Chapter 36 A Light Touch to the Lips

The morning light at the forest ranger station, carrying the cool scent of pine needles, slanted across the doorway. Zhang Qiling was half-squatting on the ground, an iodine-soaked cotton pad suspended in mid-air between his fingertips—Black Bear's trousers were rolled up to his knees, revealing a deep, bone-revealing cut that was still bleeding. He had inflicted it yesterday while shielding himself from flying pebbles. To others, the wound might not seem fatal, but to Zhang Qiling, every drop of blood felt like a stab to his heart, making him clench his nerves even tighter than the wound on his own hand.

"Tsk, mute, if you stand there any longer, your wound will scab over on its own." Black Bear leaned against the wall, his sunglasses slipped down to the tip of his nose, revealing crescent-shaped eyes, but he didn't dare move his legs. He sensed that Zhang Qiling was unusually different today. Usually, this man treated wounds as efficiently as disassembling a mechanism, but today his fingertips trembled slightly, and even the iodine-soaked cotton pads felt soft when they touched his skin, as if afraid of hurting him.

Not far away, Wu Xie was biting the edge of a gauze bandage, clumsily wrapping it around the abrasion on his arm, wincing in pain but not daring to utter a sound—he had already noticed that Zhang Qiling's attention was completely focused on Hei Xiazi, not even glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. Xie Yuchen stood next to Wu Xie, holding medical scissors in his hand, deftly trimming away the excess gauze for him. Glancing at the two people in the corner, he whispered a reminder: "There's only half a bottle of iodine left, use it sparingly—for the blind man." The last three words were spoken softly, but they were clear enough; Zhang Qiling's concern was now completely undisguised.

Zhang Qiling paused, his eyes still lingering with tension as he looked up. The tension eased slightly when he looked at Xie Yuchen, and he simply hummed in agreement before turning back to continue treating Hei Xiazi's wounds. As the cotton pads brushed the edges of the wounds, he deliberately used light pressure. Even the occasional brush of his fingertips against Hei Xiazi's skin caused the other to stiffen slightly—Hei Xiazi was ticklish, a fact he had remembered for many years, even after his rebirth.

"It's nothing," Hei Xiazi smiled and reached out, his fingertips brushing against the old scar on Zhang Qiling's wrist. It was from when he shielded Zhang Qiling from the zombies in the Seven Star Lu Palace. "Last time, I got an even deeper scratch from the corpse beetles in the dungeon, but I still made it through, didn't I?"

Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Qiling gripped his wrist. The grip wasn't strong, but it carried an undeniable seriousness. His fingertips repeatedly traced the scar on the back of his hand, as if confirming that the scar was still there, and that the man was still there. Zhang Qiling didn't speak, but instead bent down to change to a clean gauze, wrapping it round and round around Hei Xiazi's leg. With each wrap, he gently pressed it down, afraid it would be too loose and ineffective, or too tight and uncomfortable. Hei Xiazi looked at his drooping eyelashes, the morning light falling on them, warming his heart. He teased him deliberately, "What, feeling sorry for me?"

Zhang Qiling paused in wrapping the bandage, a blush creeping up her ears. She didn't deny it, but pressed the last piece of tape firmly in place. When she looked up, her eyes shone like stars: "Don't move."

Xie Yuchen broke the awkward silence at the right moment, holding his phone in his hand with a slight frown: "I just received news that Qiu Dekao's men have withdrawn, all heading towards Beijing."

"They've left?" Wu Xie finally finished bandaging his wounds and straightened up, wincing in pain. "They chased us for three days, how could they suddenly..."

"The auction at the Crescent Hotel." Xie Yuchen pushed up his glasses, his gaze sweeping over Zhang Qiling. "It starts in three days. The list of auction items includes a manuscript from the time of the Queen Mother of the West. This is probably what Jude Kao wants."

The air fell silent instantly. Hei Xiazi clearly felt Zhang Qiling's body tense up beside him, and the hand gripping his wrist tightened. He didn't ask why—he had long noticed Zhang Qiling's concern about the words "New Moon Hotel," but he didn't know that this concern concealed a unique fear of repeating past mistakes, a fear that came with being reborn.

"When?" Zhang Qiling's voice was lower than usual, with a hint of barely perceptible heaviness.

“Eight o’clock in the evening three days from now,” Xie Yuchen added. “Also, on the list… there’s a jade pendant that looks a lot like yours.”

Zhang Qiling abruptly stood up, pulling the cracked jade pendant from his robes. In the morning light, a faint dark red tinged the cracks, like congealed blood. He didn't hand it to Hei Xiazi, but instead gripped it even tighter—in his past life, it was this very jade that had caused Hei Xiazi to take a bullet for him; in this life, he absolutely could not let that happen again. (Hypertext, hypertext, hypertext)

Hei Xiazi noticed his panic, reached out and placed his hand on the hand clutching the jade pendant, his fingertips gently brushing between the fingers: "What's wrong? Is this jade related to the New Moon Hotel?"

Zhang Qiling turned to look at him, her eyes filled with a complex look he couldn't understand, but she still nodded: "The Zhang family has a long-standing grudge with that place." He didn't dare say too much, afraid of revealing the matter of rebirth and frightening Hei Xiazi, and only added softly, "Go to Beijing, I'll go with you."

Hei Xiazi paused for a moment, then laughed, hooking his fingertip around Zhang Qiling's palm: "Alright, but your hand hasn't been treated yet—the cut from the trap yesterday is still bleeding." He had noticed Zhang Qiling's hand injury earlier, but hadn't dared to mention it, afraid that this person would, as usual, stubbornly insist that it was nothing.

Zhang Qiling looked down at his own hands, then at Hei Xiazi's legs, and frowned slightly: "Let's go to the hospital first."

“No need to go to the hospital, just come back to my place, I’ll handle it myself—” Before Hei Xiazi could finish speaking, Zhang Qiling interrupted him: “I’ll help you.”

Hei Xiazi immediately shut his mouth. He knew Zhang Qiling's temper all too well; once he made up his mind about something, not even ten oxen could pull him back, especially when it concerned him—he wouldn't budge an inch. Last time he had a cold and fever, Zhang Qiling stayed by his side all night, touching his forehead every hour, like a silent "gatekeeper" keeping watch. He simply couldn't refuse that stubbornness.

The off-road vehicle arranged by Xie Yuchen arrived quickly. Just as Hei Xiazi was about to get into the car, Zhang Qiling caught him around the waist. The strength was steady, his arm was around Hei Xiazi's waist, his palm was pressed against Hei Xiazi's back, carrying a familiar warmth, and even his fingertips deliberately avoided the old injury on Hei Xiazi's waist - it was from being hit by a falling rock in the tomb many years ago, he himself had almost forgotten it, but Zhang Qiling remembered it clearly.

"Slow down," Zhang Qiling said softly, helping him into the back seat before sitting down himself, his knees lightly touching Zhang Qiling's. Hei Xiazi could feel that Zhang Qiling's legs were still slightly stiff—yesterday, while protecting him, Zhang Qiling's legs had been scraped by gravel, but the man hadn't said anything.

Wu Xie and Xie Yuchen sat in the front seat, neither of them turning around. Xie Yuchen glanced in the rearview mirror and saw Zhang Qiling bending down to adjust the seat back for Hei Xiazi. His fingertips accidentally brushed against Hei Xiazi's waist, and Hei Xiazi laughed and slapped him. Zhang Qiling didn't dodge; instead, he reached out and took off Hei Xiazi's sunglasses.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Hei Xiazi tried to snatch it back, but Zhang Qiling held his hand down.

"The sunlight is blinding," Zhang Qiling said, folding his sunglasses and putting them in his pocket. He then took out a clean handkerchief from his bag and gently wiped the dust from the corner of Hei Xiazi's eyes. He remembered that Hei Xiazi's eyes were afraid of light, but he always liked to wear sunglasses to look cool. In his previous life, he hadn't reminded him in time, which caused Hei Xiazi to be temporarily blinded by the strong light in the tomb and almost got into trouble. In this life, he must never make the same mistake again.

Seeing his serious expression, Hei Xiazi's heart melted. He deliberately moved closer to him, resting his shoulder against his: "Dumb guy, why are you being so clingy today?"

Zhang Qiling turned his head to look at him, his eyes filled with his unique tenderness. He didn't say anything, but reached out and pressed Hei Xiazi's head against his shoulder: "Sleep for a while, I'll wake you when we get there."

Hei Xiazi wasn't asleep; he leaned on Zhang Qiling's shoulder, inhaling the faint scent of pine on his body and listening to his steady heartbeat. As the car entered the highway and the scenery outside the window rushed by, he suddenly felt that Zhang Qiling like this was more reassuring than the usual cold-faced "mute Zhang."

As evening fell, the car entered Beijing. Neon lights flickered on, blurring the car windows. Zhang Qiling helped Hei Xiazi out of the car first, while Xie Yuchen helped Wu Xie carry his bag, standing by the roadside and saying, "I'll take Wu Xie back to the Xie family first, you guys..."

“Let’s go back to my place,” Black Bear said quickly, turning to look at Zhang Qiling with a hint of expectation in his eyes. “Right?”

Zhang Qiling nodded, reached out and took their backpacks, his other hand still supporting Hei Xiazi's waist. He remembered the location of Hei Xiazi's apartment, even that the third light in the hallway was broken and that he had to hold onto the wall when walking—these details, which he hadn't paid much attention to in his previous life, were etched in his heart in this one.

Hei Xiazi's apartment was in an old neighborhood near the Third Ring Road. Sure enough, two of the lights in the hallway were broken, making it dimly lit. When Zhang Qiling opened the door, he first changed his shoes—at the bottom of the shoe cabinet was a pair of black cotton slippers, which Hei Xiazi had casually bought for him last year when he visited, saying, "I can't let you go barefoot." He had forgotten about them himself, but Zhang Qiling remembered. Zhang Qiling bent down and placed another pair of gray slippers beside Hei Xiazi's feet: "Change your shoes."

Hei Xiazi lost his balance while changing his shoes and swayed to the side. Zhang Qiling quickly reached out to steady him, and the two were so close that their breaths mingled. Hei Xiazi looked up and met Zhang Qiling's eyes, which reflected the living room light and shone like stars. He was about to make a teasing remark when Zhang Qiling suddenly lowered her head and gently touched the corner of his mouth with her lips.

It was so light, like a feather brushing against him, yet it carried a scalding heat. Black Bear was stunned, his mind blank—he had known Zhang Qiling for so many years, and this man had rarely even touched him, let alone kissed him. Today's touch made his heart almost leap out of his chest.

Zhang Qiling panicked and stepped back a little, her ears turning bright red. She didn't dare look him in the eye and whispered, "Take care of the wound first."

On the coffee table in the living room, Zhang Qiling opened the medical kit, its contents neatly arranged—iodine, gauze, disinfectant wipes, and even a pain-relieving ointment, all of which he had specifically asked Xie Yuchen for at the forest ranger station yesterday, just in case Hei Xiazi was in pain. He had Hei Xiazi sit on the sofa, then half-squatted in front of him, first removing the old gauze from his leg, then gently wiping away the bloodstains around the wound with warm water, his movements as light as if touching fragile porcelain.

"Does it hurt?" Zhang Qiling asked, touching the edge of the wound gently with iodine on her fingertip.

Hei Xiazi shook his head, reached out and touched his hair, his fingertips could feel the softness in his hair: "It doesn't hurt, you can do it." He looked at Zhang Qiling's serious profile and suddenly felt that perhaps he had been too careless before and had not noticed Zhang Qiling's gentleness, which was hidden in these little details.

After treating his leg injury, Zhang Qiling began to tend to the wounds on his hands. Hei Xiazi snatched the cotton pads from his hand, frowning, "Don't move, I'll do it." His movements weren't as gentle as Zhang Qiling's, but he was exceptionally careful, even gently blowing on deeper cuts, asking, "Does it hurt?"

Zhang Qiling looked at him, and the corners of her mouth curved almost imperceptibly: "It doesn't hurt."

As night deepened, Hei Xiazi, clutching his blanket, tried to go to the sofa, but Zhang Qiling stopped him as soon as he stood up. "Sleep on the bed," Zhang Qiling said, her voice carrying a barely perceptible pleading tone.

"And what about you?" Black Bear asked.

"Together." Zhang Qiling didn't flinch, looking directly at him with a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

Black Bear paused for a moment, then laughed and threw the blanket back onto the bed: "Okay, but don't you dare touch my legs in the middle of the night, I'm ticklish."

Zhang Qiling didn't speak, but simply helped him spread out his pillows, then lay down on the outer side, deliberately keeping a little distance. Hei Xiazi, however, was restless, moving closer to him and pressing his shoulder against Zhang Qiling's: "Dumb guy, you seem a little different today..."

Zhang Qiling stiffened for a moment, then turned to look at him, her eyes filled with tenderness. She reached out and gently touched his cheek. "It's nothing." He didn't dare mention his rebirth, afraid of breaking the peace, and only added softly, "I wanted to spend more time with you."

Hei Xiazi felt a warmth in his heart, reached out and hugged his waist, burying his face in the crook of his neck: "Okay, you'll stay with me from now on."

Zhang Qiling stiffened, then hugged him tightly, as if trying to meld him into his bones. He whispered in Hei Xiazi's ear, his voice trembling slightly: "Okay."

Neon lights from outside shone through the gaps in the curtains, falling on their clasped hands. Zhang Qiling held Hei Xiazi's hand tightly, palm to palm, as if confirming the reality of their relationship—the words he hadn't spoken and the things he hadn't had time to do in his past life, he would make up for them little by little in this life.

Hei Xiazi nestled in his arms, listening to his steady heartbeat, and gradually drifted off to sleep. Zhang Qiling, however, remained awake, gazing at Hei Xiazi's face again and again in the dim light, his eyes filled with tenderness—he knew the auction at the New Moon Hotel was a hurdle; the grudges of the Nine Gates, the Zhang family's destiny, and Jude Kao's conspiracy all awaited them ahead. But as long as Hei Xiazi was by his side, he feared nothing.

After all, he would never let Hei Xiazi leave him again in this lifetime.