Chapter 66: Riding the Waves – Little Xie Feigns Illness + Bixia Visits the Sick + The River Tide Assists…
The arrows were as thick as rain!
Yingzi’s retreat was already cut off, and Xie Qianli had arrived before him.
Although the Longchuan was huge, the space for maneuvering on the main cabin’s roof was limited. This medium distance perfectly displayed the advantage of Xie Qianli’s long weapon.
The spearhead thrust forward, and Yingzi hurriedly dodged!
The essence of the “Phoenix Nodding Three Times” technique lay in attacking three areas almost simultaneously.
Yingzi avoided the first spot but couldn’t dodge the second and third. He took a spear thrust to both his chest and abdomen; logically, both hit vital points.
Yet what the spearhead pulled out was blood-stained iron wire.
Yingzi wore flexible body armor underneath.
This person was greedy for wealth and cherished his life, possessing a vile personality. He likely knew beforehand that this trip was fraught with danger and had thus made foolproof preparations.
It was hard to imagine how Little Xi, before ascending the throne, managed to deal with this cunning old fox just to succeed the throne.
A ball of fire blocked Xie Qianli’s heart, and the palm gripping the spear ached from squeezing so tightly.
He switched to swinging the Youlong E, using heavy blunt force aiming to shatter Yingzi’s heart and lungs.
The bone-chilling murderous intent made Yingzi provoke Xie Qianli while dodging, taking the opportunity to look for flaws: “He is already your uncle’s person. How could the late Emperor bear not to lay hands on such a beauty?”
“While you were away, the late Emperor demanded him many times. They committed incest; he is your little aunt!”
“You picking up a catamite played with by your uncle—does it ruin the Xie family’s reputation and betray the Grand Princess’s teachings to you…”
The river wind masked their conversation.
Only the clear light scattered wildly. The heavy blows from the spear shaft arrived abruptly, completely undisturbed.
Yingzi knew he couldn’t face this great calamity. In that instant, he gathered his qi and used a life-saving external martial art from his sect, forcefully enduring Xie Qianli’s heavy blow. He was instantly swatted far away by the Youlong E, like a polo ball being struck.
Yingzi smashed onto the deck!
After landing, he spat out blood foam, collapsed to the ground, and closed his eyes.
If it were an ordinary person, they would certainly be dead.
The Longwujun soldiers were just about to verify the corpse, but unexpectedly, a thick cloud of white smoke burst out of thin air on the deck. The smoke billowed and instantly dispersed; in just a moment, the deck of the Longchuan turned into a vast sea of fog.
A soldier with rich Jianghu experience yelled: “He’s trying to escape! It’s a smoke bomb!”
The crowd blocked the paths of retreat but ultimately couldn’t catch up in time.
Clinging to his last breath, Yingzi rolled across the deck, then flipped over the crowd and plunged into the river!
The green-and-red-intertwined water surface was instantly churned into chaos.
The soldiers rushed to the edge of the ship to search.
The river surface was vast and hazy; Yingzi had long since vanished without a trace.
After the fierce battle, the soldiers cleared the wreckage and washed the ship’s deck with river water.
The sun was nearing dusk, and the twilight cast its glow upon the river. Under the reflection of the red sunset, it gave the illusion that the fresh blood couldn’t be washed clean.
Ying Xi took two bowls of medicinal soup on time. The decoction was bitter and astringent, but he tried to remain calm.
Lian Qing’s action of taking the bowl wasn’t as smooth as Yu Jing’s. Afterward, he followed the Emperor walking on the deck. The cloak fluttered loudly in the wind; he was stiff and respectful.
From the lookout post, a soldier suddenly called out: “A fishing boat!”
Several other soldiers muttered: “Hasn’t a navigation ban been issued? Where did a fishing boat come from?” “Go drive it away quickly!”…
The voices over there were noisy. Seeing it from afar, Ying Xi instructed Lian Qing to inquire about the situation.
Lian Qing reported back: “The soldiers discovered a small boat secretly fishing.”
Ying Xi lowered his eyes and sighed softly: “Fishing along the river is the livelihood of the common people. It was Zhen ‘s order to start the war that disturbed them. Zhen fears the common people will be injured due to the crossfire, so order the Longwujun to issue a warning only; no physical punishment is allowed.”
Lian Qing: “And if they don’t listen in the future?”
“Life and death are determined by fate; Zhen will fight a quick and decisive battle,” Ying Xi said.
“Yes.”
Passing by the wounded area, Ying Xi saw many injured soldiers. The wounded soldiers struggled to get up to bow. Ying Xi had seen that naval battle with his own eyes; how could he bear it?
Ying Xi waived their formalities.
After expressing his condolences, he returned to the cabin with Lian Qing and told Lian Qing that if the Imperial Court had money, they still needed to improve the treatment of soldiers.
The Emperor’s words were naturally decrees of gold and jade, regardless of whether anyone else was around to witness them.
So Lian Qing looked at Ying Xi as if looking at a living Bodhisattva and the God of Wealth, instantly smiling a bit foolishly.
Ying Xi said: “For all trades and professions under heaven to develop, the stability of the state is the foundation. Failing the imperial examinations allows one to test again; merchants losing money can earn it back. Only joining the army requires staking one’s life at all times; this is what you deserve.”
Lian Qing reined in his foolish smile.
If he was just feeling grateful to the Emperor a moment ago, now his eye rims were reddening.
A scholar dies for his confidant; this has been true since ancient times, and this was generally it.
“Why don’t I see Minister Xie?” Ying Xi asked casually.
Lian Qing cried out “Oops” in his heart, daring not to tease at all on his face, and answered obediently: “The General usually checks on the brothers’ injuries first, and only bandages himself after checking.”
“He’s injured?”
Just now, to draw the assassin’s attention, Xie Qianli took the Yuchang Jian head-on.
Although he blocked it with his bracer, no one knew exactly how it was. Given that assassin’s skills, his sword couldn’t possibly be an ordinary item.
Lian Qing felt the problem wasn’t huge but didn’t dare answer recklessly, weighing his words carefully in his mind.
Ying Xi said: “Then take Zhen to visit Minister Xie.”
“O-Okay, okay!”
The main general’s cabin was ultimately a private space.
Even though Ying Xi could enter anywhere, Lian Qing should still be sent to inform first. Ying Xi waited outside.
Lian Qing took the order and walked in. The interior furnishings were extremely simple, taking it all in at a single glance.
Xie Qianli had taken off his battle armor. The Yuchang Jian was sharp and unyielding; the bracer was cleaved straight through the middle. Fortunately, only the superficial skin was broken underneath, but the force of the collision left his arm covered in bruises. He had just hastily applied some medicinal powder to himself.
Lian Qing: “General, your injury…”
Xie Qianli cut him off: “It’s nothing.”
“Oh,” Lian Qing paused. “Then Bixia wants to come see…”
Xie Qianli’s brow twitched!
A secret joy rippled out layer by layer. Without leaving a trace, he pulled a bandage from the medicine box. Upon turning around, his stern face remained impassive: “Welcome Bixia in. You, step out.”
Lian Qing: “Yes.”
The Emperor walked in, and Lian Qing closed the door behind him.
When closing the door, he carefully peeked into the room one last time. He couldn’t see clearly; the smell of medicinal powder reached his nose, mixed with the residual scent of the palace’s imperial incense from when Bixia just passed by. Lian Qing’s nose twitched slightly.
The Grandpa Falcon, resting right on the cabin window, scratched and clawed at him, chasing him away.
“Minister Xie.”
Xie Qianli was half-lying on the bed.
The room smelled entirely of medicine. Xie Qianli’s arm was wrapped in bandages. As the Emperor approached, he tried to get out of bed but stumbled for a moment and was caught by Ying Xi.
“Waive the formalities.”
When those hands touched him, Xie Qianli’s body trembled slightly.
Of course he knew what he did was wrong, perhaps carrying the suspicion of deceiving the Sovereign, but an injury did need to be bandaged; he had just handled it too carelessly earlier.
Xie Qianli engaged in a heavenly struggle within his heart, speaking politely with a bland expression: “Many thanks for Bixia ‘s concern. Chen has long since recovered.”
Ying Xi asked: “Why did you take that sword strike head-on?”
Xie Qianli answered frankly: “The assassin’s martial arts are profound, and he is cunning and vicious. Chen feared that opening up a distance with the assassin would play into his evil scheme. Chen bears the heavy responsibility of protecting the Imperial Carriage and had to stall him.”
The sincerity in these words, combined with the earnestness revealed by his actions, made Ying Xi feel a kind of burning warmth in the cold position of Supreme Ruler.
In their youth, it was also him, also dealing with Yingzi.
Ju’er had stood in front of him countless times.
Since becoming Emperor, he had to consider the dignity of the state at all times, appearing strong.
And when Ying Xi recalled that he too could hide behind someone, seeking shelter, the Emperor felt a very special sensation.
Ying Xi slightly curled the corners of his mouth into a faint smile.
He pointed to that injured arm: “Let Zhen take a look.”
“…” I absolutely cannot let you see this!!!
Xie Qianli’s mind instantly exploded, his thoughts roaring.
Setting aside the tight schedule and his haphazard bandaging, given Little Xi’s ice-clear intelligence, if he noticed anything amiss, how would he ever explain himself?
Guilt made Xie Qianli actually pull his arm back instead.
But this perfectly met Ying Xi extending his palm to touch his arm. One advancing, one retreating, they awkwardly missed each other completely.
Xie Qianli immediately felt deeply apologetic.
Ying Xi, on the other hand, felt a flash of gloom: Ju’er likes women.
Just earlier on the deck, using him as a signal to locate the assassin drew an overreaction from Xie Qianli, let alone now when he was openly trying to make contact.
Ying Xi didn’t know where the surge of annoyance in his heart originated from.
He suddenly remembered what Xie Qianli had just said—the word “responsibility.” It was simply because he was executing his duties, doing his job faithfully, nothing more.
Ying Xi regained his composure and said: “Then Zhen will find a military doctor to look at you.”
The person of his affections sitting by his bed had only stayed for a moment and was leaving because of his own breach of etiquette.
Xie Qianli’s heart hung in midair, feeling even more ashamed, and he panicked: ” Bixia , wait a moment!”
His tone was urgent, truly uncharacteristic.
Even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, his expression wouldn’t change. Hearing that the Longchuan was going to sink, he could still respond calmly. This was the usual Ju’er.
Ying Xi naturally sat back in his original spot, tilting his head slightly: “What is it?”
Lightning flashed rapidly in Xie Qianli’s mind: ” Bixia does not wish to display a posture of weakness before the generals; Weichen (this humble subject) feels the same. Weichen … fears that an injured body is unsightly and might displease the Holy One. Therefore, Weichen pulled his hand back. Weichen , Wei —”
To tell a lie, it had to be reasonable and logical. Deceiving another supremely intelligent being was truly difficult.
Xie Qianli’s tone grew increasingly urgent, the tips of his ears dyeing a layer of crimson.
That appearance fell into Ying Xi’s eyes, reminding him of a hound his father kept in the Yongning Prince Manor, one that always loved to nuzzle him randomly.
The situation doubled Ying Xi’s faint, shallow joy, while also exacerbating his unspeakable sense of sourness.
He simply said faintly: “Ju’er, stop calling yourself Weichen . It’s tiresome to hear.”
Xie Qianli’s eyes abruptly lit up with a sky full of stars.
He felt excited because of that childhood nickname.
And because Ying Xi was unwilling to address him as ruler and subject here, his heart pounded wildly, bursting with an exhilarating joy.
He wanted to be intimate with Little Xi, but was Little Xi still willing to let him be intimate?
Outsiders would never know that the British Duke in the military—clad in snow-bright silver armor, cold as frost, a man deemed heroic and ruthless—only when facing Ying Xi would become rash and full of anxiety, still that naive youth who had mistakenly intruded into Fanglan Dian.
His Adam’s apple bobbed, swallowing a gulp of saliva.
He pressed his lips tight, scrutinizing Ying Xi, but ultimately couldn’t glean half an answer from Ying Xi’s face.
Was that intimacy just now merely bestowing a favor upon him?
Buzz, buzz…
Buzz…
The teacup inside the cabin rattled in its tray.
The bottles and jars in the medicine box clinked together, emitting a string of rustling sounds.
Right at this moment, the Longchuan seemed to have entered a turbulent stretch of water again, and the cabin began to pitch.
The hull rocked, seemingly hitting a large wave, causing the entire Longchuan to heave up and down.
As the Longchuan lifted high, Ying Xi couldn’t maintain his seat in the chair by the bed!
He stumbled forward, plunging right onto Xie Qianli’s bed.
His forehead crashed into Xie Qianli’s chest, like startling a fierce beast in the forest.
Xie Qianli’s muscles instantly pulled taut all over!
Then the ship pitched backward.
Fearing Ying Xi would fall off the bed, Xie Qianli pressed against Ying Xi’s back, inadvertently pressing Ying Xi even tighter into his embrace.
The clear bitterness of herbal medicine, mixed with a strong masculine scent, flooded Ying Xi’s nose.
The sheer physical robustness of Xie Qianli raised goosebumps all over him, instantly kindling a tremor that an Emperor should never experience.
He wanted to get up, but the waves kept coming.
Amidst the tossing and swaying, his cheeks and eye rims had long since flushed red. Unable to support his own body, their pushing and resisting only led to their clothes entangling further.
Until the tide gradually subsided.
Ying Xi felt like he was about to be cooked through. A hand steadied him firmly; Xie Qianli’s solid palm was like a branding iron, pressed tightly against him. The high temperature sent waves of numbness shooting up from his tailbone.
Both of them were left completely flustered by the waves.
Ying Xi raised his eyes from Xie Qianli’s body. Steadier now that his arm was supported, they finally opened up some distance. The Emperor’s long eyelashes were moist.
” Bixia ?”
Ying Xi didn’t hesitate; he strategically and rapidly began to cough: “Cough, cough cough cough, cough…”
Recommended Reads
![Those Years When the Son of Destiny Was Severely Scammed [Quick Transmigration]](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/QUICK-TRANSMIGRATION1-214x300.jpg)
