Tan Hua - Chapter 105: Stealing the Wall’s Corner

Chapter 105: Stealing the Wall’s Corner

“Li Qing!”

Just as Song Liqing was at a loss for how to respond, Qi Miao called out loudly. Song Liqing immediately bolted.

“Coming!”

“Hey! You little medic! Give me an answer when you come back…”

Wu Datou tried to stop him, but the man was gone in the blink of an eye.

Qi Miao had called Song Liqing out of the tent and asked, “Liqing, come take a walk with me.”

“Let’s go, let’s go!”

Song Liqing grabbed his arm, dragging him along with a flustered expression as if fleeing for his life. They ran until they reached the banks of the Withered Wood River, where Song Liqing finally stopped, panting.

“Thank goodness you saved me, Brother Qi Miao.”

“What’s so scary? Did you see a ghost?” Qi Miao teased.

“Nothing, haha!”

Catching his breath, Song Liqing thought about what had just happened and began laughing heartily.

He didn’t feel offended by Wu Datou. These rough soldiers were straightforward and direct, far more likable than the scheming, deceitful people in the capital.

Song Liqing accompanied Qi Miao along the riverbank until they stopped in front of a poplar tree stump.

“Liqing, do you remember this place?” Qi Miao said, standing before the stump. “This is where my father died.”

“Mm.”

That night, as they fled, Old Master Qi had been murdered here by Crown Prince Xiao.

“I volunteered to serve as the army’s physician because I wanted to come back here and see if I could retrieve any of my father’s remains.”

After saying that, Qi Miao bent down, searching around the stump. He even knelt to sift through the fallen leaves for a long time, but found nothing.

Song Liqing didn’t know how to comfort him. The pain of losing a loved one was not something that words could easily alleviate.

Qi Miao smiled, shook his head, stood up, and brushed the dirt off his clothes. He picked up a fallen poplar leaf and carefully tucked it into his sleeve pocket.

“Perhaps my father’s remains sank to the riverbed, or maybe they’ve turned to dust—who knows,” Qi Miao said softly.

“Brother Qi Miao, my condolences,” Song Liqing said gently.

Qi Miao sat down on the stump, staring at the muddy, rolling river water. It seemed like he was confiding in someone, or maybe just talking to himself.

“You know, I used to wish he would die sooner… He was so strict with me, forcing me to learn things I didn’t want to, always scolding or beating me. He’d go on and on about the Qi family’s single lineage, about scholarly purity, and even forced me to enroll in the academy. When I abandoned literature for medicine, he completely turned his back on me and declared he would sever ties. I didn’t set foot in the Qi residence for five years, not until they sent word that my mother was critically ill. Only then did I rush back.”

Qi Miao paused briefly, choked with emotion as he mentioned his mother.

“But after studying medicine for so long, I couldn’t save her. I could only watch as she passed away. I hated my father for that—hated him for being so harsh, hated him for waiting until my mother was dying to inform me. I had a terrible thought back then: I wished he had died in her place… Then one day, he really fell gravely ill. I was the only one on duty at the imperial hospital, so I softened and went to the Qi residence. The once-imposing Lord Qi couldn’t even speak, lying there weak and frail. I thought I’d gloat or mock him, but I didn’t say anything. All I felt was that the once-grand Qi residence, now so empty, and the once-strict Lord Qi, had aged so much. He looked… like someone at the brink of death. That day, I finally began to speak with him again. It was a sort of reconciliation.”

“And now he’s truly gone, just as I wished. But I’m not happy—far from it. I feel regret, deep regret… Regret for wasting so many years out of spite. I never felt any fatherly love from him; all he wanted was a son who could read and become an official. But that night… he chose to let me live. He wanted me to live, Liqing.”

Qi Miao was moved, tears brimming in his eyes. Before they could fall, he wiped them away.

He composed himself and said, “Hating someone only traps you in place. You think you’re punishing them, but you’re really imprisoning yourself. Yesterday is irretrievable; every second we live is a new beginning. Do you understand, Liqing?”

Qi Miao turned to see Song Liqing’s serious but confused expression. He couldn’t help but laugh and ruffle his hair.

“Why am I telling you all this? You’re too young to understand. Let’s go back; there are still dozens of wounded soldiers to treat.”

Song Liqing followed Qi Miao back, a chord in his heart plucked. He felt as though he understood, and yet he didn’t. The more he thought, the more his head hurt, so he stopped.

…

When Jun Qiyu returned to the command tent, he was still haunted by that faint fragrance. It had been so vivid—it couldn’t have been a hallucination!

That night, Jun Qiyu decided to investigate alone.

Instead of entering the medical tent directly, he lingered outside, listening. When he faintly heard Song Liqing’s voice, he cut a small opening in the tent and removed his blindfold to see clearly.

Sure enough, Song Liqing was inside.

Song Liqing had secretly joined the army without his knowledge. The thought infuriated Jun Qiyu. He worried about Song Liqing getting hurt, yet here he was, recklessly risking himself.

At that moment, someone else in the tent was handing Song Liqing a bundle.

It was none other than Wu Datou.

“Little medic, this is everything I’ve saved over the years—not much, but it’s not nothing. If you’re willing, take it.”

The bundle contained several silver ingots and some banknotes.

“I don’t want it,” Song Liqing said, not taking it.

“Is it too little? I know, you’re from the capital, so you probably look down on my meager savings.” Wu Datou looked disheartened. “But I’m sincere. Think about it?”

Song Liqing shook his head vigorously. “Who wants to be your concubine? Go find someone else.”

“Not a concubine, then. Let’s build a life together. I’m a soldier, and you’re a medic—aren’t we a perfect match?” Wu Datou tried his best to sell himself. “Besides, a position for a squad leader just opened up in our camp. I heard General Yuchi wants to promote me. Once that happens, I’ll be an officer. With me, your future’s guaranteed—I’ll make sure you live well.”

Jun Qiyu finally understood. This damn Wu Datou was already after his person!

“Defense against outsiders is easy; defense against traitors is hard! Stealing from me? Dream on!”

The more Jun Qiyu thought about it, the angrier he became, practically fuming.

He didn’t notice someone behind him until a booming voice interrupted.

“You there, sneaking around—what are you doing?!”

It was General Yuchi’s loud voice.

“Shh—be quiet!” Jun Qiyu hissed, lowering his voice.

When General Yuchi got closer, he saw who it was and laughed. “Ah, Your Highness! I thought it was someone sneaky.”

But it was too late. With Yuchi’s arrival, there was no doubt the people inside had heard them.

“There’s something interesting inside. Take a look.”

Jun Qiyu quickly retreated.

General Yuchi had never seen the prince so flustered. Amused, he turned to look through the slit in the tent.

“You there! What are you looking at?!”

This time, it was Wu Datou, limping out of the tent.

“I… uh… no, it’s not… damn it!” General Yuchi, at a loss for words, could only curse.