In the first half of the night, Yaoying felt as if she was on fire and couldn't even drink water, let alone eat the bowl of vegetarian soup cakes.

She felt someone gently help her up, and the bowl of soup was brought to her lips. A light sweet fragrance filled her nose, but she felt disgusted, so she raised her arm and pushed the bowl of soup away.

The soup splashed out and the bowl was immediately moved away.

The quilt was warm, as if there was a bright charcoal fire hidden inside. Yao Ying was so hot that she could not help but push away the quilt that was pressing on her.

As soon as she pushed it away, the quilt covered her again. She pushed it away again, and after a while, the quilt gently returned to its original position. She became ill and groaned in dissatisfaction. She kicked the quilt away with all her strength, pushing it down again and again.

Like a grumpy cat.

The figure beside the bed froze for a moment.

The heat dissipated, and Yaoying felt a little more comfortable. She spread her arms and legs, turned over, and curled up on her arms, her head resting on them. Her long black hair was draped over her shoulders, and her slender feet were exposed. Her insteps were slightly stretched, and she looked pitiful and frail, completely different from her irritable self just now.

After a moment, the quilt was wrapped around her again.

A bony hand gently pressed down the corner of the quilt.

Yaoying suddenly opened her eyes, looked up, her eyelashes wet.

This action made her feel very familiar and at ease.

…

When she was young, Yaoying took medicine every day and couldn't sleep all night. Especially in the first year when she was practicing walking, her legs were in unbearable pain. She tossed and turned in bed, and it hurt no matter how she changed her posture.

She didn't want to cry because she couldn't bear the pain, but tears still fell and wet the pillow.

Li Zhongqian heard the voice, walked into the inner room with a candle in his hand, and shone it on her face: "Xiao Qi?"

Yao Ying knew that he had a bad temper and was afraid that he would worry, so she immediately held her breath, lay still, and pretended to be asleep.

Li Zhongqian leaned over, pulled up the quilt that had slipped under her shoulders, pressed it lightly twice, pressed the bottom of the quilt, stood by the bed for a while, and went out.

Yaoying's legs were still very painful, but she felt much more at ease. She turned over and continued to sleep.

…

As the years passed, Yaoying had long forgotten the pain that had kept her awake all night, and only remembered the gentle force of her brother's hand as he clumsily pressed down on the corner of the quilt.

The lights were dim.

Yao Ying stared at the slender hand beside the bed, her eyes slowly moved upwards and she saw a hideous Yaksha mask.

She was stunned and thought vaguely that this dream was a bit scary.

Her gaze continued upwards, and a pair of deep blue eyes looked at her quietly, with a calm gaze.

Yaoying's eyes were slightly warm.

The grievances, fears, helplessness, and loneliness that had been pent up in my heart suddenly surged up and gushed out like a surging river tide.

"Brother..."

When she called out these two words, her nose felt sore, tears welled up in her eyelashes, and she grabbed the hand that was about to be taken back.

"Brother, I feel bad."

Because I knew it was a dream, I didn't have to hide it and could act coquettishly and complain about my grievances as much as I wanted.

The hot hand grasped the cool hand, and it felt like an electric current was passing through.

The palm of the hand clenched gently.

Yaoying held them tighter, just like she had held the hands that had held her and taught her to walk countless times when she was a child. She leaned her little face forward and rubbed them dependently, silently acting coquettishly.

The hand that she was holding tightly did not move, and I let her press her hot little face against it. My skin felt slightly cool under my clothes, which was very comfortable.

"Brother..." Yao Ying raised her face and said coquettishly, "Please don't wear a mask. Your face is a bit scary."

The man looked down at her.

Yaoying's face was flushed red, her eyes were slightly drunk, and she was gazing at him intently, as if she had recognized the wrong person. She was particularly righteous, coquettish and arrogant.

"Brother."

She urged, her voice soft, her breath weak, her brows furrowed, as if she was trying hard to hold back the pain.

The man said nothing and slowly took off his mask.

Under the Yaksha's face is a face covered with scars.

He held the mask, ready to put it back on.

Yao Ying held his arm, curved her eyebrows slightly, and smiled sweetly at him. Her eyes and eyebrows were full of smiles, and she seemed to be completely unaware of the scars on his face.

"That's much better."

Yao Ying said softly. Now she felt at ease. She hugged his arm, closed her eyes, and fell asleep again.

The man was slightly startled.

In the second half of the night, Yaoying began to feel chilly.

A faint chill seeped into the cracks between her bones and spread throughout her body. Her hands and feet were cold, and she hugged herself tightly, curling up into a ball.

The hand that she had been holding tightly slipped out of her grasp.

She felt a weight on her shoulders, and someone added a layer of bedding for her, then pressed it down gently twice and tucked the corners of the quilt.

Yao Ying shivered and said softly, "Brother, I'm cold."

The figure beside the bed left for a while, brought the quilt, spread it on her, and pressed it. The charcoal stove was dragged to the side of the couch, making a small creaking sound.

Yaoying still felt cold and her teeth were chattering.

A tall figure sat down beside the bed, the corner of the quilt was lifted, and a hand reached in, pressing its fingers on her wrist.

The fingertips with a thin layer of silk brushed against the back of her hand. She shuddered all over, and then a warm current spread from the place where the fingers touched.

The place where her fingertips touched felt warm, and Yaoying felt a little better. She subconsciously moved closer to the figure, staying close to him, and slowly, she pressed her delicate body against him.

The figure was motionless, like a sculpture.

After a night of tossing and turning, the oil lamp burned out, emitting wisps of green smoke.

Yaoying felt hot and cold, half asleep and half awake, with her eyes open.

It was dark in front of the bed. A beam of cold moonlight shone through the window into the room and fell on the man beside the bed. The moonlight cut across his face, and the scars faded, leaving deep and elegant lines. His eyelashes were covered with a layer of faint shadow, making his green eyes even clearer and deeper.

His eyes were lowered, his plump lips moved slightly, and he was muttering to himself, reciting scriptures.

Yao Ying knew only a few simple Sanskrit sentences and could not understand what sutra he was chanting. She only vaguely understood a few words: "relieve pain and illness, and be free from all suffering."

Sultan Kublai was indeed a Buddhist disciple. When he put down his butcher knife, he would recite scriptures.

The tone of his chanting was cold and melodious. Yao Ying did not understand a word he said, but she knew he was praying for her. A warm current seemed to flow through her heart, making her feel at ease and comfortable. Gradually, her body felt less uncomfortable, her eyelids became heavy, and she fell into a deep sleep.

This time, Yaoying slept soundly.

When she opened her eyes again, it was already the next morning.

The first rays of sunlight poured down, reflecting on the accumulated snow, and a light blue skylight floated faintly in front of the window.

The effect of the medicine on Yao Ying had worn off. She moved her arms, but her whole body felt sore and weak. She glanced around the room and was stunned.

Sultan Kumbh was sitting on the bed with his eyes closed, as if he was asleep.

Did he really stay with her all night?

Yao Ying was stunned for a moment, thinking back to the various incidents that happened last night. She was afraid of waking up Sudan Gu, so she did not dare to get up, but her feet moved under the quilt.

Her hands and feet gradually regained strength, and she felt dry, comfortable, and energetic, and she could jump around again.

Yaoying twisted gently under the quilt, slowly moved to the other side of the bed, and returned her gaze to Sultan Gu.

He was sitting leaning back, still in the same posture as when he was reciting the sutra, his shoulders and back were tense, and there seemed to be a hint of blue around his eyes.

This man who kills without blinking an eye can actually take care of others so considerately.

Yao Ying stared at Sultan Gu in a daze.

…

She is naturally beautiful, and there are countless young men who admire her looks. As long as she is willing to smile at them, they would risk their lives for her.

But that fiery love was just the momentary passion of young people. What they admired was the beautiful and superior princess, the most beautiful woman. She should not take it seriously.

Yao Ying knew that Zheng Jing liked her, Xue Wu liked her, and the young master of the Pei family liked her.

It is true that they like her, but when her life and their future cannot be reconciled, how many people dare to give it a try for her?

Even Zheng Jing, who truly loved her, only asked her to go with him on impulse.

Yao Ying could even be sure of one thing: if Li De or Li Xuanzhen killed her in front of everyone, the young men in the capital would be angry at Li De's ruthlessness, would feel sorry for her, would shed tears for her, and would draw their swords for her, but then what?

After waking up, they will continue to be loyal to Li De and his son, as if nothing had happened.

In the future, when those young men have grown old, with children and grandchildren, wives and concubines, they may think of her who passed away and feel sad for her for a while.

It's not that the young men were ruthless, Yaoying didn't even have a few words with them, so there was no need to expect anything else.

In this world, when she is in desperate situation, the only person who will come to save her from thousands of miles away without hesitation is her second brother Li Zhongqian.

The only person who would do anything to avenge her is Li Zhongqian.

Therefore, when Yao Ying was running around for Li Zhongqian, she did not cry and ask Zheng Jing for help, but instead exchanged the Xie family's wealth with the Zheng family.

When she corresponded with Du Sinan, she used the fame and status he most desired as bait and listed a series of prospects that were enough to attract him.

When she was forced into a desperate situation by Haidu Aling and had no way to escape, and had to seek help from Tanmarajiva, Yao Ying also became scheming, and every word she said was suggestive, trying to impress Tanmarajiva with benefits.

Tanmaraka saved her.

But it was not because of the benefits she promised, nor because he wanted to form an alliance with the Wei Dynasty.

She couldn't guarantee anything at that time, and he didn't take her words seriously at all.

Yao Ying later thought about it carefully and realized that the reason why Tanmarajava protected her was not because she had helped Mondadeva, but because fate had brought him the water moss.

He saved her just because he could.

Even though Tanmaragha's time is running out, he would still save this stranger.

He promised to protect her and really announced it to the world, allowing her to live in a Buddhist temple under the name of imitating the girl Modanga in order to escape the covetousness of Haidu Aling.

Now he sent Sultan Gu to escort her to Gaochang and help her return to the court as soon as possible.

From the beginning to the end, he didn't need her gratitude, nor did he need her to give anything in exchange.

…

Yao Ying sat up and recalled the look that Tanmaragha gave her when he was sitting in the Buddhist temple during morning classes.

His eyes were clear and ethereal.

Yaoying smiled, her cheeks slightly hot.

Sultan Gu's whereabouts are mysterious, Ashina Bishaguli is eccentric, and Tanmo Luojia's trust in Sultan Gu is also eye-catching.

She had a keen intuition that Sultan's scarred face did not match his eyes.

She doubted Sultan's identity and had deliberately tried to test him several times in the past few days.

He should have noticed something, but even so, he treated her the same as always. Tanmaraka sent him to protect her, so he took good care of her.

Yaoying slowly exhaled the foul air from her chest.

No matter what was hidden between Tanmarajiva, Sultan Gu and Bisha, and what Sultan Gu's identity was, that was their business, and she should not explore their secrets.

If you treat her with sincerity, she should also treat you with sincerity.