luo Minghui's expression was anxious, his steps hurried, his only thought to rush forward and catch his injured son. Alas, he was a civil official through and through; wielding brush and ink was well enough, but when it came to actual strength, he had precious little.

Both his sons were martial artists, especially the eldest, Luo Fan, who not only possessed high martial skill but was also tall and powerfully built. With Luo Minghui's meager strength, he simply could not support his son.

An Wang, standing to the side, understood at once and said, "This King will help you escort him over." Hearing this, Luo Minghui's face showed gratitude and he hurriedly bowed with cupped hands, "Many thanks, Your Highness An Wang!"

With that, An Wang reached out and lifted Luo Fan; the movement looked effortless and casual, but in truth required considerable force. Because Luo Fan was tall and heavy, he would have been truly difficult to move without exerting strength.

Thus An Wang carried Luo Fan all the way to the tent used for changing clothes. Luo Minghui, following behind, could not help but mutter inwardly, "This isn't supporting him at all — you're clearly hauling him like a sack..."

As if sensing Luo Minghui's thoughts, An Wang suddenly turned his head and glanced at him. That gaze was sharp as a blade, startling Luo Minghui so that his heart gave a leap; he instantly dared not think further and hurriedly cupped his hands toward An Wang again in a bow of respect.

Afterward, An Wang carefully placed Luo Fan on a makeshift small cot. Immediately, he summoned the accompanying Imperial Physicians and instructed them to enter the tent to diagnose and treat Luo Fan's injuries. Once everything was properly arranged, An Wang turned and walked out of the tent.

Emerging from the tent, An Wang's gaze fell on Luo Chen and he said evenly, "You return to the palace first and report truthfully to the Emperor everything that happened here. There must not be the slightest concealment or delay." Luo Chen nodded repeatedly in agreement and then left in haste.

Luo Chen did not dare the slightest delay; he quickly followed An Wang, jogging all the way to the banquet. Simultaneously, Luo Minghui's heart was filled with doubt and worry, urgently wanting to learn the full details of the matter.

So he decisively instructed a trusted personal servant to stand guard outside the tent, to prevent anyone from eavesdropping or causing a disturbance. After making these arrangements, Luo Minghui hurriedly caught up with the footsteps of the two ahead.

When the three of them appeared together at the banquet, the originally clamorous scene fell instantly silent, and all eyes focused on them. The Emperor sat in the high seat and was the first to speak: "How is the situation?"

An Wang hurriedly stepped forward and replied respectfully, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Imperial Physicians are currently doing their utmost to treat the injured; we must wait a little longer to know the result."

The Emperor nodded slightly in understanding, then turned his gaze to Luo Chen, who looked rather bedraggled at the side, and asked with concern, "What exactly happened?"

Everyone present had already noticed Luo Chen's battered appearance, clearly the result of deliberate harm, so they all pricked up their ears, held their breath, and waited with curiosity for Luo Chen's answer.

Luo Chen knew full well that before the Emperor he absolutely could not utter a single falsehood, so meeting everyone's watching eyes, he took a deep breath and began to slowly recount the entire course of events.

After Luo Chen finished speaking, the Emperor nodded thoughtfully and said, "We have understood. After this competition ends, An Wang, come to Our Yudi." An Wang hurriedly cupped his hands and replied, "Yes!"

No sooner had the words fallen than Luo Minghui's page boy came running up in a panic, knelt on the ground, and reported to the Emperor. Seeing this, the Emperor's expression tightened and he asked urgently, "What did the Imperial Physicians say?"

The page boy's face was pale as paper, his body trembling involuntarily, his legs as if boneless; with a "thud" he knelt on the ground.

He opened his mouth to speak, but extreme fear made him stammer: "Re... Re-report... Your Majesty... The... the Imperial Physicians said... said..."

Eunuch Sun, standing to the side, frowned slightly, his eyes widening sharply, and said sternly, "Before the Emperor, such stammering is not allowed! Speak the truth at once!"

The page boy shivered all over in fright, hurriedly swallowed a mouthful of saliva, steadied himself, and continued: "The Imperial Physicians said that the Eldest Young Master's condition is due to excessive depletion of Internal Force; fortunately, the rest are merely superficial wounds.

These superficial wounds are easy to treat, but this internal injury... I'm afraid it will require a good period of careful recuperation before it can heal."

The Emperor nodded slightly upon hearing this, indicating he understood, then turned to Eunuch Sun beside him and instructed, "Little Sun, take Our Fuyuan Pill and give it to the Luo family's Eldest Young Master."

Eunuch Sun hurriedly bowed and replied, "Replying to Your Majesty, that Fuyuan Pill is currently stored in Your Majesty's private treasury and cannot be retrieved immediately; we can only send someone to deliver it after returning to the palace."

The Emperor pondered briefly, then nodded lightly in agreement: "Mm, then give it after we return."