Chapter 129 Spider 16
The sudden embrace left Xu Zhao stunned. She blinked slowly, and when she regained consciousness, she was already in Lin Yue's arms.
His chest was filled with the faint coolness of the night, and that warmth was like a trickle of clear spring water that soothed the painful wounds on Xu Zhao.
She had never been treated like this before. The arm around her shoulders and thighs wasn't scorching, yet she felt like she was being roasted on a fire. It almost made her want to run away. It was just a minor injury, not a life-threatening one.
Xu Zhao said, "That's not necessary. I can walk on my own."
The arms around her shoulders suddenly tightened, then slowly loosened, as if obeying her words and putting her down, but soon, the arms tightened again.
Lin Yue lifted Xu Zhao high in his arms, carefully avoiding her dangling legs. The moment she opened her mouth, panic washed over her.
He glanced at the furry legs, but didn't touch Xu Zhao. Was his contact annoying her? After all, no one wanted to interact with a half-man, half-spider monster. Then, his gaze fell on Xu Zhao's ankle again.
There is a big swelling there.
Lin Yue's jaw tightened as he explained weakly, "You'll get hurt."
Xu Zhao wanted to say it was okay. She'd endured worse injuries before, and had managed to get through them with gritted teeth. But before she could say anything, she caught a glimpse of Lin Yue's eyes, faintly glistening with tears, and her heart tightened. Perhaps it was a glimpse into the cruel truth of what had happened, but in her eyes, Lin Yue was like a fledgling from a nest, his every move revealing a fragile and pitiful air.
Xu Zhao remained silent, quietly observing Lin Yue's appearance. Back in the thatched hut, Lin Yue laid her on the somewhat hard bed. How could there be a bed? The hut was empty, only a mess of thatch, broken wood, and the dead spider.
Now all these things were gone. In their place was a clean, tidy floor and a wooden plank bed. Upon closer inspection, the previously unstable beams seemed to have been reinforced, and the leaky walls were tightly covered with thatch, a feat achieved without the aid of human tools.
It was a spiderweb. The loose thatch and shaky wood were all covered in sticky spiderwebs, creating a hut that was even more stable than before. Meanwhile, the scent of Lin Yue filled every corner of the small hut.
Xu Zhao couldn't hide his surprise: "Did you do this?"
She had witnessed the thatched cottage's condition before. Even just tidying up the corners, let alone cleaning it thoroughly, was a massive undertaking. But after only one day, she almost thought she was in the wrong place.
Lin Yue quietly looked at Xu Zhao who was sitting on the bed. The thin little girl's eyes were full of disbelief and a hint of joy at the change of environment.
Who likes a messy environment?
Lin Yue said: "Yes. I did it..."
He wanted to ask Xu Zhao about the hut's environment. Did he like it? Did he feel comfortable? But he swallowed it back and took out the medicine. He didn't need a stool. He lowered his legs slightly to the ground, lowering his body.
The oval belly fell and hit the ground.
Lin Yue lay on his back, biting his lip. He held the medicine bottle in his hand, seemingly reluctant to hand it to Xu Zhao. After hesitating for a few seconds, he spoke weakly, "...Let me help you apply the medicine."
His expression was timid, as if tears would roll down his cheeks if Xu Zhao refused. He tilted his head back, perhaps aware of his tears, and blinked gently, afraid that the tears would fall and give Xu Zhao the impression that he was too tearful.
"...If you don't want me to touch you, then be gentle and don't pull on the wound."
Sitting in this quiet little house, with no townspeople with different thoughts around him, and no spiders that could kill him at any time, Xu Zhao felt a long-lost peace.
She took the medicine bottle and said, "Okay, I'll apply it myself."
The medicine bottle tugged twice and slipped out of Lin Yue's hand. For some unknown reason, his mood seemed to have become depressed again.
Xu Zhao: "Are you unhappy?"
Lin Yue: “No.”
Xu Zhao twisted the bottle cap, tearing at her wrist with the force. It was a cut from a spider silk that had crossed the road, but she hadn't noticed. She didn't feel the pain when she was running for her life, but now that she was safe, the pain seeped out slowly, and she couldn't stop it.
She hissed softly.
Lin Yue took back the medicine bottle and unscrewed it: "Let me do it. Is that okay?"
Xu Zhao no longer refused. She really didn't have the strength to do so. "Nothing is impossible. Thank you."
His fingertips, smeared with medicated oil, touched her ankle. Besides the initial pain, a slight numbness rose from the sole of her foot. Lin Yue's movements were gentle, as if he were treating a child who was afraid of pain. He dipped his fingertips in the medicated oil, lowered himself, and breathed softly over the swollen ankle.
Xu Zhao leaned against the wall, her eyes briefly meeting Lin Yue's furtive gaze. At this moment, she didn't even have the energy to say thank you, and could only curl her eyes to express her gratitude.
Lin Yue quickly looked away, startled. The fingers pinching his ankle were still gentle, but Xu Zhao had an inexplicable feeling that his mood seemed to have changed again, and for the better.
She doesn't hate his touch. Lin Yue thought to himself, unable to hide the smile on his lips, and the corners of his lips curled up quietly. He carefully applied the medicated oil to the swollen ankle, massaging it gently. Then, his fingertips moved to change to the disinfectant solution, applying it to the wound on her calf, and then to the wound above.
He withdrew his hand in time. With his eyes downcast, he asked her cautiously, "What happened? Why did you run out in the middle of the night? Can you tell me?"
He was met with a long silence. The thatched hut was a remnant of the town's past. Every family had demolished their old houses and built two-story buildings. Only the owner of this dilapidated hut remained here, dying of old age and decaying. It was only a dozen minutes' walk from the town, but it was this distance that separated it from much of the worldly life.
At night, I stayed here alone. Looking up, I saw the dark sky. The only sounds I could hear were the rustling of leaves in the wind and the occasional spider's rustling sound.
Yet, at that moment, the rustling of leaves, the rustling of falling leaves, the clacking of spiders, and the occasional indistinguishable cries from a distant town were drowned out by the shallow, almost inaudible sound of breathing. Lin Yue clenched his fingers, his palms dripping with sweat. He lifted his eyes slightly and caught a glimpse of Xu Zhao, who had fallen asleep.
She leaned against the wall with her arms folded across her chest, looking as if she was sleeping peacefully.
Lin Yue dared not breathe, a faint sense of self-blame welling up in his throat. He should have made the bed and put down the bedding before she arrived. Wouldn't she have rested better on the soft bedding? She looked exhausted. Was life in the town unsatisfactory? Or had she been bullied?
He shoved forward, only half a fist's distance between him and Xu Zhao's shoe sole. The soles of his feet were stained with thick blood, smelling unpleasant. But he shoved forward again, almost touching his clean face.
"Xu Zhao."
Lin Yue raised his head: "...It's uncomfortable to sleep with shoes on, I'll help you take them off. We are friends, can I help with such a small thing?"
Blinking, Lin Yue pinched the upper of her shoes, took off her shoes and socks. He moved gently, holding her shoulders with one hand and supporting her head with the other, letting her lie on her side on the bare bed.
After all this, his hindquarters were busy spinning white silk, each strand cleaner and stronger than the silk spun by giant spiders. His legs nimbly wove the threads into a soft blanket, using a denser mesh.
A blanket made of spider webs was draped over Xu Zhao.
The faint scent of Chinese herbal medicine lingered in her nostrils. Xu Zhao gradually fell into a deep sleep. Her breathing became heavier, and the fatigue from running around made her snore softly.
Lin Yue unconsciously curled the corners of his lips. He covered his eyes with a scrap of spider web, a long, slender piece of spider silk. His vision turned into a vast white. The band was very wide, covering the two spider eyes on his forehead.
The spider-like body had obvious advantages. His heightened senses allowed him to accurately determine the location he was looking for based on the noises Xu Zhao made and the sound of the wind. He didn't use a cotton swab, but simply dipped his fingertips in disinfectant and slowly applied it, starting with Xu Zhao's legs. He meticulously cleaned any exposed wounds.
After all this, Lin Yue peeled back the spider silk covering his eyes and continued in this position, tentatively placing his arms on the bed and crossing them. Slowly, slowly, his fair chin rested on the backs of his folded hands, blinking his dark eyes, a smile bubbling in his eyes.
"Xu Zhao."
"good evening."
"Have a sweet dream."
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