Chapter 88
Book 9 Chapter 02 – Faking injury
While the Tian sisters and Shan Rou were frantically dressing the wounds on Xiang Shaolong, he had a brainwave. To Wu Guo he inquired: "If there any where to make me look even worse? I want to give others the impression that I am so badly injured that I cannot even get up! " Scratching his head for a while, the impatient Shan Rou cut in: "Let me disguise you like a corpse and scare the he11 out of everyone who sees you."
Tian Zhen and Tian Feng could not hold their giggles.
Xiang Shaolong explored: "That is not enough. It is best to make me bleed non-stop or even a high fever all over my body."
Tian Feng chuckled: "Leave this to us sisters. Just hide heat pads under the blanket."
Shan Rou and Wu Guo looked at each other before they both turned to him. They cannot comprehend what tricks is he up to?
Xiang Shaolong commanded Wu Guo: "At dawn, send someone out of the city and invite Big Brother and Little Jun back with half of our forces. At the same time, bring someone to see me immediately. "
He then taught him how to liaise with Pu Bu.
Knowing that Xiang Shaolong is going into action, Wu Guo left happily. The Tian sisters started working on the heat pad. Shan Rou sat by the bed and personally applied a layer of white powder on his mask. Frowning, she whined: "Aren’t you going to tell me what you are up to?" Instead, Xiang Shaolong’s mind is on another subject. Shaking his head, he protested: "This 5ucks. If someone touches my face, their hands will be stained by the powder and everyone will know that I am faking my injuries. "
Paying no heed to his words, Shan Rou left the room and came back shortly with a full haversack. In a cold and negative manner, she demanded: "This is not my problem. Quickly tell me your plans. Otherwise, I will not display my best skill and help you to fake your injuries."
Xiang Shaolong bitterly laughed: "Work on the injuries first. If delayed and I have visitors, the scheme will fall apart."
Pouting, Shan Rou held her obvious anger and produced several bottles of different sizes from her haversack. She poured liquids from them and started to mix them in a separate basin.
Xiang Shaolong reached out his hand and caressed her elastic and smooth legs. Shan Rou exclaimed: "I want to kill a man! But I cannot disclose who he is yet!" Shan Rou’s slender body trembled slightly and gazed towards him.
The sky has yet to brighten when King Xiaocheng descended upon his residence with his entourage. Seeing his corpse-like look and with a temperature running, King Xiaocheng was terrified. He cried: "Subject Dong! They had said your injuries are not serious. This won’t do! I must summon the Imperial Physician to attend to you."
Now, it is Xiang Shaolong’s turn to be shocked. In a hoa.r.s.e voice, he frantically replied: "I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty’s benevolence. I caught a bad chill when I fell into the river and lost a lot of blood to end up in this state. I will need only a few days rest to get back to my feet. Moreover, I have subordinates who are well-versed in medicine and I am used to their prescriptions. If we change the medication, I am afraid of side effects. Ai!"
He pretended to cry out and even showed his blood-stained blanket and his open wound on the shoulder.
King Xiaocheng was amazed that he was more severely injured than Lord Longyang. Thinking for a while, his eyes turned ferocious and interrogated: "Did you catch a glimpse of Xiang Shaolong?" Swerving around and patting his head, he added: "I was not thinking clearly and have forgotten that you have never seen this traitor."
Xiang Shaolong was tickled.
After a moment a silence, he praised: "On this fateful trip, it is all thanks to Subject Dong protection of Lord Longyang or he will surely lose his life. If he died, how am I to account for it to King Anli? And the hope of an alliance treaty will also go up in smoke."
Xiang Shaolong could only smile sourly.
He originally came to Handan to kill but under the unique circ.u.mstances, he saved the lives of Zhao Mu and Lord Longyang. Right now, even he does not believe that he is Xiang Shaolong, much less others.
He purposely investigates: "Your Majesty has probably visited Lord Longyang; did he say that he saw Xiang Shaolong?" King Xiaocheng shook his head and replied: "Lord Longyang is almost as badly injured as you. His spirits are very low and he refuses to say anything. But except for Xiang Shaolong, no one is that powerful. And only he can access information in Handan from spies. Now that he is the ba5tard of Qin, he would naturally fight against the five other states." Sensing his tone, Xiang Shaolong recognized that King Xiaocheng does not consider the State of Yan to be an ally or an equal. He deduced that Zhao King has not succ.u.mbed to the pressures of Li Yuan and Tian Dan.
King Xiaocheng can see that Xiang Shaolong has difficulties opening his eyes. Patting his feverish shoulder, he promised: "Subject Dong please rest well. I will send some rare medicine for external injuries."
Standing up, he continued: "Your abilities are not limited to horse-breeding. I will give you more responsibilities in the future."
After King Xiaocheng left, Xiang Shaolong could not hold back his exhaustion and truly fell into deep slumber. In his sleep, he can sense human activity and visitors to his bedside. Wu Guo is always present and naturally described his injuries in detail and exaggerating some facts. Actually, he needs not say anything. The heavy smell of medication and the "bleeding" open wound is sufficient to paint a bleak picture.
At the appointed time, Pu Bu arrived.
Xiang Shaolong was in high spirits and they had a good talk. The attendant reported that Zhao Ya is here to visit him and Pu Bu hurriedly left from the back door.
Zhao Ya moved to his bedside and put her hand on his steaming forehead. Startled, she withdrew her hand and exclaimed: "You are sick!"
Opening his eyes by half, Xiang Shaolong replied: "It’s ok! I will be fine after two days of sleep!"
Scrutinising his complexion, she sighed: "Luckily, there is still energy in your eyes. Otherwise, it would be disastrous."
Xiang Shaolong was shaken, knowing that Zhao Ya had seen the only loophole. Fortunately, she had yet to raise any suspicions. He was puzzled at her calmness over the "Xiang Shaolong reappearance" and tested: "Seems like Xiang Shaolong came to Handan earlier; or else your old man (himself) would have caught him." Zhao Ya c.o.c.ked her head and softly a.n.a.lyzed: "The a.s.sa.s.sination of Lord Longyang can be masterminded by Tian Dan, Li Yuan, Zhao Mu or even Prince Xinling but it will never be Xiang Shaolong. I know him too well. Unless