It took a great deal of effort for Chu Kai to firmly secure the herbs onto the patient’s leg with cloth strips.
With every wrap of the cloth strip, Chu Kai’s nerves grew a fraction tighter.
Beads of sweat crept onto his forehead like morning dew, sliding down his delicate face before being wiped away by his herb-scented arm.
“Thank you.”
The low and magnetic voice rang out once more, and Chu Kai belatedly realized that the patient before him had woken up at some point and was gazing at him with a complex expression.
“You’re welcome.” Chu Kai retreated to the doorway, intentionally widening the distance between them. His tone was flat, as if he were tending to a bird rather than a man who occupied the entire bed.
“My name is Yan Chi,” Yan Chi said, leaning against the head of the bed as he exhaled a breath and spoke softly. “I had an accidental fall, and I do not know how I ended up here. May I ask where this is?”
Hearing the patient state his name, Chu Kai’s lingering doubts instantly dissolved. This man truly was, just as he had guessed, someone who had strayed into Luoshan Village.
“Luoshan Village,” Chu Kai said as he slowly walked back to the bedside, pulling a clean tissue from his pocket to hand to him. “My name is Chu Kai, and I am a villager here. Wipe your sweat.”
“Thank you.” Yan Chi took the tissue, his deep eyes gradually curving into crescent moons as they met Chu Kai’s calm gaze, as if harboring some hidden meaning.
Caught off guard by the man’s inexplicable amusement, Chu Kai lowered his head in confusion. “What are you laughing at?”
“I laugh because I am lucky,” Yan Chi murmured in a low voice before raising his volume to reply. “I simply did not expect there to be such a beautiful village here.”
Luoshan Village was indeed beautiful, so beautiful that it made one lost in infatuation, reluctant to leave, and hard to leave behind.
Chu Kai pulled over a chair and sat down, letting out an imperceptible sigh.
During the turbulent years of war, the ancestors of Luoshan Village drifted away from power struggles and prospered here.
This place was extremely secluded with no human habitation surrounding it, and the villagers were self-sufficient, living a life akin to a utopia.
As the outside world continued to develop and the Alliance Government Forces were established, large-scale population censuses began, bringing Luoshan Village out into the open.
When the government forces demanded that the villagers relocate, the village chief produced ancestral totems and tokens, prompting the Alliance to once again conceal Luoshan Village from the world.
The villagers of Luoshan Village were originally descendants of General Chu Gan, a collateral branch of the Chu family among the six major clans.
Because General Chu Gan had been framed and crippled, losing his sanity, his family brought him here to keep him far away from the fires of war and conflict.
The Alliance Government Forces had long since exonerated General Chu Gan and deeply revered his extraordinary combat record.
Thus, through negotiations between the Alliance Government Forces and the village chief, the Special Management Agreement of Luoshan Village was signed, which stipulated:
Anyone needing to enter Luoshan Village for inspection, research, or related work must obtain approval from higher authorities and abide by all village regulations. Unauthorized intruders would be dealt with by the village in accordance with village rules.
Villagers wishing to study or work outside must obtain approval from the village committee and return to live within the village by a specific deadline after completing their studies or employment.
If a villager found a good match outside, they could choose to bring the person back, automatically enrolling them in the Luoshan Village registry.
Local villagers were strictly prohibited from leaving the village on their own accord. Anyone who fled without authorization would violate both ancestral teachings and family rules, facing severe punishment.
What the punishment was had never been written down, nor did anyone know.
For to this day, no one had ever chosen to leave Luoshan Village completely.
Chu Kai had never entertained such thoughts either.
Yet upon witnessing Cheng Yuan’s miserable state, Chu Kai’s inner resolve wavered, and he seemed to understand a fraction of why his younger brother, Chu Yi, was so insistent on leaving this place.
“Chu Kai? Chu Kai? Xiao Kai, my leg is injured. Can I recuperate here for a while?” Yan Chi interrupted Chu Kai’s train of thought, asking in a tone that bordered on a plea.
Chu Kai frowned, shaking his head without the slightest hesitation. “I can only shelter you for one night. You must hurry home tomorrow.”
Chu Kai’s response was entirely unexpected. Yan Chi was stunned for a moment before clutching his left leg and drawing in a sharp breath of pain. “My leg is injured, so I certainly cannot walk. Student Xiao Kai, rent me a room, and I will pay you double the rent.”
“It is not a matter of rent.” Chu Kai shook his head, hesitating as words failed to reach his lips.
“Then what is the problem?” Yan Chi raised his voice, his brows and eyes remaining gentle. “Student Xiao Kai, you cannot take advantage of someone’s misfortune. I will pay you triple the rent, and concert tickets plus autographed photos will be provided in unlimited quantities. Surely that is acceptable?”
Seeing that Chu Kai had written a complete question mark across his face, a flash of awkwardness crossed Yan Chi’s eyes.
He turned his head away and said, “Yan as in King of Hell, Chi as in late. Search for it online.”
Just as Chu Kai opened his phone in a daze, he heard Yan Chi raise his posture and issue a warning: “You are not allowed to tell anyone about my news here. I only saw that you looked, cough, saw that you looked kind-hearted, so I.”
Halfway through his sentence, he was startled into blinking rapidly by the blue elderly button phone that Chu Kai dangled right before his eyes.
“When I brought you back, my phone accidentally fell and now it will not turn on,” Chu Kai pouted, deeply displeased. “I do not want your rent or your tickets. You will pay for my phone.”
“I.” Yan Chi was momentarily speechless.
Triple the rent, concert tickets from Yan Chi the King of Hell, autographed photos, any single one of them would be more than enough for this little villager holding a button phone to replace his smartphone every single day.
“I will pay for it,” Yan Chi said through clenched teeth. “Do you have guesthouses in your village?”
Seeing that Yan Chi still showed no intention of leaving, Chu Kai stopped beating around the bush and said directly, “Our village does not allow outsiders to enter casually. Take advantage of the fact that no one has discovered you and leave immediately.”
Chu Kai’s expression was grave, carrying even a hint of fear.
The world was vast and full of wonders.
Yan Chi believed Chu Kai’s words, yet that only made him even more reluctant to leave.
Such a village was a first for him to witness.
“But my leg cannot move,” Yan Chi said, his eye rims gradually turning red with helplessness coating his voice. “If I leave this place now, it is certain death for me.”
“I have also fallen out with my family; they will not come looking for me.” A tear squeezed out from the corner of Yan Chi’s eye, and he cast a stealthy sideways glance at Chu Kai.
“Student Xiao Kai, thank you for being willing to take me in.” As Yan Chi spoke, he made to get down from the bed, only to grimace in pain from his leg injury. “Hiss, but I cannot trouble you. Right now, hiss, it hurts so much, my leg.”
“Do not move around randomly!” Chu Kai timely pressed down on Yan Chi’s shoulder, staring with knitted brows at the wound on Yan Chi’s left leg as he said helplessly, “Then you may stay here and recover from your injuries before leaving.”
“Thank you, Student Xiao Kai.” The corner of Yan Chi’s mouth lifted upward, and he suddenly pulled Chu Kai into a single-armed embrace, leaning his weight sideways against him. “You are truly kind. I will be obedient and make sure no one discovers me.”
The sudden physical contact gave Chu Kai goosebumps all over. He instinctively pushed Yan Chi away, glanced at the clothes soiled by the mud on Yan Chi’s hands, and let out a stifled breath as he said, “It is getting dark, I am going to make dinner.”
“Student Xiao Kai!” Yan Chi slowly leaned back against the head of the bed, calling out to stop Chu Kai as he turned to walk out the door. “The wound on your face should be treated promptly, or it will leave a scar.”
Chu Kai abruptly covered his left cheek, a flash of panic crossing his eyes before calmness quickly returned.
He turned his head to look at Yan Chi and simply stated, “My name is Chu Kai. Do not call me Student Xiao Kai.”