After enjoying the lantern festival, there was no excuse to stay in Mozhou, so they had to rush on horseback once again.
Xie Xihuai, who had reluctantly gotten out of bed in the morning, started sighing. He followed Sheng Lin slowly, saying, “It’s been several days since I last rode a carriage. I might be too fat to fit in.” When Sheng Lin carried him onto the carriage and opened the coarse cloth curtain for him, Xie Xihuai looked inside and said, “This carriage looks like it’s about to fall apart. Given the importance of the imperial son’s well-being, and the emperor is waiting for me in the capital. I really dare not go in.”
After a prolonged standoff, Xie Xihuai reluctantly climbed in, holding his soft blanket. He turned to Sheng Lin and said, “The blanket is damp. It would be nice if we could go back to the inn and dry it in the room.”
Sheng Lin ignored Xie Xihuai’s remarks about personal items and the carriage’s condition. As the carriage started moving, Xie Xihuai asked, “Hero Sheng, where are we heading next? Can we sleep in a room tonight?”
There were several neighboring cities near Mozhou, and the distances were not too far. Xie Xihuai specifically asked the innkeeper, and based on the carriage’s speed, they should reach Baochang Prefecture by dusk. At this point, it was a bit awkward – if they didn’t go, Sheng Lin would feel like they were wasting time; if they went, they wouldn’t make it to Pingzhou before midnight.
Despite Xie Xihuai having resigned himself to another night outdoors, he couldn’t resist probing Sheng Lin’s intentions.
“Baochang,” Sheng Lin turned slightly and spoke to Xie Xihuai.
“What about after Baochang?” Xie Xihuai crawled out a bit, his face close to Sheng Lin’s back. He was afraid that staying too far would make it hard to hear Sheng Lin’s words. “Are we sleeping until Pingzhou?”
Sheng Lin’s response was concise. Not repeating himself, he provided crucial information about whether they would sleep in a bed or on the ground that night.
“You’ve inquired quite clearly,” Sheng Lin glanced at him, looking ahead at the road. “Tonight, we’ll stay in Baochang Prefecture.”
Xie Xihuai felt a huge weight lifted off his heart. Leaning on Sheng Lin’s shoulder, he massaged Sheng Lin’s shoulders, wanting to help drive the carriage. His head kept rubbing against Sheng Lin’s ear. Finally, unable to tolerate it, Sheng Lin stopped the carriage, sent Xie Xihuai back inside, and even gave him a playful spank on his buttocks.
Xie Xihuai felt that Sheng Lin always treated him like a child. Fortunately, there was no one around; otherwise, where would he put his face as the son of a noble family? Just thinking about it made him angry. He glared at the curtain with resentment.
Xie Xihuai had slept late the previous night and hadn’t indulged in sleeping in. However, as he sat, he gradually became drowsy and eventually fell asleep on the soft blanket without realizing it.
He dreamt of drinking and feasting with Duke Zhou for a while. They condemned the wicked Sheng Lin together. Suddenly, the weather changed from clear skies to rain pouring down. Duke Zhou shouted at him, “You must not treat Lord Sheng unjustly!”
Several zhang of white silk suddenly appeared behind Duke Zhou, flying towards Xie Xihuai and entwining him. He shouted in his dream, trying to free himself from the binding silk. However, the more he struggled, the tighter it became, almost suffocating him.
The sensation of being bound was too vivid. Xie Xihuai suddenly opened his eyes and realized that something was indeed entwining his arms and waist. He focused and found a wrist-thick, golden snake with a diamond-shaped head, hissing and spitting red venom just inches away from his face. Xie Xihuai’s scalp tingled, and after taking a few deep breaths, he called out in a panicked whisper to the person outside, “Sheng Lin…”
He thought he needed to call out a few more times before Sheng Lin would come to see him. To his surprise, the carriage stopped after only two calls.
Xie Xihuai was frightened, tears welling up in his eyes as he looked at the curtain, waiting for Sheng Lin to lift it.
As the carriage came to a halt, the golden snake head approached him even more. Xie Xihuai could now clearly see the small scales on the snake’s body. He tried to move back slowly, pressing against the carriage’s wooden board. Suddenly, the inside of the carriage lit up. Xie Xihuai and the snake turned towards the light source, which was Sheng Lin.
Sheng Lin bent down, suddenly grabbed Xie Xihuai, who closed his eyes tightly in fear. He then heard the sound of the knife piercing the wood. Surprisingly, the pressure on Xie Xihuai’s body hadn’t eased, and he opened his eyes in panic. Sheng Lin had already stabbed the snake seven inches deep, cutting off the entire snake head. Blood spread out in a large circle on the wooden board.
Sheng Lin grabbed the snake’s body, which still seemed strangely alive, as if it hadn’t died completely, tightly sticking to Xie Xihuai’s body. Xie Xihuai, in a state of panic, struggled harder, not understanding why the snake’s body clung so tightly despite its head being gone. Sheng Lin held his shoulder and said, “Don’t move.”
Xie Xihuai quieted down, watching as Sheng Lin, with the dagger, pierced halfway into the snake’s body, twisted the tip a few times, and pulled out a greenish vein that seemed to still have life. Sheng Lin slid along the vein, digging a few inches and, holding the severed end, pulled out the still pulsating vein.
The snake’s body, which had wrapped around Xie Xihuai, finally loosened, turning into a half-cut mass of flesh and blood. Xie Xihuai’s body was soaked in snake blood. His face turned as white as paper, shivering involuntarily. He crawled towards Sheng Lin, and as he was about to lean on him, Sheng Lin raised his hand to support Xie Xihuai’s elbow, lifting him up a bit, and encircled him in his arms, holding him close.
Xie Xihuai clung tightly to Sheng Lin’s chest, his nose filled with the strange scent of snake blood. Sheng Lin held him with considerable force. Xie Xihuai pushed Sheng Lin away a bit, saying, “Too tight.”
Several parts of his body were in pain, and as he moved away from Sheng Lin, he pulled up his wide sleeves to inspect his arms. There was indeed a red mark that looked like it had been tightly bound.
Sheng Lin also looked down, lightly touching the red mark on Xie Xihuai’s arm, and asked in a low voice, “Does it hurt?”
“It hurts,” Xie Xihuai lifted his head, complaining to Sheng Lin about the snake, “It coiled around me so tightly that I couldn’t breathe. I don’t know how it got in.”
Sheng Lin frowned. He had been driving the carriage in the front but had been paying attention to the movements behind. A snake of that length should not have silently entered the carriage.
A sharp voice outside said, “Sheng Lin, you killed my entire family. Little did I expect only one of me to remain.” Xie Xihuai, sensing that Sheng Lin wouldn’t answer such questions, thought disdainfully of the speaker.
The sharp voice continued, “I really want you to taste the pain of losing your loved ones!”
Feeling unable to resist, Xie Xihuai lifted some of the curtains. Sheng Lin was facing three opponents alone, but he seemed relatively relaxed, and his Dusheng Sword had not yet been unsheathed.
Xie Xihuai, feeling unable to resist, went back inside. Just as he put down the curtain, a scream rang out from outside.
Xie Xihuai felt a bit scared staying alone. Staring at the corner of the small blanket, he forced himself to be distracted. Suddenly, he felt movement behind him.
He thought he needed to call out a few more times before Sheng Lin would come to see him. To his surprise, the carriage stopped after only two calls.
Xie Xihuai was frightened, tears welling up in his eyes as he looked at the curtain, waiting for Sheng Lin to lift it.
In the next moment, Sheng Lin pulled aside the carriage curtain, grabbed Xie Xihuai, and lifted him horizontally, holding him close. The sounds of swords and knives outside suddenly stopped, as if the owner of the sharp voice had been seriously injured by Sheng Lin, emitting a long and mournful scream.
“What happened?” Sheng Lin asked Xie Xihuai.
Xie Xihuai pitifully said, “There’s still a snake inside.”
Sheng Lin carried him to the side of the horse, and Xie Xihuai, holding onto the saddle, sat on the horse named Zhuī Yún. He asked Sheng Lin, “Did one of them manage to escape?”
Seeing Sheng Lin nod, Xie Xihuai felt somewhat guilty. “I should have called you earlier.”
Sheng Lin touched Xie Xihuai’s cheek. Xie Xihuai looked up and saw a drop of blood splattered on Sheng Lin’s ear. He took out a handkerchief, told Sheng Lin not to move, and gently wiped away the blood.
The bloodstain, now dried, resisted complete removal. Xie Xihuai was about to bring up the topic of reaching Pao Chang Prefecture and the necessity for a thorough bath when Sheng Lin held his wrist.
Sheng Lin’s horse was tall, and he was tall too, looking down at Xie Xihuai. Though Xie Xihuai couldn’t comprehend the meaning in Sheng Lin’s eyes, he sensed a different depth in them. He thought Sheng Lin was really something. Even though he felt his face heating up under Sheng Lin’s gaze, Sheng Lin didn’t explain clearly. Xie Xihuai took the handkerchief back, turned the horse’s head, and said, “Let’s go.”
This time, Sheng Lin didn’t ride swiftly, allowing Xie Xihuai, lost in thought, to easily keep up.
As they approached midnight, they could see the city gate of Pao Chang Prefecture in the distance.
On this occasion, Sheng Lin didn’t ride swiftly, allowing Xie Xihuai, lost in thought, to easily keep up.
After a satisfying dinner, they returned to their room, where hot water had been prepared for Xie Xihuai.
He finally felt a bit of the sense of being a little prince again. While undressing, he asked Sheng Lin, who was nearby, “Could you go ask the innkeeper if someone could come and massage my shoulders?”
Sheng Lin watched him undress, then walked over, lifted him up, and inquired, “Why didn’t you call me?”
“You don’t like massaging me,” Xie Xihuai replied with a glare, then immersed himself in the steaming hot water, emitting a comfortable hum, closing his eyes, and leaning on the edge of the wooden barrel.
Suddenly, a pair of rough hands were placed on Xie Xihuai’s shoulders. He opened his eyes and turned to look. Sheng Lin was massaging his shoulders.
Through the steam, Xie Xihuai couldn’t see Sheng Lin’s expression clearly, but he felt that Sheng Lin’s face was probably still stern. However, the hands pressing on his shoulders were relatively gentle.
Sheng Lin touched Xie Xihuai’s round shoulders, pressing them with a casual rhythm. After a while, Xie Xihuai kicked Sheng Lin in the face, starting to give instructions, “More in the middle, and press a bit harder— but not too hard!”
Sheng Lin pressed too hard, causing Xie Xihuai some pain. He lifted a wet hand, covered Sheng Lin’s hand, and began to instruct him.
Xie Xihuai’s hands were beautiful, the joints revealing a pinkish hue after being steamed by hot water. They softly rested on Sheng Lin’s hand, demonstrating what it meant to press the shoulders neither too lightly nor too heavily.
After teaching for a while, Xie Xihuai finally withdrew his hand, allowing Sheng Lin to continue the massage. Sheng Lin seemed to have mastered the right amount of pressure, relieving Xie Xihuai of the day’s fatigue.
As drowsiness enveloped Xie Xihuai, he felt Sheng Lin’s hands moving from his shoulders to the spine at the butterfly valley. Xie Xihuai called a halt, saying, “That’s enough, I’m going back to bed.”
He stood up, his black hair clinging smoothly to his fair skin, and Sheng Lin wordlessly carried Xie Xihuai out of the water. The bed was already covered with soft towels. Sheng Lin placed Xie Xihuai on it and turned to take a bath.
However, as Xie Xihuai lay back on the bed, sleep eluded him once again.
Closing his eyes, the image of the snake coiling around him appeared in his mind. The places where his arms and waist had been entwined felt sore.
In the bath, he had observed several red marks left by the snake’s constriction and pondered when they would fade.
Lost in these thoughts, Sheng Lin returned. Xie Xihuai glanced at him, and Sheng Lin asked, “Aren’t you tired?”
Xie Xihuai quickly closed his eyes and replied, “I’m going to sleep.”
However, he didn’t dare to close his eyes for real. Instead, after Sheng Lin extinguished the candle, Xie Xihuai opened his eyes again, staring blankly at the bed curtain.
While gazing, he felt like there were swaying snake shadows in the dark room. Xie Xihuai turned to look at Sheng Lin, who was lying a bit far away. Thinking of moving closer, Sheng Lin spoke, “Still not sleeping?”
Xie Xihuai immediately felt afraid that if he approached, Sheng Lin would get angry again. So, he shifted backward, leaning against the wall, and softly said, “I’m a bit scared.”
“What are you afraid of?” After Sheng Lin said the first sentence, he paused and then asked, “Afraid of me?”
Xie Xihuai sensed that Sheng Lin might have been irritated by his restlessness. Shrinking against the wall, he forced himself to close his eyes.
Seeing him obediently close his eyes, Sheng Lin suddenly got up, lit another lamp, placed it on a small cabinet nearby, and walked back to ask Xie Xihuai, “Still scared?”
Xie Xihuai shook his head, yawned, and said, “Not scared anymore.”
After a while, drowsiness returned. In a half-awake state, Xie Xihuai felt that the wall behind him was too hard, so he gradually moved forward.
Forgetting about provoking Sheng Lin’s anger, he started to sleep in a carefree manner. First, he turned over and lay on the bed. However, his elbow pressed his hair uncomfortably.
Frowning, he pushed away whatever was holding his hand. It felt like Sheng Lin’s hand, and he couldn’t understand what this crafty martial artist was up to.
Sensing that Sheng Lin wasn’t moving, Xie Xihuai looked up at him and remarked, “You’re quite childish.”
