Chapter 21 Resonance at the Same Frequency: Why is your heart beating so fast? ...
What are the two characters in Jiaojiao's name?
The mountain night breeze was cool. Jiaojiao leaned on his shoulder and recalled, "Sister Xuexin said it was taken from... 'The mountain is high and the moon is small'?"
He smiled slightly, “The mountain is high, the moon appears small. The moon is small, yet how bright it shines.” [1]
Jiaojiao tapped his shoulder a few times with her chin and agreed, "Yes, yes, that's it."
After saying that, she looked up with great joy as if she had just remembered something, her eyes shining like stars. "Brother Yuhen, you finally called me by my name. Don't you hate me anymore?"
Liu Yuhen was slightly taken aback by her sweet words; no one had ever spoken to him in such an intimate and coquettish manner.
He knew, of course, that this innocent little girl had no romantic feelings for him, and that she probably didn't even understand the meaning behind her extremely intimate actions towards him.
Whether she was instructed or deceived by someone, at least when she faced herself, there was no disgust in her eyes.
That alone was enough for him.
"I have never hated you," Liu Yuhen said sadly, for he could no longer hope for anything more in his current state.
Although Jiaojiao doubted the veracity of these words, she was still very happy to hear them.
She is a lovable jade butterfly slave!
"It's cold in the mountains at night, let's go back." The night wind was biting, and he noticed she had already shivered several times.
Jiaojiao hurriedly grabbed him, "If we leave, we won't be able to see the fireflies anymore."
As soon as she finished speaking, as if the spring equinox had arrived, tiny fireflies slowly emerged from the sea of flowers, flitting about, sometimes bright and sometimes dim, swirling and illuminating the entire night like countless tiny sparks of fire.
Jiaojiao let go of her hand and ran out like a wild animal, catching a swarm of fireflies and gathering them in her palm.
“Brother Yuhen, look, I caught a star.”
Fireflies shimmered with a faint, warm light in her hands; everything before her was the most enchanting dream of a summer night.
Liu Yuhen looked at her quietly, the coldness in his eyes seemed to melt away, replaced by a warm light.
Fireflies filled the sky, like countless stars falling from the night.
The brightest light had already fallen beside him, generously casting its glimmers into his solitary world.
Lying down in this boundless sea of flowers, with the sky as your backdrop, you feel like a tiny speck in the ocean. Looking up, you see a sky full of stars within reach; looking down, you see dappled sunlight.
For the first time, he felt that time was long.
Handing the coat he had taken off to Jiaojiao, Liu Yuhen said softly, "Put this on, be careful not to catch a cold."
The black clothes in his arms carried a crisp scent, but there was also an lingering stench of blood.
He was wearing a white undergarment, and the scars crisscrossing his pale skin could be seen through the overlapping collar.
Jiaojiao's heart suddenly ached slightly, and she pursed her lips tightly. A hint of heartache appeared in her clear amber eyes as she draped the large coat over both of them. "Let's cover each other together."
The cold wind howling at night was kept out by their thin clothes, and they hid together in this little world.
Those who practice martial arts have internal energy protecting their bodies, so their body heat is naturally strong. Jiaojiao shivered a few times and then lay in Liu Yuhen's arms. As if that wasn't enough, she buried herself in his arms as if she wanted to crawl into a warm furnace.
"Brother Yuhen, you are burning up."
In the darkness, her innocent and pure voice sounded distorted in Liu Yuhen's ears, carrying a hint of seduction.
Liu Yuhen's body stiffened, his body grew increasingly hot, and his breathing became erratic. "Don't move."
Jiaojiao was scolded by him and leaned against his chest, not daring to move.
All I could hear was the strong, powerful pounding of his heart, each beat more rapid and intense than the last.
Hearing this unusual frequency of heartbeats like drums, Jiao Jiao's cheeks flushed, and she suddenly felt a pang of panic.
To suppress this sudden, inexplicable surge of emotion, she stammered, "Brother Yuhen, why is your heart beating so fast?"
Liu Yuhen's arm, which was frozen at his side, wrapped around her waist and subconsciously tightened slowly, as if he wanted to hold something unattainable firmly in his palm.
In his single, terrifying eye, the intense flames flickered, burning and dying out repeatedly until he was reduced to ashes, leaving only a scene of utter devastation.
He said in a low, hoarse voice with difficulty, "Don't speak."
Jiaojiao felt the heat wrapped around her waist, obediently shut her mouth, and sank into this somewhat strange but very reassuring embrace.
The air around her nose was filled with the sweet fragrance of wildflowers and the warm, slightly bloody scent of steam. It was so comforting and made her feel relaxed all over. It was a temperature that made her want to stay. Before she knew it, her eyelids were getting heavy.
Liu Yuhen sighed, watching her fall asleep peacefully in his arms, completely unsuspecting.
Under the starlight and fireflies of tonight, he could finally let his gaze linger on every inch of her face, his heart slowly filled with tears.
Summer night, a sea of flowers, fireflies.
None of them can compare to her.
He slowly lowered his head and approached her, at a distance that would have made him uneasy and embarrassed during the day.
Liu Yuhen did nothing but use his gaze to trace her eyebrows and eyes, and the two symmetrical moles at the corners of her eyes.
He could never forget this butterfly-like girl for the rest of his life.
At this moment, Liu Yuhen, who had always been adrift in the bloody storms of the martial world, felt peace and... happiness for the first time.
Even the eccentric, disfigured, and crippled Liu Yuhen could feel happiness.
He suddenly felt grateful that the person behind him had brought him here.
Fortunately, he still had some use. Whatever the purpose, he was happy to do it.
Even in Liu Yuhen's terrifying single eye, a light that seemed almost warm appeared.
As he closed his eyes, his last thought was that he wanted to die at that moment.
......
The beach was covered with piles of boulders, making the path very difficult to traverse.
Liu Yuhen turned around and put his arm around her waist, almost making her sit in his arms, and lifted her down from the mountain of rocks.
Jiaojiao put her arms around his neck and got off the ground, shaking his arm impatiently and saying, "Brother Yuhen, it's just ahead."
After saying that, she ran forward happily, while Liu Yuhen called out softly from behind to tell her to slow down.
The willows along the riverbank are lush and green, their slender branches brushing the water's surface in the gentle breeze.
The river surface was as clear as a mirror, and the lush green fields provided shade, with a strong sense of oxygen filling the air.
"Brother Yuhen, didn't you say you wanted to catch fish? There are lots of fish in this river." Jiaojiao lay down by the riverbank and looked into the water. One or two small bubbles popped out of the water and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
The river was extremely shallow; when Liu Yuhen entered the water, the water level barely reached his thighs. The water was also crystal clear, and the frightened fish were quickly pierced through the belly by the iron hook.
Liu Yuhen only glanced at the fish before throwing it into the river. The bright red blood spread out, and the surrounding river shrimp immediately swarmed around it.
Jiaojiao asked in confusion by the river, "Aren't you going to eat fish anymore?"
"This fish has many small bones that can easily hurt your throat."
He found a salt-frost cypress in the forest, cut some of the salt frost off the fruit, and since he happened to have a tinderbox with him, he quickly prepared a fish and grilled it. This should be considered the most skillful dish for a wandering swordsman who lives a life of hardship.
He doesn't care what he eats when he's alone, and he doesn't care about hurting his throat. But with Jiaojiao around, he always tries his best to do better.
Seeing him wading in the water looking for fish, Jiaojiao enthusiastically took off her shoes and socks and went into the river as well.
The river water reached up to her waist, and tiny plankton swam through the clear water.
She bent down and peeled the tiny creature clinging to the moss-covered stone wall of the riverbank. The small black shell spun in her delicate white palm. She held it up to Liu Yuhen and asked curiously, "Brother Yuhen, can this dark thing be eaten?"
Liu Yuhen gave a barely perceptible, silent laugh, walked to her side, and said softly, "These are snails; they're edible."
Jiaojiao was very satisfied. "Then I'll find more, the biggest ones."
"Okay." A warm light appeared in Liu Yuhen's single eye as he focused on her searching in the river.
He deliberately slowed down the fishing process, but his hands kept moving, and the huge snails were driven to roll around by his internal force.
"How lucky! So many big snails are swimming over!" Jiaojiao exclaimed, holding her hands full of snails with delight, as happy as a child.
Liu Yuhen followed closely behind her, and upon hearing this, the tenderness in his eyes was impossible to hide. "Yes, as long as Jiaojiao is happy."
His voice was clear and melodious, like a mountain spring; this was probably the only thing he could boast about now, besides his martial arts skills.
But Jiaojiao felt that there seemed to be a chilling glimmer in his one not-so-handsome eye.
Enveloped in such light, she thought of the stars and fireflies of last night. She subconsciously turned around and walked towards the shore. It felt as if a faint warm current passed through her heart. Before she could savor its meaning, it had already merged into the sea and disappeared without a trace.
She walked back to the shore in a hurry, and without putting enough weight on it, she stepped on a patch of slippery moss. Before she could even cry out, she fell into the water.
Fortunately, Liu Yuhen was not far behind her and pulled her into his arms in an instant. Apart from her clothes being wet, she suffered no loss, and even the snails she was holding were all intact.
Liu Yuhen's breath hitched; he was almost startled by her.
Seeing her soaking wet from the river, Liu Yuhen picked her up without saying a word, waded across a small section of the river, and carefully placed her on the riverbank.
Jiaojiao leaned against Liu Yuhen's chest, strands of her hair dripping water, the transparent water droplets tracing paths across her snow-white skin, leaving winding water trails.
Her gauze dress was already thin, and when it got wet, it clung to her body, and when the wind blew, she shivered from the cold.
The river water slowly seeped onto Liu Yuhen's black clothes through her dress. He gently wiped her damp hair with his sleeve and said softly, "Don't be afraid."
His other arm encircled her delicate, thin shoulder. The muscles in his arm were firm, and the scalding heat emanated from it, followed by a surge of warm internal energy coursing through her body.
After his clothes were dried by his internal energy, he got up and gently lifted her feet with his arms, placing them in his lap while warming them with his body heat and carefully checking for any sprains.
When he lowered his head, his brows were slightly furrowed, and only the large cross-shaped scar on his forehead was visible to her, making him look somewhat fierce, but his chest was thick and warm.
Jiaojiao stared at him blankly, then suddenly called out, "Brother Yuhen..."
Unlike her previous intimacy, liveliness, and innocent charm, she was now soft, bewildered, and almost inaudible.
Before Liu Yuhen could even raise his head, a gentle kiss landed on his forehead.
His mind went blank, his eyes narrowed, and his heartbeat, after a brief pause, went completely off track.
His Adam's apple bobbed, but he didn't say anything, remaining frozen in place.
Jiaojiao lowered her eyes, hurriedly pulled her foot back, and put on her shoes and socks. But the sound of her heartbeat still echoed in her mind, rippling out in circles.
It caused her heartbeat to resonate with it.
A note from the author:
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The tender flutter of a young butterfly's heart!
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