Chapter Seventy-Five: Will You Save Them or Not?

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The two guards exchanged glances and said, "Who are you? Let him go."

"I told you to bring him out to me!" Yu Hualiang, agitated, pressed the blade against the soldier’s skin, drawing blood at once.

The guards realized he was not making idle threats and had no choice but to follow Yu Hualiang’s command and summon Cao Zhileng.

When Cao Zhileng emerged and saw the scene before him, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy. From the look of things, Yu Hualiang must have killed one of the soldiers and coerced another to lead him here. He feared that, after he left, the soldier would kill the Seventh Prince. Yu Hualiang had taken a life for his sake. Now, looking into Yu Hualiang’s eyes, gone was the gentle, jade-like man he once knew.

"You’ve come for him," Cao Zhileng was the first to speak.

"Give me the antidote, or I’ll kill him!" Yu Hualiang threatened.

Cao Zhileng replied coldly, "Do you really think you can leave here alive?"

Yu Hualiang had anticipated this. He simply released the soldier.

Both the soldier and Cao Zhileng were stunned. A sudden wind swept through, and Yu Hualiang, dressed only in a white inner robe now stained with blood, looked tattered and forlorn. He was frail, his face pallid and pitiful, yet his eyes burned with an unyielding pride that commanded respect.

Cao Zhileng knew words would not sway Yu Hualiang in this state, so he turned towards the camp, saying as he walked, "I won’t save him. He won’t succumb to the poison until midnight. Go back and accompany him for his final hours."

"Will you or won’t you save him?"

Yu Hualiang gritted his teeth. Suddenly, Cao Zhileng heard the sound of a knife slicing flesh. He turned to see Yu Hualiang clutching a dagger, cutting into his own arm.

Cao Zhileng was lost for words; he hadn’t expected Yu Hualiang to go this far. He was gambling—gambling on Cao Zhileng’s feelings for him. Did Yu Hualiang know all along how he felt? If so, threatening him by self-harm for the sake of the Seventh Prince was a cruel move.

What was he supposed to do now? Feigning heartlessness, Cao Zhileng said, "Leave. I won’t give him the antidote. Don’t force me."

He made to return to his tent, but Yu Hualiang, unwilling to give up, slashed himself again. Blood streamed down his arm, pooling on the ground. Finally, unable to bear it, he half-kneeled, hissing in pain.

"Will you... save him?" Seeing Cao Zhileng unmoved, Yu Hualiang drew the blade across his chest.

"Ah... Cao Zhileng!" Yu Hualiang stared at him, refusing to surrender. He’d thought this through. Having known Cao Zhileng for so long, he understood he was not a heartless man. If he’d gambled wrong, he would end his own life here, and at least he’d be able to face the Seventh Prince. The pain made his hands tremble, yet Cao Zhileng still did not turn back.

Yu Hualiang grasped the knife once more and stabbed himself again. His body was numb with agony; were Cao Zhileng closer, he might have heard the blood dripping to the ground.

Cao Zhileng was almost at his tent when Yu Hualiang, ready to give himself one final blow, closed his eyes.

Suddenly, Cao Zhileng halted, sprinted over, and snatched the knife away. Yu Hualiang forced his weary eyes open and smiled—a smile that tore at Cao Zhileng’s heart.

"Save... him..." Yu Hualiang managed to utter.

"Why... is it you by his side?" Cao Zhileng looked at him with unwillingness in his eyes.

Yu Hualiang collapsed in his arms, drenched in blood and growing weaker by the moment. He could hear Cao Zhileng frantically summoning the camp physician, but he no longer understood what was happening.

He struggled to remain conscious, for the Seventh Prince was still in danger. When the camp physician cleaned his wounds and applied medicine, Yu Hualiang stayed awake throughout—no matter the pain, he uttered not a sound. He simply stared at Cao Zhileng, unblinking, until it made Cao Zhileng uneasy.

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"You needn’t do this," Cao Zhileng said. "Since I’ve given you my word, I won’t go back on it."

Yu Hualiang’s voice was hoarse. "Thank you..."

Once the physician left, only the two of them remained. Cao Zhileng sat by his bedside and asked, "Was it worth it, for him?"

Yu Hualiang tried to sit up. Cao Zhileng helped him. Before he could say anything, Yu Hualiang spoke urgently, "Brother Cao..."

"What is it?"

"Promise me one thing. Whatever you want me to do... I’ll do it," Yu Hualiang said weakly.

"Impossible! Absolutely not. I’ve already done enough by sparing his life, and now you want me to send him back to his own camp?" Cao Zhileng was angry at Yu Hualiang’s request.

Yu Hualiang looked at him. If force wouldn’t work, he’d try gentleness. In a softer voice, he pleaded, "Please... please, grant me this wish... I’ll do anything you ask."

Cao Zhileng pondered. In any case, if he didn’t kill the Seventh Prince, the man would eventually return to his own camp. Perhaps this was not an unreasonable bargain. He asked, "Anything?"

Yu Hualiang nodded. "Yes."

"Then, leave the Seventh Prince."

Yu Hualiang’s mind buzzed, going blank for a moment before he replied mechanically, "Very well. I will leave him."

He forced a bitter smile. He’d thought about this for so many days—about leaving the Seventh Prince. But now that he had the chance and the excuse, he found himself reluctant to go.

The Seventh Prince had always treated him well; anyone could see that. Yet he was also the ruthless Seventh Prince—Cao Zhileng’s few words had already made him suspicious. Yu Hualiang wondered if staying by his side would lead him to the same fate as A-Liu.

Thinking thus, it seemed better to leave sooner rather than later. Though Cao Zhileng had agreed, Yu Hualiang remained uneasy.

With no other choice, Cao Zhileng supported the gravely injured Yu Hualiang and, accompanied by several soldiers, rode seven miles to the small cottage where Yu Hualiang and the Seventh Prince had stayed.

Inside, they found the body of a soldier, long cold, and the Seventh Prince, who had managed to crawl out but had fallen unconscious again. Cao Zhileng administered the antidote.

Supported by Cao Zhileng, Yu Hualiang managed to sit beside the Seventh Prince. He took the prince’s hand and drew from his robe the purple jade token given to him when he first visited the Seventh Prince’s residence.

The memories flooded back: the day they first met, the prince holding a rabbit in his arms, becoming his entire world; the night he stood vigil over Yu Hualiang after he was injured, sleepless and sincere; the ordinary days spent in that mountain cottage. Yu Hualiang, you should be content now.

He gazed at the prince one last time, then gently tied the token to his hand, slipping away into the forest under the moonlight.

He left the Seventh Prince at the gates of the Mu Kingdom’s camp, finally at peace. Only then did he close his eyes and fall into a deep sleep.

Cao Zhileng was terrified and tried to wake him, but Yu Hualiang slept too soundly. They hurried back, and the physician assured them Yu Hualiang was only exhausted.

Relieved, Cao Zhileng realized that if he’d hesitated a moment longer, he might now be holding Yu Hualiang’s corpse.

Yu Hualiang slept deeply, his face relaxing into a gentler expression—as if the old Yu Hualiang had returned.

Cao Zhileng treated him with courtesy, and their interactions were as before, giving Yu Hualiang the illusion that he was still living in the Seventh Prince’s mansion.

He had saved the Seventh Prince and rescued an enemy advisor; surely tongues would wag. Cao Zhileng, however, declared that he would kill any who dared gossip.

Yu Hualiang finally understood how Cao Zhileng commanded respect. The enemy soldiers treated him with utmost politeness, and Yu Hualiang found himself rather enjoying his current life, almost forgetting his homeland.

A month passed, and the summer heat arrived. The enemy general merely ordered Cao Zhileng to station himself there, seemingly with no intention of putting him to use.

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Yu Hualiang thought this only natural. If he were truly valued, how could news of the Seventh Prince’s great victory have reached him so quickly?

While the others fretted like ants on a hot pan, Yu Hualiang could hardly suppress his amusement. One day, as he was munching on a watermelon picked by Cao Zhileng, he happened to pass by the camp and heard Cao Zhileng shout that he would perish together with the Seventh Prince.

Startled, Yu Hualiang dropped his watermelon, which rolled inside. Thinking it improper to litter, he went in to retrieve it, but suddenly felt several burning gazes upon him, making him uncomfortable.

"Uh... I’ll just be going," Yu Hualiang said awkwardly, picking up the watermelon.

A sharp-faced adviser at Cao Zhileng’s side suddenly fanned himself and said, "General, I hear that every time the enemy general captures one of our men, he always asks after his whereabouts."

Yu Hualiang wondered if the Seventh Prince was fighting so fiercely just to find him.

The adviser continued, "Why don’t we use him as a hostage..."

But before he could finish, he felt the murderous intent radiating from Cao Zhileng and quickly fell silent.

Yu Hualiang followed his lead and said, "It’s not a bad idea."

Cao Zhileng glared at him, his brow tightly furrowed, utterly unable to fathom Yu Hualiang’s intentions.

"Your Fanhe is doomed to defeat—it’s only a matter of time," Yu Hualiang declared.

His words enraged many, even drawing anger from Cao Zhileng himself.

Without looking at them, Yu Hualiang continued, "Consider this: the Mo Kingdom’s army is powerful and well-mounted, and the Seventh Prince is skilled in strategy. Besides, Fanhe’s terrain is mostly plains, with nowhere to hide. This forces you to confront the Mo Kingdom head-on."

At that, everyone understood—Yu Hualiang was right.

"Moreover, your general refuses to employ capable advisors; defeat is inevitable."

His words rang out with conviction, winning the crowd’s respect. Many even felt that Cao Zhileng was right to keep him here.

If he were still at the Seventh Prince’s side, Fanhe would have fallen by now. The sharp-faced adviser swallowed hard and asked, "How do you know all this?"

Yu Hualiang, feigning wisdom, pointed to the sky. "The heavens reveal all."

He knew nothing of heaven’s designs—it was all guesswork. After so long in Fanhe, all he’d seen were plains, except for one perilous mountain, which was too treacherous for an army to camp on. The troops had to camp on the relatively flat grasslands. As for saying the general didn’t value talented men, that was just to please Cao Zhileng.

Cao Zhileng was formidable, but only in single combat. If he would only obey orders, perhaps Fanhe could hold out a little longer, but as a commander he was no match for the Seventh Prince.

Cao Zhileng looked at him. "Do you wish to go back?"

"No," Yu Hualiang replied firmly. Over these days, he had come to a realization—he truly did not want to continue living such a perilous life at the Seventh Prince’s side.

With so many flowers in the world, why hang himself on one crooked tree? These days away from the Seventh Prince had been peaceful and pleasant; he truly had no desire to return.

"I have a plan that can guarantee your safe retreat, but you must promise me one thing..."