Chapter 3

Huilin and Qi Xinglan returned to the wilderness that they had just reclaimed from the Xiongnu. The trees were sparse and most of the short grass had turned to dead grass.

Actually, there was nothing fun about it, but Qi Xinglan hadn't seen the outside scenery for a long time, so everything she saw was new to her.

"Go back to Lin, let's have a horse race. I'll show you my strength!"

Yan Cheng was standing aside. When he heard Qi Xinglan spontaneously read out their king's name, he looked over in fear, only to see the king raising his head and laughing as if he was used to it. "Okay, what if you lose?"

Qi Xinglan thought about it, looked at him and said, "What if I win?"

"If I win...we can get married according to the customs of the Central Plains, okay?"

Hui Lin was a little surprised. He didn't expect Qi Xinglan to say that. He thought Qi Xinglan would take this opportunity to delay the wedding. "Okay, let's do as you say."

The horse race started, and the two started almost at the same time. In the early stage, they were very nervous, but they were always side by side.

But gradually, Hui Lin showed signs of surpassing Qi Xinglan and was even several steps ahead of him.

Qi Xinglan was not in a hurry and was very calm. Huilin had been riding a horse on the grassland since he was a child. It would be too embarrassing if he were to lose to a person from the Central Plains.

Qi Xinglan never thought that she could really win from the beginning, so she didn't care that much about the outcome.

But the result is surprising——

Qixinglan won.

He was not stupid. He knew without thinking that Hui Lin must have let him win on purpose. He had calculated everything well and was only a few steps behind him.

Qi Xinglan hated being let off the hook the most in his life. How was this any different from looking down on him?

So his face darkened, and without even thinking about returning to the forest, he pulled the reins and turned back.

Hui Lin saw that Qi Xinglan was angry, so he quickly put away his smile and rode his horse to chase after her.

Yan Cheng didn't understand, and didn't know why Qi Xinglan was still angry even though he won. He could only lead the team and follow behind the two of them.

"Lan'er! Lan'er, wait a minute!" Hui Lin did not hide his strength this time, and caught up with Qi Xinglan's horse in two or three steps.

Qi Xinglan frowned and looked at him, "You were going pretty fast, weren't you? Why did you suddenly slow down just now?"

Hui Lin still didn't tell the truth, he just said: "I was a little tired at that time, so I slowed down and thought about taking a rest!"

Seeing that Qi Xinglan still ignored him, Hui Lin came to him. Qi Xinglan also stopped, and Hui Lin had to tell the truth: "I just want you to fulfill your wish. Let's get married according to the customs of the Central Plains."

Qi Xinglan answered reluctantly, mumbling, "Oh."

Finally someone spoke, and the big rock in Lin Xinli's heart fell. He returned to Qi Xinglan's side, and the two of them slowed down their riding speed and walked slowly.

"So...we go back now?"

"What else?"

"Okay, okay, let's go," Hui Lin coaxed him, and then turned back to look at Yan Cheng, "Let's go back."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

—

It was already late when they returned to the barracks. Hui Lin stayed by his side the whole time, but Qi Xinglan ignored him no matter what he said.

"Lan'er, what do you want to eat tonight? Why not try something special from Xiyuan? I'm sure you haven't tried it before, but I think you'll like it!"

"You have the final say."

"Can I stay with you tonight? We're getting married, so it's only natural for us to stay together...right?"

"Come if your Majesty wishes."

"Lan'er! Why are you so cold? I admit my mistake, but I don't know if I have made any other mistakes that I don't know about. Tell me, how can I know if you don't tell me?"

Qi Xinglan was annoyed by what she heard and suddenly stopped walking, almost bumping into him when she went back to the forest.

Before Hui Lin could answer, Qi Xinglan scolded him, "Hui Lin, you let me win on purpose. Your idea was good, and you wanted to make me happy, but I really don't like it!"

“It makes me feel like I’m being looked down upon!”

Hui Lin knew that he had done something wrong, and he hugged Qi Xinglan with a guilty conscience, saying weakly: "No... I was wrong this time, and this will never happen again. I swear, if I do it again, I will be in trouble--"

Qi Xinglan covered his mouth with her hand to prevent him from uttering the next oath.

His anger had almost subsided. Seeing Hui Lin looking at him without saying anything, Qi Xinglan finally put down his hand, but his tone was still a little weak, "Okay, shall we eat Xiyuan cuisine? When will it be ready? I'm hungry."

Hui Lin was overjoyed and said quickly, "Right away, I'll have someone go and ask the cook to come and it will be ready soon."

After saying that, he pushed Qi Xinglan to sit there, "Lan'er, sit down first, take a rest while you wait." Then he sat down aside as well.

"So... you said I could sleep with you, does that still count?"

Qi Xinglan rolled her eyes at him and said, "...Forget it."

Hui Lin grinned, hugged him again, and kissed him hard on the lips, sucking gently on the lip beads on Qi Xinglan's upper lip.

Qi Xinglan's eyelashes trembled, and she was kissed obediently without resistance.

Without taking another step forward, Hui Lin let him go, only to see Qi Xinglan with a red face and swollen lips, staring at him with confused eyes.

He was really beautiful. Hui Lin resisted the urge to kiss him again, let go of him and stood up.

"I...I'm going to go see how Yan Cheng's training is going. You should have a good rest first." After saying that, he fled.

Only Qi Xinglan, who had just come to his senses, was left. He covered his chest uncontrollably, trying to calm his suddenly accelerated heartbeat.

It seems...I feel okay?

—

When Hui Lin came back, the food had already been served. Qi Xinglan saw it from a distance. They were all dishes he had never seen before. They were indeed Xiyuan specialties.

Hui Lin walked over and placed the food on the small table. "Try it. The chefs were brought from the royal court. They must be quite skilled."

Qi Xinglan obediently picked up the chopsticks, picked up a little and put it in her mouth to taste it under Hui Lin's expectant gaze.

"How about it?"

"Not...bad?" Qi Xinglan didn't lie.

Hui Lin heaved a sigh of relief and picked up the bowl and chopsticks with peace of mind, "That's good, eat quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold, the mutton will have a strong mutton smell, it's better to eat it while it's hot."

"You...you eat too, stop looking at me!"

"Okay, okay," Hui Lin just agreed, and then said, "Lan'er, why are you so easily shy?"

Qi Xinglan put down her bowl and chopsticks abruptly, and the bowl made a crisp sound on the table, "You!"

"Look, your face is red again." Hui Lin pointed at Qi Xinglan's face.

Qi Xinglan felt her face getting hot but still retorted: "I am mad at you!"

"Okay, Lan'er is right whatever he says!" Hui Lin never conflicted with Qi Xinglan verbally and always went along with him no matter what.

"Do you have anything else to say?" This made Qi Xinglan seem to be being unreasonable.

Hui Lin picked up two large chopsticks of food and put them in his bowl. "Okay, eat quickly. This is all my fault."

Qi Xinglan was really hungry and didn't want to argue with Hui Lin anymore, so she just lowered her head and started eating.

—

The night falls early in Xiyuan, and if there is nothing to do after dinner, it is almost time to go to bed.

Qi Xinglan had never slept in the same bed with any man or woman in the previous eighteen years, so she was really at a loss as to what to do when the time came.

Hui Lin felt very comfortable. After changing his clothes, he pressed Qi Xinglan's shoulders and let her lie down on the couch.

He lay safely on the outside.

Qi Xinglan couldn't sleep, but her body was too stiff to move. She could tell from Hui Lin's breathing that he was not asleep yet.

He also knew that Lan'er would be nervous, so he wanted to talk to him, "Lan'er, your name is so nice, who gave it to you?"

Qi Xinglan then realized that Hui Lin was talking to her, "Ah... a name? My father gave it to me. He said he didn't ask me to be outstanding in literature or martial arts, but only hoped that I would behave like an orchid and have the demeanor of a gentleman."

Even if Hui Lin had never met Qi Xinglan's father, judging from the name he gave his child, he would definitely not be a traitor.

"I heard that...it's popular among you in the Central Plains to choose a name. Lan'er, do you have a name?"

Qi Xinglan couldn't stop laughing after hearing this, and after a while, she trembled and said, "Do you understand? People usually choose a name at the age of twenty, but I... I'm only eighteen, and my father is dead, so I..."

Hui Lin was worried whether Qi Xinglan would be sad to mention her father who died unjustly, but Qi Xinglan said, "There is a custom in the Central Plains that after a woman gets married, her husband can give her a name."

As she spoke, Qi Xinglan turned her head and looked at Hui Lin and said, "Since I am also going to marry you, why don't you choose a name for me when I turn 20?"

Hui Lin was stunned at first, but the next second he pressed Qi Xinglan in his arms and kissed her without waiting for his reaction.

This time it was no longer a superficial taste. Hui Lin first kissed his lips, and when he saw that Qi Xinglan closed his eyes and did not resist, he pinched his chin, and while Qi Xinglan's teeth were wide open, he entwined his warm tongue with his.

Qi Xinglan realized what it was, and put her hands on Hui Lin's solid chest, wanting to push him away, but she didn't have enough strength -

He then realized that he had been kissed until he was limp.

Later, Qi Xinglan also gradually became interested and put her hands around his neck. The two gradually changed their positions, with Hui Lin pressing on top of Qi Xinglan.

Inside the tent, besides the sound of lips and teeth colliding, there was the sound of water, and perhaps the two could even hear each other's heartbeats.

After a long time, the two of them finished.

Qi Xinglan's eyes were dazed, with her lips shining with water. She looked back at Lin with an moved heart and reached out to wipe away the water stains.

His chest heaved violently as he hugged Qi Xinglan, "I love you so much, Lan'er."

Qi Xinglan felt the changes in the man's body, as if something was pressing against him. Even though he knew Hui Lin would not move now, he did not dare to move.

"Lan'er, tomorrow I will lead the troops to fight the last battle with the Xiongnu. I am afraid that they will use some tactics that will catch people off guard, so I left some people in the barracks. If something unexpected happens, you don't have to be afraid."

"Well...be careful and don't come back injured."

Qi Xinglan was held in his arms and had no strength left. The two of them slept in this position all night.

The next day, Qi Xinglan woke up and found that he was the only one left on the bed. The person on the other side had lost temperature and must have passed away a long time ago.

He was not afraid of the Huns. Besides, Xiyuan had fought against the Huns and the Huns had been defeated nine out of ten times, so his defeat should not be a big deal.

Sure enough, nothing happened the whole day.

Walking in Qilan is boring, and walking in Qichaoting is even more boring.

There was no one in the barracks to talk to her originally, and now there was no one around, not even anyone's voices, so she had no choice but to look for Qi Xinglan.

Qi Xinglan spoke little today, and Qi Chaoting knew that his brother was worried about the King of Xiyuan.

"Brother, don't you dislike the King of Xiyuan? Then why do you look so worried when he goes out to fight?"

"Little girl, why am I worried? The Huns are nothing to be afraid of. I'm just... just in a bad mood."

"Besides, Huilin is the King of Xiyuan. If anything happens to him, who should we let avenge the Qi family?"

Qi Chaoting saw the clue and said, "Brother, why are you talking so inconsistently?"

"You said you weren't worried, but now you're worried about King Xiyuan getting into trouble, and you're still making excuses for yourself!"

Qi Xinglan did not want to explain and started to walk towards the pavilion.

"I can't leave."

As Qi Chaoting was about to leave, a soldier who had stayed in the camp shouted, "The king is back! We have won completely!"

Sure enough, after a while Qi Xinglan heard the sound of horse hooves gradually getting louder.

Qi Chaoting stuck his head in again, "Okay, you don't have to worry now."

Having said that, he ran away like a puff of smoke.

"This girl..."

Qi Xinglan was still muttering when Hui Lin opened the curtain and strode in.

Qi Xinglan was about to speak when he smelled a not very strong smell of blood.