Accidentally Having a Baby with the Future Emperor - Chapter 9

Song Yang reported the situation in great detail. In the end, he concluded, “Although the location described by the prisoner is somewhat detailed, there are too many mountains in Songzhou. This matter is also merely a rumor, no one has really seen the treasure. I dare not guarantee we’ll find anything.”

“It’s understandable… Yet this venture promises enormous profits. How can I let it pass?” Xi Rong gazed out into the sunset. “Make preparations. We move into the mountains tomorrow.”

Song Yang naturally recognized the importance of urgency in war, but he was still worried. “Isn’t tomorrow a bit rushed, Your Highness? Your health…” Xi Rong, after all, had just recovered from his attack and Song Yang was worried he might overstrain himself.

“It’s fine.” Xi Rong slowly tightened his grip behind his back. “I’m afraid the longer we wait, the more complications may arise.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Song Yang knew the immense significance of the treasure. The Crown Prince had been suppressed by civil officials for years and while he had carved open a path of living via military might, securing additional funding, whether for soldiers or for weapons, was a matter of survival. If the treasure really existed, many problems surrounding His Highness and the Eastern Palace could be solved at once.

***

When Gu Rong returned to his home in the mountains, it was already dusk. As expected, after being away for several days, wild boars from the mountains had forced their way into his courtyard. The seedlings he had recently transplanted were trampled and destroyed, the shoots droopy and sad, while his drying rack for herbs had fallen, spreading herbs all over the ground.

As for the two slabs of dried meat that had been hung up, they were gone without a trace.

Gu Rong sighed. The seedlings were a total loss; he would need to replant them. So he simply retrieved the herbs, placed them back into a basket, and hung them up high.

After finishing this, Gu Rong opened his wooden hut and went in.

The small hut was built against a cave wall. It might be small, but it had everything he needed. The space was divided by the cave’s entrance. The outer section held his bookcase and writing table, while the inner section was his sleeping area, with a stone bed.

Gu Rong lived there by himself. His only companion was a male civet cat, which frequently roamed the mountains, chasing after the affections of nearby cats. Gu Rong turned on a small oil lamp and saw that the civet cat was gone, off somewhere again, it hadn’t stayed home to keep watch.

Walking up the hill had made his legs weary. Gu Rong had always been delicate and weak, and even now, he preferred resting over sitting. Rubbing his legs and shoulders, he casually ate two osmanthus cakes with water for dinner and fell into a deep slumber.

In the middle of the night, something hopped up onto his mattress. Gu Rong suspected it was his civet cat. Without opening his eyes, he casually reached out, grabbed something warm and furry, and fell back to sleep, holding it close. He was so worn out from his trip down the hill that he stayed in a deep slumber until the following afternoon when someone began shaking him to wake up.

The cat in his arms was gone. It had probably slipped away again to show off and be charming somewhere.

Gu Rong rubbed his eyes, yawned, and sat up, then stretched his stiff limbs before turning his gaze in surprise toward the two children who had woken him, a little girl with pigtails and a little boy whose teeth hadn’t all grown in yet. They were the children of hunters from the nearby mountains.

“I say… disturbing someone’s sweet dream is not very courteous. What do you want?” Gu Rong asked, reluctantly, with a bit of a grouchy wake-up mood.

The two children didn’t speak. Instead, they tugged Gu Rong down from the bed and began pulling him outside.

On the way down the mountain, Gu Rong gradually made out their nervous and somewhat stuttering explanations. Someone was injured at the foot of the hill and the children had stumbled upon them while they were playing by the stream. Because Gu Rong knew a bit of rudimentary healing and he had treated injured hunters before, the children saw him as a deity descending from the heavens. He had explained many times that he was not a deity, but the children didn’t seem to comprehend him.

This time was no different.

“The injured person should see a doctor. I’m not much help.” Gu Rong was reluctant to see the patient.

His legs were still sore from his descent down the mountains the day before. Furthermore, his healing skills were poor. If he delayed proper treatment, something awful might happen.

However, the two children held on to him, each grabbing an arm, and would not let go.

Gu Rong tried his ultimate tactic. His eyes crinkled as he said, “Let me go and I’ll treat you to some sweets. Okay?”

But this time, the two children didn’t even think about it. They both shook their heads in unison. “You’re a little deity, you shouldn’t let someone die without helping!”

Gu Rong, reluctantly wrestling with his conscience, which he didn’t have much of: “…”

“All right.” Gu Rong sighed in resignation. “Let me go. I’ll come with you. I can’t walk if you pull me like this. You’re ripping off my sleeves too.”

The two children still didn’t let go.

Gu Rong tried again, “Whoever lies shall become a little dog, all right?”

This made the two children nod and release him at last.

Gu Rong straightened his clothes. His body felt stiff all over from a night’s rest and he let out another yawn before following the children down the mountain.

About half an hour later, the children led him through a labyrinth of paths until they came to a small stream in a sheltered corner of the valley. When they arrived, Gu Rong saw a pool of blood on the stones by the stream but there was no injured person in sight.

The two children were confused. “He was just here a moment ago…”

Judging by the amount of blood, the injured person was in a bad state. Gu Rong examined the scene and fell into deep thought. He asked the children to wait where they were while he went to look.

The stream flowed out from a gorge between two cliff faces. They were near its lower reaches, with a cliff wall to one side and a peach grove to the other.

Gu Rong walked directly into the peach grove.

After going a short distance, he saw a person sitting under a peach tree. It was a young man dressed in black. His back was resting against the trunk, his grip still on his sword, its tip resting on the ground in a defensive pose.

Gu Rong stopped five paces away and asked, “Are you all right?”

There was no response.

Gu Rong lowered his gaze and noticed drops of blood that fell amid the peach blossoms. “Are you all right?” he asked again.

Still, there was no response.

Gu Rong furrowed his brows, guessing the injured person was probably unconscious due to heavy injuries. He was somewhat experienced in treating external injuries and without further delay, he stepped forward, reached out, and patted the injured man’s shoulder gently.

The man’s muscles trembled faintly underneath the black fabric, but he remained unresponsive.

“Hey.”

“Wake up.”

He still didn’t move.

Gu Rong was finally able to see that the injured man was bleeding from both his arm and his side.

A breeze blew, sending a shower of peach blossom petals down.

At last, the injured man seemed to realize someone was nearby. Very slowly, he raised his head, revealing a face that was as handsome as it was cold, seemingly forged from ice.

When Gu Rong saw his face, he let out a small, surprised sound. “Huh… Brother, is it you?”

Xi Rong had made it this far by pure willpower, but he had lost a great deal of blood and had been soaking in cold stream water for a long time. Now, all he heard was a distant voice, growing further and further away, until everything fell into blackness.

He hoped he hadn’t fallen into the hands of someone sinister.

Before losing consciousness, Xi Rong kept that thought in his mind, calm and cold to the last moment.

***

Xi Rong had trained in martial arts for many years. His body was strong and even after suffering heavy injuries, his vigilance remained alive. So he didn’t fall unconscious for long. When he awoke, his hand was still resting on his sword and he found that he was in a dimly lit cave, resting on an unfamiliar stone bed.

A small oil lamp glowed faintly on the stone table nearby, casting a dim yellow light. This made Xi Rong realize that he had indeed been rescued and that he was currently in a simple room constructed within a cave.

A strong herbal scent wafted in from outside.

Xi Rong forced himself up to sit and found that his arm and side were already thickly bandaged.

Through the uncovered entrance, he saw a slim figure in blue sitting cross-legged on a grass mat in the adjoining wooden hut, with wide sleeves dropping down to the floor. The person held a small palm-leaf fan in one hand, resting his chin in the other, fanning the fire beneath a clay stove. A small wine jar was placed to the side.

On the stove, a ceramic pot was boiling, sending up clouds of white steam. The rich scent of herbs evidently came from there.

After fanning for a while, the young man’s outer robe slipped down a bit, uncovering a stretch of his smooth, fair neck. At his feet, a somewhat chubby cat was resting.

The cat was quite mischievous and it kept turning over, stretching a paw, tugging at the young man’s sleeve.

“A’Li, stop causing trouble,” the young man rebuked softly. He then picked up the wine jar, intending to take a sip, but after tilting it for a long time, not a drop fell out, and he sighed and set it aside.

The cat then began tugging at the wine jar with its claws.

Xi Rong’s head was still heavy due to his injuries, but upon hearing that voice, he felt a strange familiarity.

Having grown up amid chaos and danger, Xi Rong was used to retaining control. As long as he kept even a thread of awareness, he would not let himself become vulnerable or lose his grip on the situation. He tried to move his arm and prop himself up, attempting to reach for his sword. The metal struck the stone bed with a ringing sound.

It immediately alarmed both the person and the cat outside.

Gu Rong turned his head and, seeing that the injured man was indeed awake, he put down his leaf fan and walked over with unmistakable happiness in his expression. “Brother, you’re awake!”

The cat hopped forward alongside him, sitting down by its master’s feet, its piercing cat eyes staring up at Xi Rong.

Xi Rong paused briefly. “It’s you.” The normally calm and composed prince, whose expression remained impassive even if a cliff fell in front of him, was briefly filled with surprise.

Gu Rong nodded, his own eyes curving into a smile. “Yes… Brother, you were injured and fell unconscious due to heavy blood loss at the foot of the mountain. It seems we are destined to cross paths again so soon.”

Xi Rong fell into thought. “So… it was you that the two children called their ‘little deity’.”

Gu Rong scratched his head, a little nervous. “Ah, that’s an exaggeration. Please ignore their nonsense.”

Xi Rong quietly let some of his previously tensed-up muscles ease. He nodded. “You’re right, we do seem destined. I really must thank you for saving me today.” After that, he slowly drew something from his pocket.

Gu Rong was taken aback when he saw what it was. It turned out to be a piece of osmanthus candy, with traces of blood.

“This is…?”

“Did you forget? You gave it to me.” Xi Rong narrowed his eyes.

Gu Rong, of course, remembered, but now something else clicked in his mind. He let out a small snort. “So that’s why those two brats were so unusually stubborn. You bribed them with candy.”

Xi Rong made no move to deny it. “How did you bring me here?”

“There happened to be an ox-cart that passed by. I asked them to help carry you up.”

“That’s a kind gesture.”

Gu Rong casually replied, “It’s nothing. Fortunately, it’s just external injuries. If it were something more serious, I wouldn’t be much help. Brother, how are you feeling? Are you better?”

Xi Rong had regained his calm expression. He nodded. “Much better.”

“That’s good.” Gu Rong let out a sigh of relief. He then turned his gaze toward Xi Rong’s hand, which was still resting on his sword. Half-jokingly, he said, “Brother, aren’t you tiring yourself? You’re even holding your sword while resting. I didn’t dare to forcibly take it away, for fear you might attack me.”

“That’s not something I meant to do.” Xi Rong lowered his head, placed his sword across his knees, and slowly cleaned away the traces of blood. Then he let go. “I’m being hunted by enemies and I couldn’t let down my guard. I must have scared you,” he said softly.

Gu Rong shook his head. “I’m not that scared, I was worried for you. I was afraid you might harm yourself by keeping it in your grip. That’s right, the medicine’s almost ready. Let me bring it over for you to drink while it’s still warm. Otherwise, with injuries this severe, a fever may come up tonight.”

He turned and went back outside to retrieve the medicine. The cat fell into step gracefully, following him, its every movement reflecting its own quiet confidence, as if it were another master of the place.

Xi Rong sat on the stone bed and began to carefully observe the cave he was in.

The cave was not large; it held only a stone bed and a stone table, and there was not even a stool. Clearly, it was meant as a place for resting, not a permanent residence. The floor was uneven, filled with stones, and had not been cleaned or tended in any way.

It provided refuge from the elements, but as a home, it was quite simple.

Xi Rong fell into deep thought.

The author has something to say:

Proof I’m your real mom: I only let you be apart for one day.
Xi the Dog: Calm on the outside, screaming with joy on the inside. Finally, I can retire and play with my wife.
Catcat: That’s my wife!
Baby Rongrong: Hmm??
Thanks, everyone for your care and blessings, love you all! Enjoy reading!