At this moment, the leopard seemed to lose its patience entirely and pounced toward the prey, extending its claws to strike a blow that instantly separated the two of them.
The moment the fangs and claws came crashing down, RongCheng rolled over very quickly to evade, while simultaneously swinging his sword to slash at the leopard's front leg...
Yan Si was pushed to one side; catching a fleeting glimpse of blood pouring profusely from RongCheng's hand, he fell into a panic and called out loudly, "Eldest brother!"
Despite being injured, RongCheng remained exceptionally calm and cautious; hearing the call, he merely winked to signal that he was alright, demanding that the boy fall back even further.
Having felt the pain, the leopard stamped its feet and simultaneously let out a resounding roar... It concentrated its entire attention and heightened vigilance toward RongCheng, swiftly regaining its attacking stance and then pouncing forward unexpectedly...
"Eldest brother, be careful..." Even if the man commanded Yan Si to fall back, he was completely unable to do so... His hand was still gripping the dagger tightly, his eyes fixed intently, searching for an opportunity...
Throughout the long period of recuperating from his injuries, although RongCheng had recovered quite a lot, he was still not completely whole; confronting a leopard at this juncture put him at an absolute disadvantage...
Indeed, before long, he was overwhelmed by the leopard, rolling and dodging in distress while repeatedly being struck. The leopard extended its claws and swiped across him, causing the old wound on his chest to tear wide open, and fresh blood poured out profusely once more... RongCheng was momentarily unable to force himself up, and taking advantage of the opportunity, the leopard leaped forward to trample him beneath its feet; though he had his sword to block it to some extent so as not to be crushed directly, it was simply too strong...
Amidst this situation of a hair's breadth, where life and death were separated by a mere instant, Yan Si disregarded all danger and rushed forward, decisively plunging his dagger into the leopard's left flank; it immediately reacted by turning around and extending its claws, striking him away to a distance.
It was precisely at that moment... RongCheng saw a flaw and seized the opportunity; he bolted up, swinging his sword in a flash to stab straight into the beast's heart...
The movement was swift and precise; the leopard only had time to let out a single roar before staggering backward, and before long, its body collapsed to the ground, dead.
After the battle, everyone was scared out of their wits. Yan Si forced himself to crawl up after the leopard's thunderous blow; he staggered over to RongCheng's spot, shaking and calling him, "Eldest brother... eldest brother, how are you? You absolutely must not let anything happen to you..."
As he spoke, Yan Si checked RongCheng's pulse, then immediately helped him staunch the bleeding, saying in a low voice, "Hold on, you must not die, let us go back to the cave."
RongCheng nodded faintly, leaning against Yan Si's person to stand up, and walked slowly.
The moment they returned, Yan Si had RongCheng lie down, then nimbly went to grind medicine and fetch water to treat his injuries...
Fortunately, just now RongCheng had exerted himself to evade the lethal strokes of the leopard's claws, so although the external injuries appeared severe at a glance, they were not to the extent of affecting his life. It was only that with a condition like this, he would have to take refuge in the cave for a little while longer. At that thought, he suddenly let out a sigh: "Is A Yuan doing well in the palace? My heart continuously feels anxious and uneasy..."
He had thought that in a few more days he would be able to return; who could have expected things to turn out this way?
Yan Si sat beside him managing RongCheng's injuries; seeing him let out a sigh, his tears naturally streamed down in large drops...
Suddenly discovering that Yan Si appeared to be crying, RongCheng was momentarily astonished and asked, "Little brother... why are you crying? Stop... stop crying now..."
Yan Si extended his hand to wipe his tears away, blaming himself in a low voice, "It is all because of me... everything is because of me... If it were not for taking me to pluck apples, you would not have encountered such danger."
"Foolish thing!" RongCheng caressed his head gently, consoling him softly, "How can this matter be blamed on you? Just now it was also fortunate to have you courageously break the siege for me, you did very well!"
Earlier, had it not been for Yan Si risking his life to break the siege, RongCheng certainly would have been torn apart by the leopard. Despite the warnings, the boy resolutely refused to abandon him, on the contrary confronting the danger fiercely... Though the child's body was frail, his will was exceptionally rock-solid.
Toward this younger brother, RongCheng felt thoroughly pleased—he was far too pure, courageous, and chivalrous.
He thought that becoming sworn brothers with a person like this was truly not a waste whatsoever.
Being praised, Yan Si's heart was like a withered tree that had just been watered, and he said haltingly, "I... I didn't do anything..."
It was thanks to the man that was correct! A little more and he would have been left with nothing but bones, at which point it would be difficult to live... The man truly was the best eldest brother in the world!
Hearing the familiar phrasing, RongCheng suddenly laughed again...
In the boy, RongCheng saw the brilliant aura of self-sacrificing devotion, a thing that could be considered a luxury within his own worldview, while the boy was like a lamp about to go out, trying hard to burn his utmost amidst despair.
Yan Si was neither courageous nor chivalrous; he saved the person with a mindset full of trembling fragmentation—a soul trying to cling onto a tiny bit of light in the darkest place, so as not to continue sinking into the abyss.
While treating the injuries, he also stole secret glances at the expressions on the man's face, primarily to see if his actions had accidentally caused the person pain... After a long period of observation, he asked in a low voice, "Is eldest brother worried about something?"
Hearing the question, RongCheng did not conceal anything at all, nodding in reply, "It is that I am worried about my wife at home."
"Wife?" Upon hearing this, Yan Si felt a hint of astonishment and asked, "You... already have a wife?"
It was only that he suddenly remembered Yichang Hua had previously forced him to read many books, one of which stated that men take a wife at sixteen, and women are wed at twelve, establishing a family early on to bear offspring and continue the lineage, fulfilling the path of filial piety to parents.
Although Yan Si lived outside these conventions, reflecting that his eldest brother was now twenty, having a wife was a matter of course... And then he asked hesitantly, "She... what is she like?"
RongCheng shook his head and said straightforwardly, "My wife... is a man."
"A man!?" How could a man and a man marry each other?
"Eldest brother is joking, right?" A man with a man was fundamentally and absolutely impossible; Yichang Hua had once told him so.
Feeling that this matter did not need to be explained to Yan Si, RongCheng shook his head and said, "You are still young, you cannot understand... so do not ask further."
Between reality and books, there inherently existed a vast distance... Whether it was permitted or not lay primarily in the hands of the one who set the rules, and he precisely was the rule.
Suddenly remembering the name that RongCheng frequently called out in his delirium, Yan Si asked in a low voice, "Eldest brother, is that person... A Yuan?"
RongCheng was momentarily startled: "How do you know?"
Yan Si said, "The night I first saved and brought you back, you continuously called that name... And there is also that jade pendant, does it also belong to that person?"
Truly never expecting that he would talk in his sleep... RongCheng felt embarrassed to the point of momentarily not knowing what to say... hearing the jade pendant mentioned, he took it out to gaze at it, and a long while later, said, "Correct! He is my everything!"
"If the jade remains, the person remains; if the jade is lost, the person is lost..." RongCheng's entire world was encapsulated solely within the two characters of A Yuan. It was also thanks to the person carrying a powerful force of resolve that pulled him back from the gates of death.
At this very moment, Yan Si truly did not understand; those words sounded like water poured onto a taro leaf, feeling only strange and curious.
It was entirely unclear what kind of person A Yuan was, to be able to cause the deity in his heart to waver so profoundly.