Chapter 52


    Afterwards, though Cheng Nuo felt refreshed, he also felt a little guilty. He lowered his eyes and let out a faint sound, “Mmm.”


    Liu Guang, who was usually very clingy, smiled and blushed like a silly little schoolgirl. Liu Guang happily took Cheng Nuo in his arms, kissing his face a few more times before he fell asleep.


    Cheng Nuo stayed awake for a little while, staring at Liu Guang’s sleeping face who was sleeping like a child with his mouth open, showing his white teeth. Cheng Nuo always thought that Liu Guang was the restless type of sleeper who often fell out of bed. When did he change into the type who hugged other people in his sleep? Cheng Nuo put his hand on Liu Guang’s chest then closed his eyes.


    The next day was an official training day. Cheng Nuo woke up early in the morning pack the things that he would need then quickly rushed to the appointed ce with his storage bag. The training this time was for thirty-six people from three sects; in addition to Qinghua Sect’s disciples, there were also disciples from Lingyun Pavilion and Zhu Yun Lou.


    Their first few days were devoted to medical training, taught by a senior from Lingyun Pavilion named Zhong Linzi, who was quite experienced in the medical arts. Cheng Nuo listened attentively and took notes while secretly wondering about the practical applications of those medical theories.


    All of the disciples here were the best of the best. Thus, simple healing techniques weren’t a problem for them and Zhong Linzi mostly focused on the practical application of their skills and how to treat some of the rarer injuries.


    After the morning lecture was finished, the disciples had a practical test in the afternoon. Cheng Nuo was shocked when he saw the subjects because they were all real people!


    They were elderly people and it could be deduced from their appearance and clothing that they were all ves. Perhaps because their teachers were worried that the ves would make too much noise, the subjects had all been drugged into unconsciousness. Older ves didn’t have any value to the nobles so their owners considered that the best use for them was to be used as test subjects.


    Cheng Nuo quickly calmed his mind. His task now was to heal the ve that had been assigned to him. This was the way of the world and all he could do was to protect the people he wanted to protect.


    The ve had many gruesome whip, knife, and energy attacks wounds on him. Cheng Nuo fought down a feeling of nausea as he calmly analyzed the injuries and used the proper treatment for each of the wounds.


    However, even after his wounds had stopped bleeding, the ve hadn’t regained consciousness and his body was still twitching. Cheng Nuo checked his pulse and realized that there were traces of living things inside his body.


    Cheng Nuo took a deep breath, knowing that it was probably one of the poisonous insects that Linzi had talked about this morning. The most important thing right now was to figure out which type it was. It probably wasn’t a Gu poison because those were extremely expensive and rare. The medical team wouldn’t have spent that much just to train them.


    (Note: Gu is a type of legendary poison or venomous creature.)


    When he was a child, Bai Zhi had tried to give him a Gu. That kind of Gu was basically priceless and hard to find in any market since there are only a few famous Gu families in the whole world.


    Cheng Nuo pinpointed the location of the venomous insect then, using his right hand, gently used a twisting motion to pierce it with a silver needle while holding the instrument supplied by the medical department in his left hand.


    The insect immediately started moving and Cheng Nuo found out that it was a gold-energy insect. This type of venomous insect was difficult to remove because their bodies are so hard that they can even pierce through the intestines when it is rmed.


    Cheng Nuo quickly used a scalpel to cut the skin while using acupuncture to control the insect’s movement. Then he extracted the insect and put it on a te to kill it.


    Even though Cheng Nuo was already psychologically prepared for sight, he still felt disgusted by the insect’s long, wriggling, bloody body.


    He quickly sewed the incision shut and used a healing technique to stop the bleeding. Finally, he raised his hand to signal that he was finished treating the ve.


    Some other disciples, including Li Jiu, had alsopleted their treatment of their assigned test subjects. Zhong Linzi instructed them to examine each others’ work.


    Cheng Nuo saw that the other disciples’ work each had their own merits although he noticed that two people had worked rather sloppily. He paid special attention to Li Jui’s work. Li Jui’s ve had a poisoned wound. Li Jui had cured the poison and he had obviously done a very good job of it.


    Zhong Linzi then asked them toment on each other’s strengths and weaknesses.


    Cheng Nuo carefully listened to the others’ feedback and voiced his insights when it was his turn to speak. Except for the gory parts, this practical test was just like a university ss.


    Zong Linzi personally examined everyone’s work and marked down their names.


    ********


    Cheng Nuo was always busy and before he knew it, seven days had passed.


    Liu Guang was going to leave on a mission again and he would be gone for a rtively long time. The two of them were afraid that they wouldn’t see each other for ten to fourteen days. When Cheng Nuo opened his eyes at dawn, he realized that Liu Guang was looking at him, and he didn’t know how long he had been looking at him.


    (Note: The next part contains slight NSFW content. Just a little bit.)


    In the soft light of dawn, it was easy for them to act impulsively. Thinking of how they might be separated for a long time, the two of them hugged and kissed for a while until their bodies started to react. Cheng Nuo was older but he couldn’t control himself. Liu Guang was younger so, of course, his self-control was even worse. When Cheng Nuo reached out to touch him, Liu Guang grabbed his hand and anxiously gasped out, “You said we should only do it once a month or it will be harmful to the body.”


    “I lied to you. Every three or four days is fine… just don’t overdo it.” Cheng Nuo smiled and kissed him on the cheek. His hand broke free and started caressing it.


    Liu Guang was stunned and gritted his teeth as he panted, “You lied to me again…”


    Cheng Nuo blocked his mouth.


    Liu Guang quickly became aroused and pressed himself against Cheng Nuo while his hands started rubbing. Cheng Nuo couldn’t help but make some sounds as his body twitched with excitement. Liu Guang has sandwiched Cheng Nuo’s thing in between his two things… ah! ****! His moral integrity had truly fallen even lower!


    However, it felt even better than before. In the end, he copsed on the bed limply while Liu Guang’s hands were still busy.


    I, your father, can’t admit that I fell short and was out of sync.


    Later, fortunately for Cheng Nuo, he was alert enough to stop Liu Guang from stripping all his clothes off. Otherwise, Liu Guang would have been touching his whole body. He seemed to be very interested in the two points on Cheng Nuo’s chest. Liu Guang reached into Cheng Nuo clothes to touch them but Cheng Nuo stopped his hands.


    He said solemnly, “If you touch that, I’m afraid it will hurt for several days so don’t do it.”


    ****! I, your father, am not a woman. What is there to touch in that ce? And it would be very embarrassing if he reacted after being touched there…


    Liu Guang looked at him suspiciously, obviously not believing him. Cheng Nuo flicked him on the forehead and said, “If you don’t believe me, test on yourself first! Do you want me to pinch you a few times?”


    Liu Guang finally gave up on that but then proceeded to nibble on Cheng Nuo’s neck and corbone, leaving behind a few marks that hurt a throbbed. Cheng Nuo grabbed Liu Guang’s red hair and pulled him up. They hugged and kissed for a while.


    When they finally got up from the bed, Cheng Nuo looked anxiously in the mirror but, fortunately, his cor was high enough to hide the marks Liu Guang had made. He couldn’t be angry at Liu Guang so he just pinched Liu Guang’s cheeks and said softly, “Be careful.”


    Liu Guang looked at him with shining eyes and nodded.


    By the time they finished, it was time for him to walk to where they were going to train today. Cheng Nuo quickly walked over to his assigned ce and stood there. The content of the training was different depending on which master teaching them that day. Every day someone was sent packing.


    Liu Guang asked him what the training was about, but Cheng Nuo only vaguely stated it was about medicine but, in fact, the content of each day’s training was a little more disgusting than the previous one.


    Cheng Nuo couldn’t figure out whether he was lucky or unlucky to receive this type of training but staying here would undoubtedly make his stronger.


    After seven days of training, 21 people were left.


    When the person in charge of training them today came into the room, Cheng Nuo was shocked speechless and his heartbeat elerated. As for the disciple in charge’s introductory words, Cheng Nuo couldn’t understand a word of it.


    Three people had entered, all of them dressed in ck robes with peachwood masks covering their faces. One of them had waist-length ck hair, a straight-backed posture, and a pair of bright ck eyes behind his mask. It was obviously Bai Rui in disguise.


    The two of them hadn’t seen each other face to face in some time. Cheng Nuo often thought of Bai Rui but when they suddenly met again, his face turned hot.


    No wonder Bai Rui had written to him a few days ago to say that he would see him soon… But surely Bai Rui couldn’t have known that Cheng Nuo was one of the disciples he would be training, right? Cheng Nuo wondered why the medical department had sent covert guards here.


    But today Bai Rui seemed different. It was as though his entire body was enveloped in ayer of cold air and he was looking straight ahead of him, not even sparing a nce at Cheng Nuo.


    Cheng Nuo couldn’t help but experience a feeling of loss.


    They were soon divided into three groups. Bai Rui was clearly the highest ranking among the three covert guards. He was the first to step forward and walk to the front of Cheng Nuo’s team, leading them towards one side.


    Cheng Nuo stood absent-mindedly in the middle of the group, wondering why it looked like Bai Rui had lost a little weight. But Bai Rui was about the same age as Liu Guang and at this age, he might grow taller if they don’t see each other for a while, so it’s not surprising that he looks thinner…


    They moved to a training ground in a mountain forest beside ake. Bai Rui stood in front of them and said, “Medics will be protected by the team when they are on a mission but it’s necessary to learn some life-saving techniques when the situation is critical. You must understand this…”


    The stern Bai Rui right now was clearly different from the Bai Rui who would nce gently at Cheng Nuo…


    Cheng Nuo calmed down and listened carefully to Bai Rui – this was not the time to reminisce about the past.


    Bai Rui’s words were very concise. When he had finished speaking, he stepped forward to check the group’s skills.


    When it was Cheng Nuo’s turn, his palms became sweaty from nervousness. He knew very well that Bai Rui was much younger than him but, for some reason, Cheng Nuo waspletely unable to treat Bai Rui the same way he treated Liu Guang. It was almost as though Bai Rui was older than Cheng Nuo…


    Bai Rui’s expression wasn’t visible under the mask as he gently covered Cheng Nuo’s wrist with his hand and whispered, “Try to break free using all your skill.” Unlike Liu Guang, Bai Rui didn’t seem to have any trouble with his voice cracking. He sounded very calm and controlled, with a gorgeous bass tone that made people shiver.


    Bai Rui’s fingers were cool and the ce that he touched tingled.


    Cheng Nuo was frozen for a moment. After he recovered his wits, he gathered all his energy tounch an attack.


    When he had finished, he looked anxiously at Bai Rui, just like a nervous student handing his homework to his teacher.


    Bai Rui thought for a while and then put his hand down and said expressionlessly, “Not bad.”


    Cheng Nuo breathed a sigh of relief and put his hands behind his back. Every time Bai Rui got close to him, he felt breathless. He was just a bundle of nerves right now!