Chapter 154 Oh my god! It's a snake! Commander! There's a snake!
at this time.
A faint rustling sound came from the bushes nearby.
A bluish-gray snake quietly slithered to Lu Zhaoruo's feet, raising its head and flicking its tongue!
Xiao Yeming's eyes suddenly sharpened, and he no longer cared about manners or propriety. He grabbed her and pulled her sharply towards him, saying, "Madam Lu, be careful."
At the same time, he raised his left hand, and a short crossbow from his sleeve shot out, pinning the venomous snake firmly to the ground with a "whoosh"!
Lu Zhaoruo was caught off guard and bumped into his arms.
My nose was instantly filled with his clean, slightly salty scent from the sea. Through the fabric of his clothes, I could clearly feel the firm, hard lines of his chest and the sudden acceleration of his heartbeat.
Her own heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason.
Xiao Yeming was already stiff all over, his ears were red as blood, and the arm holding her was as taut as iron. He dared not move.
Hearing the commotion from afar, Ban Ling immediately drew his long sword and rushed over, his voice booming: "Danger! I've come down to protect you, Madam Lu!"
Lu Zhaoruo snapped back to reality upon hearing the sound, hurriedly taking two steps back from Xiao Yeming's embrace, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Ban Ling's burly figure had already charged forward. His gaze swept over the still-writhing snake carcass on the ground, and his face instantly turned deathly pale. He let out a deafening roar, turned, and lunged at Xiao Yeming beside him, clinging to him tightly: "Mother! It's a snake! Commander! There's a snake!!!"
Xiao Yeming stumbled from Ban Ling's sudden lunge.
The warm, soft woman had just left his embrace when a burly, mountain-like man, tears streaming down his face, clung to him tightly. His face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
"Let go!"
He gritted his teeth and hissed, his voice so cold it could freeze someone to death.
Ban Ling hugged him even tighter, burying his head in his shoulder armor, and howled even louder: "General! There's a snake! That thing is slippery and cold! It scared Biao to death!"
Xiao Yeming's temples throbbed with rage. Unable to bear it any longer, he raised his hand and used a clever trick to tear the "giant baby" off his body, then took a step back.
He instinctively turned to look at Lu Zhaoruo, only to meet her gaze.
Their eyes met briefly, and remembering the brief closeness they had just shared and the inexplicable restlessness in their hearts, they quickly looked away at the same time.
Lu Zhaoruo turned slightly to the side and raised her hand to tidy her hair, trying to hide her embarrassment.
She coughed lightly, her voice still relatively calm: "Thank you for saving me, General."
Xiao Yeming's Adam's apple bobbed, his gaze fell on the treetops in the distance, and he gave a curt "hmm" with a straight face, but his ears were bright red.
Ban Ling rubbed his chest, muttering pitifully, "That scared me to death... The general is still the most amazing..."
Xiao Yeming kicked the already stiff snake carcass at his feet and said coldly, "There are many insects and snakes in the forest. Go back to the vicinity of the carriage and do not linger in the grass."
Banling: "Yes, yes, yes! It's safer to go back to the car!"
He hurriedly ran towards the carriage, muttering to himself, "I'm not afraid of anything, except this long thing."
Xiao Yeming's gaze unconsciously swept towards Lu Zhaoruo, and his tone softened slightly: "You should go back to the car first."
Lu Zhaoruo nodded slightly, then turned and left.
Xiao Yeming followed behind, cautiously watching the surrounding bushes.
Not far away, even during a short rest on his journey, Lu Bohong found an open space and wielded a long spear with great skill.
Dongrou was squatting by the newly lit campfire, busy boiling water in an iron pot, preparing to make some hot tea for everyone.
Wan Wanning rolled up her sleeves and went to Dong Rou's side to help, saying, "Sister Dong Rou, let me add firewood, you take a rest."
However, his gaze kept glancing at Lu Zhaoruo and Xiao Yeming talking not far away.
Just as the water was about to boil, she immediately took out a small packet of tea powder that she had carefully treasured from her bag.
She had prepared it specially before leaving Jizhou, knowing she would need it on the journey.
She took the initiative and carefully brewed two cups of tea with boiling water.
Just then, Lu Zhaoruo returned.
Wan Wanning first held up a cup and respectfully offered it to Lu Zhaoruo: "Sister, the tea is ready, please have some."
After Lu Zhaoruo took the cup, she picked up the other cup, lowered her head and timidly moved to Xiao Yeming's side.
She didn't hand it to him directly, but turned to Lu Zhaoruo, her voice barely audible: "Sister... General Xiao has had a long and arduous journey escorting us... Should this cup of tea be...?"
Xiao Yeming's gaze did not linger on her; he simply said to Lu Zhaoruo in a low voice, "No need."
Wan Wanning immediately lowered her head, her fingers holding the teacup tightening slightly, looking helpless and humble.
Lu Zhaoruo frowned slightly, naturally noticing her little scheme.
At this moment, Ban Ling strode over and exclaimed, "Oh! This tea smells so good! If the general doesn't drink it, my throat will be parched!"
After saying that, he took the teacup from Wan Wanning's hand and gulped it down in a few mouthfuls.
Wan Wanning held the empty cup, bit her lip, and lowered her head to hide the annoyance in her eyes.
The next day.
The sky suddenly darkened, leaden clouds hung low, and in an instant, a torrential downpour began.
The convoy hurriedly swerved into a dilapidated hexagonal pavilion by the roadside.
The pavilion was small, and everyone was crammed together.
Xiao Yeming almost instinctively stepped to the side, precisely blocking Lu Zhaoruo from the direction from which the wind and rain were coming.
He stood tall and straight, his broad shoulders blocking all the raindrops that swept in at an angle.
The icy rain quickly gathered into streaks on his black shoulder armor, then slid down, soaking the fabric of his back.
Lu Zhaoruo looked up and saw his profile and wet shoulder line.
She spoke softly, her voice sounding especially gentle amidst the rain: "General, the rain is falling too heavily. Please come in a little closer so you don't get soaked."
Xiao Yeming remained motionless, his gaze still warily scanning the rain outside the pavilion, and said in a deep voice, "It's alright."
Lu Zhaoruo remained silent for a moment, then took out a clean handkerchief from her sleeve, the edges of which were embroidered with very faint green bamboo patterns.
She didn't wipe his arm directly, but instead offered it to his dripping arm and said gently, "Wipe it off. The cold air can easily cause you to catch a cold."
The plain handkerchief was suddenly presented to her, carrying a very faint, elegant fragrance that belonged to her.
Xiao Yeming's body stiffened abruptly, his gaze falling on the handkerchief, unsure whether to accept it or not.
He recalled that rainy night when she gave him her silk handkerchief embroidered with winter plum blossoms. Its cool, delicate fragrance still lingers close to his heart.
His Adam's apple bobbed violently, and after a long while he managed to squeeze out a sentence, his voice low and hoarse: "Thank you, my lady, but there's really no need."
Seeing that his ears were already red, Lu Zhaoruo stopped forcing him, calmly withdrew her hand, and handed the handkerchief to Lu Bohong instead.
Lu Bohong greatly admired Xiao Yeming, and directly stuffed the handkerchief into Xiao Yeming's arms, saying, "Commander Xiao, wipe yourself."
Xiao Yeming was stunned for a moment before grabbing the handkerchief that was about to fall.
All of this was seen by Wan Wanning in the corner without missing a beat.
She stared at Xiao Yeming's back as he instinctively protected her, and then caught a glimpse of Lu Zhaoruo handing over a handkerchief and Xiao Yeming's ears turning red. She found it incredibly irritating.
She couldn't help but lean closer to Dongrou beside her and whisper sourly, "Sister Dongrou, look how 'thoughtful' the general is to you... He even shields you from the rain. If someone like me fell right in front of him, he probably wouldn't even lend a hand."
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