The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

Only Zuo Beichen went to the welcoming banquet in the evening, and he did not ask Qiu Tong to go with him.

It was not for any other reason, but because Zuo Beichen knew that it was better to let Qiu Tong be alone at this time.

The welcoming banquet is nothing more than eating, drinking and exchanging pleasantries, which is really boring.

Zuo Beichen was not a person who liked socializing, so he left early on the pretext of being worried about Qiu Tong.

Qiu Tong’s small courtyard was not difficult to find. Zuo Beichen found it quickly based on Huang Yong’s description.

Because he had to lead a caravan for business in recent years, Zuo Beichen didn't dare to say that he was very familiar with Ganzhou.

When Zuo Beichen arrived, there were no lights on in the yard, and Qiu Tong was still curled up on a stone bench outside, staring blankly.

Because the door to the yard was not closed, but just ajar, Zuo Beichen didn't knock on the door and pushed it open directly.

As soon as he entered the room, Zuo Beichen saw Qiu Tong's lifeless appearance.

Zuo Beichen knew the pain of losing a loved one best. He lost his mother at a young age and endured those difficult and sad years alone.

But he was luckier than Qiu Tong. At least he knew where his mother was buried. He would offer sacrifices to his mother both when she was alive and when she died. During festivals and when he was wronged, he could go to his mother's grave to pay his respects and talk to her.

But Qiu Tong was different. She lost her mother shortly after she was born and depended on her father for everything.

Her father went to the battlefield and entrusted her to the care of others. She was longing for her father to return safely so that they could be reunited as a family.

But what he finally received was the news that his father had died in battle.

Qiu Tong's father died on the battlefield in the northern border, and even his body was found. She didn't even know where to go to pay tribute to her father.

Thinking of this, Zuo Beichen sighed. He took off his cloak, walked to Qiu Tong, and put the cloak on her.

"This northern border is nothing like the capital. The temperature difference between morning and night is huge here. It's really true that people can freeze to death at night."

"If you don't take good care of yourself, won't it delay your trip if you get sick?"

Zuo Beichen is also a person who is tough on the outside but soft on the inside. He is obviously worried about Qiu Tong and afraid that she will get sick, but the words he says are cold and without any warmth.

Qiu Tong didn't even move. The running around in the past few days had made her body tired. She had just cried several times, which had drained all her strength.

She was now completely powerless, her mind was blank, and her whole body was numb, as if only a body without a soul or consciousness remained.

Seeing Qiu Tong remained silent, Zuo Beichen sighed and said, "Come on, let's go somewhere."

"I originally wanted to take you there tomorrow, but seeing how you are, if I don't go, you will definitely not be able to sleep tonight."

Qiu Tong didn't even have the strength to speak at this moment, so how could she have the strength to walk with Zuo Beichen?

Seeing that Qiu Tong still didn't move or say anything, Zuo Beichen panicked. He leaned over and touched Qiu Tong's forehead. The temperature was indeed a little high.

Qiu Tong was obviously having a fever at this time, and fever was no small matter. Zuo Beichen didn't think twice and simply picked up Qiu Tong and walked out.

"What are you doing?" Qiu Tong looked at Zuo Beichen in confusion, struggling to get out of Zuo Beichen's arms.

"Don't move. You have a high fever. This is Ganzhou, not the capital. If you are not careful, it will really cost your life."

Although Ganzhou is not a place with a shortage of medical care or medicine, high fever is indeed a very dangerous thing here.

Not only is there a big temperature difference between day and night here, the climate is also extremely unstable, and the medical conditions here are very limited. Any doctors with a little fame have been recruited to work as military doctors in the military camp.

What Zuo Beichen said was not an exaggeration at all. If you don't see a doctor quickly and reduce the fever, it could really be fatal.

"I'm fine. I just have a fever. I'm not sick to death."

"Besides, I have some fever-reducing medicine in my package. It was given to me by Doctor Wang, the chief physician of the Imperial Hospital. I guarantee it will cure the disease."

She was already exhausted, and after saying so many words all at once, Qiu Tong really felt like fainting.

"That won't work either. It's better to see a doctor."

If it were someone else, Zuo Beichen would not have such patience.

Qiu Tong is someone close to the Queen Mother and holds a different status in the Queen Mother's heart. Before leaving, the Queen Mother specially called Zuo Beichen over. In addition to explaining some things, she also specifically instructed Zuo Beichen to take good care of Qiu Tong.

If Qiu Tong had an accident before he came out of seclusion, how would he explain to the Queen Mother when he returned?

"I told you I'm fine, put me down now, I'm dizzy."

Qiu Tong felt that if she said one more word, she would really faint.

Zuo Beichen hesitated for a moment, and returned the same way, but this time he carried Qiu Tong back into the house. After all, it was warmer in the house than outside.

Although Zuo Beichen and Qiu Tong have not been together for a long time, this does not prevent Zuo Beichen from knowing that Qiu Tong is a stubborn person.

No one can stop Qiu Tong from doing what she wants to do. If there is something she doesn't want to do, she won't do it even if a knife is put to her neck.

After putting Qiu Tong on the stool, Zuo Beichen originally wanted to pour her a cup of hot water, but after looking around, he found that there was no hot water in the room, let alone a kettle for boiling water.

Zuo Beichen sighed helplessly, walked back to Qiu Tong, picked her up again and walked outside.

"What are you going to do now?" Qiu Tong only felt her head hurting even more at this moment.

"What else can I do? Naturally, I'll take you to the carriage."

"At least there's hot water and food in the carriage. What do we have here?"

"Didn't you say the medicine for fever was in the package? You have a fever now. If you don't take the medicine quickly and let the fever go away, you'll be in real trouble later."

Zuo Beichen held Qiu Tong in his arms and walked outside, nagging non-stop.

It has to be said that serving people is really a troublesome thing. When has Zuo Beichen ever done such a thing?

After carrying Qiu Tong to the carriage, Zuo Beichen quickly poured hot water for Qiu Tong to drink. It must be said that the conditions in the carriage were much better than those in the house.

There is hot water, a stove, and food. Compared to the house with nothing, this place can be called heaven.

Zuo Beichen insisted on taking this carriage when leaving Shangjing. Qiu Tong originally insisted on not taking it because she thought it was too troublesome.

But Zuo Beichen was also a stubborn person. He said that he would use the carriage to load some daily necessities so that it would be convenient when needed.

In fact, those were just excuses. Zuo Beichen cared about Qiutong because she was a girl, different from men like them.

The journey was already hard, and Qiu Tong was a woman, so she naturally could not compare with these rough men.

However, thanks to this carriage, Qiu Tong had a place to stay even in the wilderness.

Unlike Zuo Beichen and his friends, who couldn't find a place to stay, they could only find a place to rest in the wilderness.

After drinking some hot water, Qiu Tong felt better. The carriage was warm, which made her feel less dizzy.

With the help of the light from the carriage, Zuo Beichen could finally see Qiu Tong clearly. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying.

Zuo Beichen sighed silently in his heart and ordered outside: "Go get some hot food."

The people outside responded and left, and Zuo Beichen took out the ointment to reduce swelling and relieve pain and applied it to Qiu Tong's swollen eyes.

Qiu Tong did not reject Zuo Beichen. She treated Zuo Beichen as a brother, and it was normal for brothers to help each other.

Soon the food arrived. Zuo Beichen placed a bowl of hot noodles in front of Qiu Tong and said, "Eat this bowl of noodles, and then I'll take you somewhere."

"But the premise is that you can't cry anymore. If you cry any more, you won't be able to see anyone tomorrow."

"Yeah, I know." Qiu Tong lowered her head and ate noodles. It was an ordinary meal at ordinary times, but now it tasted particularly warm to the stomach and heart.

After Qiu Tong finished her noodles, Zuo Beichen said, "Before leaving Shangjing, the Empress and Bai Yunchi both asked me for a favor."

"Speaking of which, when we get to Ganzhou, let me take you to see your father's cenotaph."

"Too many people died in the war that year. The Marquis of Zhenbei sent people to search for your father's body for half a month, but they couldn't find it, so they could only build a cenotaph for him."

"Every year, the Marquis of Zhenbei and several other young masters go to pay homage. Today, I will take you there as well."

Zuo Beichen looked at Qiu Tong, who was about to cry again, and said, "The dead are gone, and the living are like this. I also deeply understand the pain of losing a loved one."

"But the dead cannot be resurrected, and the living must continue to live."

"The Queen Mother said that your father's passing is a pain in your heart that will never be healed, and it is also your inner demon."

"After you go to worship today, leave all your pain and inner demons there."

"If you can't move on, the Queen, Bai Yunchi and the others will always be unable to let go."

"If your father knew about this, he would definitely want you to live a free and happy life for him."

"After all, Yun Li was able to enjoy the peace and prosperity of the country today, but he paid for it with his life."

"He is not only protecting Yun Li, but also his daughter who is more important than his life."

Qiu Tong tried hard not to cry. She didn't expect that after so many years, Shen Tianjiao still remembered this incident.

What she didn't expect was that Bai Yunchi actually remembered it even though she only mentioned it briefly at that time.

Zuo Beichen was right. The dead are gone, and the living are still here. It is time for her to let go of the obsession and pain in her heart.

Yunli's kingdom was built with the blood and flesh of her father and countless soldiers. Her responsibility is to protect this beautiful land for them.

Let Yunli no longer suffer from war, and let more children not have to suffer the pain of losing their loved ones like her.

"Okay, I understand. I won't cry anymore."

Sometimes, in an instant, because of something or a few words, people can eliminate the obsession that holds them back from freedom.

Qiu Tong was like this at this moment. The thing that had been weighing on her heart for more than ten years, she really let it go from the bottom of her heart at this moment.

She didn't want Shen Tianjiao, Bai Yunchi, Chunchao, Xia He, and Chaoyun, the people who really cared about her, to worry about her anymore.

She still has a lot to do in the rest of her life.

She wanted to help Shen Tianjiao unify the world so that Li Muyang could ascend the throne as emperor without any worries.

She watched how Li Muyang was a good emperor and made Yunli the best country in the world.

She also has to find an antidote for Chaoyun that can cure the poison in her body so that she can survive and reunite with her parents one day in the future.

By the way, she hasn’t taught all her skills to Bai Yunchi yet. Although Bai Yunchi is a bit naughty, he is still a good person.

As his master, it is my responsibility to teach her well.

And there are her group of little sisters. Life is short, and she still wants to go with them to see Yunli's world.

Qiu Tong, who had figured it out, was able to face her father's cenotaph calmly.

Looking at the clean and tidy cenotaph, the last bit of resentment in Qiu Tong's heart disappeared.

When her father was alive, he fought bravely in the northern frontier to defend his country. After his death, there were people who truly cared for him and built a tomb and cenotaph for him, so that he could rest in peace on the land he loved. This should be a very happy thing for her father.

"The Marquis truly loves his soldiers like his own sons. When other people's soldiers die on the battlefield, he simply burns them and leaves it at that."

"But only the Marquis of Zhenbei would transport the bodies of the fallen soldiers back from the battlefield and build tombs and erect monuments for them."

"At the very least, I'll build a tomb for them like your father did."

"And every year they bring their sons to pay homage to these brothers who have been through thick and thin with them. This is not something that everyone can do."

Looking at the tombstones in front of him, Zuo Beichen now had a deeper understanding of Yun Li's words that Marquis Zhenbei was the pillar of the country.

There is a reason why the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion has been able to be the number one family in Yunli for hundreds of years and has never been replaced.

At this moment, Zuo Beichen's heart was surging, and he became more determined to help Shen Tianjiao achieve great things.

"Yes, there is no better person in this world than the Marquis, or the young masters and young ladies of our family."

"Back then, my father entrusted me to someone else's care, but it was a chaotic time and everyone was busy taking care of themselves, so how could they possibly take care of someone else's child?"

"If the Marquis hadn't sent people to look for me, I would have starved to death in that year of famine."

"I've been with the eldest lady for all these years, and she has never treated me unfairly. She has always taken care of me in everything."

When talking about Zhenbei Hou and Shen Tianjiao, Qiu Tong felt nothing but gratitude.

"Let's go, let's go back. We still have to stay in Ganzhou for a few days. You should take advantage of these few days to have a good rest and get your body back in shape. The road ahead will be difficult."