The white and tender arm was now red and swollen. Zhuge Yue said angrily: “It’s like this and you still say it doesn’t hurt?”
I poured scoops of cold water on it, but the swelling didn't go down. Zhuge Yue was about to ask someone to bring some medicine for the wound, but when he looked up, he saw Chu Qiao's upper body was soaked, her curves were exposed, her snow-white neck was undulating, her long hair was loose, and she looked charming and seductive.
Chu Qiao also noticed Zhuge Yue's gaze, and immediately covered her chest with her hands, and said angrily: "What are you looking at?"
Zhuge Yue felt slightly embarrassed, but still stubbornly mocked, “With a figure like yours that is hard to tell male from female, I don’t feel anything when I see you.”
Chu Qiao frowned, anger rising in her heart. Seeing Zhuge Yue was about to stand up, she treacherously grabbed the hem of his shirt and, while he was not paying attention, she violently pulled him!
The bathroom was slippery to begin with, and with a splash, Zhuge Yue fell to the ground with his arms and legs spread out, no longer showing any trace of grace.
Chu Qiao burst into laughter upon seeing this, but her joy turned into sorrow. Zhuge Yue grabbed her calf while she was struggling. She was weak from her illness and her body fell down. As luck would have it, she fell into the man's arms.
This bathhouse is surrounded by open-air bamboo joints, with a hot spring below. When you look up, you can see the bright stars in the sky. The lights on both sides are not very bright, and there is a faint halo in the autumn wind. The moon was unusually bright and silvery white, hanging far in the sky. The night wind blew slowly, bringing with it the scent of crabapples, intoxicating people. The curtains hung to the ground, and the light blue silk ribbons gently withered on both sides. It was a very quiet night.
After a long time, a gentle sound of a copper clock was heard, as if to wake someone up from their dream.
Zhuge Yue's hands were warm as he pressed them against Chu Qiao's shoulders. The fine arrow patterns on his sleeves occasionally rubbed against Chu Qiao's neck, causing a ticklish sensation.
The night wind blows gently, and the crabapple trees in the distance are bright red, as if they have fallen into a short dream. Zhuge Yue’s eyes were like dark gemstones. He locked onto Chu Qiao’s eyes tightly, then gently stepped forward an inch.
Chu Qiao was startled and immediately struggled to leave, reaching out to push him away, but her lower abdomen suddenly stiffened, and the hot touch made her completely stunned, and she could only stare wide-eyed.
Chu Qiao quickly sat up and stepped aside. The autumn wind blew between the two of them. The awkward silence seemed to be swallowed by endless darkness.
Chu Qiao tried to find something to break the awkward situation, her voice filled with anger, "You can't even tell if I'm a man or a woman, why are you still like this?"
As soon as these words came out, Chu Qiao immediately wanted to dig a hole and bury herself in it. This was only making things worse.
Zhuge Yue’s expression was not good either, but he stiffened his neck and snorted coldly, “I can’t tell whether you are a man or a woman, but it is obvious that I am a man.”
Chu Qiao finally exploded in anger, "You are too shameless."
Zhuge Yue glanced at her, "You haven't seen anyone more shameless."
The two of them cursed at each other and tried to cover up the truth, which finally made them look a little better. At this time, the night wind suddenly became a little cold. If they didn't want to jump into the hot spring, it would not be advisable to stay here for long.
Zhuge Yue stood up and asked, “Can we go?”
Chu Qiao's clothes were half wet at the moment, so leaving was not a problem, but it was a matter of face, so it was inevitably a bit embarrassing.
The man lowered his head and cursed softly, then took off his outer robe and threw it to her. Then he hit himself on the head and walked away in a very cool posture. But after walking two steps, he found that the person behind him had not caught up at all, so he turned back and shouted angrily: "Are you going to leave or not?"
Chu Qiao was getting dressed, and her arms were burned so her movements were slow. She was annoyed when she heard him yelling, and asked angrily, "Why are you yelling?"
Seeing her like that, Zhuge Yue frowned and walked back, squatted down a few times to put her clothes on, then pulled her sleeve and walked towards the bedroom.
Chu Qiao staggered as he pulled her, and said impatiently, "Can you slow down? You're acting crazy!"
"Can you try to say something to me again?"
"I told you, what's the matter?"
After getting the medicine, Zhuge Yue sat on a chair, took Chu Qiao's hand, and used a medicine brush to apply layer upon layer of milky white ointment on Chu Qiao's arm.
"Apply it once in the morning and evening, and it will be healed in two days. Don't get it wet and eat less spicy food."
The medicine brush was made of fine animal hair, and it caused a slight shudder when it touched the skin. Zhuge Yue's chair was slightly higher than the bed. He sat there, his clothes gleaming brightly under the light. His handsome features were a little hazy, but his expression was extremely serious. He dipped the brush in the ointment, applying layer after layer.
“Zhuge Yue, I really, must go.”
Zhuge Yue raised his head and looked at Chu Qiao intently. There was no trace of joking in the woman’s expression. She looked at him seriously with such clear eyes.
"I know that a simple thank you means nothing. You helped me several times, and I understand all the risks, pressures, and prices you paid."
Zhuge Yue did not speak either. Instead, he put down the medicine brush and slowly closed the lid of the ointment.
"But I have no other way to repay you, and I can't afford it, so I can only say thank you, do you understand?"
Zhuge Yue's expression remained unchanged as he stood up, turned around and attempted to leave.
Chu Qiao grabbed his hand and shouted, "Zhuge Yue, please, let me go. I doubt this will end like this. This incident was definitely not planned by Zhao Chun'er alone. There must be a master behind the scenes. They are deliberately using the conflict between Yanbei and Daxia to stir up trouble, and using me as an excuse. If Yan Xun knew I was in Tangjing, no matter what the situation was, he would probably fall into someone else's trap. And it is also possible to instigate Bian Tang and Daxia and take the opportunity to start a war. This person is very scheming. Zhao Chun'er is just a cover. She has lost face for Daxia. If Emperor Xia is angry, a war will surely break out. I must return to Yanbei immediately. Now winter is approaching, Yanbei is short of food and clothing, the Datong Guild is unstable, and the Southwest Town Government is very likely to mutiny without my suppression. There are so many things, I must..."
“Are you crazy?” Zhuge Yue turned his head suddenly, his eyes seemed to be bloodshot. He held Chu Qiao’s chin tightly and said in a deep and vicious voice, “Look at yourself. You were besieged by so many people, you almost died in battle several times, you are covered in wounds, and you are seriously ill. Now there are people outside who want to capture you. In addition to Li Ce, there are officials from Tangjing with ulterior motives, Daxia’s spies in Bian Tang, and the troops brought by Zhao Chun’er, as well as Daxia’s The princes who came to celebrate your birthday, and even some bounty hunters, just want to take your head to Daxia to collect the reward! At this time, you still want to go out, do you really believe that Li Ce can save you despite the opposition of the whole country? Do you really believe that Yan Xun can do anything for you? Do you know that once you are exposed, even the Tang Emperor will have to consider the relationship with Daxia? Once you fall into the hands of others, there is no possibility of survival. Are you crazy?"
"I didn't!" Chu Qiao shouted, "I know what I'm doing."
The woman's chest rose and fell, but her eyes were filled with indescribable tenacity. "I have always been like this. The whole world is my enemy. From the beginning when I followed Yan Xun into Shengjin Palace, I expected that this day would come. But so what? There are so many people who want to kill me. Do I have to hide forever? If I hide, I will only become weaker and weaker, and then they can hunt me down even more wantonly. I am going out now so that I can have the ability to protect myself one day! Zhuge Yue, I told you, I have my own beliefs."
“Fuck your faith!” Zhuge Yue growled, his voice filled with great anger and undisguised repression. His eyes were pitch black as he looked at Chu Qiao dimly, almost gritting his teeth as he growled in a low voice, “Faith? Is it important? Is it important? Is it more important than life?”
"Important!" Chu Qiao looked at him and said word by word, "You don't understand. This is my only wish to live. Someone needs me, so I have to go."
In an instant, it was as if a violent wind swept through his already chaotic mind, and Zhuge Yue roared like a suppressed beast. He suddenly stepped forward, pressed Chu Qiao under him, and kissed her on the lips with resentment, passion, and unwillingness!
It was as if there was a raging fire burning in her chest and abdomen. His kiss was so deep and so strong that Chu Qiao was completely stunned. A familiar smell filled her nostrils. His scent was like the branches and leaves of a vine tree, permeating everywhere, enveloping her, sweeping her, surrounding her. Her body was hot, her blood was hot. It was no longer a simple kiss. There were too many unspeakable emotions rushing out of it, flowing out wildly.
Chu Qiao pushed and resisted desperately in fear. Finally, the force gradually weakened. She felt so helpless, so desperate, and so sad. The man looked at her with dark eyes and sneered at himself, "Don't you feel it? I need you too!"
Chu Qiao was stunned.
There was a gloomy atmosphere in the room. The large candle on the candlestick had been burning for half the night. The wax dripped down in lines, condensing and accumulating like crimson coral.
The throat seemed to be choked and blocked, and even breathing was no longer smooth.
Zhuge Yue's eyes were so gloomy. He looked at her without saying a word. In his eyes, a myriad of scenes flashed by one by one, including the past years, the youth, the immaturity that he didn't know how to express, and the happiness that was missed after the arrow was shot, when they were separated by a world of distance.
Chu Qiao took a deep breath, gradually hiding the shock, weakness, and reluctance in her eyes. Finally, she swallowed all the frustration and whispered, "Please..."
The candle flame was still as bright as a torch, but it seemed to be shrouded in a dim light. The man's face was a dim silhouette hidden by the layers of green gauze. He looked more handsome than usual, but at this moment, his expression seemed so heavy.
He stood up swiftly and smiled coldly, "After all, I am willing to be humble. The door is open, you can stay or go as you like. Goodbye." After he said that, he left without any reluctance.
The moon was cool as water, the stars were bright, Chu Qiao sat on the bed, the green veil fluttering, the candlelight was warm, she suddenly felt so tired, the breath she exhaled was full of bitterness and vicissitudes.
"Be strong!" In the silence, a woman's voice slowly rang out, so soft and heartbreaking, "Time will dilute everything. As long as you hold on, everything will pass."
She nodded, as if trying to convince herself, then stood up, looked northwest, and nodded firmly, "I'm going to Yanbei."
As soon as I walked out of the door, I saw Yue Qi standing at the door and said, "The young master has found the whereabouts of Prince Yan and asked me to take you to meet him."
Chu Qiao was stunned when she heard that, and unconsciously turned her head to look into the distance, only to see the pavilions and waterside terraces hidden in the heavy mist and rain, with withered flowers and the ground covered with roses. The light white mist obscured the handsome figure, leaving only a sky-blue umbrella, walking away into the rockery and waterside terraces. It is so close, yet so far away that it is hard to see clearly.
"Miss Chu, please come with me." The wind in the wilderness was quite strong, blowing continuously on her face. More than an hour later, Chu Qiao, along with Yue Qi and several other guards, stopped in a deserted wilderness. The young guard dismounted and said, "Miss Chu, we have sent someone to inform the Crown Prince of Yan that Crown Prince Li Ce is currently in his camp. Please wait here for a moment and he will come to meet you."
Chu Qiao nodded and thanked him, "Thank you very much."
Yue Qi said: "No need to thank me, I am just following the young master's orders."
Chu Qiao lowered her head and was silent for a while before she said, "Go back and thank him for me."
"Okay." Yue Qi nodded, "I'll take you here. Prince Yan will be here soon. I'll leave first."
"Well, then you should be more careful."
Yue Qi clasped his fists and said, "See you later." After that, he jumped on his horse and left with a few people.
The wind from the wilderness blew like a fan smoked with the finest spices, gently ruffling Chu Qiao's clothes. From the far distance in the sky came the sound of horse hooves like thunder, with smoke and dust rising as a mighty force came. She only felt the hot wind blowing in her eyes, making the corners of her eyes sore and dry. She lowered her head and spoke in a very soft voice, so soft that even she could hardly hear it.
"You, take care of yourself." Then, she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, as if she wanted to let everything out with this breath. Then she turned around and strode towards the direction of the flying smoke, leaving Jiang Mingshuinuan and Bian Tang Yanyu behind.
On a distant mountain top, a man watched her leaving, raised his head to drink the last glass of wine, and then rode down the mountain. The mountain breeze blew through his dark purple wide-sleeved robe, the sunlight shone on his evil face, and cast a long shadow behind him.
As the sun sets and the weary birds return to their nests, everything will return to the starting point, back to the place where it first began.