In Xie Xihai’s mouth, he said he wanted to set off quickly, but Sheng Lin didn’t take him away, and he could stay like this.
In the end, they still stayed until the third day. Xie Xihai was able to walk on the ground without difficulty. They finally set off for Qingyi Mountain.
“How many days will it take us to reach Qingyi Mountain?” Xie Xihai looked at the carriage leaving the West City Gate and asked Sheng Lin.
He didn’t want to be controlled by the Hehuan Gu again.
Sheng Lin drove the carriage without looking back at him and replied, “Three to five days.”
Xie Xihai cursed Sheng Lin in his heart, thinking that Sheng Lin’s answer was as good as not saying anything. He lay bored in the carriage, getting to know his new soft quilt.
As they traveled through a mountainous area and stopped for a brief rest, Sheng Lin handed Xie Xihai a piece of dry ration. Xie Xihai, accustomed to the tasteless food, took it without much care and ate it with water.
The first intense pain for Xie Xihai came unexpectedly at this moment.
The pain started from his fingertips. As Xie Xihai held the water bottle, about to tilt his head to drink, his fingertips suddenly tingled. The five fingers of his right hand went temporarily numb, and the water bottle fell to the ground, spilling water everywhere.
Sheng Lin turned to look, and Xie Xihai also looked up at him. Sheng Lin opened his mouth, as if warning Xie Xihai to be careful. Just as Xie Xihai was about to crouch down to pick up the bottle, he found that his arm was also numb.
It felt as if tens of thousands of needles were piercing into his arm simultaneously. The pain, like a whirlwind, spread throughout Xie Xihai’s body. The veins at his temples throbbed, and he knelt on the ground with a pale face, trying to call for help. However, at the moment he opened his mouth, Xie Xihai lost even the strength to speak.
He lay motionless on the ground, and someone hurriedly supported his shoulders and lifted him up. His ears were filled with sharp ringing, and he couldn’t hear anything else.
Xie Xihai’s eyes couldn’t focus, and everything appeared as red-lit illusions. He vaguely knew that the person helping him up was Sheng Lin, but Xie Xihai couldn’t respond. His head seemed to be swallowed by the overwhelming pain, as if all his bones and veins were cut by sharp steel swords and scattered on the ground, piercing into his chest.
A taste of sweet blood surged in Xie Xihai’s throat, flowing from the corner of his mouth. Suddenly, he heard shouts mixed with the ringing, someone calling his name.
Xie Xihai felt that the person calling him must be very anxious. Weakly moving his fingertips, he inexplicably wanted to cling to that person, telling him how painful it was. Xie Xihai opened his mouth, but only more blood came out. The wind in the wilderness blew, and Xie Xihai felt cold in his chest. Only then did he realize that his clothes were soaked with blood.
These were the clothes he brought from his mansion, the ones he disliked the most…
Xie Xihai thought dully, and as he did, everything gradually went black. He passed out, but the pain continued in his dreams, like torture, cutting into Xie Xihai one knife at a time. He drifted in and out of consciousness, not knowing how long it took for the pain to finally dissipate from his body.
When Xie Xihai woke up, a hot towel was applied to his forehead, and the air around him carried the scent of medicine.
Opening his eyes, he looked around, finding himself alone in a dim room. It seemed to be a small room in a clinic, with only a bed and a small cabinet nearby. Incense burned on the cabinet, sending smoke into the air.
The pain was gone from Xie Xihai’s body, the agony that had nearly taken his life never appeared from start to finish. It felt strange, abrupt. However, whenever he thought about it, Xie Xihai felt a chill all over, not wanting to experience such a calamity again.
He sat up with support, realizing he had been changed into a clean robe. Xie Xihai pinched his own hand, checked his body all over, confirmed he had no missing limbs, and then felt relieved. Thinking of finding Sheng Lin, Xie Xihai was about to get out of bed when the door was pushed open from outside.
Looking up, Xie Xihai saw Sheng Lin standing at the door, accompanied by someone who looked like a physician.
Seeing Xie Xihai sitting on the bed, about to get up, Sheng Lin stepped forward, draped the robe that was placed aside over Xie Xihai’s shoulders, and asked, “Feeling better?”
The moment Xie Xihai saw Sheng Lin, his coquettishness surfaced. Now he could finally speak, he tightened the robe and was about to complain to Sheng Lin, “It has never been so painful.”
“I vomited a lot of blood?” Xie Xihai looked down at his clean clothes and asked Sheng Lin, “Did you change my clothes for me?”
Sheng Lin nodded with a stern face. Xie Xihai, somewhat scared, asked Sheng Lin, “What happened to me?”
“I just checked the pulse for Young Master. The pulse is stable, but there’s some qi deficiency from the loss of blood, nothing abnormal. We should still go back to Qingyi and have Elder Man check it out.”
Sheng Lin remained silent. He lifted Xie Xihai and said to the physician behind him, “Thank you.”
“Why be polite with me,” the doctor bowed to Sheng Lin, “I find the poison on this young man’s body peculiar. Brother Sheng , you better return to Qingyi as soon as possible.”
Sheng Lin nodded, then carried Xie Xihai out. Xie Xihai was still afraid that the pain would strike again, so he obediently let Sheng Lin carry him without moving much.
After Sheng Lin placed him in the carriage, Xie Xihai saw that it was already bright outside and couldn’t help but ask, “How long was I unconscious?”
“Half an hour,” Sheng Lin suddenly pinched Xie Xihai’s chin, his fingers caressing his pale lower lip, and asked in a deep voice, “Still hurting?”
“Only half an hour? I thought it had been much longer,” Xie Xihai, surprised to learn it was only half an hour, didn’t pay attention to Sheng Lin’s question and said, “Maybe when one is in pain, time feels like it’s dragging.”
As he finished speaking, Sheng Lin’s face turned as cold as frost. Xie Xihai felt a chill and tentatively asked, “Are you angry?”
“No,” Sheng Lin let go of his hand, turned to leave the carriage, and said, “Let’s set off.”
Having spent so much time with Sheng Lin, Xie Xihai could tell that there was something bothering him. And that something was probably related to Xie Xihai.
He couldn’t remember when it started, but whenever he saw Sheng Lin’s expressionless face, Xie Xihai felt uneasy, as if he had finally warmed a stone in the cold winter, only to find it still icy when opened. He feared Sheng Lin’s anger and the possibility of him leaving.
“Sheng Lin,” Xie Xihai hastily called him, but when Sheng Lin turned around, Xie Xihai didn’t know what to say.
“I didn’t want to hurt myself,” Xie Xihai’s eyes welled up with tears. Suddenly remembering his earlier claim of crying due to eye discomfort, he couldn’t find a good reason for his sudden tears. Choking back the tears, he looked at Sheng Lin, portraying himself as pitiful yet somewhat restrained.
Because Sheng Lin didn’t like seeing Xie Xihai cry.
“Xie Xihai,” Sheng Lin re-entered the carriage. He was tall, making the space inside suddenly feel cramped. He lowered his voice and said to Xie Xihai, “No one is angry with you.”
“Oh,” Xie Xihai responded. As he waited for Sheng Lin to leave, he realized Sheng Lin was still looking at him. Feeling uneasy, Xie Xihai asked, “Are you angry?”
“No,” Sheng Lin let go of his hand, turned to exit the carriage, and said, “Let’s continue the journey.”
Having been with Sheng Lin for so long, Xie Xihai could tell that Sheng Lin must have something on his mind at the moment, and that something was probably related to Xie Xihai.
Forgetting Sheng Lin’s question, Xie Xihai suddenly asked, “What about my clothes? The ones I vomited blood on.”
“Threw them away,” Sheng Lin replied.
“That won’t do. I don’t have any good clothes to wear now,” Xie Xihai complained. “You forgot, right? My fashionable clothes that we don’t know how to wear.”
Sheng Lin knew Xie Xihai was coming up with ideas again. He looked at Xie Xihai and waited for him to continue.
“I’ll have to buy clothes again,” Xie Xihai declared, “Put it on the Shangjian account.”
Sheng Lin took him to buy clothes before heading to Qingyi Mountain.
Xie Xihai bought a lot of things, enough to fill half a carriage. Sheng Lin didn’t stop him, acting like a responsible guard, carrying packages and walking behind Xie Xihai. When Xie Xihai mentioned having enough clothes to last until they reached the capital, he tugged at Sheng Lin’s waistband. Sheng Lin, unaware, nearly stumbled and was saved by Xie Xihai grabbing his elbow.
“What are you doing?” Xie Xihai turned to Sheng Lin, looking fierce. “Sheng Lin, your manners are truly bad. Just ask me to slow down, why pull my belt? If you accidentally ruin the young master’s clothes, how can that be justified!”
Sheng Lin completely ignored Xie Xihai’s complaints. Xie Xihai scolded him, but then found himself being pulled by Sheng Lin into his arms, walking forward. He stepped onto the ferry’s plank and climbed up by himself, determined not to speak to Sheng Lin for the next two hours as a form of punishment.
The road to Qingyi Mountain was not far, but it required crossing mountains and rivers, with considerable distance between cities.
Contrary to his usual behavior, Sheng Lin no longer gave Xie Xihai the chance to rough it outdoors. He preferred to rush on the road without stopping, making sure Xie Xihai could rest in an inn bed.
This evening, they had to cross the river, and after that, there were fifty more miles to Qingyi Mountain.
The carriage also had to board the ferry, and Sheng Lin led Xie Xihai down from the carriage, watching as the boatman put the carriage into the cargo hold of the ferry.
The river was wide, and the evening breeze was strong, carrying a slightly fishy smell. Xie Xihai, having forgotten his pain, reverted to his clever and opportunistic self. He glanced at the boatman and then at Sheng Lin, asking him, “You’ve been very good to me these past few days. Are you secretly deducting flowers from the young master?”
“You said you didn’t acknowledge it, right?” Sheng Lin firmly held Xie Xihai’s hand, intentionally exposing his secret.
In the past few days, fearing sudden pain or fainting, Xie Xihai always held onto Sheng Lin while walking. Gradually, he got used to it, and now casually said, “I don’t acknowledge your flower rules, but I have my own set of rules.”
“Oh?” Sheng Lin nodded.
“Next time when I’m free, I’ll list them all for you to see,” Xie Xihai turned his eyes to Sheng Lin, “How about that?”
Sheng Lin knew that as long as he gave Xie Xihai a word, he could talk endlessly until dawn. So, he nodded casually.
“Ah,” Xie Xihai suddenly sighed with melancholy, “Why are you suddenly so good to me?”
Sheng Lin glanced at him, and Xie Xihai continued, “It’s like bidding farewell to a righteous man, taking me for a final hearty meal.”
Before he could finish his sentence, Sheng Lin tapped him on the head. Seeing Sheng Lin’s dark expression, Xie Xihai covered his head and fell silent.
The boatman settled the carriage in the cargo hold and then came to lead Xie Xihai and Sheng Lin onto the ship.
The ferry ride across the river would take two hours, and the waves were rough. As they stepped on board, Xie Xihai felt like the entire world was swaying. They sat on the long bench near the window, and Xie Xihai, looking at the low rain clouds and the river outside the window, asked Sheng Lin, “Is it going to rain?”
Sheng Lin looked outside and said, “Maybe.”
They sat in silence on the ferry for a while. Passengers gradually filled the cabin, and the air became stuffy. Xie Xihai felt uncomfortable, so he rolled up his sleeves to cool down. However, he noticed a mark on his arm.
Most of the marks Sheng Lin left on Xie Xihai had faded away, except for the bruise on his arm. It had turned into a fading shade of green and yellow. Xie Xihai’s forearm was very fair, making the mark quite noticeable.
His heart skipped a beat, and he quietly pulled his sleeves down to cover the embarrassing mark. However, Sheng Lin grabbed his wrist, and as Xie Xihai tried to hide the mark, Sheng Lin took his hand, inspected the mark, and even gently stroked it. He looked at Xie Xihai with some surprise and asked, “It hasn’t faded yet?”
Blushing, Xie Xihai pushed him away, saying, “It’s all because of you.”
Sheng Lin held Xie Xihai’s arm, holding onto the fading bruise. Without letting go, he simply uttered an “Hmm” without further comment.
Not paying much attention, Xie Xihai said with lingering fear, “This Mimosa Curse is really eerie. We should reach Qingyi Mountain the day after tomorrow, right?”
“Unless something unexpected happens, we should arrive tomorrow at noon,” Sheng Lin replied.
“I wonder… if I’ll still feel that much pain,” Xie Xihai looked at the rolling waves not far away, whispering, “If it hurts that much again, I’d rather die.”
Feeling Sheng Lin’s grip on his arm tighten, Xie Xihai turned to look at him and said seriously, “I might need eight more flowers.”
“…”
Realizing that Sheng Lin had that seemingly clueless look again, Xie Xihai dryly laughed a few times and added, “I find joy in suffering. Don’t you understand?”
He knew Sheng Lin didn’t understand, couldn’t grasp his simple and straightforward humor. Pity!
When they disembarked, it was already late. Fortunately, there was an inn near the ferry.
Xie Xihai felt drowsy from the boat ride, leaning on Sheng Lin’s shoulder half-asleep. As they got off the boat, he stumbled behind Sheng Lin, almost bumping into his back.
The inn by the river inevitably had a damp atmosphere. Sheng Lin got a room on the third floor. Xie Xihai, exhausted and sleepy, didn’t even bother to undress and just lay on the bed. Sheng Lin walked over and asked him, “Tired?”
“Very tired,” Xie Xihai complained, “You don’t know how to carry me upstairs. I had to ask you.”
“Next time, I’ll carry you again,” Sheng Lin untied Xie Xihai’s belt and helped him undress.
“Then, next time you must carry me,” Xie Xihai stretched his arms, and as Sheng Lin took off his inner robe, faint traces of previous activities could still be seen on his fair and tender skin.
Sheng Lin helped Xie Xihui change into more revealing clothes. It took a while for Sheng Lin to properly arrange Xie Xihui’s clothes, and Xie Xihui was almost falling asleep. Suddenly, a pair of hands, hot and rough, touched his cheeks. Xie Xihui thought, “Why won’t they let me sleep?” Irritated, he called out, “Sheng Lin,” and opened his eyes to grab Sheng Lin’s hand, wanting to send him away. However, he accidentally inserted his fingers between Sheng Lin’s.
Their fingers intertwined, and Sheng Lin lightly rubbed the back of Xie Xihui’s hand with his fingertips.
Xie Xihui looked at Sheng Lin, about to reprimand him, but suddenly saw the look in Sheng Lin’s eyes. He realized that Sheng Lin seemed as if he wanted to devour him. Xie Xihui felt a bit scared. The scolding on his lips turned into a concerned question, “Hero Sheng, can’t you sleep? Is something on your mind?”
“Xie Xihui,” Sheng Lin called Xie Xihui’s name and used his other hand to pinch Xie Xihui’s face. Despite Xie Xihui’s reluctant resistance, Sheng Lin played with him for a while. Xie Xihui waited for a long time, but Sheng Lin didn’t continue. This person was so mysterious and loved to keep others guessing, making Xie Xihui annoyed to the point of drowsiness.
After Sheng Lin had his fun, he let go and went to change. Xie Xihui yawned, looking at Sheng Lin’s broad back with knotted muscles, half-dreaming, wondering, does this person really have something on his mind or not?
