Chapter 44 (First published on Jinjiang Literature City) (Updated) I have to be very far away from you...
After Chao Lu left, the guards outside the tent remained very strict, and no one dared to go in and disturb Si Ke Dun. Ruan Yu slept very soundly, and when she woke up, it was already dark outside, so much so that she couldn't tell what day it was.
Soft voices and footsteps came from outside the tent. Ruan Yu called out to Xuan Niang.
A moment later, the curtain was lifted, and Xuan Niang and Qing Guo walked in quickly.
"Khedun, you're awake!"
Ruan Yu's hair was a little messy, her throat was a little dry, and as for her clothes, they were nowhere to be found.
"What time is it...?"
"You've slept all day, it's almost 5 PM now."
She actually slept all day? That's really...
Xuan Niang: "Are you hungry? I've prepared some food, and I'll bring it over right away."
Ruan Yu nodded: "I'd like to take a bath first."
"Oh, the hot water is ready. I'll go and serve you." Qingguo stepped forward to help her, but Ruanyu tugged at the blankets: "You, you help me find some clothes first... She can't get out of bed like this."
Qingguo paused for a moment, then quickly agreed.
After going to the bathhouse, Ruan Yu heard about what had happened that day from the two women—
Chaolu was unharmed last night. He went to the Khan's tent early this morning, and shortly after leaving there, he went to Lady Qiu's place.
Ruan Yu felt a little awkward. "He's alright...?"
Xuan Niang and Qing Guo exchanged a glance, their expressions somewhat complicated: "The shepherd said that he was fine last night, but it will recur during the next full moon. So the Khan ordered everyone to return to the tribe early this morning and also sent many people to search for that witch doctor."
Qingguo: "That Dr. Riin also said... he wanted to see Khatun today. I think he seemed quite shocked, about... about what happened last night..."
Qingguo stopped mid-sentence, too embarrassed to finish. Ruan Yu understood, and shrank further into the bathtub, though she wasn't quite sure herself...
The marks on my body are still quite noticeable, and I still feel a bit uncomfortable down there...
Footsteps suddenly came from outside. Jin'er called out "Your Highness," as if to remind those inside. Ruan Yu was startled, and the next moment, Chao Lu walked in directly.
He spotted the person in the bathtub immediately, his gaze fixed on Ruan Yu, who remained motionless.
"Everyone, step back."
Xuan Niang and Qing Guo glanced at Ruan Yu, then quietly agreed and withdrew.
Chao Lu walked to the edge of the bathtub. Ruan Yu stared at him with wide eyes. Only his head was visible above the water, with a strand of wet hair clinging to his cheek.
Chao Lu reached out and gently brushed aside the strand of wet hair.
He seemed a little embarrassed and coughed lightly, "Shall I help you?"
Ruan Yu: "No, no need... I'm all better now..."
Chao Lu turned around and took the towel. Ruan Yu tried to stand up with difficulty, but before she could exert any effort, Chao Lu reached out and lifted her out of the bathtub. In the next instant, he wrapped her up and carried her back into the tent.
Ruan Yu was wrapped up tightly by him. The man moved quickly but not roughly. He dried her off in no time, then pulled over the blankets. Ruan Yu quickly wrapped herself up and turned back to get her clothes. When she turned her head, she saw a person who looked like a silkworm cocoon, with wet eyes cautiously looking at him.
Chao Lu: "...I won't touch you, put your clothes on?"
Ruan Yu pursed her lips, stretched out her arm, and quickly took it.
"Then turn around."
Chao Lu swallowed hard, then complied with her wishes and turned his back to her.
Ruan Yu was relieved and quickly put on her undergarments and inner garments. Finally, she breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a little less awkward.
When Chao Lu heard that the person was alright, he turned around again. He looked at Ruan Yu with a somewhat complicated expression.
Are you hurt?
Ruan Yu lowered her eyes and shook her head.
"May I take a look?"
Ruan Yu immediately shook her head more vigorously.
Chao Lu sighed, reached out to hug her again, and lay down sideways so that Ruan Yu could lean on him more comfortably.
Ruan Yu lay down following his movements. She wasn't seriously injured, but she was very tired.
Chaolu rested one knee behind his head, while his other hand occasionally stroked her back.
"If it weren't for you, I would most likely be dead last night."
Ruan Yu paused, then whispered, "No way..."
“My mother said that I am very lucky and that marrying you is my good fortune.”
Ruan Yu didn't know what to say, so she didn't reply.
Chao Lu was silent for a moment, then reached out his other hand and lifted her up slightly, cupping her face and pressing his forehead against hers—
"Yu Yu, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to be angry with you the other day, I just..."
Before Chao Lu could finish speaking, footsteps suddenly came from outside: "Your Highness."
It's Riin who's here.
Chao Lu frowned.
Remembering what Xuan Niang had said earlier, Ruan Yu asked, "Is he here to take His Highness's pulse or mine?"
Chao Lu: "I think so. He's been bothering me with questions all day, it's getting a bit annoying."
How could he possibly tell anyone the details of what happened last night?!
Ruan Yu thought for a moment and said, "Why don't we let him in? I'm also a little curious about how His Highness's health is now..."
Chaolu was still somewhat reluctant, but since she had spoken, he finally nodded and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you."
A moment later, Riin finally met Ruan Yu as he had wished.
"Greetings, Your Highness, Siqdun."
Chao Lu said impatiently, "Hurry up."
Ruan Yu gently tugged at him.
Chao Lu pursed his lips.
Rein: "Yes, yes, yes."
After saying that, he began to take Chaolu's pulse.
After a short while, Li Yin said, "The poison has been suppressed and will not recur for the next month, but the next one will be the Lantern Festival. Your Highness must be careful."
"The antidote might be found within this month."
Rein: "That would be best, I will do my best to help you."
"Um."
Then Riin looked at Ruan Yu, who also reached out her hand. Riin apologized and took a piece of light gauze to cover it, and began to take Ruan Yu's pulse.
Even so, the moment his hand touched her, Lu's eyes shot out sharply, and Riin felt a thin layer of sweat seep out of his back.
He composed himself and focused on taking Ruan Yu's pulse.
Chao Lu watched, his other hand tapping absently on his knee.
Time moved slowly. It took Riin much longer to take Ruan Yu's pulse than he did. Chao Lu was also getting increasingly impatient, tapping his fingers faster and faster. Finally, before he could speak, Riin withdrew his hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"May I ask, Khatun, did you suffer from any illness when you were a child?"
Ruan Yu was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly looked at Lu.
"It seems... she was sick once, my mother said."
"How was he cured later?"
Ruan Yu thought for a moment and said, "My mother said that she must have found a very powerful monk who gave me a kind of pill."
Rein remained silent.
"That must be the reason."
Chao Lu frowned: "Speak quickly, don't beat around the bush."
Ruan Yu advised, "Your Highness..."
Li Yin laughed and said, "It's alright, it's alright. I've been having a guess all day about the scent Your Highness smelled. It's very likely that the Khatun took some special medicine. This medicine was absorbed by the Khatun and over the years, it might have a special effect on people who are poisoned by Gu. After asking the Khatun today, this guess is even more accurate. The illness that the Khatun had when she was a child... must have been quite serious."
Chao Lu looked at Ruan Yu nervously again, and Ruan Yu nodded, "I almost didn't make it."
Riin sighed, "The Khatun is a blessed man; thankfully, it's all over now. In that case, His Highness's poison is probably not a major concern for the time being, at least not life-threatening when it flares up. But we must find an antidote as soon as possible..."
Chao Lu: "Have you finished asking your questions? If you have, go and rest early."
Rein: "...Yes."
He and Ruan Yu bowed again before he withdrew.
As soon as everyone left, Chao Lu hurriedly approached Ruan Yu and said, "You were seriously ill when you were a child?! How come I didn't know that!"
Ruan Yu: "...We were thousands of miles apart when we were young, and there are so many things you don't know, not to mention that I almost forgot them myself."
Chao Lu suddenly looked a little dejected: "But I'm curious about everything about you now, and I want to know everything, including that Baidu thing."
Ruan Yu: "..."
His real name is Pei Du, but he uses the alias Bai Yu.
She looked away, too lazy to correct him, lest he start agonizing over it again.
Ke Chaolu reached out and cupped her face in his hands, gazing deeply into her eyes: "Yuyu, it's so good to have you..."
Chao Lu's gaze was somewhat direct and intense. She lowered her eyes and changed the subject: "What did Mother say... that the Wu tribe seems to suggest we go to the Liuyu tribe to ask?"
"Well, you don't need to worry about that, I've already arranged everything." Chao Lu didn't want to talk about these things, so he leaned closer to Chao Lu's neck and sniffed it greedily.
Ruan Yu then remembered: "What did the shepherd doctor mean by the smell just now?"
Chao Lu was stunned for a moment before realizing that she didn't know.
He held Ruan Yu's hand and squeezed it as he said, "I kept smelling a nice scent on you last night, and it was that scent that calmed me down."
Ruan Yu: "..."
So that's not how it is...
She suddenly felt like crying; what had she endured?
Ruan Yu suddenly reached out and pinched Chao Lu's thigh hard; this was the only place with any soft flesh!
Chao Lu gasped, "Hiss... Yu Yu, you..."
Ruan Yu: "You'll sleep on the floor tonight!"
Her cheeks flushed slightly as she realized that this person wasn't human, but a two-legged beast!
Chao Lu laughed at this moment and shamelessly moved closer.
"No, I need to be very, very close to you to smell it... If it's at a very close distance, the effect will be even better..."
Ruan Yu was held in his arms and kissed a few more times. Unable to bear it any longer, she kept pinching him wherever she could reach. Chao Lu, however, was not afraid at all; he had very thick skin and kept chuckling softly in her ear...
...
Turing arrived after dinner that evening.
"Fourth Brother, I will return to Liuyu Tribe tomorrow. Don't worry, I will definitely help you find that so-called Western Region witch tribesman."
Chaolu stood in the moonlight and patted him on the shoulder: "Thank you."
Turing smiled at him and said, "Why are you being so polite with me, Fourth Brother? But I won't be able to spend the White Festival with you this year. I'll be back before the Lantern Festival."
"Okay, take care on your journey."
Turing nodded, then mounted his horse and returned with his several bodyguards, all of whom were Deathbringers.
As the crowd receded into the distance, one of the guards finally couldn't contain himself any longer, his face lighting up with excitement: "Your Highness, you can finally go home! I wonder how happy the Chief will be when you return..."
Turing had long since abandoned his playful demeanor in the Geer tribe and gripped the reins tightly in his hand.
"I haven't seen my maternal grandfather in a long time, and I hope that I haven't disappointed him all these years..."
"Your Highness has worked tirelessly to avenge the blood feud of yesteryear. Our Liuyu tribe will surely one day wipe out the Karl!"
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Author's Note: [Evil grin][Evil grin][Evil grin][Evil grin][Evil grin][Evil grin][Evil grin]
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