It even knocked over the table; the effect was remarkable.
Looking at the innocent-looking boy on the ground, Qin Chu felt uncomfortable but couldn't explain the reason. So he could only say, "Don't sit on the ground, come up here first."
"No!" Qin Rui was aggrieved and angry. He pointed to his chest, "It hurts so much! My ribs are broken, I can't get up!"
Qin Chu felt guilty: "...Then what are you going to do?"
Qin Rui simply put his arms around her and demanded matter-of-factly, "Hold me."
Qin Chu: "..."
General Qin really wanted to kick him again.
She's so old and still acting like a child, has she no shame?
Knowing he was in the wrong, Qin Chu didn't do the foolish thing of hugging him, but he still reluctantly stretched out a hand to Qin Rui.
Qin Rui reluctantly climbed into bed.
"You moved so swiftly, and you call that a broken rib?" Qin Chu looked at him.
Qin Rui sat cross-legged on the bed, and without saying a word, immediately pulled open his shirt, pointing to the bruise on his chest and accusingly saying, "Look! Brother, how could you do this?"
Qin Chu's kick was both accurate and ruthless, landing squarely on the heart, leaving a red ring around the groin and a large bruise in the center.
After all, he was the child he had raised, so Qin Chu felt a little sorry for him. Looking at Qin Rui's injury, he said, "Take some medicated oil and rub it on yourself."
He had barely finished speaking when he looked up and met Qin Rui's disapproving eyes.
Qin Rui looked at Qin Chu, then lowered his head again: "Brother, lately you've been forbidding me from laughing and kicking me. Don't you want me anymore?"
As he spoke, he immediately began to resemble a child.
Qin Chu had always known that Qin Rui was very sensitive about certain things, but he never expected him to be like that even now that he was older.
There was no way to explain this, so Qin Chu could only sigh and get out of bed to get the medicated oil. Qin Rui had been frequently injured in previous years, and this was something that was always kept on hand for him.
Qin Chu handed the medicated oil to Qin Rui, but the boy didn't take it. Instead, he pulled his shirt up a little wider and whispered, "Brother, you're the one who kicked me."
Qin Chu: "...So what?"
Qin Rui rubbed closer and closer, then held up his injured area: "So you'll massage it for me."
Qin Chu: "..."
After struggling between pouring the medicated oil on the guy's face and helping him rub the wound, Qin Chu ultimately chose the latter.
In the past two years, Qin Chu has rarely done similar things for Qin Rui. Seeing this, Qin Rui immediately changed his position and lay back on Qin Chu's lap.
He was secretly pleased, even feeling that the kick was well worth it. If Qin Chu was willing to treat his injuries like this every time, he'd be happy to be kicked once a day.
Qin Chu had absolutely no idea what this kid was thinking.
He warmed the medicated oil in his palm, and paused when his fingers touched the bruise.
The feel is completely different from before.
Qin Rui used to be thin and small, and when he grew taller, he was just skin and bones. Qin Chu had to be careful when rubbing him with medicated oil, for fear of accidentally breaking the boy.
But now there is a thin layer of muscle under his fingers, with an excellent tactile feel. Qin Chu can also keenly sense that this seemingly insignificant muscle contains extremely strong power.
"Brother, what are you standing there for? Look, the bruises have gotten bigger!" Seeing that Qin Chu was still not moving, Qin Rui couldn't help but urge him.
Qin Chu then began to massage seriously.
Unfortunately, he had a drama queen lying in his arms. Before Qin Chu could exert much force, Qin Rui started crying out in pain in various ways and rubbing against Qin Chu's chest like a millstone.
Finally, Qin Chu couldn't hold back any longer and slapped him on the forehead: "What are you yelling about? Don't I know how badly you're hurt?"
Qin Rui became obedient, burying his head in Qin Chu's arms and inhaling his scent.
He had loved Qin Chu's embrace since he was a child, and wanted to be close to him all the time. But Qin Chu had become less and less tolerant of his actions in recent years, and now, lying in his arms again, he felt an indescribable sense of peace and happiness.
But this joy of returning to childhood only lasted a short while before it changed.
Qin Chu's technique for applying the medicated oil was excellent; his fingers pressed gently against the wound. It was indeed painful as he massaged away the bruises, but it seemed there was something wrong with the oil; Qin Rui felt his chest burning hot with each press of Qin Chu's fingertips.
The heat was strange; it was on his chest, but instead of making him feel comfortable, it made him feel an inexplicable irritation.
Perhaps it's not just frustration...
Qin Rui couldn't understand what this feeling was either, and the heat was even quietly leaving the wound and spreading to other places.
Unable to hold back any longer, Qin Rui suddenly sat up from Qin Chu's arms.
"What's wrong?" Qin Chu looked at him, puzzled, her hands covered in pungent medicinal oil.
Qin Rui didn't know what was wrong with him. He left Qin Chu's embrace, letting out a sigh of relief, but also feeling a sense of emptiness and loss. Finally, he scratched his head, picked up the medicated oil, and said, "Brother, you have things to do tomorrow. I can do it myself. You should rest."
The little brat's sudden thoughtfulness made Qin Chu increasingly realize that he had made a mistake in kicking the child.
Wanting to make amends, Qin Chu looked at Qin Rui, who had already gotten out of bed, and asked, "You really don't need my help? Didn't you want to sleep here tonight? Come on up."
In the past, upon hearing Qin Chu say this, Qin Rui would have happily run over.
Unfortunately, Qin Rui now felt something was off. He gripped the medicated oil tightly and said, "I... I'd better not use it. You should get some sleep, brother."
After saying that, as if afraid he would regret it, he quickly ran back to the side room.
-
The army's return to the capital could no longer be delayed. Qin and Chu had already selected generals, intending to stay at the border themselves and send others back.
However, before his departure, Qin Chu received an imperial edict written by the emperor himself, specifying that he should personally lead the troops back and be rewarded for his merits.
This made Qin Chu wonder what Noah was up to, why he suddenly issued another imperial edict.
Noah hadn't spoken lately, and Qin Chu initially thought he was angry with him, but he couldn't reach him even after trying to contact him.
But Qin and Chu were not too flustered; similar things were not uncommon.
Noah possessed the body of the comatose emperor, and every now and then he would "sit up in shock from his deathbed," during which time Qin Chu would be unable to contact him.
This imperial edict is written in the same handwriting as the one Qin Chu received before; it wasn't forged by someone else. Qin Chu waited two days for Noah's reply but received none, so he had no choice but to lead his troops back to the capital.
Originally, Qin Chu only wanted to go back by himself and planned to leave Qin Rui at the border.
He grew up in a border city, and now that he's back in the capital, he's not as comfortable as he used to be.
However, Qin Rui refused his arrangement.
Qin Chu thought the boy was clinging to him like he did when he was a child, and was about to give him some advice, but after talking with Qin Rui, he realized that the boy had his own plans.
Regardless of anything else, Qin Rui is a prince of this dynasty.
The emperor has been ill and unconscious for many years. The princes were fine when they were young, but now Qin Rui is almost sixteen years old.
The army marched towards the capital in a grand procession. At first, the marching speed was not fast, but once the soldiers had adapted a little, Qin Chu increased the speed.
The sound of horses' hooves was dense on the official road, stirring up a little dust.
Qin Rui walked around the group familiarly, greeted those he knew, and then ran to the chariot where Qin Chu was.
Unfortunately, the chariot was empty, and Qin Chu rode ahead on horseback.
Walking this official road again after many years, Qin Rui's feelings were somewhat complicated.
He couldn't help but think back to those days.
Qin Chu led him across the wasteland, and finally they saw a grain transport team on the official road. Qin Rui would never forget that feeling of excitement.
Thinking about all this, Qin Rui wanted to go find Qin Chu.
Qin Chu rode his horse in the middle of the group, walking neither fast nor slow.
Seeing this, Qin Rui immediately followed on foot onto the horse and tugged at Qin Chu's cloak.
Seeing Qin Chu looking down at him with a questioning gaze, Qin Rui smiled. He didn't say anything, but simply pointed to the footrest on Qin Chu's side.
Qin Chu immediately knew that this kid wanted to come up.
He can now control himself when he sees Qin Rui's smile, and he's less inclined to kick him.
But she still looked at him coolly and asked, "How old are you?"
Qin Rui did not give up, but instead bent down to pull off his clothes, clearly wanting to show Qin Chu the footprints on his chest.
This shameless behavior was simply unbearable to look at. Qin Chu took a deep breath and told himself to calm down, and helplessly gave up one of his footrests.
Having achieved his goal, Qin Rui immediately climbed onto the horse's back using the stirrups.
Because Qin Chu often took Qin Rui with him, he habitually didn't use a saddle. But this time it was convenient for Qin Rui, who even sat in front of Qin Chu just like when he was a child.
Qin Chu glanced at him: "You've almost crushed the horse to death."
"I don't care." Qin Rui turned to face Qin Chu. He was almost taller than Qin Chu now, and his chin rested on Qin Chu's shoulder. "Coming here reminds me of my childhood. Am I not allowed to reminisce about the past?"
Two grown men were riding on a horse, facing each other and embracing – a truly bizarre posture.
But Qin Chu never treated Qin Rui as an adult, and now he felt a little nostalgic, so he didn't insist on making him go down. He just scolded him, "Aren't you afraid of losing face?"
Qin Ruicai was not afraid.
Everyone in the military camp knew he was shameless; he only cared about saving face in front of Qin Chu.
"Brother, we're about to return to the capital," Qin Rui suddenly said to Qin Chu.
"What? Scared?"
"How could that be?" Qin Rui laughed.
However, he was somewhat moved. Looking around at his surroundings, he slowly started chatting with Qin Chu: "Brother, I said I would live well. Before, I kept thinking about what I should do in the future. When I grow up a bit, I want to be a general like you, protect my country, and become the guardian of the people. Wouldn't that be great?"
Qin Chu didn't speak, but a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Whether in the real world or now, he does these things mostly out of instinct, and he doesn't care about other people's gratitude. But Qin Chu still feels happy when he sees someone interested in the military profession because of him.
Qin Rui had been following him around every day for the past few years. Although the kid was a bit eccentric in some ways, he was a qualified soldier most of the time.
“That was indeed my initial thought,” Qin Rui continued, “but after staying at the border for a long time, I’ve also seen too many problems. The court is indecisive, wanting to fight one minute and make peace the next, and the supply of provisions is not timely. If it weren’t for you, brother, conquering a few cities, how would the soldiers have been able to fill their stomachs?”
"So?" Qin Chu looked at him.
Qin Rui smiled as if waiting for praise: "So I want to help my brother solve these problems, to solve them at the source."
Qin Chu understood Qin Rui's meaning and also knew why he was following him back to the capital.
He didn't actually have any expectations for Qin Rui's future; he just wanted the boy to live a peaceful and successful life. If Qin Rui had no interest in power, he would help him become a stable farmer or wealthy merchant, far removed from conflict.