Ch 56: My Wolf Husband

When Lin Shuishi saw the guard at the door, he immediately realized that the general must have come to see Sun Luqian for treatment. Since they had already met, there was no need for further explanation.

He bowed respectfully to Sun Luqian, who was still holding the crying child, and said, “Dr. Sun, I hope you have been well. My husband and I came to visit you.”

Sun Luqian, still holding the sobbing child, hadn’t had a chance to properly greet them yet. Meanwhile, Jiang Zhao, who had needles sticking out of his injured leg, smiled warmly as he stood up, supported by a nearby soldier. “My two benefactors, I bow to you for saving my life. I haven’t had the chance to repay you yet, and now we meet again—this must be fate! Isn’t that right, senior brother?”

Sun Luqian glanced at his former classmate, who was limping on one leg but still chattering incessantly, and couldn’t help but feel a bit speechless. Nonetheless, he gently pried the child from his embrace and stood up to welcome Lin Shuishi and his companion. “Shuishi, come in and sit.”

But the child, still clinging to Sun Luqian’s leg, pointed fearfully at the silent figure of Fuli standing behind Lin Shuishi. “No, he… he wants to eat me!” Sun Luqian sighed in exasperation and gave the child’s chubby cheek a gentle pinch.

Lin Shuishi, seeing this, couldn’t help but quietly laugh at Fuli. See? Now you’ve caused trouble. He then put on a serious face and said to the child, “You’re called Lin Nu, right? Oh, this big guy is really annoying, scaring people like that. Let me help you teach him a lesson.”

With that, he playfully slapped Fuli’s broad chest a few times. Fuli didn’t even flinch, but Lin Shuishi ended up hurting his own hand.

“See? Now he won’t dare to scare you anymore!”

The child looked at Lin Shuishi with eyes full of admiration. Wow, this little guy is amazing! He managed to stop that “big black tower” in its tracks. And he even gave me dates to eat!

Sun Luqian, seeing that the child’s mood had improved and that he had let go of his leg, patted his head and told him to go play outside.

Feeling victorious and reassured, the child sniffled, then dashed out of the room. As he passed by Fuli, he carefully touched Lin Shuishi’s soft hand and glared at Fuli before running off.

After the child’s interruption, the atmosphere lightened up a bit.

Sun Luqian seated Jiang Zhao back down and, while removing the needles from his leg, remarked, “My junior brother mentioned that someone stopped a runaway horse in the street and saved him. He described this person as possessing extraordinary strength. I wondered who it could be—turns out it was you two!”

Lin Shuishi waved it off and turned to Jiang Zhao, saying, “It was nothing, just something we did in passing. No need to thank us.”

Jiang Zhao clasped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, “With such martial skills, you ought to join the army and serve the country! How about I vouch for you and help you become a vanguard general? You could achieve great things!”

Lin Shuishi, mindful of Fuli’s secret, instinctively replied, “Ah? No, that won’t do.”

Seeing the eager and hopeful expression on the scholarly general’s face, Lin Shuishi struggled to find a way to refuse. But then, noticing Fuli’s silence, he had a sudden idea.

“Oh, he’s… he’s mute! It would be hard for him to give orders, so it wouldn’t work.” Lin Shuishi thought this excuse was brilliant! He almost believed it himself. After all, maybe it’s difficult for him to learn human language? Fuli was indeed a man of few words—except during certain moments when he tended to roar—so most of the time, he really did seem like a mute!

Fuli glanced down at his partner, who was blatantly making things up, and suddenly found himself reflecting on the situation.

But Jiang Zhao just replied with, “No, no, not at all,” and then fell silent, carefully observing the two of them.

The needles were removed quickly, and Sun Luqian wiped his hands before inviting Lin Shuishi and Fuli to the front hall for a chat. He also reminded Jiang Zhao to take it easy and properly rest in the side room.

Once they were away from the soldiers, Fuli relaxed slightly, adjusting his hat so that only his well-defined jawline was visible.

As soon as Lin Shuishi entered the hall, he asked Fuli to bring out the deer antlers. “Sir, we hunted a deer in the mountains. These antlers are quite beautiful, so we thought you might like them as a decoration.”

Sun Luqian, who had something to say to them, was immediately captivated by the sight of the large, vibrant antlers. He quickly approached to take a closer look.

After a while, he touched and tapped the antlers, then stroked his recently grown beard and shook his head. “This is too precious for me to use just as decoration!”

He sighed, looking at the two who didn’t seem to realize the significance of their gift. “These are blood deer antlers, which have remarkable blood-nourishing properties. When combined with white peony root, gelatin, and fleeceflower root, they can be used effectively to save someone in critical danger due to blood loss.”

Lin Shuishi finally understood. “Oh, so they help with blood replenishment.”

Sun Luqian frowned. “More than just replenishing blood. Blood deer are rare, especially those with red antlers. They’re worth a fortune, and even the imperial pharmacy doesn’t have much of this. You should be more careful with these!”

Lin Shuishi was taken aback, realizing he had underestimated the value of the antlers. “Sir, I sold the deer’s body to a steward for an old master in town. He said they would cook and eat it. Is that okay?”

“An old master?” Sun Luqian mused, thinking of the small town and the few prominent families that might buy such a thing. “The essence of the deer is in the antlers, and the body is ordinary. Most people wouldn’t recognize its true value.”

He had just breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed the anxious look on Sun Luqian’s face as he repeatedly tapped his finger on the edge of the table. “Why did you come down from the mountains? I heard from Cheng’An that you had returned to live in the mountains.”

Lin Shuishi observed Sun Luqian’s expression and, noting that he didn’t seem to know much and was being vague, simply said they had come down to exchange for some grain and planned to head back soon.

Fuli stood silently by Lin Shuishi’s side, listening to the conversation. Eventually, Sun Luqian looked up at Fuli, taking in his imposing presence and commanding aura. He patted Lin Shuishi on the shoulder and urged them to return to their life in the mountains as soon as possible.

In troubled times, it is said that the capable should serve their country, but Sun Luqian was unaware of the full background of Lin Shuishi’s benefactor. He knew that extraordinary people often had mysterious origins, possibly accompanied by untold bloodshed and violence. Since the two of them had already found peace in the mountains, there was no need for them to get involved in worldly affairs.

When two nations clash, the battlefield becomes a sea of corpses and blood. One more or one less person would make no difference.

Sun Luqian had already decided on his own course of action—continuing his ancestors’ legacy even in these chaotic times—but he hoped that Lin Shuishi would have a better outcome. Retreating to the deep mountains, even if the country changed hands and the dynasty’s name changed, would have little impact on them.

So, by the time Jiang Zhao earnestly came to invite them again, Lin Shuishi and Fuli had already set off on their journey back to the mountains.

Jiang Zhao sat in the hall, having sent his guards to stand watch at the door. He gazed steadily at Sun Luqian, this “divine hand,” and saw beneath the weak and peaceful exterior of the scholar a man of great strategy and the power to influence great changes.

“Brother, the barbarians are about to attack the city. That man is not ordinary—you must know that. His strength and bones can shake mountains. If he could be a vanguard, it would greatly benefit the army.”

Sun Luqian looked at Jiang Zhao, the former first chancellor of the Great Zhao Kingdom, who had voluntarily become the rear general for the Northern General, tirelessly recruiting soldiers and supplies. Though weak in physique, he was the same man who had swept away corruption in the court, executing 762 people in a single day—a formidable figure.

“How can one person change the course of a war? He is merely strong and won’t follow orders. It would be better if you took me along, perhaps I could save more soldiers.”

Jiang Zhao immediately turned to Sun Luqian, leaning closer and staring into his eyes. “Brother, have you truly decided? Are you ready to let go of past grievances?”

Sun Luqian waved his hand, saying no more. He returned to the room where the ancestral tablets were kept and silently lit several sticks of incense.

At that moment, Fuli was leaping through the dense forest, carrying his pensive companion. Worried that the branches might scratch Lin Shuishi’s delicate skin, he cradled him in his arms, shielding him with his strong limbs.

He lowered his head and brushed his rough stubble against Lin Shuishi’s cheek, then spoke, “Do you have something on your mind?”

Lin Shuishi felt the deep resonance in Fuli’s chest as he spoke. Though Fuli’s speech no longer carried the beastly tones it once did, it still sounded different—rich and ancient, full of depth.

“Not exactly,” Lin Shuishi replied, “Sun Luqian’s words make sense, but according to him, if the court were to lose the war, the barbarians could invade at any moment. It’s said that they are bloodthirsty and ruthless. It would be another disaster.”

“People are always like this, just like the changes in nature,” Fuli said slowly, with pauses between his words, but Lin Shuishi understood and felt comforted. “Even the doctor hasn’t heard of those vine people, so they must not be many. But we don’t know where they’re from.”

“They’re not from that cripple, the scent is different,” Fuli replied.

Lin Shuishi lifted his head from Fuli’s embrace, feeling the wind generated by their quick movements. Fuli’s small braid blew forward to his chest, with strands brushing against Lin Shuishi’s face. “The cripple? You’re something else, remembering people’s flaws.”

He then grinned, “Isn’t that right, mute?”

So that’s it! Along the way, Fuli had been talking a lot, stuttering through conversations. It turns out he was trying to make up for that!

Fuli lowered his head, planting a firm kiss on Lin Shuishi’s upturned face, even nibbling on his nose. Finally, their lips met as Fuli said, “I was worried you’d find me boring, and that you’d find life in the mountains boring.”

Hearing Fuli’s thoughts, Lin Shuishi couldn’t help but laugh, but his heart was filled with warmth and love.

How could he ever feel bored?

Freed from the constraints of the modern city, liberated from that small, square living space, he now had the ability to run and leap.

Every day he woke in his lover’s arms, busying himself in the natural wilderness. He marveled at the springs and waterfalls, the vast skies and cold moon, the mountains and deep valleys, and the morning mist and drifting clouds.

He found joy in all the resilient and spirited life around him, and he praised the changing and unpredictable seasons.

He loved the wolf pack, the horses, the cattle, the deer, the rabbits—he loved every blade of grass and every tree, and the unending vitality of life.

Most importantly, he had found a passionate, deep, and unwavering love. As long as he was by Fuli’s side, his world felt complete, his heart full, and his life whole.

Whether his lover was a wild beast from a secluded valley or a mysterious remnant of a forgotten tribe, he loved him. That love burned so intensely that even burning himself up wouldn’t be enough, as if their two incomplete lives were finally coming together.

How could he ever feel bored? A lifetime wouldn’t be enough.

Lin Shuishi wrapped his arms around Fuli’s neck, snuggling closer as he kissed Fuli’s chin and laughed, saying, “You’re not boring at all. When you roar, it’s pretty intense!”

Fuli suddenly stopped in his tracks, looking down at the small smile with a mouth full of little white teeth. He ground his teeth playfully, his expression unreadable.