Wei Li lay on his back on the reeds, casually picked up a reed stem and put it in his mouth.
I think it's because I lost too much blood; my eyelids are heavy now, and I feel sleepy all the time.
But in such cold weather, he might fall asleep and never wake up again, so he tugged at the strip of cloth covering his wound, letting the pain stimulate him to stay awake.
"Zhao Xiheng, if you really run away, you'll probably be torn to pieces by those wild beasts before I even find you." Wei Li crossed his long legs and half-closed his eyes.
"So don't run around unnecessarily."
Wei Li's words were partly intended to intimidate her.
Although Pingzhou has many mountains, it also has a large population. Unless you are walking in deep forests like this, you generally won't encounter those beasts.
If it gets late, you can ask any family for lodging and they won't refuse.
The people of Pingzhou are mostly kind and simple.
Of course, this is on the premise that the person staying at the hotel is not Wei Li.
Zhao Xiheng kept her head turned away, remaining mostly silent. The orange-yellow firelight bathed her in a golden glow, making her appear remarkably calm and serene despite the harsh environment. She pulled her shawl tighter, revealing only her eyes. The frost on her eyelashes melted from the fire, and drops rolled down her long, thin lashes as if she were shedding tears.
Wei Li unconsciously bit the stem of a reed and stared at her for a long while.
He couldn't quite describe the feeling in his heart; it was as if ants were biting him in tiny, dense bites, which hurt a lot, but the toxins secreted from the ants' saliva also made his heart feel hot and itchy.
A burst of white light flashed before his eyes, so bright that even the sun, the only source of heat, seemed blinding. Wei Li shielded his eyes with his hand and turned his head to look at Zhao Xiheng. Suddenly, his vision blurred again, and he could only make out that Zhao Xiheng was huddled by the fire, shivering.
Zhao Xiheng was truly a sorry sight. On the cold river surface littered with corpses, she wore filthy clothes, with stray strands of hair peeking out from under her shawl. She looked nothing like a princess.
This is exactly what Wei Li wanted to see, but it's still not enough.
He beckoned to Zhao Xiheng, "Come here."
Zhao Xiheng was so hungry that her stomach ached, and she didn't hear him speak.
She fed all the sugar cakes in her arms to the horses, and now that she thinks about it, it really hurts.
Wei Li called her twice, but she didn't respond. His face immediately darkened, and he grabbed her wrist and dragged her over.
Zhao Xiheng felt a sharp pain in her wrist and was then pulled into Wei Li's arms.
He had lost too much blood, and his chest, which had been as hot as a small furnace, had turned cold. Zhao Xiheng could feel his chin resting on her head, and then he used a lot of force to pull her into his arms.
"Warm me up." Perhaps feeling his face was cold, he rested his chin on Zhao Xiheng's shoulder again, his face almost touching the crook of her neck.
Zhao Xiheng could feel his breath spraying on the skin of her neck, a tingling sensation that made her hair stand on end.
She tried to move, but found she couldn't break free at all. Only then did she realize just how vast the difference in strength was between her and Wei Li. Even though he was so badly injured, he could easily restrain her.
Zhao Xiheng sighed and tried to turn her head away.
Okay, let him hug me if he wants. It'll be warmer for the two of us to squeeze together.
Wei Li's body temperature rose quickly, becoming extremely hot, even more so than usual.
Although Zhao Xiheng felt warm, something didn't feel right.
She called softly, "My lord?"
Wei Li's head was still buried in the crook of her neck, and he didn't move at all.
Zhao Xiheng pulled her hand away and laboriously pressed it against Wei Li's forehead. It was burning hot, but Wei Li himself was completely unaware of her action.
Zhao Xiheng rubbed her hands together; they were too cold to tell whether Wei Li had a fever or not, but she was certain that he had fainted.
Zhao Xiheng pulled up the shawl covering her forehead, revealing her snow-white and full forehead, and then placed a corner of it on Wei Li's forehead.
Sure enough, it was as hot as a small stove.
She sighed again, thinking how well Wei Li had acted. He could have fainted in the next moment, but he could still maintain his fierce demeanor just a moment ago.
Zhao Xiheng placed her hand on Wei Li's stomach and let out a satisfied sigh; it felt so warm.
I don't know if Wei Li will die, but if someone as wicked as him dies, everyone will feel relieved.
As soon as Wei Li died, she ran away, no longer afraid that the old beast would take his anger out on others.
The lieutenant returned carrying two cleaned chickens.
Because there was no hot water, the chicken couldn't shed its feathers, and its skin was covered with feather follicles and remaining feathers. He could only use a knife to cut off the chicken skin and head.
Upon returning and seeing this scene, he blushed and turned away as if nothing had happened.
Wow! Is their relationship progressing so fast?
Zhao Xiheng was so hungry her stomach felt like it was about to perforate. Even though Wei Li was as warm as lava, Zhao Xiheng didn't want to be pinned down by him any longer.
She quickly stretched out a short hand from under Wei Li and called out, "Deputy General, your lord has fainted. Come and help him up."
The lieutenant threw down the two bald chickens and rushed forward to investigate.
Wei Li's hands were still wrapped around Zhao Xiheng's waist. The deputy general used all his strength, sweat beading on his forehead, to pry her off.
“Princess, we can’t stay here any longer. We need to find a place to stay. My lord needs medicine.”
The deputy general looked at Zhao Xiheng, but there was little anxiety in his eyes; it was as if he was simply stating a fact.
Judging from his expression, Zhao Xiheng felt no concern for Wei Li, unlike an ordinary subordinate who was fiercely loyal to his lord.
She swallowed hard. Although she didn't like Wei Li, she suddenly felt a chill. In Pingzhou, even his deputy general didn't care about his life or death at all.
If Wei Li were to die, she would surely pack her bags and run away with great joy. But what about Wei Li's subordinates? Would they remain as indifferent as this deputy general?
If that's the case, then Wei Li's life is truly tragic.
Zhao Xiheng maintained this chilling feeling, which even halved her hunger. She helped the deputy general help Wei Li onto his horse, and the two of them...
No, it was two people plus a half-dead person crossing the river and heading towards the town ahead.
The lieutenant's face was red from the cold. He turned to look at Zhao Xiheng, who was lost in thought, and said, "Princess, don't worry, our lord will not die. He will be back to his old self by the day after tomorrow at the latest."
Zhao Xiheng tilted her head slightly and looked at Wei Li, who was half-dead on the horse. Blood was seeping from his arm and dripping down.
Even in this state, I can barely believe you if you tell me he can live.
But you're telling me he'll be jumping around like a madman the day after tomorrow?
Are you serious?
Zhao Xiheng's words were written all over his face, but the deputy general remained resolute and offered no explanation. He simply turned away to continue leading the horse, leaving Zhao Xiheng with a determined look at the back of his head.
"He's not a god," Zhao Xiheng couldn't help but mutter under her breath.
The deputy general was clearly aware of Wei Li's reputation in Pingzhou, so he did not take them to the official post station. Fortunately, although Wei Li was universally hated in Pingzhou, not many people had actually seen him, so the three of them managed to find a post station to stay in relatively smoothly.
When the innkeeper saw the three of them push open the door and enter, he was first startled, then quickly went to greet them, "Oh dear, you're so badly injured? What happened on the way?"
Without waiting for Zhao Xiheng and the others to give any instructions, he asked his wife to find a doctor and then welcomed them to the backyard.
The lieutenant's eyes were full of vigilance, and he pursed his lips, not saying a word.
Zhao Xiheng, still wrapped in her clothes, tried to smooth things over, saying, "We encountered a wild beast coming down from the mountain in search of food. Could the innkeeper help us get some hot water and a couple of clean sets of clothes?"
Now that we're in town, we absolutely must keep Wei Li's identity a secret. Otherwise, given his terrible interpersonal relationships, if someone finds out he's seriously injured, they'll probably try to assassinate him through his window in the middle of the night.
Assassination is one thing, but the real problem is that she came in to stay with Wei Li and the deputy general, making her vulnerable to being implicated.
"Hey, I'm going right now. It must have been bitten by a tiger. Black bears hibernate in winter, but these things like that like to cause trouble for people." The shopkeeper readily agreed and hurried off to prepare the items, muttering to himself as he went.
When the doctor came to examine Wei Li's injuries, Zhao Xiheng was so hungry that her stomach was churning, so she simply ignored him and went to the inn's kitchen to find something to eat.
The deputy general changed his clothes and sat upright by Wei Li's bedside. Zhao Xiheng glanced at him before leaving, and on her way to the kitchen, the word "unreliable" kept floating in her mind.
The deputy general's attitude that "Wei Li's injury is minor and he'll definitely be fine" made Zhao Xiheng a little worried that he might not take the doctor's words to heart.
Fine, she is your master after all. If you don't care, how can you expect an outsider like her to care?
She quickened her pace and dashed into the kitchen.
The boss's wife heated up a few sticky rice cakes for her and served her a bowl of blueberry rice wine.
"It's cold, warm yourself up, the rice wine won't have much of an aftereffect."
Zhao Xiheng's mouth was stuffed full, but she forced a smile and nodded at her.
"What a good girl." The boss's wife patted Zhao Xiheng's hair. "Go to sleep early after you finish eating, and don't think too much."
Her hands were warm, and Zhao Xiheng couldn't help but rub them against her. "Okay."
After Zhao Xiheng had eaten and drunk her fill, she took a few sticky fire spoons and delivered them to her deputy general.
Wei Li lay on the bed, his body wrapped in white gauze, and the narrow room was filled with the smell of medicine.
Zhao Xiheng glanced at Wei Li, whose face was pale. He lay there, all his sharp edges removed, and for a moment he looked very docile, like a child.
She put her things down, and the lieutenant blocked her way with a blank expression. "Princess, please make the most of this room tonight and wait for the lord to wake up before making further arrangements."
Zhao Xiheng ground her back teeth together, making a grinding sound, and looked at him with her bright eyes, trying to keep her voice down, "I need to take a shower now, I need to get my teeth cleaned, I need to wash my face, are you not letting me leave?"
The stubborn lieutenant continued to block with his sword, saying, "I'm only doing this to prevent the princess from escaping in the middle of the night."
Zhao Xiheng was so angry she laughed. "You're really honest," she said, pointing at Wei Li on the bed. "Your master is lying in bed. You're not worried about whether he'll survive, but you're worried about whether I'll run away in the middle of the night? You weren't worried about me running away when I went downstairs to eat, but now you're worried?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com