Boom—

Five thunderclaps!

Bu Liu heard his own heartbeat—thump, thump, thump—nearly leaping from his chest.

“You…”

“This body is Third Master Xie’s, but the soul within this body is the Zheng family’s.”

Xie Zhifei’s drunkenness cleared completely.

“The General in your mouth is my grandfather. My father is his youngest son. This blade technique was passed to me by my father.”

Bu Liu stared at him fixedly, suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself.

It hurt!

“Not a dream.”

Xie Zhifei pushed him away, laughing self-mockingly.

“In the eighth year of the Yonghe era, on the fifteenth of the seventh month, Third Master Xie fell gravely ill and was no longer viable. The Zheng family’s tragedy occurred on the fifteenth of the seventh month. At that time, I borrowed his corpse to return my soul.”

Bu Liu was completely stunned.

Borrowing a corpse to return one’s soul?

This, this damn…

After being stunned for a long while, he suddenly grabbed Xie Zhifei’s front: “Your grandfather’s birthday—when?”

“February twenty-second.”

“What did he like to eat?”

“Braised pork.”

“Did he snore at night?”

“Normally no, but after drinking he snored like thunder.”

“What wine did he love?”

“Northern firewater. He said only that had enough kick.”

“When he drank too much, what would he do?”

Xie Zhifei slowly closed his eyes.

“Son, when your grandfather drank too much, he loved competing with others at pissing to see who could piss farthest. Your eldest uncle, second uncle, third uncle, fourth uncle—all learned from him. Each more brutish than the last.”

“When he drank too much, he liked lining people up beside him, then pissing.”

Xie Zhifei said quietly: “Whichever person pissed farthest and highest, next time in battle he’d arrange for that person to lead the charge.”

Bu Liu plopped down sitting on the ground, losing two of his three souls.

He was that person who pissed farthest and highest. The General assigned him to lead the charge—his two legs went soft as cotton.

After the General saved his life, he cursed angrily: “You brat with such a huge frame, look so fierce, but actually you’re fucking useless. What a waste of that piss of yours.”

“He also had two arrow wounds on his body—one on the right shoulder, one on the left calf. When the injuries ached on cloudy and rainy days, both wounds needed moxibustion to stop the pain.”

Xie Zhifei opened his eyes to look at Bu Liu, sighing almost inaudibly: “Do you need me to continue?”

Need more?

No more needed.

Two lines of tears slowly fell from Bu Liu’s cheeks, mixing with the blood on his neck, silently dropping to the ground.

The Old General’s left calf wound was left from saving him.

Among those who applied moxibustion for the Old General, there was him.

Soldiers who marched and fought didn’t expose their wounds. Only those closest to the General and his family knew these things.

Bu Liu’s large hand trembled as it reached out, bit by bit touching Xie Zhifei’s face.

He touched very carefully.

Just as back then when the Old General carried him out from the pile of corpses, his hand touching his face the same way.

“Young Master.”

He suddenly raised his head and cried out heart-rendingly: “Heaven has eyes!”

…

Three days later.

Eighty miles outside the South City Gate.

Pei Xiao leaned against the carriage. After waiting over an hour, he felt his neck had grown two inches longer.

His peripheral vision swept toward Xie Zhifei. Seeing this fellow with peach-blossom eyes and upturned lips, looking completely at ease, anger rose unbidden.

“What are you grinning at over there?”

Grinning that the person he’d been longing for was about to return—waiting with eager anticipation.

Grinning that he and Bu Liu had drunk until they embraced crying, then laughed heartily, thoroughly becoming sworn brothers.

But none of this could be told to you.

Xie Zhifei glanced at Zhu Qing. Zhu Qing immediately pressed his ear to the ground, listened carefully for a while, then showed joy in his eyes: “They’re coming.”

“Hear that? They’re coming.”

Xie Zhifei straightened his clothes and turned to Pei Xiao: “Does this lord look handsome?”

Shameless!

Young Master Pei rolled his eyes at him.

As they spoke, three horses galloped toward them.

Zhu Qing walked to the middle of the official road, waving to the approaching riders.

Li Buyan’s eyes were sharp: “Sanhe, look.”

Yan Sanhe also saw. Drawing near, she pulled the reins, flipped down from the horse, and headed straight for Young Master Pei.

Pei Xiao was so scared he backed away.

What’s going on? Not running to her sweetheart, why’s she coming at me?

Could it be after a few days apart, the spirit medium realized Young Master Pei’s goodness and fallen for me instead?

“Ming Ting, what’s your relationship with Imperial Physician Shen’s family?”

“Good!”

Pei Xiao instinctively glanced at Xie Zhifei: “Why do you ask?”

Yan Sanhe: “How good?”

Pei Xiao: “Good enough that he visits my home and I visit his.”

Not enough!

Yan Sanhe: “Then regarding the Shen family’s past affairs, how much do you know?”

Pei Xiao was confused: “What affairs does the Shen family have?”

Right.

Asking for nothing.

Yan Sanhe: “How much does your father know about the Shen family’s affairs?”

“My father…”

Pei Xiao scratched his scalp: “At least three or four, no wait, five or six parts.”

Yan Sanhe: “Let’s go. Go find your father.”

“…”

Pei Xiao turned to look at Xie Zhifei: What’s up with your sweetheart? Returns and looks for me or my father instead of you. Can you have any presence at all?

Xie Zhifei ignored this jab: “Ding Yi?”

“Master.”

“Ride Miss Li’s horse and go ahead. Invite Uncle Pei to Spring Breeze Tower. Say tonight I’m treating him to drinks.”

“Yes!”

“Zhu Qing.”

“Here.”

“Ride Miss Yan’s horse. Immediately find Brother Han secretly at the Embroidered Uniform Guard and carefully inquire about the Shen family’s past affairs.”

“Yes!”

After both left, Xie Zhifei walked before Yan Sanhe: “Feel better now?”

Yan Sanhe wiped the dust from her face and gave him a thumbs up. Her gaze swept over his leg: “How is it?”

Xie Zhifei looked at the dust on her face and hummed: “Much better.”

“Has Huang Qi returned yet?”

Xie Zhifei pulled out a handkerchief and placed it in her hand: “Not yet.”

Yan Sanhe looked at the handkerchief’s color. Not bearing to use it, she clutched it in her palm and asked: “By logic he shouldn’t delay. He should have returned.”

“I inquired. These past days there’s been heavy snow there again. Probably delayed on the road.”

Xie Zhifei cupped his fists toward Zhu Yuanzhao behind them: “Get in the carriage. We’ll speak in detail inside.”

“I’ll drive.” Li Buyan leapt onto the carriage.

As Pei Xiao’s eyes swept over, his hand reached into his sleeve to touch the handkerchief, hesitating whether to pass it over for her to wipe with too.

Wipe!

He pulled out the handkerchief and tossed it into Li Buyan’s chest: “Covered in dust—ugly as hell.”

Mind your own business!

Li Buyan was about to throw it back when she saw this brat turn his head and skip off.

What’s wrong with this person?

…

The carriage started moving. Yan Sanhe recounted everything investigated on this trip in meticulous detail. At the end, she pulled out Zhu Yanqing’s handwritten letter from her chest.

Xie Zhifei and Pei Xiao read it in turn. Both sank into long silence.

No wonder Yan Sanhe wanted to find Imperial Physician Pei as soon as she returned. The matter actually involved the Shen family.

“Come to think of it.”

Pei Xiao wasn’t good at studying medicine, but he still knew a thing or two about Imperial Medical Bureau affairs: “The Shen family does have some connection with His Majesty.”

Yan Sanhe: “What connection?”

Pei Xiao: “They say when Old Imperial Physician Shen was young, he was sent to the northern lands. All illnesses in Prince Zhao’s estate were treated by the old physician.”

Yan Sanhe: “Besides that?”

Pei Xiao: “That the Shen family has its current status is mostly due to His Majesty.”

Yan Sanhe: “Anything else?”

Pei Xiao shrugged: “You really have to ask my father.”

Having reached this point, Yan Sanhe wasn’t anxious anymore: “What’s the situation in the capital now? What’s the Zhu family’s situation?”

As the words fell, Zhu Yuanzhao’s eyes opened wider than anything. What worried him most on this journey was his family.

Xie Zhifei glanced at him: “The Zhu family is temporarily fine, but His Majesty will personally lead an expedition.”

Zhu Yuanzhao was slightly shocked: “When?”

Xie Zhifei: “March next year.”

Zhu Yuanzhao calculated the time.

Not good.