ITF Chapter90

Zhong Xiao’s arrival finally made Lin Qian relent, agreeing to arrange a new residence for Jiang Han.

The Urdan people were somewhat different from what Jiang Han had imagined, and also very different from Bei Chengzhou. They carried distinct loves and hates, were frank and direct, and could even be considered simple-minded. Ever since they learned his true identity, their attitude toward him had completely changed, and every few days they would come by with homemade food.

However, Jiang Han had an introverted personality and was long accustomed to living a secluded life. Aside from teaching and doing research, he barely interacted with people, making such enthusiastic hospitality nearly too much for him to handle.

He let out a soft sigh amidst the sound of horse hooves drawing near, and his gaze froze upon seeing the approaching figure.

This person seemed to be visiting here for the very first time.

Yet he quickly noticed that Bei Yang’s purpose for coming today was not a social visit. He was empty-handed with his left hand raised high in front of his chest, and there appeared to be a wound on his palm. Fresh blood streamed down through the gaps between his fingers, staining the floor at the entrance.

Jiang Han withdrew his gaze, put away the pharmacology notes he was sorting through, and said to him, “Are you looking for Lin Qian? She went out with Zhong Xiao.”

The young man stood by the door without making a sound as if he hadn’t figured out how to handle this awkward situation. Jiang Han glanced at his hand again and asked, “How did it happen?”

Bei Yang said, “It’s from a newly forged blade. It wasn’t very well-balanced.”

He had a completely unbothered expression on his face, but his gaze darted elsewhere, appearing somewhat at a loss. Jiang Han said nothing more, merely told him to “sit,” and then walked out the door.

When he returned, a basin of clear water had been added to his hands.

Only then did Bei Yang reluctantly walk over to the table and sit down.

In his twenty-three years of life, nothing had been more embarrassing than this—he had injured a physician’s hand, and now he needed that very physician to bandage his own wound. Moreover, this physician was a benefactor who had helped them as well.

He truly had no face to see Jiang Han.

While Jiang Han was looking for bandages and herbs, he washed his hand clean, placed it on the table, and bit his lip uncomfortably.

“Does your hand… feel any discomfort anywhere?” When Jiang Han didn’t answer for a long time, he added in a low voice, “I didn’t know you were a physician back then.”

Jiang Han crushed a few stalks of herbs used to stop bleeding, asking without even lifting his head, “If I weren’t a physician, would it have been acceptable to snap my hand?”

The tone of these words was very gentle, yet Bei Yang felt as if he had been slapped squarely across the face.

He had nothing to say in response, and his other hand hidden beneath the table silently clenched into a fist.

That night, Luo Congye had been frantically trying to go find Bai Heting. He and Luo Congye had gotten into a massive argument and nearly came to blows. When he was restraining Jiang Han, he had been in a fit of rage, completely failing to mind the amount of force in his hands.

This corner of the room fell back into an awkward silence. Fortunately, the awkwardness did not last too long as Jiang Han’s bandaging technique was highly skilled. Having tied the knot on the bandage, he picked up the basin of bloody water and walked out the door once more without saying a word.

By the time he returned, Bei Yang had surprisingly not left, though he was no longer sitting in his previous spot.

Polite and reserved, he stood back by the door.

Jiang Han bypassed him to enter the room and went back to clear the tabletop, reminding him, “I’ve finished bandaging you.”

Bei Yang could tell that this was a tactful request for him to leave. He also knew very well that Physician Jiang disliked him—from the moment he had stepped through the door until now, Jiang Han had barely looked him in the eye.

He had recklessly injured a surgeon’s most valuable asset, which is his hand,so it was entirely understandable and reasonable for the other party to dislike him.

But…

“Physician Jiang.” Bei Yang suddenly raised his voice.

Jiang Han turned around curiously. The young man stood stick-straight at the doorway, looking as if he had something difficult to voice, hesitating for a long while.

“Could you…” Bei Yang paused for a moment, gathering his courage to say, “tell me about my brother?”

*

He asked solemnly and earnestly, but it was a request that caught Jiang Han completely off guard.

Seeing his blank expression, Bei Yang prompted, “My brother is Bei Chengzhou. Or… did you all call him Zhou Chengbei?”

Jiang Han forgot what his hands were doing, unconsciously brushing the leftover bits of herbs on the table onto the floor, and only snapped back to himself after a long moment.

He slowly sat down in his chair and said to Bei Yang, “I know his real name.”

Bei Yang’s standing posture was finally no longer as stiff as before. He leaned against the doorframe, his voice softening considerably, “Then he must have trusted you very much.”

Jiang Han could actually detect a hint of envy in his words.

The year after Pei Yan went missing, Bei Chengzhou changed his name to Zhou Chengbei and was sent to the capital by their father. That year, Bei Yang was only seven years old. “In order to protect his fake identity, we didn’t have many opportunities to meet.” Bei Yang lowered his head, looking somewhat dejected. “After he was sent to the capital, the number of times I met with him could even be counted on one hand. Even corresponding through letters had to be done with absolute caution.”

And that person, who was nine years older than him and acted as both a brother and a father, never spoke of his own private matters in his letters.

He wiped his face, and when he lifted his head again, he happened to meet Jiang Han’s wide-eyed stare head-on.

But Jiang Han instantly averted his gaze.

“He helped me a great deal,” Jiang Han said softly. “Senior Brother Bei was a gentle and powerful person, someone I respected immensely.”

Bei Yang unconsciously tightened his fist. “And yet, you stay together with the person who killed him.”

Jiang Han saw that the bandage on his left hand was seeping blood once again.

The young man before him bore absolutely no resemblance to Bei Chengzhou, save for his appearance. Bei Chengzhou would never easily display his joy or anger to others. He was calm, patient, always composed, yet firmly goal oriented.

In terms of certain traits, he and Bai Heting were actually the same kind of person.

“General Bai is also someone I respect.” He said earnestly.

On this island, few people would call Bai Heting ‘General’. Bei Yang let out a cold laugh. “Respect? What do you respect about him? Respect his arrogance, his cruelty, and his ruthlessness?”

Three years ago, before meeting Bai Heting in person, Jiang Han had thought the same way. He couldn’t help but lower his head and let out a small smile along with Bei Yang.

Bei Yang scoffed, “You gave up your bright future to hide away in that backwater place, also because of Bai Heting, right?”

“That backwater place is my hometown,” Jiang Han said, his tone neither humble nor arrogant, completely overlooking the offense. “The wooden cabin you broke into is my family’s old house.”

Bei Yang froze for a moment before straightening his posture again.

He had never imagined that a physician as prestigious as Jiang Han would come from such a family. Sending a child to medical school was far too much of a luxury for ordinary people.

Jiang Han rubbed his hands together, brushing off the damp herbal residue, and continued, “My parents made a living by fishing. While I was studying, they met with a disaster at sea. My four-year-old brother was also on the boat.”

His expression was very calm as he related all of this, carrying the serene detachment of someone who had weathered many storms. However, Bei Yang still remembered that his face had been very pale when he first arrived on the island. He had thought it was because his wrist was in pain, or because he was seasick.

“I heard that when they were found, the two of them were floating in the sea, and my younger brother was lying on a floating board.” At this point, Jiang Han let out a soft sigh. “They must have hoped my brother would survive by giving him the hope of life. Unfortunately, no one survived. The wind and waves were very strong that day. If it weren’t for me, they wouldn’t have had to work so hard, nor would they have had to take such a huge risk.”

Bei Yang interrupted, “You shouldn’t think that way.”

Jiang Han continued, “I had originally made up my mind to leave medical school, but Senior Brother Bei found me. I don’t know where he heard about my situation. He persuaded me to stay in medical school to continue my studies, and he even covered my tuition.”

Bei Yang opened his mouth but said nothing. As if guessing what was on his mind, Jiang Han added, “Later, I thought about it. My grades were very outstanding at the time, so perhaps that was the real reason he sponsored me.”

Bei Chengzhou had helped him because he needed his help. Jiang Han left the latter half of the sentence unsaid.

But Bei Yang understood.

This certainly sounded like something his older brother would do. Always calculating amidst his gentleness, deeply affectionate yet profoundly cold.

After saying this, Jiang Han fell silent. He crouched down to clean up the mess on the ground. Bei Yang hesitated, wondering if he should lend a hand, but Jiang Han worked efficiently and gathered the herbal residue together in the blink of an eye.

“Physician Jiang,” Bei Yang asked tentatively, “In the future, can I come visit you often? To hear you talk about my brother.”

Jiang Han remained crouched on the ground, not answering immediately.

This request was truly pushing the boundaries a bit too far.

Before he could formulate his rejection, Bei Yang suddenly turned his head to look out the door and saw Lin Qian running toward them from a distance.

She was running completely out of breath, her hair a disheveled mess.

“What are you doing here?” She shouted at Bei Yang from afar.

When Zhong Xiao was around, she was rarely so unkempt. Bei Yang asked in bewilderment, “Why are you making such a fuss?”

Lin Qian slowed her pace and walked up to Bei Yang. She tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear and took several deep, steady breaths.

“The King has deployed troops.” She said in a low voice.

Bei Yang froze slightly, his expression instantly turning grave. “Whose troops?”

“No one’s,” Lin Qian said, unable to hide the anxiety on her face. Her brows tightly furrowed as she put it concisely, “They’re mercenaries. It looks like someone paid them a sum of money.”

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