The lunch in the food box had gone cold; the porridge had thickened and turned into lumps, and the bread had become cold and hard.
Qin Chu sat on the training ground, facing the dust on the ground and the pale white sunlight of midday, and quietly finished his meal.
This was the first time in quite a long time that he had eaten alone.
Qin Rui wasn't there. If he were, the child definitely wouldn't let him eat anything cold. He would put the food box back on, then run back to the kitchen carrying the huge food box in both hands.
Once the food is heated up on the stove, I'll bring it over to him and let him eat.
After lunch, Qin Chu continued training the soldiers on the drill ground as usual.
Since it involved the eldest prince, Qin Rui's arrest caused quite a stir. Even though the general initially tried to suppress the news, it eventually leaked out once the staff dispersed.
Almost all the soldiers knew that General Qin's brother had been captured.
They looked at Qin Chu, who seemed no different from usual, and were all somewhat frightened.
Having spent so much time in Cangqing Prefecture, everyone knows that General Qin and his younger brother have a very close relationship, practically inseparable. Qin Rui also often spends time on the training ground; he's small, and his smile is quite endearing.
During breaks, they often saw Qin Rui hovering around Qin Chu, calling him "brother" on the left and "brother" on the right.
Even so, now that Qin Rui has been arrested and is said to be sent to the capital city first thing tomorrow morning, Qin Chu has not shown any signs of sadness or distress.
He conducted training sessions as usual, disciplined others as needed, and praised those who performed well.
His calm demeanor led many to remark that General Qin truly lived up to his reputation.
Only Noah knew that Qin Chu's feelings were not as calm as they appeared.
That evening, Qin Chu returned to the courtyard alone and stepped into the quiet room.
In the past, Qin Rui would personally go to the kitchen to get dinner for him. This time, since Qin Rui didn't go, the kitchen seemed not to realize it and forgot to bring him food.
Qin Chu had no appetite and sat silently at the table.
Sensing Qin Chu's emotions, Noah cautiously asked, "Sir, are you still thinking about what the General said?"
Qin Chu didn't answer, so Noah continued, "That old man said Qin Rui killed his mother and that Qin Rui wasn't born in human form. I haven't found any records of these things, so they might not be true. You know, people in ancient times often believed strange rumors."
"Whether these words are true or not is not important." Qin Chu stayed in the room for a while, until the courtyard outside was completely quiet, before he stood up and opened the wardrobe to pack his things.
"What puzzles me is that I seem to have heard about this before."
"Have you heard anything? Rumors about Qin Rui?"
"Um."
Noah was somewhat puzzled. If Qin Chu had heard this in this world, he certainly wouldn't have been puzzled. He meant that he seemed to have heard something similar in the real world.
Noah was about to connect to the database to conduct an investigation when he saw Qin Chu take out a piece of cloth and pack a bundle.
He took out several of Qin Rui's clothes from the closet, folded them haphazardly, and put them into the package.
"Sir, are you going to deliver something to Qin Rui?"
Noah had barely uttered a word when he dismissed the guess, because he saw Qin Chu put a few more of his own clothes inside, and then he picked up the sword that was on the table.
"What are you doing..." Noah had a bad feeling. "Where are you going?"
"Find Qin Rui."
Qin Chu's voice was calm, just like his usual demeanor on the training ground that afternoon. It was as if he had made his plans long ago and was not hesitating at all.
He said, "Qin Rui's identity has been exposed, and he can't stay in the military camp any longer. I need to take him away."
“But…” Noah hesitated.
Qin Chu knew what he wanted to ask and calmly explained, "There are two mission lines in this world. If I can only complete one, I choose Qin Rui."
Qin Chu's words carried weight and authority.
He waited until it was late at night and then quietly jumped out of the window, dodging the patrolling soldiers, and went to find the courtyard where Qin Rui was being held.
This was the answer he had already thought of.
Ever since the rumors started circulating in the military camp, Qin Chu had already prepared for the worst.
In the real world, he wouldn't abandon an entire empire for one person.
Because there lies his home, the tombstones of his parents who were soldiers of the Empire, the earnest expectations left by his adoptive father before his death, his comrades-in-arms with whom he spent his days, and the people who believed in and loved him.
However, in this world, the deepest connection between Qin and Chu is Qin Rui.
He concealed his presence and easily found the courtyard where Qin Rui was being held.
Just as Qin Chu was thinking about how to knock out the soldier who was holding Qin Rui, he suddenly stopped breathing and then ran quickly toward the room where Qin Rui was being held.
The room door was wide open, and the room was empty.
Two soldiers lay unconscious outside the door, clearly knocked out before they could even draw their swords.
Qin Chu stood before the wide-open door, his brows furrowed and his face grim.
Qin Rui was to be sent to the capital city early tomorrow morning, so he came tonight to take Qin Rui away, but he was still too late.
The scene before him greatly surprised Noah Galaxy. He said, "This kid ran away on his own?"
Qin Chu examined the traces inside the house and replied, "No."
He hurried to the stables, took one of his favorite warhorses, and without worrying about alerting others, mounted the horse while still wearing his armor, pulled on the reins, and rode towards the city gate of Cangqing Prefecture.
Who rides a horse at night!
"General Qin?"
Qin Chu saw many Qin Chu soldiers along the way, but he ignored them all.
Even as they reached the city gate, Qin Chu did not slow down. His expression was cold and stern as he ordered the soldiers guarding the city, "Open the city gate!"
"General Qin? What happened? The city gates can't be opened!"
The soldiers guarding the city were still in a daze and were about to ask for clarification when they saw Qin Chu riding up to them.
With a loud neighing of a horse and a flash of sword light, Qin Chu pierced the heavy door bolt with a single stroke.
Immediately afterwards, the horse raised its front hooves and kicked hard against the city gate.
The figure on horseback quickly left the city and disappeared into the night.
-
Several Xiongnu soldiers, with Qin Rui bound, were hurrying towards their encampment.
With the campfires now in sight, the soldiers breathed a sigh of relief. One of them couldn't help but glance at the bound child and asked curiously, "This kid's quite quiet. Is there something wrong with him?"
Qin Rui sat on the horse with his hands bound, but he did not struggle or even shout.
With his abilities, if he put his mind to resisting, these people couldn't take him away.
But Qin Rui did not.
He accepted it all calmly, as if all his strength had been drained.
Sitting on horseback, the moonlight overhead was as clear as water.
Qin Rui couldn't help but think of the time before he and Qin Chu came to the military camp.
Back then, Qin Chu would take him traveling every night.
He didn't know that he couldn't sleep at night, so he deliberately put his arm around him, trying to make him sleep more peacefully.
Every now and then Qin Chu would wake him up to feed him water, and then stuff a hard candy into his mouth.
The candy wasn't very sweet and had a sandy, dusty taste.
Thinking of this, Qin Rui's throat suddenly tightened. He lowered his head and whispered, "Liar."
You promised you wouldn't believe what others said?
Why abandon him like this? Do you, like everyone else, think he shouldn't exist?
Qin Rui thought he would hate Qin Chu, and that he wouldn't be able to bear the pain of gaining and then losing.
But he found that even so, he still wanted to go back to Qin Chu's side.
He even thought that it didn't matter whether Qin Chu liked him or wanted him.
As long as he finds Qin Chu, that's enough. Once he grows up and gains power, he will find a way to keep Qin Chu by his side.
Anything is fine...
With the innocent yet cruel mindset of a child, Qin Rui thought about everything he could do. Instead of hope, he felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his heart.
Just as Qin Rui was counting his bargaining chips for cooperating with the Xiongnu, a series of rapid hoofbeats suddenly came from behind him.
Qin Rui was jolted. He couldn't help but want to turn around and look, but he was afraid that he would fall into the air as if in a dream.
Could it be Qin Chu?
Did Qin Chu come to pick him up?
Qin Rui finally turned back.
Under the bright moonlight, Qin Chu, clad in iron armor, rode up on horseback, slowly approaching him.
The scene was like a beautiful, intoxicating dream, and Qin Rui was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses. He quickly freed himself from the ropes, stood on his horse, and turned to look at Qin Chu.
"elder brother!"
Chapter 74, Fourth Story (20)
The Xiongnu soldiers didn't expect anyone to be chasing them, but they weren't too panicked as they were getting close to the camp.
The soldier with Qin Rui was startled by the child and quickly reached out to grab him, but when he looked up, he met a pair of cold eyes that were smiling.
Those eyes made the Hun feel disoriented for a moment, almost as if he were seeing their leader.
In that instant of carelessness, his body suddenly lost its footing, and he was shoved heavily off his horse. The reins in his hands were cut off, and he could only watch as the once obedient child gripped both ends of the reins, then turned the horse around and leaped off in the opposite direction.
Looking at Qin Chu not far away, Qin Rui gripped the broken reins with one hand, looked down and slapped himself.
He hit hard, and his cheeks immediately turned red.
But Qin Rui had a smile on his face, a very bright smile.