Chapter 46 Devils Wouldn’t Admit This
Translator: Storm in a Teacup
Lin Qingye looked at Ke Ruan who was huddling in the corner, then said in a low voice, “Young master. You are too prestigious to sit there. Please come here.”
Ke Ruan trembled a bit, and chuckled dryly, “It’s okay. I feel good in this place.”
Lin Qingye narrowed his eyes. Seeing this, Ke Ruan immediately rose up and walked over, then sat oppisite Lin Qingye and dared to say nothing at all.
It was not long before they heard footsteps coming near. Lin Qingye stood up and grabbed Ke Ruan and Si Yuhan by their arms, “Go hide somewhere. They’re not our people.”
“Hey. Wake up, tough guys! Finally, there are some decent men coming to Yuliang County.”
Lin Qingye sat on the chair and ignored them.
Ke Ruan saw those people through the crack. Some of them were pretty ordinary, but the one in the middle had pretty eyes even though he couldn’t see his face clearly because of his beard.
“What is it?”
“Don’t talk to me like that! You’re a prisoner right now. Who do you think you are?”
The beard man waved his hand, “Get out.”
“Chief!”
“I said get out.” His voice sounded much harsher.
“Yes.”
The beard man sat opposite Lin Qingye. Lin Qingye was drinking tea on his own, paying no attention to him. The man laughed and said, “You didn’t change at all, Genaral Lin.”
Lin Qingye was stunned.
The person behind Lin Qingye suddenly stared at the beard man, like he was ready to have a fight with him.
Ke Ruan paused, too. So that man knew Lin Qingye. Then why did he still bring them up here? This was a definitely a set-up. No wonder in the last life, Lin Qingye died here.
The beard man laughed, “Don’t worry, General Lin. I don’t do nasty things to decent people. Never have. Never will. It would never occur to me that the emperor sent the great General Lin here to arrest me. Let me guess. It was the county magistrate who reported this, right? Saying that there are bandits out here who robbed money from the government, stolen pretty girls from people, did every horrible things. Am I right?”
Lin Qingye remained silent, but he looked cautious than before.
“General Lin, you are a smart man. I believe you have found something. I don’t have to waste my breath. You know, sometimes, what you saw and heard can trick you.”
Lin Qingye looked up at him, “What should I know?”
The beard man looked into that pair of eyes and blinked. Shit! For so many years, he dreamt of seeing this face, and looking into those eyes. He swallowed hard and said, “General, I’m not a bad guy.”
Hearing those words, Ke Ruan sneered. Devils would never admit that they were evil.
Lin Qingye smiled, “Oh, really?”
For some unknown reason, the beard man suddenly stood up, “General. Have a good rest. I’ll come to see you tomorrow. Oh, by the way, please give me my men back.”
After saying this, he just left, leaving others confused. Lin Qingye frowned. He didn’t know why, but that guy looked pretty familiar, not with the looks, but with his special quality.
“Cheif, did they?”
His subordinates felt instantly that their chief was happy. Actually, he was very happy.
“Treat them with respect. Serve them everything delicious. Did you hear me?”
“Chief, you…”
The beard man looked unsatisfied and asked, “What? Didn’t you hear me?”
“Yes!”
Chapter 47 Clingy Si Yuhan
Translator: Storm in a Teacup
The beard man couldn’t help smiling. He walked away to his own house with his hands behind his back. He really wished he could settle brother Lin in his own room, but it would scare him away, so he couldn’t, not yet. But that day would come, very soon.
As soon as that man left, a bunch of delicious food were served right away. Ke Ruan walked out of the corner, sat right opposite Lin Qingye, settled Si Yuhan on the seat next to him, then asked, “Why was that man so nice to you?”
“Is that so?”
Lin Qingye answered in a cold voice.
Ke Ruan was utterly speechless.
He turned to Si Yuhan and rubbed his hair, “You must be hungry. Have some food.”
“Are you not afraid of being poisoned?”
What? Ke Ruan didn’t expect this.
Why didn’t he find before that Lin Qingye was such a pain in the ass? Now he didn’t know if he should give it to Si Yuhan or not.
Si Yuhan, however, took it and said in a low voice, “I am a little hungry.”
“Then have some more.”
Lin Qingye looked evern more pissed off.
“Take those people we captured out!”
Having been by the general’s side for so many years, everyone could see that General Lin was mad, which could lead to a mess. So they just stood there silently. When General Lin gave the order, everyone wanted to run the errands for him so they could get out of here.
Ke Ruan sighed, “General Lin. The reason why I am here was that I was so worried about you. I don’t want anything bad happen to you.”
Lin Qingye gasped. No one noticed that what was in Si Yuhan’s hand was now like powder. His eyes were like ice in winter. So it was to help Lin Qingye that Ke Ruan went uphills regardless of his own safety. So Ke Ruan was not reborn like he was. Now he knew for sure.
But, there was some unexplainable feeling in his heart all of a sudden.
“General Lin, don’t worry. As long as you keep me by your side, I promise I’ll behave and not cause any trouble. It is what it was. It’s no use being mad at me, right?”
Si Yuhan suddenly stood up. Ke Ruan looked at him and asked, “Han, what’s wrong?”
Si Yuhan put on his poker face and said, “Nothing. I’m just tired.”
Ke Ruan also rose up, took his hand and walked with him to the bed. There was only one bed. It must be General Lin’s. But Ke Ruan assumed that General Lin wouldn’t mind. After all, Si Yuhan was just a child who needed rest more, “Go to sleep. I’m here with you.”
He was gonna let go of Si Yuhan’s hand while he felt pressure on his hand. Si Yuhan took his hand. Ke Ruan smiled. It was a good sign which meant that the leading character relied on him. He patted him on the back of Si Yuhan’s hand and said, “Good boy. I’m right here with you. I’m not going anywhere. Just have some rest.”
Si Yuhan looked right into his eyes, then closed his own eyes.
Ke Ruan sat next to Si Yuhan, looked at his young face and sighed. If he didn’t come here and replace the original Ke Ruan, who knew what would happen to this poor boy. Maybe his being here was meant-to-be. Si Yuhan was just a child, and children were simple. If one was nice to him, he would remember his kindness, otherwise he would remember his cruelty. But for most children, they would only remember the nice part, which applied to Si Yuhan perfectly.
He thought it would take a long time before he could forgive him. He didn’t expect that this boy would forgive him in such a short time.
He was such a poor boy, making Ke Ruan want to protect him.
Leaning on the pillar, Lin Qingye was looking at Ke Ruan, then Si Yuhan. The weird feeling in his heart was not gone but became stronger.
Chapter 48 Just Trying to Make up for It
Translator: Storm in a Teacup
Seeing Si Yuhan had fallen asleep, Ke Ruan let go of his hand and saw Lin Qingye was staring at him. He touched his hair and sneaked out without making any noise. Lin Qingye followed him out.
“After all this, what are you going to do with Si Yuhan?”
Ke Ruan paused as he put food into his mouth, then he just smiled. Lin Qingye was getting more and more annoyed.
“You used to hate Si Yuhan so much. Why are you suddenly being so nice to him? ”
Ke Ruan heard impatience in Lin Qingye’s voice, but he knew Lin meant well. So he just smiled and said, “I was just being young and naive. You used to hate me for what I did and helped Yuhan many times, right?”
“I didn’t help him, not exactly.”
Lin Qingye frowned. He was telling the truth. He didn’t help Si Yuhan much. He just warned him several times. To his surprise, his kindness only made Ke Ruan hate Si Yuhan more so he stopped reminding Si Yuhan.
“However, Young Master, is this not another game of yours? ”
Ke Ruan frowned. “Absolutely not. General Lin, am I that evil in your heart? ”
If it was another game of his, it would be evil more than arrogant. The original Ke Ruan was mean, but all he did was to hurt Si Yuhan’s body. But now, if he was trying to hurt him by being nice to him, that would hurt not only his body but also his heart greatly.
Lin Qingye realized he had said something wrong, so he said, “Of course not.”
Ke Ruan let out a sigh of relief and looked at the direction where Si Yuhan lay, “I’m not that kind of person. I’m just trying to make up for him. I know I used to be mean to him, so I want to right the wrong by being nice to him now. ”
Their conversation went right into Si Yuhan’s ears. His hands under the blanket clenched.
Early the next morning, Ke Ruan was awoken by the knock on the door. It was the voice of the beard man from yesterday, “General Lin, are you awake?”
He was so polite to General Lin that Ke Ruan was getting more and more curious about their relationship. The book didn’t mention that man. Actually, the book didn’t say much about the plot happned on Mountain Qiao at all.
Si Yuhan didn’t reject Ke Ruan of sleeping next to him. Maybe he didn’t hate him any more. In that case, he should make good use of Ke Ruan before killing him.
Ke Ruan turned over and saw Si Yuhan had opened his eyes. When their eyes met, Ke Ruan unconsciously put his hand over Si Yuhan’s mouth and said, “Han. We shouldn’t have been here. So let’s just stay here and don’t cause General Lin any trouble, okay?”
Si Yuhan nodded.
Ke Ruan withdrew his hand. Looking at Si Yuhan who just woke up, he reached his arms again and held him in his arms, “You looked so cute. You are such a good boy. My goodness. I love you so much.”
Si Yuhan frozed. Love?
It seemed that Lin Qingye had followed the beard man out. Ke Ruan got up slowly and streched himself, “Here’s water. Come wash your face. General Lin will be back soon. And he should be bringing us food. Are you hungry? You didn’t eat much last night.”
He ate most of the food, thinking of which he felt a little embarrassed.
Chapter 49 The Bearded Man Treated Lin Qingye Differently
Translator: Storm in a Teacup
After a while, Lin Qingye came back. He really brought some food that was enough for everyone to eat. Ke Ruan glanced at him and said, “General Lin, why did that bearded man look for you?”
“Bearded man?” Lin Qingye asked.
Ke Ruan paused for a moment. “Ah… I mean, the leader of the bandits. Why did he look for you?”
He realized that maybe Lin Qingye didn’t know whom he refered to when he said bearded man.
Lin Qingye answered, “Nothing. He asked me for breakfast.”
“For breakfast?” Ke Ruan was surprised to hear that. It was strange that the leader of bandits would be so kind to him and ask him to have breakfast together.
“Then you… have you eaten?”
Lin Qingye shaked his head and answered lightly, “No.”
Ke Ruan realized that it was a waste of time to ask that. If Lin Qingye had eaten, how could he bring the food back? He then said to Lin Qingye, “General Lin, you are so nice. You wanted to bring the food back for us, so you didn’t have breakfast with him.”
Being praised, Lin Qingye felt his face was a little hot.
“Han, come and have breakfast.”
At this moment, Lin Qingye suddenly felt Si Yuhan’s hostility towards him. In the past, Si Yuhan always treated people nonchalantly. He just ignored them and restrained himself. The only emotion he showed was hatred. But this time, he felt his hostility. He became indignant as if his possession had been coveted by someone else.
But Ke Ruan didn’t and wouldn’t sense it at all.
After they finished the breakfast, it was time to get down to business.
Ke Ruan asked, “General Lin, do you know their leader?”
Lin Qingye shook his head and said, “I don’t know him. But strangely, I feel familiar with him.”
Indeed.
“I just think he definitely knows you,” said Ke Ruan.
Lin Qingye rolled his eyes as if saying, “Aren’t you talking nonsense?” Ke Ruan was rendered speechless.
Then he said, “I just think it’s weird. General Lin, do you remember the playboy we met after we left the imperial palace?”
Lin Qingye nodded, “What do you mean?”
“What I mean is that there is a noble and arrogant guy in the capital of the country who doesn’t know you, the famous general of the country, but in such a remote town, a bandit leader of such a desolate place could even recognized you. I think it’s weird.”
Hearing this, Lin Qingye frowned. What Ke Ruan said was right.
Seeing the look on Lin Qingye’s face, Ke Ruan paused for a moment. “But it may be normal. You have a great reputation. It is therefore not a surprise that he has heard about you even though you don’t know him.”
“No matter what, the bandits must be wiped out,” said Lin Qingye.
In fact, Ke Ruan didn’t agree with this kind of method. It would be better if they could pledge loyalty to the country.
In the following few days, Lin Qingye roamed around the Qiao Mountain with the burglar
leader while Ke Ruan and Si Yuhan could only stay in this room. When people came, they had to hide themselves. This kind of life was really terrible.
Thinking of this, Ke Ruan sighed.
“Han, how long do you think it will take General Lin to become familiar with this place?” Ke Ruan asked.
During the past few days, when he talked to Si Yuhan, he could only receive a perfunctory reply like “Yes”, “Okay.”
Even though, in his view, it was already quite good.
“Han,”
Ke Ruan called his name again, but no one answered.
Ke Ruan looked around the room, not to see a single person. Si Yuhan was still there when they had breakfast. How could he suddenly disappear? These days, General Lin even had specially got some books for him to kill the time, for fear that he would get bored.
Ke Ruan suddenly stood up. He knew that Si Yuhan was not the kind of person who acted harshly. He might have secretly run out to have fun because of the boredom, or…
Ke Ruan didn’t dare to think further.
He had always been here. How could it be!
Chapter 50: Ke Ruan Was Injured Again
Translator: Storm in a Teacup
Ke Ruan walked around in the room. He anxiously waited for General Lin to come back. Then he could ask him to look for Si Yuhan.
He told himself that what he could do was just waiting.
Even though he was very worried, he tried to calm down and not to be reckless. Maybe Si Yuhan had just gone out for fun. If he also went out, it would be even more troublesome.
At this moment, the door was suddenly opened. A man appeared and bowed to Ke Ruan while greeting, “Hello, sir.”
Ke Ruan nodded as a respond. Then he suddenly thought of something and asked, “Did you see Si Yuhan?”
“Mr. Si?” The man scratched his hair and answered, “He seemed to have gone for the mountain behind the house.”
“Was he alone?”
The man nodded.
“Okay, I know.” Ke Ruan nodded and sighed in relief.
“Wait…” The man suddenly patted his head and said, “How stupid am I! There are many traps in the mountain. What if Mr. Si falls into the traps?”
“What?” Hearing this, Ke Ruan’s expression changed dramatically. “Damn it! Take me there quickly,” he said to the man.
“Sorry, I can’t. If General Lin comes back and doesn’t see you, he will be worried. I’m afraid he will blame me by then.”
Ke Ruan said, “It’s okay. I’ll go back immediately after I find Si Yuhan. I can rush back before General Lin. Hurry up! Take me there! I’m the crown prince and I’m ordering you!”
“Umm… Yes, Your Majesty,” the man finally said.
Ke Ruan followed him to the mountain. It was already late and the sky gradually darkened. ‘Would he be afraid?’ he thought.
“Sir, here we are,” the man said to Ke Ruan,
Ke Ruan immediately rushed into the mountain, not noticing the cold gaze and cruel smile of the person behind him.
“Han, where are you? Han?” He shouted as he moved forward.
Si Yuhan sat on a big tree and looked at the worried look on Ke Ruan’s face. He was in a daze for a moment. Then he smirked and said in a low voice, “Ke Ruan, you should have died here in your previous life. But you were lucky to escape it. Today, you are going to die here.”
He picked a leaf from the tree and shot it towards the bushes in the distance. The slight movement was enough to catch Ke Ruan’s attention. Ke Ruan almost immediately ran to the bushes. Soon, Si Yuhan heard the painful cry he wanted to hear from Ke Ruan.
A big trap cut deeply into Ke Ruan’s feet. He broke out in sweat because of the pain. Ke Ruan was speechless. He still hadn’t found Si Yuhan yet, but he had got injured.
He released his feet from this trap and sat in the bushes. He wiped the sweat on his forehead and looked up at the sky.
‘There are many traps in the mountain. It will be more dangerous to walk in it at night. I must find Si Yuhan as soon as possible, or the consequences will be unbearable,’ Ke Ruan thought to himself.
He struggled to stand up and picked a branch to scout the path. After getting injured, he walked more carefully. He didn’t lose his life before he could find Si Yuhan.
“Han, Han! Where are you? Han! Good boy! Come out quickly. It’s not safe here. Let me take you back, okay? Han!”
Si Yuhan clenched his fists and kept recalling how Ke Ruan treated him in the past as the anxious calling fell into his ears like magic spells. He told himself that even he died for thousands of times, it couldn’t erase his hatred towards him.
“Han, you’re here!” Ke Ruan exclaimed in surprise.
Si Yuhan was shocked. He didn’t notice that he had made a noise and therefore was discovered.
Seeing Si Yuhan, Ke Ruan breathed a sigh of relief and said softly, “I called you just now. Why didn’t you answer me? I was worried sick.”