Chapter 144 Northern Desert 4 It's so good to be alive. To still see Cui Ying, it's truly...

Concerned about Xiao Qiyu's injuries, Cui Ying took Xiao Qiyu to the Protectorate the next day at dawn. The Protectorate was located in Wulei City, where the southern and northern deserts meet. Even traveling day and night, it would take about ten days.

Fearing that he would worsen Xiao Qiyu's injuries, Cui Ying dared not travel too fast, stopping frequently as he went. It took him nearly twenty days to reach Wulei City.

After Xiao Yuanzhong died for his country, the Protectorate was taken over by his eldest son, Xiao Hu. Xiao Hu was discussing with his subordinates how to wipe out the remaining forces of the Eastern Turks when he heard that Cui Ying and Xiao Qiyu had come to visit. He was so confused that he thought he was dreaming, and immediately abandoned everything to welcome his younger brother and sister-in-law.

When Xiao Hu saw Xiao Qiyu standing alive in front of him, he was overjoyed. But when he saw the injuries on Xiao Qiyu's body, Xiao Hu, with tears in his eyes, summoned more than a dozen doctors and specially prepared a separate courtyard for his younger brother to recuperate in peace.

It was at this moment that Cui Ying finally understood why Xiao Qiyu's wounds had not healed for so long.

In the doctor's words, he had been unconscious for too long, and the little blood and energy he had left was barely enough to sustain his life, let alone allow his wounds to heal.

The best course of action now is to remove all the rotten wounds, eat plenty of nourishing food every day, and wait for the blood and qi to flow smoothly so that the wounds can heal on their own.

Because the injury was so severe, the doctor said that the healing time would be quite long, possibly as short as a year and a half or as long as three to five years.

After settling the two in, Xiao Hu immediately sent people to find Xiao Heng.

When Xiao Heng received the news and rushed over from the depths of the desert, Xiao Qiyu had already removed the festering wounds from his body, changed into clean clothes, and was leaning against the couch, calmly drinking the yam and black chicken soup that Cui Ying had personally cooked for him.

Upon seeing Xiao Heng, Xiao Qiyu greeted him as if nothing had happened: "Third Brother, long time no see."

Xiao Heng's hair was disheveled, and his beard was almost level with his chin; he was nowhere near his former handsome and dashing appearance.

Upon hearing the word "Third Brother," a myriad of emotions welled up within him. His eyes turned bloodshot, as if blazing with fire, and he strode towards Xiao Qiyu, instinctively swinging his arm in a wide arc.

Cui Ying quickly stopped them, saying, "I've already fought! I've already fought!"

Xiao Heng glanced at Cui Ying.

Cui Ying nodded rapidly, like a chick pecking at rice: "Really, really, two full slaps!"

Xiao Heng lowered his arm, which had been swinging wildly.

After personally examining Xiao Qiyu's injuries, Xiao Heng's anger was completely replaced by heartache. He choked up for a long time, and all his words boiled down to one sentence: "It's good that he's alive, it's good that he's alive..."

He straightened up and faced Cui Ying, solemnly cupping his hands: "Third Sister, you are a great hero of my Xiao family. You have saved all of our lives by finding Qi Lang. I will write a letter now and send it back to the capital by express courier to tell you that you have found Qi Lang. The whole family has been worried for so long, and we can finally put our minds at ease."

Cui Ying helped Xiao Heng up, shook her head and said, "Third Brother, I don't want you to write this letter. I want you to go back in person and tell them yourself."

Xiao Heng was taken aback.

Cui Ying continued, "For the past six months, you have been guarding the border, searching and inquiring everywhere, without a moment's peace of mind, and without ever returning home. Now that you're back, you should go back and see Jingnu and the child. Don't worry, I'm here, and nothing else will happen."

After listening to Cui Ying's words, Xiao Heng suppressed the burning sensation in his eyes and nodded heavily: "Third Sister is right, but I still want to stay for another half month to see with my own eyes that Seventh Brother's wound has improved before making any plans to return to the capital."

Cui Ying smiled: "Alright, whatever you say, Third Brother."

On the bed, Xiao Qiyu looked at Cui Ying's serious expression and bright eyes. Although it was sunset and there wasn't much light in the room, he felt that every part of her body was shining, even her hair was radiant.

He felt luckier than ever before.

It's good to be alive.

It's great to see Cui Ying again.

...

The sun sets and the moon rises; before we know it, night has fallen.

After taking a bath, Cui Ying casually put on an undergarment before drying his hair. He sat down on the couch as usual, first forcing Xiao Qiyu to drink a bowl of blood-nourishing soup, then bringing his medicine box and starting to change his dressing.

Over the past few days, she has become much more skilled at changing dressings than at the beginning. She carefully wipes away the old ointment to reveal the wound underneath, where new granulation tissue has begun to appear. She checks the color of the edges to make sure there is no abnormal swelling or new pus seeping out. Then she takes the new ointment, picks it out with a clean bamboo stick, and carefully applies it.

Other wounds were relatively easy for Cui Ying to treat, but the penetrating wound on his waist and abdomen was the only one that required her to hold her breath every time she changed the dressing, and her hands would unconsciously become gentle, for fear of hurting Xiao Qiyu.

In the stillness of the night, a cold wind howled outside the window, while the candlelight flickered inside.

The room was heated by the floor heating, keeping out all the cold. Xiao Qiyu leaned against the stacked soft pillows, his phoenix eyes lowered, his gaze fixed on Cui Ying's focused expression.

Her eyelashes were long, naturally thick and curled, fluttering as she blinked like tiny fans, carrying the damp, floral scent of her freshly bathed body to him.

The fragrance was like a hook, drawing his gaze downwards, from her eyebrows and eyes to her nose, lips, neck, and collar... A large section of her collar was soaked with water droplets from her hair, a thin layer that was practically transparent.

Suddenly, the tonic soup that had been given to me took full effect, and a fire suddenly ignited in my lower abdomen, burning ever more intensely.

Xiao Qiyu's throat tightened slightly, and he subconsciously avoided Cui Ying's hand as she applied the medicine.

"Can you please stop moving around?" Sensing his unusual behavior, Cui Ying raised her head unhappily, her brows furrowed.

Xiao Qiyu's throat tightened even more from that glare. She quickly cleared her throat and turned her face away, feigning grievance, saying, "Be gentle, it hurts..."

Cui Ying was so angry she laughed. She raised an eyebrow at him and said, "When the knife was cutting your flesh, you barely even flinched. Now you're telling me it hurts? Xiao Qiyu, are you kidding me?"

She ignored him and pressed her hand directly onto the still relatively intact skin on his waist and abdomen. With her other hand, she methodically applied the ointment, spreading it evenly with her fingertips.

The girl's warm fingertips brushed over the wound like feathers, and her breath followed her bending over, gently caressing the tender flesh. Her sensitive waist and abdomen tensed and contracted uncontrollably, and the spot that was being pressed also felt numb and itchy, an unbearable stimulation.

Xiao Qiyu unconsciously tilted his head back, letting out a soft hiss as his Adam's apple bobbed.

"Does it still hurt?" Cui Ying asked, still feeling a pang of pity.

"no……"

Cool.

Cui Ying was furious: "Then what's wrong with you?"

Xiao Qiyu pondered for a moment, then said in a hoarse voice, "Cui Ying, how long has it been since we last met?"

After applying the ointment, Cui Ying began to wrap the gauze around his neck, feeling the intensely throbbing veins beneath his skin. She casually remarked, "More than two years. What, you don't want to reminisce with me, do you?"

“No,” Xiao Qiyu turned to look at her, his phoenix eyes flushed, a little color returning to his handsome, pale face, and his breathing was hot.

He got straight to the point:

"I want to do it."

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Author's Note: The main story will be finished tomorrow~ Don't worry, there will be plenty of side stories.