[BL] Eternal Spring

第二十八章

When Liu Qingyuan went back, his face was calm. He had seen that expression on Mo Wu's face before, especially when he was younger. Maybe he remembered wrong, but a deep set unease started to rise. Liu Qingyuan's thoughts wandered as he washed up, his face fixed in concentration even as he blew out the candle and closed his eyes. Right now, he didn't know what to do, therefore he could only hope for morning.

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Liu Qingyuan hadn't even slept for three hours when he was woken by an abnormal smell. It took him a few seconds to register the scent before he stumbled up from the bed still groggy and hurriedly pulled on his clothes. Halfway through tying his belt, the screaming started, confirming his fears.

"Fire! Fire!!" Liu Qingyuan snatched his sword, running outside. The grain that wasn't distributed last night was to be kept in the eastern courtyard of the mayor's mansion until the next morning when they would be distributed. Against the dark backdrop of the night sky, a roaring orange tongue rose up. Liu Qingyuan's gaze darkened as he rushed to the eastern courtyard. As he approached, a thick wall of smoke and heat hit him head on, forcing him to cover his face with his sleeve. Inside was the chaotic scene of servants running around, struggling to put out the fire with meager buckets of water. With watering eyes, Liu Qingyuan saw that most of the fire was on the roof of the building. Perhaps the grain could still be saved.

"Make distribution lines!!" A soldier roared at the servants, doing his best to organize the chaos. He turned his soot-stained face, catching sight of Liu Qingyuan. "Captain!" Liu Qingyuan nodded at him, helping him lift a couple of heavy buckets.

"What's the situation?"

Before the soldier could answer, his colleague, another soot-stained individual, rushed into the courtyard. His eyes sought out Liu Qingyuan's figure in an instant and he rushed over. "Captain!" Someone set fire to a few wagons outside! There was a fight and one was pushed loose..." Liu Qingyuan narrowed his eyes, mind churning quickly. Abruptly, he grabbed the soldier's collar.

"By the north warehouse?!"

"H-how did you know?" Liu Qingyuan cursed.

"Warn everyone guarding the north warehouse, now!"

"Yes, sir!" Liu Qingyuan turned, running to the courtyard wall and easily scaling it. In the midst of the chaos, his figure flashed by like a shadow. Once his feet hit the ground, he broke into a sprint. The grain could be eaten by wild animals and thus placed within a residence. But the extra oil was temporarily stored in the northern warehouse. If that flaming wagon managed to alit the wooden warehouse...the damage would be severe.

"Captain!" A soldier quickly ran over, a horse in hand and Liu Qingyuan mounted in a flash. The horse quickly galloped forward and he grit his teeth against the wind. Before long, the billowing silhouette of the wagon appeared, hurtling unsteadily down the hill and leaving a trail of choking smoke behind it. It was fortunate that the horse wasn't an ordinary one as it didn't spook as Liu Qingyuan approached the flames. In a moment of decision, Liu Qingyuan pulled ahead of the wagon, scanning the landscape for anything that could stop the moving torch. The wagon, being empty, was not too much of a weight but its speed and burning exterior meant that it couldn't be easily moved. He could only hope for a rock or something to jolt the wagon enough to flip it over.

Liu Qingyuan circled back, pulling his sword from where it was secured on his waist. Drawing up side by side, he jammed the metal-coated end of the scabbard into the side of the wagon. Sparks and friction flew up in the air and the wood emitted a laboured groaning. Liu Qingyuan coughed, bringing up his sleeve to cover his mouth and nose. He stabbed at the wagon again, the scabbard ringing out with a low clank. The wagon continued to rattle forward, towards the oncoming north warehouse and the soldiers stationed at the entrance gazed upon the flaming behemoth with horror and shock.

Liu Qingyuan leaned all his weight into the next shove, feeling the skin of his hand crack from the heat. With a low groan, the wagon finally tilted a little; but it was enough. A few seconds later, its front hit a rock and the weakened wood snapped, sending a flaming wheel tumbling in the opposite direction. For a moment, everyone in the vicinity watched the fire rise into the sky, tones of orange and red reflected in their pupils. Then the wagon smashed down and exploded in a mass of wood shards.

The horse under his body bucked, a terrified whinny bursting from its throat. With both hands previously busy, he didn't have time to collect the reins pinned under his knee before he was unceremoniously thrown to the ground.

Liu Qingyuan rolled into the grass, gasping for breath, his face and clothes soot-stained. He forced himself up, searching the ground for his sword. "Ugh..." A searing pain ran down his side, cold sweat running down his spine. A large portion of the wagon was overturned to the side, setting the grass of fire around it. The rest of it was scattered in pieces.

Liu Qingyuan hunched over in the grass, lips pursed and brow wrinkled. He pressed a hand to his side, hissing as cloth rubbed against open skin. After a long while, he managed to stumble to his feet. He walked unsteadily to the crumpled form of a soldier in the grass, shaking his limp figure.

"Are you okay? Hey! Wake up!" The soldier slowly opened bleary eyes, blinking slowly.

"Captain," He croaked, coughing a few times. "I...I think I'm okay. Liu Qingyuan stared at him for a few more seconds before he nodded briskly and went to turn away. A few other soldiers were rising unsteadily to their feet. From the corner of his eye, Liu Qingyuan caught a flash of movement and one of the soldiers fell to the grass with a scream, blood squirting from his torn throat. With another movement of shadow, another soldier fell in a cloud of blood.

Liu Qingyuan turned back, unsheathing a soldier's sword, the pain and smoke clouding his vision. The figure flashed in front of him and Liu Qingyuan could only exchange a few moves before he made a mistake and the sword was kicked from his hand. Standing unsteadily, Liu Qingyuan raised his eyes and saw the assailant in front of him.

"M-master."

Mo Wu's foot shot out and he ruthlessly kicked Liu Qingyuan down. "Unfilial!" He exploded. He hit Liu Qingyuan a few more times until he was flung several meters back. Breathless, Liu Qingyuan forced his jelly legs underneath him and kneeled before Mo Wu. His breath trembled and he forcefully swallowed the coppery taste in his mouth. After venting his displeasure, Mo Wu stared coldly down at him. "You ungrateful brat. This master raised you for so many years and this is how you repay me." He sneered. "Look at what Qiangda has changed you into."

"I-!" Liu Qingyuan's head snapped to the side.

"You dare? It really seems that that king has bewitched you. What? You don't even want your master anymore?"

Liu Qingyuan's lips thinned. "Don't...his majesty is irrelevant in this matter. And so are the people. I have disobeyed master. Please punish me." Mo Wu's arm flashed out, only to be stopped by Liu Qingyuan's hand. His eyes narrowed. Liu Qingyuan felt a force drive itself into his ribs and he grunted in pain, hunching over. Mo Wu grabbed his collar, directly dragging him along the ground. Pain suffused his chest with every breath until Liu Qingyuan could hardly force himself to stand, stumbling along haphazardly. He felt an emptiness at his back, cold sweat beading at his forehead.

"This master will grant your wish. Take a long while to think about what I sent you to do. If not, don't bother coming back!"

"Master..." Liu Qingyuan panted, a little uncertainty finally rising in his gaze. He clutched lightly at the hand at his collar. Mo Wu was a cold and astringent person. He wouldn't bat an eye as he disciplined Liu Qingyuan, never letting an ounce of sympathy through. But he wouldn't kill him...right? Mo Wu sneered at him, lip curling cruelly.

Without a word, he let go and in the same moment, planted his foot on his chest and kicked. Liu Qingyuan felt a sudden weightlessness. When he looked up, the edge was already empty as if Mo Wu couldn't bother to check whether he fell to his death or somehow survived. He...didn't care about him anymore. Liu Qingyuan felt a slight hollowness, then pain and darkness.