Chapter 14 She is the wind you can't grasp. "You remind me of someone."...
Qi Baitong was still holding a flower hoe in his hand. He paused for a moment, then immediately stood up: "I'll go right now."
He returned quickly, taking long strides, causing the water in the wooden basin to churn and splash out, wetting his sleeves.
Qi Baitong stopped awkwardly in front of Gu Shanyue: "Miss, where are you washing your hair?"
Gu Shanyue casually pointed, and Qi Baitong placed the wooden basin under the eaves, set up a small stool, and then looked at Gu Shanyue, looking slightly at a loss.
As a secret guard of the Imperial City's Inner Guard, he had done many things, but he had never washed anyone else's hair, let alone a woman's.
Gu Shanyue got up and sat down, dressed in thin clothes, with a clear and elegant appearance.
Under the clear sunlight, she moved with a carefree air. Qi Baitong looked at her as if she had wandered into the mountains and fields, parting a clump of lush green leaves to reveal a secluded valley and a clear spring, carrying a sense of ethereal lightness that did not belong to the filthy world.
Gu Shanyue casually gathered her hair in front of her, her long eyelashes lifted, and Qi Baitong inexplicably took a small step back.
Gu Shanyue beckoned to him: "Come here."
Qi Baitong averted her gaze and silently stepped forward: "Miss."
"You keep calling me 'girl, girl,' don't I have a name?" Gu Shanyue asked, puzzled. "Besides, you've become my disciple, so why don't you call me 'master'?"
Qi Baitong opened his mouth, but under Gu Shanyue's undisguised gaze, he finally gave in.
"Master."
"Anything else?"
"Master, your disciple knows his mistake."
Gu Shanyue smiled and mimicked the tone of the old man she had once met: "My good disciple, come and wash your master's hair."
"..."
A helpless smile flashed in Qi Baitong's eyes.
He rolled up his sleeves, squatted down in front of Gu Shanyue, reached out his hand, but was too afraid to touch Gu Shanyue. He only splashed the water and pinched the wooden ladle that was floating on the water.
Gu Shanyue noticed his restraint and was very puzzled: "You can move freely and remain expressionless even when you're whipped, but you're so reluctant to wash my hair?"
Qi Baitong pressed down on the wooden ladle floating on the water's surface and whispered, "No."
"Not what?"
“It’s not difficult, I just…” Qi Baitong paused for a moment before slowly saying, “I have never done such a thing.”
Like a wolf that has never had enough to eat, when it encounters food falling from the sky, it feels both joy and fear.
"Won't your mother let you help her wash her hair?"
Gu Shanyue asked, when she was a child, her senior sister would always take her with her when she washed her hair, even though she always caused trouble.
“I have no mother,” Qi Baitong answered quickly.
"Then who gave birth to you?" Gu Shanyue pressed.
"...I am an orphan and have never seen my parents. I have been in the Imperial City Guard since I can remember."
Qi Baitong lowered his eyes slightly, his expression calm; such words could no longer stir any emotion within him.
“Then you are very similar to me. I have never met my parents either,” Gu Shanyue said, her face showing no trace of worry, and she even smiled. “But I am not an orphan. I have a senior sister. She raised me.”
"Your relationship is wonderful, isn't it?"
Qi Baitong looked at Gu Shanyue. He remembered the case of kidnapping the crown prince that shocked the entire capital twelve years ago.
A vast army, swords dripping with blood.
The young swordswoman, still quite young, took away the Empress's body and the young Crown Prince.
Even if the emperor intended to suppress the matter, there were too many witnesses, and the story was too bizarre. Especially with the intentional or unintentional promotion by people in the martial arts world, the matter had become a well-known secret.
“My senior sister raised and taught me. There was only her and me on Zhuoguang Mountain. She was my only family in the world.”
Gu Shanyue gazed into the distance, as if staring at a bird that was no longer visible.
Qi Baitong opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say. In such moments, people usually say something to comfort him.
But he doesn't.
He looked a little silly as he opened his mouth but couldn't speak. Gu Shanyue smiled, bent down, and tossed his long black hair down.
"Go ahead and wash."
"good."
Before Qi Baitong arrived, she had scalded her calloused hands in hot water several times, afraid that the rough calluses on her hands would scratch her.
Unexpectedly, the two chatted for a while, and Qi Baitong looked at her reddened hands and rubbed them back and forth vigorously.
Fortunately, the water temperature was set high at the time, so the cocoons hadn't hardened yet.
He carefully combed Gu Shanyue's hair, making it neat, and then used a wooden spoon to wet it little by little.
Gu Shanyue's long hair, when loose, reached past her waist; the strands were so thick that it was difficult to dredge it with water.
Qi Baitong patiently parted her hair, wetting it strand by strand with meticulous care.
Gu Shanyue lay there for a while, then her back started to ache, so she pressed on the edge of the wooden basin to get up and rest.
As soon as she moved, her hair scattered and water droplets flew everywhere. Qi Baitong quickly gathered her hair.
"Master... what's wrong?"
"My back aches," Gu Shanyue said.
Qi Baitong secretly regretted not being careful. After glancing at the two of them, she immediately said, "If you lie on your back, you won't have to bend over."
As he was speaking, he was about to grab the stool next to him when Gu Shanyue placed her hands on his knees and lay back directly on his legs.
Qi Baitong froze, his fingers still an inch away from the stool. His fingertips trembled slightly, and he slowly clenched his fist and pulled it back.
"This way it's really not tiring."
Gu Shanyue shifted on his legs, the back of her neck resting on his knee, providing ample support so she could lie down effortlessly.
"That's good."
Qi Baitong snapped out of her daze, lowered her eyes, and was able to look directly at Gu Shanyue's face.
She seemed to find it novel, constantly moving around and adjusting her position, truly treating Qi Baitong as an oblivious chair.
"Master..."
"Um?"
Gu Shanyue raised her eyes, looking up from his lean waist and abdomen to his heaving chest, to his red neck with his Adam's apple bobbing, and then to his cold, pale, and gloomy face.
“You’re quite pretty,” Gu Shanyue suddenly said.
"Um?"
Caught off guard, Qi Baitong instantly forgot what she had prepared to say.
Gu Shanyue reached out and poked his cheek, leaving a small dimple on his lips.
"Smile for me."
This unrestrained demeanor is like that of a dissolute young master flirting with a young girl, yet Gu Shanyue still possesses such an ethereal and serene face, always ready to make a startling statement.
Qi Baitong gently curved the corners of her mouth.
Dissatisfied, Gu Shanyue reached out with her other hand and poked his other cheek.
"That won't work, smile again."
Her tone was like that of a stubborn child; even though it was a command, it didn't offend anyone.
Qi Baitong had heard countless orders and seen many hypocritical people putting on airs, but Gu Shanyue was different from them.
He liked how Gu Shanyue treated him.
Qi Baitong smiled, revealing two tiger teeth, instantly transforming a cold and stern bodyguard into a handsome young man.
Gu Shanyue released his hand, a smile appearing on his face.
“It looks good this way,” she said.
Qi Baitong didn't speak, but only lowered her eyes.
But this time, lowering his eyes was useless; even with his eyes downcast, he still saw Gu Shanyue.
Her eyes blinked, and her smile was bright.
Qi Baitong's hand trembled, and the water in the wooden spoon spilled out, not wetting Gu Shanyue's hair, but soaking his own sleeves.
"How can you be so dense?" Gu Shanyue teased him.
Qi Baitong smiled slightly, a hint of shyness in her eyes, and shook her head without saying a word.
Qi Baitong was always extremely ruthless to herself, but she was extremely gentle to Gu Shanyue, not even hurting a single hair on her head.
The morning breeze was refreshing, and her hair was being rinsed with warm water. Qi Baitong moved very gently, and Gu Shanyue was so comfortable that she almost wanted to sleep some more.
Unfortunately, I just slept for a whole night and I really can't fall asleep.
She half-closed her eyes and suddenly felt that the meticulous care Qi Baitong had taken in washing her hair was just like how she had cleaned Wugou's hair.
This idea pleased her greatly.
After washing his hair, Gu Shanyue still didn't move. Qi Baitong, in the same position, used a dry cloth to hold Gu Shanyue's hair and gently wiped away the moisture.
He cups his hair, gently wipes it, then cups another clump of hair, gently wiping it again… This simple action brings him peace of mind, as if he could keep wiping it like this forever, without ever getting tired or bored.
The fragrance of hibiscus leaves was so faint as to be almost undetectable, and as the sun slowly rose higher, it released a faint mist of steam.
Gu Shanyue sniffed the air: "You added hibiscus leaves?"
"Hibiscus leaves are good for clearing heat and nourishing hair, and they don't have a strong smell, so I put them there without permission," Qi Baitong explained.
Seeing that Gu Shanyue had no sachet or incense on her, he figured she probably didn't like strong-smelling hair products, so he only put hibiscus leaves on her.
Gu Shanyue opened his closed eyes and suddenly met Qi Baitong's gaze.
Qi Baitong's eyes flickered: "You don't like it?"
Gu Shanyue shook her head: "You look a lot like someone."
Qi Baitong's eyes froze, stunned.
Gu Shanyue got up from his lap, shook her half-dry long hair, and walked outside.
Qi Baitong remained seated, holding the cloth he had used to dry her hair, watching her retreating figure.
Gu Shanyue turned around: "Let's go, let's go see a play."
"good."
Qi Baitong stood up and followed her. When they went out the door, she realized that she was still clutching the wet cloth in her hand.
Gu Shanyue's hair was casually loose, the ends of which fluttered in the wind like willow branches, sweeping past the white paulownia tree.
He subconsciously reached out his hand, and a dark, wet, hairy fish leaped over, lightly touched his palm, and then disappeared.
You can never catch the wind.
Qi Baitong clenched the cloth in his palm, picked it up where Gu Shanyue couldn't see, and smelled it.
The scent of hibiscus leaves—that's what he chose for her.
The scent was very faint; even on her, you had to get very close to smell it to detect it.
Regardless of whether he resembles someone else or not, she must be satisfied with him at this moment.
"Paulownia lacquer?"
He lagged a few steps behind, and Gu Shanyue turned around to call him, just in time to see Qi Baitong's hand emerge from his chest.
Gu Shanyue asked, "What are you doing, scratching an itch?"
After a moment of silence, Qi Baitong nodded with difficulty: "Yes."
"You can even scratch an itch."
Gu Shanyue asked in surprise. Having seen Qi Baitong ignore his injuries, she thought his skin was less sensitive than others and he couldn't feel pain or itching.
Qi Baitong: "...Yes."
"Let's go."
Gu Shanyue leaped into the air, his toes barely touching the top of the wall, as light as a bird taking flight.
Qi Baitong gathered his strength and followed closely behind her. For a while, he could only follow far behind, like a silent shadow.
Now he can stand shoulder to shoulder with her, heading towards their destination together.
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