Chapter 300: 300. It should be a good thing

Translator: 549690339

The matter of marrying Gu Ling, for the time being, had virtually no impact on Su Liang. During the journey, she would occasionally think of it as an amusing scenario, even treating it as a joke when brought up.

On the surface, it appeared the same for Gu Ling.

They had already had a strong understanding when they were together, and it remained so now.

In his heart, however, Gu Ling experienced an indescribable sense of satisfaction and joy. Even if Su Liang was his wife in name only, and they had yet to consummate their marriage, it didn’t matter to him. What mattered was that he now had a legitimate reason to stay by Su Liang’s side. Everything else could take its own course.

In the past, Gu Ling found it hard to understand the changes in his friends when they got married. Now, he understood, and it was wonderful.

To avoid assassination, they changed their appearances the day after they left the capital city, so much so that they looked like a pair of brothers.

The journey was tough, they traveled day and night, only resting when tired and eating when hungry. The irregularity distressed Su Liang’s ordered life, and they often had to sleep in the wilderness or caves.

However, because they were together and looked after each other, many problems that would have been difficult alone became manageable.

Five days after leaving the capital city, they encountered a heavy rainstorm.

The skies darkened suddenly after noon while they were riding their horses in the wilderness. The skies, which had been clear, quickly turned ominously dark, with strong, exciting winds.

The horses began to neigh nervously. Su Liang and Gu Ling decided to find a shelter to avoid the bad weather, for it was unwise to compete with nature.

By the time a mountain appeared in their view, the thunder and lightning were crackling, and the heavy rain fell on their bodies so thickly that it blurred their vision.

Although they wore raincoats, the wind and rain were too strong for them to withstand, and they became thoroughly soaked.

They entered a valley in the storm and led their horses a distance over the muddy terrain, where Gu Ling found a section that looked like a cave. He led Su Liang there, pushed aside the half-dry, half-new green weeds and shrubs of early spring, and indeed found the entrance to a cave.

Su Liang went in first, while Gu Ling tied the horses to a rock in a nearby wind-sheltered corner.

Fortunately, both had experience surviving in the wild, so other than their soaked clothes, their other belongings and medical boxes remained dry.

The rain grew increasingly heavy.

By the time Gu Ling returned, Su Liang had moved some stones to block the entrance of the cave and filled the gaps with dirt to prevent water from seeping in.

The cave was about the size of a room, but not very high. Su Liang could barely stand straight, while Gu Ling had to bend over to enter.

After wiping his face with a clean handkerchief from his bundle, Gu Ling saw Su Liang all soaked and took the raincoat that was better than nothing, “I’ll go find some firewood.”

“Don’t go too far, be careful of falling rocks.” Su Liang’s voice was faint, carried away by the wind.

Finding dry firewood at such a time was not easy, but it wasn’t impossible either.

Gu Ling placed the firewood under his raincoat to keep it from getting wet.

When he returned to the cave, Su Liang had changed her clothes and was drying her hair. She used sticks she found to make a simple frame, hung her wet clothes on it as a screen, and created a private space behind it.

“I’ll get the fire started. Great God, go change your clothes first.” Su Liang said as she wrapped her wet hair with a cloth to prevent it from getting her clothes wet again.

Gu Ling put down the firewood, placed the raincoat on a rock at the entrance, glanced at Su Liang’s jade-like profile, and went behind the “screen”.

Su Liang soon started a fire at the entrance of the cave. She sat down beside it, tilted her head, removed her hair cloth and let her hair hang down. She combed it with her fingers and tried to dry it more quickly using the heat from the fire.

The sound of the wind and rain outside was so loud that Su Liang only noticed someone approaching when she could see their silhouettes not far away.

She quickly tied her half-dried hair into a ponytail and noticed two people outside the cave. Gu Ling was still changing clothes inside and hadn’t come out yet.

They were an old man and a young man. The young man, who seemed to be only seventeen or eighteen, was carrying an older man with white hair and beard on his back. They were both drenched and looked miserable. The old man was half-awake and coughing continually.

“Miss!” The man’s gaze fell on Su Liang’s face, widening in an undisguised amazement, “I am journeying to seek medical attention for my old father, and our ox cart has broken down, leaving us unable to move. May we seek shelter from the wind and rain at your place?”

“Alright.” Su Liang nodded slightly, “Come in.”

The man’s face lit up, “Father, we’ve met a kind-hearted person! Just like a fairy!”

Despite such a direct compliment, Su Liang remained calm. She pointed to a spot, indicating that the father and son duo could rest there.

The light was dim in the cave, with only the front part illuminated. The inner section was very dark, just barely revealing Su Liang’s clothes hanging on a wooden rack. Fearful of water, she kept her luggage and medicine box inside, weapons included.

So, the Su Liang who now appeared before others looked like a harmless lady who had escaped from a big family. She was breathtakingly beautiful.

The man settled the old man down. He sat down and swept his gaze over the clothes that Su Liang had hung up inside, finally resting on the fire. He wiped the rain off his face with his sleeve. His complexion was fair, and he had a

refined appearance, displaying a scholarly aura.

“My surname is Ling, and my name is Ling Yun.” The man opened his mouth in a smile, “Miss, you are truly amazing to be able to find dry firewood and start a fire in such weather!”

Though it seemed like sincere praise, it made Su Liang more cautious. However, she did not show it on her face. She simply replied blandly, “I took shelter here when I noticed the weather worsening. I also used the rain to wash my dirty clothes.”

Ling Yun nodded, “I see. With the rain getting stronger, I wonder if it will stop before it gets dark.”

Su Liang glanced outside. The rain showed no sign of stopping, and Gu Ling didn’t seem to have any intention of showing up. Was he sleeping inside?

The old man started coughing again. Ling Yun hurriedly patted his back, wiped his face, and hands. He seemed quite dutiful.

However, Su Liang felt that the age gap between this father and son was a little large. It looked more like a grandfather and grandson.

Of course, she didn’t rule out that the old man could have had his son late in life. But whenever Su Liang met strangers, she maintained an attitude of suspicion by habit.

Until her eyes fell on Ling Yun’s neck..

A patch of red, which could be mistaken for blood. The red birthmark on his neck immediately reminded Su Liang of Che Yun’s long-lost younger brother, Che Xiao. The age also seemed to match.

“Father!” Ling Yun suddenly cried out. Su Liang saw the pale-faced old man cough out blood.

Ling Yun’s eyes instantly reddened, looking worried, “Father, don’t scare me! I still have to take you to the capital to find a divine doctor!”

A divine doctor in the capital… Su Liang guessed he might be referring to her.

“I know a little about medical skills. Let me take a look.” Saying so, Su Liang got up and walked over.

Ling Yun instinctively moved aside and Su Liang checked the old man’s pulse. He had tuberculosis, and it was a severe case. He was almost beyond saving — there was little she could do.

“Yun’er…” The old man struggled to open his eyes, staring directly at Ling Yun. His skinny hand tried to reach for him, but instead, grabbed Su Liang’s arm.

Su Liang stepped aside, allowing Ling Yun to grab the old man’s hand. She heard the man say in a muddled voice, “Go to… Xuanbei City…”

Su Liang’s eyes narrowed. Xuanbei City? The Che Family was in Xuanbei City!

“Jade pendant…” The old man said, coughing up more blood, growing paler, and was clearly at his limit, “Find… relatives…” With that, his head tilted to the side, falling onto Ling Yun’s lap, and he drew his last breath.

Ling Yun held the old man and broke into sobs. Su Liang saw Gu Ling walking out from the inner section of the cave. He had already changed into dry clothes and had tied up his hair.

Gu Ling sat down next to Su Liang. They watched the father and son and spoke softly to each other.

“Could he be the one from the Che family…” Su Liang left her sentence unfinished.

Gu Ling nodded slightly, “Perhaps.” But Che Yun had been searching for so many years, and Su Liang had been helping for a long time without any news, and now they’d randomly bumped into him here? It was an extreme coincidence, but not impossible.

Su Liang felt the same. Age, birthmark, and going to Xuanbei City to find relatives all matched Che Xiao’s characteristics. As for his looks, Che Yun had said that Che Xiao looked very much like him. But since Che Yun had always kept a thick beard, Su Liang was not very clear about what Che Yun actually looked like. However, recalling the parents of Che Yun, Ling Yun did indeed look like their son.

Ling Yun was immersed in grief, he did not even notice Gu Ling’s presence, he just held the old man and wept continuously.

Upon seeing this, Su Liang sighed softly. If the person they encountered today was indeed Che Yun’s brother, then the old man who just passed away is most likely the person who abducted Che Xiao all those years ago.

Only after Gu Ling and Su Liang had untied their hair, dried it, and neatly tied it up again, did Ling Yun finally turn around, his eyes filled with tears as he looked at them.

“You…” Ling Yun looked at Gu Ling, his expression shocked.

“He is my husband,” Su Liang said calmly. “Try to restrain your grief.”

Ling Yun choked back a sob, “My father has been sick for a long time, I planned to take him to the capital city for treatment, but I never thought… as soon as the rain stops, I will take my father home for burial.”

Su Liang asked, “Where’s your home?”

Ling Yun said it was in Qianhu City.

Su Liang had heard of the place, a famous scenic area in the southern part of

Qian Country, filled with lakes of all sizes. If it wasn’t for the rain, she and Gu Ling would have made it to Qianhu City tonight. Therefore, Ling Yun and his father must have set off from there early in the morning.

“I heard your father say earlier that you should seek refuge with relatives in Xuanbei City?” Su Liang asked.

“Yes.” Ling Yun confirmed, but was unwilling to say more, repeating, “As soon as the rain stops, I will take my father home…”

“Okav.” Su Liane did not pursue further, she stood uD and moved the rack with the wet clothes to the fire.

Gu Ling dried his clothes on the fire, while Su Liang leaned against the stone wall and pretended to rest, occasionally hearing Ling Yun’s choked sobs.

As the sky gradually brightened, the rain subsided. Only after the sun came out for a moment did the rain outside the cave finally stop completely.

By this time, Ling Yun had placed the old man flat on the ground and tidied his clothes, kneeling by his side in silence.

Seeing that Su Liang had fallen asleep, Gu Ling didn’t wake her. He folded the dried clothes and put them back into their bundle. He put out the fire and then lightly tugged at Su Liang’s sleeve.

Su Liang opened her eyes and looked outside, the fog was thick, “The rain has stopped? Let’s get going then.” As she said this, she remembered the other person present.

Ling Yun, with red eyes, started to speak, “Thank you both for your help.” “How are you going to get back?” Su Liang asked.

“You go ahead, don’t worry about me. I’ll carry my father back later,” Ling Yun said in a stifled voice.

Seeing Gu Ling shake his head slightly, Su Liang said, “Right. We’ll part ways here.”

Once their things were gathered, Su Liang and Gu Ling left the cave, found their horses, returned to the main road, and continued their journey to Qianhu City.

“Could he be Che Xiao?” Su Liang asked.

“Perhaps.” Gu Ling replied.

“If he is, that would be great. There’s a branch of the Ning Family in Qianhu City, isn’t there?” Su Liang asked.

Gu Ling said there was, he had been there before. This area was prosperous in trade, and people from nearby cities loved to come here for leisure. The tea house business was booming.

Su Liang noticed that Ling Yun was also wary of them, including the few questions he asked in the middle. They seemed innocent, but in actuality, they were subtly probing. But that didn’t necessarily mean anything, maybe he was just cautious while out and about. Su Liang was as well.

In her heart, Su Liang had basically decided that Ling Yun was Che Xiao, because the characteristics matched too well, too many coincidences couldn’t be possible. But she was in a hurry and couldn’t be delayed. Additionally, it seemed that Ling Yun wasn’t in any imminent danger, so she planned to meet with Che Yun first and let him decide what to do.

By the evening, Su Liang and Gu Ling had arrived in Qianhu City and went directly to the Ning Family’s branch to meet the manager.

The manager was surprised and anxious to suddenly meet his bosses. While Su Liang and Gu Ling took the time to eat and rest, she asked the manager to investigate if there were any families in the city with the surname Ling, how many members there were, their background, occupation – the more detailed, the better.

“If you find out, do not alert the members of the Ling family. Assign someone to monitor the movements of Master Ling Yun. If he runs into any trouble, do your best to assist,” instructed Su Liang.

The manager took note diligently.

Without lingering, Su Liang had her meal and continued on her journey with Gu Ling, leaving Qianhu City.

Quickly after the outbreak of the war between Yin Country and Qian Country, Yin Country broke through Jiaye City at the southern border of Qian Country.

The whole Lin Family was arrested. The veteran Yuan Ye, who had been defending Jiaye City, died in battle. Che Yun was entrusted with the urgent task, leading the army of Qian Country to retreat to Nanshan City, and on the way, he was hit by a poisoned arrow while trying to protect the only grandson of Yuan Ye.

Outside Nanshan Citv, there was a larze river serving as a natural trench. Yin Country’s army had shown rapid momentum. They had attempted for several days to cross the river but were repelled each time. Yet during the most recent attempt, soldiers from Yin Country were nearly successful in reaching the shore.

The situation was highly unfavorable for Qian Country.

The spring in Nanshan City was rainy. On this particular cloudy morning, the army of Yin Country was making hostile noises on the opposite side of the river.

With a pale face, Che Yun was discussing the next steps with two generals when he received the news that Yin Country’s army was holding Lian Shun hostage and demanding that a representative of Qian Country negotiate.

“General Che cannot allow the barbarians of Yin Country to cross the river for anyone’s sake!” exclaimed a middle-aged general, his face ominous.

Che Yun stood up, gripping the table, and walked out with an unsteady gait, “I know. ”

As soon as Che Yun, in his armor, led a cavalry out of the military camp, he heard a loud shout, “General Su is here! It’s Divine Doctor Sul”

A commotion rippled through the crowd, Che Yun paused for a moment, then saw a familiar figure on horseback approaching. He heard someone say,

“Thank goodness! The Divine Doctor Su is here, General Che will be saved!”

Watching Su Liang approach, a smile appeared on Che Yun’s face. Then, he heard another voice, “Isn’t that Miss Gu? I heard that Divine Doctor Su and Miss Gu have gotten married! I didn’t expect Miss Gu to come as well!”

The light in Che Yun’s eyes disappeared instantly. He closed his eyes and clutched his chest as he stumbled, being caught by the person next to him.

As the hoofbeats drew closer, Che Yun opened his eyes again to see Su Liang dismounting her horse and quickly walking toward him. Behind her was a tall figure that no one could ignore.

Upon witnessing Che Yun’s complexion, Su Liang frowned slightly. It was apparent that he’d been poisoned.

Che Yun’s gaze passed over Su Liang’s shoulder to land on Gu Ling’s face. He nodded in greeting, “Marquis Changxin.”

“Hmm.” Gu Ling responded indifferently, “Where are you heading?” Che Yun’s gaze hardened briefly, “Lian Shun… They captured Lian Shun. He’s on the other side of the river. I need to go and negotiate.”

Su Liang’s face hardened, “In your state, what can you possibly negotiate? Let me check your injuries first. Great… Sir, your rank is the highest here, you should go negotiate with the scoundrels from Yin Country.”

Realizing her mistake, Su Liang reflexively corrected herself after nearly calling Gu Ling ‘Great God’ out of habit.

Gu Ling nodded, “Alright.” Without another word, he mounted his horse and rode towards the city gate.

“You come back with me,” Su Liang commanded Che Yun, “I’m in charge now.”

Che Yun sighed softly, “Sounds good.”

As they walked back, Su Liang asked him, “How are your parents doing?”

Che Yun nodded, “They are here and safe. Unfortunately, I missed your wedding to Marquis Changxin.”

“Once we manage to rescue Lian Ershan, we’ll have another celebration and you’ll be invited, enough to your heart’s content,” Su Liang said, “How come Jiaye City fell to Yin Country so easily? How did they capture the Lin Family? I received the Imperial Edict and came here in a hurry. I’m unclear about what happened. Tell me. After you’re done, I have some good news to share with

you..”