HMIME Chapter 54: What does it mean to offend both parties?

As the sky approached dawn, the carriage stopped at the familiar military camp gate. The tall gold-clad red-wood gate was tightly closed. The driver put down his riding crop, took out a small bird whistle from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and blew a brief and strange tune. There was a quick response from inside the door to the melody, and then the door slowly opened to both sides.

The carriage drove in smoothly. Bai Lu looked out of the window and saw Chu Ya and Ling Feng standing by the steps waiting for him from a distance. Before the carriage could stop, Bai Lu opened the door curtain and jumped out of the car, walking quickly towards Chu Ya.

Chu Ya tenderly stretched out her hand to him, wanting to hold him in his arms and comfort him. Unexpectedly, when Bai Lu came closer, Chu Ya could clearly see the menacing expression on his face. The next second, Bai Lu snapped open the door. Chu Ya’s caring hand grabbed his collar and walked inside, saying solemnly: “Come into the house with me. I have something to ask you.”

Chu Ya seemed a little confused, “What’s wrong, A-Bai, are you not injured? Are you angry because I didn’t go to save you personally?”

“Shut up and come in with me!”

Without looking back, Bai Lu walked in, and Chu Ya looked at the back of his swollen head, feeling uneasy.

Once inside, Bai Lu kicked the door closed, then grabbed Chu Ya’s collar and pinned him against the wall, tilting his head up and kissing him forcefully.

Chu Ya: “??”

Although he didn’t know the intention behind this kiss, he wouldn’t refuse such an opportunity. Chu Ya hugged Bai Lu’s waist, slightly lowered his head, and responded to his passionate kiss.

As their tongues intertwined and the ambiguous atmosphere filled the air, Chu Ya’s emotions surged. While kissing Bai Lu, he reached out to caress his back and was about to undo his belt.

Suddenly, Bai Lu opened his eyes, grabbed his arm, and said coldly, “Stop.”

After speaking, he pushed Chu Ya away and continued walking inside, sitting on a chair by the table.

Chu Ya felt somewhat wronged, “You embraced me as soon as you came back. Isn’t it because you want to be with me?”

“Cut it out! I kissed you just now to thank you for saving me.” Bai Lu pounded the table, motioning for Chu Ya to come over, “I’m here to question you now!”

Chu Ya had some bad guesses in his heart, but he didn’t want to surrender yet, so he had to pretend to be innocent and asked: “Questioning? What crime am I guilty of?”

“Stop pretending. I’ve already heard from Chen Hu that all his connections in the harem have been removed. Was it you who did it?”

Bai Lu thought for a moment, then suddenly realized something, “That epidemic? Could it be that all the people who died were…”

Chu Ya cursed Chen Hu in his heart for being too talkative and regretted not dealing with this trouble earlier.

He carefully explained: “A-Bai, those were all bad people. I was afraid you couldn’t bear it, so I didn’t tell you.”

Bai Lu glanced at him sharply, “Bad people? Among those who died, were any of them deceived into using Wushi Powder? Were any of them forced or threatened by others to assist in the trade?”

Chu Ya hesitated for a moment, “No…”

“Tell the truth!”

“Okay, a few, but not many, I promise!”

Bai Lu glared at him fiercely.

But emotionally and logically, he shouldn’t argue with Chu Ya over a few unrelated strangers. However, Bai Lu couldn’t swallow that anger in his heart. It seemed that Chu Ya never treated him as a partner who could work together. He always treated him like a useless child, keeping him in the dark, safe but closed like a greenhouse.

Could it be that just because he had a low status in life and a delicate appearance, he forgot that he was once an independent man?

Bai Lu didn’t want to argue with him, but today he didn’t want to deal with him either. He walked to the door, preparing to leave Chu Ya alone tonight. He was very angry now, the kind of anger that could make him dream of killing someone.

But Chu Ya would rather risk his life than sleep alone. He immediately caught up to him to intercept him. Coincidentally, two people came in from outside, dressed like soldiers. Bai Lu stopped and looked at them suspiciously, “Are you leading the troops to eliminate bandits tonight?”

The two men hurriedly replied, “Your Highness, we are just spies in the army, returning quickly to report on the situation.”

Bai Lu calculated the time in his mind, estimating that they attacked as soon as he left, so he asked again, “How did the fight go? Did you catch the leader?”

The two spies hesitated, as if they didn’t dare to casually reveal military secrets, so they looked at Chu Ya inside as if seeking permission.

Chu Ya nodded, “It’s okay, just tell me.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, the group of bandits did not expect our sudden attack and were caught off guard. We found a large amount of Wushi Powder raw materials and stolen gold and silver in the warehouse. There were old bones hidden in the wine barrels in the backyard, and several beautiful women were found in the secret room. According to them, they were forcibly abducted by the bandits, but we’re not sure if they can be believed. What are your orders, Your Majesty?”

The women in the bandits’ den claimed to be captured, which was not convincing. They might also be members of the Sky-Wolf Sect. Chu Ya always acted decisively and resolutely, preferring to kill by mistake than to let go. He was just about to order to eradicate them completely when he suddenly caught Bai Lu staring at him from the corner of his eye. He felt a sudden change in his heart and immediately changed his words:

“Investigate their backgrounds carefully, and make sure there are no mistakes before sending them back home. Find a place for the homeless to stay. If there is anything suspicious, report it.”

The spies nodded, “Understood.”

Bai Lu asked anxiously, “What about the leaders? Have they been caught?”

“Your Highness, the second leader Chen Hu and several of his henchmen were captured by our men, but the first leader is missing, and we are still tracing him.”

Letting the bandit leader escape was a serious dereliction of duty, and he should apologize on the spot. However, Chu Ya, who was always strict, didn’t seem to be very angry. He just lightly ordered, “Let the troops continue to search, and we must find the person.”

The two spies followed the order and left. Bai Lu curled his lips angrily, “You actually let that big pervert get away!”

Chu Ya gave him an especially dark look, “Pervert?”

“Yes!” Bai Lu immediately became indignant when he mentioned it, “That person is too much of a pervert! He locked me to the bed with iron chains and even touched me! Just like you, no, even worse than you!”

Chu Ya was hit with one accusation of being a pervert after another, his expression becoming increasingly dark and even a bit frightening.

Bai Lu shrank slightly and rubbed his arms, feeling the air around him turning cold. He muttered softly, “I want to take a bath. I need to scrub the places touched by perverts fifty times to disinfect them…”

Chu Ya: “……”

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I’ve been too busy recently, so I can only update two thousand words first, alas…