Chapter 48: "Take off your clothes."
Xiao Xu's outstretched hand was also cold and wet. He grasped Yun Sheng's wrist and immediately tried to take her away from there.
"Wait, wait a minute—" Yun Sheng suddenly came to her senses and turned around, only to find that the other person was no longer at the table.
"What's wrong?" Xiao Xu frowned slightly, his fingers tightening inexplicably, as if afraid that the person who was already so close might suddenly disappear.
Yun Sheng felt a slight pain from the grip of his hand, but the disappearance of the young man who had saved her still distracted her most of the attention, and she did not struggle in Xiao Xu's palm at all.
Yun Sheng said, "Wait a minute. I was rescued by someone who brought me here. I promised to repay him. He was just here."
Yun Sheng's tone was full of doubt as she walked to the side, her wrist, which she couldn't break free from, caused Xiao Xu to follow her.
Xiao Xu's fingers slid down her throbbing pulse to her palm, then slipped out from between her fingers and intertwined with hers.
Yun Sheng could not avoid feeling the coldness of his entire hand, and couldn't help but turn her head to look at him again.
Xiao Xu had a somber face and a gloomy expression; his hands were as cold as if they had just been taken out of an ice pick.
Yun Sheng felt a tightness in her chest and suddenly realized that she had told him to her face that she wasn't going anywhere, but then turned around and left on her own. Now that she had encountered such danger, he was probably angry.
She avoided Xiao Xu's gaze and instead asked the waiter beside her, "Have you seen where the young master who was sitting at this table just now went?"
The waiter opened his mouth to answer, but then turned his head and choked back his words: "Huh, they were just here a moment ago, where did they go?"
The waiter called over to another waiter and asked. Someone said the person had gone towards the side door, but they still couldn't find him outside.
Xiao Xu was still soaking wet, and the hand that had been holding his hadn't warmed up much.
After hesitating for a while, Yun Sheng could only leave a message for the innkeeper, asking him to come to the inn where she was staying if she saw the man again.
Once outside the teahouse, Yun Sheng realized that Xiao Xu had arrived alone on horseback, without any servants or carriage.
Xiao Xu was about to hire a carriage at the stable outside the teahouse when Yun Sheng stopped him.
"Let's ride back on horseback. The carriage is too slow. You need to change your clothes quickly."
The sound of horses' hooves pounded against the pattering rain as they sped along the long street.
Yun Sheng huddled slightly in front of Xiao Xu; this was the first time she had felt cold in his arms.
In her memory, Xiao Xu's chest was always hot and warm, enveloping her completely.
The early autumn wind howled by, and the drizzle on my face was neither painful nor itchy, leaving only a damp coolness.
Xiao Xu didn't say a word the whole way.
His robes were completely damp, and even though he was leaning back to avoid her, she still felt the cold, damp fabric occasionally touching the hem of his clothes as they rode.
After a brief stalemate, Yun Sheng sighed silently, then relaxed her body and leaned back against his chest.
The wet clothes wouldn't have soaked into her back so quickly, but Yun Sheng could clearly feel Xiao Xu's chest and abdomen tighten instantly.
She was about to tell him that everything was alright.
The next instant, Xiao Xu reached out first, his strong arms wrapping around her waist, almost imprisoning her, and pressed her against his chest.
Now, Yun Sheng felt his wet clothes seeping through her back.
Xiao Xu remained silent, but held her even tighter. Before long, the two arrived at the inn where they were staying in the light rain.
The area in front of the inn was in a mess, with their servants who had accompanied them on this trip, as well as some unfamiliar faces that Yun Sheng did not recognize.
When Mu Shan saw Xiao Xu riding over, he quickly came to his senses and called on the other servants to make preparations.
The horse stopped in front of the inn. Xiao Xu loosened his grip on the reins but did not let go of Yun Sheng.
Yun Sheng gently pushed his arm, but before she could say anything, he picked her up and dismounted from the horse.
The whole process was too fast. Yun Sheng felt dizzy and the words she was about to say turned into a gasp. As soon as the gasp fell, she landed steadily on the ground.
"That's enough, let me go..."
Whether it was a mistake in what she said or Xiao Xu's original intention, before Yun Sheng could finish speaking, he swept her up in his arms.
Yun Sheng's eyes widened in surprise. People were coming and going, and servants were busy. She didn't scream again, but she turned her head in embarrassment, facing Xiao Xu's wet chest, ashamed to face him.
It wasn't until Xiao Xu strode into the inn and was about to head up the stairs to the upper floor that she spoke, "I'm not injured. You don't need to carry me like this. I can walk by myself."
Xiao Xu didn't stop walking. He only glanced at her once before stepping onto the wooden stairs.
Yun Sheng looked directly at Xiao Xu's face once again.
After cycling this far, many crystal-clear water droplets accumulated on his head. A few drops slid down his forehead to the side and disappeared into his shoulders and neck.
His face was cold, his gaze was deep, and his eyes were still red. Upon closer inspection, one could see that his eyes were covered with fine red blood vessels, shrouded in a dark mist, whether from soreness or rain.
Yun Sheng pursed her lips, lowered her gaze, and said nothing more, letting Xiao Xu carry her upstairs to their guest room.
Once inside, Xiao Xu walked quickly to the bedside and put Yun Sheng down.
Just as Yun Sheng's bottom was about to hit the bed, she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered, "My clothes are still wet."
"I'll have someone remake the bed in a bit."
"From the teahouse outside the city to the inn," was the first thing Xiao Xu said.
His voice was low and hoarse, his tone slow and deliberate, carrying a strong sense of suffocation.
Yun Sheng felt a little guilty, like when she was a child and ran away to play, only to find her father standing in front of the door with a stern face when she got home.
She let go and lowered her head. Only when Xiao Xu completely placed her on the bed did she notice that her dress was not only soaked by the rain, but also had mud stains from who-knows-where, and even some dark red bloodstains, scattered at the bottom of the hem.
Yun Sheng caught a glimpse of Xiao Xu's gloomy face out of the corner of her eye and subconsciously reached out to shield herself.
Xiao Xu took her hand in his and easily moved it aside.
He knelt down in front of her, reaching out as if to do something, but Yun Sheng grabbed his hand and said, "I'm fine. You go take a bath and change your clothes first. Don't worry about me."
Xiao Xu removed her hand again, lowered his gaze, and slightly lifted her skirt: "Didn't you say you weren't injured?"
As he spoke, Xiao Xu pulled down her white socks, and Yun Sheng saw several red marks crisscrossing from her ankle to her calf. One of them had broken open, and blood was seeping out, staining the surrounding skin red.
Yun Sheng gasped slightly. Only when she saw it did she begin to feel a sharp pain.
"...Perhaps I was accidentally scratched by some vines while walking in the woods; I didn't notice it before."
Xiao Xu rolled up the hem of her socks, draped her skirt over her knees, and brought a small stool for her to rest her legs on. He then got up to get the first-aid kit.
Looking at Xiao Xu's soaking wet back, Yun Sheng couldn't help but say, "It's nothing, just a minor injury. I can take care of it myself."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Xu turned around with the medicine box in his hand.
His gaze lingered on her face for a moment, causing Yun Sheng to pause slightly and purse her lips without confidence.
Xiao Xu opened the medicine box and deftly took out clean cotton balls to treat the bloodstains on her legs.
Yun Sheng's heart tightened as she watched his movements. She held back her voice and didn't move, thinking that he probably wouldn't be so angry as to deliberately torture her wounds.
Xiao Xu's movements were not forceful, but Yun Sheng still felt a cold, stinging sensation.
She instinctively pulled her legs back, but Xiao Xu wrapped his arm tightly around her ankle. For a moment, she didn't know whether it was the pain from her wound or the pain from his grip.
After quickly treating her, Xiao Xu stood up again: "Take off your clothes."
Yun Sheng's eyes widened in shock, and she shrank back into the bed, saying, "No."
"I need to check if there are any other injuries."
Xiao Xu's expressionless face brought a sense of oppression.
Yun Sheng spoke in a softer voice than him: "No, that's all."
Xiao Xu glanced at the red and swollen cracks that were visible on her fair skin after she wiped away the blood: "You just said you weren't injured."
But there's such a big cut on my calf.
Yun Sheng also realized that she was in the wrong, but she should really not be injured again.
She glanced at the bloodstains on her skirt and explained, "This blood isn't mine. I used a dagger from the carriage to stab the bandits who kidnapped me."
Xiao Xu's pupils contracted, and he immediately stepped forward: "Take it off, let me see."
"..."
Seeing this, Yun Sheng hurriedly pulled her clothes together, but to no avail. Xiao Xu forcefully grabbed her wrist and pulled it away from her body once again.
Xiao Xu first pried open her fingers to examine her palm. There were some bloodstains on her palm, but they had been washed away by the rain. Now it looked completely intact, without any wounds.
Then he began to take off her outer clothes.
Yun Sheng's face flushed red and then turned pale, but in the end, embarrassment outweighed anger, and her whole face turned hot.
But actually, Xiao Xu's movements when taking off her clothes were very gentle, with a force that was easy to escape, probably because he was worried about accidentally touching any wounds on her body.
As Yun Sheng was thinking, when Xiao Xu helped her take off her clothes and found that she really had no more wounds on her body, she mustered up her temper and scolded him.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Xu took off her outer garment and lifted up her inner garment at the same time.
Yun Sheng's expression changed, and she involuntarily gasped in pain, "Hiss—"
Upon hearing the sound, Xiao Xu paused for a moment but did not let go. In the next instant, he completely lifted up her inner garment.
When Yun Sheng turned around, she was surprised to see a bruise on her waist.
Xiao Xu tightened his lips, avoiding the bruises as he untied the sash of her inner garment and took it off.
Yun Sheng was almost completely stripped naked, and soon she was left with only her underpants and a small shirt. She curled up on the bed with her legs tucked in, and the exposed skin revealed shocking injuries, making her look pitiful.
The marks on his waist were probably pinched or bruised when the bandit threw him onto the horse and jostled him.
She was speechless. Even when Xiao Xu skillfully took off her clothes, she didn't dare to resist at all.
The atmosphere was heavy. Xiao Xu remained silent, his face grim.
Just then, Cuizhu's soft voice came from outside the door: "Your Highness, the bath water is ready."
Xiao Xu got up and lowered the bed curtains: "Bring it in."
The door was opened gently, and several maids with their heads down quickly entered the room.
In a short while, a misty fog filled the room.
After the servants had all left, Xiao Xu reached out and picked up Yun Sheng.
He tried to avoid it with his arm, but he still inevitably touched some of the bruises on Yun Sheng's waist.
Yun Sheng nestled against his chest, frowning slightly in discomfort. Suddenly, she realized how strange people were. She hadn't noticed the wound at all before, but now that she knew about the bruises on her waist, even the slightest throbbing pain was unbearable.
But she quickly forgot about the strange pain. As Xiao Xu carried her naked out of the bed curtains, her instinctive shame caused her fair skin to gradually turn blush, like a fruit ripening in Xiao Xu's arms.
At this very moment, the man, who usually has a lot of quirky tastes, was surprisingly serious.
Moreover, his expression remained completely unchanged, and he didn't even cast a superfluous glance, making Yun Sheng feel that the shame she had been feeling on her own was even more unbearable.
A small bathhouse was simply partitioned off from the guest room using a screen.
Xiao Xu placed Yun Sheng into the rectangular bathtub and then lifted her injured leg to rest on the edge of the tub.
This posture was really indecent, and Yun Sheng subconsciously tried to close her knees, but he pressed down on her knees: "Don't get the wound wet."
These were the words Yun Sheng often said to Xiao Xu in the past, but now they have fallen back on her.
She suddenly understood what Xiao Xu meant when he always said it was just a minor injury and nothing to worry about.
But his injury was much more serious than hers; hers was really just a minor injury.
But Yun Sheng, seeing Xiao Xu's expression, just pursed her lips and didn't dare to say anything in defense.
This wasn't the first time Xiao Xu had bathed Yun Sheng.
Yun Sheng didn't know if he learned other things this quickly, but at least when it came to things related to intimacy between husband and wife, he was always exceptionally gifted. After one time, he became much more proficient the second time, and after that, it was as if he had been through countless battles.
As usual, he began washing her from her shoulders and neck.
When he touched her chest, Yun Sheng shrank back, but he caught her with one hand.
It seeped out from between his fingers as soft as snowflakes.
He glanced at her sideways, his voice calm yet almost admonishing: "What are you hiding for? Sit still and don't move."
Yun Sheng felt that he was doing it on purpose, punishing her for going out on her own and encountering danger.
But then she felt that with one of them looking disheveled and the other injured, there was no atmosphere of that kind of thing, and that it was her own mind that was tainted.
As he was thinking this, Xiao Xu started kneading the snowball.
"..."
Yun Sheng suppressed her uneven breathing. Looking down at the hand, she felt something was wrong. Looking up at Xiao Xu's indifferent face, she felt even more uncomfortable than when he first bathed her.
In a short while, Xiao Xu's hand continued to move, and her body went from stiff to soft, and then trembled slightly uncontrollably.
Xiao Xu's fingertip stopped on the right side of her lower abdomen, and she trembled violently.
Xiao Xu looked at her, his tone and expression unchanged: "Does it hurt here too?"
Yun Sheng: "...It doesn't hurt."
"Why are you shaking if it doesn't hurt?"
"It itches." Yun Sheng opened her mouth, but her voice was barely audible.
After she answered, Xiao Xu didn't say anything more, as if he hadn't heard her.
So his fingers kept moving in that spot, back and forth, as if about to leave, only to suddenly flick them back.
When he moved to the other side, Yun Sheng shuddered again.
This time, Xiao Xu didn't ask any questions, but said in a deep voice, "Bear with it, I'll rub it for you."
Yun Sheng had no idea where he had touched: "No need to rub, just wash up."
Looking at the purplish-blue bruise, Xiao Xu really had no desire to flirt with her.
He said seriously, "Even after washing, you still need to rub it. Let's rub it again after applying the medicated oil."
Yun Sheng then realized that he had touched the injured area on her waist.
She opened her eyes and looked at him with brimming eyes.
Xiao Xu lowered his gaze to meet her eyes, his eyes still inevitably darkening slightly due to the shimmering water.
He continued to bathe her, his fingers leaving the bruise and moving to the center of her lower abdomen.
Although Yun Sheng has a slender waist, her body is very soft, so she always felt that she was fat. With a gentle pinch of her lower abdomen, she could feel soft flesh that was different from other people's firm waists and abdomens.
This is especially evident when compared to Xiao Xu.
Even when his waist and abdomen are not taut, you can vaguely see the distinct muscle definition; when taut, they are even more solid and beautiful.
Yun Sheng seemed to be thinking in a direction she shouldn't be.
Xiao Xu pinched her, and she immediately felt a faint tingling sensation where his fingers were resting, which then seeped into her skin and blood.
Yun Sheng flinched again, her leg draped over the bathtub nearly slipping off, but Xiao Xu nimbly caught it with his other hand.
In this position, he could easily reach the crevice along the lower abdomen.
Yun Sheng's eyelashes fluttered: "No...not here."
"Why not?" Xiao Xu probed inside, hooking the wetness that was different from the texture of the bathwater, his face still serious.
Yun Sheng felt a chill run down her spine. She moved her lips, but tightened her throat, afraid that her voice would be a distorted sob.
She didn't answer, so Xiao Xu continued to wash her carefully.
After a while, just as Yun Sheng's patience was about to reach its limit, and she also felt that Xiao Xu's movements had slowed down, it seemed that he was about to finish washing this place.
Xiao Xu suddenly said quietly, "Sheng Sheng, how long am I supposed to wash like this?"
"……What?"
Yun Sheng spoke, her voice both hoarse and soft.
She opened her half-closed eyes again, her vision blurred by the mist, and heard the splashing sound of Xiao Xu's arm being pulled out of the water, and the dripping sound of water droplets falling.
Once her vision cleared, Xiao Xu's hand with its distinct knuckles appeared directly in front of her, his long, slender fingers glistening and sticky.
Yun Sheng's mind went blank for a moment, and she instantly became clear-headed.
"I...I'll wash it myself."
She turned slightly to the side, using her back to block Xiao Xu's view, and, enduring the shame, reached down with her hand.
Xiao Xu silently watched the blush spreading down her smooth back from the nape of her neck, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily.
After Yun Sheng finished bathing, Xiao Xu carried her to the bed: "Don't put on your clothes yet."
He left those words in a low voice and returned to the bathhouse.
Yun Sheng covered herself with the blankets, listening to the sound of water rising again in the bathhouse, the heat on her face lingering.
After Xiao Xu finished tidying himself up, he came out of the bathing room and saw no one on the bed, only a small mound.
He walked over slowly: "What are you doing?"
"Ouch!" Yun Sheng, who was covered by the blanket with her back to the outside of the bed, was startled by the sudden sound behind her.
She couldn't be seen from the outside, but inside she was in an extremely strange posture, and when startled, she lost her balance and fell forward.
Xiao Xu frowned slightly, a hint of doubt in his eyes.
He stepped forward and reached out to pat the part of the bed that was sticking out the highest through the blanket.
On the other end, Yun Sheng suddenly threw back the covers and turned around: "Why did you hit me?"
Xiao Xu snorted softly, wanting to say that she deserved to be hit.
"I thought I was patting your head."
As he said this, he reached out to pull back the covers.
In a panic, Yun Sheng quickly turned around, facing forward, and pulled the blanket tighter around herself.
“Open it,” Xiao Xu said.
"It's a bit cold," Yun Sheng explained softly.
Actually, I felt embarrassed and annoyed that I had actually listened to her and waited there without wearing any clothes.
She thought, even applying medicine doesn't require being naked.
Xiao Xu paused for a moment, then stopped insisting. He sat down on the edge of the bed, reached in, and pulled Yun Sheng's injured leg out, placing it on his own lap.
Looking at her now, the wound on her fair skin was still horrifying, and the surrounding faint red marks had begun to swell up.
After taking out the medicine powder, Xiao Xu pressed down on her ankle with his other hand.
Yun Sheng still didn't know why he was like this.
The next instant, the stinging pain of the medicine powder seeping into her wound made her instinctively try to jump up: "Ouch! Ouch! Ouch—"
Because her ankle was being held down, she couldn't use any strength in her leg, and apart from pitifully moaning, she couldn't lift herself up at all.
Xiao Xu continued moving, only glancing up lightly at the scene.
Yun Sheng quickly realized what was happening, and in the struggle, the blankets covering her body slipped down a little.
After the pain subsided, she pouted and pulled the blankets back up.
Yun Sheng felt Xiao Xu applying medicinal powder to the red marks around her wound, and those areas no longer hurt much.
The injury on her leg was really just a small scratch, not serious at all, and the medicine was applied quickly.
Xiao Xu released her ankle, and Yun Sheng also breathed a sigh of relief, but he suddenly stood up and grabbed the gap in the bedding.
Yun Sheng looked up with trembling eyes, completely stunned, when Xiao Xu pulled the blanket off her.
He stood by the bed, looking down at her: "Turn around and lie face down."
"you……"
"What are you thinking about when I apply ointment to your back injury?"
Yun Sheng blushed, her anger surging in her chest, but it eventually subsided weakly. She slowly turned around and lay down on the bed.
So that's why I told her not to wear clothes.
A strong aroma wafted from the opened bottle. Xiao Xu rubbed the medicinal oil in his palm and then placed it on her lower back.
Yun Sheng frowned, and her eyes gradually filled with tears.
This man showed no restraint; he was clearly using this as an opportunity to punish her.
"Be gentle," she finally couldn't help but say.
Xiao Xu said, "If you're too gentle, you won't be able to knead it properly."
Yun Sheng pursed her lips tightly, finding it unbearable to endure the soreness and stinging sensation.
Xiao Xu rubbed her for a while longer, then suddenly asked, "Did you leave the city alone today because you were angry with me?"
Yun Sheng didn't want to talk at all, but he brought up this matter that he had to discuss.
She could only grit her teeth and suppress her breathing as she mumbled, "...I'm not angry."
I was just feeling a bit down and thought going to a temple would help me relax.
She added, "He wasn't alone. He brought several servants with him."
"I apologize to you."
Yun Sheng was stunned, momentarily forgetting the pain, until he rubbed it again, then frowned again and heard him continue, "What happened yesterday was my fault. I don't doubt you, but I care."
"I care about it very much."
Yun Sheng suddenly remembered what the young man had said to her earlier that day.
The more you care, the more you mind.
Xiao Xu slowed down his movements, as if giving her a chance to answer.
Ke Yunsheng didn't know what to say, so she could only say, "Don't do that kind of thing again."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Xu abruptly stopped.
Yun Sheng's breath hitched slightly, and she instinctively turned around.
Xiao Xu waited there, until she turned her head and saw his eyes, before he spoke: "Even if he returns to the capital, I will still care."
"..."
His words left Yun Sheng speechless once again.
What could she say? Could she tell him not to care? She couldn't control his thoughts anyway.
Before Yun Sheng could say anything, Xiao Xu removed his hand from her waist.
"Alright, get up."
He abruptly ended what he had just said.
Yun Sheng was still a little dazed. She pulled the blanket up, covered herself, and looked at him with confusion.
Xiao Xu asked, "Are you hungry?"
Yun Sheng nodded.
"The fish that the restaurant sent is already cold, so it probably doesn't taste fresh anymore. I'll go and tell the inn to prepare some food."
Xiao Xu brought her clean clothes to the bedside: "If you feel cold, cover yourself with the blanket. Wait until the medicated oil dries completely before putting on your clothes."
Xiao Xu walked out of the guest room and quietly closed the door behind him.
Mu Shan, who had been waiting outside the door, immediately stepped forward upon seeing this and lowered his voice: "Your Highness, we've caught them."
Xiao Xu nodded slightly and gestured for him to lead the way.
Mu Shan led Xiao Xu towards the more secluded backyard of the inn. They passed through a passageway piled with miscellaneous items, at the end of which was an abandoned woodshed. The location was hidden away from the main building, and ordinary guests and servants would not easily come here.
Before they even got close, they heard a dull thud and suppressed cursing coming from inside: "Let me go! Who are you people? Are you accomplices of those bastards from before? Ha, with such low-down tricks, take off your masks if you dare! What kind of heroes are you, sneaking around like this!"
Mu Shan stopped in front of the door and looked at Xiao Xu.
Xiao Xu's face was expressionless as he slowly reached out and pushed open the wooden door.
The woodshed was dimly lit, with only a small window high up letting in a bit of daylight.
Xiao Ling's hands were tied behind his back, and his disguise was gone, revealing his original handsome and youthful face.
Hearing the sound, he suddenly raised his head, his sharp gaze piercing the tall figure standing against the light at the doorway.
Upon seeing the person's face clearly, the curse caught in his throat, leaving only a stunned murmur: "...Big Brother."
————————!!————————
The real drama won't happen until we return to the capital, but that's coming soon. Xiao Xu is already preparing to send his younger brother back to the capital to pay respects to his elder sister-in-law. Let's see if we can write about that in the next chapter.
If not, then the chapter after next [doge emoji]
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