Chapter 98: Ji Xuan’s Second Differentiation; People from the Alliance Come Knocking / Qi Bai… part 1
Luo Luo blinked his large, misty eyes, his little brow knitting into a ball. “But Big Brother, you clearly brought a big brother home a few days ago, too. I want to bring one back, too.”
The smile on Xiao Yi’s face froze instantly. His fingertips unconsciously gripped his hem, and his eyes shifted slightly. His tone carried a bit of unnatural explanation.
“It’s different… Luo Luo, that big brother was very seriously injured at the time and couldn’t take care of himself. That’s why I brought him back.”
Jiang Chenyan heard their conversation clearly. The injured big brother.
He had a guess. Could Ji Xuan be with Xiao Yi?
He had to at least go and check.
Jiang Chenyan stood up and walked forward. Lowering his eyes, he spoke unnaturally, “Uh… actually, I’m injured, too.”
As he spoke, he slowly raised his slender wrist. Several shallow scrapes on the fair skin were particularly prominent.
It might have been the streetlights, but when Jiang Chenyan looked up, a fine layer of water shimmered in his eyes, so light it was almost transparent. “If that’s the case, can you take me home, too?”
Xiao Yi: “…”
He scrutinized the person before him. Within the stranger’s contours, there was an inexplicably eerie sense of familiarity.
This request was abrupt and abnormal. Logic told Xiao Yi to refuse immediately, but meeting those eyes filled with water, a soft spot in his heart was hit. The refusal was stuck in his throat, and his feet didn’t move for a long time.
Luo Luo’s small hand quickly grabbed Xiao Yi’s hem and shook it. “That big brother looks so pitiful. Big Brother Xiao Yi, let’s take him home. He looks homeless and so lonely.”
Jiang Chenyan followed up shamelessly, “The little child is right. I am indeed currently homeless and have nowhere to go…”
If he stalled any longer, these scrapes on his wrist would heal.
the struggle in Xiao Yi’s heart finally faded. He finally relented and nodded lightly: “Alright then…”
But.
After walking a few steps, Xiao Yi frowned. “You can only stay for a few days. Once you find a place to go, you have to leave.”
“Thank you.”
Mainly, he wanted to confirm if Ji Xuan was there.
The town wasn’t prosperous and was a bit old. the bluestone path was pitted and the edges were worn shiny. The walls of the short houses on both sides had faded, and moss climbed the corners. Occasionally, there were shops with peeling signs that remained open for business. There weren’t many people coming and going; most were neighbors.
Staying in this place was actually quite good. It was very leisurely.
Jiang Chenyan’s gaze swept across the buildings by the road. As if casually, he turned his head and asked Xiao Yi beside him: “When did you move here?”
Xiao Yi didn’t stop. His profile was hidden in the mottled light and shadow, and he said nothing.
Jiang Chenyan thought the other hadn’t heard clearly, so he changed the subject and continued asking: “What’s your name?”
“Cheng Yi.”
The curve of Jiang Chenyan’s lips stiffened for an instant. Liar.
Xiao Yi paused and asked Jiang Chenyan in return: “What’s your name?”
Jiang Chenyan replied casually: “Ye. Just call me Ye.”
He didn’t give his real name either.
The two tacitly deceived each other, each hiding their own thoughts.
The place where Xiao Yi lived was exceptionally remote. He led Jiang Chenyan through a maze of narrow alleys before stopping in front of an old but tidy courtyard. It looked a bit like an old-fashioned inn.
Pushing the door and entering, there were a few employees standing around. Seeing Xiao Yi enter, they immediately smiled and greeted him: “Boss.”
Jiang Chenyan was startled. He hadn’t expected Xiao Yi to actually open a shop here and become a boss.
Xiao Yi didn’t socialize much. He turned to look at Jiang Chenyan. “I’ll bandage your wound.”
“I can do it myself.”
Jiang Chenyan waved it off. These scrapes had already healed; there was no need for bandaging.
Xiao Yi didn’t insist. He turned and went to the bar to clean the coffee machine. The sound of water was gentle. Without looking up, he suddenly asked, “You came for the injured person, right?”
Jiang Chenyan’s fingertips paused. Xiao Yi had seen through it.
He didn’t deny it, admitting it frankly: “I’m his friend.”
Xiao Yi didn’t stop his movements and nodded lightly. “I’ll take you to see him in a bit. Once his injuries have healed properly, you can just take him away.”
“Thank you.”
Xiao Yi’s cleaning movement suddenly stopped. He looked up at Jiang Chenyan.
Jiang Chenyan was puzzled. “What is it?”
“Nothing. It’s just that I always feel like I’ve heard your voice somewhere. It’s very familiar.”
“It’s probably because my voice is quite common. It’s normal to sound like someone else.”
Xiao Yi didn’t respond further. He finished washing the coffee cup in silence. After wiping it dry, he turned and signaled for him to follow. He led Jiang Chenyan to the second floor, stopping at the door of a south-facing guest room: “You’ll sleep here tonight. It’s clean.”
Jiang Chenyan nodded and said thanks, taking the toiletries Xiao Yi handed over.
He was now 80% sure the person Xiao Yi spoke of was Ji Xuan. He was somewhat worried about Ji Xuan’s condition. After staying in the room for only a bit, Jiang Chenyan went downstairs to beg Xiao Yi to take him to see the person.
Following Xiao Yi through the corridor, they reached the room at the end. Xiao Yi lightly pushed open the door and stepped aside to let Jiang Chenyan in.
The light in the room was soft. Ji Xuan was lying on the bed, his face pale to the point of being transparent. A gauze was still stuck to his temple, with a faint red stain seeping through.
His left arm was wrapped tightly in layer after layer of thick bandages, from his shoulder to his wrist. Not even his fingertips were exposed. It looked heavy, as if the bone was injured. His right leg was also wrapped in bandages and fixed on a pillow, unable to move. A thin quilt covered him. His breath was so weak one could barely see the rise and fall. Clearly, he was extremely seriously injured.
Ji Xuan was awake. His eyes were somewhat unfocused. Hearing the sound, he slowly looked up. When he saw that the newcomer was Jiang Chenyan, his eyes instantly lit up. His voice was raspy and tight: “Brother, you’re here!”
At this, Xiao Yi was much more relieved. It seemed the two did indeed know each other.
He left the space for the two of them, thoughtfully closing the door as he left.
Jiang Chenyan walked quickly to the bedside. His gaze landed on Ji Xuan’s bandage-wrapped limbs, his brow furrowed. “How did you get so seriously injured? It doesn’t look like an ordinary attack at all. What exactly happened?”
The corners of Ji Xuan’s lips twitched. His face was too pale to have the strength to smile. “I was surrounded and attacked in a daze. I almost checked out there.”
After a while, he looked up at Jiang Chenyan. “Are you here specifically to take me back? But as you can see, I can’t even move my body, let alone walk.”
“Better for me to stay here and recover. Once I’m a bit better, we can leave together.”
There was no other way right now. Jiang Chenyan frowned and agreed. “We’ll have to do that for now. But I’ll contact Shen Shiyue and their side’s airship immediately to pick us up as soon as possible. We can’t stay in this place long.”
Jiang Chenyan rubbed his brow, his head aching slightly.
Ji Xuan was still asking, “So when will the airship roughly arrive?”
“It should be within this week.” Jiang Chenyan replied patiently.
Ji Xuan’s expression was complex. One couldn’t tell if it was disappointment or melancholy; there wasn’t a hint of happiness. Jiang Chenyan frowned, suspecting that this man wanted to stay here and didn’t want to leave at all.
“Recover well. I’ll arrange the follow-up matters.”
After giving his instructions, Jiang Chenyan closed the door and turned to leave.
Walking back to his own small room, the exhaustion of the day’s travel surged up. Jiang Chenyan rubbed his sore brow. After sitting down, he immediately took out his communicator and organized what had happened today to send to Shen Shiyue and the others.
Immediately after the message was successfully sent, Shen Shiyue’s call came through.
His fingertips paused. After picking up, before he could speak, Shen Shiyue’s voice carrying a hint of a smile came through the screen: “Did you miss me?”
Jiang Chenyan’s eyebrow tilted slightly. “You guess.”
“I guess you definitely did.” Shen Shiyue’s voice was wrapped in an intense, inseparable tenderness. “We haven’t gathered for a long time. Without holding you at night, I can’t even sleep soundly. My head is full of…”
Halfway through, a surge of heat suddenly hit the tips of Jiang Chenyan’s ears. His Adam’s apple rolled slightly. “…”
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