Chapter 107: To Love Someone Is for Your Heart to Ache, Anytime, Anywhere
Chapter 107: Chapter 107: To Love Someone Is for Your Heart to Ache, Anytime, Anywhere
Xie Jinbai pressed his lips together. "Don’t cry. I’ll leave."
He was most afraid of her crying.
The resolve he had just hardened instantly crumbled.
He just wanted to hold her.
Xie Jinbai reached out, wrapped his arm around the girl’s waist, and pulled her into his embrace.
This was the one thing he had been dying to do ever since they met tonight.
His wish was finally granted. Fearing she would push him away again, he didn’t dare hold her too tightly, trying his best to relax his grip.
But because he was holding back so much, the muscles in his arms were tensed and taut.
"Yaoyao..." Xie Jinbai gently nuzzled the top of her head. His voice softened. "Could you be a little more patient with me? Please?"
’Don’t look so disgusted after we’ve barely exchanged a few words.’
He couldn’t stand it.
Any misunderstanding could be explained, but it was her attitude that hurt the most.
Cui Lingyao didn’t hear his vulnerable plea at all.
Or rather, from the moment he embraced her, a faint scent of blood wafted from him, continuously assailing her nostrils, leaving her no room to think of anything else.
In the Capital City, even when his wound had been so gruesome, there was no smell of blood when he held her.
But now...
’What exactly happened during the eight days he was gone?’
Countless thoughts flashed through her mind. Cui Lingyao’s knuckles trembled slightly as she suddenly gripped his sleeve, finally unable to stop herself from asking, "Did your wound reopen?"
Xie Jinbai froze, instinctively lowering his gaze to look at the person in his arms.
Cui Lingyao glared at him. "You reek of blood. Did your wound reopen, or did you get a new one?"
Her gaze was both urgent and fierce. It was as if she was...
Xie Jinbai’s breath hitched. A storm raged in the depths of his eyes. The arm holding her waist tightened and tightened, finally releasing into a single sentence: "It’s someone else’s. I’m not hurt."
Fearing she wouldn’t believe him, he took her hand and gently pressed it against his waist. "It’s still just that one injury. I’ve been running around a bit lately and forgot to change the dressing. I don’t know if it’s gotten worse. Do you want to check?"
"There’s no need," Cui Lingyao said, glancing at the tent flap. "You don’t keep useless people around you; there are countless individuals who can change your dressing. If you just paid a little attention to it yourself, that would be better than anything."
’What if Zhiqiu comes in later and sees us?’
Sensing her concern, Xie Jinbai said, "I’ll have Liu Yue distract her."
The great Commander of the Yulin Guards, distracting a little maidservant—it was more than just a gross underuse of talent.
Cui Lingyao still shook her head. "You should go. I need to rest."
"...Alright," Xie Jinbai’s eyes dimmed slightly. He slowly nodded. "I’ll go."
The simple door flap was gently lifted, and an autumn gust eagerly blew in, making the candlelight flicker.
Only Cui Lingyao remained in the tent.
She watched him leave, the faint smell of blood still lingering in the air, refusing to dissipate.
’What he said is probably true...’
’After all, he has Liu Yue and Liu Rong with him in the open, and who knows how many hidden guards he has in the shadows.’
’Who could possibly hurt him?’
...
Not long after Xie Jinbai left, Zhiqiu came in with bedding to make the bed for her.
Looking at the sleeping quarters, so cramped one could barely turn around, she said with some heartache, "The conditions here are too crude. You’re really suffering, my lady."
Cui Lingyao shook her head. "It’s just for one night. It’s fine."
She paused, then asked, "...Has Prince Yu left?"
"Not yet," Zhiqiu said. "They’ve already set up their tents. It looks like they’ll be spending the night here."
Cui Lingyao’s breath caught. She asked again, "Where did they set up their tents?"
’The only place around here flat enough to pitch a tent is...’
Just as the thought crossed her mind, she heard Zhiqiu continue, "Just a short distance from us. When I came in just now, I saw His Highness’s men scattering some powder. I heard it’s to keep bugs and snakes from getting into the tents. They’ll come and put some around our area later, too."
"..." A tightness formed in Cui Lingyao’s chest, and she said no more.
After making the bed, Zhiqiu said, "The young master said it will likely rain again tonight. It will be damp, so make sure you cover yourself well with the quilt and don’t catch a chill."
Once the autumn rain starts, the chill sets in immediately.
Yesterday, they still needed ice pots to cool down, but today the bedding had been made a layer thicker.
Cui Lingyao nodded. "You too. Get a good rest tonight."
Zhiqiu withdrew.
In the small tent, the candlelight seemed especially bright.
Cui Lingyao hesitated for a moment, then lay down on the cot without changing into her nightclothes, having only removed her outer robe.
She wasn’t sure if that man would come again during the night.
The night deepened. Outside, the campfire had not yet died out. The guards assigned to the night watch would make their rounds periodically, their footsteps sounding from time to time.
The novelty of camping in the wild had faded. Cui Lingyao closed her eyes, just about to fall asleep.
Suddenly, a dull PITTER-PATTER sounded on the oilcloth above her.
It was true. It had started to rain.
With it came the howling autumn wind.
The tent, which had been simply erected for a single night’s temporary stay, couldn’t withstand such a fierce gale. Its four support poles swayed precariously, and the candle was blown out.
Outside, shouts of alarm rang out. Cui Lingyao shot up and was about to get out of bed when the tent flap was violently thrown open, and a tall, familiar figure strode in.
"This tent is about to collapse. Come to mine."
His voice was as steady as ever, carrying a calmness that suggested the sky itself could fall without unnerving him.
Cui Lingyao didn’t even realize it herself, but the moment he appeared, the anxiety filling her chest settled completely.
She prepared to get off the cot.
Xie Jinbai was already by the bedside. He scooped up the quilt and draped it over her. "The rain is too heavy outside. Don’t get up. I’ll carry you."
As he spoke, his hands didn’t stop. He wrapped her tightly in the quilt from head to toe. As he swept her up horizontally into his arms, he didn’t forget to grab her embroidered slippers.
Cui Lingyao was wrapped up like a silkworm cocoon. Feeling the dense wind and rain outside, she tilted her head back to breathe the fresh air above her.
Fortunately, it wasn’t long before she was set down.
Xie Jinbai pulled back the quilt, revealing her flushed face from being bundled up. He couldn’t resist giving it a pinch, then leaned down and smiled at her. "Why are you being so good..."
’So good it makes my heart ache.’
’To love someone is to have your heart ache for them, anytime, anywhere.’
Cui Lingyao shot him a glance, pushed herself up on the cot, and looked around.
This was his tent.
Unlike the simple tent set up by the Shen Family’s guards, Liu Rong and Liu Yue were from the military; they were professionals at pitching tents.
This tent was not only unaffected by the fierce wind and rain, but it was also much larger.
Besides a bed, there was a simple low table in the corner. The door flap was thick and fitted with a hidden clasp; even a wind that strong couldn’t budge it.
It felt very secure.
Cui Lingyao let out a long sigh of relief. She scooted toward the foot of the bed and said, "This quilt is damp. Take it away so it doesn’t get your bed wet."
"Alright."
Xie Jinbai obediently picked up the quilt he had carried her in and tossed it onto the low table nearby.
Just as he was about to turn back, he realized his own clothes were soaked through by the rain. If he didn’t take them off soon, the layers of bandages on his wound would get wet.
He paused for a moment, but still raised his hands to his waist.
The jade belt, the outer robe, the inner shirt...
One by one, they came off. Soon, his upper body was bare.
He had his back to her, revealing broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a body brimming with power.