Chapter 58 The Cat Is Only Away for a While
In a trance, from the depths of his memory, the figure of the handsome young man who once chased after him and called him brother in a clear and crisp voice emerged. But later, when he grew up, he no longer refused to call him that, and only stubbornly called him Aqing.
A trace of bitterness and complex emotions quietly crossed his heart. Bai Qingchen shook his head, suppressing these inappropriate memories, and said to Mo Li: "My name is Bai Qingchen, you can call me Brother Bai."
"Yes! Brother Bai!" Mo Li followed suit, a bright smile blooming on his face with the dependence of a young man.
After the rain stopped, it was almost dawn. Bai Qingchen helped Mo Li recheck his wound and changed the medicine.
Although Mo Li still had some difficulty in moving, he was in much better spirits. He insisted on walking by himself, but he gasped in pain after just a few steps. Bai Qingchen had no choice but to let him ride on the same horse with him.
Mo Li sat in the front and Bai Qingchen sat in the back pulling the reins.
The young man was thin and about as tall as Bai Qingchen's chin. His entire body was almost enclosed in his arms. The bumpy ride of the horse made it inevitable that their bodies would come into contact.
Bai Qingchen was concentrating on looking at the road ahead, thinking about his next journey, and did not notice anything unusual about the young man in front of him.
Mo Li lowered his head slightly, but the exposed tips of his ears were quietly and little by little dyed crimson, spreading all the way to the base of his ears.
He could clearly feel the body temperature and breath of Bai Qingchen coming from behind him. He straightened his back stiffly, and his fingers unconsciously clenched the mane in front of the saddle.
"At this speed, we will reach Qingmu Town in two or three days." Bai Qingchen's voice sounded above his head, breaking the silence.
"When we get there, I'll give you some money and help you find a good place to stay. I have something to do in Muling, and it's really inconvenient and dangerous to take you with me."
"Can I come back to see you after I'm done with this?
Bai Qingchen explained patiently, hoping that the boy would understand.
As soon as he finished speaking, he clearly felt the thin back of the boy in front of him tense up instantly.
Mo Li didn't turn around, but just hummed softly, his voice muffled.
Under the drooping eyelids, the originally clear and dependent eyes were like a deep pool into which a stone was thrown, and instantly surged with thick and insoluble gloom.
As the night deepened, the forest path was swallowed by darkness.
Bai Qingchen found a relatively dry clearing in the woods that was sheltered from the wind and signaled Mo Li to stop and rest.
He himself is a cultivator and can restore his energy by meditating and regulating his breathing, but Mo Li is just an ordinary person and needs sleep.
"Just stay here for one night."
Bai Qingchen took out two dry cakes and some dried meat from his storage bag and handed them to Mo Li. "The conditions are simple, so just make do with what you have."
Mo Li took the food and sat down next to Bai Qingchen naturally. The firelight illuminated his young and handsome face.
He ate his cake in small bites and asked casually, "Brother Bai, are you from far away? What are you doing in Muling? I've been there with the herb-picking team and I'm quite familiar with the route. Maybe I can help you."
He paused, revealing a sly smile that was a bit boyish, "Can I call you Brother Qingchen?"
Bai Qingchen looked at his face that looked very similar to Mo Zhiyuan, especially those smiling eyes. He couldn't say no and could only nod helplessly: "It's up to you. This trip to Muling is to look for someone."
"Great!" Mo Li seemed very happy. He took a bite of the dried meat and continued to ask, "Brother Qingchen went to Muling to look for someone? Someone very important?"
His tone sounded normal, just a little curious.
Bai Qingchen didn't think much about it and said frankly: "Well, I went to see a friend, there is something urgent."
He thought that Liu Wan's current predicament was all caused by him. He had only met that girl once, so they couldn't really be considered friends...
"Friend..." Mo Li chewed on these two words, his voice seemed a little softer than before. He lowered his eyelids and looked at the dried meat in his hand. His long eyelashes cast a small shadow in the firelight.
"Is he a very important friend?"
Bai Qingchen's mind was completely focused on Mu Ling's affairs, and he didn't notice the subtle difference in the other person's tone. He just followed the conversation and replied, "I guess so."
Mo Li didn't continue the topic, just said "oh" and ate silently.
After eating, he moved closer to Bai Qingchen, almost touching Bai Qingchen's shoulder.
"Brother Qingchen, it's a bit cold at night." He whispered, leaning in naturally with a somewhat dependent attitude, his head gently resting on Bai Qingchen's arm and closing his eyes, "You won't be cold this way."
A warm touch came through the clothes, and Bai Qingchen's body stiffened slightly. He looked down at the boy leaning against him.
The face with closed eyes resting, under the flickering firelight, overlapped with the face of the Taoist partner in his memory.
Bai Qingchen thought back to the day of the competition, that icy gaze that was as if he was looking at a stranger. It felt like a stone was pressing on his heart, making it hard for him to breathe.
He forced himself to look away and stared at the jumping flames, saying nothing all night.
The two of them hurried and finally arrived at Qingmu Town on the outskirts of Muling in the afternoon of the next day. The town was not prosperous, but there were people coming and going, most of whom were merchants and porters who went into the mountains to collect herbs or do business in mountain products.
Bai Qingchen first went to buy some clothes for Mo Li, as his clothes were torn when he was chased by a ferocious beast.
Then Bai Qingchen found an inn that looked relatively clean and asked for two adjacent rooms.
After he settled Mo Li, he was thinking about going to Muling to look for Liu Wan. He didn't know what he would encounter, nor how long it would take.
Since I promised to take care of Mo Li, I can't just leave him alone in a place where he is unfamiliar with.
After much thought, he decided to rent a house in town and let Mo Li settle down there and wait for his return.
"Mo Li, you should have a good rest in the inn first. I'm going out to do something and will be back soon." Bai Qingchen reminded.
"Brother Qingchen, will you be gone for a long time?" Mo Li stood at the door, his eyes clear and a little reluctant.
"It won't be long. I'll be back as soon as possible." Bai Qingchen comforted him and turned to go downstairs.
As soon as Bai Qingchen left the lobby of the inn, several men who were drinking in the corner exchanged glances with each other.
They had noticed Bai Qingchen a long time ago. Seeing that he was not dressed like an ordinary person and had a delicate and tender figure that looked easy to bully, they had evil ideas in their minds.
Seeing Bai Qingchen leave and leaving Mo Li alone, they felt that the opportunity had come.
One of the men with a scar on his face staggered to the door of Mo Li's room and knocked roughly: "Boy, open the door!"
Mo Li opened the door, his face still showing the same gentle and harmless expression as when Bai Qingchen left: "Is there something wrong?"
"Is there something?" Scarface chuckled and squeezed into the room. The other two men followed him in and blocked the door.
"Hey kid, your brother looks pretty rich. Can you lend me some money?"
The smile on Mo Li's face faded little by little, and the gentleness in his eyes receded like the tide, replaced by a cold indifference, as if he was looking at a few buzzing flies.
He was already a little unhappy because Bai Qingchen went out without him, and these people came and caused trouble, making him even more annoyed.
"Get lost." Mo Li's voice was flat, and no emotion could be heard from it.
"Get lost?" Scarface reached out and tried to push Mo Li. "Who are you trying to scare? Look at your brother's demeanor...ah!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
