TRWSB – Chapter 186 Sequelae?

Zhuang Hao walked into the room and saw Qi Heng half-reclining on the bed, with Qi Shaorong sitting beside him. The two were chatting and laughing, the atmosphere unusually warm and pleasant.

Looking at the harmonious scene between Qi Shaorong and Qi Heng, Zhuang Hao couldn’t help but feel a twinge of doubt.

“Young Master Zhuang, what brings you here?” Qi Heng asked.

Zhuang Hao smiled and said, “I heard you were injured before, Ah Heng, so I came to check if you’re doing okay.”

Qi Heng scrutinized Zhuang Hao for a moment, then smiled. “I’m fine, but Young Master Zhuang… your complexion doesn’t look good. Is something wrong?”

Zhuang Hao shook his head. “No, nothing at all!”

Qi Heng looked at Zhuang Hao’s expression, smiled, and said, “Did Zuo Yunfei say something to you? You don’t need to pay him any mind. He’s just too annoying sometimes, so I said some nonsense to shut him up.”

Zhuang Hao: “…”

Qi Shaorong looked at Qi Heng, curious. “Ah Heng, what nonsense did you say?”

Qi Heng exhaled and replied calmly, “Nothing special. He asked if I liked you, Young Master, and I said I love you very much.”

Qi Shaorong was momentarily stunned, then happily laughed, “Oh, so Ah Heng likes me? I’m truly honored…”

“You’re so outstanding, anyone would like you,” Qi Heng smiled.

“I thought you might like someone like Zuo Yunfei,” Qi Shaorong tilted his head.

Upon hearing Zuo Yunfei’s name, Qi Heng’s expression suddenly darkened.

Qi Shaorong looked at Qi Heng’s face, puzzled. “What’s wrong? You treated him so harshly back then, yet at this critical moment he still helped you. It shows this guy’s heart is actually quite broad.”

Qi Heng scoffed. “Broad-hearted? Young Master, you’re overthinking it.”

Qi Shaorong asked confused, “Did he do something to you?”

“Nothing,” Qi Heng turned his face away, clearly unwilling to talk further.

Qi Shaorong: “…”

+++++

Jiang Qinxin sat beside the campfire. Jiang He watched her face and asked, “Qinxin, what’s wrong?”

Jiang Qinxin shook her head. “Nothing.”

Zuo Yunfei had been an idol in the eyes of countless female cultivators. Although Jiang Qinxin knew her chances were slim, she still held a faint hope. Unfortunately, Jiang Qinxin noticed that Zuo Yunfei’s gaze was always fixed on Qi Heng.

Though Zuo Yunfei’s looks toward Qi Heng were fierce and hostile every time, when Qi Heng was truly in danger, Zuo Yunfei’s worry was impossible to hide. No one knew what kind of past the two shared.

“Zuo Young Master seems really concerned about Qi Heng,” Jiang Qinxin said, looking toward Qi Heng’s mobile courtyard.

Jiang He nodded. “Yeah! I haven’t seen Zuo Yunfei care about anyone like this in a long time.”

Back then, Zuo Yunfei was open, cheerful, and liked making friends—very popular. But after being poisoned, his friends gradually distanced themselves from him.

When Zuo Yunfei regained his strength and returned to the Zuo family, many tried to befriend him. However, after that huge blow, Zuo Yunfei became strange and eccentric. Everyone who tried to get close to him failed— even his siblings barely had much connection with him.

For years, Zuo Yunfei did everything alone.

“I feel like Qi Heng holds a lot of resentment against my Jiang family,” Jiang Qinxin said.

Jiang He nodded. “Yeah!” He was genuinely worried about Qi Heng’s desire for revenge. Recently, Jiang He had tried several times to reach out to Qi Heng, but Qi Heng ignored him.

Years ago, Jiang Heng died untreated because they couldn’t afford the medicine. Jiang Jin reportedly cared deeply for his younger brother. If Qi Heng truly was Jiang Jin’s brother, sooner or later he would come looking for the Jiang family.

“I didn’t expect Zhuang Hao and Qi Shaorong to come out unscathed,” Jiang He said.

Jiang He also knew about the multi-nation alliance against Zhuang Hao. He thought even if Zhuang Hao escaped the masters’ hunt, Qi Heng and Tang Tianfeng wouldn’t. But it turned out they split into two groups from the start. Judging by Zuo Yunfei’s attitude, even if Zhuang Hao wasn’t protecting Qi Heng, Zuo Yunfei wouldn’t let anything happen to him.

Jiang Qinxin squinted. “I heard the princes from Jing Kingdom and others have been scheming for a long time. What exactly are these guys plotting?”

Jiang He exhaled. “At this point, whatever they planned has probably failed.”

Jiang Qinxin: “…”

+++++

At dawn, Qi Shaorong lazily leaned on Zhuang Hao’s shoulder, sitting by the campfire waiting for the grilled meat.

Qi Heng came out of the house and saw an unusually warm scene between Qi Shaorong and Zhuang Hao.

“Up already? Slept well?” Zuo Yunfei walked over to Qi Heng.

Qi Heng glanced at Zuo Yunfei and said calmly, “Slept quite well.”

Zuo Yunfei sneered coldly. “Because Qi Shaorong came, you slept well?”

Qi Heng took a deep breath, nodded, and said, “Yes! With the Young Master here, knowing he’s safe, I can rest easy and sleep peacefully.”

Zuo Yunfei looked toward Qi Shaorong and Zhuang Hao and sneered, “Qi Shaorong and Zhuang Hao seem very close! Maybe it won’t be long before they get married.”

Qi Heng nodded. “Maybe.”

“If they get married, wouldn’t you be heartbroken?” Zuo Yunfei said.

“Why would I be heartbroken?” Qi Heng tilted his head.

“Watching the one you love marry someone else and not feeling heartbroken? What kind of brain do you have? Ah, I almost forgot—you’re a cold-blooded creature. Your thought process isn’t like normal people’s,” Zuo Yunfei scoffed.

Qi Heng looked at Zuo Yunfei. “You’re really narrow-minded! Seeing the person you love find happiness is something to be glad about!”

Zuo Yunfei: “…”

“Zuo Yunfei, have you ever been in love?” Qi Heng asked.

“No. What’s love anyway? It’s totally meaningless,” Zuo Yunfei replied without hesitation.

Qi Heng nodded and said, “Good. If someone like you falls in love, that person would probably be very unlucky.”

Zuo Yunfei: “…You don’t need to worry about that. Even if I had someone I liked, it wouldn’t be you.”

Qi Heng smiled. “Hearing you say that really puts me at ease.”

Zuo Yunfei: “…”

Qi Shaorong turned his head and waved toward Qi Heng and Zuo Yunfei’s direction. “Ah Heng, you’re up, come over and help!”

Qi Heng was about to move when Zuo Yunfei pulled him back.

Qi Heng turned to look at Zuo Yunfei. “What do you want now?”

“You two newlyweds are all lovey-dovey. Isn’t it inappropriate for you to butt in?” Zuo Yunfei said.

“The Young Master told me to come, are you deaf?” Qi Heng said impatiently.

“I heard you, but if you had any self-awareness, wouldn’t it be better to just refuse?” Zuo Yunfei said.

Qi Heng looked at Zuo Yunfei. “You’re something else…”

Zuo Yunfei pulled Qi Heng to another spot. “What do you want to eat? I’ll grill it for you.”

Qi Heng looked at Zuo Yunfei annoyed. “Hey, are you sick or something?”

Zuo Yunfei stared at Qi Heng. “I told you before, if I’m sick, it’s definitely your fault…”

Qi Heng: “…” So that’s a side effect from the treatment back then?

+++++

Zhuang Hao looked toward Zuo Yunfei and Qi Heng’s direction and said, “Qi Heng got pulled away by Zuo Yunfei.”

Qi Shaorong nodded. “I see.”

Zhuang Hao stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Looks like Zuo Yunfei really is interested in Qi Heng!”

Zuo Yunfei looked at Zhuang Hao. “Yeah!”

Qi Heng sat beside Zuo Yunfei, feeling a strange sensation as he noticed Qi Shaorong’s gaze on them.

“Look at this bird—doesn’t it look like the gold-eating bird that captured you?” Zuo Yunfei said.

“No, not at all. Different size, different color. How did you get your eyes?” Qi Heng said coldly.

“Not like it? Fine, fine. What flavor of grilled meat do you want? I’ll cook it for you,” Zuo Yunfei said eagerly.

Qi Heng eyed Zuo Yunfei suspiciously. “You want to grill meat for me? No way. Since when did you get so kind?”

Zuo Yunfei looked at Qi Heng. “I’ve always been kind! Speaking of which, you looked really funny when that gold-eating bird caught you—so scared and panicked! You’re scared too, huh?”

Qi Heng: “…”

Zuo Yunfei looked at Qi Heng. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“Nothing to say to you,” Qi Heng replied.

“Really? If Qi Shaorong had asked you, you’d be thrilled,” Zuo Yunfei said.

“Yeah! If it were the Young Master, I’d be overjoyed. There’s a saying: ‘A thousand cups with a kindred spirit is never too much; if there’s no mutual understanding, even half a sentence is too much.’ Talking and drinking depend on the person,” Qi Heng said.

Zuo Yunfei’s face turned serious. “Qi Shaorong and Zhuang Hao are having a great time chatting, no time to pay attention to you.”

Qi Heng: “…”

Qi Heng struggled for a long time before finally escaping Zuo Yunfei’s grasp.

Qi Shaorong looked at Qi Heng. “What’s going on between you and Zuo Shao? What’s going on between you two…?”

Qi Heng took a deep breath. “Maybe it’s a side effect from when I treated him back then. Luckily, I only treated him. If every side effect were this serious… would I still want to live?”

Qi Shaorong rubbed his nose. “This kind of side effect isn’t very common. I haven’t heard of it before.”

“No? I remember you said it once,” Qi Heng said.

Qi Shaorong looked surprised. “Did I say that?”

“Yeah! I remember you said there’s a sickness called Stockholm Syndrome, simply put, it means you deserve to be hit!” Qi Heng said.

Qi Shaorong: “…” He had mentioned that disorder before, but Zuo Yunfei’s condition seemed more complicated than Stockholm Syndrome.

Zhuang Hao looked puzzled. “Stockholm Syndrome? What kind of strange illness is that?”

Qi Shaorong looked at Zhuang Hao. “It’s a rare condition. You don’t need to know about it.”

Zhuang Hao: “…”