Chapter 98

Du Boyan was not foolish; he knew that if he exposed the truth and ruined the Jiangdong County Lord's plan, he wouldn't escape death either.

So he dragged on, only admitting that he fell in love at first sight with Yong Ge, and then he had a sudden idea to use this method to ruin the relationship between Yong Ge and Cheng Duo.

"A sudden idea?" Yong Ge sneered, "A sudden idea allowed you to find a skilled ventriloquist and someone who looks like Cheng Ge within just a few days. They cooperated so seamlessly; it must have been planned for a long time."

"Even though they cooperated seamlessly, didn't they still get recognized by Little Master Wei?" Du Boyan bitterly smiled. "I won't hide it from you, Little Master Wei. Cultivating such strange talents is my small hobby. As for that man who looks like General Cheng, he's just a servant from my Du family's estate. I happened to see him, and that's when I got the idea…"

His clothes were disheveled, and sweat dripped from his forehead due to the cold sweat. However, his gaze towards Yong Ge was quite sincere. Even the nearby personal guards almost thought that he genuinely committed these despicable acts for their master's sake.

After all, tales of wealthy and debonair young masters setting their sights on others' partners, scheming to entice, stir up emotions, and secretly pursue their love interests were common in dramas and tales, becoming well-known anecdotes.

With their master being so handsome, it wasn't entirely impossible for Du Boyan to fall for him at first sight…

Yong Ge wasn't that conceited. Du Boyan wasn't stupid, and even if he had misunderstood at first, once he met Cheng Duo and they cleared things up, everything would become clear.

He coldly sneered, "Still not willing to tell the truth? It seems like you really want to try our Wei family's iron clamp stick! Bring it in, let's use the clamp stick!"

This time, no matter how Du Boyan cried and begged for mercy, the guards forcefully applied the clamp to his left ankle. With a sudden press from both sides, Du Boyan, who was pinned down, let out a miserable scream and jumped up like he had been shocked, "Ah—"

Seeing Du Boyan on the ground, curled up in pain, with tears and snot flowing, Yong Ge almost couldn't bear to watch.

However, when he thought about the Wei family's situation and the safety of Cheng Duo and his eldest brother, he hardened his heart. He wouldn't let go of any suspicious points: "Are you willing to talk now? If you don't confess, you still have your right ankle, both knees, and both wrists…"

"Sob… No, I'll talk, I'll honestly confess…" Du Boyan cried on the ground, dragging his dislocated leg, and there was no hint of hope left.

As Du Boyan was dragged out, Yong Ge's relaxed expression disappeared, replaced by a serious one: "Quick, bring everyone out, we're leaving the city together!"

"Yes!"

On the other side, Cheng Duo, who was inspecting the mines outside the city, did indeed receive news that Yong Ge was deceived by Du Boyan. Because Wei Ling had gone to the armory, Cheng Duo couldn't return to meet him. He only sent a subordinate to deliver the message and hurriedly rushed back to the city.

"What's going on? Why did Yong Ge follow Du Boyan?"

"I don't know the details either. It was a message from a personal guard by Little Master's side. He said that Little Master suddenly cried a lot, and then Du Boyan appeared, and they left together," said the soldier guarding at the foot of the mountain.

"What about that guard?"

"He was afraid Little Master would be in trouble, so he delivered the message and hurriedly returned."

Cheng Duo frowned, feeling that something wasn't straightforward, but he had to return to the city and find Yong Ge first.

Due to his worry, he whipped the reins the entire way, and his swift steed dashed forward like lightning, leaving the group of soldiers struggling to keep up.

Fortunately, they caught up eventually. When they arrived at the city gate, General Cheng was talking to the two guards Yong Ge had sent to guard the gate.

After listening to their descriptions and combining it with the earlier news, Cheng Duo's face turned green. "Could Yong Ge really have mistaken that person for me?"

One soldier said, "Little Master was crying, so it must be a misunderstanding!"

"Who is behind this mischief? How dare they frame General Cheng?"

"We can vouch for General Cheng. He has been outside the city all morning and couldn't possibly be toying around with some non-existent lover!" the soldiers accompanying Cheng Duo said one after another.

"Crying? Little Master didn't cry!" Yong Ge's guards were puzzled. "Little Master is very calm. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent us brothers to guard the city gate."

"Why did the messenger say that Little Master left crying with Du Boyan?"

Yong Ge's guards looked at each other. "He didn't. Little Master ordered Du Boyan to be tied up, and besides us, he didn't send anyone else to deliver a message."

"What? Then the previous person…" Cheng Duo's expression changed suddenly. "Oh no, this was just a distraction.!"

Using the same move to deal with two issues at once: misleading Cheng Duo to keep him busy while dealing with Wei Ling.

Luckily, Yong Ge was vigilant and didn't fall for their trick.

"Quick, come back with me!"

Cheng Duo quickly mounted his horse, but his steed had just completed a long gallop and hadn't caught its breath. As he tried to ride, the horse shook its head and neighed in protest.

The horses of the soldiers behind him were the same, stomping their hooves and panting heavily.

"Cheng Duo, use our horses!" Yong Ge appeared like a godsend, and before he even gave an order, someone immediately handed him their horse.

Cheng Duo didn't hesitate either, quickly mounting the new horse, and led Yong Ge and the others out of the city.

After such an incident, he couldn't leave Yong Ge alone in the city. It was better to bring him along.

As Cheng Duo led the large group of riders towards the city outskirts, back in the armory, Wei Ling and Tan Yulou had already fallen victim to an assassination attempt.

A large group of black-clad assailants descended from the sky. Wei Ling had only two teams of guards with him, and besides the armory guards, there weren't many people with Tan Yulou either. They could only fight while retreating, and one by one, their companions fell, leaving the ground covered in bodies and blood.

The armory was built at the foot of the mine, where a village gradually formed due to the large number of blacksmiths crafting weapons. Witnessing the black-clad assassins killing everywhere, the blacksmiths and ordinary villagers were terrified, fleeing for their lives while some fell victim to the attacks. The vicinity of the armory turned into a living hell.

Wei Ling and Tan Yulou hid in a cellar that seemed untouched for a long time. Not only was the entrance blocked by debris, but the cellar itself was filled with dust, making it difficult to breathe.

However, in this life-threatening moment, both of them disregarded these discomforts.

Wei Ling stood by the entrance and peered outside through the gaps in the old wooden planks. A large group of black-clad people was still searching for them, and it was uncertain when they would find this cellar.

Due to the dim environment, he couldn't see Tan Yulou's expression inside the cellar, but he could hear his slightly heavy breathing and the faint smell of blood in the air.

Wei Ling hesitated for a moment and asked, "Are you injured?"

He remembered that during the fight, Tan Yulou seemed to have pulled him aside. When he turned around to kill the black-clad person behind him, he found that Tan Yulou had already taken care of the one in front.

The two of them protected each other and fought their way out, ultimately finding refuge in this abandoned cellar when no one was watching.

Tan Yulou wiped the blood trickling down from his lower back and nodded. "Mm, I accidentally got cut."

He downplayed it, but in reality, the wall and floor behind him had formed a small pool of blood, and his face turned pale from the fright.

Wei Ling stood up, bending over to approach him. "Let me bandage it for you."

He started to take off his clothes, intending to tear his undershirt to dress Tan Yulou's wound.

Tan Yulou stiffened. "No need, I can do it myself…"

"Your injury is on your back. How can you dress it yourself? Hurry up, the black-clad people might come soon."

Prompted by Wei Ling, Tan Yulou closed his eyes and thought that since it was dark in the cellar, he couldn't see anything anyway. Besides, he had decided to be more assertive like a man, so being hesitant and coy would only raise suspicion.

Tan Yulou didn't want to die, nor did he want to become a burden to Wei Ling. He took a deep breath and extended his trembling hands to remove his belt.

After Wei Ling took off his undershirt and put on his outer robe again, he saw Tan Yulou's slow actions and thought it was due to the injury. So he came over to help him, saying, "Let me assist you."

Although Tan Yulou's hands trembled, he didn't stop Wei Ling.

Wei Ling's rough hands felt around Tan Yulou's body, sensing the slight shivering. He couldn't tell if it was from excessive blood loss, the cold, or fear of dying here. After all, he was touching his back, which was usually covered by a robe. Wei Ling's heart softened, and he couldn't help comforting him, "Don't be afraid. Your father and Cheng Duo will come to rescue us soon. Hold on a little longer."

"I know." Tan Yulou replied softly, letting Wei Ling half-hug him as he removed the bloodstained outer robe, followed by the undershirt… feeling so embarrassed that his toes almost curled up.

Wei Ling continued talking to him, "I didn't expect Young Master Tan's martial arts to be so good at such a young age."

Tan Yulou forced a smile and said, "Still can't compare to General Wei."

"Don't be modest, Young Master Tan. We can spar again when we have the chance…" As his fingers touched the smooth skin on Tan Yulou's back, Wei Ling's expression suddenly became a bit strange.

Why did the touch of his back feel different?

Unable to resist, Wei Ling touched it a couple more times and couldn't help but think that Tan Shao's skin seemed too delicate. The muscles on his back didn't feel as solid as his own, not like that of a seasoned warrior exposed to wind and sun.

Tan Yulou, feeling embarrassed and angered, held down Wei Ling's wandering hand. "General Wei, what are you doing?"

Wei Ling felt a bit embarrassed. "Uh, sorry, I just found it curious that your skin is not as rough as mine. It piqued my curiosity."

Tan Yulou's heart was almost in his throat. He stammered, "We are all… all men, there shouldn't be any difference. General Wei, please stop the bleeding as soon as possible."

Though he said that, when Wei Ling applied the medicine and bandaged the wound, their bodies inevitably touched. Wei Ling then realized that Tan Yulou was at least a bit narrower than him in build. Holding him in his arms just fit perfectly…

A blush started to appear on Tan Yulou's face and body, but fortunately, the dimness of the cellar prevented Wei Ling from noticing it.

After finishing the bandaging, Tan Yulou eagerly put on his clothes, even if the movements were too strong and caused some discomfort around the wound.

Wei Ling noticed his urgent actions, making him even more puzzled. He rubbed his fingers, as if there was still a lingering sensation of smoothness. Moreover, when they were close just now, amid the strong smell of blood, he seemed to catch a faint, pleasant scent – probably Tan Yulou's natural fragrance.

Having spent a long time in the military, the only person Wei Ling had any physical contact with was his cousin, Yong Ge. However, as his cousin, he couldn't touch him inappropriately. Initially, he thought that it was Tan Yulou's cleanliness that made the difference.

But Tan Yulou's behavior and the peculiarities he noticed made him feel that something was off…