Chapter 37
After Que Siming left, Jinbao got up, washed his face, changed his clothes, and planned to rest for a bit.
He had barely lain down when the miracle doctor stormed back in, furious.
“What happened?”
The doctor kicked the large porcelain basin next to the table, shattering it into pieces. As if that wasn’t enough, he angrily swept everything off the table with his sleeve—some of it quite valuable—treating it like it was trash.
Jinbao winced in pain at the sight, “What’s wrong? Why are you wrecking everything? These are all good things…”
Que Siming, trembling with rage, suddenly grabbed him, breathing heavily against his neck, his fists clenched tight behind him. Through gritted teeth, he said, “Huang Xiang was rescued by Yu Mingjing.”
Hearing this, Jinbao sighed quietly, wrapping his arms around him and gently patting his back in silent comfort.
“Zongzheng Shaoyu, that useless bastard, swore to me he’d deliver Huang Xiang’s head.”
Jinbao didn’t know what to say. At times like this, words were futile. He had no idea what could calm his heart, ease his fury, or help him escape from this overwhelming sense of frustration, even though he felt deeply for him.
It seemed Que Siming didn’t need him to say anything. Just holding him close was enough to make his empty heart feel like it was being gently put back into place, bringing him some sense of peace.
He pressed Jinbao onto the bed, lying on top of him with his eyes closed, rubbing his lips against Jinbao’s neck, soaking in the warmth.
“Xiaohu, I’m so fucking tired.”
Jinbao’s heart ached. Stroking his curly, thick hair, he said softly, “If you’re tired… then rest for a while. You’ll feel better when you wake up.”
Que Siming let out a bitter laugh, “Really? Why don’t you ever say something sweet?”
“Like what?”
“Like how much you care about me, how much you cherish me, how you’d climb mountains of swords and dive into seas of fire for me without a second thought.”
Jinbao chuckled, “You don’t feel embarrassed hearing that? I’d sure feel embarrassed saying it.”
“But I want to hear it. I want to hear something nice. Go on, say it.”
“Say… say what?”
“Whatever comes to mind.”
Jinbao hesitated and said, “That Huang Xiang, we’ll definitely catch him. As for Yu Mingjing, your Gu poison can be removed as well. No matter how tired you get, I… I’ll help you.”
Que Siming was silent for a while, then sneered, “Idiot, you call that comforting?” But he held him even tighter, and the hostility on his face had completely disappeared, leaving only a sense of calm.
“I don’t need to say it; as long as you understand.”
“Let me tell you something comforting.”
“…Alright.”
“Listen carefully. When all this mess is over, I’ll take you to travel the world. We’ll go wherever we want, and stop wherever we feel like it. Mountains, lakes, snowfields, plains — I’ll make sure to press you down and do it hard a few times in each place. We’ll try it everywhere; now that’s what I call living life to the fullest.”
Jinbao laughed and cursed, “Is that all you have left in your head?”
“So what? I want to fuck you for a lifetime. Always doing it in the same place is boring.”
“You’re such a scoundrel.” Even though Que Siming’s words were domineering, they sounded sweet to Jinbao’s ears. A lifetime is a long time, and who knows what might happen, but having someone promise to spend it with you, and you sharing the same thought — that’s the luck of a lifetime.
The doctor left a row of small teeth marks on his collarbone. “I’m only a scoundrel for you.”
Jinbao, tickled by the bites, moved his neck away and said, “Say something serious. What’s Yu Mingjing’s real plan in saving Huang Xiang? Isn’t Huang Xiang a wanted man everywhere now? What use does he still have?”
“We can’t be sure for now. Initially, it was Yu Mingjing who approached Huang Xiang, tempting him with the Longevity Stone, and had him ruin our family to get his revenge. But after the incident, my master saved me, and Yu Mingjing didn’t get the Longevity Stone. Huang Xiang was furious, and their relationship became tense for a while. Under pressure from Huang Xiang, Yu Mingjing has been trying to get the Longevity Stone ever since. Recently, with Huang Xiang’s downfall, he had no choice but to ask Yu Mingjing for help. But saving him doesn’t seem to benefit Yu Mingjing in any way. We always thought he would just watch from the sidelines. We didn’t expect him to actually rescue Huang Xiang. My master and I can’t figure it out.”
Jinbao thought for a moment, “Isn’t Huang Xiang’s nephew the second prince? Maybe there’s still some influence left?”
Que Siming sneered, “Impossible. Huang Xiang is nothing but a stray dog now, completely useless. The second prince has already lost the emperor’s favor because of him, and his status has plummeted. He’s more likely to cut ties with Huang Xiang than to help him. I’m just worried that Yu Mingjing is up to something devious again, but we can’t figure it out yet, which makes it all the more troubling.”
“It’s probably still connected to the Longevity Stone.”
The doctor nodded, his brow furrowed in thought.
Suddenly curious, Jinbao asked, “What does this Longevity Stone actually look like?”
“It’s just an ordinary-looking rock,” Que Siming said, looking at Jinbao’s bright eyes with a smile. “Do you want to see it?”
“Yeah, I’ve never seen something so legendary before.”
Que Siming pulled him up. “Come on, I’ll show you.”
Jinbao was surprised. “Really? Is that okay?”
“What’s the problem? The Longevity Stone belongs to me. You’re my wife, so it’s yours too.”
Jinbao blushed and let out a silly laugh.
They made their way to a hidden area in the medicine valley, where there were few people around. Before them stood a stone wall, decorated with carvings of mountains, rivers, fish, and birds — it looked like a simple ornamental stone wall.
Que Siming placed his hand on the eye of one of the birds and pressed down with force. With a rumbling sound, the edges of the wall slowly split open, revealing a secret door.
Jinbao stared in astonishment as Que Siming led him inside.
Once they were in, the wall closed behind them automatically.
Inside was a stone chamber, brightly lit by burning coals that illuminated the hidden space.
The chamber was also adorned with murals. Que Siming picked up a small stone from the ground and tossed it toward a painted koi fish on the wall, explaining, “This place is full of traps. If a stranger came in here, they wouldn’t make it out alive.”
Jinbao was amazed. “That’s incredible!”
Que Siming activated a few more mechanisms, and a hidden compartment appeared in the wall. He retrieved a small wooden box from it and handed it to Jinbao, motioning for him to open it.
Jinbao swallowed nervously and carefully opened the box. Inside was a small, brownish-yellow stone about the size of a quail egg. It looked completely unremarkable, no different from a random pebble on the street.
Jinbao couldn’t hide his disappointment and asked, “This is the Longevity Stone?”
“Yeah, doesn’t it just look like a worthless rock?”
Jinbao nodded, still disappointed. “I thought it would look unique, like something you’d never see anywhere else.”
“People who’ve never seen it always think that way, but go ahead and feel it for yourself.”
Encouraged by his gaze, Jinbao cautiously reached out and touched it. This ordinary-looking stone radiated heat, its entire body warm. The moment his fingers made contact, the heat seemed to flow straight into his body. Startled, Jinbao quickly pulled his hand back.
Que Siming picked up the Longevity Stone, casually tossing it in his hand like a beanbag. He remarked indifferently, “My father actually went through all that trouble for this… It’s not worth it.”
Jinbao couldn’t see what was so special about the thing and quickly lost interest.
Que Siming put it back in its place, and the two left shortly after.
As they walked back, Que Siming seemed to remember something and warned, “Don’t mention to anyone that you’ve seen the Longevity Stone.”
“Mm, I won’t.”
A few days later, Jinbao remembered he’d promised to visit Rongyue, and thought it’d be best to take care of that soon. He also needed to tell him that he was leaving and wouldn’t be able to visit anymore. Otherwise, it would just hang over him, becoming a bothersome issue.
So, he went to the market, bought some things, and followed his memory to Rongyue’s home.
The moment Rongyue saw him, his face lit up, beaming with joy.
“Brother Jinbao!”
Jinbao awkwardly smiled.
“Rongyue was worried you might have forgotten, or…”
Jinbao interrupted, “Since I promised you, I was always going to come.”
Rongyue laughed happily, “Brother Jinbao, you really are true to your word. I’ve been waiting for you these past few days.”
Seeing how excited he was, Jinbao felt a pang of guilt, knowing that soon he’d have to tell him he wouldn’t be coming anymore. He didn’t want to keep stringing him along—if Que Siming ever found out, it could end up causing trouble for Rongyue.
Rongyue personally prepared a table full of delicious dishes. As they ate, Jinbao steeled his nerves and told him.
Sure enough, that bright, beautiful face fell instantly. “Brother Jinbao, are you really leaving?”
“Mm, I’m not from here… I, I have to go eventually.” Jinbao, who had rarely lied in his life, felt incredibly uncomfortable, so much so that he couldn’t even bring himself to look at Rongyue’s sad eyes.
After a moment of silence, Rongyue asked, “Then… when will you leave?”
“In a couple of days, I guess,” Jinbao answered offhandedly.
“Can you come see me one last time before you go?”
Jinbao regretted it instantly—he should have said he was leaving tomorrow. Now, there was no way to refuse, so he reluctantly agreed to visit him again before leaving.
The meal became tasteless after that. Rongyue remained silent for a long time, lost in thought. After finishing the meal, Jinbao hastily said his goodbyes and left as if fleeing.
When he got back to the Medicine Valley, it was just after dinner. Que Siming looked at him with displeasure.
“Where did you run off to again? Didn’t even come back for dinner.”
“Ah, I… I ate outside.”
Que Siming stood up and walked over to him, circling around. Out of Jinbao’s sight, his expression suddenly darkened. “By yourself?”
“Yeah, I got tired from walking around, so I just found a restaurant and had a quick bite.”
Que Siming fell silent, his deep eyes carrying a hidden meaning as he looked at him.
Feeling a bit guilty under his gaze, Jinbao explained, “Weren’t you busy? I was bored by myself, so I went out for a walk.”
The physician pressed again, his tone heavier, “Did you really just go for a walk?”
Jinbao wasn’t sure why he was being questioned suspiciously. Unsure how to react, he could only nod stiffly.
Que Siming said, “Next time you go out, take a servant with you. Be home by dinner.”
Jinbao felt a bit dissatisfied. “That’s not necessary, I’m a grown man…”
“It’s decided. Get rid of those clothes you’re wearing—they stink.” Que Siming shot him a glare, then turned and left.
Jinbao couldn’t understand what had gotten him so upset, completely clueless.
But Que Siming throwing random fits was nothing new. If he tried to figure out every reason behind them, he’d never have time for anything else.
Jinbao sighed, deciding to visit Rongyue in a few days. He’d leave early and make sure to be back before dinner.
