That year, Xiao Jue was nineteen, and Helian Qianyu was twelve, the last surviving soldier of the enemy army.
Covered in blood and all alone amid a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, he stood unwavering beneath the army's banner. His tender hands strained to grip a great saber he could barely lift, and his eyes blazed with hatred as he glared at Xiao Jue, resplendent on horseback.
He looked just like a ferocious wolf. If Xiao Jue so much as moved the banner, the boy would tear at his flesh with his teeth, even if he couldn't swing his saber.
Xiao Jue had never met a child with such unyielding courage. He admired the boy's loyalty and bravery, and let him go.
But Helian Qianyu didn't leave. Instead, he followed Xiao Jue at every step.
Helpless, Xiao Jue could only take him back to the manor when his army returned to the capital. That's when he learned the little wolf cub was mute.
Unable to ask his name, Xiao Jue named him Xiao Shier, since he was the one who had found the boy.
He gave him his own surname, hoping that the imperial family name would protect him.
What Xiao Jue didn't know was that this new name concealed Helian Qianyu's identity as the young prince of Xiqiang perfectly.
*
From then on, Xiao Jue had a shadow. Wherever he went, Xiao Shier was never far behind.
The deputy generals around him privately warned Xiao Jue that he risked raising a tiger that would turn on him. Xiao Shier was a remnant of the enemy army, and couldn't be trusted.
Xiao Jue said, "I know what I'm doing."
Then he kept Xiao Shier by his side, doting on him even more than before.
Seeing their commander stubbornly persist as if Xiao Shier had bewitched him, the generals grew furious with the boy and resolved to kill him to prevent future trouble.
But they never found a chance.
Until Xiao Jue was ambushed and poisoned on the battlefield. He needed a rare medicinal ingredient to cure the poison, or he would surely die.
And Xiao Shier disappeared without a trace at just that moment.
The generals were all convinced that Xiao Shier had conspired with the enemy to ambush Xiao Jue. They ground their teeth in fury and complained at Xiao Jue's sickbed:
"Does the commander believe us now? That boy is a spy."
"We warned you again and again, but you refused to listen to good advice."
"If we catch him, we'll cut him to pieces."
As his subordinates complained endlessly, Xiao Jue's ashen face still bore the same certainty as always. His eyes shone as he looked out of the tent at the red plum blossoms, blooming in the snow and bitter wind. Xiao Shier had planted them especially for him.
The little wolf cub had somehow learned that he liked red plum blossoms. He braved the snow and wind, riding through the night all the way to Gusu, a thousand miles away, to bring back a plum tree and plant it outside his tent.
Seeing that their commander still trusted Xiao Shier, the generals sighed. They were furious that he refused to see reason. That boy had truly bewitched him.
Just then, a bloodied figure crawled with difficulty into the camp, clutching the precious medicinal ingredient that could save Xiao Jue's life. It was Xiao Shier...
*The love-at-first-sight wolf cub gong x the beautiful, decisive prince shou
*Both are each other's first and only, completely pure in body and heart, and utterly devoted to each other. The gong is truly mute, but he'll recover later.
*The dynasty is fictional. Nothing about its clothing, food, travel, or daily life is based on any real dynasty. Most details are invented, so please don't scrutinize them for historical accuracy.
Theme: Peace and prosperity for the nation and its people
