嫩草影院地址一二三

Chapter 276 - 276: 276. The gift for you

“Cousin?” One of the twins, Situ Zhang, saw Gu Ling.

As Lin Bojun turned his head in response to the call, he looked surprised, “Xiaoliang? You’re here!”

“So this is Su Liang, the divine doctor Su?” The other twin, Situ Min, came forward to greet Su Liang, but Su Liang walked past him and stood next to Lin Bojun.

“What exactly happened to Lian Shun?” Su Liang asked Lin Bojun with a furrowed brow. She knew Lian Shun well. Although he had some quirks, he was surely not a troublemaker and would not arbitrarily run around somewhere as dangerous as a snow mountain.

Lin Bojun briefly recounted the incident. They were about to reach the peak of the mountain, the terrain was very dangerous, and they were guarded by the Prince Masion’s protectors both ahead and behind. One of the protectors at the rear of the team accidentally slid down an icy slope and fell. Hearing his cry, Lian Shun was the first to rush towards him to help. He managed to hold on to the fallen protector, but as a result, both of them tumbled down the cliff.

Everything happened too quickly.

In fact, if Lian Shun had not rushed over, the Prince Mansion’s people would not have chosen to save the fallen protector, even if that means he would have died on the snow mountain. Because such incidents were not uncommon, attempting to save someone often results in accompanying them in death. As a protector, they should dedicate themselves to their masters, even if that means sacrificing themselves.

All the protectors knew that they were on their own should anything unfortunate happen.

But Lian Shun was unaware of these expectations. Had, he known, he probably wouldn’t have chosen to bring these people to climb the mountain in the first place. Even if he had found out after arriving, he would not have stood by and watched someone die due to his nature.

While Lin Bojun was telling Su Liang the story, Situ Zhang had also explained the situation to Gu Ling with a look of guilt, “It was my fault. I did not make it clear to General Lian before the trip that all the protectors joining us had signed a death waiver.”

Situ Zhang was lying. No one had signed any death waivers.

If they had to say there was a waiver, it was an invisible one. Once chosen as protectors, they had to accept their fate – if anything bad happened, it would be just their bad luck.

After Situ Zhang finished his speech, a female voice filled with anger came from the side, “If anything happens to Lian Shun, none of you can bear the consequences!”

Knowing that Su Liang was invited to save the Emperor, Situ Zhang didn’t dare to offend her. Thus, he apologized again and promised to send all the available men to search for Lian Shun.

“Bojun, go back, let me do the search,” said Su Liang to Lin Bojun.

Lin Bojun shook his head. Lian Shun had gone with him, and only he had returned. How could he rest peacefully?

“You’re tired, go back and rest, I’ll deal with this, there’s no room for negotiation.” Su Liang took the climbing stick from Lin Bojun’s hand without any explanation.

There was no time to lose. Lin Bojun didn’t want to argue with Su Liang. But he was indeed exhausted, so he complied with her demand. He found a fur coat for Su Liang to put on.

However, they had no suitable climbing boots for Su Liang because no woman has ever climbed the mountain in this season. Su Liang said it was fine, as she had already bought several pairs of heavy but extremely warm leather boots since she had arrived in Liang Country.

Ren Dong caught up, Su Liang ordered her to stay and protect Lin Bojun.

“Bojun, we can’t let her go. If anything happens again, we can’t bear the responsibility,” Situ Min whispered to Situ Zhang.

Situ Zhang’s face changed at these words, and the two brothers together tried to convince Su Liang not to go up the mountain.

Su Liang was cold. “Fine, I won’t go, but how about you two?”

The two of them were taken aback and looked at each other. It was risky to venture into the mountains during the day, let alone at night, and they both valued their lives too much.

“Since the two of you, the Situ brothers, don’t want to go, stop holding me back.” Su Liang spoke coldly, “Lian Shun is my dear friend. I’ll find him before I have a word with you two.”

Seeing Su Liang was not in the mood for further discussion, Situ Zhang turned and saw Gu Ling on the side. He hurriedly spoke, “Cousin, you must convince Divine Doctor Su not to go. She cannot afford to get into any trouble!”

But surprisingly, Gu Ling shot back a more cutting query, “So Lian Shun being in danger is inconsequential to you both?”

How could Situ Zhang and Situ Min have any answer for that? The whole idea of climbing the snow mountain had been proposed by them both. Even Situ Jing had protested, fearing something bad would happen. Situ Zhang and Situ Min had both insistently claimed Lin Bojun and Lian Shun as martial artists who would be safe, falsely saying it was Lin Bojun and Lian Shun who were determined to go.

In truth, Lin Bojun and Lian Shun initially had no idea about climbing Wolong Snow Mountain in winter. Situ Min was the one who brought up the idea and made it sound easy.

Situ Min, a renowned playboy in Yao City, wanted to go because he had made a bet in order to win the affection of a certain girl. His own family, however, would not allow him to go. Therefore, he recruited Lin Bojun and Lian Shun as his cover.

If Lian Shun had not rushed to save someone, nothing would have happened.

Seeing Su Liang was ready to set off, Gu Ling followed her. Situ Zhang quickly grabbed him, “Cousin, where are you going?

Gu Ling shook off Situ Zhang, “Lian Shun is my friend. I am going to find him.

You two can discuss amongst yourselves, in case anything happens to Lian

Shun, who would accompany him to the grave.”

Situ Zhang and Situ Min turned pale at Gu Ling’s words, and had no choice but to watch as Su Liang and Gu Ling led a group into the mountain.

By the time Situ Xie and Lin Boyan arrived, two quarter-hours had passed since Su Liang and Gu Ling had left.

Situ Xie slapped both Situ Zhang and Situ Min, scolding them to take the Lin brothers back to the inn to rest. He decided to lead the search personally.

Right after Lin Boyan had confirmed Lin Bojun was okay, he felt a cool sensation on his face. It had started to snow again.

“We will wait here.” Lin Boyan spoke up without trying to stop Situ Xie.

“Good.” Situ Xie nodded, obtained the information regarding Lian Shun’s perilous situation, and quickly arranged for a rescue mission. He, himself, led the soldiers out.

Not long after, Peng Wei and his grandson Peng Fan arrived. They did not know Lian Shun or Gu Ling; they had come for Su Liang.

Upon learning that Su Liang had gone into the mountain to search for the lost ones, Peng Wei was furious, ‘Why did no one stop her?”

“Grandfather, let me lead the search for her,” Peng Fan volunteered.

Peng Wei kicked him, “You’ve never been to Wolong Snow Mountain, what can you find there?”

Peng Fan was Peng Wei’s only beloved grandson. Peng Wei had never allowed him to participate in any mountain races, even when Peng Fan had repeatedly expressed his interest.

Peng Wei ordered Peng Fan to go home immediately and to bring the old housekeeper of the Peng Mansion. The housekeeper was one of Peng Wei’s trusted subordinates, very familiar with Wolong Mountain, from their shared youthful adventures. If not for Peng Wei’s poor health, he would have been directly involved.

Consequently, not too long after, the housekeeper of the Peng Mansion led a team which was very familiar with Wolong Snow Mountain and was fully equipped, setting out for a search. Peng Wei’s orders were clear: to find Su Liang and ensure her safe return.

By this time Su Liang had been walking in the mountains for an hour. When night fell, the exceedingly low temperatures and heavy snow made her feel as if her face was freezing solid. She had to constantly rub it with her hands for warmth.

Time couldn’t be turned back, but even if it could, Su Liang would still choose to go into the mountains to look for Lian Shun. If the situation were reversed, Lian Shun would definitely do the same for her.

Gu Ling walked beside Su Liang, but because others were around, they did not have much communication.

Su Liang suddenly remembered the jade pendant Zhengzheng had given her. She took one from her pouch, pretending to slip and grabbed Gu Ling’s hand in the process.

Gu Ling felt a piece of jade placed in his hand. Although he didn’t understand why Su Liang had given it to him, he instinctively gripped Su Liang’s hand in return. “Be careful, Miss Su,” he said.

When Gu Ling released her hand, the cold jade was already warmed by their touch. He held it in his hand and continued following the guide forward while paying close attention to Su Liang, fearing she might fall.

This night was doomed to be restless.

Situ Jing heard the whole story from Situ Min, who was on his knees in front of him. He kicked Situ Min down angrily. “If grandfather hears about it, he will definitely kill you!” he growled.

“Big brother, what do we do? If Lian does die, I’m done for!” Situ Min looked terrified.

Situ Jing stared at him, “Make sure anyone who knows about the bet disappears. I am pretending to not know about it, none of you shall speak about it again!”

Situ Min’s face turned pale while Situ Zhang spoke up, “I will handle it. You, calm down. Don’t let anyone see your panic. Even if Lian dies, we can’t take all the blame.”

“Gu Ling even dared to say we should compensate for Lian’s life. Who does he think he is? I really can’t understand why grandpa always favors him so.” Situ Min stood up, his tone full of resentment.

Before he could finish his sentence, Situ Jing slapped him hard, “Shut up! Gu Ling is the Marquis of Chang Xin of Qian Country, not a person from the Situ family. Remember that!”

Situ Zhang hurriedly intervened, “Min, keep your mouth shut. Brother, don’t be angry, he knows his mistake.”

In the middle of the night, Situ Yao brought hot soup and desserts. Situ Jing instructed her to serve them to the Lin Family Brothers instead. He also invited a few imperial physicians from Liang Country to wait and had hot ginger soup prepared.

At the largest brothel in Yao City, the most famous courtesan and her maids mysteriously disappeared that night. In order to avoid hurting business, the madam lied that the courtesan had fallen ill and was sent away for treatment.

Dawn was breaking.

The first to return was Situ Xie. He looked exhausted, and upon hearing that Su Liang and Gu Ling had not returned, his face darkened considerably.

By the time it was broad daylight, news had already spread throughout Yao City.

The crown prince of Liang Country also arrived, he exchanged a few formal words with Lin Boyan and Lin Bojun and then left.

It wasn’t until approaching noon that good news finally came: Gu Ling and Su Liang had found Lian Shun and were on their way back!

Lin Boyan let out a huge sigh of relief. As long as they were alive, that was all that mattered.

The one who brought the news was sent by Su Liang. Another hour passed before they safely returned. Lian Shun and the guard he had rescued were both injured and had to be carried back.

The snow was still falling. The Lin Family Brothers had just seen Su Liang appear in their sight, when they heard Lian Shun’s teasing voice, “Su Xiaoliang, Gu Xiaoling has prepared a gift for you at Ning Xiang Residence. You will definitely like it!”

“Marquis Chang Xin, really?” Su Liang asked. Gu Ling shook his head, “No.”

Lin Boyan and Lin Bojun breathed a sigh of relief.

Ren Dong ran over and saw that Su Liang’s face was frozen red, but she hadn’t been injured, which made her relief.

Gu Ling’s face looked colder in the snow, ignoring the wet corners of his clothes, as if he was a celestial being walking out from the snow mountain.

Lian Shun’s right arm was fractured, and the guard had broken a leg. Other than a few scrapes and bruises, they were fine. Fortunately, the two had slid down from the mountain. Lian Shun was holding onto the guard the whole time and did everything possible to decrease their speed; otherwise, they might not have survived.

Lian Shun found a narrow crevice nearby where they landed and dragged the guard into it to shelter from the wind, otherwise they would have frozen to death.

Knowing that someone would come looking for them, Lian Shun and the guard took turns, shouting three times every fifteen minutes. This way, they could conserve their strength while also sending out a distress signal.

When Lian Shun heard Su Liang calling his name, he was ready to cry.

However, when Su Liang finally saw Lian Shun, he was sitting cross-legged in the crevice, his uninjured hand raised in front of him. He recited, “Amitabha,” then said with a full smile, “I prayed to Buddha to send Su Xiaoliang to save me, and she really came. I must have been a fairy in Buddha’s camp in my past life!”

Gu Ling stepped forward to pull up Lian Shun, who hugged her tightly, “Gu

Xiaoling, I thought I would never see you again, were you scared?” After Su Liang quickly treated Lian Shun and the guard that he had rescued, she led them away.

On their way back, due to the heavy snow, Su Liang and her group almost lost their way. Luckily, they bumped into a team sent by Peng Wei and were able to leave the Snow Mountain safely.

In the inn.

Su Liang was treating Lian Shun’s injury and giving him medicine while Gu Ling watched.

“I originally wanted to scout the path for you all so we could go mountain climbing together, I didn’t expect it to be so nerve-racking.” Lian Shun chuckled, “Gu Xiaoling, after last night, don’t you find Su Xiaoliang adorable?” Gu Ling shook her head, “No.”

“Su Xiaoliang, he’s an insincere guy. You don’t have to be polite. Do whatever you want to him. If he doesn’t comply, come find me.” Lian Shun seriously told Su Liang.

Su Liang snorted lightly, “Find you? What can you do?”

Lian Shun also snorted, “I’ll cry in front of him!”

Su Liang: …That’s unnecessary.

“Stop being ridiculous, eat something, and get some sleep.” After fixing Lian Shun’s arm, Su Liang warned him not to move recklessly.

“I can’t hold the spoon with my left hand, Su Xiaoliang, you feed me.” Lian Shun said.

“We’re just ordinary friends, don’t say things that might get misunderstood by Marquis Chang Xin. The only one I like is him.” Su Liang walked away as soon as she finished her sentence.

“Gu Xiaoling, did you hear that? Su Xiaoliang was confessing her feelings to you! Are you emotionless? Are you an ice cube from Wolong Snow Mountain? Can nothing move you?” Lian Shun was speechless.

Gu Ling responded calmly, “When you cry in front of me, I will consider.”

Lian Shun tried to blink hard, only to find it was incredibly difficult to shed tears, he had no idea how to do it…

Gu Ling held a bowl, allowing Lian Shun to use his left hand to hold the spoon, and drink a bowl of chicken soup.

“Don’t worry, his arm is okay, it can recover.” Su Liang said, then asked Lin

Bojun “Second brother, why did you decide to climb the snow mountain?”

Lin Bojun sighed, “Lian Shun heard the third son of King Yue’s Mansion mention how beautiful the snow mountain is, and about the climbing competition in the past. So, we decided to go and see, unaware of the dangers.”

“Did you know about the guards who signed the death waivers?” Su Liang asked again.

Lin Bojun was stunned, “A death waiver? I’ve never heard of it.”

Su Liang brought up the real reason why Duanmu Yi sent her here, which made the Lin Family brothers frown.

“I’ll discuss with someone before making a decision, you should pretend you don’t know.” Su Liang said.

Gu Ling walked in, exchanged a glance with Su Liang and averted his gaze, “I’ll go back to the King Yue’s Mansion first.”

“I’ll also go!” Su Liang stood up, “My luggage is still there.”

Ken Dong drove tne carriage, taking GU Ling ana su mang to tne King Yue’S Mansion.

“What’s this?” Gu Ling opened his hand, in which lay an teardrop-shaped Ink

Jade Pendant.

Su Liang took out her piece, “Zhengzheng gave it to us.”

Gu Ling knew that Su Liang wouldn’t give him a gift for no reason, but he wasn’t disappointed and put it in his bag.

Su Liang whispered to him about the purpose of her coming, and Gu Ling, having heard about the Divine Craftsman Mu family, advised Su Liang not to act rashly, to inform him before doing anything and to plan together.

The carriage stopped outside the gate of King Yue’s Mansion, Su Liang got off first and extended her hand to help Gu Ling, but he avoided her and walked straight through the gates.

Su Liang chased after him, and met Situ Xie and his grandson Situ Jing halfway.

“Dr. Su, how is General Lin doing?” Situ Jing asked with concern.

“He won’t die.” Su Liang spoke with an indifferent expression.

“The incident yesterday was due to our poor planning. This Prince has already punished Zhangzhang and Minmin, I was just about to visit General Lin.” Situ Xie sighed.

“From what I heard from your two sons, those guards who followed up the mountain all signed death waivers. I’d like to see them.” Su Liang said coldly.

Situ Xie nodded upon hearing this, “Very well. Ling’er, take Divine Doctor Su to

Xiangxiang Residence for rest first. Jing’er, go and get them for Divine Doctor Su to peruse.”

“Yes, Grandfather.” Situ Jing answered.

“I’m not tired, let’s go together.” Su Liang insisted on not budging an inch.

Situ Jing tried to persuade her again, “Divine Doctor Su, you’ve had a long journey and haven’t rested, why not head over to cousin Ling’s place to sit for a while first. ”

“I’m really not tired. If you don’t believe me, shall we compete?” Su Liang persisted.

A quarter of an hour later, the mystery was “solved”: the guards going mountaineering this season carried risks, the death waivers were appointed by Situ Jing. If a guard died, their family would receive a large sum of compensation. Situ Zhang let Situ Min handle the matter, but Situ Min forgot about it. Before departure when Situ Zhang asked about it, Situ Min falsely claimed everything was signed and mentioned it to Lian Shun and Lin Bojun.

So, Situ Zhang was not lying, the mistake lies solely with Situ Min.

Su Liang knew that there was no such death waiver at all, if she didn’t press on about it, the incident would have faded away. But she kept pushing for it, so the Situ family had no choice but to push Situ Min out to take responsibility.

While Su Liang was pressing hard, the reality was that if Lin Bojun and Lian Shun had known how dangerous it was to climb Wolong Snow Mountain to the point where guards had to sign death waivers, they definitely wouldn’t have gone.

In the end, Su Liang watched Situ Min get caned fifty times, till his skin was cracked and bleeding, unconscious.

“Since Prince Yue is handling things impartially and has given justice to Lian Shun, let’s leave this matter at this. I’m going off to Marquis Chang Xin for a cup of tea now, send someone to call me at Xiangxiang Residence when it’s time to treat Emperor Liang.” Su Liang finished speaking, and left with Ren Dong.

Situ Jing ordered someone to take Situ Min for treatment, he walked to Situ

Xie’s side, and whispered, “Grandfather, Su Liang, a mere divine doctor from

Qian Country, has been so domineering from the start, is this her true nature? Is she acting without fear of the consequences for Lian Shun, or does she have other intentions?”

“Is Minter being beaten unjustly?” Situ Xie stared at Situ Jing, eyes ablaze.

Situ Jing answered seriously, “In this matter, third brother was truly in the wrong, the beating was well-deserved.”

“Don’t underestimate Su Liang, she’s not just a Divine Doctor.” Situ Xie left Situ Jing with these meaningful words before he left to visit the injured Lian Shun at the inn.

Xiangxiang Residence.

Su Liang stared at the painting of Situ Ning on the wall, “Your mother is truly beautiful!”

Gu Ling opened the medicine box that Su Liang had left on the desk the day before, found several medicine bottles he didn’t recognize inside, and took one out to inspect.

Su Liang turned her head and saw, quickly rushed over, “Don’t touch!”

Gu Ling pulled the stopper from the bottle and replaced it immediately, “What kind of poison is it?”

Su Liang took back the medicine bottle and said two words, “Love Potion.” Gu Ling furrowed his brows slightly, ‘What are you using this for?”

Su Liang moved the medicine bottle to the bottom of the box and took out another one to hand to Gu Ling, “This is a gift for you. It can neutralize any aphrodisiac that I currently know of.”

Gu Ling took it, sniffed it and heard Su Liang say, “I went through a lot to make this. Remember to carry it with you, so that you won’t be drugged by any bewitching women!”

Gu Ling gripped the medicine bottle in his hand, his eyes suddenly softened,

“You made this specifically for me?”

Su Liang, who was in the middle of taking things out of her bag, shook her head, “Not exactly, I made it for my own protection, but decided to give you one too. Oh right, Lian Ershan mentioned that there’s a gift you prepared for me at Xiangxiang Residence, what is it?” Gu Ling’s expression was faint, “It’s me.” Su Liang paused, “What?”

Gu Ling said, “What he spoke of, was me.”

Su Liang laughed lightly, “Oh, I see. If it weren’t for his fall yesterday, would Lian Ershan have packaged you up and presented you to me after I arrived? He’d have to put a big, big butterfly bow on the Great God, otherwise, the gift would lack soul.”

Gu Ling: .

“But the two of you together are quite endearing.” Su Liang said with a smile.

Gu Ling furrowed his brows, “Stop.”

Su Liang shook her head, “I meant as friends. What are you thinking, Great God?”

“You,” Gu Ling’s voice faltered a moment, “Are you hungry?”