Chapter 112

Su Zhelan slowly opened her eyes in a warm but slightly cramped feeling. Before her consciousness had fully returned, her body felt the restraint first—a strong arm was draped heavily over her shoulder, carrying an undeniable weight and warmth; another arm was wrapped around her waist, lighter in weight but equally noticeable.

He blinked, his vision clearing from blurry. What came into view were the familiar curtains, and then…

He turned his head slightly and the first thing he saw was Xiao Qiyun's peaceful sleeping face. That face, which usually had cold and stern lines, looked much softer in the morning light, and his breathing was even and long. One of his arms was tightly wrapped around his waist, the palm warm against his side.

Su Zhelan's gaze followed the arm to her right. Sheng Xuan was lying on his side, most of his face buried in the pillow, fast asleep, a satisfied smile seemingly on his lips. His arm was casually draped over her shoulder, his fingers unconsciously curled against his collarbone.

There were no gasps of panic, nor did her cheeks flush instantly. Su Zhelan simply lay quietly, feeling the heavy "burden" on her body and the warm body heat coming from both sides. A familiar, slightly weary sense of helplessness quietly rose in her heart.

"Here we go again..." He sighed silently to himself. From that first night at the temple fair until now... he seemed to be getting used to this way of sleeping, being "sandwiched" between the two of them, at a strange speed.

He tried to move his body slightly, hoping to get up without disturbing the two of them.

However, as soon as he moved, the arm around his waist tightened slightly. It seemed that Xiao Qiyun could accurately sense his movements even in his sleep and subconsciously pulled him closer to her.

The arm on his shoulder slumped down, and Shengxuan mumbled something indistinctly, "Don't move..." He rubbed his head against the pillow and fell into a deeper sleep.

Su Zhelan froze. He helplessly looked up at the roof beam, the morning light falling directly on his face, revealing a clear, resigned "habitual helplessness" in his eyes.

"Never mind... I'll lie here a little longer," he thought silently. Anyway... he couldn't break free. Besides... it's warm here, definitely much warmer than sleeping alone.

He closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the morning light on his eyelids and the steady breathing of the two people beside him. The lingering scent of herbs in the air mingled with the clean fragrance of the boy, creating a strange sense of peace.

until--

"Hmm...it's dawn already?" Sheng Xuan's muffled voice, heavy with sleepiness, rang out.

He shifted, and the arm that was draped over Su Zhelan's shoulder slid down, then very naturally... he pulled Su Zhelan into his arms, rubbing his chin against the top of her head. "Zhelan... good morning..." His voice was slurred, clearly not fully awake yet.

Su Zhelan was almost breathless from his sudden bear hug, and helplessly pushed him away: "Sheng Xuan... let go..."

Almost simultaneously with Sheng Xuan's movement, the other arm wrapped around Su Zhelan's waist also tightened abruptly.

Xiao Qiyun had opened his eyes at some point. His deep eyes were clear and sharp in the morning light, carrying a hint of languor from just waking up and an undeniable possessiveness.

He glanced coldly at Sheng Xuan, who was practically pulling Su Zhelan into his arms, and let out a very soft snort.

Su Zhelan felt like a sandwich filling, squeezed between two forces. He completely gave up struggling, lying on his back with a sense of hopelessness, staring at the rafters, and murmured, "...Can't you two let me catch my breath?"

His tone held no shyness, no panic, only a deep, habitual helplessness, as if life had worn down his edges.

Sheng Xuan paused for a moment, looked down at the undergarment he had wrapped tightly around Su Zhelan's neck, then at Su Zhelan's lifeless expression, before belatedly exclaiming "Ah!" and awkwardly loosening his arms: "Uh... I'm sorry, Zhelan, I didn't notice..." He scratched his head, a rare hint of embarrassment on his face.

Xiao Qiyun slowly loosened his arms around Su Zhelan's waist, releasing the pressure, but his hands did not immediately move away. Instead, he gently pressed on Su Zhelan's waist, offering a silent reassurance, before calmly withdrawing them.

He sat up, his movements fluid and natural, as if the possessive restraint he had just endured had never happened. The morning light outlined the straight lines of his back, carrying a chilling sense of clarity.

Su Zhelan finally got a chance to catch his breath and let out a long sigh. He propped himself up on the bed, rubbed his shoulders and waist which were a little numb from being pressed down, and glared at Sheng Xuan with annoyance: "If you do this again next time, I'll kick you off the bed."

Sheng Xuan chuckled and sat up nonchalantly, deliberately moving closer to Su Zhelan: "Go ahead and kick me, I'm thick-skinned anyway!"

As he spoke, he reached out to ruffle Su Zhelan's hair, but Su Zhelan turned her head away.

Xiao Qiyun had already gotten out of bed, walked to the clothes rack, picked up his outer robe, and put it on deftly. His gaze swept over the two people still playing around on the bed, and his voice was calm and indifferent: "Get up and get dressed."

Sheng Xuan pouted, but still quickly rolled out of bed, stretching as he walked toward his clothes: "I know, I know, you're so nagging..." He picked up his outer robe and haphazardly put it on.

Su Zhelan got out of bed and walked to his clothes rack. He picked up the plain-colored inner garment and outer robe, and was about to put them on when Sheng Xuan blew over like a gust of wind.

"Hey! Zhelan, let me help you!" Sheng Xuan snatched the outer robe from Su Zhelan's hands without saying a word, unfolded it, and draped it over Su Zhelan's body. "Look at you, it's so slow for you to put it on yourself! Let me help you get it done faster!" His movements were so rough that he almost made Su Zhelan stumble.

Su Zhelan was flustered by him: "Sheng Xuan! I can do it myself!"

"Don't mention it!" Sheng Xuan said casually, his hands moving non-stop as he tried to tie the belt around Su Zhelan's waist, but ended up making a knot that was impossible to tie properly.

Xiao Qiyun fastened the last sash, turned around, and saw Sheng Xuan clumsily fiddling with Su Zhelan's waist, while Su Zhelan helplessly tried to push him away. Xiao Qiyun frowned slightly and walked over in a few steps.

"Get out of the way." Xiao Qiyun's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable force. He reached out and precisely slapped away Sheng Xuan's hand, which was still struggling with the knot.

Sheng Xuan's hand went numb from the slap, and he looked up in annoyance: "What?!"

Xiao Qiyun ignored him and went straight to the task at hand. With a few deft movements, his slender fingers untied the knot that Sheng Xuan had made. Then, with smooth and gentle movements, he helped Su Zhelan re-tie her belt and adjusted the smoothness of her clothes.

The whole process was smooth and efficient, with a pleasing and crisp feel to it.

Watching Xiao Qiyun's focused and steady movements, and then glancing at the sullen Sheng Xuan beside him, Su Zhelan felt a surge of helplessness well up inside him, but he couldn't help but smile slightly. He whispered, "Thank you."

Xiao Qiyun hummed in response, his gaze sweeping over Su Zhelan's slightly upturned lips, his eyes softening for a moment.

Sheng Xuan watched in disbelief, feeling like an outsider. He snorted, deliberately bumping into Xiao Qiyun's shoulder, and ran to the mirror to straighten his crookedly worn outer robe, muttering, "What's so great about it... I can tie it too..."

Su Zhelan looked at Sheng Xuan's sullen expression, then at Xiao Qiyun's back as he turned to make the bed, and shook his head. He walked to the basin, scooped up the cool water to wash his face, trying to wash away the last trace of sleepiness.

Sheng Xuan straightened his clothes and came over, grabbing a nearby cloth and wiping his face haphazardly, splashing water everywhere. He turned to Su Zhelan, his eyes sparkling: "Zhelan, where shall we go today? We went shopping yesterday, how about we go horseback riding at the training ground today?"

Su Zhelan was wiping the water droplets behind her ears with a cloth when she heard this, and her movements suddenly stopped, the cloth hanging in mid-air.

Horseback riding on the training ground...

The breeze carrying the scent of peach blossoms from the stream seemed to blow over again, Shengxuan's kiss, carrying the scent of fresh grass, made my lips go numb, and his impulsive "I like you" was like a pebble thrown into a lake, still rippling to this day.

My ear tips suddenly felt hot, and a thin blush spread across my neck as well.

When he turned around, he met Sheng Xuan's bright, sparkling eyes. That impetuous excitement was exactly the same as when he confessed his love in the peach grove that day.

"I'm not going." Su Zhelan threw the cloth into the basin, the water splashing lightly, but she didn't dare to look Sheng Xuan in the eye. Her gaze fell on the crookedly tied belt buckle.

Sheng Xuan was taken aback, scratched his head, and leaned closer: "Why? Didn't you ride quite well last time?"

"You still have the nerve to mention last time?..." Su Zhelan's voice was a little tense, her fingertips unconsciously twisting her clothes, causing the fabric to wrinkle.

Thinking of the kiss Sheng Xuan gave her when she was pinned to the rock that day, the pain from her lips being slapped, and the oppressive feeling from Xiao Qiyun with his minty scent, her cheeks burned even hotter.

"Last time?" Sheng Xuan was initially confused, then belatedly touched her lips, recalling the bloody kiss, and her ear tips turned red. "I...I couldn't control myself..."

"You think you can act recklessly just because you can't control yourself?" Su Zhelan's tone became more reproachful. She turned and walked towards the inner room, but her steps slowed down a bit. "Go by yourself if you want to. I'm not going to go crazy with you."

As soon as Xiao Qiyun's hand touched Su Zhelan's shoulder, Su Zhelan suddenly flung it away—the force wasn't great, but it carried an undisguised resistance.

"If you don't want to go, then don't go." Xiao Qiyun's tone remained gentle, but his fingertips curled slightly the moment Su Zhelan shook him off, as if he had expected to be pushed away. Instead, a hint of a smile appeared in his eyes. "You spent most of yesterday shopping, so you should rest."

Su Zhelan suddenly turned her head and glared at him, her eyelashes trembling slightly with anger.

Resting? He hadn't forgotten who it was that barged into his room under the pretense of bringing lotus seed soup and tore his clothes to shreds after he returned that night.

"I don't need you to tell me." Su Zhelan's voice turned colder as she turned and walked into the inner room, deliberately bumping away Xiao Qiyun's arm that was blocking her way. "I know my own affairs."

Xiao Qiyun didn't reply, but stared at Su Zhelan's tense back, his fingertips slowly stroking the spot where he had just put his hand on Su Zhelan's shoulder, as if savoring the warmth under that fabric.

He suddenly chuckled softly, so softly that only he could hear it: "It's quite clear."

Su Zhelan paused, her ears turning even redder. "If you want to rest, you can rest yourself,"

Su Zhelan grabbed the outer robe draped over the back of the chair, put it on, and said in a deliberately stiff voice, "I'm going to the pharmacy to find my master."

As she was about to walk out, Sheng Xuan grabbed her wrist. His palm was burning hot, with a hint of ingratiation: "No, Zhe Lan, it's okay if we don't go to the training ground. How about we go to the back mountain to pick fruit? I saw a wild apricot tree there last time. It'll definitely be sweet when it's ripe."

Just as Su Zhelan was about to break free, she saw Xiao Qiyun walk over and naturally stand on his other side, lightly tapping his cuff with his fingertip: "Wild apricots are sour. It just so happens that Mr. Su Yan has some newly brewed plum wine. Why don't you go and have a taste?"

It's always like this. Su Zhelan looked at the two people on her left and right, and the anger in her heart suddenly turned into a helpless amusement. One was openly coaxing, and the other was subtly provoking.

He shook off Sheng Xuan's hand and walked towards the threshold, his voice carrying a hint of indulgence that had been worn down: "None of you are going." But as he stepped out the door, he deliberately slowed his pace—sure enough, behind him came Sheng Xuan's muttering, "Fine, I won't go then, I'll just follow you," and Xiao Qiyun's footsteps as light as the wind.

As I stepped out of the courtyard gate, the morning light streamed over the carved railings of the corridor, illuminating the bluestone slabs with a white glow.

Sheng Xuan followed closely behind, muttering, "The apricots on the back hill are almost ripe." Xiao Qiyun lagged half a step behind, twirling a willow leaf he had picked at some point, occasionally glancing up at Su Zhelan's back as if measuring something.

Su Zhelan didn't reply, but walked slowly along the covered corridor. The mornings in the General's Mansion were always quiet, with only the servants sweeping quietly, the wooden handles making a soft "shush" sound as they touched the bluestone slabs.

He turned the corner of the moon gate and suddenly heard hushed voices coming from behind the artificial hill—

"...Have you heard? The General of the North's term of service patrolling the border has only one year left."

"That's right, we have to return to the capital to report back in the spring. When the General's Mansion moves back to the capital, we subordinates don't even know if we'll be able to go with them..."

"Sigh, speaking of which, has the General decided what to do with that young master Su Zhelan? After all... it's not safe to leave someone of unknown origin in the northern border, but bringing him back to the capital is also..."

The rest of her words were scattered by the wind, but Su Zhelan suddenly stopped, as if her ankles were being pulled by invisible threads.

A year?

His fingertips, which were gripping the pillar, suddenly went cold; the carved wooden edges dug into his palm, leaving several shallow marks.

Are Sheng Chi and the others returning to the capital? What about him?

The general's mansion was his temporary refuge, but this refuge was tied to Sheng Chi's term of service as a border patrolman.

Once he leaves the northern border and returns to the intricate capital, can he still hide his identity as the "Holy Son" and his past of being hunted by cults?

Nightmares haunted him at night—those days when he was treated as a "container," those cold altars and wriggling worms, flooding him like a tide, making his chest feel suffocated.

"They won't let me go..." Su Zhelan murmured unconsciously, her voice as soft as a sigh, yet carrying a chilling coldness.

The cult's obsession with his flesh and blood has not ended, and after Sheng Chi leaves, the defenses of the Northern Border may not be able to protect him; Xiao Qiyun's power is great, but how long can he rely on that obsessive possessiveness? Sheng Xuan's protection is straightforward and passionate, but in the end, it cannot withstand the undercurrents of the court and the cult's ruthlessness.

He turned around abruptly and met a pair of concerned eyes—it was Sheng Xuan, who had somehow gotten close, his brows furrowed: "Zhelan, what's wrong? Your face is so pale?"

Su Zhelan hurriedly turned her face away, avoiding his gaze, her fingers twisting the sash of her outer robe, her voice tight: "N-nothing, it's just a bit chilly."

Xiao Qiyun's footsteps came from behind, his voice was deeper than usual: "Are you tired? There are stone benches up ahead, sit for a while?"

Su Zhelan shook her head, but her steps forward were somewhat unsteady.

The sunlight was warm, but he felt the scar on the back of his neck burning, as if a pair of eyes were watching him from the shadows—was it a remnant of a cult? Or fate itself?

Sheng Xuan was still rambling on beside her, and Xiao Qiyun's gaze remained fixed on him, but Su Zhelan couldn't hear a word. Those few lines of dialogue echoed repeatedly in her mind, the chains, the sinister grin, the possible unforeseen events replaying in her head…

He had to do something.

The thought pierced my heart like a thorn. I couldn't wait, I couldn't rely on others for protection. Those things I had deliberately balanced, perhaps it was time to become my true support.

Su Zhelan took a deep breath, suppressing his surging anxiety, and his steps gradually became steady. He didn't turn around, but only said to the two people behind him, "Don't you have anything to do?"

Su Zhelan's voice was soft, yet it was like a stone thrown into still water, instantly silencing the footsteps behind him. He didn't turn around, his fingers still twisting the sash of his outer robe—even he felt the aloofness in his tone was somewhat stiff.

Sheng Xuan was stunned for a moment, his scratching motion froze in mid-air, and the excitement in his eyes faded considerably: "I...I'm fine today."

He took a half step forward, trying to see Su Zhelan's expression clearly. "Are you still angry with me? I promise..."

“No.” Su Zhelan interrupted him, finally turning around and glancing at their faces. The morning light fell on his eyes, and his earlier anger had vanished.

“I want to be alone for a while. I’m going to the pharmacy to help my master organize medical records. You guys…” He paused, then looked at Sheng Xuan, “Didn’t you say before that you would be punished by Sheng Chi if you didn’t go to the training ground?”

Then he turned to Xiao Qiyun, "Isn't Your Highness going to the study to annotate official documents?"

These words were like precise hooks, striking at their respective daily routines. Sheng Xuan opened his mouth, wanting to say, "None of those things are as important as spending time with you," but Su Zhelan's gaze stopped him—there was no blame in her eyes, only a plea for "let me have some peace and quiet," so soft that he couldn't refuse.

Xiao Qiyun stopped twirling the willow leaf between his fingers, his gaze lingering on Su Zhelan's pale face, as if he saw through something but didn't say anything.

He suddenly chuckled softly, his voice carrying a hint of compromise: "I almost forgot, the official documents are still on my desk."

He glanced at Sheng Xuan. "Didn't some people say they haven't stretched their muscles in a long time?"

Sheng Xuan was speechless for a moment. He looked at Su Zhelan and then at Xiao Qiyun. Finally, he muttered, "Fine, I'll go." He walked towards the stables, turning back every few steps. His black cloak swept across the railing of the corridor, creating a gust of wind.

Xiao Qiyun watched Sheng Xuan walk away before turning to Su Zhelan. He flicked a willow leaf with his fingertip, and the leaf swirled to the ground. "If you can't finish organizing the medical cases, have someone call me from the study." His tone was calm, but it carried a hint that "you can find me anytime."

Su Zhelan nodded without saying anything.

Only after Xiao Qiyun's figure disappeared behind the moon gate did the corridor fall completely silent. The wind rustled locust leaves onto the bluestone slabs, making a soft "shush" sound, like someone whispering. Su Zhelan slowly crouched down, leaning against a pillar, her forehead against the cold wooden edge; the composure she had just maintained shattered instantly—

The tightness in his chest surged up again, and the scar on the back of his neck throbbed as if it were being burned. Sheng Chi's term, the threat of the cult, the faces of Sheng Xuan and Xiao Qiyun, Master Su Yan and Mr. Gu Linzhao... countless images collided in his mind, as chaotic as a tightly tangled ball of thread.

He needs to think this through.

Su Zhelan raised her hand and pressed it against the back of her neck, her fingertips touching the raised scar. Her gaze gradually darkened. Relying on someone else's protection is ultimately a passive act.

Sheng Chi's guilt can buy him temporary protection, but not lifelong protection; Xiao Qiyun's power can suppress overt threats, but cannot guard against daggers in the shadows; Sheng Xuan's martial prowess can stand in front of him, but he can't always hide behind others.

"I have to rely on myself..." he whispered to the empty corridor, his voice carrying a hint of newly emerging fierceness.

The sunlight slowly crept up his back, warm as a thin blanket, but it couldn't dispel the chill in his heart.

Su Zhelan stood up, dusted off her clothes, and walked towards the pharmacy—there were medical records compiled by Su Yan there, and perhaps she could find something useful.