Chapter 2: From Hero to Trash.

The military troops of the rival empires arrived from opposite sides each carrying their own flag high at Fenghua Valley,the official battle ground.

Even if Feng Yuan was far stronger than Ye Shiqi he still let him launch the first attack during wars and also let him make most of the decisions regarding dipatchment of troops. Xianfeng Empire was always eager to win so they attacked first most of the time.

Under the command of General Zhang Fei,the Xianfeng soldiers charged at their enemies with all kinds of weapons be it spears ,swords ,axes excetra. Ye Shiqi and his team sat comfortably on their horses as they watched their enemies charge at them like hungry wolves with total contempt displayed on their faces like a lion watching a cat try to pick a fight .

"Shoot!"Ye Shiqi commanded .

The archers who were standby waiting for the order released their arrows at the same time getting rid of the first batch of Xianfeng soldiers. General Zhang then led the rest of the soldiers to surge forward.

Feng Yuan and Ye Shiqi got off from their horses along with their soldiers and attacked. The valley that was once green became temporarily scarlet red with blood spurting out from the injured soldiers. Longyuan seemed to have the upper hand in the war but unfortunately General Zhang stabbed Feng Yuan on the left side of the chest just near the heart.

Feng Yuan held on to the sword as he hissed in pain. The sword sliced his palm but he was determined to pull it out. Suddenly blood started oozing out of his nose like a river. Even General Zhang,the stabber himself was shocked by what had happened. He suddenly pulled out his sword and Feng Yuan spat a mouthful of blood. It was normal to see someone spitting blood from the mouth but blood oozing out of the nose was most likely as a result of poisoning.

"How dare you play dirty!"Ye Shiqi roared his eyes blazed with fury.

Ye Shiqi charged to attack General Zhang but he suddenly stopped to grab Feng Yuan who was on the verge of falling to the ground.

That one moment of hesitation and shock led to the Xianfeng soldiers to be slain like chicken going to be roasted for a party.The Longyuan soldiers sought revenge immediately they saw one of their leaders had been injured severely by their enemy.Seeing they had been outnumbered, General Zhang ordered the soldiers to retreat.

Ye Shiqi bridal carried Feng Yuan back to the military camp,got the military doctor to perform some first aid on him then he took a carriage to rush him back to Jiuling Metropolis for further treatment. On the way,he kept ordering the coachman to speed up and kept placing his finger across Feng Yuan's nostrils and wrist to check his breath and pulse every second.

Feng Yuan's pulse was faint like that of a dying person. Ye Shiqi found himself crying begging his friend not to die in his arms as be wouldn't be able to live with the regret.

"Why didn't you wear the protective armor that you always wear inside your clothes?"Ye Shiqi scolded him.

Feng Yuan always wore a vest armor inside his clothes that even a sword couldn't penetrate through.

"Speed up!"Ye Shiqi yelled in a hoarse voice.

It normally took seven days to travel by carriage from Fenghua Valley to Jiuling Metropolis but they took only four days to reach there. Immediately they arrived Physician Chen Minghao was summoned to examine him. Chen Minghao was also the Master of Taihua Peak Sect,a sect which practiced medicine for years. The Sect was situated on Taihua Peak in Jiuling Metropolis.

Due to old age,Chen Minghao had stopped taking in disciples and once his disciples reached sixteen years,he sent them away from the sect and didn't allow them to come back. He wasn't planning on continuing the sect's legacy any longer so he asked his disciples to open their own sects if they wanted to. He said there was life beyond Taihua Peak.

As of that time,Chen Minghao had only one disciple who was also his last disciple;a sixteen year old boy called Han Shuo. Han Shuo accompanied him almost everywhere Chen Minghao went to treat patients. They each carried their medical kits and Chen Minghao always let him do the simple things like reading pulses and concocting medicines.

Feng Yuan lay unconsciously in his bed at Red Sun Hall. In the room,there were pasted portraits of him on the wall both exquisite and funny . As Chen Minghao started the diagnosis,Han Shuo was interested in looking at the pasted portraits. He had only seen Feng Yuan from a distance but this was the first time he got the chance to a have a closer view at him.

Chen Minghao injected a number of silver needles into Feng Yuan's body but he couldn't detect any poison in his blood so he couldn't prescribe an antidote. He prescribed a few legendary medicinal brews ; Heavenly Dew Tonic which restored vitality and extended , Phoenix Blood Exilir which was believed to cure even incurable diseases and Lotus Exilir,a rare portion that granted longevity and cured ailments.

In the evening Ye Shiqi came to check up on him.Feng Yuan was still unconscious. Ye Shiqi sat beside him and watched his friend hoping he would miraculously wake up and smile at him like he always did when he had the upper hand during a sword sparring.

"Ah-Yuan you've lived fast are you really gonna die young? What about your promise to open our own sect and have our own disciples? Are you really going to leave me alone? Who will be fighting alongside me in battles? You're the only one that motivates me when I'm about to go to battlefields. I've always regarded you as my biological younger brother who grew up too fast,"Ye Shiqi sobbed.

"If you're crying like this when I'm still alive then how much more are you going to cry when I'm dead?"Feng Yuan smiled mischievously as he slowly opened his eyes.

"You fool you were only waiting for me to confess everything?"Ye Shiqi looked away in embarrassment.

"Why are you shying off? It's not embarrassing to confess ,is it?"

"Well you won't know because you've never confessed to anyone you only get confessed to."

"That's because I'm the most handsome man in the world,"he bragged.

"You know I miss the days when you used to go to see courtesans at the prostitute house after winning the war. I was. pitying them for how they were going to miss their biggest client,"Ye Shiqi smiled.

"I can no longer do that. I feel my limbs have weakened and I can't walk."

"Physician Chen said he couldn't detect any poison in your blood so he prescribed a few medicines that he thought might work."

"Oh,"Feng Yuan said bluntly.

"But don't worry I will definitely find an effective cure for you."

"You don't have to worry about me I'm in safe hands. You should go back to the border the soldiers must be confused."

"Yes I will go tomorrow now that I have confirmed you've gained your consciousness."

The following day, Physician Chen came again with Han Shuo to check the progress of Feng Yuan's recuperation. They were glad to see he had gained his consciousness and he could talk like a healthy person.

"Physician Chen actually you don't have to come everyday,"Feng Yuan smiled politely.

"Your Highness that won't do. I know you're worried about me because I'm old but you don't have to worry about this young buddy here. He's very good in medicine. He's the best disciple I've had so far so you can rely on him."

"No problem."

"Then we'll take our leave.Have a good rest Your Highness,"Chen Minghao said and the two bowed and walked out.

"Master how can someone be so handsome even when he's sick?"Han Shuo asked curiously.

"That's because he was born good-looking,"Chen Minghao smiled at his disciple's naivety,"Shifu,what will happen if he can't walk again? Wouldn't people regard him as trash?"

"Shuo,you can't speak out your premonitory thoughts about members of the Royal Family. His Royal Majesty will have you executed,"Chen Minghao whispered as they paced up to Taihua Peak.