C129. Angry.

C129. Angry.

Chu Hechao's clothes dripped with water, leaving wet footprints with each step.

Behind him were seven or eight soldiers, the head he was carrying obscured by hair, dripping water onto the floor.

Yuan Li's eyes widened as he stared, his worry not yet dissipating but unexpected joy surging within.

Yang Zhongfa exclaimed joyfully, "General!"

Chu Hechao's face was covered in mud, his hair disheveled. Seeing them eating, he stopped a couple of steps away from the table and smiled at them, "I'm back."

He looked weary and worn out, but his eyes were as sharp and alert as a tiger's, his unkempt beard adding to his rugged appearance. Despite his bedraggled state from coming in the rain, his tall figure standing there was like a tranquilizing needle, bringing a sense of calmness to everyone's hearts.

Yuan Li observed him from head to toe, noting his appearance, and finally breathed a sigh of relief, "It's good that you're back."

He quickly glanced at the head in Chu Hechao's hand.

That must be Li Li's head.

Normally, if a task was completed, the system would immediately inform Yuan Li, just like the successful capture of bandits by Wu Kai. But this time, even though Chu Hechao had clearly killed Li Li, the system remained silent. It seemed that in the system's assessment, Chu Hechao killing Li Li did not count as Yuan Li completing the task.

Yuan Li had already thought about this outcome, although a bit disappointed, but as long as everyone is safe, that's what matters.

"Mm."

Chu Hechao replied, his gaze shifting between Yuan Li.

After a few days of not seeing each other, he looked thinner, his face showing signs of fatigue, and seemed a bit weary.

He shifted his gaze towards Yang Zhongfa, "Are you here to support me?"

"Yes, Lord Yuan was worried that General, you might encounter Wu Shanshi's army," Yang Zhongfa said with relief, "fortunately, you returned safely."

Chu Hechao listened quietly, handed the severed head to a soldier, and sat down at the table, back straight, calmly saying, "I did indeed encounter Wu Shanshi's army."

Yuan Li, Yang Zhongfa, and the others were shocked at his words.

Chu Hechao smirked, "But I didn't engage with them. Wu Shanshi was also after Li Li to kill, but he had too many infantry troops, not as fast as my cavalry. When I caught Li Li on the way back, I encountered Wu Shanshi. My scouts had spotted their army in advance. The difference in strength was too great, so I left behind Li Li's useless baggage, taking only Li Li and his treasures with me, leading the cavalry around Wu Shanshi's army."

"Wait," Yuan Li's eyes lit up, "You brought back Li Li? Then whose head are you carrying?"

Chu Hechao glanced at the soldier.

The soldier lifted the head, revealed a pale, shocked face.

Yuan Li didn't recognize this person, furrowing his brow, "Who is this?"

"A strategist named Wang Yun who was by Wu Shanshi's side," Chu Hechao said slowly, his hands resting on his legs, "Although I avoided Wu Shanshi's army with my cavalry, I couldn't let my guard down, so I secretly sent scouts to follow behind Wu Shanshi's army, to see if they would pursue us. The scouts witnessed Wu Shanshi angrily killing his own strategist."

Chu Hechao smirked, "It seems that Wu Shanshi saw the abandoned baggage and dead soldiers of Li Li's convoy, realized that Li Li had been killed by someone else first, and that's why he angrily killed the strategist who suggested collaborating with Li Li... My scouts witnessed this scene, and as soon as Wu Shanshi left, they brought me this head. I'm not sure if it's useful, so I brought it back for you to see."

"Wu Shanshi..." Yuan Li shook his head, "He's even more reckless than I imagined..."

As for Wang Yun's head, Yuan Li seemed to be thinking, maybe there was some potential use for it.

But suddenly, Yuan Li sniffed, his expression changing, "Are you injured?"

Chu Hechao replied calmly, "No."

Yuan Li sniffed again, suspiciously, "But I smell blood."

"It must be the blood from that head or maybe the blood spattered on me from the people I killed," Chu Hechao said, pushing the table and getting up, "I'll go change my clothes, then you won't smell it."

Thinking back to Chu Hechao, who would even cry out in pain when pricked by a bed board, Yuan Li didn't dwell on it, "Alright, go change your clothes quickly, you don't want to catch a cold. No need to rush to bathe, do it after you finish eating."

Chu Hechao agreed, then asked Yang Zhongfa a few questions outside the door.

His questions were nothing more than what had happened in Luoyang these days, whether Yuan Li had been in danger, if he had eaten well, what he did daily, and if he was in good spirits.

Before Chu Hechao left, Yang Zhongfa took on the responsibility of looking after Yuan Li on his behalf. Yang Zhongfa recounted everything clearly to Chu Hechao.

Chu Hechao patiently listened, glancing at Yuan Li in the candlelit hall, noticing that the young man seemed thinner, "Looks like he has lost weight."

Yang Zhongfa got goosebumps, feeling more nervous than when he first got married. He was afraid of Chu Hechao's reprimand, so he tried to say something nice, "Lord Yuan has been too busy and worried about the General that he hasn't been eating well..."

After standing for a moment, Chu Hechao said, "Fine, you can go back now."

About a quarter of an hour later, Chu Hechao returned after changing his clothes.

Yuan Li had the meal reheated, and when Chu Hechao came back, he casually asked, "Why are you taking so long to change clothes?"

Chu Hechao replied calmly, "I had someone detain Li Li."

Yuan Li understood, "And what are you planning to do with him?"

Chu Hechao's lips pressed into a firm line, his eyes deep, "I want to personally kill him in front of my parents' graves."

"Good," Yuan Li responded, "That way, we can properly honor the souls of your parents."

Chu Hechao tucked his hair behind his ear, "Hmm."

Zheng Rong couldn't help but turn to Wu Kai and exclaim, "The bond between the Lord and the General is truly profound."

Wu Kai nodded stiffly.

To celebrate Chu Hechao's return, Yuan Li had the kitchen prepare some extra special dishes. However, Chu Hechao only picked at a few dishes nearby and didn't touch the ones further away.

Yuan Li found this strange, "Don't you usually like meat and fish? Why are you only eating vegetarian dishes today?"

"Just changing my appetite," Chu Hechao casually replied, "These vegetarian dishes are not bad."

Yuan Li furrowed his brow at this, gently setting down his chopsticks, and stared directly at Chu Hechao. His gaze felt as heavy as a mountain on Chu Hechao's shoulders.

Chu Hechao quickly averted his eyes for a moment before meeting Yuanli's gaze again, patiently asking, "What's wrong?"

"Are you hiding something from me?" Yuan Li said firmly, "Chu Hechao, something isn't right with you."

Chu Hechao's heart raced, and he vaguely replied, "No."

Yuan Li simply continued to gaze at him in silence.

The young man's demeanor was not aggressive, and his eyes remained calm. However, Chu Hechao felt a hint of fear deep inside. He rubbed his temples, cursing himself for being cowardly.

How could he be afraid of his wife? Despite this, he whispered softly, "Let's talk after dinner in the room, okay? You've lost weight these past few days, eat well to replenish yourself."

Yuan Li pursed his lips, his pale lips straight, choosing to remain silent.

Chu Hechao continued, "I've been on the go for several days without a break, I just need a good rest."

This time, Yuan Li stood up directly, "Chu Hechao, I've told you before to be honest with me. I dislike being lied to or deceived. You two continue eating, I'm not hungry."

As Yuan Li turned to leave, Chu Hechao immediately grabbed him. However, his movement was too forceful, causing the wound on his waist to split open, his face paling as the scent of blood filled the air.

Yuan Li turned back to him, his expression turning ugly, "You've indeed been injured."

Chu Hechao held onto his hand, "It's just a minor injury, it'll be fine in a few days."

Yuan Li's expression shifted, clearly not believing his words. He turned to Lin Tian and ordered firmly, "Quick, fetch a physician."

He had the servants prepare hot water and bandages for the wound, hastily arranging a room for Chu Hechao to lie down in. "Lie still and let me see the wound."

Chu Hechao obediently lay down, his eyes fixed on Yuanli's face, "Don't be angry."

Yuan Li clenched his lips tightly, ignoring him. He quickly opened Chu Hechao's robe and saw that the bandage around his waist was soaked with blood. Drops of sweat formed on Chu Hechao's chest due to the pain.

With that appearance, was he really trying to act as if nothing had happened?

Yuan Li felt like laughing in anger. Burning with fury, he carefully removed the bandage and asked, "What kind of injury is this?"

Realizing there was no point in hiding anymore, Chu Hechao honestly admitted, "It's a knife wound."

As he spoke, the bandage came off, revealing a gruesome knife wound on his waist, oozing blood with each breath Chu Hechao took.

The sight of the wound was terrifying, and Yuan Li's face darkened. He took a deep breath and conducted a professional examination, realizing that the attacker had intended to kill Chu Hechao with the force used.

Thankfully, Chu Hechao managed to evade the full impact, but it was still evident how grave the situation had been.

Chu Hechao reached out and touched Yuan Li's face, his lips turning pale, yet he managed a weak smile, soothingly saying, "I'm fortunate, I'll be fine."

"Stay quiet," Yuan Li immediately ordered, "I don't want to talk to you right now."

He was unhappy, very unhappy.

It wasn't just because a man was injured, but because he had suffered such a serious wound, yet still came in the rain and tried to hide it to act as if nothing had happened, which made Yuan Li even more upset.

Yuan Li was filled with frustration, feeling uncomfortable with himself.

Without glancing at Chu Hechao, he coldly turned to the personal guard standing nearby and demanded, "You, tell me, how did your General sustain this injury?"

The personal guard looked hesitantly at Chu Hechao.

Chu Hechao nodded slightly, prompting the guard to explain the situation, "In order to swiftly pursue Li Li and catch up to him, the General and all of us removed our armor and traveled a thousand miles to track him down. However, while trying to capture Li Li alive, the General was stabbed by a hidden dagger."

Yuan Li remained expressionless upon hearing this, his lips pressed tighter as he silently cleaned the blood around the wound.

By the time the physician arrived, Yuan Li had already finished bandaging Chu Hechao.

In truth, whether the physician arrived or not was irrelevant. Yuan Li was a dedicated learner, and ever since the medical book had been included as a reward in the system, he had been studying its contents. After all, having life-saving knowledge gave him peace of mind.

He had achieved mastery and was on par with any physician he had trained. Still, his instinctive call for a physician after seeing Chu Hechao injured stemmed from his panic and lack of self-assurance.

After the physician examined Chu Hechao, he nodded in approval, "The wound has been well bandaged. The General has safely passed through the most critical days; he just needs to rest and recuperate slowly."

Yuan Li remarked, "He was out in the rain with his wound."

The physician was taken aback and looked at Chu Hechao with concern, "General, this..."

Despite his disapproval, he dared not speak directly, only sighing and preparing medicine for Chu Hechao's fever, urging him to take it.

By the time everything was settled, it was late at night.

The sound of rain outside and the cool breeze seeping through the door crack filled the room.

Yuan Li tucked Chu Hechao in, his expression impassive as he stood up and instructed the personal guard to keep a close eye on him.

Chu Hechao sensed something amiss, "Where are you going?"

"To my room," Yuan Li replied. "I know you're in pain and want me to stay by your side, but I'm angry right now. I don't want to see you or talk to you tonight. Let's discuss things after I've calmed down. I need time to cool off."

With that, Yuan Li turned and left.

Chu Hechao watched in silence as Yuan Li closed the door without a word. He took a deep breath, veins bulging on his forehead, and suddenly thumped the bed, his eyes fierce, muttering a curse under his breath.

The personal guards were startled.

They had assumed the General was angry with Yuan Li, but looking at his expression, it seemed like he was angry with himself.

The guards exchanged puzzled looks.

What was wrong with the General in his confusion?