Dandere General and his Lord

5. Medicine

Looking at the cup full of wine in front of him, Mo Qiao Sheng’s face turned white. He had fought bravely all day and night with hardly a drop of water, and had barely managed to have two bites of his pancake. 

At this moment, with his stomach hungry on top of the excessive blood loss, it was really not suitable to drink wine. 

He was afraid that he would get drunk and do something shameful, losing his master’s face, which would undoubtedly end in disaster. 

But he could not refuse. 

He respectfully stepped forward and received the wine from Li Wenguang, then knelt to drink it. 

Then he took the wine his master Hua Yuzhi bestowed and kowtowed in thanks before drinking it. 

Then he received the wine from Han Quanlin, the governor of Hanzhong and Yuan Yizhi, king of Yunnan…… 

Cheng Qianye sat in her seat and watched the young slave as he drank. His beautiful blue lustre gradually became heavy and a dense, reddish purple colour kept rising during this period, looking depressed and painful. 

He took the cup and his left arm was slightly unnatural, quivering lightly. The leather covering his left shoulder above the black clothing was permeated with a slight trace of water. 

No, it should be blood. 

Cheng Qianye thought of the spear that pierced his shoulder when he climbed the city wall.

Mo Qiao Sheng drank the wine that was bestowed to him by the King of Yunnan, Yuan Yizhi. 

Sure enough, he felt dizzy and his vision blurred. His stomach churned as he rose to his feet.

Another young Marquis beckoned to him. 

Mo Qiao Sheng knew that he could not drink anymore. 

Nevertheless, he did not dare to slack off. He weakly dragged his heavy feet and walked towards the table, prostrated in salute and took the golden cup from the young Marquis Jin Yue. 

Pouring the wine into his mouth, Mo Qiao Sheng froze abruptly. The cup was not filled with wine, but rich and creamy cow’s milk. 

He lifted up his head in astonishment and caught sight of the young and noble Marquis Jin Yue secretly winking at him. 

Mo Qiao Sheng lowered his head and maintained his composure as he drank the warm milk slowly. He felt the dull stabbing pain in his stomach being soothed softly by the warm stream of liquid and gradually being pacified little by little.

He kowtowed once more, feeling grateful in his heart and silently returned to his position. 

After receiving the wine from Yuan Yizhi, King of Yunnan, A’Feng remained at the table. 

Contrary to his usual frosty appearance, A’Feng displayed a bright smile and knelt meekly by Yuan Yizhi’s side. 

Yuan Yizhi narrowed his fishy eyes and extended his pale, bloated hand and pinched A’Feng’s chin. “You gentlemen don’t know, sometimes spoiling a beauty cannot hold a candle to taming a wild horse galloping on the battlefield. This old man thinks that conquering such a wild horse is the highest form of pleasure for outstanding men like ourselves.” 

A’Feng did not show the least bit of resistance and lowered his head with a humble smile on his face.

Everyone laughed heartily.

Li Wenguang was slightly unhappy, but the matter was not of much importance, so he did not speak. 

Governor of Hanzhong, Han Quanlin praised, “Duke Yuan’s idea is brilliant, this younger brother cannot match up.” 

Weibei Marquis Hua Yuzhi beckoned and indicated for A’Yun to come to his side. 

A’Yun’s face was bewildered and he knelt by his master’s side, at a loss. 

Hua Yuzhi was inwardly displeased, so he ferociously pinched his leg, making A’Yun’s face pale with fright. 

Mo Qiao Sheng knelt at his position and lowered his head as far as possible. He firmly clenched his hands, knowing that there was a vulgar gaze sizing him up. 

Han Quanlin sat at the table, twisting his beard with his fingers. He looked at the man who was kneeling in the shadows and looked him up and down with great interest, as if he was evaluating a commodity. 

Don’t call me. Don’t call my name. 

He couldn’t help recalling that time from his childhood when he was waiting for his older brother to come out of the tent. The dilapidated tent was like a monster in the dark and his brother’s agonized cries seemed like they would never end. 

I’ve been working so hard all these years just so I could avoid falling into such a situation. Don’t tell me that…… I still can’t escape! I can’t evade it! 

He thought bitterly. 

At that moment, he heard a voice calling out to him, “Mo Qiao Sheng, come here.” 

He lifted up his head, feeling at a loss and saw the young and gentle face nodding at him with a faint smile. 

It was Marquis Jin Yue who had just bestowed him with a cup of milk. 

Mo Qiao Sheng went over to Cheng Qianye’s side. He crawled on the ground and closely stuck his forehead against the back of his hand. His heart involuntarily relaxed. 

Don’t tell me that you can readily accept such humiliation just because this man was bit more gentle? Mo Qiao Sheng ridiculed himself within his heart. 

He heard a soft noise in front of his forehead. 

Lifting up his head, he saw a black lacquer tray placed on the carpet in front of him. 

Marquis Jin Yue did not look at him, smiling genially as he watched the song and dance performances and exchanged social niceties with Han Quanlin. 

He didn’t appear to care about the slave by his side. 

However, that clean and beautiful hand casually picked up a celadon bowl from the table, and seemingly inadvertently placed it on the tray in front of him. 

The delicate porcelain bowl was filled with steaming hot ginseng chicken soup which emitted an alluring aroma. 

What did this noble mean? 

Mo Qiao Sheng did not dare to think arbitrarily or move. 

But his body was more honest than his brain and spoke out his desire, his stomach grumbling. 

“Weibei Marquis’ song and dance girls are well trained.”

“Yes, yes.” 

As Marquis Jin Yue spoke to the person before him, his left hand slightly extended from his sleeve and pointed at the tray in front of Mo Qiao Sheng. 

Mo Qiao Sheng was bewildered and straightened his body before he grasped the bowl and cautiously drank the contents within. 

He felt that he had never drunk anything so delicious. 

The chicken soup with a strong meaty flavour flowed gently down his throat and he almost couldn’t help wanting to sigh. 

In particular, there was a medicinal flavour in the soup which he hadn’t experienced before. 

The powerful medicine instantly permeated into his bones and limbs and he felt his eroded strength recover. 

Mo Qiao Sheng finished the bowl of soup in one breath and he put the empty bowl back on the tray in a daze, unable to even ponder how to express his gratitude. 

A blue and white dish filled with light snacks was placed in front of him. 

After placing the dish in front of him, he lifted his palm slightly, motioning at him to continue eating.

So, Mo Qiao Sheng was left in a trance, eating one after another of delicacies which he had never touched before. 

As the banquet drew to a close, many people wound up drinking too much and those wretched nobles began to act upon the ones serving them at the side. 

The scene gradually became filthy. 

Yuan Yizhi laughed as he walked out, embracing A’Feng’s waist. 

Weibei Marquis was somewhat not in the mood. Kneeling by his side, A’Yun’s face was pale, his whole body shivering. 

“You come with me.” Cheng Qianye said as she stood up.

Mo Qiao Sheng paused for a moment before he slowly stood up and followed her silently. 

In Cheng Qianye’s tent, Lu Yao and Xiao Xiu undid Mo Qiao Sheng’s leather armor and searched his body meticulously. 

But they didn’t take off his cotton clothes. This was a pleasure set aside for their lord to enjoy. 

They trussed both of his hands, tying them tightly behind his back. Then, they pushed him onto the bed and withdrew from the tent. 

Mo Qiao Sheng knew that this was to guard against assassination and to prevent his resistance in case he lacks judgement. It was a common practice in order to protect the safety of the noble. He endured silently, without resistance.

Cheng Qianye entered the tent with a metal dish in her hands. She caught sight of Mo Qiao Sheng sitting by the bed, his head lowered, as soon as she entered. 

His hands were bound behind his back, his face numb and expressionless. 

But Cheng Qianye knew that there was a storm brewing inside. The originally tranquil blue colour now resembled a stormy ocean, curling up with terrifying waves and with layers of lifeless gray and black covering the surface, displaying that the master of this soul was overcome with feelings of grief and pain, submitting to his fate. 

Cheng Qianye almost couldn’t bear to watch. She shut down the system and comforted him, “Don’t be afraid, I won’t do anything to you.” 

Cheng Qianye was aware that this was not convincing since she did not untie the  ropes that bound him. 

She liked the beautiful colour on his body, therefore, she felt some pity for him. 

But facing a strange man who was skilled in martial arts such as him, her own safety was still her top priority. 

She placed the metal dish in her hands at the head of the bed and ordered him to lie down. 

Mo Qiao Sheng looked at the scissors, tweezers and messy bottles and jars in the dish and felt his heart sink. 

During his years at Chuhuai Hall, he knew that there were some nobles who appeared refined and elegant but possessed some unspeakable hobbies. 

Lu Xiu had received such a guest and had never gotten up again. 

Now that matters had reached this point, more resistance would only harm him more. 

He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw as he slowly lay down and placed his long legs on the soft bed. 

The cold scissors extended into his collar and cut open his clothes. He couldn’t help but shudder and swallowed nervously. 

Maybe my life is over. He thought sorrowfully. 

Cheng Qianye cut open the cloth covering Mo Qiao Sheng’s chest and carefully uncovered the blood soaked cloth. 

As expected, she saw a sinister, bloody hole on his rugged shoulder, still oozing with blood.

The blood had stained his whole shoulder. 

When Mo Qiao Sheng had kowtowed by her side at the banquet, Cheng Qianye had caught sight of a distinct red under his neck. 

But he was the slave of another person and it would have been conspicuous if she had shown excessive concern. 

Originally, Cheng Qianye had wanted to give him some good food and release him. 

However, as the banquet drew to a close, she could see that beautiful blue that was right before her eyes was brimmed with a pale yellowish green which represented gratitude, all because of a little food. 

In the end, Cheng Qianye couldn’t bear it in her heart and found an excuse to bring him back to her tent. 

At least wrap up his wound. She said to herself. 

Mo Qiao Sheng closed his eyes tightly, but the agony he had imagined did not appear for a long while. On the contrary, he felt a warm towel cover his shoulder. 

He opened his eyes in astonishment and saw Marquis Jin Yue personally wring a white towel in warm water, cleaning up the blood stains for him. 

Maybe this noble personage has an inclination for cleanliness and doesn’t like that I’m covered in blood like this. He has to clean me up before starting. Mo Qiao Sheng explained to himself. 

He looked at the marquis as he picked up a piece of gauze soaked with liquor with his tweezers and said gently to him, “This is going to hurt. You have to bear with it.” 

The high concentration of alcohol made his wound sting with pain. 

What kind of pain is this? Mo Qiao Sheng wondered in his heart. As a soldier who was often injured, he knew that if he got the chance to wash his wound with alcohol after a serious injury, his probability of survival would be much greater. 

But few slaves were qualified to enjoy this kind of luxurious treatment.