Chapter 42 [VIP]

Chapter Summary: A Brief Encounter

"Huh?" Xie Xuan asked incredulously, then replied, "Okay, I'll go right away."

When Xie Xuan turned around, his ears were completely red, and his face was burning hot. He wasn't entirely ignorant about matters of men and women. Many women, including noble ladies from high-ranking families, had been sent from the capital to serve as military prostitutes in the frontier army. Out of respect for him, his subordinates would always ensure that any beautiful, virgin women sent from the capital would first appear in his tent.

Some women, seeing Xie Xuan's handsome appearance, sought to seduce him to avoid being taken advantage of by others. They lay sprawled on the couch, displaying their allure with captivating charm. Xie Xuan merely glanced at them, his face expressionless, and coldly told them to put on their clothes and leave. Later, Xie Xuan issued an order forbidding anyone from entering his tents.

I don't know what's wrong with me. Meeting Yu Jing has made me become like this.

Thinking this, Xie Xuan walked to the kitchen. Entering, he found Sun Jun had already washed up and gone inside; only Li Yun remained. Xie Xuan took a copper basin, filled it with hot water, and said to Li Yun, "Elder sister, next time you need hot water, just call me, and I'll do it."

Li Yun knew Xie Xuan was embarrassed: "It's nothing, I'm used to it anyway. Don't worry about it."

"Just call me. I have nothing to do all day, it's so boring," Xie Xuan replied with a smile.

Xie Xuan smiled, revealing his rosy lips and white teeth. The candlelight in the kitchen reflected in his eyes, making them shine brightly. He was as elegant as a jade tree, pure and radiant.

Li Yun felt a little embarrassed: "Then I'll call you next time."

"Okay, then I'll head over there first," Xie Xuan replied.

"good."

Although Yu Jing should have felt relieved, she was now nervously biting her hand. Saying it was one thing, but actually doing it was another; she was still afraid.

With a creak, Yu Jing was startled and quickly lowered her hand, looking towards the doorway. Xie Xuan entered carrying a copper basin filled with steaming hot water, obscuring his expression. However, it was clear that his face was flushed red from the steam.

Xie Xuan placed the copper basin on the small table in front of the bed. He had put the cotton towel in after filling the basin with water. Yu Jing watched as the towel floated slowly in the water, finally settling down after a while. Still unsure what to do, Yu Jing glanced nervously at Xie Xuan, only to meet his gaze. Feeling awkward, she turned her head away, swallowing hard. "Turn around and wring out the towel and hand it to me," she said.

Xie Xuan felt a little stiff at this moment, and nodded when he heard Yu Jing say this. He moved the small table in front of him, then placed the stool by the bed, and sat on the edge of the bed with his back to Yu Jing.

After Xie Xuan sat down, Yu Jing heard the sound of water. Looking up, she saw Xie Xuan wringing out a cotton towel.

"Wait a minute," Yu Jing called out, stammering, "My clothes aren't..."

Xie Xuan paused, his hand still twisting the cotton towel. He didn't speak, only letting out a muffled "hmm." The towel was still in his hand; the water was very hot, and his hands, which had been stirred in the hot water, were now quite red, and the temperature on his hands was very hot.

Yu Jing blushed as well. Although Xie Xuan had changed her dressing before, she was in pain at the time and had no time to think about anything else. This time was different.

After Yu Jing untied the sash of her clothes, she realized that she had oversimplified the situation. She could lift her right hand, but she still couldn't take off her clothes.

Xie Xuan paused for a moment after hearing the sound of fabric rubbing behind him, and then heard Yu Jing's voice behind him.

"Xie Xuan." Her voice was very soft, but Xie Xuan was sitting right by the bed and heard her clearly.

"Hmm." Xie Xuan didn't dare to turn around, but his heart was in his throat.

"Clothes..." Yu Jing said two words and then stopped.

Xie Xuan paused for a moment, then said softly, "Excuse me."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around. The sashes binding Yu Jing's body had been loosened, revealing a white cotton towel underneath. He had changed her clothes with the towel the night before; it was wrapped horizontally, and because it had been covered by clothing while being wrapped, it was somewhat disheveled. Above the snow-white towel were two well-proportioned collarbones, like green mountains shrouded in mist after rain, appearing and disappearing. Below was a circle of snow-white wasp waist; whether it was because of the towel or not, the waist was so slender it seemed as if it could be grasped in one hand. Xie Xuan's eyes flickered for a moment, then he leaned over and, with a single reach, tore Yu Jing's clothes off onto the bed.

The clothes fell off, and Xie Xuan's gaze fell on the cotton towel that was faintly stained with blood. He hesitated and asked, "Cotton towel, should we untie it?"

Even he himself didn't realize that his breathing was deep and hot. His clear eyes held a strange emotion.

"No need," Yu Jing replied somewhat flusteredly.

"Okay." Xie Xuan replied, turned around and sat down with his back to Yu Jing, then wrung out the cotton towel again and handed it to Yu Jing.

Yu Jing reached out and took the cotton towel Xie Xuan handed her. The towel had just been taken out of the hot water; it was warm and cozy, the warmth slowly spreading from Yu Jing's fingertips to her heart. As the towel was placed on her body, Yu Jing felt her pores open up, it felt very comfortable. After wiping herself for a while, she put the towel back in Xie Xuan's hand.

Xie Xuan's hand remained in place after handing the cotton towel to Yu Jing. Feeling the softness of the towel, Xie Xuan took it to the copper basin in front of him, wrung it out, and then handed it back to Yu Jing.

Yu Jing's chest was wrapped up, and since her back couldn't be wiped, she just wiped it casually, then draped the cotton towel over her left shoulder and went to untie the belt of her pants.

The commotion behind him felt like a feather brushing against Xie Xuan's heart, causing an intense, ticklish sensation.

"Xie Xuan." Yu Jing untied her pants, and although she knew Xie Xuan wouldn't turn around, she still worriedly added, "You...you mustn't turn around."

Upon hearing Yu Jing's words, Xie Xuan's breath hitched, and his Adam's apple bobbed twice. If she hadn't said anything, it would have been fine, but now that she had, he instantly understood what she was doing.

The sounds behind him were exceptionally clear in the quiet room. And the sounds were right next to him. Xie Xuan suddenly felt extremely agitated and wanted to drink some cold water.

His hand, which was behind his back, suddenly felt heavy. The cotton towel was already cold; the slightly damp and chilly towel felt almost too hot to touch. He soaked the towel in hot water, wrung it out a couple of times, and then handed it back to Yu Jing behind him.

Yu Jing's hands were injured, and Xie Xuan was there, so she just wiped them quickly and thought she would wash them when the wound was better. After wiping them, Yu Jing was about to get some clean clothes to change into when she realized that she had been too nervous and had left her clothes on a chair a little further away.

"Thank you, Xuan."

"Um."

"The clothes are on the chair, they haven't been brought over yet." We'll have to ask Xie Xuan to get them.

Upon hearing Yu Jing's words, Xie Xuan glanced up at the chair a short distance away. He had been too flustered and had forgotten to bring his clothes. Xie Xuan stood up and walked to the chair, reaching for the clothes. He instinctively turned to take them, but then realized what he had done and quickly turned back.

Even though it was only for a moment, Xie Xuan still caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye. The upper body was wrapped in a cotton towel, and the lower body was covered with coarse cloth. The legs were slender, slightly bent, and fair. Xie Xuan paused, took a deep breath, and then slowly walked backward step by step.

He walked to the bedside and carefully handed the clothes to Yu Jing. Yu Jing took the clothes and quickly put on her underpants and outer skirt. Only after putting them on did Yu Jing breathe a sigh of relief. With some difficulty, she draped her top over her shoulders, hesitated for a moment, and then called out to him, "Xie Xuan."

"Mm," Xie Xuan always responded quietly.

"I can't pull my clothes up." Yu Jing said, and as soon as she finished speaking, she felt a chill. Xie Xuan stood up, turned around, bent down, and carefully pulled up Yu Jing's clothes that were about to slip down, and tied them up carefully.

Xie Xuan was closer this time and could smell the faint scent of soap on her. Suddenly, the scene he had just witnessed flashed through his mind, and even the scent of soap seemed enchanting.

Xie Xuan quickly straightened up, somewhat flustered, and picked up Yu Jing's clothes, including her underpants, which she had just changed out of. Seeing Xie Xuan pick up the underpants, Yu Jing said, "You can leave them here, I'll..."

"It's nothing," Xie Xuan replied, and carried the copper basin out with him.

As Xie Xuan was carrying the clothes out, Li Yun came out of the kitchen and smiled when she saw him: "I was just about to come and tell you. Just put the clothes in the wooden tub next to the cabinet. I'll wash them by the stream after I pick some mushrooms tomorrow. By the way, you and Lao Sun are going hunting tomorrow. Hunting doesn't require getting up early. Breakfast is already in the pot. You can heat it up and eat it tomorrow morning. You can take good care of your wife before you go."

"Okay, thank you, elder sister," Xie Xuan replied, holding the copper basin.

"Don't be so polite." Li Yun smiled and turned to go into their house.

Yu Jing lay back on the bed, thinking about the chaotic scene just now, and how Xie Xuan had seen her in such a disheveled state. If Xie Xuan returned later, she would have to lie on the same bed with him again; she would truly have no face to face the Heavenly Emperor.

So by the time Xie Xuan finished washing and changing his clothes and returned to the room, Yu Jing was already lying down. Because the wound was on her right chest, no matter how much Yu Jing wanted to avoid Xie Xuan, she could only lie flat.

Xie Xuan walked to the bedside and saw Yu Jing lying flat, her eyes closed, her eyelashes trembling violently. It was obvious at a glance that she was pretending to be asleep. Xie Xuan glanced at the flickering, slightly glaring candle and curled his lips into a smile: "Should we put out the candle?"

"Mm," Yu Jing responded naturally. The candle was indeed a bit dazzling, and if Xie Xuan were lying next to her, it would be somewhat inconvenient for the candle to be burning.

As soon as she finished speaking, the room fell silent. Yu Jing did not open her eyes, but her face was already flushed.

Slightly opening her eyes, Yu Jing saw Xie Xuan standing before the candle, a childlike smile of triumph on his face. Even though Xie Xuan was facing away from the candlelight, Yu Jing saw a glint in his eyes—full of vitality, mixed with an emotion she couldn't decipher.

"Then I will extinguish the candle... Madam."

"Hmm." Yu Jing responded, then everything went black before her eyes, followed by the rustling sound of Xie Xuan lifting the blanket beside her.

As he lay down, a breeze blew, and the air was filled with the faint, sweet scent of soapberry.