Chapter 134 Parting in Sorrow "Cui Ying, I can't live without you."...

The boy spoke very softly, with an unprecedented level of caution. His eyes were filled with nervousness, sparkling like shattered stars. He stared intently at Cui Ying, awaiting her reply.

Cui Ying forgot to breathe, feeling as if everything around her had lost its color and sound, becoming hazy, dreamlike, and unreal. Only those deep, focused phoenix eyes became the only real existence in this world.

How heartwarming, how touching.

But her heart kept tightening, a sharp, aching pain rising within her, making her throat choke and her eyes burn.

"Miss, the bird's nest soup you've been simmering in the kitchen is ready," Cui Jin's voice came from outside.

Xiao Qiyu stood up: "I'll feed them."

He reached out and took the porcelain bowl from Cui Jin's hand, his tall figure swiftly sitting back down on the edge of the couch. He carefully scooped up a spoonful of warm bird's nest, gently blew on it, and held it to Cui Ying's lips: "Open your mouth."

He looked at her, a smile in his eyes, as if he had plenty of patience and wasn't in a hurry for a reply.

Cui Ying opened her mouth and took a mouthful of porridge, a slight smile curving her lips and revealing a small dimple, returning his bright smile.

Xiao Qiyu scooped up a second spoonful, blew on it, and said, "I remember you used to dislike bird's nest, didn't you? You always complained that it was bland and tasteless, like eating nothing at all."

The candlelight flickered, and Cui Ying looked at his face, at the unusually serious expression on his face as he lowered his head to blow air. The forced smile on her lips faded, and the moisture in her eyes became obvious.

She lowered her head, suppressing her emotions, and looked up to say, "I didn't like it before, but lately I've been on a diet due to my injury, and it's been bland. As I've eaten it, I've come to find it somewhat delicious."

Xiao Qiyu casually replied, "Is that so?"

He laughed and teased her, "When did you become so flexible? Is this still the Cui Ying I know?"

Cui Ying said, "Anyway, the point of living is to keep getting slapped in the face. I used to think that marrying you would be worse than death, but now I'm still living a good life."

Xiao Qiyu raised an eyebrow at her, then brought the spoon to her lips: "Whoever crosses the line first is a dog."

Before Cui Yingzhou could even swallow her porridge, her eyes widened immediately: "You're calling me a dog?"

“I am, I am.” Xiao Qiyu patted her back beforehand, worried that she would choke on the porridge. “Woof woof woof.”

Cui Ying was amused by him and wanted to laugh, but her nose felt even more sore.

She lowered her eyelashes and her voice became softer: "So you see, you really can't make promises you can't keep. Ever since you went to southern Jiangxi, every time I thought about the danger to your life, I was terrified. I swore in my heart then that I would never again urge you to get involved in any dangerous things in this life."

She looked up at Xiao Qiyu's slightly stunned face and smiled, "Now it seems that those words are going to be proven wrong."

"What?" Xiao Qiyu asked with a smile, unaware of the tremor in her voice.

Cui Ying took a deep breath, raised her eyes, her gaze clear, and looked into his deep eyes. She said, word by word, "Xiao Qiyu, I don't want you to stay by my side every step of the way. I want you to go to the northern desert and do what you want to do, what you can do, and what only you can do."

The spoon fell into the bowl, hitting the rim with a clear, crisp sound.

The atmosphere in the room seemed to freeze instantly, and the smile on Xiao Qiyu's face froze and stiffened.

“Cui Ying,” his voice deepened, with a slight, almost imperceptible tremor, “do you know what you’re saying?”

“I know.” Cui Ying’s voice was unusually calm, even daring to look him directly in the eye. “You’ve been training in the military since you were nine. You don’t need me to give you any advice; you know how to sneak into the marching ranks unnoticed. When we get to the northern desert, Third Brother and Lord Chen might not listen to you at first, but the casualties of the soldiers will tell them what is right. Xiao Qiyu, you don’t need to force yourself to turn the tide. Just stabilize the situation. When word gets back to the capital, His Majesty will be furious at your dereliction of duty, but he will definitely weigh the pros and cons and give you a break.”

Seeing Xiao Qiyu's eyes gradually redden, Cui Ying paused, then continued with a bitter expression, "From his appointment of you as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and his order for you to personally search the Wang family's property, it's clear that what he wants isn't your life, but your absolute loyalty. What other way to show loyalty could be purer and more meaningful than protecting the country and saving it from crisis?"

She was articulate and laid out all her concerns before him, clearly having given them considerable thought before speaking.

The room fell silent. As the night deepened and the dew grew heavy, the sound of dripping water outside the window filled the air with a crisp, cold chill.

After a long pause, Xiao Qiyu finally spoke with difficulty, his voice slightly hoarse: "So you suddenly hugged me just now because you wanted to push me away?"

Cui Ying, who had managed to maintain her composure all night, finally crumbled upon hearing these words. Her eyes reddened again as she retorted, "Am I pushing you away? Don't you want to go yourself? Xiao Qiyu, I'm not stupid! I can see how unwilling you are! You stay in the capital, watching your loved ones fall one by one, while you, with your vast knowledge and strategies, are confined to a small room, a seemingly glamorous but actually constrained commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Tell me, does that make you happy?!"

The veins on Xiao Qiyu's forehead bulged as he stubbornly stared at Cui Ying's face: "As long as I'm with you, I'm happy."

Cui Ying was so angry that she laughed, but she almost cried. She wiped her eyes and looked at him, saying, "Xiao Qiyu, I believe what you're saying now, and I hope you can believe what I'm saying too. If Third Brother returns safely from this battle, everything will be fine. But if he really dies on the battlefield, you will regret it for the rest of your life and die in peace!"

Xiao Qiyu suddenly closed his eyes, his chest heaving violently, and his fists clenched silently.

He didn't open his eyes, let out a soft scoff, his voice filled with bitterness: "Cui Ying, sometimes, I really hate how well you understand me."

I hate you too!

Tears finally rolled down Cui Ying's cheeks, and she punched him in the chest: "I hate how you keep everything bottled up inside!"

Xiao Qiyu grabbed her hand, hurriedly opened his eyes, his eyes bloodshot and filled with pain: "Are you crazy! Be careful the wound doesn't reopen!"

He gripped her wrist tightly to prevent her from hurting herself again, while carefully avoiding touching her wounds. His movements were stiff, like a trapped beast, each movement a self-imposed prison.

"If you want to vent your anger on me, you can just give the order; you don't need to do it yourself!" he said through gritted teeth.

Perhaps stunned by Xiao Qiyu's gaze, Cui Ying forced herself to calm down, sniffed, and her voice returned to normal, as if she had never lost her composure before. She calmly explained, "I feel much better now that I've said it. People are not fully rested yet. You can leave when it's past four in the morning and everyone is sound asleep."

They were two completely different kinds of people. If Xiao Qiyu was the silent earth, Cui Ying was a flame that moved according to her heart, sometimes weak, sometimes blazing, but always able to burn freely as she pleased.

Xiao Qiyu is restrained and patient, but Cui Ying is not.

She could make him stay if she wanted him to, and she could make him leave if she wanted him to.

In the dim light, Xiao Qiyu suddenly reached out and pulled Cui Ying into a tight embrace, his voice slightly choked with emotion, as he stubbornly said, "I won't leave."

"Cui Ying, I can't live without you."

Cui Ying felt a sharp pain in her body from being strangled, but her heart ached even more.

She laughed through her tears, teasingly saying, "So, do you want me to come with you? To be a burden to you?"

She gently stroked his back with her bandaged hands, her voice softening: "Xiao Qiyu, there are more than just the two of us in this world. How many young couples have been separated forever because of war? Pitiful are the bones by the Wuding River, still dreaming of their loved ones in their spring boudoirs. You say you hate that I understand you, but actually I not only understand you, I also believe in you, more than you believe in yourself."

Xiao Qiyu's arms tightened around her, trembling slightly, and he asked in a hoarse voice, "Aren't you afraid I'll lose?"

“At most, he’ll be stripped of his official rank and banned from holding office for life,” Cui Ying said. “His Majesty would have taken your life long ago; he wouldn’t wait until then.”

"Aren't you afraid," Xiao Qiyu's voice was hoarse, his words low and harsh, "that I'll die out there?"

Cui Ying laughed out loud: "That's even simpler. Anyway, I'm still young. I can just remarry, right?"

"You dare!"

Cui Ying felt a sharp pain and numbness in her heart, making it difficult to breathe, yet she couldn't help but want to retort: ​​You try and see if I dare to do it?

Before she could even utter a word, her lips were sealed shut with a kiss.

The kiss was urgent and fierce, devoid of any lust. His thin lips pressed hard against her soft lips, as if trying to imprint her breath, her warmth, everything about her into his body, making them one.

Cui Ying closed his eyes and instinctively responded to the kiss. His thoughts gradually softened, and he left behind all worldly troubles, feeling as if the whole world consisted only of the two of them.

Until a slight chill touched her cheek.

Cui Ying opened her eyes.

So close to his handsome face, the boy's eyes were tightly closed, his long eyelashes trembled slightly, and tears slid down his cheeks, sparkling like shooting stars.

Xiao Qiyu is crying.

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Author's Note: Battle scenes will not take up much space; they will be glossed over using time manipulation.