[Luo Xiao Zhao]

The next three days, the two of them barely spoke, and except for exchanging a few words here and there, they largely ignored each other. Once in a while, Xiao Zhao would come and check on Fang Han Jun to make sure he was alright and bring him medicine.

At the end of the third day, the two lay in the darkness as they stared at the ceiling.

Then Fang Han Jun asked, "What is your plan after tomorrow?"

Xiao Zhao replied, "Why do you want to know?"

"I'm just curious."

"And you know curiosity almost killed the cat."

"So what? I'm not even a cat, I'm a mouse. So if the cat is killed, then the mouse can forever play."

"You're crazy."

"Never said I wasn't."

Silence.

"But really, what is your plan?" asked Fang Han Jun.

"None of your business," Xiao Zhao said.

"Fine."

**************************************************************************

The next day, after they had eaten, Luo Xiao Zhao picked up his bags and was about to leave.

"Hey wait. Where are you going?" Fang Han Jun asked as he put his arm up across the doorway to block Luo Xiao Zhao.

"None of your business? Get out of my way. You're already healed. We can both go our separate ways," Xiao Zhao said as he tried to move past him.

This time, Fang Han Jun used his whole body to block the doorway. "I'm afraid we can't separate yet."

"Why?"

"You saved my life and I'm not a wàng ēn fù yì de rén."

"What wàng ēn fù yì person? The best way you can show your gratitude is by leaving me alone," Xiao Zhao said as he roughly pushed Fang Han Jun aside.

"Wait up!" Han Jun called as he followed Xiao Zhao who was quickly striding away.

When he had caught up, he walked beside Luo Xiao Zhao while also trying to talk to him. "Xiao Zhao, can you please slow down?"

Xiao Zhao ignored him.

"I don't even know where the closest town is! Can you at least take me there?"

Xiao Zhao walked a couple of paces before stopping. He turned to Han Jun and observed him. Han Jun wore a pair of clean clothes but had nothing of value on him. Why did he expect Han Jun to find his own way when Han Jun didn't even know where the nearest town was?

Xiao Zhao sighed. "Fine. But after we get to town, you have to promise to leave me alone."

Han Jun held up his three fingers and pointed to the sky as a sign of an oath. "If I think it's necessary, I promise to leave Luo Xiao Zhao alone."

Xiao Zhao turned away and continued down the mountain. He led the way while Han Jun followed him with trouble. Han Jun hopped from tree to tree as he grabbed the tree trunks to break his fall.

There was an area where it was particularly slippery and steep. If one wasn't careful, one could slip down the hill and be hurt very badly.

"Be careful," Xiao Zhao warned. "It's very slippery. Follow my steps exactly."

They had only gone a couple of steps when Xiao Zhao heard a yell from behind. He whirled around. Han Jun lost his balance and fell forward, right toward Xiao Zhao.

"Hey! Don't come this way I–"

Han Jun knocked over Xiao Zhao and soon, both were tumbling down the mountain.

"Offf!"

"Ouch!"

"Yikes!"

"OW!"

They said as they hit submerged logs and branches.

When they had finally stopped rolling, Xiao Zhao felt the warm air and the plants underneath him. They had rolled themselves down to the base of the mountain and into the spring world.

"Ugggg!" He groaned as he tried to get up. His leg shot in pain and he glanced down. It was covered in blood and he knew it was broken. He glanced to his right where Han Jun lay on his back.

"Hey! You good?" Xiao Zhao called.

Han Jun groaned.

Xiao Zhao crawled closer to Han Jun and nudged him.

"Yeah?" He said dazedly as he slowly sat up. "What happened?"

Xiao Zhao crossed his arms and said angrily, "You tell me what happened up there?"

"I don't remember," he said as he rubbed his head.

Xiao Zhao sighed. "You slipped and knocked me over and we both rolled down the mountain. Thanks a lot!" Xiao Zhao said as he turned away with a huff.

"Come on... I didn't mean to..."

"Well, I don't know what you want to do now because my leg is broken and I can't walk."

"That's easy! Here, you took care of me, now I will take care of you," Han Jun said cheerily as reached for Xiao Zhao's arm. He slung Xiao Zhao's arm around his neck and together, they hobbled their way to town.

When they had arrived, the town was already bustling with activity as people bought and sold goods from carts lining the streets.

"Do you know where a good doctor is?" Han Jun asked.

Xiao Zhao shook his head slowly. He had a headache.

"What? I thought you lived nearby! How could you not know? Did you just never get sick?"

Xiao Zhao shook his head and said unsteadily, "I...He...never...called...for a... doctor when I was sick."

"How come?"
Xiao Zhao just shook his head and leaned heavily on Han Jun.

[Han Jun]

Han Jun approached a trinket stand nearby and asked, "Excuse me, but do you know where I can go see a doctor?"

"Are you just passing through?" The man asked.

"Yes?" Han Jun asked uncertainly.

"Ahhh, no wonder. Everyone in town knows that the doctor works at the apothecary at the end of this street," he said as he pointed to the other end of the street.
Han Jun nodded and said, "Thank you."

After they had walked to the end of the street, Han Jun glanced to his right and saw the shop. He went in and the aroma of medicine filled the air. Han Jun walked up to the counter and asked, "Hello, is the doctor here?"

The man behind the counter was a heavy set man with thick arms. He had a beard and was currently weighing amounts of ingredients on a balanced scale. When he heard Han Jun, he looked up and wiped his hands. Splitting into a smile, he said, "Hello! How can I help you?"

"Do you have a doctor here?" Repeated Han Jun.

"Ahh yes, we do. But right now, he is quite busy. Can you wait until later to come back?"

"How late?"

"Not sure."

Han Jun sighed, and placing some paper notes on the counter, he said, "Is that enough?"

The man's eyes bulged and he quickly smiled and replied, "I will call him right away." The man exited and Han Jun was left with Xiao Zhao. He glanced around the shop. There were assortments of herbs and spices on the shelves and in jars. Seeing a chair nearby, he brought Xiao Zhao to it and gently sat him down. By now, Xiao Zhao had lost consciousness as a result of the pain.

Suddenly, a young man wearing a hat and an apron charged into the store. Such was his hurry that he accidentally knocked over a pitcher that stood on a stand nearby. It crashed to the floor and shattered into a million pieces. Just then, the man behind the counter entered and upon seeing the shattered pot exclaimed, "What happened here?!"

The man who had knocked over the pitcher got to his knees and said, "I was in a hurry and knocked it over! Forgive me!" He bent down to pick up a piece when the other man rushed over and said, "No need to clean it up yourself!" He grabbed the young man's hand.

Han Jun saw a piece of white paper slip from the owner's hand to the young man's hand.

"I'm so sorry I broke your pot!" The young man said, still on his knees.

"Here," the other man said as he helped the young man up. "You can pay for the pitcher another time!"

"Thank you so much! Thank you so much!" the man said and then exited.

The man who was behind the counter turned to Han Jun and smiled, "I'm sorry. You must have been startled. This way please." The man held his arm up to show the way.

Han Jun carried Xiao Zhao into a backroom with a single bed and a simple table.

"Lay him here," the man directed as he pointed at the bed.

Han Jun gently laid Xiao Zhao down in bed and set Xiao Zhao's arms to his side.

The doctor came in a few minutes later. He said, "My name is Liu Bo and I am the doctor in this town."

"Nice to meet you Liu Bo," Han Jun said politely. "Please," Han Jun directed his arm toward Xiao Zhao, signaling Liu Bo to start.

"Eh," he said as he quickly took a seat beside the bed. He felt for Xiao Zhao's pulse. "His pulse is a bit weak." Liu Bo then took out a needle and put it into Xiao Zhao's head. "This will help him have less pain," he explained.

Liu Bo then glanced at Xiao Zhao's bloody right leg and sighed, "He didn't fall lightly when he got this injury."

"How bad is it?" Han Jun asked nervously.

"He will be alright. It's just..."

"Just what?"

"He will have a permanent scar on his leg. See, if his leg was just broken without this wound on top, maybe he wouldn't have a leg mark, but with this wound, he will definitely have a scar."

"Will it fade enough to not be noticed?"

"Well, that all just depends on his body." Liu Bo used two hands to grab hold of Xiao Zhao's leg and then he pushed them together with a crack.

Xiao Zhao's body jerked in pain and his fists were closed tightly. But then his body relaxed. Liu Bo quickly cleaned the wound from his leg and bandaged it.

He stood up and said, "There. You just need to change it every few hours and within a couple days, he will be able to wobble on his feet. If you have nothing else, I will take my leave." He held his hands to his chest and bowed.

Han Jun nodded as he took a seat beside Xiao Zhao.

After a few minutes, the owner of the store came in and said, "Sir, may I have a word with you?"

Han Jun glanced at Xiao Zhao's sleeping form and got up. He nodded.

The man led him to a separate room that adjoined the first room. There was a table in the middle of the room with a set of porcelain cups. After Han Jun had entered, the man closed the doors.

Turning his attention to Han Jun, he bowed and greeted, "Can jian san huang zi." Greetings Third Prince.

"Here, get up," Han Jun said as he lifted the man's arms.

"Please sit," the man said as he straightened. They walked to the table and sat down.

"Third Prince, I already had the cups and everything wiped. You can rest assured. Please drink," he said as he poured Han Jun a cup of tea.

"How did you know I was Third Prince?"

"Well, based on your clothing, we could guess that you were not an ordinary merchant."

"Oh? How?"

"Well, your clothing is silk. But just knowing your clothing is made out of silk is not enough to judge if you are from the Palace. It's the faint pattern on your clothing that gave you away."

"The faint pattern?"

"Yes. You have a very faint pattern that is woven into the cloth. You can only see it in the sunlight. When you came in, the sun shone on your clothing. To normal people, they wouldn't notice the faint pattern, but to a trained eye, it can be detected."

"Oh!Yuán lái rúcǐ! I see. Looks like I might have to change!" Han Jun said as he inspected his clothing.

The man chuckled.

Turning his attention back to the man, Han Jun asked, "Why are you helping me? Many people in the royal court want me dead."

"We got a message from Jing Du that stated you might have some trouble on your way here. It also instructed us to take care of you and cooperate with whatever you need," the man replied.

"You know who I am, but I don't know who you are. What is your name?"

"You can call me Tang Xiao," he said.

Han Jun nodded. "Good, Tang Xiao. Can we stay here for the remaining days? I think moving to an inn would hurt him too much."

"Of course! Whatever you need, Third Prince. I am at your service."

"Alright. Well, thank you for your time and tea, but I must get going," Han Jun said as he got up.

Han Jun set out from the store and stopped by a stand. "Excuse me," he said to the seller. "Do you know where the best food is?"

"Easy! The best food is at Lian Hua Lou," the man said as he pointed diagonally from where they were standing.

Many women stood at the doorway of the building. It was a brothel.

Han Jun walked over to the building and forced his way through the many hands that reached out. He shook them all off and strode to the table. A pretty woman approached him and said, "What would you like?"

"I want ten of the best dishes you have," Han Jun ordered.

"Is that all?" There was a lilt in her voice.

"Yes. That will be all."

She whirled out of his sight. After a while, she brought utensils, a cup, and a bowl to his table.

"Your food will be ready shortly," she said.

Han Jun merely nodded. He took out his cloth and started wiping everything meticulously. By the time he was finished, the woman had already brought all his dishes to him. He picked up his chopsticks and was about to pick up some food when he remembered Xiao Zhao. He was still lying in bed at the apothecary. Why do I feel guilty for wanting to eat this food? He wondered.

It's because you owe him. One voice in his head said.

How? Another voice asked.

He's hurt because of you. If you had been more careful...the first voice replied.

Yeah but he was the one who wanted to ditch you. You were just being bothersome. The second voice retorted.

You don't owe him. The second voice.

Yes you do. Voice one insisted.

No I don't.

Yes you do.

No I don't.

Yes you do.

No you–

"Shut up already," Han Jun said loudly as he slammed his chopsticks down on the table with a bang. A few people turned their heads in his direction. But seeing nothing unusual, they went back to their own conversations.

Han Jun called a woman over and said, "Pack this all up for me."

She bowed and said, "Yes sir."

"I want utensils, bowls, plates, and cups. I will return them tomorrow," Han Jun said.

"If you want all those, you will have to pay extra," she replied.

Han Jun took out a paper that said one hundred liang. "Is that enough?"

Her eyes flew open. "Y-yes! It's enough! In fact, sir, you can keep everything."

Han Jun smiled. "That's what I thought. I'm going to walk around."

She nodded.

H

e walked on the balcony as he enjoyed the women dancing on the platform below him. His feet led him to a door where he was suddenly drawn to the conversation happening inside. He went to the door and put his left ear against it. He was always interested with other people's love lives. They fascinated him.

A woman said, "Here let me feed you."

He heard clinking of porcelain. "Open your mouth," the voice said.

There was silence before a man's voice spoke, "Actually, I always wanted to tell you..."

From inside there was a pause.

Han Jun took his ear away from the door and straightened up. He had better leave before someone found out he was eavesdropping. He had not even taken a step when something not even an inch away, flew right in front of his eyes. It landed with a thud on the door. He glanced to his left nervously. It was a dagger.

He whipped his head around just in time to see a black-caped man to his right charge at him, a sword in his hand. Han Jun screamed to himself to move, but his body froze in terror. Panic started to rise as he watched in horror the blade slash down toward his head. He bent his head and raised his arm in a defensive position and closed his eyes.

There was a metal clang that erupted above his head. He opened one eye slowly and then the other. A sword was held above his head as it blocked the trajectory of the other. Two hands were holding the hilt of the sword as it resisted the downward force of the other sword. Han Jun looked at the hands first, and then his eyes followed the hands to a face. He gasped.

***********************************************************************************************

忘恩负义 (wàng ēn fù yì):it means a person who forgets favors and instead does injustice to their benefactors

的(de): placed after an attribute

人 （rén): Person

原来如此 (Yuán lái rúcǐ): I see