Chapter 137 Heart Embraces Melting Snow, Fading into the Milky Way
"Ah Xiao, you..." Bai Ming held Yang Xiao's hand tightly, looked up at Yang Xiao's smiling eyes, and was momentarily stunned. He stared at Yang Xiao's eyes, as if in the most sincere gaze between lovers, all words seemed pale and powerless.
He pulled Yang Xiao's hand to his chest as if it were a precious treasure, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and his Adam's apple bobbed. After a moment, he opened his eyes, leaned against Yang Xiao, and intertwined his fingers with hers.
Looking into his sincere eyes, all the grievances she had felt earlier surged up in her heart. Her nose suddenly stung, and large tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.
Seeing this, Bai Ming panicked. His eyes reddened without him realizing it, and he frantically wiped away Yang Xiao's tears. "Xiao, why are you crying? I'm here, Xiao, we're all here, we've all been waiting for you..."
"Bai Ming..." Yang Xiao looked up at Bai Ming, sobbing uncontrollably. Her fingers gripped Bai Ming's hand tightly, and the image of Bai Ming's heartbroken and desperate expression on the battlefield that day flashed through her mind.
She sat up and reached out to grasp Bai Ming's wrist. "I'm sorry..."
Upon hearing this, Bai Ming felt a sudden pang of pain in his heart. He shook his head vigorously, sat forward, and pulled Yang Xiao into his arms.
“That day on the front lines, I shouldn’t have…” Yang Xiao buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably, “I had no choice, Bai Ming…”
“I understand, Xiao, I understand everything,” Bai Ming could no longer hold back his tears. He gently patted Yang Xiao’s trembling back and hugged her tightly in his arms. “I know you want to keep fighting with me. I couldn’t control myself and got distracted on the battlefield…”
He leaned on Yang Xiao's shoulder and took a long breath. "Xiao, it's my fault."
A thousand words stuck in his throat, yet he didn't know how to express them. Bai Ming frowned and put his arm around Yang Xiao's back, but felt her gently shake her head, then sniffle and chuckle softly.
Bai Ming stood up and looked around, only to see that Yang Xiao's face was covered with tears, but her eyes were full of smiles.
She raised her hand to wipe away Bai Ming's tears, then cupped his face in her hands. "Bai Ming, I'm back. You're not allowed to cry."
Upon hearing this, Bai Ming felt his heart clench. He closed his eyes and nodded vigorously, then looked up at Yang Xiao. "Okay," he sighed, and gently laid Yang Xiao down on the couch, supporting her shoulders. "You still have a fever, so lie down and make sure you don't catch a cold. The military doctor will be here soon."
Yang Xiao nodded with a smile, but a crystal tear rolled down her cheek.
"You said..." Yang Xiao raised her hand to her forehead, looked at the ceiling and let out a long sigh, "Will we be separated again in the future?"
Bai Ming was taken aback upon hearing this, and unconsciously increased the pressure in his palm. "As long as you still love me, I will never leave you for even a moment."
As soon as she finished speaking, the room fell silent. After a moment, a barely perceptible sob came from Yang Xiao's throat.
Bai Ming felt another pang of pain in his heart. He bent down and gently wiped away Yang Xiao's tears with heartache. "Xiao, don't cry. I won't leave. We will never leave you again."
"Bai Ming," Yang Xiao's tears still streamed down her face. She held Bai Ming's hand and kept stroking it. "What will you do if you miss me on ordinary days?"
Bai Ming held Yang Xiao's hand tightly, closed his eyes and took a long breath. "Ah Xiao," he called softly, "Do you still remember that Qixi Festival back then?"
Yang Xiao stopped crying and nodded with tears in her eyes.
“Back then, I draped a red ribbon over the jade disc, and you nocked an arrow, shot it down, and gave it to me.” Tears streamed down Bai Ming’s face, but his eyes held a hint of a smile. “Back then, you told me that if the ribbon didn’t break and the jade didn’t shatter, you would always be there for me.”
“But later…” Bai Ming’s voice suddenly filled with sobs. He took a deep breath to suppress the emotions surging up. “Later, you went to Chang’an alone. I stared at the red silk and white jade hanging on the wall, looking at them again and again. Then, with a heart full of conviction, I went out to practice martial arts…” His eyes shone brightly as he looked at Yang Xiao. “Because I knew that only if I was strong enough, strong enough to break through the formation, could I bring you back.”
Yang Xiao was speechless for a moment, and could only raise her trembling hand to touch Bai Ming's face, letting the tears flow freely.
Bai Ming shook his head, tears welling in his eyes. He gently took Yang Xiao's hand and looked earnestly into her tearful eyes. "Then... what about you, Xiao?" He choked back a sob. "You miss me, what should I do?"
"Throw down the array diagram... cover yourself with the blanket..." Yang Xiao was already sobbing uncontrollably, "I'll meet you in my dreams..."
"Ah Xiao..." Bai Ming could no longer hold back, and bent down to hug Yang Xiao tightly.
"So..." Yang Xiao wrapped her arms tightly around Bai Ming's waist and back, and cried out loud, "Bai Ming, was it a dream?"
"No, of course not!" Bai Ming hurriedly denied, shaking his head vigorously beside her pillow. "Ah Xiao, of course not, look at me."
As he spoke, he propped himself up, looking at Yang Xiao with a resolute yet heartbroken gaze, holding her hand tightly against his chest.
Aside from her rising and falling breaths, her palms throbbed with each powerful heartbeat.
"Ah Xiao, touch it, feel my heartbeat." He leaned down and looked at Yang Xiao earnestly. "This heart beats because of you. If it were a dream, it would never feel so real, right?"
A burning yet resolute heartbeat resonated in Yang Xiao's palm, one sound, two sounds, like a war drum urging people to charge, or a gentle pat before sleep.
“Yes, this isn’t a dream.” Yang Xiao smiled and sighed, nodding with her eyes closed, but tears still streamed down her face. She opened her eyes, her gaze filled with a carefree smile, and she raised her hand to hug Bai Ming’s neck, solemnly saying, “Bai Ming, I’m back.”
Bai Ming, with tears streaming down his face, nodded vigorously with a smile, "Welcome home."
As soon as she finished speaking, Yang Xiao gently pulled Bai Ming close to her eyes with her arm and tilted her head back to kiss him lightly.
Bai Ming's breath hitched, then he closed his eyes, leaned down, and kissed her passionately.
The already gentle kiss was interrupted by their breaths after crying. Bai Ming sat up slightly and buried his face in her neck, gently nuzzling her. "My heart continues to beat because of you."
He propped himself up and gazed at Yang Xiao with adoration, "Xiao, I will always love you."
Yang Xiao let out a long breath, raised her hand to stroke Bai Ming's cheek, and gently pinched it, tacitly acknowledging her affection.
“So,” Bai Ming raised his hand to wipe the tears from his face, “you are not allowed to say those things again.”
"Okay." Yang Xiao nodded with a smile. "I promise you."
Xu Feng quietly peeked through the crack in the door, gently touching their hair and stirring their hearts.
Bai Ming chuckled with relief and gently took Yang Xiao's hand. "How are you? Still feeling dizzy?"
Yang Xiao raised her hand to touch her forehead, then glanced at Bai Ming with a smile, "There's still some, probably from crying just now."
"Don't cry, don't cry," Bai Ming gently stroked Yang Xiao's face like he was comforting a child. "The army doctor will be here soon. If he sees you like this, you'll lose all your authority in the army."
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao chuckled and crossed her arms, "You don't even allow me to have any emotions or desires? You can't put food on the table with your authority."
“That’s true,” Bai Ming said with a smile, looking at Yang Xiao. “You should be the one among us who gets along best with the brothers.”
Yang Xiao glanced to the side, "What about Tong Xi?"
“Tongxi hasn’t been around the soldiers as long as we have,” Bai Ming said, wiping away the dried tear tracks on Yang Xiao’s face. “She still has a bit of an air about her in the military camp.”
Yang Xiao chuckled and leaned back, "That suits her personality."
Bai Ming nodded, took Yang Xiao's hand, and stroked it in response.
The two of them nestled together, holding hands, and waited. After a while, they heard footsteps coming from the doorway.
"General, the two generals!"
Upon hearing the sound, Bai Ming hurriedly went to the door to greet them, while Yang Xiao also propped herself up on her arms and sat up, craning her neck to look towards the door.
The door creaked open, and the military doctor, carrying a large pile of medicines and bandages, stepped in. He bowed to Yang Xiaobaiming and said breathlessly, "Generals, please forgive my lateness. General Lingyu's wound is deep, and preparing the medicine was a bit difficult."
"It's alright, it's alright," Yang Xiao said with a light laugh, shaking her head. "Thank you for your trouble."
Bai Ming took the medicine basket from his hand and placed it on the table. "Take your time, don't be anxious."
The military doctor washed his hands and looked at the two generals who did not blame him at all with gratitude in his eyes. "It is my honor to treat you, General. I thank you for not blaming me."
Seeing the military doctor busy preparing medicine, Bai Ming sat down next to Yang Xiao and carefully rolled up her trouser legs.
The gruesome wound was already covered with scabs, which stuck the cotton cloth to the wound. Every movement caused the wound to bleed profusely. Yang Xiao gritted her teeth and endured the excruciating pain, raising her hand to grab Bai Ming's arm, breaking out in a cold sweat.
A moment later, the military doctor came over with the medicine. Looking at Yang Xiao's wound, he couldn't help but gasp.
“This wound is quite deep,” the military doctor frowned and bent down to look at the wound. He hissed and looked up at Yang Xiao. “General, you may be in great pain when I apply the medicine. At that time, you can hold onto me to relieve the pain.”
Yang Xiao smiled and shook her groggy head, "I've already endured fifty lashes, what's a little injury like this..."
Before she could finish speaking, the cotton ball soaked in medicine landed directly on the wound, causing Yang Xiao to gasp in pain. Her legs jerked back, and she quickly grabbed Bai Ming's arm, clenching her teeth to keep from crying out.
Sweat immediately broke out on her forehead, and she sighed, still shaken. "I knew it," she said. "You can't speak too soon."
Both of them couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this. Bai Ming sat behind Yang Xiao, gently embracing her and letting her lie on his back. He then tucked his arm under her left hand and teased her with a smile, "If it hurts, you can hit me. If you hurt the doctor, there won't be anyone to treat your injury."
"Oh, no, no, it's not that serious. The general has sacrificed so much for the country, what's a couple of hits from him?" The army doctor quickly waved his hand with a smile. "But it'll be over soon, General. Just bear with it a little longer, it'll be over soon."
More and more cotton balls were stained with blood, and the wound, now treated, stung terribly. Yang Xiao clung tightly to Bai Ming's forearm, letting large beads of sweat slide down her forehead.
Seeing her in so much pain, Bai Ming frowned and occasionally reached out to wipe away her sweat, trying to soothe her.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Yang Xiao's trouser legs were pulled down again.
"Alright, General, the bandaging is finished." The military doctor stood up, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. He stretched his legs, which had gone numb from squatting, and then turned back to squat beside Yang Xiao, asking, "Before General Cen left, he instructed me to take your pulse."
Yang Xiao let out a long breath and extended her right hand, "Then I'll have to trouble you."
The military doctor looked at the bloodstains seeping from the bandage and gently supported her wrist. "This wrist injury is..." he sighed, "Only General Cen could bandage it so well. If it were me, I'm afraid it would leave a scar on you, General." He sighed, looked up at Yang Xiao, and instructed, "Don't use this wrist for the next few days if you can avoid it. Don't hurt it again."
"Okay." Yang Xiao nodded, responding earnestly.
The medic carefully placed three fingers on the bandage, and the three people in the room immediately held their breath, not daring to make a sound.
"General, you..." The military doctor looked at Yang Xiao with a furrowed brow, "How much injustice have you suffered in Chang'an?"
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