Lin Xiaolong
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TEAHT - Chapter 097

TEAHT - Chapter 097

Aug 15, 2021

Shadow of Li Fangming _____________________________________________________________________

The Imperial Physician, Pan Yuling or also better known by everyone as Old Pan, has served the Royal Family for three generations since childhood. Whenever there is a summon from the Emperor, he would not waste any time to serve. When he arrived at Tianlong Palace, the figure who laid unconscious on the bed surprised him. ‘Why is it Xiao Ming again?’ he wondered, as worry filled his heart.

As someone who watched the young man grow from a child, Old Pan naturally has a soft spot for Li Fangming. In the past, Hao Shuren was always strict with his training and Li Fangming would always come covered in bruises. The first time he saw it, he thought Hao Shuren had abused Li Fangming, and he confronted Hao Shuren for it, only to be kicked out by the crazy old man.

After the first time, Li Fangming would always frequented to the infirmary. But as time goes by, the injury that Li Fangming suffered would decrease in number, than his skills increased. When they accused Li Fangming of murdering the late Emperor, Old Pan never believed the rumours. He considers himself close to Li Fangming, and he always watched how Li Fangming speaks of the late Emperor as if a child would about his father whom he looked up to.

Lao Pan, how is he?” Qin Yijun’s voice snapped Old Pan from his thoughts and he returned to reality.

“Answering to His Majesty, there is nothing wrong with his body. I suspect that Li-… Lin Xiao passed out because of the heat. Now that we are approaching the summer, the weather will only get hotter,” Old Pan replied.

“Is that so…?” Qin Yijun still could not put away his worry when his eyes lands on Lin Xiao’s unconscious figure.

Seeing this, Old Pan decided to give some assurance for the Emperor. “Your Majesty, giving him some Lychee Soup dipped with ice would help him cool down. This old man will also go and help brew herbal tea for Lin Xiao to consume.”

“En. You may go, Lao Pan,” Qin Yijun said as he dismissed the physician so that he can go brew the herbal tea.

Once left alone with the unconscious Lin Xiao, Qin Yijun went over to the bed. He sat down at the edge of the bed and his hand went to caress Lin Xiao’s face gently. “Is it really because of the heat?” he murmured in a soft voice. His mind couldn’t help overthinking it, especially when he heard from An Yi’s report that Lin Xiao only fainted after hearing the messengers announcing the establishment of the Imperial Harem. It’s just his wishful thinking, but a tiny part of his heart did hope that the news affected Lin Xiao. That way, it shows that Lin Xiao does, to some extent, put him in his heart.

Qin Yijun continued to stare at Lin Xiao’s face with longing in his eyes. Then they travelled down to Lin Xiao’s soft lips. He was once again being reminded of how it felt against his own, and he had the urge to feel it again. He knew that once Lin Xiao woke up, he will never have this kind of chance again.

Making up his mind, Qin Yijun leaned down to claim those soft lips that had been making him restless. But just before their lips touch, he froze. He couldn’t believe that after promising himself to respect Lin Xiao’s boundary, he was about to break it in a moment of desire. He grit his teeth as he scolded himself, and after much contemplation, he changed his target to kiss Lin Xiao’s forehead instead before pulling away.

“I am… hopeless,” Qin Yijun murmured softly before he stood up and left the room to calm himself down.

On the other hand, the unconscious Lin Xiao was riddled with dreams. In his dream, he was playing with another boy. But from the conversation, he knew the boy was not of a simple background. A royalty. But whenever Lin Xiao treats him like one, he would scold Lin Xiao. Lin Xiao stared at the face of this royalty. He couldn’t help but find him and the Emperor to have a striking resemblance. Soon, the dream dissipated, and the background changed until there’s only darkness surrounding Lin Xiao.

He thought he would wake up soon enough, but after a while of waiting, it did not happen. He tried to move his limbs and found out that he has free reins in this dream. Deciding to look around, he walked through the darkness.

This darkness is suffocating him, especially since he can barely hear anything, not even his own footstep. After walking for some time, he finally saw something new in this darkness covered empty landscape. A figure, kneeling on the ground with chains wrapped around his body.

Lin Xiao felt a sense of familiarity when he saw the kneeling figure, but at the same time, he also felt a rising fear in his heart. Despite that, he still walked forward, since there was nothing else that he could do. As he approached the figure, the figure also lifts his head up to look at him.

As if finding himself staring at a mirror, Lin Xiao finally noticed how the figure was actually an exact copy of himself. “Who…?”

The figure gave him a smile before answering. “I am you. The you who have been locked up deep inside your soul.”

Lin Xiao frowned and his hand reached to his waist to grab his sword, only to find it empty. Lin Xiao’s gaze went down and he finally realize that he was only wearing his white undergarments. His hand clenched into a fist, ready for any unwanted events.

“Are you afraid?” the figure asked when he saw Lin Xiao’s guarded posture. “Don’t be. I won’t harm you. I cannot harm you.”

“Why?” Lin Xiao asked.

“Because if I do, we both will disappear,” he answered.

Lin Xiao continued to stare at the familiar face, and no matter how much he wanted to deny it, he knew the other’s identity. “You are Li Fangming.”

“Indeed. That is my name. Have you remembered?” the figure, Li Fangming, asked. But he was only met with Lin Xiao’s unchanging, stony expression. “I guess you haven’t remembered everything. Or is it that… you are unwilling to?”

The question seems to hit the right target as Lin Xiao turned his face to look away. After a while, Lin Xiao remembered that before he fell unconscious, he felt an extreme heart ache all because of the news that the Emperor will be establishing the Imperial Harem. “Hey. Tell me… what is the Emperor to you?” Lin Xiao asked after moments of consideration.

“…”

Hearing no answer, Lin Xiao continued. “Several days ago, I seemed to have a bout of lapse where I couldn’t control my body, nor do I remember anything during that short duration. Was that you…?”

“…”

Again, there was no answer and Lin Xiao was getting more agitated. “The Emperor seems to care about you so much. Did you have that kind of relationship with him?”

Li Fangming merely stared at him blankly, as if Lin Xiao had just grown two heads. “Are you stupid?” he said after a while. “Yijun is now the Emperor. We cannot touch him, let alone wanting to have him. So answering your question, no. We did not have that kind of relationship with him. Not in the past, not now, and never in the future.”

This time, it was Lin Xiao’s turn to stare at Li Fangming as if he had grown two heads. Several awkward moments passed before Lin Xiao let out a heavy sigh and sat down cross-legged before the chained Li Fangming.

“I have to correct you on one thing. It is not ‘we’ but ‘you’. You are the one who has a deep feeling for the Emperor. Not me,” Lin Xiao said in an adamant tone.

“Are you sure about that?”

The retort took Lin Xiao by surprise, and a frown formed on his face.

“Not even going to answer back?” Li Fangming questioned again. “You should accept it already. We are both the same person. We share the same soul.”

Lin Xiao grits his teeth as he glared at Li Fangming but Li Fangming continued to speak as if he was not threatened at all by Lin Xiao.

“The more you accept it, the less burden you will feel. And it will be easier for you to try to remember the past.”

“No! I don’t care about the past. I am my own person, so why don’t you disappear!” Lin Xiao roared in anger.

Li Fangming’s expression turned grim before he let out a defeated sigh. Then, he looked up and saw that there was a small light shining through the darkness and a melancholic smile formed on his face. “It looks like you are not ready yet. Well, time’s up. It is now time for you to return. Don’t worry, we will meet again.”

After that sentence left Li Fangming’s lips, a bout of dizziness struck Lin Xiao. He closed his eyes in an attempt to will it away, but when he opened his eyes, he saw an unfamiliar canopy instead. Sitting up, Lin Xiao looked around and noticed there was no one else in the room.

‘Where is this?’ he wondered as he got off from the bed. Based on the furnishing, Lin Xiao knew that this room belongs to someone with a high background. He suspects even higher than General Bai Chenyi. He carefully made his way to the door and just as he reached his hand out, he heard a very familiar voice.

“Go to Bai residence and summon Long Yinlian over. As for you, make sure that child accompanying Lin Xiao is comfortable until Long Yinlian arrives.”

Lin Xiao’s brain seemed to have stopped working as he stood frozen in front of the door. When he regained his ability to think, all he could ask was: ‘Why is the Emperor here?!’

 

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