Zhichen had rented a horse carriage in town, and now there were a total of three people in the carriage.
Shujun was responsible for driving the carriage, while Zhichen was inside, tending to his younger brother Shu Yu, who was unwell due to the jolting journey and kept coughing up blood.
"Big brother, we’ve arrived," Shujun called out.
The carriage stopped outside Liang’s courtyard, and Shujun jumped down from it.
Zhichen lifted the carriage curtains; his right hand was disabled, making life inconvenient for him. He supported Shu Yu with one hand, letting Shu Yu lean on Shujun’s back.
Shujun’s face was pale, his breath as weak as a thread, clearly resembling the look of soone on the brink of death.
Carrying his second brother on his back, Shujun entered the courtyard and suddenly expressed his suspicion, "How co it’s so quiet? Is no one ho?"
Big brother Zhichen followed behind Shujun, observing the courtyard, sensing that it lacked the usual liveliness.
"First, let’s bring Shu Yu back to the room. The wind outside is strong, and he can’t withstand it," Zhichen said.
Shujun nodded and proceeded to carry his second brother into their shared small room.
As he placed Shu Yu on the brick bed, he suddenly caught sight of a letter written by their sixth brother, Yixuan.
"Hmm?" He picked it up and after a glance, his face turned ashen.
Seeing Shujun’s complexion change, the big brother asked, "What’s wrong?"
"Yixuan has gone into the mountains!"
Shujun exhaled heavily.
"Yue Ning had hunted a roebuck before and planned to sell it at the market, a trip that takes at least eight or nine days. Dong Dabao and Haoming entered the mountains, and five days have passed since then! Yixuan, worried, has gone to look for them in the mountains!"
Sothing must have happened!
Shujun was anxious and perturbed.
The brothers, not wishing to worry the family at ho, never stayed in the mountains for more than three days even when hunting.
But this ti, it had been five days, and neither Dong Dabao nor Haoming had returned; surely sothing had gone wrong, and Yixuan’s concerns were completely justified!
Zhichen took the letter, scanning it quickly. "Shujun—!!"
"I know!" Shujun interjected.
"I’m going into the mountains right now!" he declared.
Yixuan was a cultured man, and Shujun was genuinely worried about him going alone into the mountains. The mountains had many fierce beasts, especially hungry after a winter; Yixuan, having been managing household affairs, rarely hunted and also had a limp leg. Shujun was really afraid for him. After all... if he encountered any danger, he feared Yixuan would not even have the chance to escape.
Moreover, there was the issue of their fourth brother, Haoming...
What exactly had happened to him and Dong Dabao? What had they encountered? And why had they not returned??
After Shujun left, Zhichen stayed behind at ho.
He gazed intently at his second brother Shu Yu, who was lost in a heavy stupor, his consciousness fading.
He touched Shu Yu’s forehead, finding it severely hot.
Zhichen turned to get so water, wetting a cloth and placing it on Shu Yu’s forehead, then he stood up and walked out of the room.
He stood under the eaves, looking out at the heavy, oppressive skies.
It was as if the gloomy weather had an effect on him, his heart filled with lancholy, as though sensing an impending storm...
.........
On the mountain, Yixuan was covered in mud, as if he had crawled out of a swamp. His usual calm and refined deanor was long gone, and he was limping forward unsteadily.
A great crisis!
His clothes were disheveled, his body marred by nurous small wounds, making for a sorry sight, and with every step he took, a bloody footprint was left behind.
The blood flowed from a deep gash on his back, the flesh turned inside out, the pain causing him to break out in a cold sweat.
He was fleeing for his life.
But with a limp leg impeding his speed, if he didn’t want to die, he could only keep running.
The thundering, heavy footsteps interspersed with the roars of a black bear were drawing closer...
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