When Xue Shen returned after bathing and changing, he saw Shen Youying curled up in the quilt, her head nodding.
Hearing him return, the extremely sleepy person struggled to open their eyes, looked at him groggily, and mumbled, "Come up and sleep."
Xue Shen's expression softened. He took off his shoes, got onto the bed, and turned to face Shen Youying.
Shen Youying habitually leaned closer to him, burying her face in his chest. Now that her pregnancy was progressing further, she could only sleep on her side because she couldn't lie flat. Her round belly sandwiched between the two of them made them look like a family of three.
Xue Shen kissed her forehead and then carefully touched her belly. The baby in her womb seemed to understand that its father had returned, and kicked Xue Shen's palm hard.
Shen Youying had already gotten used to the noise and had buried her head in Xue Shen's arms and fallen asleep.
Xue Shen, on the other hand, was overjoyed. He touched Shen Youying's stomach repeatedly, his smile never fading.
Only after a long time, when he was certain that the child in his womb would no longer give any response, did Xue Shen pull her closer to his arms again and fall asleep with Shen Youying in his embrace.
*
The two went to bed late, and the next day they slept in together, which was quite rare.
When Shen Youying woke up, the familiar, warm body touched her palm, and a smile immediately appeared on her lips. Like a little animal, she tilted her head back, rubbed her nose against Xue Shen's stubble-covered chin, and said softly, "Good morning."
Mornings are a time when men are prone to impulsiveness, and Xue Shen was somewhat aroused by her subconscious closeness, but considering the inconvenience of the place and the presence of others watching, he ultimately did nothing. He simply held her in his arms and caressed her for a while before reluctantly letting go.
He got off the bed first, and Shen Youying lazily propped herself up and sat up, her long hair casually draped behind her, making her rosy and fair face, which had recovered well, look like a blooming flower.
Xue Shen stared at her for a long time before smiling and saying, "Your complexion is indeed much better than before."
Shen Youying blinked and said softly, "Master Huodong said it's because of his open-mindedness and reduced worries."
Xue Shen smiled and said, "That's good. It seems I'll have to keep Zhaozhao with me from now on, since she can't be without me for even a moment."
Shen Youying blushed slightly at his teasing. She glanced at him sideways before slowly moving to the edge of the bed.
Because of her large belly, she now finds it difficult to bend over. Previously, Liuyun or Fucui would help her put on her shoes and socks, but since Xue Shen was here today, neither of them came in to serve her.
Just as Shen Youying was about to call for help, Xue Shen noticed her. He knelt on one knee by the bed and lifted Shen Youying's bare feet onto his knee.
Shen Youying's feet were extremely white, with long, straight toes shaped like jade pillars. The tips of her toes were rounded and flushed with a healthy light red. Even her toenails were neatly trimmed.
Stepping on Xue Shen's knees, the dark robe accentuated the figure, making him particularly pleasing to the eye.
Xue Shen couldn't help but lean down and kiss the back of her foot. Chen was startled, her toes curled up, her eyes welled up with tears, and she glared at him weakly, saying, "What are you doing?"
Xue Shen replied quite confidently, "Seeing beautiful things makes me especially happy, and I can't help myself."
Shen Youying simply didn't have his thick skin, and couldn't argue with him, so she could only kick his shoulder with her bare foot and urge him, "Hurry up and put it on."
Xue Shen slowly stroked her for a few more moments before taking out the silk stockings and putting them on for her one by one, then putting on her soft-soled shoes.
Shen Youying finally put on her shoes and socks, and quickly pulled her feet back, hiding them under her skirt.
After washing up, the two of them came out of the tent to have breakfast.
Xue Shen was in high spirits because of the happy event, and unusually, he didn't have a sullen face; his eyes and brows were full of joy. Those who hadn't been able to witness the magnificent sight of wolf carcasses piled up into a small hill yesterday immediately flocked over to chat with him when they saw him finally appear.
Xue Shen didn't mind the noise of these people. While having breakfast with Shen Youying, he answered their questions, vividly portraying a powerful and unrestrained Tibetan warrior.
While eating breakfast, Shen Youying listened to him chatting with others in an unusually loud tone, and occasionally glanced at him, inwardly affirming his acting skills.
Xue Shen noticed her teasing gaze and pinched Shen Youying's thigh under the table as a warning.
Caught off guard by his intimate behavior in public, Shen Youying blushed and immediately withdrew her leg, moving further away from him.
Xue Shen smiled.
The couple made quite a show of themselves in the tribe before returning to their tent.
Shen Youying asked, "Have you confirmed which ones are the Third Prince's spies?"
Xue Shen smiled and asked her in return, "Zhao Zhao, did you figure anything out?"
Shen Youying recalled, "The spice merchant you were talking to earlier seemed a bit off. Although he asked about your hunting experiences, he was actually probing into the matter of Ximen Mountain."
"Anything else?"
"The fabric merchant is also acting strangely. He didn't probe about Ximenshan, but he kept trying to find out about our origins. Although he claims to be from the Great Wei and speaks Mandarin fairly fluently, if you observe him closely, you'll find that his mannerisms and speech patterns are more like those of a Tibetan."
“A Tibetan, umm ...
"Zhao Zhao is indeed insightful."
Xue Shen nodded in confirmation of her guess, and then pointed out two more cleverly hidden Tibetan spies: "These two were also sent by the Third Prince."
Shen Youying remembered the two people, but she couldn't find any flaws in their words or actions, so she asked in confusion, "What's wrong with these two?"
Xue Shen laughed: "It's no wonder you couldn't see it. If I hadn't seen them secretly interacting with the old gatekeeper, I wouldn't have noticed their problem either."
"Currently, five of the Third Prince's spies have surfaced. I will send a message to my father-in-law, and then have him lure them out so that we can wipe them all out in one fell swoop."
During the day, with so many people around, Xue Shen waited until evening before sending a guard to deliver a message to Shen Mingjiang.
After a boring day in the valley, Shen Mingjiang finally received his message. He immediately jumped up from the rock and said in a strong voice, "Brothers, get ready to work."
*
According to Xue Shen's plan, sending someone disguised as a Tibetan soldier to deliver the message would easily expose his true intentions and might not even gain the other side's trust.
However, if the messenger sent to the tribe is a soldier under the command of the third prince, then the credibility will be high enough.
But a living person is unlikely to be so obedient, and might even betray them and leak information. Therefore, after much deliberation, Xue Shen felt that sending a dead person would be more prudent.
The dead cannot speak, but they were enough to pique the curiosity of the tribe's third prince's spies.
Once they become suspicious and go to Ximen Mountain to investigate, Xue Shen's goal of luring them out and catching them all in one fell swoop will be achieved.
Currently, the only Tibetan person they have is Bai.
Shen Mingjiang tossed the barely breathing Bai onto his horse and smiled dangerously: "It's time for you to come in handy."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
