Mu Ruoyan did not speak, but gently applied medicine to Lin Xihe's bruised knees.
Lin Xihe did not avoid this slightly intimate gesture.
After the medicine was applied, Mu Ruoyan became even more silent and withdrawn.
That day, they still couldn't find a place to rest, so they had to light a campfire in the wild and eat the food they had bought in the county town during the day.
Lin Xihe leaned against the fire to keep warm while the servants busied themselves tidying up the carriage. Soon, the carriage was transformed into a makeshift bed.
Lin Xihe finished her meal in silence, then boarded the carriage, sat down in a corner, and looked somewhat reserved.
Not long after, Mu Ruoyan also came over.
He first gently stepped one foot into the car, then paused his other foot outside for a moment, as if hesitating about something, before slowly entering.
As soon as he got in the car, he hurriedly explained, "The others also need to rest. We've been traveling for days and everyone is exhausted. Besides, wolves often roam around here at night, and it might be dangerous if we split up. Can I ride with you in the car tonight?"
As he spoke, he looked at Lin Xihe with a questioning gaze.
Lin Xihe had actually anticipated this arrangement, so she deliberately neither agreed nor refused, but simply looked troubled.
Seeing this, Mu Ruoyan added, "Just like at the inn, I won't do anything inappropriate to you."
Lin Xihe nodded slightly, bit her lip, pulled the blanket over herself, and slowly curled up at the very edge of the carriage, pressing her body tightly against the carriage wall, trying to get as far away from Mu Ruoyan as possible.
Unlike her usual composure, Mu Ruoyan appeared somewhat flustered at this moment.
The carriage was pitch black, but even so, Lin Xihe could still sense his tension.
Mu Ruoyan lay on the quilt, trying to keep as far away from Lin Xihe as possible.
In the darkness, the two could not see each other.
Lin Xihe spoke softly, "Young Master Mu."
"Um?"
Mu Ruoyan's voice in response carried a tenderness she had never shown before.
"How much longer until we reach Nanzhao?" Lin Xihe asked.
Mu Ruoyan frankly replied, "About seventeen or eighteen days."
Lin Xihe remained silent for a moment, her fingers gripping the blanket tightly, as if gathering her courage, and asked, "Are you planning to kill me and Gu Qinghuai?"
Mu Ruoyan on the other side did not answer immediately.
After a while, Mu Ruoyan, who had been lying flat, turned to his side, and in the darkness, his eyes gleamed faintly.
"I won't hurt you." His voice was soft, but it was firm. After saying that, he reached out his hand slightly, as if to comfort Lin Xihe, but stopped halfway through.
"So what do you plan to do with me? Are you going to send me back to the capital?" Lin Xihe pressed on.
"I haven't decided yet."
Lin Xihe understood that Mu Ruoyan felt guilty and heartbroken towards her at this moment, but also harbored a trace of uncontrollable emotions.
She knew that she was not in a position to negotiate with him at the moment, so she could only take advantage of the slight improvement in their relationship to try to find out more information.
"Young Master Mu, I've always been curious, why are you in Nanzhao?" Lin Xihe asked softly, deliberately softening her voice to create a relaxed and casual atmosphere, hoping to glean some useful information from Mu Ruoyan.
"Um?"
Mu Ruoyan gave a soft hum, seemingly surprised by the sudden question.
Lin Xihe quickly explained, "I'm just curious. You're originally from the Northern Border, which is far from Nanzhao. How did you end up here?"
Her bright eyes gleamed with curiosity in the darkness.
"Your intention in asking around is a bit too obvious," Mu Ruoyan said, her voice carrying a hint of teasing, yet also a touch of wariness.
Lin Xihe was speechless for a moment, unsure how to respond, and could only remain awkwardly silent.
"If I let you go back, what do you plan to do? Will you go with that person named Ji Zhuo?" Mu Ruoyan suddenly changed the subject and asked this question.
Lin Xihe was truly surprised that she didn't get the answer she wanted, but Mu Ruoyan asked such a question instead.
She paused for a moment, then said, "If you let me go back, I want to go back with Gu Qinghuai."
Lin Xihe knew in her heart that even if she deliberately avoided talking about it, Mu Ruoyan must know that the reason she could still get along with him was to find Gu Qinghuai, so she stopped hiding it.
"He can't go back." Mu Ruoyan's voice suddenly turned cold, like a gust of cold wind, instantly lowering the atmosphere in the car to freezing point.
"Then bury me with him."
After Lin Xihe finished speaking, she suddenly turned around, her back to Mu Ruoyan, and quickly buried her entire body in the quilt.
However, the blanket covering her head was suddenly pulled down, and Mu Ruoyan propped herself up, leaning slightly over Lin Xihe.
In the darkness, his figure appeared somewhat blurry, yet it carried a sense of oppression.
"You love him that much? You're willing to die with him?"
Mu Ruoyan's voice seemed to contain a subtle, complex emotion.
"I don't want to die, and I'm terrified of death."
Lin Xihe's voice came muffledly from under the covers: "But if you kill him, you might as well kill me too."
Lin Xihe's attitude was extremely firm; she wanted Mu Ruoyan to clearly understand her bottom line.
If Gu Qinghuai is harmed, she will never be able to escape unscathed. Even if it makes Mu Ruoyan more hesitant to harm Gu Qinghuai when he arrives in Nanzhao in the future, it will give her a chance.
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