Forge a path to success.

Chapter 228 Bedtime Story
Chu Hengkong put away the medicine powder and ran to the door of the red house on the edge of the settlement. There was no light in the house, and behind the window, there were eerie silhouettes writhing. Every ten seconds or so, a muffled and deep sound came from the darkness, like the breathing of a giant beast.

Qingxia's condition stabilized after treatment, but the toxins were not eradicated, and the horrific tumors remained, clinging to her body and continuing to grow. Therefore, as soon as Qingxia regained some strength, she hid in her room, unwilling to meet anyone.

Chu Hengkong knocked on the door: "Qingxia, come out and take your medicine."

There was no sound from inside the room. Chu Hengkong increased the pressure: "Qingxia! Be good!"

A muffled voice came from inside the house: "Put it by the door..."

"Is it going to get all messed up when you come out of the door?" Chu Hengkong slammed the door. "Don't be stubborn. If you don't want to come out, you can just peek out."

"No! I'll eat it myself!" Qingxia's attitude was unusually firm.

Chu Hengkong was utterly baffled, wondering why the girl, who had been perfectly fine before, was suddenly acting out when it came to treatment. It was true that the poisoning had created a somewhat unsightly scene, but after going through so many life-and-death situations together, they wouldn't care about such a small matter…

Or is it that she cares?

Chu Hengkong recalled someone's earlier remarks and felt both amused and exasperated: "Ji Huaisu said those words to provoke you into staying alive; you don't need to overthink it..."

"You! Get out of here!" Qingxia shouted.

Chu Hengkong pinched the bridge of his nose, deeply feeling that the female centaur was just as incomprehensible and inexplicable as women. Qingxia's life was in danger, and there was only one dose of medicine. He couldn't just leave the medicine and go without it to save face. But if he forced her to take the medicine, it would be too hurtful.

He gently pushed the window open a crack, sat down with his back to the wall, and dragged the medicine powder to the window with his wrist.

"I won't look at you, okay? Come to the window to take your medicine."

"……Oh."

The window was slightly ajar, and the stuffy air reeked of water and blood. After a while, a damp sensation came from inside, accompanied by an unusually high temperature; the itchy touch felt like a small animal licking his palm. He knew Qingxia was taking her medicine, but he couldn't help imagining a little horse peeking out the window eating a carrot.

“You’re thinking something very rude!” Qingxia said.

Chu Heng coughed lightly: "Your imagination."

"That's exactly it." Qingxia gently bit him. "You were planning to take advantage of the situation and use an over-the-shoulder throw on me!"

"Your brain is truly remarkable to be able to imagine such a scene."

"W-what?" Qingxia shrank back. "Could it be that you want to glue my tongue to the prosthetic body..."

"This has turned into a ridiculous form of torture! Stop it! Are you the kind of person who would lick a lamppost in winter?!"

What is a telephone pole?

"The poles used to erect the lines are slightly shorter than the sacred pillars," Chu Hengkong gestured. "The electricity will flow through those lines, traveling from far away to people's homes, so there will be light without the need for fire."

Qingxia imagined a golden, transparent tree of light, densely covered with zigzag lightning bolts. A majestic, god-like figure commanded from the tree, striking wherever he pointed. After the lightning struck, the house was bathed in pure white light, and the people inside were so shocked that their skeletons were visible.

"Wow, that's amazing... No wonder you're so strong..." Qingxia exclaimed.

"What does this have to do with me personally?"

“I think your hometown was very likely contaminated by the Spiral Tower!” Qingxia said seriously.

"I have absolutely no desire to explore what you've imagined."

After he finished his medicine, Chu Hengkong handed him a bag of water: "How are you feeling now?"

"It's so strange, gurgling," Qingxia said between drinks. "I'm so sleepy, but I'm also so energetic..."

"That's right, because this medicine will strengthen your body. Now take Chang Le Dan, and let the medicine's power slowly remove the toxins. Just stay up all night and it should be enough."

"oh oh."

Qingxia withdrew her head and sat quietly, Chu Hengkong withdrawing his hand. Strange crackling sounds came from inside the room, as if something was breaking. After a while, Qingxia poked her head out again: "You go first..."

"Am I leaving you to treat yourself blindly?" Chu Heng laughed. "Even a child needs a caregiver in the hospital, let alone someone as seriously injured as you."

“I’ll be distracted if you stay here!” Qingxia said firmly. “Besides, the treatment is very painful, and I’ll feel embarrassed to call out if you’re here…”

"Then let's chat. Distracting ourselves will make the pain less."

"But I don't have the strength to speak." Qingxia had an idea. "How about you tell me a story?"

"Alright, let me tell you a story that fits the occasion: Guan Yu scraping the bone to remove poison," Chu Hengkong said casually.

Qingxia became interested upon hearing this: "I know this part; it's about the poison doctor Hua Tuo secretly harming the Martial Saint."

"Please have mercy, my head is starting to hurt."

"When Guan Yu, the God of War, was attacked by enemy warriors, he was wounded by an arrow. He returned to his camp to heal his wounds. Hua Tuo, the poison doctor, saw this as a golden opportunity and volunteered to treat him." Qingxia recounted the story vividly. "Knowing that the God of War was invincible in battle but no match for him in a head-on fight, he took advantage of the opportunity to cut open the flesh and secretly smear poison on the God of War's bones!"

"It's like scraping the bone to poison someone."

"At the same time, the Martial Saint remained calm, basking in the sun while continuing to play chess."

"Does Second Master have an eye disease? He can't even see this. Someone is smearing poison on his bones. There's an old man smearing it on his bones with a small dart."

Qingxia said in a somber tone, "This is all because Hua Tuo used too much anesthetic, causing the Martial Saint to lose consciousness..."

"Oh, so there's logic to it. Then how can they still play chess when they've lost consciousness?"

"..." Qingxia hesitated for a moment, "It's probably because the Martial Saint plays too much chess on a daily basis, which has formed muscle memory."

"This isn't a martial arts saint, it's a chess saint!"

Qingxia slapped the window frame: "The poison is about to enter his body, and the Martial Saint is on the verge of death. Suddenly, a chess piece flies from the opposite side and kills the poison doctor through the heart!"

"Who is this hero?"

"It's none other than Lü Bu, the Flying General who played chess with Guan Yu." Chu Hengkong finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Ma Liang has become Lü Bu! How is Lü Bu still alive after the seventy-fifth battle of Fancheng?! And he even surrendered to Shu!"

"This is the story of Guan Yu undergoing bone-scraping surgery to remove poison."

"In short, you should apologize to Hua Tuo first."

Qingxia hummed a few times happily: "What's the original version like?"

"First of all, Lu Bu is not in the original version."

"How could this be!" Qingxia exclaimed in disappointment.

"Don't shake the windows! Okay, listen to me patiently..."

Chu Hengkong was just about to tell the story of scraping the bone to remove poison when he suddenly remembered that the next episode would be about his defeat at Maicheng. He didn't know how to answer Qingxia's question, "And then?" So he simply said, "The story of the Martial Saint needs to be told a little further back. Let's start with the tale of overcoming five obstacles and defeating six generals..."

"It is the story of the Martial Saint's battle against the Knights of the Round Table."

"If you keep doing this, I'm not going to talk anymore, I'm going to tell you something."

"General Chu is so stingy..."

When telling stories about historical figures, he always picks the most exciting parts. After telling the story of Cao Cao's solo journey of a thousand miles, he talks about Cao Cao's righteous release at Huarong Pass, then about Cao Cao's solo meeting, the flooding of the seven armies, and his awe-inspiring feats throughout China. After a few sentences, Qingxia would ask a question, and it would take countless words just to correct those far-fetched ideas.

Chu Hengkong wasn't a particularly good storyteller, and by the time he finished talking and his throat was dry, the night was almost over.

"Guan Yu was indeed powerful, but I still prefer Lü Bu," Qingxia concluded.

"Because Lu Bu is good at fighting?" Chu Hengkong yawned.

"General Lü can fight three brothers by himself, how amazing is that!" Qingxia said with longing. "I heard my grandfather say that legends can fight against many with few, so I have liked Lü Bu since I was a child."

"I think you could easily take down those three Blood Knights single-handedly. You're even more powerful than Lu Bu." Chu Heng stood up. "Feeling better?"

Halfway through the story, the sound of the bubbles bursting gradually faded away, and by the time Chu Hengkong stood up, the indistinct outline in the room had also quietly disappeared. The window had been open, and most of the stench had dissipated. Finally, he heard the familiar sound of horses' hooves again.

"Wait a minute." Qingxia slammed the window shut. "I need to clean the room."

"Oh, you can even clean the room."

There was a lot of clanging and banging inside, the noise sounding more like demolition than cleaning. Then Qingxia pushed open the door, panting, her face slightly flushed, her red hair matted with sweat, looking like a seriously ill patient with a fever.

"It's done!" Qingxia gasped for breath, extremely nervous. "Is...is everything alright?"

Chu Hengkong walked around her once, patting her wet fur: "You're exactly the same as before."

Qingxia immediately relaxed, collapsing to the ground on all fours. She grabbed Chu Hengkong's arm and said pitifully, "Doesn't it smell bad...?"

"It's good enough that you're alive, why are you still worrying about this?" Chu Hengkong said, both amused and exasperated. "A wash will make everything alright."

Qingxia shifted her gaze hesitantly to the side, but still stubbornly held onto someone's arm: "General Chu, I have another request..."

"I'm scared when you act normal."

Qingxia muttered softly, "I'm exhausted, my bones are weak and my muscles are numb, I don't even have the strength to walk... But I'm a clean person by nature, and I can't stand looking so shabby and wet..."

"You're squeezing my arm so hard it's starting to hurt, and you call that being weak?"

Qingxia seemed to try to straighten her back, but suddenly lost her strength and collapsed into Chu Heng's arms. Her body temperature was as high as if she had a fever: "Anyway, General Chu has already met me... could you help me... wash up?"

The centaur girl stared intently at the corner of the room. Chu Hengkong helped her straighten her head and smiled gently at her.

"sure."

Qingxia's heart raced: "Then...then..."

Chu Hengkong tilted his head back and shouted, "Captain Ji! Come over here and help your comrade clean up!"

"It's a small matter, leave it to me!"

Upon hearing the news, Ji Huaisu sprang out, carrying a long ice brush on his back, a fine steel comb on his arm, long gloves on his hands, and a water mask over his head—a seasoned and battle-hardened sanitation worker indeed.

Without saying a word, she picked up a bucket and slammed it on the ground: "I, Ji Huaisu, have been good at dealing with animals since I was a child, especially good at taking care of horses. You can rest assured that this job is mine!"

Qingxia's expression changed drastically, and she immediately tried to run away: "No! I can wash it myself!"

"Qingxia, you're really delirious with fever. You don't even have the strength to get up, so how do you expect to take care of yourself?" Chu Hengkong used his energy to restrain the centaur girl and naturally got up. "Captain Ji, the responsibility of taking care of this teammate is very important, so I'm entrusting it to you."

"You're all brothers, you can rest assured leaving it to me!" Ji Huaisu wet the ice brush, his smile becoming particularly sinister. "Come on, Qingxia, let me give you a good wash!"

Qingxia tried to jump out the window to escape: "I don't want you to wash me! I want Chu Hengkong to wash me!!"

"What a lecherous horse! Even with the water at hand, he's still thinking about sex! Don't try to be arrogant, or else!"

"No! It's an assault! Chu Hengkong, save me!!"

Ji Huaisu gasped, "Damn it, where did you get so much strength, you seriously ill patient?! Xiao Ye, come help me!"

Qingye darted out with a bar of soap in hand: "Qingye obeys!"

"My dear sister, let's tie her up tightly and wash her thoroughly... Don't splash water on her, I'm telling you! If you splash her again, I'll get angry!"

"Ouch, I got a soap bubble in my eye!"

Chu Hengkong whistled and walked briskly away, casually picking up Fan De, who was listening to the commotion in the distance. Fan De glanced at him: "Hey, hey, weren't you supposed to be there to provide support? Why is someone deserting their post?"

"When dealing with heretics, do what you can," Chu Hengkong said. "If you encounter a woman, run away if you should."

(End of this chapter)