Ch. 62 - Zhong Yansheng: Can my kitten come with me?

After saying this, the middle-aged man urged with a stern face: "Hurry up!"

After he finished speaking, he muttered something like "the world is going downhill" and "it's against morals", then he quickly jumped out with a dark face, slammed the door, and looked like he didn't want to look at it anymore.

Zhong Yansheng: “…”

Zhong Yansheng looked at the shaking door panel stupidly, and then he realized that he felt a little aggrieved.

This was the first time in his life that he was disliked by someone.

It’s all Xiao Nong’s fault for insisting on holding him while sleeping.

These bandits will surely spread rumors that he is extremely licentious!

Xiao Nong, half of the culprit, was unaware of what was happening and paid no attention to what the gangster had just said. He rubbed Zhong Yansheng's body into the quilt, lowered his eyes to look at his rosy face, and pinched it with his hand: "Sleep again?"

Like soft tofu.

Zhong Yansheng tried to tear him apart: "No more sleep, get up and do some work!"

He suddenly remembered that Taxue was still in the room, so he quickly got up and looked at Taxue who was lying under the table.

The big cat lay quietly, its ears drooping, its soft fur covered with mud and dust, looking dirty, and it licked its paws unhappily.

Fortunately, the man was only looking at them and didn't pay attention to other places.

Zhong Yansheng climbed down from the bed, squatted beside the table, patted the big cat's head soothingly, and lowered his voice: "Taxue, you stay in the house obediently, don't run around and get discovered."

Taxue's hot and furry head arched into his palm, and its gray-blue eyes narrowed slightly as he touched it, as if it was enjoying it, and a slight humming sound like panting came from its throat.

After touching him for a few times, Xiao Nong, who had just wanted to take him back to sleep, came over at some point and squatted beside him, with a slightly unhappy look on his face: "Touch me."

Zhong Yansheng was speechless for a while.

In order to prevent Xiao Nong from going crazy again, he had to touch Taxue's head with one hand and touch Xiao Nong's lowered head with the other hand.

If these two were not actually quite aggressive, he would feel like he was petting two big cats.

After a few attempts to appease him, the door was knocked again. The middle-aged man outside was very impatient and had no idea what he was thinking: "What are you doing? Can't you do it at night? Hurry up!"

Zhong Yansheng: “…”

Zhong Yansheng angrily withdrew his hand and glared at Xiao Nong quietly: "Let's go."

Fortunately, he and Xiao were both sick and injured, and were dying when they were picked up. The people in the village were not so wary of them, and only sent one person each time. Otherwise, if they found Taxue in the house, they would have been furious.

Zhong Yansheng still felt a little dizzy, but Xiao Nong looked normal again. His recovery speed was quite amazing.

Before opening the door, Zhong Yansheng deliberately checked his clothes again. He was wearing coarse cloth clothes on the outside, which were neat and tidy, not at all indecent.

Zhong Yansheng calmed down, opened the door and walked out.

The middle-aged man outside was waiting with his hands folded, looking impatient. However, he didn't dare to go into the house to urge them as if he was afraid of seeing something. When he saw the two of them finally come out, his eyes moved from him to Xiao Nong, and his expression was quite strange.

Zhong Yansheng was shy, and after being looked at like this, he buried his head and dared not say a word. Fortunately, the man did not say much: "Follow me."

Just like what the middle-aged man said, the bandits from Shuiyun Village never seemed to kidnap anyone. The room where Zhong Yansheng and Xiao Nong were imprisoned was more like a small firewood shed, all alone on the top of the mountain.

The bandits should not be afraid that they would run away. After all, there is a cliff behind the house. Even with the help of tools, it would be extremely difficult to leave, which is almost like seeking death.

While following the bandits down the mountain path, Zhong Yansheng couldn't help but look back at the woods behind the house.

I don’t know how Zhan Rong and his team are progressing, or how many people have sneaked in now.

He was about to face the unpredictable boss, and to be honest, he was a little nervous.

His slightly sweaty hand was suddenly grabbed. Zhong Yansheng clenched the signal fireworks hidden in his sleeve and raised his head to look at Xiao Nong beside him.

Maybe it was because his brain was broken, Xiao Nong felt as if he was completely out of the picture and had no distractions... He just wanted to stick to him.

Zhong Yansheng's mood inexplicably improved. He put on a stern face and let him hold his hand without shaking him off.

When walking down the mountain path, you can overlook most of Shuiyun Village. The main gate of the village that was tightly closed yesterday is now open. A group of bandits, half on horseback and half with swords, are following behind. They walk in an orderly manner and step into the gate one after another. The first two people are riding on horses, one in front and one behind.

Zhong Yansheng vaguely felt that the man riding the horse behind him looked familiar, but because he was too far away, he couldn't see his face clearly. He tentatively asked the middle-aged man in front of him: "Uncle, is the one riding the horse your boss?"

The middle-aged man obviously had great respect for the boss and couldn't help boasting, "How about that? Even from such a long distance, you are also frightened by the might of our boss? This Shuiyun Village was built by the boss and his brothers. Our boss is... resourceful, brave and good at fighting! He is no less than that legendary King Ding!"

Zhong Yansheng: “…”

The legendary Prince Ding was concentrating on kneading Zhong Yansheng's fingers. Noticing that the back of his collar was messy, he raised his hand to straighten it.

He looks very virtuous and is very popular with men.

The key point is that Xiao Nong is tall and straight, so his big and narrow figure is really weird.

The middle-aged man got goosebumps when he saw this: "A real man actually gave himself to someone else!"

Zhong Yansheng was about to pull his hand back, but when he heard this, he calmed down out of guilt.

Among all the rumors spread about Xiao Nong, this one is the most outrageous. He now hopes that Xiao Nong will recover quickly, but he is also afraid to face the look in Xiao Nong's eyes when he wakes up.

Those blue eyes would definitely stare at him with a half-smile, and ask him in a long tone: "Male lover?"

Zhong Yansheng felt embarrassed just thinking about it.

After going down the mountain road and walking towards the village, Zhong Yansheng saw the gossipy bandit from yesterday.

This should be the one hidden in Lou Qingtang's cargo and followed by the spies who sneaked in. Shuiyun Village is hidden in the mountains. They took advantage of the chaos to sneak in, but lost contact with Zhan Rong and the others. If it weren't for Taxue who followed the scent all the way to find them, it would probably take several days to get in touch with them.

The young spy was obviously still immersed in the shock of the male favorite and three hundred thousand silver coins. He did not dare to look over at first glance. The moment they passed by each other, he mustered up the courage to raise his head and nodded slightly to Zhong Yansheng.

It seems that Zhan Rong has already made arrangements.

Zhong Yansheng took a deep breath and prepared to set off signal fireworks if his identity was discovered.

After coming down the mountain road and passing by the houses in the village, Zhong Yansheng discovered that there were quite a few old, weak, women and children in the village. Some of the women looked familiar. They were the ones who had run to the mountain to watch him and Xiao Nong yesterday. Although they were staying in this den of thieves, they all seemed content and at ease, farming and weaving as usual.

The bandits' den in their eyes turned out to be like a paradise, extremely peaceful.

Seeing Zhong Yansheng and Xiao Nong following the middle-aged man down, someone greeted the middle-aged man: "Old Hu, take them to see the boss?"

"The boss is back, and he brought a guest with him."

"This is the male favorite worth three hundred thousand? Those blue eyes, wow."

"The mountains have been a bit uneasy lately. Could these two be spies?"

"Why bother with that? The boss will definitely see through it!"

People were talking all along the way, and they all expressed their trust in the "big boss". Zhong Yansheng became more and more curious about the "big boss" they were talking about. Passing by this area of ​​houses, there was a main hall in the distance, which was probably where the bandits usually held meetings.

The two people riding horses in front just happened to appear in the field of vision. The "boss" turned over and got off the horse, walked towards the main room with steps as fast as the wind. Zhong Yansheng didn't have time to see what he looked like. He looked back and saw clearly the appearance of the person following behind him.

As soon as he saw it, he stopped in his tracks.

No wonder he felt vaguely that the face looked familiar.

The person following behind the leader of Shuiyun Village is actually Huo Shuang!

Huo Shuang was sent by the old emperor to be by his side to monitor him!

Huo Shuang was born in the Jinyiwei and was selected by the old emperor to work beside him. He was like a secret guard and anyone who saw him knew that he was the old emperor's man.

Why did Huo Shuang appear here? Could it be that Shuiyun Village has something to do with the old emperor?

Zhong Yansheng was extremely shocked. No matter how he thought about it, it seemed impossible. Why would the old emperor send people to set up a den of thieves in a remote place like Baoqing Prefecture?

He was completely confused when Huo Shuang also got off the horse and followed him into the main room without even looking away.

Lao Hu in front urged: "What are you doing?"

Zhong Yansheng uttered "oh" slowly, his heart tense again.

He originally still had a glimmer of hope, thinking that if the boss didn't find out, he would be able to get away with it.

But now Huo Shuang appeared here... Even if the boss didn't recognize him and Xiao Nong's identities, Huo Shuang knew them.

It seems that we have to have a head-on confrontation today. As soon as we meet, we have to take action immediately to subdue the boss.

Zhong Yansheng thought about it, then quietly approached Xiao Nong, pressed his head down, and warned him seriously: "Don't talk for a while."

If Xiao Nong spoke nonsense and Huo Shuang found out that something was wrong, it would be all over. How would His Highness Prince Ding put his face?

When he spoke, his warm breath also carried a faint orchid fragrance. Xiao Nong liked this smell very much. He smiled slightly and nodded obediently: "Okay."

Looks like a big, obedient wolfhound.

Zhong Yansheng couldn't help but have a thought, if Xiao Nong could always stay this stupid...it would be pretty good.

At least most of the time he listens to him.

When they arrived in front of the main hall, Lao Hu waved his hand, signaling the bandits guarding outside the hall to keep an eye on Zhong Yansheng and Xiao Nong, and then walked in.

Among the bandits guarding outside, there was Li Yimu, whom he had met yesterday. When he saw the two of them, his face became strange again, but looking at Zhong Yansheng's beautiful face, he couldn't help but talk to him: "Do you often buy male companions?"

The other bandits who originally wanted to stop Li Yimu stopped and pricked up their ears in curiosity.

The news of the blue-eyed male favorite worth three hundred thousand taels of silver has spread throughout Shuiyun Village.

Zhong Yansheng choked for a moment: "..."

He often asked this question out of the blue, which made others choke, but this was the first time for him to experience this. After choking for a long time, he reluctantly said, "Not often."

Li Yimu secretly glanced at Xiao Nong's silent and handsome face, and continued to ask curiously: "Three hundred thousand taels is not a small amount, do you like his face so much?"

Zhong Yansheng felt that when Li Yimu asked this question, Xiao Nong's gaze also fell on his face, with a bit of burning heat.

What a stupid question!

Now is not the time to tear each other apart. Zhong Yansheng began to pray in his heart that the boss would come out soon, and answered with a stiff upper lip: "Yeah... I like it very much."

Although Xiao Nong is a bad guy, he is indeed very handsome.

If he wasn't so handsome, he wouldn't have dared to get close to Xiao Nong when they first met at Changliu Villa because of his bad temper.

Xiao Nong, who was staring at him closely, raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled.

Li Yimu curled his lips and said, "What's the use of just having a good-looking face? My mother said that if you seduce people with your looks, your love will fade as your looks fade. Sooner or later, you will get tired of them."

The bandits around were watching the fun with great interest and burst into laughter when they heard the words.

Xiao Nong's smile disappeared, and he looked at Li Yimu with an unfriendly expression.

Zhong Yansheng really wanted to cover Li Yimu’s mouth.

This guy keeps talking, why does he sound just like Xiao Wenlan!

Fortunately, at this moment, someone in the main room came out.

It was also at this time that Zhong Yansheng heard a strange bird cry. He raised his eyes slightly and saw Zhan Rong appearing silently on the roof of the main hall. After nodding to him, Zhan Rong shrank back silently.

Since Zhan Rong appeared here, the black-armored guards and secret guards should have been hiding in the nearby corners.

Zhong Yansheng took a deep breath, and the moment the two people in the main room stepped out, he blinked hard at Zhan Rong who was hanging on the roof.

Zhan Rong understood.

There was a sudden flash of cold light, and Xiao Nong's secret guards appeared silently like crows in the dark night. By the time Huo Shuang realized it, it was too late. A sharp blade was pressed against his neck. However, the boss's reaction was much faster than Huo Shuang's. The moment Zhan Rong's knife was handed over, he drew his knife and attacked with it, making a crisp clanging sound.

All this happened in the blink of an eye. The bandits guarding outside the main hall were caught off guard. Before they could react, Zhan Rong had already exchanged several moves with the boss.

The other bandits also reacted, panicking but maintaining order, and they drew their swords and surrounded them: "Are they soldiers? There are soldiers sneaking in!"

"Take them down!"

"There's something strange about these two!"

Zhong Yansheng didn't expect that the boss could still react under such a sudden attack, and Zhan Rong was unable to take him down immediately. He panicked and subconsciously looked at Xiao Nong: "Brother!"

The situation was already out of control and began to get chaotic. Several other black-armored guards hiding in the dark came out and stood in front of the two men with swords raised: "Protect His Highness!"

There were sounds of weapons clashing all around, but Xiao Nong's expression remained calm. His blue eyes were like the sea, deep and unfathomable. He reached out and brought Zhong Yansheng into his arms, gently stroked his back soothingly, and calmly took out the signal firework from his sleeve and set it off.

Last night, he climbed into the village from the mountain wall that was discovered by Taxue. All the black-armored guards hiding in the mountains and forests heard the news and gathered silently.

At this moment, Zhan Rong, who had ambushed the boss, was unexpectedly knocked away by a knife and fell into a disadvantage. The sharp knife continued to chop towards Zhan Rong's chest!

Zhong Yansheng's breathing almost stopped when he saw this scene, and he blurted out: "Zhan Rong, be careful!"

Huo Shuang had a knife on his neck and was watching the boss fighting with the masked Zhan Rong with a grim expression. He hadn't noticed who was the person below him. The moment he heard Zhan Rong's name, he suddenly realized something. Regardless of the sharp blade on his neck, he threw the scabbard at his waist, just missing the boss's hand.

"Uncle Wei, please show mercy!"

The boss's murderous movements paused.

The secret guards holding Huo Shuang hostage saw that Huo Shuang was helping Zhan Rong, and for a moment they didn't know whether they should take action or not.

Huo Shuang was inevitably stabbed in the neck, and a line of blood oozed out, but he didn't care. He quickly swept his eyes through the crowd below and saw Zhong Yansheng and Xiao Nong in the crowd at a glance: "Young Prince?"

Zhan Rong didn't expect that Huo Shuang would suddenly help him, and he was stunned for a moment.

Huo Shuang's sudden attack made the atmosphere even weirder. The boss frowned, but without making a move, he turned his head and looked down in the direction Huo Shuang was looking.

Zhong Yansheng was blocked in Xiao Nong's arms. He was still a little frightened. His clear and dark eyes met the boss's gaze.

He finally got a clear look at what the head of Shuiyun Village, who was respected by everyone, looked like.

He was a very sturdy man with a shallow scar from his forehead to the corner of his eye. He looked to be over 40 years old, with slightly gray hair on his temples. However, he had a dignified aura and didn't seem to talk much. His temperament gave Zhong Yansheng a subtle sense of familiarity... If I had to say, he was somewhat similar to Zhan Rong.

The pair of eyes looked at him, and the look in them turned into shock, blurting out: "Your Highness!"

Zhong Yansheng was at a loss.

Huo Shuang called him the little prince because he knew him. The boss had never met him before, so why would he call him... Your Highness?

As soon as the boss opened his mouth, the surroundings became quieter. The bandits and Xiao Nong's men were facing each other, and for a moment they didn't know whether they should continue fighting.

At this moment, the boss did something that no one expected - he put down the knife.

Xiao Nong half-closed his eyes.

The eldest master ignored the gazes from the surroundings and took a few steps towards Zhong Yansheng and Xiao Nong. His eyes were still fixed on Zhong Yansheng, and he spoke in a difficult voice: "This... young master, how old are you this year?"

Zhong Yansheng felt that his voice seemed to tremble a little.

He hesitated and turned his head to look at Xiao Nong. Xiao Nong winked at him. He felt relieved, then turned back, pursed his lips and whispered, "Eighteen."

The boss's Adam's apple rolled several times, and then he asked, "May I ask your name?"

After Zhong Yansheng was brought back to the palace by the old emperor, he was stamped as the eleventh prince. Logically, he should have recognized his ancestral roots, changed his surname to Pei, and changed his name, but the old emperor did not seem to have this intention. His attitude was vague, and he only called Zhong Yansheng the eleventh prince.

Since the old emperor did not express his opinion, naturally no one else would speak.

Fortunately, Zhong Yansheng didn't want to change his name. He grabbed Xiao Nong's sleeves, hesitated for a while, and said slowly: "Zhong Yansheng."

"Zhong..." The eldest master paused for a moment, as if he was lost in some distant memory, and moved his lips, "Is it the Zhong family of Huai'an Marquis Mansion?"

Zhong Yansheng nodded.

The eldest master was silent for a while, and suddenly asked: "Young Master Zhong, can I talk to you alone?"

Xiao Nong stood behind Zhong Yansheng and said in a neutral tone: "No."

The eldest master finally shifted his gaze away from Zhong Yansheng and looked at Xiao Nong with a frown. When he saw his eyes, he understood something: "It seems that this person should be His Royal Highness Prince Ding."

After these words were spoken, all the bandits around were stunned and took a deep breath.

Prince Ding Xiao Nong???

Even though they stayed in the deep mountains and forests, they had heard of Xiao Nong's name. After all, Xiao Nong became famous at a young age, and his story had spread throughout Dayong early on. Even though the rumors about Xiao Nong became more and more terrifying, it was a fact that he guarded the border to resist foreign enemies.

The nobles in the capital were afraid of Xiao Nong, but most of the common people, including the bandits, were actually more grateful and respectful to Xiao Nong.

But...isn't this the male favorite worth three hundred thousand? How did he suddenly transform into His Royal Highness Prince Ding?

Li Yimu, who was just lamenting deeply about "using beauty to seduce people", was even more shocked and kept looking at Zhong Yansheng and Xiao Nong.

There was a commotion all around, but Xiao Nong remained unmoved, his face still expressionless as he repeated coldly, "No."

He started repeating himself again, as if he had to help Zhong Yansheng "lick his wounds" yesterday.

Zhong Yansheng quickly poked him, signaling him not to speak. Xiao Nong frowned, not quite happy, but obediently shut his mouth.

Zhong Yansheng had the intuition of a small animal and was very good at distinguishing the kindness and malice of others. He did not sense any malice from this big boss.

But he didn't dare to face the bandit leader alone, so he looked at the big boss and asked, "What do you want to tell me?"

The eldest boss was silent for a long time, then said, "A lot, some very important things."

They just met for the first time, why do they have so much to talk about, and why are they so important?

Zhong Yansheng tilted his head in confusion: "Can't you say it in front of other people?"

The boss shook his head, his eyes suddenly became firm: "If you are worried that I will harm you, I will cut off my arms right now."

Zhong Yansheng was shocked by his words and quickly stopped him: "Ah? Ah? That's not necessary!"

It seems that the boss really wants to talk to him alone.

Zhong Yansheng hesitated for a long time, tugged at Xiao Nong's sleeve, and whispered, "Brother?"

Xiao Nong lowered his eyes and looked at him for a moment. His misty blue eyes seemed to regain their former clarity for a few moments. When Zhong Yansheng was still unsure, Xiao Nong raised his head and looked at Zhan Rong again.

Zhan Rong had provoked Huo Shuang so many times, but he didn't expect to be saved by Huo Shuang. He was still feeling resentful. Even if he was hit just now, he was only seriously injured at most.

Being saved by Huo Shuang is so embarrassing!

He did not tear off the cloth. After receiving Xiao Nong's gaze, he quickly took out a medicine bottle from his waist, poured out a red medicine, handed it to the boss, and said coldly: "After taking it, you will feel weak all over. If you don't take the antidote after a cup of tea, you will die of the poison."

The other bandits had never heard of such a vicious thing, and their faces changed: "Boss, you can't eat it!"

"Whatever you say, don't just take poison!"

"Chief, be careful."

Amidst the voices trying to stop him, the boss did not pause for a moment. He reached out to take the pill and swallowed it in front of everyone.

"Now, can I have a private conversation with Young Master Zhong?"

Seeing him eating without hesitation, Zhong Yansheng hesitated for a moment and nodded: "Okay then."

He took two steps forward, but Xiao Nong grabbed him by the belt without saying a word and put something in his hand.

There was a slight sinking feeling in my palm; it was a dagger.

At the same time, a white shadow rushed over amid the crowd's exclamations.

Taxue held its tail in its mouth and moved very quickly. It no longer had the servile manner in which it would collapse and expose its belly to wait for Zhong Yansheng to touch it when it saw him. Instead, it maintained the demeanor of a serious beast, and approached Zhong Yansheng's legs with its head held high, looking down on everyone coldly.

When Zhong Yansheng saw Taxue, his eyes lit up. He reached out and rubbed Taxue's furry head, and looked at the boss eagerly: "Can my kitten come with me?"

You should avoid talking to other people, but Taxue is not a human being.

Even though Xiao Nong is not around, Taxue's presence can give him a sense of security.

When they heard the word "kitten", the bandits who were screaming in fear fell silent.

The boss: "...Of course."

Zhong Yansheng was really relieved now, and followed the boss into the main hall.

After stepping in, Zhong Yansheng discovered that there were many spirit tablets placed in the middle of the main hall.

Except for the one in the middle, all other tablets are blank.

There was no name written on the tablet in the middle, only five words.

"The spirit seat of the former Lord."

It seems as if he is afraid of something. Even if he hides in this deep mountain, he cannot be open and aboveboard. Once the secret is leaked, it will bring about a huge disaster.

The eldest master seemed to think for a long time, and asked carefully in a hoarse voice: "Do you have a petal-shaped birthmark on the back of your neck?"

Zhong Yansheng subconsciously touched the back of his neck.

The spot was very hidden, covered by his hair, and even he himself didn't know there was a birthmark there at first.

He stared at the boss in bewilderment, "How did you know..."

His voice paused when he saw the red eyes of the boss.

Zhong Yansheng was at a loss, and wanted to say something to ease the atmosphere, but the boss suddenly knelt down in front of him, lowered his head deeply, and said in a trembling voice: "Your subordinate Wei Ling greets the young master."

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