bayedsolid Chapter 308: Time is short and long
Chapter 308: Time is short and long
Who is bored? Isn’t it Xiao Yihuo who is just trying to make conversation?
Good intentions backfired.
The three of them remained silent after that. After returning to the inn, they each went back to their own rooms. Lin Lezhi was not on the same floor as Xiao Yihuo and the others, so he just went to his own floor and pretended to go back to his room.
Xiao Yihuo and Liu Yunhe's rooms have to pass through Qingchuan's room.
When the two returned, they saw that the lights in Qingchuan's room were off, so they did not disturb him and went back to their own rooms.
However, when Lin Lezhi saw Qingchuan appear at the tables and chairs in the rest area for guests on his floor, he showed a little surprise in his eyes, but then he thought of something and the surprise in his eyes disappeared.
Lin Lezhi smiled and walked forward, lowering his voice and saying, "Brother Qingchuan is worried about being discovered by Xiao Xu, so he came here to wait for me."
He originally wanted to wait until both of them returned to the house before he secretly went to look for Qingchuan.
Qingchuan nodded and said, "Ah Xu has excellent hearing, so this is safer."
Lin Lezhi has a deep understanding of this.
"Then let's go."
"Brother Lezhi, won't you sit down and rest for a while?"
"No, no, I rested before." Lin Lezhi said with a hint of apology in his eyes, "It's me who came back too late. I must have kept Brother Qingchuan waiting for a long time."
Qingchuan stood up and said, "It's okay, I just got here not long ago."
In order to avoid being noticed as much as possible, the two of them left through the back door of the inn and headed into the woods.
As midnight approached, the streets were deserted and all households had turned off the lights and gone to sleep. The moonlight sprinkled on the bluestone slabs, and given the late autumn, it seemed a bit quiet and cold.
For fear of being discovered, the two men did not even bring lanterns to explore.
On the quiet street, only the footsteps of two people could be heard.
Come to think of it, this seemed to be the first time he and Qingchuan were truly alone together.
Ever since he told himself last time in the forest not to get too involved in Xiao Yihuo's affairs, Lin Lezhi didn't know how to get along with Qingchuan.
Liu Yunhe's thoughts are written on his face and are easy to guess.
Xiao Yihuo can be considered as half a son to him, so he can understand his temperament and character to some extent.
Qingchuan is gentle and kind to others, and his behavior is reassuring, but he feels inexplicably distant.
"Brother Lezhi, are you still worried about what happened in the forest?"
Qingchuan asked as they stepped into the forest and the town was isolated.
Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed across Lin Lezhi's eyes. Qingchuan accurately expressed what he was thinking.
Lin Lezhi felt awkward and at a loss for some reason, and quickly explained, "I wouldn't say I mind, I just feel... quite sorry for you and Yun He."
"Brother Lezhi has done nothing wrong and was not aware of this before. There is no need to feel sorry. Ah Xu is his own and he knows what he is doing."
Qingchuan took a deep breath and looked at Lin Lezhi with an apologetic look in his eyes. He said, "I said that in the forest in a moment of haste. I didn't mean to blame Brother Lezhi. If it made Brother Lezhi feel uncomfortable, it was my fault. I apologize."
"No, no, Brother Qingchuan is also worried about Xiao Xu's safety. I understand."
"Thank you, Brother Lezhi, for your understanding." Qingchuan said with worry in his eyes, "Ah Xu's identity is really too special. I'm also afraid that it will implicate Brother Lezhi."
"Brother Qingchuan, you can rest assured. Since I consider Xiao Xu a friend, I naturally understand that he is surrounded by dangers. I will never do anything to harm him, and I will never reveal any of his affairs to others."
Lin Lezhi's eyes flickered slightly as he said, "As for Xiao Xu, I feel the same way as you and Yun He. I also hope that he will be safe and sound, and not be disturbed by chaos."
Hearing this, Qingchuan's eyes showed a great deal of surprise, and with a subtle inquiry in his eyes, he said, "I didn't expect that Brother Lezhi and Ah Xu, who have only known each other for a short time, would have such a deep affection for each other."
It's over.
He accidentally blurted out his deepest expectation for Xiao Yihuo.
There was no way, because he felt he owed Xiao Yihuo something. Whether they were friends or strangers, he hoped that Xiao Yihuo would have a good life in the future.
Lin Lezhi smiled, his face slightly embarrassed as he said, "It felt like we were old friends the moment we met. The depth of our friendship isn't measured by how long we've been together. Brother Qingchuan will surely understand this."
Xiao Yihuo moved out of the palace and lived in the prince's mansion after the crown prince was established in the court. Then he asked to move to Linnan Prefecture. It was only a few years in total.
It is not clear when Liu Yunhe came to Xiao Yihuo's side. Perhaps it was after he moved out of the palace and established his own royal palace, but Qingchuan was sure that he had not known Xiao Yihuo for long.
You have to know that what Xiao Yihuo was going to do was a serious act of treason. Qingchuan could have stayed out of it, but he was willing to risk his life to stay by Xiao Yihuo's side.
There is no God’s perspective.
What chances does an unfavored prince have of winning?
It has nothing to do with interests. As a friend, I am concerned about his safety and am willing to go through fire and water for him.
This friendship is touching and admirable.
Qingchuan smiled and said, "Brother Lezhi is right. Friendship is not judged by time."
Lin Lezhi didn't know if his words had fooled anyone, so he quickly changed the subject and said a little stiffly, "Brother Qingchuan, is your name Qingchuan? Do you have a surname?"
Qingchuan thought for a moment and replied, "Yes, my surname is Chu, but Yunhe and Axu don't often call me by my last name."
"Chu Qingchuan, what a nice name."
Although Lin Lezhi was just making small talk, the name Chu Qingchuan was indeed nice to hear, and it was in line with the temperament and feeling that Qingchuan gave people, which was elegant and indifferent.
Hearing this, Qingchuan smiled calmly.
"Since we are all friends of Xiao Yihuo, then a friend of a friend is also a friend. How about we just call each other by our first names from now on?"
Qingchuan didn't show any objection when he heard this, but he was still a little uncomfortable and tentatively shouted, "...Lezhi...?"
Lin Lezhi showed an expression that said this was right, and said with a smile: "Qingchuan, you are a little different from others."
Qingchuan looked surprised and asked, "What's the difference?"
"After knowing my identity, others all call me Jiang Lian'an, but Qingchuan is different. No matter before or since, you still call me Lin Lezhi."
When Guan Ziheng was with himself in private, he often called himself Wuyou.
Qingchuan said with tenderness in his eyes, "I only know that when we first met, you were already Lin Lezhi, not someone else, and..." Qingchuan paused for a moment, then said naturally, "When we first met, I said, 'Deep in the forest, you don't know, you're happy but not worried.' It's a good name, I like it very much."
Only Lin Lezhi himself knew how happy he was to be called Lin Lezhi from the bottom of his heart.
Lin Lezhi.
It is not just a name, but more like a recognition of one's own existence.
"Could it be... Lezhi, you want me to call you Lian'an?"
Qingchuan looked at Lin Lezhi, and seeing that Lin Lezhi had not responded for a long time, he asked seriously with apology and hesitation in his eyes.
Lin Lezhi immediately waved his hands, his eyes filled with joy as he said, "No, I also like the name I chose myself. After all, I have lost my memory, so how can I remember anything from before? Qingchuan, you can continue to call me Lezhi."
After hearing what Lin Lezhi said, Qingchuan's expression relaxed, and the two continued to walk deeper into the forest.
As they got deeper into the forest and closer to the mountains, the fog became thicker. The two of them stopped talking and walked deeper into the forest to avoid being confused by the fog.
Fortunately, Qingchuan and his friends had already been here once last night, so the journey was relatively smooth.
When they reached a certain place, Lin Lezhi smelled a scent. At first he thought it was the scent of medicine on Qingchuan's body, but when he smelled it carefully he found that it was not.
The smell was mixed with a fishy odor, like something had been rotting for several days.
"Qingchuan, do you smell anything?" Lin Lezhi said, sniffing a few more times. "Did you smell the same thing when you came here last night?"
Hearing Lin Lezhi say this, Qingchuan sniffed a few times, his eyes immediately darkened and he said, "Not good!"
Qingchuan didn't explain clearly what was wrong, but with a serious look in his eyes, he ran deeper into the cave without saying a word. Lin Lezhi also had a bad feeling and climbed up. Worried that Qingchuan was in danger, he immediately followed him.
The two ran for about a hundred meters in the forest, less than one meter apart.
When he ran to a certain place, a faint light source was faintly visible in the fog, and there was no more sound of running. The light source also remained in one position. Lin Lezhi knew that Qingchuan had stopped.
Lin Lezhi immediately walked quickly towards the light source.
In the light of the fire, Qingchuan stood there blankly holding the fire.
Although it was just a back view, one could tell that Qingchuan was distraught at the moment.
"What happened?"
Lin Lezhi's eyes became solemn and he felt uneasy. He approached Qingchuan while asking.
Qingchuan's hand holding the fire stick was trembling, and his voice was mixed with despair, sadness, and uncontrollable anger.
"...The flowers...were all destroyed."