Going North (Part 3)

The light filtering in through the west window was no longer the scorching midday sun, but a warm orange glow that, with a sense of fatigue, spread diagonally across the old wooden floor of the inn, leaving long streaks of light.

Qingshan slowly opened his eyes, his vision was still a little blurry. The first thing that caught his eye was the red and black top of the head of the man lying beside the couch.

That was the color after He Shu cast an illusion, scattered gently.

Besides the residual smell of alcohol, there seemed to be a clean and refreshing breath lingering in his nostrils, which belonged to that person alone, and strangely soothed the discomfort in his throat.

He Shu lay beside his couch, his body slightly curled up, his face resting on his folded arms, his breathing light and even, and he actually fell asleep while watching over him.

The warm glow of the sunset just covered his outline, and his soft hair was scattered on his slightly red cheeks, dyed into a gentle light brown by the afterglow of the sunset.

Her long eyelashes drooped, casting a small, quiet shadow under her eyes. The lines that were usually tight or relaxed were now completely softened in her deep sleep, making her look defenseless and even a little fragile.

Qingshan subconsciously slowed down his breathing, as if afraid of disturbing a fragile dream.

He stood up silently, carefully put his arms under He Shu's knees and behind his neck, supported the legs that were half curled up on the ground, picked him up very gently, and placed him on the bed.

He moved his neck, which was still a little sore, weak and stiff. It was probably because he had fallen into the wrong posture when he was drunk earlier, and his head had fallen off the pillow, causing a dull pain.

As he was moving, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the intricately woven longevity thread that had appeared on his wrist at some point in time.

His gaze froze for a moment, and then a soft laugh escaped from the corner of his mouth, with a hint of self-mockery and a bit of indescribable complexity:

"Becoming such a fool, I'm unexpectedly lucky... I'm so grateful to have you treat me so kindly, and to personally tie this thing on me..."

Qingshan's fingertips gently stroked the silk thread, the sound so low that only he could hear it.

"Wuming... don't tell me you prefer... 'Qingshan' like that?"

His gaze returned to He Shu's sleeping face, and his voice contained a bitter tone that was almost pleading:

"Nameless... Nameless..."

"If I can't learn to make you happy like that in the future, please don't despise me..."

He murmured softly, moved a little to the inside of the bed, half leaning against the cold wall, with his head tilted, his eyes greedily tracing He Shu's sleeping face so close to him over and over again.

From the relaxed and gentle eyebrows, to the nostrils that twitched slightly with breathing, to the slightly opened lips with a soft luster...nothing was left out.

Not knowing what he dreamed about, He Shu, who was sleeping soundly, suddenly turned over unconsciously, stretched out his arms, hugged the thin quilt beside him, snuggled into his arms, and rubbed against him as if seeking warmth.

A few lingering rays of sunlight fell right on the slender back of the neck that was exposed by the turning over movement. The skin was delicate, as if it were made of fine warm jade.

At this moment, Qingshan's consciousness suddenly began to dissipate and withdraw from his body like a wisp of smoke blown away by the wind.

From outside the window, I could faintly hear the muffled voices of people closing up their stalls in the street, the sporadic chirping of weary birds returning to their nests, and even further in the distance, the rumbling of carriages and horses as they passed along the stone road...

All the sounds seemed to be covered by someone's ears, becoming gentle, distant and unclear.

The only sound in my ears was the slow and heavy beating of my heart in my chest, again and again, but it was like being immersed in water, gradually becoming hazy.

"Is the time coming..."

This thought flashed through his mind suddenly, and his body could no longer support him. He slowly slid down and finally lay down beside He Shu.

As expected... I can't leave there for too long...

He thought vaguely, and with his last bit of strength, he turned his head and gently pressed the warm forehead of the person next to him, feeling the soothing warmth, and slowly closed his eyes.

He Shu felt a very close breath on his face in his sleep. The breath was familiar and comforting, gently brushing across his forehead.

He moved in a daze, his fingertips curled up unconsciously, but touched a piece of warm skin. He suddenly woke up and was completely awakened.

The scene before me was gloomy. Night had already fallen, and only the dim, cold moonlight filtered through the half-open window, barely outlining the vague outlines of the furniture in the room.

And at this extremely close distance, almost with the tips of their noses touching, he saw Qingshan's sleeping face.

The other person's breathing was steady and long, and his face looked unusually peaceful in the faint moonlight. A few strands of black hair were scattered on the pillow, even entangled with his own hair.

With a bang, hot blood rushed to his cheeks and ears, burning his head and making him dizzy.

He stepped back almost subconsciously, and in a panic, wrapped in most of the quilt, he heard a dull "bang" and fell heavily to the floor.

He...how come they were sleeping in the same bed?

I clearly, clearly remember that I just wanted to lie down on the bed and take a nap... How did it turn out to be such a ridiculous situation?

He Shu was shocked, feeling ashamed and embarrassed. He rubbed his tailbone which was hurt from the fall. He lowered his head, his cheeks burning, and stood up reluctantly.

Such a big commotion must have woken Qingshan up...

Tsk, how do you explain this? He really wasn't the one who took the initiative to "climb into bed"! He can't clear himself from this even if he jumps into the Yellow River!

"Uh... Qingshan..."

He spoke with a stiff upper lip, his voice dry from guilt.

"Listen to my explanation... I don't know what happened, I woke up in bed... I definitely didn't mean to share a bed with you. This, this is really offensive... But believe me, I must have been dazed from sleep, that's why..."

His voice became smaller and smaller, and less and less confident, almost as thin as a mosquito.

However, the expected response from Qingshan, either puzzled or surprised, did not come. He Shu was surprised and even more flustered. He lowered his head and walked a few steps to the bedside:

"I, I'll go find the shopkeeper and book another room right away. By the way, do you want to wash up? I'll ask the waiter to bring some hot water..."

There was still silence.

He Shu finally realized that something was wrong. He suddenly raised his head and looked carefully in the faint moonlight. He saw that Qingshan was still in the same posture and had not woken up.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Qingshan didn't wake up, otherwise it would be extremely embarrassing.

He bent down, stretched out his hand, and gently pushed the shoulder of the person sleeping on the bed, and softened his voice:

"Qingshan...Qingshan...wake up, don't sleep anymore, get up and wash up before going to sleep..."

But the body that his hands touched showed no reaction, even the breathing rate did not change at all.

Qingshan's body was limp, allowing him to push, without any resistance or sign of waking up. He was sleeping... too deeply.

A cold, ominous premonition suddenly pierced through all the shyness and embarrassment, like a hand suddenly grasping his heart, making it almost impossible to breathe.

He Shu immediately knelt on the bed, no longer caring about the quiet night. His voice suddenly rose in panic:

"Qingshan?"

Warm and moist true energy instantly gushed out from his fingertips, eagerly probing into Qingshan's meridians.

The pulse is stable, nothing abnormal...

But Qingshan's soul is incomplete... This is definitely not a simple sleep or coma!

Realizing this, He Shu shouted almost hoarsely, and his men shook the man's shoulders vigorously:

"Qingshan! Qingshan! Wake up! Look at me!"

There was still no response, only the feeling of Qingshan's body shaking weakly with his movements.

The head tilted softly to one side, sinking deeper into the pillow, and the face showed a strange, lifeless calm in the bleak moonlight, as if life was slipping away silently.

Something must have happened... Qingshan!

A pale golden light burst out from He Shu's body, and the huge crane wings spread out behind him, bringing a powerful airflow.

He picked up the unconscious person on the bed and carried him horizontally, throwing the rules and prohibitions behind his mind. With a flash of his body, he suddenly broke through the window and turned into a phantom and flew into the dark night sky.

We must find Xuan Tongzi immediately! We can't wait even a moment longer!

——

Under the blue sky, shadows fly by quickly.

He Shu pushed his immortal power to the extreme, and his spiritual thoughts were like an invisible net, searching every inch of the area below him for Xuan Tongzi's breath.

The sharp night wind blew past his ears like a blade, but was mostly blocked by the immortal light surrounding him.

The lights of the city below had long been extinguished, leaving only a dim, blurry patch of light, rapidly receding. The mountains, rivers, and land in the distance transformed into twisted, black streaks, darting past at a terrifying speed.

The rolling ridges are like the back of a dormant giant beast. Its outline is vaguely visible in the moonlight, and then it is instantly left far behind.

Heshu separated a strand of gentle strength to protect Qingshan, so that the person in his arms was not affected by the night wind and continued to sleep soundly without knowing it, without even a strand of hair being messed up.

He had circled and searched over Yuguanyi for several times. He could clearly sense Xuan Tongzi's presence lingering in this area, but it was as if there was an impenetrable fog between them, and he could not lock onto the specific location.

Ahead of him was an endless, bottomless darkness, rushing towards him like a huge mouth of the abyss, ready to completely swallow him and the person in his arms.

His heart began to beat wildly, almost bursting out of his throat. The violent roar filled his ears, making him unable to tell whether it was the roar of the wind or the roar of his own blood rushing uncontrollably.

Just when he was extremely anxious, a bright white light suddenly flashed across the sky without any warning.

The light was pure and cold, carrying a heavy suppressing force, which shocked He Shu's soul. He subconsciously closed his eyes, and his body seemed to have crashed into an invisible quagmire. He was instantly stopped in mid-air by a powerful force and could not move.

"Mortals living in the lower realms are not allowed to openly cast spells! How can a mere Crane Immortal disregard the laws of Heaven?"

A cold and solemn voice came from in front of him. He Shu gritted his teeth and endured the discomfort, looking up with difficulty.