General, your wife has gone to deliver another calf for your horse.

"Tch, getting a wife is nothing special. Just you wait and see, I'll be married soon, and I'll definitely marry a woman even better than your sister-in-law!"

Li Rong had already closed his eyes: "Judging from what you're saying, I know that your wife is probably still a long way off."

"Hey, what do you mean?" Chi Heng said, displeased. "You seem to be in really high spirits today?"

Li Rong turned his head away: "Go to sleep."

After that, Li Rong had no idea what Chi Heng rambled on about.

He slept exceptionally soundly that night, as if he had fallen into an endless abyss.

In his dream, he saw young Chi Heng hanging upside down on a locust tree, throwing wine jars to the two of them: "Hurry, hurry, if we get caught, none of the three of us will have a good outcome."

He also saw Changshan, his armor dripping with blood, holding up a tattered banner and shouting to him from afar: "General, I have fulfilled my mission, I have returned alive!"

Seeing iron cavalry trample mountains and rivers, brave warriors dying on their horsehide, the sounds of battle, bugles, and cries gradually turning into a bloody mist, dragging people down and suffocating them.
"Arong. Arong"

He heard his name called, and amidst the smoke of battle, he saw his older sister smiling gently at him, holding a steaming bowl of soup noodles in her hands.

He rushed over desperately, but his sister was swallowed up by someone, and the face that was revealed behind her was Xiao Yuanshan's indifferent face.

The father, with a spear lodged in his chest, said: "Arong, live on. No matter what, live on."

Ping'er, Xiao Er, Baozhu
A blood-stained peace knot, a burned marriage certificate, and a dust-covered Crimson Flame Warbow
Falling out of control into an endless abyss
Suddenly, a delicate hand grasped his arm.

Suddenly, a warm, soft kiss landed on my lips, carrying the fresh scent of pear.
She asked, "Why are we born? Why do we die?"

In a daze, a sliver of starlight shone in.
Li Rong took a deep breath and woke up in a cold sweat.

The warm morning light shone through the carved window lattice. Beside him was a bowl of lukewarm pear juice. He stared blankly at the morning light for a long time before finally letting out a sigh.

Chi Heng, sporting a dark circle under her eyes, pulled back the curtains, turned around and saw Li Rong. Her face immediately filled with resentment, and she yawned repeatedly: "What were you yelling about all night? I couldn't wake you up no matter what I did?"

Li Rong glanced at him: "What time is it?"

"It's only 3:45 AM, still early. If you're sleepy, go back to sleep. I've already told Chen Shu and Sun Wen to go down and help with the cooking."

Li Rong was taken aback: "Anuan is awake?"

Chi Heng shook her head: "No, the little maid that your sister-in-law bought is cooking on the stove. There's some pear juice on the table that the child specially made for you to sober up today, drink it quickly."

Li Rong nodded, then got up to fold the blankets.

Chi Heng glanced at him: "Hey, what did you and your sister-in-law do yesterday?"

Li Rong: "."

Chi Heng noticed his expression and said firmly, "Something's not right, something's very wrong!"

Li Rong had already folded the blankets, and drank the pear water in one gulp, asking only, "When are we leaving?"

Chi Heng gritted her teeth in anger: "You just want me to leave quickly, don't you? At least let me say goodbye properly. Today is the first day of the new year! Even if it's to visit my in-laws, I shouldn't leave until the second day, right?"

Li Rong glanced at him: "This is the first time I've seen you so polite. Hurry up, the roads are open now and the New Year is over. It's best to get back to the capital before the fifth day of the new year, or something might happen."

After saying that, she turned around and went out, quickly fetching water to wash her face, leaving Chi Heng alone, stomping her feet in anger.

When Chen Shule got up, he saw his master's resentful face and immediately withdrew his big teeth. He cautiously called out:
"master."

Chi Heng squinted at him and said, "Tell me, isn't he utterly inhuman?"

Chen Shu nervously swallowed and nodded hastily, "Master is right!"

Chi Heng: "Is he really that awful?"

"Master is right!" "Is he enslaving me?"

"Master, are you right?"

"Am I supposed to blame Li Rong?"

"You're right, Master!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chi Heng narrowed his eyes and looked at Chen Shu: "What did you say?"

Chen Shu was almost in tears: "Master, should this servant go and check if the food is ready?"

"No need!" Chi Heng gritted her teeth in anger, but then, as if sensing something was amiss, she suddenly fell silent: "Wait, how come he's so energetic? He chatted with me for quite a while yesterday, and now he's sleeping until this hour."

The next second, he rushed out the door to check on Li Rong, only to find him shaving his face in front of the mirror with a knife. He grabbed Chen Shu's braid and said, "Don't you think your general looks different today?"

Chen Shu blinked and looked over. "No, right?"

Chen Shu looked closely and saw that he was as cold and ruthless as ever. Even after shaving his face, his expression remained unchanged. Just thinking about how he used to pour buckets of cold water on himself on winter nights made him shiver. It was truly terrifying.

Are you stupid?

Chen Shu stared at him again, looking at him for a long time, still puzzled: "Master, what exactly do you mean?"

Chi Heng kicked him in the butt: "Idiot, it's pointless to talk to him."

Judging from Li Rong's condition, he should really be alright now. However, the poison in his body probably can't be left untreated, and it is indeed time for him to return to the capital.

"Breakfast is ready. Ah Heng, you go downstairs to eat first, I'll go check on Ah Nuan."

After Li Rong finished tidying up, he came up from downstairs with a tray in his hand. He spoke with Chi Heng and then turned to enter Jiang Nuanzhi's room.

Chi Heng pouted and muttered, "He said he wouldn't drag others down with him, but this morning someone was eagerly going over to him, bringing him food and water. I didn't realize he was being so considerate."

Turning around, she saw Chen Shu still staring blankly, and immediately slapped him on the head: "What are you looking at? Hurry up and move on."

In the bedroom, Jiang Nuanzhi was fast asleep. She vaguely heard a sound and rubbed her aching head before groggily opening her eyes.

The first thing she saw was Li Rong's magnified handsome face, which startled her.

"What are you doing here?"

"Ah Nuan has forgotten everything?" Li Rong propped himself up on the bed, his gaze lingering on her now-swelled lips, his eyes deep.

Jiang Nuanzhi swallowed hard, rubbed her head, and a number of memories flashed through her mind. She subconsciously touched her lips and buried her head in the blanket.

"Ah"

In a daze, I heard a muffled laugh, and the blanket was pulled off.

Li Rong squatted down: "You drank quite a lot yesterday, is your stomach upset? Ping'er specially cooked some lean meat porridge, would you like to drink a little?"

As he said this, he took a spoonful, scooped it up, and held it to her lips.

Jiang Nuanzhi really wanted to slap herself to death. It was just a kiss, why was she dodging? She even covered herself with the blanket, was that even right? Huh?
He took a deep breath and said, "I...I...I'll eat it myself!"

He coughed loudly and immediately took the bowl from her.

He took a sip, but suddenly choked and coughed.

Li Rong frowned, handed her a handkerchief, and helped her wipe away the porridge she coughed up: "Slow down." (End of Chapter)