The attic was silent, allowing the sound of footsteps descending the stairs outside to be heard clearly.
The man on the bed gazed at the ceiling in a daze for a half quarter hour before his fingers slowly began to move.
His cell phone was right beside him, and after fumbling for quite a while, he dialed a long string of strange numbers.
Once the call connected, a thick masculine voice came from the other end, "Hello, who is this?"
"It's me!" Ye Feng's voice came from his throat, deep and low.
"King... my lord, is that you?"
A brief pause ensued on the other end of the line, followed by an overwhelmed and joyous query, "Thank heavens, my lord, you are still alive, you're still alive!"
Moving his Adam's apple, Ye Feng said with difficulty, "How is the Northern Border now?"
"Reporting to my lord, the Northern Border is in complete chaos right now. After your incident, the Northern Border was left without a leader, and the whole army fell into disorder. It turns out that the Mountain Eagle organization has always been the pawn of some powerful figures in the Imperial Capital!"
The man on the phone hesitated slightly, then continued, "The day after your incident, the Imperial Capital sent the Iron Armor Army saying they were ordered to take over the Northern Border Army. Gai Jiutian, the Chief Legion Commander, wielding his Black Blood Sword, slaughtered this Iron Armor Army. That battle stirred the Blood Qi within him, forcing him to seal himself in the Cold Pool!"
"Leng Wuming, the commander of the Second Legion, sensing that the Mountain Eagle was going to strike at the legion, took the initiative to strike, killing several assassins code-named 'Heaven' from the Mountain Eagle, but he himself was severely injured and lost an arm!"
"After losing his arm, Commander Leng Wuming retreated to the mountains for cultivation, saying he would wait for my lord's return, to continue following you and conquer the world!"
There was a brief silence on the phone, and Ye Feng asked, "Has anyone betrayed us?"
"The Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Legions have now gone to the Imperial Capital to pledge their loyalty!"
As the saying goes, adversity reveals true colors, and these words were indeed not the slightest bit false.
Full of resentment, the man on the phone said, "During this time, I and several other legion commanders have been searching for you. We have always believed that you, my lord, could not have been so easily killed. Heaven truly has eyes!"
"By the way, my lord, where are you now? I will come to find you immediately!"
"No need, lie low, await my return!"
Ye Feng's body was covered in wounds and speaking was arduous. He could only produce sounds from his throat, his voice hoarse and deep. His tone was full of uncontrollable anger.
"As you command, my lord. However, with you gravely injured and out there, I cannot rest easy. I am not in a position to show myself during this time, so I will send a top-secret guard to you..."
Before the man could finish, the phone line went dead with a beep-beep busy signal.
The indifferent eyes returned to the ceiling as the attic regained its silence. However, beneath that silence surged the towering rage in Ye Feng's heart.
How many loyal and brave soldiers of the Northern Border Army had wrapped themselves in horsehide to die in foreign lands, guarding the Eternal Rivers and Mountains with their lives.
Yet those so-called National Scholars of the Imperial Capital, for their selfish gains, harmed the loyal and good, disregarding the safety of the nation.
The just-battle-scarred Northern Border Legion had hardly returned home, even before their wounds had healed, when they were plunged into a conspiracy for a power struggle in the Imperial Capital.
Under the guise of offering awards, the Imperial Capital lured Ye Feng to the Capital Region, only to set up a shocking ambush outside the Capital.
"Mountain Eagle, once my injuries heal, I will uproot you completely!"
"Imperial Capital, petty officials, the day of my return will be the day of your doom!" Ye Feng roared in his heart.
In that battle, facing the Eight Protectors of the Mountain Eagle and the Eighteen Strongest of the Imperial Capital, he was outnumbered and had seventy-two bones broken.
Fighting through severe injuries, he traveled southward, fleeing a thousand miles to Jiangdu, the place where he grew up.
Perhaps it was not his time to die; he encountered the former captain of his guard team when he was still a commander ten years ago, now known as Old Master Hong Zhenguo.
Ye Feng slowly closed his eyes, took a long breath out, and then inhaled deeply, his chest rising and falling in a regular pattern with each breath.
Gradually, a mist visible to the naked eye gathered and entered his body, healing his wounds.
The night deepened, the surroundings hushed, and outside the attic, Old Master Hong stood ramrod straight, while Hong Qingyan stood beside him, not daring to make a sound.
Despite being full of questions and curiosity, she dared not ask if her grandfather did not speak.
Eventually, Hong Qingyan could no longer restrain herself, "Grandfather, he's so badly injured, why don't we send him to the hospital?"
"It's not convenient!"
"Even if it's not convenient, shouldn't we at least have a doctor come to see him?"
"No need!"
Hong Zhenguo's tone was short and forceful, having commanded a certain authority in the army, he had cultivated an imposing bearing.
Hong Qingyan could only remain silent.
Hong Zhenguo glanced at his granddaughter and felt compelled to explain, "His identity is rather special, and before he lost consciousness, he had instructed not to go to the hospital or see a doctor."
"But..."
"Alright Qing'er, grandfather knows you're full of confusion, but now is not the time to ask. The reason I want you to marry him is out of consideration for safety and trust. Your task for the time being is to take good care of him with all your heart. Do you understand?"
"Yes, grandfather," Hong Qingyan lowered her head and replied.
Hong Zhenguo patted his granddaughter's head and smiled, "Although you were abandoned by your parents, heaven has shown you mercy. You probably don't realize it, but you've made such a right decision tonight."
"Grandfather's painstaking efforts, you will understand in the future."
Just then, a faint shout came from the attic above, "Someone come!"
Hearing these two words, Hong Zhenguo reacted as if he had heard an imperial edict, swooshing up in a flash, with Hong Qingyan reluctantly climbing up step by step.
"Your..." Hong Zhenguo started to speak but suddenly realized his mistake and quickly changed his words, "Do you have any orders?"
"Water!" Ye Feng on the bed said just one word.
"Yes, I'll prepare it right away!" Hong Zhenguo was excited. If he wanted to drink water, it meant there were signs of improvement in his condition.
"We have a Millennium Ginseng at home, I'll use it to brew some ginseng water now. It should be beneficial for you."
Hong Zhenguo scurried away, the Old Master of the Hong Family, the helmsman of Jiangdu's Hongtian Group, at this moment resembled a servant.
The Millennium Ginseng water was quickly prepared, and Hong Zhenguo handed the bowl to Hong Qingyan, "Qing'er, you feed him, be careful!"
Hong Qingyan took the bowl, picked up the spoon, and slowly fed him spoon by spoon.
Yet throughout the process, the man on the bed, his eyes neither blinking nor straying from staring at the ceiling, not only failed to utter a word of thanks but didn't even glance at her.
Hong Qingyan couldn't help feeling annoyed. She might be weak, but she was certainly not ugly. In fact, she was considered a beauty in Jiangdu.
But the man on the bed was utterly ignoring her!
Hong Zhenguo laughed as he clarified on the side, "I forgot to introduce her, this is my granddaughter Hong Qingyan. From now on, she is yours, someone you can absolutely trust. Rest assured on this point!"
Ye Feng on the bed did not utter a sound, his gaze still fixed on the ceiling. After a long while, he finally said, "That's enough, I need to rest."
"Yes!" Hong Zhenguo nodded, fully intent on executing every word.
As he reached the door, Hong Zhenguo turned back, "By the way, out of trust and for convenience in caretaking, I have taken the liberty of betrothing Qingyan to you."
"She will be taking care of you and staying by your side during this period, please do not take offense!"
Ye Feng had slowly closed his eyes, entering into a rhythmic pattern of breathing.