98 Chapter Ninety-Eight
His extremely handsome face looked somewhat comical.
Chapter Ninety-Eight
This was truly a close call; Xie Lang burned for three days straight and showed no signs of waking up.
Liu Qingqing stayed by Xie Lang's side day and night, taking care of him without taking off her clothes. She had only been away from the capital for four or five days, yet her clothes were already loose.
Without relying on others, he personally watched over and took care of Xie Lang.
It was as if he had returned to the time when they first got married, when he was also seriously injured and was secretly carried back to the mansion.
Fearing that others would find out, he hid it in the main room of Jialan Garden and took good care of it.
That seemed to be the first time they had spent day and night together, and it was after that that things changed between them.
Only after she came in person did she realize that there is no such thing as a smooth and easy path to success. Even Xie Lang's family background was earned through real fighting and risking his life.
He never talks about how difficult things are for him outside, as if everything is easy for him.
Liu Qingqing realized that she didn't know him that well either.
He is such a brave and resolute man in the outside world.
He was cautious and timid in her presence, only wanting her gaze and her forgiveness.
Liu Qingqing felt a pang of sadness and was deeply distressed.
I deeply regret not giving him a straight answer when we parted in Yingcheng.
Her willingness to return to the capital means she's willing to give each other a chance!
He's quick-witted and adept at handling official matters, with a knack for maneuvering. But between the two of them, he's utterly clueless!
Why didn't she say something to reassure him before?
Maintaining a haughty demeanor and being unable to save face—how is that any different from his foolish actions back then?
What's different?
Liu Qingqing was worried and annoyed. Like a flower without nutrients and sunlight, she withered quickly and became pale and haggard.
Like a kite in the sky, it will disappear with a gust of wind.
Xie Wu felt anxious. If the master woke up and saw how thin and haggard the lady was, he would be heartbroken!
This is the apple of everyone's eye!
If the lady falls again, when the master wakes up, they won't even be able to come back with their heads!
He could only beg his wife to have some food.
Liu Qingqing knew their good intentions, drank the chicken soup, but couldn't eat anything else.
Xie Wu was so anxious that he had no choice but to ask the divine doctor to brew some nourishing soup for his wife.
The miracle doctor came several times a day, but his brow furrowed deeper and deeper, almost leaving a furrow between his brows.
He shook his head and sighed, "If the blood stasis in Lord Xie's body is not removed, he will not wake up for a while."
He glanced at Xie Wu, whose eyes were bloodshot, then at the frail woman who seemed lost in thought. He couldn't believe that such a young girl would risk going down the mountain to search for someone. As a member of the Regent's Palace, he knew some of the inside story, which made him feel even more sorry for her. This girl was only about the same age as his granddaughter; she was still just a child.
He couldn't help but comfort her, "Lord Xie has always been resolute and has survived so many dangerous situations. Good people are always blessed by heaven, and he will be fine this time as well."
A sense of despair filled Liu Qingqing's eyes. She accepted the doctor's kindness and said, "Thank you for your kind words."
But as the sun rose and set, Xie Lang still hadn't woken up.
During the day, apart from Xie Wu delivering meals and medicine, the military tent was very quiet.
The cold wind howled outside, and the thick military tents blocked out the wind and snow, but could not block out the loud noise.
Fortunately, the sound of the wind masked her sobs.
Liu Qingqing stood beside Xie Lang, holding his hand. It was rare for her to be so quiet, and she reflected on their journey together.
In fact, given her current state of mind, even if she had heard him say "inferior to Qingying" from behind the study, she would never have ended up like this. She would definitely have to ask him where he was inferior and what nonsense he was spouting.
But at that time, she took him and love too seriously, being overly cautious and afraid of arousing his disgust, as if he were the only person in the square courtyard of the Marquis's mansion.
Later, he gave up and simply left.
He is usually very stubborn, and sometimes he doesn't even speak up.
She can now see clearly that he did have feelings for her back then.
Later, he became obsessed again, and the roles reversed, with him valuing love more.
They missed each other's most passionate moments, one after the other, which is truly a pity.
His palms were deeply marked from gripping the "Nothing to Worry" sign, and the marks hadn't faded for several days.
Just when I had finally gotten rid of the scar, a new one appeared.
"Fool."
She scolded him, but tears fell.
Feeling dizzy and lightheaded, I felt utterly exhausted from trying to keep going.
She lay beside him, touching his pale cheek. "When will you wake up? Why aren't you awake yet?"
The scabs on her fingertips, where she had been scratched by a dry twig, rubbed against his skin.
"What should I do if you don't wake up?"
Finally, someone couldn't live without her. After parting ways in Yingcheng, they hadn't even had a proper chat about what would happen next.
God was so cruel to her.
Liu Qingqing took his hand, pressed her cheek against it, and slowly closed her eyes. The warmth of his palm made her eyes sting even more. She fell asleep like that, nestled against him; his slight body heat was the only comfort she found in this icy wasteland.
She slept restlessly, her damp eyelashes trembling gently in his palm. Finally, the man's jade-like fingers moved.
Perhaps God heard her prayers, for she finally received good news when she woke up the next day.
The renowned physician came to examine Xie Lang's pulse as usual, but today, as soon as he touched Xie Lang's pulse, his eyebrows and eyes relaxed.
"The Gu worm inside Lord Xie's body has done a good job, actually devouring all the stagnant blood in his body!"
The renowned physician was overjoyed, "It seems Lord Xie will wake up soon!"
Upon hearing this, the anxiety that had been building for days vanished instantly.
Liu Qingqing collapsed beside him, and in an instant, the military tent was thrown into chaos again.
The old doctor quickly took her pulse and breathed a sigh of relief. "It's nothing serious. She was just overthinking things and hadn't rested at all. She's exhausted herself. She'll be fine after a couple of days of rest."
The old doctor looked at them, stroked his beard, and said, "This young couple is very affectionate. It would be unpleasant to separate them suddenly. Let's put a screen between the tents and let your wife get a good night's sleep. Otherwise, the light will dazzle her eyes."
Xie Wu did as instructed, displaying remarkable resourcefulness. He somehow managed to move a semi-transparent gauze screen and then placed another military bed on the other side of the screen. Fearing the candlelight would flicker on his wife, Xie Wu also draped a long robe over the screen.
After settling the lady in and carefully examining the official, Xie Wu and Xie Liu withdrew.
Exhausted, Liu Qingqing collapsed and fell into a deep sleep, where she dreamt. In her dream, she returned to her first day as a bride in the Marquis's mansion, dressed in a bright red wedding gown, holding his hand as they crossed the mansion's gates…
When Xie Lang woke up, he thought he was at the bottom of a cliff. His muscles were tense. Before he even opened his eyes, he reached out to find the long sword beside him, but he found nothing.
Sensing something was wrong, he opened his eyes and found himself in a military tent.
Xie Lang calmed himself down and pressed his swollen temples. He hadn't expected them to find him; they were quite capable. They had done a good job saving his life. He would have to reward them handsomely later.
The next moment, he felt his palm was empty. He hurriedly looked around and found the "Nothing Happened" plaque under the pillow. He took it back into his palm and examined it carefully.
Very good, no damage, it wasn't broken.
Holding it in my hand and playing with it, I was far away from her, and could only use this little "nothing to do" plaque to ease my longing.
Looking around, I didn't notice anything unusual. But glancing to one side, I wondered when and why a new screen had been added.
He had no idea what year it was, how many days he had been unconscious, or how the war was progressing.
Lifting the covers, Xie Lang tried to get off the military bed, but despite his efforts, he couldn't stand up for a moment.
Xie Lang frowned. This was truly beyond his expectations. Fortunately, his wife was unaware.
The only option was to call out for help.
Hearing the noise, Xie Wu immediately lifted the tent flap, and a cold wind rushed in.
Hearing the commotion, Xie Wu, who was waiting outside, thought that his wife wanted something. He had just called out "husband" when he saw that his master was sitting there perfectly fine. His eyes instantly turned red!
Xie Liu reacted quickly, "Quickly close the tent, don't catch a cold."
The adult is dressed in white, and having just recovered from a serious injury, how could he dare to get cold!
The two hurried inside and heard the master cough twice. Xie Wu quickly took down the brocade robe that was placed on the screen and draped it over the master.
Before Xie Wu and Xie Liu could speak, the official asked, "How is the war going?"
"Your Excellency, our army has won a great victory. The vanguard has split into three routes and driven into their royal court, forming an encirclement."
The Northern Qiang army was demoralized and could not hide its defeat.
With Xie Lang's scheme to eliminate all of their high-ranking generals, they are now leaderless and their frantic fighting is nothing but a dead end; they won't last long.
That's good.
Xie Lang nodded, then asked, "How many days have I been unconscious?"
"It has been five days since the lord returned from the bottom of the cliff."
Xie Lang nodded upon hearing this.
"Did you not tell your family about my injury?"
Xie Lang frowned. "Don't tell Madam about such a trivial matter, lest she worry."
Xie Lang took it as nothing out of the ordinary. He had practiced martial arts since childhood and served in the army in his youth, suffering countless injuries, both major and minor. He didn't take this one seriously. Of course, at first he thought he was going to die here, but he was worried about his wife. He had finally managed to get her to turn back, and he couldn't give up so easily!
The injury will heal in a few days, and by then it will be about time to return to the capital. He will return safely, and I think the lady will not notice anything amiss.
In this situation, there's no need for the lady to worry.
I wanted to soften her heart, but I was worried she would cry when the time came.
Xie Lang shook his head and said, "Never mind."
Xie Wu and Xie Liu exchanged a glance, then looked at the quiet screen.
When the master wakes up, all he talks about is the war and his wife. This is a good thing; his wife will surely be happy to hear this.
But... they both felt that the lady wouldn't be happy to hear this.
After a short while, Xie Lang felt tired. He was injured again. He glanced at the screen and could vaguely see a military bed on the other side.
Perhaps it was convenient for Xie Wu to sleep there so he could take care of him, as had happened before, so Xie Lang didn't think much of it.
He had just caught his breath when he looked up again and saw Xie Wu and Xie Liu frozen in place.
What are you spacing out for?
Xie Wu choked up: "You don't know, sir?"
Xie Lang: "Know what?"
Xie Wu glanced secretly behind the screen.
"Where did you find me? Who found me? I must thank you for saving my life."
Xie Wu: "..."
Xie Liu: "..."
Both of them remained silent.
Xie Lang added, "I've been preoccupied with the war lately and haven't written to my wife. I wonder if she's worried? Has General Ying not returned to the capital recently?"
Xie Wu: "...didn't reply."
Xie Lang nodded: "It's good that they haven't replied. Quickly bring me pen and ink, I'll write a letter to my wife. Also, send someone to inquire if any of the military generals have daughters of marriageable age, and introduce them to General Ying. If a suitable one is found, I'll also send him a letter."
Xie Wu: "Cough, cough."
Xie Lang lifted his eyelids: "What are you coughing about? Have you caught a cold? Go find the army doctor to take a look."
After pausing, he instructed the two, "This time you must keep it a secret from the capital, especially from the madam."
After a long while, neither of them responded. Xie Lang frowned, just about to say that these two boys needed to be taught a lesson, when he heard a soft rustling sound from behind the screen.
"who?!"
Xie Lang said solemnly.
Then he heard a series of light footsteps. Xie Lang was first surprised and then astonished, almost thinking that he had misheard.
How could this be?
That was clearly Qingqing's footsteps.
Just as he was hesitating, the face he had been longing for appeared from behind the screen.
Xie Lang was utterly astonished, his narrow phoenix eyes widening into cat-like pupils. His extremely handsome face now looked somewhat comical.
[Author's Note]
Next chapter preview:
Their fates had long been intertwined.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
