As her voice trailed off, Li Shuchen flashed in like a ray of light.
Seeing her pained expression and furrowed brow, Li Shuchen's heart tightened: "Where does it hurt?"
There were three urgencies in life, and he had merely gone downstairs to answer one of them, yet she had gotten injured.
"My back hurts." Qi Huan's eyes brimmed with tears. She was about to tell him to stop Lu Baiian when she saw Lu Yueming had already grabbed his arm.
After being obstructed, Lu Baiian glared at his defiant daughter, clenched his fist, forcefully broke free from the restraint on his arm, and swung his fist.
Lu Yueming struggled to block it, but refused to back down: "You're in no position to lecture me! What kind of father are you? From childhood until now, how many times have you paid attention to me?
I thought you were just busy with military affairs, but I never imagined you were busy keeping a concubine and fathering illegitimate children!"
Tears welled up in her eyes, but she forced them back, stubbornly looking at her birth father with utter resentment.
"Mother always said you were a great hero who saved her from mounted bandits, and I should take pride in you and learn from you. Pah!
It was all lies, including your vow to my grandfather that you would only marry my mother for life. You broke that vow—aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?!"
Pressed by her accusations, Lu Baiian wished he could strangle this unfilial daughter right then and there.
The two figures, one red and one black, grappled with each other.
Lu Yueming was gradually overwhelmed and struck down, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood.
"How I deal with your mother is a family matter, not something for you to lecture me about. You dared to write to your grandfather behind my back and get him to use his connections to deprive me of my military position—you're outrageously audacious and utterly unfilial. Your mother has failed to discipline you properly, so today I'll do it myself!"
Thinking of his stripped Commander-in-chief position, Lu Baiian's anger flared even higher. He grabbed his daughter from the ground and viciously slapped her.
Seeing Li Shuchen still concerned about her injury, Qi Huan urgently pushed him: "Li Shuchen, quickly go help!"
After gently setting her on a nearby stool, mindful of her back injury, Li Shuchen's gaze turned icy cold. He picked up a tea cup shard from the ground and lightly tossed it, instantly slicing open Lu Baiian's arm and causing blood to gush out.
It was that hand that had hurt Qi Huan.
The white porcelain shard embedded in Lu Baiian's bronze-colored skin, the relentlessly flowing crimson blood creating a powerful visual impact.
Not daring to carelessly pull out the shard, Lu Baiian shot Li Shuchen a vicious glare, pushed open the window and jumped out.
By the wall, Lu Yueming's right cheek was severely swollen, her words slurred: "Qi Huan, are you all right?"
Understanding her meaning, Qi Huan answered truthfully: "My back is a little bruised... Lu Yueming, your facial injury looks quite serious. Let's go to the Medical Clinic together."
Leaning against the wall to support herself, Lu Yueming felt her swollen cheek, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and before she could say anything, Mrs. Lu rushed over and embraced her.
"Mother, it hurts..."
"You worthless girl, you still know what pain is?" Mrs. Lu's words were harsh, but her grip loosened, distressed at her daughter's swollen cheek. "Why must you stubbornly clash with your father?... It's all because of that vixen. I won't let her get away with this!"
Lu Yueming didn't agree with this sentiment, and in her agitation, her tongue sharpened again.
"Mother, a vase doesn't leak unless it's cracked to begin with, let alone the fact that I was beaten by someone from the Lu family. If you want to settle accounts, do it together. My grandfather also said in his letter that you've lost the unyielding spirit typical of the Du family's children. Anyway, I'm not going to acknowledge him as my father anymore! Mother, you should also..."
Mrs. Lu didn't want to hear it, cutting her off: "Enough, let's go see the doctor first."
After Mrs. Lu took Lu Yueming away, Qi Huan was also sent to the Medical Clinic by Li Shuchen.
Upon feeling her pulse, Sun Doctor breathed a sigh of relief, gratefully saying: "It's fortunate there's no internal injury, it should just be external trauma."
Since the injury was on her back, he couldn't conveniently examine it, so he instructed: "Ice it for the next day or two, then apply heat compresses after that. Rub some red flower oil on the bruises... Red flower oil, you should have some yourself, Qi Huan, so I won't prescribe any."
The medication in his pharmacy was all sold by Qi Huan anyway, so of course she wouldn't lack any medicine.
Sun Doctor went on to advise a few more points about diet, then said: "Considering our friendship, I'll waive the consultation fee. Qi Huan, take good care of yourself and recover soon."
After thanking Sun Doctor, Li Shuchen bent down to pick her up.
"Li Shuchen, quickly put me down." Qi Huan winced in pain. "Holding me like this with your arms puts pressure on me and hurts more."
Hearing her pained voice, Li Shuchen immediately set her down, contemplated briefly, then squatted down and urged: "Get on."
The distant sunset had fallen into the horizon's embrace, and the evening breeze made Qi Huan shiver, causing her to tighten the thin robe around her body. She obediently climbed onto Li Shuchen's back, wrapping her arms around his neck.
This man had once been the highly esteemed Crown Prince of the Li nation. When they first met, he seemed as lofty as a flower on a high branch. Yet in this moment, he lowered his noble head and bent his back for her comfort.
Qi Huan was moved by this.
But Li Shuchen's status and the coldness of her former father made her hesitate to get too close.
She cautioned her rapidly beating heart to calm down.
In the next instant, her buttocks were suddenly supported by Li Shuchen's hands, and her heart completely lost its rhythm.
Thump, thump—
Qi Huan closed her eyes like an ostrich, resigning herself to resting on his back, letting things take their natural course.
As she leaned against him, the soft sensation on his back made Li Shuchen's steps falter for a moment too.
He took a breath of the cold air, adjusted her position higher on his back, then took another steady step forward into the windy snow.
After sending Qi Huan home, he went to fetch Qing Cao from the tavern.
He boiled water, quickly cooled it in the courtyard, then tossed a cloth into it before handing the basin to Qing Cao: "Use this to ice her injury."
"Yes, Brother Li." Qing Cao accepted the basin with both hands and went inside, closing the door behind her.
Outside, Li Shuchen listened to Qi Huan's pained moans from within and gradually clenched his fists.
He returned to his room, changed into nighttime garments, donned a randomly purchased mask, and slipped out into the night.
He headed to the Yunying Caravan's compound.
Li Shuchen's sudden arrival made Yan Jiu, who was on night watch duty at the caravan, perk up.
"Your Highness," he cupped his hands in greeting.
"Investigate the former Commander-in-chief of Mo County."
"Yes, sir."
Yan Jiu departed to carry out the order.
By the time the last wisp of steam had dissipated from the tea cup, he returned: "I've gathered all the information about him here, Your Highness. What aspect would you like? Allow me to locate it for you."
"His residence."
Yan Jiu acknowledged the command, rapidly flipping through the pages in his hands. When he reached the third page and scanned down, his finger paused: "To report to Your Highness, based on Lu Baiian's usual habits, he would mostly stay overnight at the military camp. The rest of the time, he only returns to the Lu's Residence on the first day of the month, otherwise spending his nights at the fourth residence on Jingyou Alley in Plum Fragrance Lane's Jingjing District in the western part of the city."
Having obtained the desired information, Li Shuchen gave a slight nod of acknowledgment and departed with purposeful strides.
The crescent moon hung curved in the thick night. Li Shuchen lifted a roof tile and dropped inside.
Lu Baiian, thoroughly engrossed in the tender paradise with the soft cries of a beautiful companion, had no attention to spare for any surrounding noises.
Between the bedcurtains, the pale naked body irritated Li Shuchen, causing his brows to furrow. He nonchalantly grabbed a white jade vase from the table and flung it, knocking Lu Baiian unconscious.
Lady Mei, who had been ardently performing, was abruptly crushed by Lu Baiian's falling body, her melodious cries cutting off as she confusedly tried to push the dead weight off her, fearfully wondering if he had suffered a stroke.
Soon after, she too was knocked out by a flying teacup.
Li Shuchen lifted the tablecloth and tossed it over to cover the unsightly scene on the bed.
He approached, found the bandaged bronze arm, flipped out a dagger, and deftly severed the tendon in Lu Baiian's hand.
Lu Baiian was jolted awake by the pain, about to counterattack with his left hand.
Catching the fist swinging towards him, Li Shuchen forcefully twisted it with a cracking sound, causing Lu Baiian to lose consciousness from the pain once more.
Disdainfully tossing aside his wrist, Li Shuchen pondered briefly before disabling the tendons in Lu Baiian's hand.
Regaining consciousness in agony with his hands rendered useless, Lu Baiian attempted to kick Li Shuchen.
Displeased, Li Shuchen knocked him out again, flipped his dagger, and severed the tendons in Lu Baiian's feet.
Awaking in excruciating pain yet again, Lu Baiian finally realized his opponent's martial arts prowess far surpassed his own, and bellowed furiously, "Why don't you just slit my throat and be done with it!"
