ABST Chapter 98

“You are.”

Qiu Che said, “You still owe me one match. Until I defeat you, you are.”

Hearing the word “owe,” Lian Shenwei lowered his eyes. After a moment, he raised his hand to receive the sword.

The white inner robe slipped down a section with his movement. The bruises from impacts on his right hand and several hideous cuts on his forearm were particularly striking.

This hand no longer had sword calluses. The wrist was slender, wrist bones protruding.

The moment he gripped the sword, Qiu Che released it. Lian Shenwei instinctively applied force, but his hand tendons suddenly ached sharply. His hand loosened, and the Cangshan Sword fell straight onto his quilt-covered legs.

“…Sorry.”

Lian Shenwei quickly recovered. “Just woke up. No strength.”

Whether from owing Qiu Cheng who’d died in his place, or from his and Qiu Che’s former mutual respect—half opponents, half close friends—he didn’t want Qiu Che to know his current condition, much less see pity or sympathy in his eyes.

Lian Shenwei concealed his right hand and coughed lowly a few times, moving the Cangshan Sword to the inner side of the bed.

Since entering, Qiu Che’s brow hadn’t relaxed. “How did your body become like this?”

Even poisoning wouldn’t make someone this emaciated so quickly.

Lian Shenwei smiled slightly. “Nothing. Just consider that I haven’t eaten properly these years.”

Qiu Che was silent for a moment before sitting in a nearby chair. “The Great Sheng Dynasty Regent Prince’s meals are actually this poor?”

Lian Shenwei’s smile faded as he looked toward Ming Zhu.

Ming Zhu replied, “This subordinate did not tell him your identity.”

Qiu Che said, “I knew it myself.”

“Many people outside are searching for you with portraits—probably on the Crown Prince’s orders. I looked at the portrait. Though there are some changes from years past, anyone familiar could recognize you at a glance.”

Qiu Che hadn’t spoken this much at once in many years. He paused briefly.

Before finding Ximian, he’d encountered the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince admitted Ximian had saved him but clearly didn’t know Ximian and the Regent Prince were the same person.

Qiu Che continued, “I’m guessing you concealed your identity to save the Crown Prince because you didn’t want him knowing you’re the Regent Prince. Fortunately, you’ve never shown your true face while traveling jianghu before. Otherwise, in Jinling, your identity definitely couldn’t remain hidden.”

Very few knew Ximian was Fudu Manor’s second young master who never saw outsiders. He was one. Besides him, those who knew this identity layer and were still alive included Uncle Feng and Feng Ke.

As for others, he didn’t know.

Lian Shenwei frowned. “Ming Zhu, is my credential still with you?”

Ming Zhu nodded. “Yes.”

She’d protected that thumb ring very well.

“Take it to find the people the Crown Prince sent here. Tell them to immediately put away the portraits and say I’m safe—no need to keep searching.”

“Also tell them you’re here?”

Lian Shenwei shook his head. “Just say I was injured by assassins and am currently recuperating. When leaving Jinling, I’ll return.”

So many people searching with his portrait wasn’t good.

Those who’d known him before were mostly no longer in this world. His current appearance also differed slightly from his youth. However, if someone recognized him and those Northern Yi people behind everything found out, it would likely stir up another storm.

“Understood. This subordinate will return as quickly as possible. The congee is on the table—please remember to drink it.”

After these instructions, Ming Zhu departed on her errand. Only the two of them remained in the room.

Lian Shenwei sighed silently, gathered some strength, barely managed to sit upright, and said to Qiu Che, “Since you know, ask whatever you want to ask.”

Qiu Che asked, “Your body…”

Lian Shenwei didn’t want to discuss it further. “My body is fine.”

Qiu Che paused. “How did you get involved with the imperial family?”

Due to ancestral reasons, he had no favorable impression of the court. He remembered Ximian also felt quite cold toward the court. These years while searching, he’d always looked in places far from the court—never expecting to miss him all along because of this.

Back then, hunting down Falling Moon Stream was for revenge. Now Ximian was within the imperial family—could Fudu Manor’s incident be related to the imperial family?

Besides this, he couldn’t think of another reason.

The world said the Regent Prince held overwhelming power and should be incompatible with the young Crown Prince, yet Ximian had gone to great lengths to save him. This didn’t align with Ximian’s temperament and manner.

If truly related to Fudu Manor’s massacre, then it also related to Qiu Cheng. He wasn’t someone with heavy curiosity, but this concerned his brother—he had to ask clearly.

Lian Shenwei said, “Crown Prince Jingjue… he’s Elder Sister’s child, my only living relative in this world.”

“However, he doesn’t know my identity.”

Qiu Che indeed had the right to know about this. Lian Shenwei wasn’t worried he’d speak carelessly. In a few brief words, he simply explained his relationship with Jingjue.

“No wonder.”

Lian Shenwei was curious. “No wonder what?”

“He doesn’t like you. When your whereabouts were unknown, he only left some people to search while bringing others to Jinling himself—not concerned about your life or death.”

Lian Shenwei replied, “I don’t mind. At most, he’ll kill me. But if that day truly comes, it means he’s already become a qualified emperor, and I can let go and leave—return to jianghu.”

Once everything was settled and his body recovered, he’d build a bamboo house in the bamboo forest not far from the manor and completely retire from the world.

Qiu Che thought for a moment. “That child vaguely resembles you.”

Nephews resemble maternal uncles.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Hearing this made Lian Shenwei happy. He coughed lightly against his lips, a trace of pure smile floating in his eyes. “He doesn’t much resemble Elder Sister.”

Looking at him, Qiu Che thought—the young Crown Prince actually somewhat resembled Ximian from ten years ago. From the current Great Sheng Dynasty Regent Prince, he couldn’t see half the vitality of before.

He didn’t voice this thought, instead saying, “Tomorrow is June 2nd. Are you still going to Fudu Manor?”

Lian Shenwei asked, “Are you going?”

Qiu Che replied, “I go there every year to wait for you.”

“…” Lian Shenwei opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.

He didn’t know what state of mind Qiu Che held when going to Fudu Manor—that place where his brother had lost his life.

Qiu Che didn’t resent him, he knew. But precisely because there was no resentment, he felt guilt and debt that couldn’t be compensated.

To avoid people investigating his identity, Lian Shenwei had rarely associated with Fudu Manor these years and seldom left the capital.

Holiday memorial services and grave sweeping were helped by the Feng family and those jianghu people who’d received the manor’s kindness.

His hands were stained with so much blood—he’d long since expelled himself from the Lian family. According to family rules, he wasn’t qualified to personally pay respects to the deceased.

“I won’t go. I can’t go either.”

Lian Shenwei lowered his eyes. “Even getting out of bed is difficult. How could I go that far?”

Qiu Che said, “If you want to go, I’ll hire a carriage and take you.”

“You clearly want to go—why not go?”

Lian Shenwei smiled and shook his head. “Not that much. Ten years have passed—everything has changed. It’s a place of sorrow. I want to forget but it’s too late.”

Qiu Che glanced at him, then stood up, handed him the clear congee that had cooled on the table, then turned and left.

Lian Shenwei, holding the congee, froze. “Where are you going?”

Qiu Che, carrying his Infinite Sword, didn’t look back. “To buy tomorrow’s offerings.”

The congee in the bowl was just the right temperature. Lian Shenwei scooped a few times with the spoon, spacing out briefly.

After a moment, he calmly sipped a small spoonful of clear congee.

The rice in this congee was cooked soft and mushy—very digestible. Lian Shenwei had no appetite, but having given blood before, he needed to replenish nutrition, so he’d grown accustomed to forcing himself to eat.

Enduring nausea, after eating a few bites, he suddenly covered his mouth and coughed dully. After coughing for quite a while, his lungs felt numb from the tremors.

When he finished coughing and lowered his hand, his palm had gained scattered spots of crimson blood.

Lian Shenwei was stunned.