Chapter 23 Please, don't abandon me.
The autumn hunt was a busy affair, so Zhan Yunmei got up early in the morning to leave quietly, not wanting to disturb Hua Lang's sleep. However, Hua Lang had been fighting with himself all night and couldn't fall asleep.
After hearing the rustling of clothes being put on and the almost silent footsteps, Hua Lang quietly turned around, peeking out one eye from under the covers to watch Zhan Yunmei's departing figure.
Her back was tall and straight, and the edges of her thin cloak fluttered in the wind.
Lifting the curtains and welcoming the faint morning light, Zhan Yunmei left completely.
He didn't look back at Hua Lang even once throughout the entire process.
Hua Lang knew in his heart that he was neither a beauty nor a servant who knew how to please Zhan Yunmei; he was just a dispensable and insignificant person.
So the moment he blamed her for not staying, he began to feel endless self-loathing.
Hua Lang turned over. He couldn't sleep well, but his body couldn't take it anymore. The weight of the weight pressed down on his eyelids, and he fell asleep exhausted.
On the third day of the autumn hunt, Princess Rongning led a group of people deep into the back mountains, accompanied and protected by Zhan Yunmei. They returned at dusk with several large animals.
Princess Rongning, with the head blood of the Wolf King, charged straight into the deepest part, only to be outmaneuvered by the Wolf King and surrounded by the wolf pack. Fortunately, Zhan Yunmei and the generals who followed her arrived in time.
In the end, they obtained the wolf king's blood, but not from its head; it was only from its neck. The wolf king did not die; it escaped.
The emperor was delighted by Rong Ning's loyalty and, with a wave of his hand, bestowed upon him both a precious sword and a fine horse.
The atmosphere was ignited by the blood of wild beasts and the passion of warriors, and another bonfire was lit that night.
Moreover, the autumn hunt went without any mishaps.
These were all relayed to Hua Lang by Yao Shuniang.
Through the tent curtain, Hua Lang had no idea what was happening outside. He only knew that Zhan Yunmei was as reliable as ever, just as he sometimes relied on her.
For Princess Rongning, Zhan Yunmei could provide her with an eternal sense of security; as for Hua Lang…
He is very uneasy now.
"Did the general drink again tonight?" Hua Lang's body was almost pressed against the tent flap.
Zhan Yunmei never confined him to his quarters, but he worried that his wandering around would cause her trouble.
There was nothing he could do, so he could only try his best not to cause trouble.
Yao Shuniang said, "Let's drink. It's a lively gathering of people, we can't spoil the fun. The general has drunk quite a bit tonight."
“Oh, call her…” Hua Lang paused. Why call her? Did he think he had the right to interfere with Zhan Yunmei?
So he lowered his eyes and whispered, "Tell the general to take care of himself. I'm going to sleep now."
This was the first time Yao Shuniang had heard Hua Lang say such a thing, and although she was a little stunned, she could understand some of what he meant.
Yao Shuniang parted the curtain slightly, her words carrying a meaningful meaning: "Eunuch Hua Lang, should I send a message to the General, asking her to return soon?"
"Need not."
He used to hate people who spoiled the fun, but even today, he couldn't be the one to spoil her fun. Thinking this, Hua Lang turned her back to the tent curtain and closed her eyes.
I got up at dawn and sat on the edge of the tatami mat, lost in thought.
It got dark.
Zhan Yunmei is not coming back again.
Hua Lang frowned fiercely, then quickly relaxed his grip.
His gaze shifted to the chest at the head of the bed. Although there was a wooden box between them, he seemed to be able to see what was inside.
It was cool and translucent, and after a while it would absorb Zhan Yunmei's warmth, as well as his own. This feeling permeated his entire body through countless days and nights.
Hua Lang had certainly heard of this, but he never imagined that he would become one of them, or even miss it when Zhan Yunmei left.
If Zhan Yunmei hadn't taken him from prison in the first place, he might as well have died; there would be nothing to grieve over or miss.
But why did she take him away, giving him seemingly boundless tenderness, and indulging his anger, loss of control, and tests time and time again?
Having something and then losing it causes fear and anxiety.
A sharp pain erupted, and Hua Lang suddenly opened her eyes, collapsing to the floor of the bed. With difficulty, she stretched out her forearm and clung to the edge of the bed.
He tilted his head back, gasping for breath, his eyes fogging up, and his cheeks gradually flushing red.
This is... different from what Zhan Yunmei brought him...
Hua Lang quickly finished dealing with everything. This time, he knelt and lay prostrate by the bed, too weak to move, his back still trembling.
After finally regaining his composure, Hua Lang stood up. Just then, someone came looking for him.
.
The atmosphere was ignited by the blood of wild beasts and the passion of warriors. That night, another bonfire was lit, and the aroma of meat and wine filled the entire hunting ground.
Seeing that the atmosphere was quite good, Zhan Yunmei put down her wine cup, greeted the people nearby in a low voice, and left.
The evening breeze gently lifted the stray hairs at her temples, dispelling some of the effects of the wine. In her slightly hazy consciousness, Hua Lang appeared sitting by the couch, his trembling fingertips clutching the hem of her clothes, asking her pitifully why she had returned so late.
Zhan Yunmei lowered her head, remaining silent with no change in expression, while grinding the blood-stained wolf fangs in her hands.
If Hua Lang really had such thoughts, that would be great.
Unfortunately, Hua Lang was too cautious.
Suddenly recalling his silence last night and the sudden embrace that followed, Zhan Yunmei frowned slightly, pondering the meaning behind these actions.
Suddenly, someone ran up and said, "General Zhan, Uncle Liang was injured while hunting, and the physician has been slow to arrive. You are the only one here who knows about this, so please go and see him!"
Oil lamps hung in the tents, and there was no smell of blood.
Liang Rong was lying on the low couch. When he saw Zhan Yunmei arrive, he quickly covered his left arm and slowly sat up.
He moved slowly, taking a long time to sit up. Zhan Yunmei couldn't bear to watch any longer and helped him up.
Tell me, where are you hurt?
Liang Rong cried out, "General, I've been bitten by a rabbit!"
Zhan Yunmei lifted her eyelids and looked at Liang Rong indifferently.
His gaze was silent, speechless.
"I'm sorry, General, I just wanted you to come over," Liang Rong said guiltily, but he still moved slowly to Zhan Yunmei's side and offered his left hand.
There were obvious teeth marks, indicating a deep bite that had drawn blood and left red, swollen skin. His hands, which were once fair and clean, were now marred by these teeth marks.
Zhan Yunmei sighed softly, took the boiled water she had prepared in advance and rinsed Liang Rong's wounds. "What's the use of me coming here? I can take care of it myself."
"I didn't ask you to treat my wounds," Liang Rong said, blinking rapidly from the pain of the boiling water, tears welling up in his eyes.
Zhan Yunmei looked up and met Liang Rong's eyes, which seemed to hold a lot of unspoken words.
She lowered her head again, dabbed some ointment, and said, "Speak."
“General, I’m already twenty,” Liang Rong moved a little closer, as if he wanted to offer himself up. “I don’t care if you have any beauties in your tent, you can play with as many as you want, as long as you’re willing to take me.”
Zhan Yunmei applied the medicine to Liang Rong slowly and meticulously, then wiped his hands with a handkerchief.
Liang Rong could tell from her expression that she was about to say something hurtful, so he pounced on her while she was wiping her hands with her head down and was off guard.
To give yourself away completely.
At this moment, the curtain was lifted, and a servant said, "Uncle Liang, please forgive me, this servant has come to the wrong place."
The tent flap opened and closed, but Liang Rong saw nothing and didn't care whether anyone saw him or not. He had just turned around when it was pushed open.
He burst into tears immediately.
Zhan Yunmei was about to speak when she was interrupted by his crying. She closed her eyes briefly, and in that instant, she felt there was nothing to say. "Stop crying. I don't like seeing people cry."
.
Hua Lang ran, running from the other tent back to Zhan Yunmei's tent.
My heart was pounding, as if it was about to burst out of my chest.
He kept closing and opening his eyes, unable to forget the scene in the camp.
The man's hand was on Zhan Yunmei's waist, and his entire upper body was in her arms. At that moment, she had her head down and her lips were close to the man's ear.
Just like how she would affectionately cling to him every night to comfort him.
Hua Lang quickly calmed down.
Yao Shuniang would return to her quarters to rest at night and take turns on guard duty with others. In other words, the tents were not guarded at all times, and there were gaps between shifts.
In that brief moment, someone approached Hua Lang, using Zhan Yunmei's name.
Hua Lang was naturally skeptical about its credibility, but since the man presented Zhan Yunmei's private order, he had no choice but to believe it.
Following him, we arrived at the other half of the camp. It was dark at night, and he took a wrong step, accidentally lifting the curtain on a brightly lit tent.
That's what I saw.
I found it hard to accept just now, but I'm much calmer now.
Hua Lang and Zhan Yunmei's affair was no secret; she even took him out on the street, not caring whether others knew about it or not.
In this situation, someone deliberately sought him out and led him to witness such a scene, only to find that nothing of importance had actually happened. Wasn't this just blatant provocation?
This kind of trick is too small and weak.
Hua Lang sat back down on the couch, his rapid heartbeat returning to normal.
Disappointment followed. Although someone had deliberately taken him there to see it, and he knew it was a scheme, witnessing such a scene was still unpleasant.
Doesn't this just confirm that Zhan Yunmei has other people involved...?
It doesn't matter. What does he ask of her? What can he possibly ask of her? As long as she doesn't bring it up, he can pretend he doesn't know.
Hua Lang comforted herself.
Surprisingly, Zhan Yunmei returned. The moment she lifted the curtain, Hua Lang turned away in a panic.
"What's wrong?" Zhan Yunmei walked to the bed without even taking off her outer robe.
The figure pressed down, covering the entire Hualang.
Hua Lang didn't speak, only shook her head, "It's nothing, I just had a nightmare."
He had tried his best to make his voice sound normal, but she could still feel a faint tremor.
Zhan Yunmei grabbed Hua Lang's arm and made him face her.
He actually...cried?
Surprise came first, followed by belated excitement stirred by his tears.
But Zhan Yunmei's expression remained unchanged, not even her eyes showed any change.
Hua Lang was worried that her appearance would disgust her, so she quickly raised her hand to wipe her face, saying, "Something got into my eyes, and it hurts."
Zhan Yunmei's thoughts vanished, and she stared intently at Hua Lang's moist eyes and reddened lips.
She took a half step back, trying to remove her robe, which reeked of alcohol.
Hua Lang thought she disliked his affectation, was afraid she would leave to go find that person, and was even more afraid that person would replace him, sending him back to the dark prison and his concubine's room.
Fear outweighed apprehension, which gave rise to action. Hua Lang reached out and tremblingly grasped the hem of Zhan Yunmei's clothes.
The movement was too big, and she hadn't expected it.
With that sudden grip, he pulled her to her knees on the ground. She felt no pain then, and pleaded, "General..."
She gritted her teeth, forcing blood to fill her mouth, before she could say, "Don't go... I... I can use it too, you were always very satisfied with me... Please, don't abandon me."
A note from the author:
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Happy National Day everyone! [fireworks]
Sorry for the delay again. I had a fever and went for an IV yesterday, and my cold is still not better today, but I feel a bit more energetic. Plus, it's a holiday, so I think I'm back to normal! [starry-eyed]
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