Chapter 16 Ulterior Motives

The door closed again.

Song Lingyi soaked a handkerchief in warm water and wiped the bandit leader's body.

Slender fingers held the handkerchief, carefully avoiding the wound, and gently wiped from the arms to the shoulders, and then gradually moved down to the chest, waist, lower abdomen, and then down to the man's underwear...

Her eyes inadvertently glanced at the slight bulge, Song Lingyi closed her eyes, took a deep breath, avoided that place with the handkerchief, wiped his thigh a few times hurriedly, and pulled the quilt to cover him.

As if she had just fought a tough battle, Song Lingyi's back was sweating and her heart was beating like a drum.

Looking back at the man on the bed, who was still lying quietly with no sign of waking up, the shame in her heart faded a little. She sat down at the table and drank big gulps of cold water.

At night.

Because Duan Congnan had ordered that they must always keep an eye on the bandit leader and report to him in time if he had a fever or other conditions, Song Lingyi did not go back to the small room to sleep, but slept on the floor in the bandit leader's room.

The candlelight went out, leaving only an oil lamp by the window.

The light in the room was dim.

The girl, tired from the whole day, fell into a deep sleep on the floor.

In the second half of the night, the man on the bed slowly opened his eyes.

The quiet bedroom was filled with the bitter smell of medicine.

Xiao Mingyi stared at the familiar gray curtain, his eyes blurred for a moment, and his thoughts gradually returned to normal. When he heard the faint snoring sound coming from the room, his thick brows furrowed.

He tilted his head to look at the source of the sound, and saw a girl lying on her back with her legs spread out in a sleeping position that was hard to describe.

“…”

Xiao Mingyi propped himself up and tried to sit up, but his chest felt like it was being crushed by a huge rock. Intense pain swept through his internal organs, making his face, which was already pale to begin with, even paler.

“Cough cough cough…”

A sudden coughing sound woke up the girl on the ground.

Song Lingyi rubbed her sleepy eyes, propped herself up and looked at the bed.

The bandit leader clutched his chest, his dark eyes fixed on her, his breath fading as he asked, "Why...are you here?"

Song Lingyi pursed her lips.

She had the nerve to ask, and she didn't even say a word of warning before she passed out. How could the other bandits let her go for no reason?

However, the girl only dared to mutter these words in her heart, while still smiling on her face.

"Fifth Master, you finally woke up."

Song Lingyi crawled two steps on her knees and came to the bed to ask for credit.

"Seeing you injured, I was really worried... During the time you were in a coma, besides treating your injuries, I was the one who took care of you."

The light in the curtain was dim, and the moment their eyes met, Xiao Mingyi was the first to look away.

"I'm asking why you're still in the cottage."

He leaned against the pillow, his long hair sticking to his usually cold and gloomy face.

The smile on her cheek froze slightly, and Song Lingyi curled her lips: "After you fainted, the people in the village thought we were a couple having a quarrel, so they persuaded me to come back with you."

Xiao Mingyi glanced at her sideways: "What young couple?"

"I didn't make up the rumor." Song Lingyi twisted two fingers and muttered, "In their eyes, I am yours."

The voice became smaller and smaller.

The man remained silent.

He almost forgot that before going down the mountain, he only had guesses in his mind but no evidence, so he did not tell them the reason for going down the mountain to chase someone. It was no wonder that the people in the village misunderstood.

His bloodless lips were slightly pursed, and his eyes inadvertently swept across his chest. He then realized that his body felt refreshed, without any sticky feeling of sweat.

"You mean, you were the one taking care of me during the time I was unconscious?" His voice was low and hoarse.

This sentence reminded her of the scene of feeding medicine and cleaning the body. Song Lingyi's cheeks flushed and she nodded hesitantly.

Two pairs of eyes met in the darkness.

The girl felt embarrassed and quickly moved away. "They misunderstood our relationship and asked me to give you medicine... and clean you up."

A virgin girl and a shady bandit, it is obvious that she is at a disadvantage.

He would know about it later anyway, so it would be better for her to confess proactively and let the bandit leader feel that he owed her a favor.

The man's breathing became heavier, and he asked coldly, "You did it?"

When Song Lingyi met that direct gaze, her whole body felt hot as if on fire. She couldn't help but bite her lip and turn her face away.

"What can I do? I can't explain to them that our relationship isn't like that. You came down the mountain to chase me because of Xu Er..."

The voice stopped abruptly here.

This matter cannot be mentioned any further. Song Lingyi's thick eyelashes trembled twice.

"It's the same if we push this kind of thing to Xuanfeng and the others. Don't you have other intentions when you take care of me?" Xiao Mingyi said.

The girl's black eyes widened slightly like a cat: "I'm taking care of you out of kindness, and you're just speculating about me like this?"

Although the speculation is correct, it is still very chilling.

Xiao Mingyi snorted inwardly.

It's not speculation, it's just that this girl usually acts too smart and rarely so obedient.

Catching a glimpse of the charming crimson spreading across Song Lingyi's ears, the man's eyes darkened, his gaze shifted slightly, and he pretended to be calm and said, "You said during the day that those people were going to gather people up the mountain?"

The topic changed so suddenly that Song Lingyi was stunned for a moment before nodding, "But they all died in your hands. You probably didn't have time to gather the troops."

Xiao Mingyi lowered his eyes.

We must not be careless about this matter. We can no longer stay in the stronghold.

"Woooo ...

The girl yawned at an inopportune moment, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

A layer of wax dripped from the oil lamp beside the bed, and the light in the room became dimmer.

"Fifth Master, it's getting late. You should go to bed early." Song Lingyi said lazily.

Xiao Mingyi glanced at the bedding on the ground and said nothing.

The moonlight outside the window is dim, shining obliquely into the room.

The man lay flat on his back, the rustling of fabric rubbing against his ears. He lowered his eyes slightly to see the girl hunched over, her petite body arched into the covers. Finally, the slight drowsiness he felt faded, and he was completely sleepless.

The subtle and even snoring sound began again.

Xiao Mingyi recalled their first meeting at the Guanyin Temple. He lifted the curtain on the altar and saw the girl looking up at him.

The dirty appearance can deceive people, but those eyes cannot.

“Grandma…”

The girl's mumbling was particularly clear in the quiet room, interrupting Xiao Mingyi's thoughts. He tilted his head to look at the bulge on the ground. His throat rolled up and down, and a tearing pain came from the wound on his chest.

"Ari?"

“…” No response.

Xiao Mingyi's eyelids twitched slightly, and he thought to himself: He's not honest even when he's asleep.

The morning light is dim.

The crowing of a rooster woke the sleeping girl. Seeing that the bandit leader on the bed was still asleep, Song Lingyi tiptoed out of the room, changed her clothes and washed up.

Just after the door was closed, the man on the bed opened his eyes, his eyes clear and bright.

The village is in good order.

As soon as Song Lingyi entered the dining room of the East Building, countless eyes were focused on her from all directions.

"Miss Ali!"

Xuan Feng waved at her and asked, "Is the boss awake?"

"I woke up late last night."

Song Lingyi sat down and inexplicably felt that the bandits looked at her in a strange way, which made her feel uncomfortable.