ITF Chapter71

The ship sailed smoothly into the harbor.

Aside from a large number of small fishing boats and cargo ships, two other sailing ships of the same specifications were anchored not far away. Three years earlier, during a royal council session at the palace, the ministers had repeatedly debated the possibility that the Urdan rebels’ stronghold was no longer located in Urdan. Now, Bai Heting finally had his answer—not only was their base no longer in Urdan, but it was also not even situated on the Damasen continent.

Just as he was still surveying his surroundings, most of his vision was abruptly obscured. Luo Congye pulled a hood over his head and adjusted it lower, concealing nearly his entire face and leaving only the lower half exposed.

Immediately after, his right wrist was also grabbed.

Bai Heting could only see the path beneath his feet, but Luo Congye walked very slowly, allowing him to keep up effortlessly.

Just as the two stepped onto the wooden planks of the pier, someone suddenly called out loudly, “Luo Congye!”

A fresh, pleasant scent of jasmine drifted over along with the voice. Bai Heting pulled his hood up slightly to take a look. Different from the scene he had anticipated, only a few young people had come to welcome Luo Congye, all looking to be in their twenties, and the leader was the Omega who had just spoken.

She was a petite girl, but she had a remarkably loud voice, “I heard you got stabbed again?”

Luo Congye waved at her, tilted his head slightly, and whispered in Bai Heting’s ear, “This is Lin Qian, Physician Lin.” As he said the word “physician,” he paused and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“You can actually still laugh?” Lin Qian stared with her almond-shaped eyes, looking even more displeased. “I beg of you, stop ruining a life that someone went through unimaginable hardships to save.”

These words were obviously not meant for Luo Congye alone, but Bai Heting showed no reaction to this cynical remark. Luo Congye stopped laughing, moved his left shoulder, and indicated, “It was a minor injury.”

Lin Qian lowered her gaze to his left hand, then traced upward along the arm he was holding. From the stiffness in the other party’s left shoulder, her eyes continued higher until they landed on the impassive face concealed beneath the hood.

“There was supposed to be a welcome dinner prepared for you on the island today, but it was canceled at the last minute. You should know the reason for the cancellation, right?” Though she was speaking to Luo Congye, her eyes remained fixed on Bai Heting’s face. Barely concealed hostility lingered in her gaze, mingled with a trace of disdain. “Outsiders have no place here.”

After these words were spoken, the atmosphere turned tense. Following a brief silence, a Beta behind her spoke up to smooth things over, “It’s getting late, let’s take them to their quarters first.”

Lin Qian raised no objection, but she had no intention of going with them either. She merely gave Luo Congye an impatient glare and instructed, “Remember to come to my place later to get your wound treated.”

*

After leaving the harbor, the carriage traveled for about two hours before finally arriving at the quarters the Beta had mentioned just as the sun began to sink in the west.

Bai Heting stepped down from the carriage; as far as his eyes could see, there was no sign of human habitation. The exterior of this seaside wooden cabin bore some resemblance to Jiang Han’s old house, though it looked somewhat newer. There was only one room, completely empty except for a bed, and it was swept very clean.

“I’ll have someone bring over some daily necessities in a bit.” Luo Congye checked the doors and windows, then turned back to look at Bai Heting and asked, “Would you like me to stay here and keep you company?”

Standing in the doorway, Bai Heting ignored the teasing question. Instead, he looked at him and asked, “Why haven’t you switched back to your real name?”

Luo Congye raised his hand to close the only window in the room.

“I’ve used this name for over a decade,” he replied casually. “Changing to anything else wouldn’t feel right.”

He had not raised his left arm at all while checking the doors and windows. Bai Heting reminded him, “You had better have a physician tend to that wound on your shoulder. The weather is too hot; it could easily worsen.”

Luo Congye turned around, leaned his back against the window, and stared at Bai Heting for a moment before asking with great interest, “Why were you staring at Physician Lin the whole time earlier?”

Bai Heting answered without changing his expression, “An Omega physician is rare.”

Luo Congye let out a soft laugh. “Well, certainly not as rare as an Omega general.”

An Omega general. To Bai Heting, that period of memory felt as though it belonged to a past life. He said calmly, “I am just an ordinary person now.”

Luo Congye walked over to the bed, bent down, and reached out to press the straw mat spread over it.

“Three years ago…” he said, choosing his words carefully, “Lin Qian had a few Omega friends who died in the south. So, she holds a bit of a grudge against you.”

Whether that Omega held a grudge against him or not was of no interest to Bai Heting, but he keenly caught a key point, “So the Omega rebellion back then really was connected to you all.”

Luo Congye did not press the subject, so Bai Heting continued to ask, “Why do you have warships?”

Luo Congye smiled and countered with a question, “Why shouldn’t we have warships? These days, it’s nothing new for the nobility to keep private armies.”

“The conditions here are easily comparable to a prosperous small city, allowing you all to live a free and unconstrained life.” Recalling the scene of the bustling downtown area near the harbor, Bai Heting said solemnly, “There is no need to go back and throw your lives away.”

“To live a free and unconstrained life.” Luo Congye repeated in a low voice.

“You make this place sound like a utopia.” His smile vanished, and the look he directed at Bai Heting turned cold. “Many of them lost their parents, spouses, and even their children amid the turmoil of the Urdan war. Carrying blood-soaked grudges and irreconcilable hatred, they were driven from their homes and forced to flee here. How can you expect them to be free of resentment, and how could they possibly live without restraint?”

Lowering his tone, he said slowly, “You stand at the top; you wouldn’t understand this kind of feeling. Don’t say things like that again, especially not to them.”

Bai Heting looked at him quietly for a moment, offering no rebuttal.

The look in Luo Congye’s eyes was one he had just seen not long ago in the eyes of that female physician. He had to admit that even if the young man in front of him was called Luo Congye, he was already Pei Yan.

He exhaled softly. “That physician was right. This is not the place where I belong.”

Luo Congye did not argue either.

Insisting on bringing Bai Heting to the island had been a rash decision made without considering the consequences. The scent of fir trees he had accidentally caught while boarding the ship had disrupted all of his plans, and moreover, had made him lose all rationality.

“You’ll get used to it.” But he quickly stabilized his emotions and said calmly, “Take it from experience; after all, I also lived in a place where I didn’t belong for over a decade.”

The sky was gradually darkening. Bai Heting glanced outside the house; the Beta had not left and was still waiting in the same spot. He took two steps to the side, clearing the doorway for Luo Congye.

“But that was a mistake,” Bai Heting said bluntly. “I shouldn’t have brought you back at all.”

Just like three years ago, this person bore his mark, yet the words coming out of his mouth were more heartless than those of a stranger. Luo Congye stepped out of the room, pausing briefly as he passed by his side.

He corrected him, “You shouldn’t have saved me at all.”

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