FID – Chapter 797

Chapter 797 — A Tiger Fallen to the Flatlands

Retracting the final golden needle, Liu Yusheng looked at the young man and said, “Open your mouth and make a single sound. Does your throat still feel strained?”

The young man immediately opened his mouth and vocalized, “Ah—”

It was a short syllable, still somewhat unclear, but noticeably clearer than when she first heard it.

Liu Yusheng nodded, fairly satisfied with the speed of his recovery.

The boy, however, furrowed his brow and picked up the paper and brush she had used to write prescriptions.

He wrote: How much longer until I’m fully healed?

“As long as you continue with treatment, your vocal cords should return to normal in about a month. Are you in a hurry?”

After a moment’s silence, the boy wrote again: It’s inconvenient for me to return to the capital.

With the weddings of Hong and Lan over, Feng Qingbai would not stay long in Xinghua Village.

At most, they would set out within five days, and it would take no more than half a month to reach the capital.

Liu Yusheng didn’t ask why it was inconvenient for the boy to return — it was clear he feared being noticed by those pursuing him. “I’ll adjust the treatment plan to help you recover faster. That’s all I can do to help you.”

Thank you. The two characters were written with force and determination.

Liu Yusheng smiled. The boy was young, yet his handwriting was exceptionally good — the brushstrokes sharp and domineering, quite at odds with his usual image of a lapdog-like, harmless boy.

It was midsummer in June, and the daily chores mostly involved checking the fields’ irrigation and loosening soil and weeding the medicinal herb plots.

At noon, when the sun blazed the fiercest, no one wanted to go outside. You could get dizzy from the heat after just a short while.

The Qing River at the village entrance naturally became the favorite spot for the village children and youths.

They could splash around in the water, catch fish and shrimp, and cool off at the same time.

As soon as the afternoon sun started to set, the village youths would gather in groups, hollering as they headed for the river.

With those two troublemakers, Qian Wanjin and Liu Zhiqiu, around, the usually quiet Feng Qingbai and Liu Zhixia had no chance of staying peaceful, let alone playing the part of detached, otherworldly hermits.

Even if you’d ascended to immortality, those two would drag you right back to the mortal realm — to roughhouse in the river.

Naturally, Yan Qi couldn’t escape either.

In the Liu courtyard, there was no such thing as special treatment for guests — once you moved in, you were one of them.

No one got away.

When he was stripped and tossed into the river, Yan Qi hadn’t even processed what was happening. How had he ended up like this?

He was actually bare-bottomed in a small village, thrown into the river and jostled about with a bunch of people.

On the shore, Feng Qingbai was receiving the same treatment.

Qian Wanjin and Liu Zhiqiu each grabbed an arm, while Liu Zhixia, standing behind him, lifted a foot and gave him a hard kick on the butt.

Without even taking off his clothes, he went straight into the water, instantly becoming a drenched mess.

Popping his head up from the river, Feng Qingbai wiped the water off his face and narrowed his eyes at the two people on shore, who were laughing with hands on their hips — and at the strategist standing behind them, Liu Zhixia. His lips curled into a cold smile.

He tore the belt from his waist, swung it out forcefully, and in one move bound the three together into a bundle — and yanked.

Splash. Splash. Splash. Three consecutive splashes echoed.

“Feng Qingbai! We agreed — no using martial arts! You cheated!” Qian Wanjin choked on water, cursing furiously.

If he were going to pull them down, at least give them a heads-up!

“As brothers, we should share hardship and joy alike,” Feng Qingbai smiled faintly. “With such cool and refreshing water, how could I enjoy it alone?”

Liu Zhiqiu wiped his face and swore, “Damn it, even soaked to the skin you’re still pretending to be the gentleman. Doesn’t talking like that tire you out? Big Brother, Qian Wanjin — get him! Press him down!”

“Everyone, come on! Group attack! In our lifetime, if we can dunk the Prince under water, that glory will honor our family for a hundred years,” Liu Zhixia laughed as he backed away — he was a scholar, so roughhousing wasn’t his thing.

He just told others to do it.

Fired up by the idea of eternal glory, the people in the water surged toward Feng Qingbai.

Even the eight- or nine-year-old kids dove under to help grab at his legs.

“Damn.” Feng Qingbai let out a nearly inaudible curse and immediately turned to swim toward the other bank.

Just as he moved, a sweaty shirt from the shore was flung over his head, covering his face.

“Zhiqiu! You’re playing in the water and didn’t call us? Brothers, quick, get in the water — let’s join the fun too!”

A chance to splash around and roughhouse with the Prince might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Their Xiapo Village couldn’t afford to miss it.

Anyway, they were the bride’s family. Surely, the Prince wouldn’t hold a grudge later, right?

Play first and worry later!

With water blurring his vision and chaos everywhere, Feng Qingbai couldn’t tell who was who. As he was pressed under the river’s surface, he gritted his teeth hard — if he couldn’t see them, he’d memorize their voices one by one!

Yan Qi didn’t take part. He and Liu Zhixia stood on opposite banks downstream, watching wide-eyed as the brawl exploded in the water.

It was a spectacle. Truly jaw-dropping.

The laughter and shouts from Qing River echoed to the skies, loud enough to be heard all the way back in the village.

At that moment, Liu Yusheng, along with Shi Xianrou, Liu Muqiu, and Fu Yuzheng, were carrying baskets of medicinal herbs, just preparing to leave the herb fields.

“There’s another scuffle breaking out over there again. Who do you think’s the unlucky one today?” Shi Xianrou glanced over, her eyes reflecting the warm glow of the setting sun.

“Who else could it be? It’s always the Prince,” Fu Yuzheng covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

The Prince’s status was exceptionally high, but in the village, he never put on airs. Over time, everyone stopped fearing him.

And precisely because of his noble status, people especially loved to gang up and tease him — after all, opportunities like that were rare.

“The Prince is really pitiful. Usually, he commands with such authority, but here in Xinghua Village, it’s like a tiger that left his hills and descended to the plains,” Liu Muqiu shook her head and sighed — though her eyes showed no sympathy, only gloating amusement.

“Little White Lotus, didn’t you say those who bully Feng Qingbai are dogs?” Liu Yusheng grinned broadly, her eyes smiling mischievously.

“I didn’t — I didn’t say that! I only said the Prince is a tiger that descended to the plains!”

“A tiger that has fallen into the plains gets bullied by dogs — we all heard it. Remember to testify later,” Liu Yusheng teased.

“We’re all witnesses here. We’ll inform Zhiqiu later. Maybe Little White Lotus won’t be able to get up tomorrow,” Shi Xianrou raised her eyebrows, patting the pale-faced girl on the cheek. “Don’t be scared, I’m just helping you get some benefits. We all know what you want.”

“No! I didn’t want anything — I really didn’t! Don’t run away!”

The three women laughed and ran ahead, while Liu Muqiu chased after them with a crying expression, stomping her feet.

Happy times always pass quickly.

In the blink of an eye, it was already time for the group to set off again.

This time, they had only stayed for five days. Although the elders were deeply reluctant to see them go, they didn’t try to stop them.

The young ones all had their own responsibilities, and

Axiu had to return to the capital to manage state affairs.Zhixia needed to go back to Yunzhou to oversee things there,and Qian Wanjin was now starting to take over the family business, which meant he also had to stay long-term in the capital.

As long as they could come back to visit whenever they had time, that was already more than enough.

The carriage was about to depart, and the whole family was still standing at the main courtyard gate, eyes wide as they eagerly prepared to see them off.

Liu Zhiqiu, ever the carefree one, said loudly, “Why are you all pulling such long faces? Little White Lotus and I are getting married in September — they’ll have to come back then anyway. It’s just a little over two months, it’ll fly by in the blink of an eye.”

Everyone thought about it and realized he was right. Two months wasn’t long —

In the past, when their Nannan and Xiao Jinzi went to the capital to handle affairs there, one round trip would take nearly half a year.

“All right, get going. Come back early in September,” the old man waved them off. The longer the carriage delayed, the sadder they would all feel.

“Don’t forget — September, my wedding! When you come back, bring a gift! And don’t bring anything cheap!”

This time, Feng Qingbai and Liu Yusheng left with stiff, twitching faces.