Chapter 12
That night’s scene made Jin Bao unable to sleep well for several days.
The sight of his young master suffering from the effects of poison was so horrifying that it was like having his own heart and lungs ripped out. Seeing his young master endure such inhuman pain was unbearable for him.
Not only could he not help his young master, but he couldn’t even resolve his own problems.
In recent days, Que Siming had been focused on researching his young master’s illness and had not troubled him. Although Que Siming was a bit shameless, he was very serious about his practice and indeed skilled. Now everyone was relying on him.
Jin Bao tried to make his presence as minimal as possible, avoiding appearing in front of Que Siming and started to sneak around like a mouse, walking along the edges of the walls, fearing that Que Siming would spot him.
He hadn’t forgotten what he promised that day.
It was so damn wicked to use his young master as leverage against him, and he could never figure out why Que Siming had an interest in him.
From their first meeting, Que Siming had asked him to serve him. Did he already have this intention from then?
How could that be! Whether it’s sunny or rainy, he still knew his own character.
What was so likable about him?
Men Jin Bao had seen who served other men usually didn’t look like men themselves.
They were thin and delicate, with weak voices, and heavily made-up. Men who looked like him were usually bouncers in brothels.
Jin Bao was completely puzzled. After thinking about it for an entire afternoon, he concluded that maybe Que Siming’s face was truly unpleasant to look at. Just as he said, anyone who saw his real face would have bad luck and have to pay for it.
Was he going to be stuck with him from now on?
Jin Bao felt a chill in his heart.
He was lost in thought when a cold hand reached from behind his neck and gently slipped into his collar…
Jin Bao jumped in shock with a scream.
When he turned around, he indeed saw Que Siming looking at him with a half-smile, the white mask shimmering dazzlingly in the sunlight.
“W-Why do you walk so silently…” Jin Bao stood up from the ground and took a big step back.
“What are you thinking so deeply about? Are you thinking of me?”
Jin Bao couldn’t stand his completely unreserved attitude. Seeing the seductive curve of his lips made him feel embarrassed.
Que Siming stretched lazily, “I haven’t had the time to settle accounts with you these past few days.”
Jin Bao felt his heart skip several beats and instinctively crossed his arms in front of his chest, watching him warily.
Que Siming tilted his head and said unhappily, “Don’t act like you’ve been forced into this. Look at your own character.”
Jin Bao protested, “Yeah, you have eyes, don’t you? With my character, you won’t be swapping me for someone else.”
Que Siming sneered, “You have to pay the price for what you said and did. You have to be responsible to me.”
Jin Bao was hopping anxiously, “What have I said or done!! I just looked at your face, what’s the big deal!! You were the one who showed it to me, what does it have to do with me!! And now you’re blaming me? Responsible? For what? Am I supposed to marry you or something!!”
“Exactly.” Que Siming suddenly leaned in, holding his chin and revealing a smile that Jin Bao had nightmares about, “You have to marry me.”
Jin Bao was stunned into silence.
Que Siming patted his face, “Take your time. I have plenty of it lately, but your young master’s time is a bit tight… Also, I don’t like my people disobeying me. I’m giving you time to prepare, but you still have to sleep with me, understand?”
Jin Bao’s face flushed red, “No… Why do you like men when women are so good… Aren’t you a doctor? You should hurry up and treat yourself. If you can cure yourself, cure my young master too…”
Que Siming narrowed his eyes, “Women aren’t bad, but I don’t like women, and it’s all thanks to you. So, you should be responsible.”
Jin Bao stared at him in shock. Was it really because he looked at his face? Could it be some absurd rule in his family? Was there such a terrible rule? To ruin someone just because someone looked at them? What if someone accidentally looked at a pig…
Jin Bao swallowed hard, not daring to voice his thoughts.
No wonder they say… what was it… good-looking people are trouble!
His young master lost his soul just from looking at that beast, and now he was stuck because he looked at this pervert.
Maybe he should ask Zhaocai for help…
Lost in thought, Jin Bao suddenly sensed a sharp killing intent coming from behind. His eyes widened, he pushed off the ground, and leapt into the air just as an arrow flew past his feet and embedded itself in the door.
Jin Bao turned and yelled, “Who’s there!” and was about to chase after it.
Que Siming said calmly, “Come back, don’t chase.”
Jin Bao turned around and saw that the arrow had a cloth tied to it. Looking closely, the arrow’s trajectory didn’t seem to be aimed at him.
He took a few steps forward to retrieve the arrow.
Que Siming was faster, grabbing it first. “It’s for me, none of your business.” He then unfolded the cloth, which had a few words written on it: “The Crown Prince will arrive in Dali within three days.”
Seeing Que Siming’s tightly pursed lips, as if in deep thought, Jin Bao was curious but didn’t want to ask further. Seizing the chance, he quickly left.
Jin Bao planned to consult Zhaocai for ideas, but Zhaocai had recently met a girl from a medicine shop, and the two were quite affectionate. Zhaocai frequently went out, and Jin Bao missed him again this time.
So he had to go find his young master. His young master had been listless lately, and hadn’t smiled for a long time. Whenever he had time, he would go sit with him. Even though they just sat there in silence, it was more reassuring for him.
After dinner, he comforted his young master and then returned to his own residence.
On the way back, he suddenly saw a figure flash across the rooftop. The silhouette was that of a tall man.
Jin Bao’s heart raced with alarm as he quietly jumped onto the eaves and followed the person.
The figure ran toward the Su residence, moving nimbly and swiftly, clearly skilled.
Jin Bao dared not get too close for fear of being noticed. At a distance, he couldn’t clearly see who it was, and he hesitated about whether to continue the pursuit.
Suddenly, the figure darted into an abandoned straw house.
Jin Bao held his breath, silently creeping closer and crouching against the wall.
By the moonlight, Jin Bao quietly peered through the window.
Inside, there were two men.
One was unfamiliar, but the other, though masked, had a very familiar silhouette—it was Que Siming.
As Jin Bao peeked in, he heard Que Siming say, “Don’t mind him, just speak.”
Jin Bao pressed himself against the wall, his bright eyes blinking in the darkness, nervously but excitedly straining to listen.
He couldn’t help being sneaky. When pushed to the limit, one had to find new methods. Jin Bao thought back to when he first arrived at the Jin residence, how Zhaocai, still shorter than the table at that time, had used the common tactic of gathering dirt on others to deal with the bigger bullies in the mansion—he had admired Zhaocai for that.
Regardless of whether he had the intelligence for it, at least his thinking was in the right direction. If he found out some of Que Siming’s hidden secrets, he might turn the tables.
Unfortunately, Jin Bao was too afraid to stick his head out and expose himself. He didn’t see Que Siming turn his head and roll his eyes toward his hiding place.
“This, young master, is something the master asked me to bring to you.” The man bowed and handed a cloth bag to Que Siming.
Que Siming nodded, “Did the master have any other instructions?”
“The master hopes that you return to Dongting Lake as soon as possible. Recently, the Wu family has been appearing in the Central Plains, but it’s uncertain whether it’s Wu Mingjing. You are alone outside, and if you encounter people from the Wu family… the master is always worried.”
Que Siming said, “Uncle Xiao, go back and tell the master to rest assured. As long as it’s not Wu Mingjing himself, the other Wu family members can’t do anything to me. I’ll deal with them if I see them.”
The man called Uncle Xiao sighed, “Young master, you’re too young and impulsive. You don’t understand the power of the blood curse. If you encounter Wu Mingjing, don’t confront him directly.”
“Uncle Xiao, don’t worry. I know how to handle it.” Que Siming paused and then asked, “Uncle Xiao, is there news from the court?”
“Yes, it’s almost time to close the net. He’s on the road and will arrive in Dali in about three days. He doesn’t know your identity, so don’t reveal it. Find a way to give him the item. After so many years of setting this up, whether it succeeds or not depends on him…”
“I believe he will do his best. After all, our goals are the same. If this fails, I don’t want to wait any longer and will just kill him to end it.”
“Young master! Don’t be impulsive. He’s deeply rooted with many experts around him. You can’t just kill him by saying so. You act recklessly whenever you’re angry, and that’s why the master is worried. You’re the only heir left.”
Que Siming waved his hand impatiently, “Got it, Uncle Xiao. I’m just saying.”
“Young master, you need to understand things better as you grow up. Nothing is more important than staying safe.”
“Okay, I understand.”
Uncle Xiao shook his head helplessly and suddenly remembered someone was crouching by the wall. He nodded towards Jin Bao’s direction, “Young master, who is that…”
Que Siming showed an inexplicable smile, “Just something interesting. Don’t mind it. It won’t cause any trouble.”
Uncle Xiao couldn’t help but shiver.
Que Siming said, “Uncle Xiao, you should go back. For less important matters, just send someone next time. At your age, don’t overexert yourself.”
“I’m worried about leaving such an important matter to someone else. Well, I’ll leave now. The people in Dali are on standby. If anything happens, contact them immediately.”
“Got it, Uncle Xiao. You can go now.”
Uncle Xiao nodded, glanced at Que Siming for a moment longer, then leaped out of the window and swiftly disappeared into the night.
Jin Bao stared blankly at the bright moon, his mind a tangled mess.
Although he had heard the conversation clearly, he didn’t really understand much. It seemed like Que Siming’s wandering around was quite dangerous? And a name that sounded familiar was mentioned… Wu Mingjing? It sounded cultured, but where had he heard it before? The Wu family? What was the Wu family? Right, they mentioned a general, the general’s only heir?? So Que Siming was the general’s son? Which general? And it was related to the court… the blood curse, yes, the blood curse…
Jin Bao’s mind was overwhelmed, and everything was confusing. The only thing he understood was that Que Siming had a grudge against the Wu family and wanted to kill anyone he met. And that he was the general’s son, right?
A cold, ominous voice suddenly came from above, “Aren’t you cold crouching down there?”
Jin Bao shivered, slowly lifting his stiff neck.
In the ghostly moonlight, the strange, alluring face was suddenly right in front of him, looking down with a mocking smile.
The eyes were deep and almost unfathomable, like a dark spring, with blood-red veins swirling around, both dangerous and seductive.
After a moment of dazed shock, Jin Bao quickly reacted, jumping up and running away.
Que Siming was momentarily stunned but then leaped out of the window and chased after him, cursing, “Damn it, why are you running!”
Jin Bao didn’t even know why he was running, just instinctively wanting to flee after being discovered. The more Que Siming chased, the more Jin Bao felt like he was being pursued by a beast, and he dared not stop.
He was quite agile, and for a while, Que Siming couldn’t catch up, so they ran several miles, one in front and one behind.
“Stop running and don’t bring trouble upon yourself.”
After running for a while and catching his breath, Jin Bao’s mind cleared up a bit. He realized that those who overheard other people’s secrets often ended up being silenced. In this desolate place, if Que Siming really killed him, who would he turn to for justice? This made him even more afraid to stop.
Que Siming, initially reluctant to harm him, finally lost patience and, with his anger rising, pulled out a small silver needle from his sleeve and threw it.
The needle accurately struck Jin Bao’s Chengshan point on his calf. Jin Bao felt his leg go numb, and he toppled to the ground.
Que Siming rushed over, stabilizing him, but his face was still scratched, and he was left dazed from the fall.
Que Siming used his fingertip to wipe the dust off Jin Bao’s face, applied medicine to his wound, and scolded, “You idiot, why are you running?”
The wound wasn’t deep, but the medicine itched, making Jin Bao want to scratch his face. He reached up to do so.
Que Siming slapped his hand away roughly, “Don’t touch it.”
Jin Bao shook his head and sat up, warily looking at him, “You… you’re not going to kill me and silence me, right?”
The doctor was actually amused, “What would I kill you for? With a brain like yours?”
Jin Bao felt somewhat relieved but still indignant, “But I heard everything…”
“Tell me, what did you hear?”
Jin Bao thought for a moment. He realized that he couldn’t piece together the information he overheard and didn’t really understand much. However, since he was no longer in immediate danger, he still wanted to use what he knew to his advantage. With some bravado and defiance, he said, “I heard everything, not a word missed. If you don’t want me to tell anyone, you better behave.”
Que Siming laughed aloud. Suddenly, he pressed Jin Bao’s head down, forcefully silencing him.
The intimate and soft contact between their lips and teeth momentarily stunned both of them.
Que Siming’s tongue invaded Jin Bao’s mouth, exploring every corner, while his hand skillfully moved into Jin Bao’s pants.
