Departure
"Hiss—" The powder stung the wound, and Ji Wang couldn't help but gasp. Fine beads of sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.
Almost simultaneously, Bu Jiu leaned forward slightly, as if he was about to step forward, but then forcibly stopped himself.
Huaiqing took in everything and moved even more gently: "Bear with it, the medicine is effective, but it's a little irritating when you first apply it."
Ji Wang forced a smile, then subconsciously looked up to find Bu Jiu: "It's nothing, it doesn't hurt much."
Bu Jiu lowered his eyes, his gaze falling deeply on Ji Wang's wound, then slowly moving to his clenched teeth and sweat-dampened temples.
He recalled what he had said to Huaiqing not long ago—"Whether he remembers the past or not, whether he is Daozun or Ji Wang, I will..."
No matter which one it is, getting injured will throw him into a state of panic and cause him unbearable heartache.
Huaiqing tied the last knot and clapped her hands: "Alright, don't get the wound wet these next few days, and don't move around too much, or it might burst open."
He stood up: "I'll go check if the medicine is ready. I'll leave this to you."
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Bu Jiu silently picked up a clean handkerchief from the side and wiped the cold sweat from Ji Wang's forehead: "This time it was my fault."
"What's wrong with you?" Ji Wang found this ridiculous. "It's my own lack of skill, what does that have to do with you? Do you expect me to be tied to your belt and protected all the time?"
He pointed to his wound: "Besides, if you hadn't taught me the sword techniques, there probably wouldn't be a single piece of good flesh left here. You don't need to blame yourself."
Knowing that he was taking all the blame upon himself, Bu Jiu stopped dwelling on the matter: "Let's rest for today. I need to think about how to deal with what comes next. If Ling Gu can find us once, they can find us again. Now that they've confirmed your existence, they won't let this go."
Ji Wang nodded and followed Bu Jiu a few steps until they reached Bu Jiu's door.
Ji Wang's hand pressed against the door that was about to close: "The injury will hurt at night."
These words were spoken out of the blue, even with a touch of childish whining, but Bu Jiu understood the underlying probing.
Just as Ji Wang thought he would be rejected and was preparing to quietly return to his room, the person in front of him sighed: "...Come in."
Ji Wang's eyes lit up, and he immediately followed him inside. Last time he didn't have time to look around carefully, but this time, with permission, he openly scanned the area.
Bujiu's residence, like the man himself, was so simple that it was almost devoid of decoration.
The only difference was that the couch was covered with an unusually soft animal hide, which looked like the place where he most often sat when he was in his original form.
Bu Jiu pointed to the bed: "You sleep there." After saying that, he walked to the tablecloth next to him, seemingly intending to pass the time there and get through the long night.
Ji Wang glanced at the warm and comfortable-looking animal hide, stood still, and whispered, "Let's go together, it's warmer on the couch..."
Seeing that Bu Jiu looked up, he immediately added, "I promise I won't move around, really, it's just... when the wound hurts, it'll be better if someone is around."
Bu Jiu stared at him for a long time, her gaze seemingly trying to pierce through his skin and see how much real pain he was hiding in his heart, and how much of it was just an excuse.
In the end, he said nothing, but walked to the edge of the tatami mat, lay down fully clothed on the inside, with his back to Ji Wang, leaving enough space on the outside.
Seeing this, Ji Wang carefully lay down on the outside, trying not to touch the wound, and maintaining a just-right distance from Bu Jiu. The scent of Bu Jiu from the animal hide lingered around his nose, mixed with the smell of herbs, which was very reassuring.
He felt the warmth of another person's body coming from his side. Hearing the slightly heavy breathing of the person behind him as they deliberately maintained their posture, Bu Jiu still felt a little sorry for them.
Ji Wang was trying to adjust his position, trying to find a position that wouldn't press on his wound and that would allow him to fall asleep peacefully, when he suddenly felt the person beside him gently turn over, as if facing him.
Immediately afterwards, a soft, warm thing was stuffed into my arms.
"Huh?" Ji Wang was taken aback and quickly put his arm around it. The touch was fluffy and soft, and he almost immediately understood what it was.
It is a fox tail that does not seek blame.
The room was dark, so he couldn't see Bu Jiu's expression, but he heard the other's voice was lower than usual: "...Hold me. If you don't press on the wound, will it feel better?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a slightly cool hand groped and found Ji Wang's wrist, guiding him to gently place it on that fluffy surface.
"That's all you're allowed to do." Bu Jiu's voice was almost right next to his ear, carrying a warning but lacking any real threat, "...Don't move."
Ji Wang's heart pounded like a drum. The sensation under his palm was incredible; the soft down seemed to soothe all his anxiety and pain.
He drew his arms around the fox tail that had given him comfort, his fingertips digging into its thick fur with restraint, as if embracing a priceless treasure.
"Hmm..." Ji Wang let out a satisfied, almost sighing sound, his breathing, which had been slightly heavy due to the pain, gradually became steady. "Much better."
He kept his promise and didn't move again, but simply held the fox tail obediently, as if it were the best painkiller and calming incense for him that night.
The room fell silent for a moment. Just as Bu Jiu thought he had finally quieted down and was about to fall asleep peacefully, the person holding the tail in his arms muttered something in a slightly nasal, particularly aggrieved tone:
"I won't hold it against you... I feel like my wounds will hurt again tomorrow."
The next day, Ji Wang woke up to the sound of birds chirping.
He first felt the comforting warmth in his arms, then looked down and saw the fox tail still obediently nestled in his embrace, its fur brushing against his chin, causing a slight tickle.
He tilted his head slightly in the direction of his tail. Bu Jiu's usually clear eyes were closed, and his long, thick eyelashes trembled slightly with his breath. His black hair was spread out messily on the animal skin, with a few strands inexplicably pressed down beneath him.
Ji Wang watched quietly, a strange feeling stirring in his heart.
An indescribable sense of familiarity swept over me without warning.
That sleeping face...it's so familiar.
He knew it so well that he could almost predict the frequency of the next tremor of those eyelashes; he knew it so well that he had watched it quietly like this countless mornings, watching how the sunlight gradually climbed onto the person's eyebrows, watching the lips unconsciously part slightly.
This time, it wasn't a reminder from any external object, nor a memory brought about by wood carvings or engravings, but rather an almost instinctive imprint. It was as if this scene had already been repeated a thousand times over in his life.
He stared, somewhat lost in thought, unconsciously tightening his arms around the fox's tail, as if trying to confirm the person's existence through the real touch, to grasp the fleeting image in his mind.
Perhaps his movements were a little too large, or perhaps his focused gaze was too intense, for the sleeping person let out a very soft nasal sound and slowly opened his eyes.
Bu Jiu blinked, his gaze focusing on Ji Wang's face, which was very close to his.
"What's wrong..." Bu Jiu tried to turn over and face away, but the movement pulled on Ji Wang's long hair. A slight stinging pain made him hiss softly. Helpless, he had to stop and remain lying on his side, unable to move for a moment.
Seeing this, Ji Wang quickly propped himself up, the movement aggravating his shoulder injury, causing him to frown slightly, but he didn't care about himself.
"Don't move." Ji Wang reached out and naturally freed the strand of black hair that had been pressed down from under himself.
After doing all this, he got off the bed, grabbed the outer robe from the side and put it on, then bent down and carefully tucked the thin blanket that had slipped off towards Bu Jiu, making sure he was wrapped up tightly.
"I'll go change the dressing first..." He looked down at Bu Jiu, who was still lying there, seemingly not fully recovered, and softened his tone, "You rest a bit more."
His movements were fluid and natural, as if he had done it before.
Bu Jiu watched his figure disappear through the doorway, and only after hearing Ji Wang and Huai Qing, who was still awake, whispering outside did he slowly close his eyes.
The feeling of the blanket being carefully tucked in was still there, and the warmth of the other person's fingertips that had just touched her neck seemed to linger on her side.
He slowly curled up, burying half his face in the animal hide that still carried the scent of the two of them.
The fox tail gently swept across the tatami mat before quietly curling up beside him.
After changing his dressing, Ji Wang slowly ate a simple breakfast.
Huaiqing yawned and waved to Ji Wang: "I'm going to catch up on my sleep. See you tonight."
After Huaiqing left, the whole room fell silent, with only the faint chirping of birds remaining.
Ji Wang was staring blankly at the empty bowl, wondering when Bu Jiu would get up and whether he should bring him some, when another figure appeared beside him.
Bu Jiu sat opposite him, suddenly raised her hand, her fingertips touching her tied-up hair with some uncertainty, her gaze lowered, avoiding Ji Wang's eyes: "...Is that so?"
Ji Wang didn't react for a moment: "Huh?"
Bu Jiu seemed annoyed at having asked such a pointless question, but still forced herself to speak in a low voice, "...Didn't you say it looked good this way, that I should always..."
The rest of the words were left unsaid, but the meaning was already clear.
Ji Wang was stunned.
He then remembered that in that cave, he had half-jokingly and half-seriously praised Bu Jiu for being so handsome.
He was just speaking on a whim at the time and never imagined that his casual remark would be remembered by Bu Jiu and put into practice today, even with a hint of uncertainty and a desire to verify it.
“Yes…that’s how it is.” Ji Wang stood up, walked behind him, and gently untied the hairband. “But you don’t have to do that. You look good no matter what.”
Bu Jiu felt he always lost to Ji Wang's blunt words. Before, when he said such things, he always beat around the bush, and by the time he realized what was happening, Ji Wang had already run away. But now, it was like this, leaving him nowhere to hide.
"How is the injury?" Bu Jiu turned around, gently freeing the strands of hair from Ji Wang's hand, his gaze falling on the newly bandaged shoulder, and smoothly changed the subject.
"Much better, Senior Huaiqing's medicine is very effective," Ji Wang replied immediately. "What do we do today?"
Seeing his eagerness, Bu Jiu was afraid that he would rush out and swing his sword wildly at any moment, so he quickly said, "There are some things I need to explain to you."
Bu Jiu's tone carried a seriousness that came from a night of deep thought, and Ji Wang composed himself after listening: "Go on."
Bu Jiu stretched out his fingertip, dipped it in some cooled tea, and gently sketched a draft on the table.
He pointed to a more distant spot and slowly began, “About Ling Gu, about the Venerable One he mentioned, and… the place we’re going to next.”
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