To Rule in a Turbulent World Chapter 1-5 393 Dec 04, 2019

Chapter 1

The rising morning sun rolls in from the eastern horizon, fresh snow has just started to

melt in the capital, and a light layer of frost is layered over the tips of the shingles, bending and

reflecting the golden rays of dawn. In the markets, bustling crowds traverse hither and thither,

the horse carriages going to and fro, and with the chiming of the morning bell, the entire city is

woken up; truly the very picture of a peaceful and prosperous world, the sight of a beautiful and

magnificent land.

This is the first time in three months that You Miao has finally gotten up in the morning,

prepared to start fresh, and go to school properly for once. After breakfast, looking rather

restless, he sits in the carriage which sways leisurely as he heads to the Imperial College. Yet

as he passes the Zhuque Bridge, he suddenly loses interest, and orders the driver to stop, stop,

he doesn’t want to go to school today, and goes instead to find his party crowd.

The carriage rushes to the West Alley of Changlong while You Miao has his leg crossed

over the other. When it reaches, he sees the main entrance to the Chancellor’s residence

closed and the side door empty of anyone. If he were to knock brashly now and run into the

Chancellor going out, it wouldn’t be ideal, so he makes the carriage detour around to head to

the back door in search of Li Yan.

Only the closest of friends can go through the back door of Li Yan’s household. All the

servants in the Chancellor’s residence recognize You Miao, and they nod, bending at their

waists and welcoming him in. There aren’t many people in the backyard, and when You Miao

enters, he goes straight for the east wing. As he passes by the stables, there comes a sudden

tormented roar, and a tattered monster comes charging out of the firewood house, falling right at

his feet.

You Miao is just walking along, and this abrupt scare gives him a real fright. He falls to

the ground. Even the boy attendant following him is startled, and he rolls up his sleeves to yell.

“What the heck are you doing?!”

“Watch out for our young master! If you’ve frightened him we’ll skin you alive!”

“It’s a revolt! Are you trying to kill us?!”

The bodyguards are startled too, and they come rushing with their whips held high.

You Miao steadies himself, and seems to have seen a ball of rumpled, tattered clothes.

At first he thinks it’s some creature his friend is raising, and only when he sees a group

of bodyguards surrounding that dirty figure whipping and flogging does he see clearly it’s a

person, and a man. When the horse whip cracks down, the man’s skin instantly splits, and blood

spills all over.

The man’s hair is loose and dishevelled like a madman, his entire person filthy, his

hands bound, and he’s beaten to the corner, screaming. Inadvertently, their eyes met. The eyes

of that man are rather bright and clear, but they are coloured with a thirst for blood, like that of a

savage beast.

This is the first time You Miao has found himself in a situation like this: over ten

bodyguards coming and beating this man half to death, so hard their flogging sticks snap. You

Miao hastily exclaims, “Stop hitting, stop hitting, what’s going on?”

The boy attendant shouts too, “The young master told you all to stop hitting right now!”

The bodyguards stop, and carried by those ten sticks, the man who is at death’s door is

thrown back into the firewood house. A muffled thud comes from the inside as the body hits the

ground.

The second residence housekeeper of the east wing comes rushing over and installs a

new lock over the firewood house, cursing, “Goddamn bastard! Thank goodness Young Master

You wasn’t knocked!”

You Miao doesn’t know what crime this man has committed, but it isn’t his place to ask,

so he starts towards the east wing once more. Li Yan has just woken up around that time as

well, looking all bored eating his breakfast in his chambers, a row of maids standing by his side.

Seeing You Miao has come, he raises his chopsticks and motions for him to eat, and so You

Miao sits down and sips some tea, the two eating as they chat over where to go play today and

whom they’ll go find to play.

So who is this Li Yan? He is someone You Miao fraternized with back at the Imperial

College, the little young master of the Chancellor’s household.

The current reigning emperor is lazy and gluttonous, his heart drunk on poetry and

songs, on flowers and wildlifes; following by example, the government officials at court are thus

each lazier than the next. The Chancellor doesn’t attend the morning assembly, and like father

like son, the Chancellor’s gongzi doesn’t study either, spending his days raising hawks and

hosting dog fights, hailing friends from all over.

Two years ago when You Miao entered the Imperial College, both of them were boys,

young at heart, and after they’ve befriended each other they started goofing off. Li Yan spends

You Miao’s money, and You Miao uses Li Yan’s connections to befriend a group of those who

belong to the Crown Prince’s faction. When they’ve got nothing to do they’d bully the streets,

pester and harass the men and women, and roam all over.

And speaking of You Miao, this guy ain’t simple either. His family is a big time salt

merchant from the Cang County. His ancestors aggrandized the family fortune through selling

salt, and after generations of accumulation the family became the region’s richest. Twenty-six

years ago his father moved out of the household to start on his own, and began growing tea in

the Jiangbei region. He grew out an abundance of wealth, over a thousand hectares of tea

fields, truly not a simple man.

However, among the four citizen streams1 of Scholarship, Agriculture, Construction, and

Commerce, commerce is the lowest in rank, and so You Dechuan spouted the idea of buying a

government official title for his only son. In this current era, it’s easy to buy a title, but the title

bought can’t block the mouths of gossipers, so You Miao’s dad thought he’d make his son take

some money and go to the Capital to study and prepare for the tests, then “donate” one of the

three top placements of the Imperial Exam when the time comes. With that, they would then

become proper aristocrats.

When You Miao first arrived at the Capital, he was only thirteen. He was used to living a

luxurious life, so when he first left home, he brought with him ten large carriages, a band of

maids, teams of boy attendants, and raised quite the fanfare as he came to study in the imperial

capital.

You Dechuan, the father, has taken care of everything for You Miao; once he entered the

Capital, You Miao stayed with his uncle on his father’s side. The three thousand money bills

from dad were completely spent within the first year after befriending the group of degenerate

nobles at the Imperial College. When he was done spending, You Miao reached out his hand to

ask for more from home, and was scolded bloodily by his father before he was given another

five hundred silver to be placated, and told if he should spend it all by the end of the year, then

he could go homeless for all dad cared.

“Bro.” The Chancellor Gongzi Li Yan looks him up and down.

“Sup.”2

1 In ancient China, there are four professional categories of citizens, and they are Scholars,

Farmers, Skilled Labourers, and Merchants; their level of importance in that order. Scholars can read,

write, and learn philosophy, They usually work towards becoming a government official. Working for the

country is seen as great prestige and honour, so becoming a government official is a very desirable path

if one can afford to go to school and take the exams.

2 They’re talking like this for real in cn, we’re not screwing with you.

You Miao only touches a bit with his chopsticks and doesn’t eat anymore. Li Yan eats his

porridge and says lazily, “I hear the Third Prince wants to summon you into the palace to have

you become his Study Companion?”

You Miao didn’t even know there was such news, but the moment he hears this he

understands -- the “Third Prince” refers to the little son of the current Emperor Zhao Jiong, and

Li Yan’s father Chancellor Li as well as four out of the six ministries3 are all under the Crown

Prince’s faction. While this Third Prince had favour when he was younger, he is nevertheless

not born from the principle wife, never mind not the eldest son, and so he holds neither power

nor influence within the palace.

Nonetheless, You Miao doesn’t rush to answer, and only laughs, “Really? It’s probably

just a joke.”

“Who knows, maybe the imperial court will send someone to pass the order in a few

days,” Li Yan says. “I hear the Third Prince is active and loves to play. You remember during this

year’s Shangyuan Festival, when us bros went out to frolic at the lantern markets?”

You Miao nods hesitantly. He vaguely recalls those lantern lit streets of Yuan Xiao4, but it

had been a sea of people, all elbows pressing elbows, who knew who was who in that mess.

Li Yan then adds, “Apparently, in the lantern markets, with just one glance you caught his

eye, and he told the Prince’s Teacher to summon you into the palace.”

You Miao looks sophisticated and refined, his dress extravagant, his brows long and

delicate, his eyes bright, his temper gentle, and with an affluent background, all the degenerate

nobles love to hang out with him, pulling him in for a smooch every so often, so it isn’t anything

extraordinary that the Third Prince should be interested in him.5

“Oh,” You Miao responds. “Then what kind of character is this Third Prince?”

Li Yan appears unwilling now, and replies coolly, “What do you care what kind of

character he is? Let me ask you, are you going or not?”

3 There are six ministries under the Emperor: Ministry of Public Administration, Ministry of Civil

Administration, Ministry of Ceremony, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Justice, and Ministry of

Construction/Engineering. The Chancellor is the Prime Minister who heads all six.

4 Shangyuan Festival aka Yuan Xiao is the Lantern Festival, held on the first full moon of the new

year, marking the end of New Years.

5 Song Dynasty was a period of time in historical China that while prostitution was illegal, it wasn’t

illegal to enjoy the companionship of the same sex. There are many literature from that time period that

depicted homoeroticism and homosexual love. It was predominantly male as the women were much more

discreet in this genre. Nonetheless, it’s still a much debated societal issue.

You Miao has his crossed leg raised and lets out a little heh heh. If this was any other

ordinary households, then to catch the eye of the Third Prince so randomly, then appointed to

go into the palace as a Study Companion is naturally something to be happy about. However,

You Miao knows his place. He’s heard the Crown Prince faction talk often, about how in the

future the Third Prince would at most be granted a Wangye6 title. The one ascending to the

throne is still going to be the Crown Prince.

If he takes the Third Prince’s side, then he won’t be able to hook up with the Crown

Prince later. The reason his father sent him here to study in the capital is so he can pay for a

government official position or land a title from the imperial court, so something that’d ruin his

own future is definitely not on the agenda, and he can only disappoint the Third Prince’s favour.

You Miao smiles. “It’s your call. Don’t I always listen to you?”

Only then does Li Yan lighten up a little. “If you follow him, then us bros will have to split,

so you better think it through. Do I treat you better, or does that Third Royal Prince you’ve never

met before treat you better?”

You Miao laughs, and immediately answers, “Of course it’s you. What kind of bros are

we? You don’t need to say anymore.”

After breakfast, a few more Gongzi chums came, all of them looking like they’re barely

awake. Li Yan brings with him a landscape painting he bought with forty silver and is showing it

off to You Miao, but with just one look You Miao knows it’s fake. “Che. Fake.”

“And you can tell what’s authentic and what’s fake, can you?” Li Yan says.

“An authentic is hanging in my dad’s room as we speak. Look it here, the seal here…”

The Gongzi chums snicker, and the Gongzi of the Minister of Civil Administration comes

forward to smooth things over. “As long as you like it, then it’s fine.” On that side of the room Li

Yan and You Miao started arguing again, and Li Yan tosses the painting away, watching him

hatefully, but You Miao is still all bubbly and nonchalant, drinking his tea with his legs crossed.

“What’re we gonna do today?” A long while after, it’s still the Gongzi of the Minister of

Civil Administration who speaks up. This individual is ranked second at home, so the Crown

Prince’s faction all calls him “Ping-Er”7. The degenerate nobles also know to flatter the superior

and bully the lesser, to fawn upon the rich and powerful. Of course the Chancellor’s Gongzi’s

6 “王爷” Wangye: usually a title granted to the brothers of the emperor and those who have done

something extraordinary for the country. They don’t hold any real power. They are given a great vast

piece of land, but their movements are restricted within this land unless otherwise summoned by the

Emperor.

7 “Er” here means two. They’re calling him “The second Ping.”

boot must be licked, but the Salt Merchant’s eldest son is implicitly higher in rank. While he

doesn’t have any titles in the capital, he wins in money.

The group is only using You Miao as a mere wallet, and You Miao himself is well aware.

He often tells himself that his dad sent him here to study in the capital for no other reason than

to rank in the exams and fraternize with those in the Crown Prince’s faction. Things get done

easier with friends in the imperial court, and in the future, it would also be easier to have money

talk when it comes to it.

You Miao smiles hummingly at the group, “How about we go listen to some songs at the

Yangfeng Pavilion?”

The group all hollers their yeses, and while Li Yan was dark-faced and ready to fight You

Miao just now, it doesn’t take long before You Miao smooths it over with his bubbly teasing.

Young men don’t bear grudges in the first place, and right after noon is past they all huddle

together again to hang.

Having filled their tummies with food and booze and with the sun rolling down the hills,

You Miao is just about to head home when he remembers that incident in the morning, and out

of curiosity, he asks Li Yan about it. Li Yan answers, “Oh, it’s that Quanrong slave. I saw him at

the Royal Academy8 and thought it’d be fun, so I bought him.”

The Royal Academy? Quanrong slave?

You Miao is just about to ask what those are but Li Yan turns and swaggers home.

Several days later, Li Yan hosts his birthday party, and the entrance is jammed with

guests going to Li Yan’s house to drink in the evening, making it difficult to pass through, but

You Miao still swaggers openly as always through the backyard of the Chancellor’s residence.

As he crosses through, he sees a few guards flogging a gunny sack with a rod. Blood seeps out

of the sack, dyeing the snowy grounds of the yard red while agonizing, angry growls come from

inside the sack.

The air is cold then, and as You Miao slows in his step to watch, lowering his sleeves to

tuck his hands in, the boy attendant only wants to go in to drink some hot wine, incessantly

urging the young master to go in, it’s cold outside.

You Miao is curious. “What are you guys doing?”

8 The Royal Academy manages music, dance, and theatre for the purpose of court entertainment.

The academy also provides Court Escorts, and sometimes the talents also work as Court Escorts. The

academy is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Ceremony.

“Hahh...ngh…” You Miao is mortified. “D...don’t…”

Li Zhifeng holds him on his cock, fucking him even as he walks to the full-length dressing

mirror in the room, not once pulling out. You Miao’s legs feel weak when he splays him open in

front of the mirror on full display.

Reflected in that copper mirror by the dim candle light, You Miao can see Li Zhifeng’s

thick length thrusting in and out of his opening, dripping-wet as it is, and blushes furiously at the

unbearable sight of it all.

Kissing his ear affectionately, Li Zhifeng gestures for him to reach out and touch, touch

where they are joined. You Miao’s fingers brush against that large cock as it slides in and out,

feeling the ridges of the protruding veins as it fucks into him, over and over, so intense that he

feels like he might pee himself. Li Zhifeng rams into him from behind, holding him up just like

that until his arms get tired, and then carries him back to the bed, lying down on it himself and

settling You Miao on top, letting him ride his cock while he holds his length in both hands,

stroking and rubbing.

You Miao’s waist is stiff, his entire body straining as he works himself on Li Zhifeng’s

cock, the heat in both of them ramping to a head.

“Ahhh…” You Miao leans down and kisses Li Zhifeng as he comes a third time, feeling

his cock twitch inside himself and cover his walls with his seed.

It’s not yet dawn when a voice comes from outside the door.

“Young master, the carriage is waiting outside.”

Opening his eyes blearily and sitting up in a daze, You Miao almost thinks that last night

was a dream, but his legs shake when he tries to stand, and his hole is sore and swollen when

he reaches back.

Li Zhifeng, having already packed their luggage, comes over to help him dress while You

Miao clings sleepily to his waist with his face buried in his chest. Li Zhifeng maneuvers him into

underclothes, then puts a mint pelt jacket on him, and finishes off with a large fur coat and a hat.

Servants filter in to wait on him while he washes his face and brushes his teeth, finally

waking up a little. When he walks out the door, he sees Li Zhifeng with a clothed bundle slung

diagonally across his back, receiving a lunchbox from one of the servant girls.

It’s still dark out, not even morning yet, and there isn’t a sound to be heard in the whole

city. You Deyou and the madam are still asleep. There’s a horse-drawn carriage waiting by the

You Miao nods, rock-heavy burden finally lifted from his heart, and he says, “I’ll think of a

way to save you.

Zhao Chao immediately responds, “Don’t do anything rash. This place is way too far

from Yanbian and they have dogs, we won’t run far before they catch up.”

You Miao mn’s and forces himself to sit up. The two young men sit leaning against the

wall, and You Miao keeps checking Zhao Chao out. While this youth is wearing a soldier’s

leather armour, he doesn’t carry himself like a soldier at all. His guard is stained with a lot of

blood, and his eyes and brows seem to be hiding a trace of a sharp blade that’s ready to

devour. The coarse shirt beneath the armour has been ripped to tatters, the fabric barely

covering his body.

“Let me ask you.” In between words, Zhao Chao emits an oppressive aura, and while

they are conversing in whispers, his tone allows no room for dispute, forcing You Miao to pay

attention.

“Which merchant group did you come with?” Zhao Chao’s brows open up, and he

questions in a low voice. “The Year-End Caravan of the You Family?”

“Yea, yea.” You Miao nods vigorously and Zhao Chao knits his brows slightly. “Zhang’gu

33 of the Ministry of Civil Administration, You Deyou’s household?!”

You Miao is shocked. “You know of him? He’s my uncle.”

Zhao Chao nods slowly, and studies You Miao’s face in the faint firelight. “You’re from

Jiangbei, right? You’re called You Miao? So it’s you…”

You Miao is thoroughly stunned. “Yes yes yes! I’m You Miao! You know of me?!”

Zhao Chao has fallen silent and is only staring at You Miao, then he flashes a small

smile, nodding.

You Miao has never imagined that he’d bump into someone who knows of his family in a

place like this, and thinks to himself that things won’t turn out as bad this time.

Zhao Chao then continues, “Once the capital receives word, they will definitely send for

someone to come save you, so just wait patiently. Remember not to act rashly, we gotta protect

our lives here.”

33 A managing official under the ministers.

You Miao keeps nodding, knowing that the young man before him must have come from

quite the background, and whispers his question, “What about you?”

“You don’t know me. My father is a small-time official. I came out hunting with friends but

hadn’t expected to get captured, so there’s no point in talking about it,” Zhao Chao says.

“There’s a dagger in my boot,” You Miao mentions. “Let’s cut the ropes first?”

“Not right now,” Zhao Chao replies. “We have to wait for the opportune moment. Don’t

worry, we can escape for sure.”

You Miao’s heart that’s been highly strung for half the night is finally calmed, and he

snuggles and shrinks to Zhao Chao’s side, resting his head on his shoulder before he starts to

nap. Zhao Chao’s body isn’t physically strong, and while he’s a head taller than You Miao,

poised like a gongzi raised in prestige, for some reason, he gives off a sense of security.

It’s as if just by leaning on him, this gloomy and damp little wooden house becomes

safe.

Voices approaching nearby rouse You Miao instantly from his sleep, and when he raises

his head, he finds Zhao Chao has his head hung low, looking at him.

“What’s wrong?” You Miao panics a little, his brows still furrowed. “Do we get to eat?”

You Miao’s hands and feet are bound, so when he wakes, he isn’t able to wipe his face.

So he presses his head in Zhao Chao’s nape and rubs against the collar of his shirt. Zhao Chao

whispers, “You’re rather good looking, who do you take after, mom or dad?”

“My mom.”

You Miao flashes a smile, his lips full his teeth white. Back at the capital, Li Yan and

others are all silk-robed, jade-belted, juvenile and spirited, and almost everyone who has seen

him tells him he is handsome. Except for his dad. His dad always says dismissively:

Embroidered pillow with nothing but straws on the inside34.

When the door is opened, it seems the skies have cleared outside, and rays of light pour

in, forcing You Miao and Zhao Chao to squint their eyes, A tall and big barbarian comes walking

in and tosses a flatbread and a few snowballs onto the ground. You Miao is just wondering how

he can eat when he sees that man approach him, then pick him up by the collar.

You Miao exclaims in surprise and Zhao Chao shouts, “DON’T BULLY HIM!”

34 Straw bags also means “idiot”.

You Miao chews on the snowball in his mouth, and after it’s melted he lowers his head,

using his lips to feed into Zhao Chao’s mouth. Zhao Chao gulps, and You Miao turns to bite

some flatbread, chews it through, then feeds it to Zhao Chao.

You Miao’s cheeks redden slightly. It’s not that he’s never kissed another man before,

but right here and now, for some reason feeding Zhao Chao is making his heart thump. In this

darkened room, it feels as if they are promising each other their lives.

“Why did you save me?” You Miao asks.

Zhao Chao replies looking nonchalant, “You’re handsome, I can’t bear to have you

beaten. It’s a matter of cherishing beauty. What’s wrong?”

You Miao instantly doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “I’ll repay you for this.”

“Kiss me again and I’ll take that as repayment,” Zhao Chao says.

You Miao lowers his head to the ground to take another bite of the flatbread to chew,

thinking if he had befriended this guy back at the capital, then the two of them would for sure

stick together all day everyday. What Li Yan Ping-Er, no one’s treated him as good as Zhao

Chao has. A young man’s gentle tenderness is the most affective, especially after experiencing

that with Li Zhifeng, You Miao can’t help but feel his heart flutter.

When You Miao feeds Zhao Chao again, Zhao Chao’s tongue comes nudging forward,

feeding him something back. When You Miao bites into that thing, he could only tell it’s

something quite solid, and he hangs it in his mouth licking at it, tasting a faint flavour of blood,

like it’s an unconventional pearl.

You Miao: “?”

Zhao Chao: “A grant from gege, hahaha.”

“What is it?” You Miao asks, his words unclear. He spits out the thing and it lands on the

front of his robes; with the bit of light he sees it’s a broken molar tooth. He instantly

understands. This had been broken when Zhao Chao had been beaten earlier.

“Toss it,” Zhao Chao says casually.

The rims of You Miao’s eyes grow a bit red, and he picks it up again with his teeth,

turning away to pull open his collar then drops it in his inner pocket. And thus in that position,

the two youths cuddle together in the corners of this dark house.

The room grows colder and colder; Zhao Chao is half leaning in You Miao’s embrace,

and with a raspy voice, he starts to sing.

“The world be vast… My heart be melancholic, this life be long, yet I have no more to

ask of it… All that I wish for, All that I cannot bear to lose35…”

You Miao has heard of this song before, and in an instant his mind is pulled to the

faraway Jiangbei.

You Miao sings, “Those who know me understands my anguish… Those who know me

not, wonders what I seek…”

Zhao Chao wonders tiredly, “You know this song too?”

“My mom taught me when I was young,” You Miao replies, his mind far away.

Above their heads is a hole in the ceiling, and in the night sky a bright, full moon shines,

the glistening of its rays drops down through this crack.

Zhao Chao: “Is your mom in Jiangbei or the capital?”

You Miao: “She’s gone already, buried in Jiangbei.”

Zhao Chao: “It was also my mom who taught me this song.”

You Miao: “Where’s your mom?”

Zhao Chao: “Also gone, buried in Liang Prefecture.”

You Miao: “Your dad is gonna send someone to come save you, right?”

Zhao Chao smiles bitterly, “I’m the son of a kept woman.”

You Miao understood and nods, then asks, “What kind of official is your dad?”

“An insignificant one,” Zhao Chao replies. “No one looks me in the eye at home, don’t

ask anymore. Being dependent on dad, on mom, on ancestors isn’t what being a man is about.”

“When we’re out of here you just follow me,” You Miao says excitedly. “Rest assured, this

young master has more than enough money for you to spend.”

35 These lines are a mash up and rewording of verses from the poem “Caiwei” from the Poetry

Classics Shijing, the oldest compilation of poetry of China. The rewritten lines are actually done for the

2012 movie Painted Face 2. I can’t stop laughing either.

You Miao seems to have regained a bit of energy and is hauled up by Zhao Chao, the

two stumbling as they push open the door, and falling into the snow.

There isn’t a single soul outside. In the far distance lies several barbarian corpses by the

campfires, the world quiet and at peace. Zhao Chao swallows a few bites of snow before he

pushes up again, half holding You Miao, the two faint in the head as they run towards the

entrance of the village without any sense of direction. On their way they fall a couple times but

they get back up to their feet; Zhao Chao’s arm is around You Miao’s sides the entire time,

pulling him as they begin their escape.

“How come there’s nobody?” You Miao wonders.

“Don’t know…” Zhao Chao replies. “Maybe the officials got to them… We gotta go find a

horse…”

The two flees to the village entrance. An enraged shout comes from the outside followed

by an arrow. Zhao Chao pushes You Miao to the ground, protecting him under his own body,

and behind them two barbarians yell, long sabers raised in their hands as they come chasing.

“Don’t look…” Zhao Chao uses his body to protect You Miao.

You Miao lays in the snow, the front of his body nothing but cold, but on his back he can

feel Zhao Chao’s heart beat.

“Are we going to die…” You Miao asks.

Zhao Chao doesn’t answer.

Yet in the distance, all noise comes to an abrupt stop. Another arrow comes flying, and it

first pierces through the chest of the closest barbarian, bringing with it a splash of blood as it

penetrates the neck of the pursuer behind. Two pursuing troopers, one front, one behind, both

scream at the same time as they fall to the snowy ground. Zhao Chao pants heavily and then

tries to pull You Miao to his feet.

A young man leaps over the snow mound at the entrance of the village, letting arrow

after arrow fly, shooting down another two pursuants who have come close.

“Don’t worry, it’s our rescue!” Zhao Chao exclaims.

You Miao scrambles up, his eyes so swollen he can barely open them. Zhao Chao is

taller than You Miao by half a head, and he stands, blocking in front of him. You Miao peeks

over his shoulders to look, and sees a tall and big silhouette.

That man is wearing a grey wolf pelt robe, an iron battleskirt dressed on the bottom half

of his body, scaled leather battle boots, and a quiver carried on his back. He pulls out the arrow,

stacks it onto the bow, loosens the string. All of this done in one smooth motion, fast like

lightning, shooting down the barbarians attacking from all around.

“GO!” The man shouts.

“LI ZHIFENG?!” You Miao exclaims.

Li Zhifeng turns his head to give him a look, then slowly retreats as he continues to

shoot his arrows, protecting the two in crossing over the snow mound. You Miao recognizes him

arduously through the cracks of his obstructed vision and moves his lips, yet no sound comes

out.

The voice of another man comes. “We’ll slaughter out a path from here!”

Li Zhifeng shouts, “They’ve already escaped!”

“Let’s go right now!”

“Their main force will find us real soon!”

“Get on the horse, all of you!”

“Zhao-gongzi!”

Zhao Chao snaps out of it and shouts, “Lin Fei!”

A military commander comes dashing forward and bends one knee to the ground,

speaking rapidly, “I am the Field Officer of Yanbian Fortress Lin Fei…”

Zhao Chao immediately cuts him off. “Now’s not the time! Let’s go!”

The warhorses neigh and Li Zhifeng shoots down the last two enemies. Then he turns

around, holds You Miao and helps him up a horse before leaping up and flipping over it too,

landing behind You Miao, and squeezing the sides of the horse with his legs.

“GO——!”

Dozens of war horses begin their brisk trot. You Miao’s head is spinning, never has he

imagined that the one who’d come rescue him would be Li Zhifeng! He reaches out, hugging Li

Zhifeng around the neck. The frigid winds blow sharply and Li Zhifeng pulls open his wolf pelt

robe, stuffing You Miao tightly into his embrace, then lowers his head amidst the bumping and

gently brushes his lips against You Miao’s forehead.

Just then, Zhao Chao shouts in the distance, “The enemy is catching up! What are you

called!”

Lin Fei answers, “He’s a Quanrong! You-gongzi’s servant! He’s the one who came to

inform us and told us to make pursuit out of the fortress!”

“There’s too many of them!” Someone shouts.

The group of them yell their exchanges while riding on top of the madly dashing war

horses but Li Zhifeng doesn’t speak a word. You Miao asks tiredly, “Why did you come back?”

All around them the winds blow furiously like snow is nothing, and flakes gently drift and

fall onto their bodies. Li Zhifeng’s low and deep voice answers him.

“I missed you.”

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