Chapter 45: Fever

She held him tightly.

The two rode on horseback to find a place to stay. Without the hard, cold armor between them, Li Youqing’s back pressed closely against his chest, and she clearly felt much more comfortable.

Had he dismounted and removed his armor earlier just for this?

Thinking this, she couldn’t help but feel her face grow warm. Turning her head, she saw him looking straight ahead with a focused expression. After a moment’s thought, she asked, “Have we already won the battle against the Red Feather Army?”

“What do you think?” Speaking of this, Xuan Rui felt sourness rising in his heart again. Suppressing his irritation, he only tightened his grip on the reins.

Li Youqing lowered her eyes and said softly, “With someone as brilliant and mighty as General Xuan, you must be invincible on the battlefield, conquering every foe.”

Xuan Rui chuckled lightly, resting his chin on her shoulder as he said in an ambiguous tone, “Yet I still got played like a fool by someone.”

“I really had no choice this time—” Li Youqing turned her head, her lips lightly brushing against his forehead, and noticed a layer of cold sweat on his head.

Pausing, she couldn’t help but ask worriedly, “General, are you alright?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t die.” Xuan Rui raised his uninjured hand, cupped the back of her head to straighten it, and made her continue looking at the road ahead.

The bitter cold of December was freezing enough to kill a dog. As the sky darkened completely, Li Youqing felt a chill on her neck. Looking up, she saw that light snow had begun to fall from the sky.

She shivered slightly, and a deep, steady voice sounded by her ear: “Hold on a little longer. There’s a household up ahead.”

Li Youqing looked into the distance and indeed spotted a twinkling light like a star among the jagged rocks.

They rode to the door, where Li Youqing went to knock first. The person who answered was a middle-aged woman dressed in foreign attire, with a high nose bridge and a pair of gray-brown eyes.

Hearing the woman speak in an unfamiliar language, Li Youqing was momentarily unsure how to respond when she heard Xuan Rui behind her conversing with the woman. From his tone, it sounded like they knew each other.

The woman appeared very respectful and turned to call out something loudly.

Soon after, a bearded man emerged. Seeing the two standing at the door, he first showed surprise, then respectfully addressed in the Central Plains language: “Seventh Master!”

He scolded the woman a few times, bowed, and invited them in, saying, “My wife doesn’t know any better. I hope Seventh Master won’t take offense. Please come in with me.”

Li Youqing followed beside Xuan Rui, feeling the man’s gaze lingering on her, which made her very uncomfortable.

The big man led them to a side room, instructed the woman to prepare hot water and food, and said eagerly, “Seventh Master, please make do here for the night. Wait for me to check the situation tomorrow before making further plans.”

Xuan Rui collapsed directly onto the bed, waved his hand, and signaled for the man to leave.

After the door closed, Li Youqing stood by the bed and saw that his eyes were slightly closed, his breathing somewhat rapid.

Though she didn’t want to disturb his rest, after thinking it over, she couldn’t help but say, “Is that man reliable? He recognized me earlier—could he report us to Zhenbei Wang’s troops?”

There was no response for a long while. She leaned in closer to listen and found that the man’s breathing had become even and steady—he had already fallen asleep.

Having suffered such severe injuries and traveled continuously for a day, his body must have been utterly exhausted.

Li Youqing gazed at his resolute, stern sleeping face and suddenly felt a pang of heartache. Thinking that since they were his people, they were probably reliable.

She tiptoed to the table and leaned over it, intending to take a short nap.

Although she was being hunted everywhere, being by his side somehow made her feel completely at ease.

She didn’t know how long she had slept when she suddenly woke with a start. Seeing the bed empty, her heart leaped into her throat.

She rose and pushed the door open, searching frantically around the courtyard like a headless fly until she heard a few muffled groans. Pushing open the door to the woodshed, she found the bearded man from earlier tied up tightly.

Her first thought was that Xuan Rui had done this.

But where was he now—

Li Youqing turned and continued her search, her unease growing bit by bit, gradually gnawed away by fear.

Suddenly, she realized that in the vast northwest, he was the only person she could rely on.

If not for him, her situation would likely be a hundred times more miserable than it was now.

A layer of snow had already accumulated on the ground. She walked too quickly and too anxiously, slipped, and fell, unable to get up for a long moment from the pain.

A woman’s shouts came from ahead. Looking up, she saw it was the man’s wife. Worried she might harm her, Li Youqing scrambled to her feet and tried to run back.

The next moment, she collided directly into a solid embrace.

“Why are you running around again?” The man’s tone was displeased as he pushed her away slightly with one hand.

But Li Youqing had never found him more endearing than at this moment. Ignoring his resistance, she pressed close again and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.

Her sweet voice tinged with a pitiful nasal tone, she lifted her red-rimmed eyes to him and said, “Where did you go? I searched everywhere for you and couldn’t find you. Then I saw that man tied up in the woodshed—it scared me to death.”

Xuan Rui’s heart softened. He patted her back soothingly and said, “Don’t worry, no one will go out and spread any rumors. Just stay here peacefully.”

Li Youqing nodded. Suddenly, the world spun around her as the man scooped her up into his arms and swiftly carried her back to the warm room.

Xuan Rui first set her down on the bed and checked to see if she had been injured from the fall. Seeing she was fine, he sat down and wearily rubbed his temples.

Noticing fresh blood seeping from the wound on his arm, Li Youqing felt an indescribable ache in her heart. Staring blankly at his arm, she said, “Who told you to carry me? Your wound has split open again.”

Xuan Rui paid it no mind and replied indifferently, “There were still a few servants in this residence that needed dealing with. The wound reopened while I was handling them. The effort it took to carry you just now was less than lifting a chick.”

Li Youqing’s mood did not improve. Remembering how Xiao Ziqi had said his arm was useless, she comforted him earnestly, “Don’t worry. Even if you become disabled in the future, I won’t abandon you.”

Xuan Rui’s temple twitched. Seeing the look of sympathy on her face, his feelings grew complicated.

Hadn’t she always been thinking of returning to the palace? What did she mean by saying such things?

This time, she had been just one step away from leaving the pass with the Crown Prince. Why had she turned back?

She was nothing but a heartless little liar—

“How exactly won’t you abandon me?” His eyes fixed intently on her, a fire burning in his chest.

Li Youqing noticed the flush on his stern face and his slightly labored breathing. Worried, she said, “General Xuan, are you unwell? Let me help you lie down.”

Before she could finish speaking, she found herself pinned to the bed, the roles reversed.

As if drained of strength, he let half his weight collapse onto her, pressing down so heavily that Li Youqing could barely breathe.

Xuan Rui propped himself up slightly with his uninjured hand and pressed further, “Tell me, what do you intend to do?”

Li Youqing felt his body burning fiercely, his face growing increasingly flushed. She tried to push him away but couldn’t budge him, so she had no choice but to coax him, “If you truly become disabled from saving us, I will naturally take care of you and be your support for the rest of your life.”

“The rest of my life?” Xuan Rui murmured, savoring her words, unable to discern her true intentions. His heart grew unbearably restless and agitated.

He seized her hand and pressed it against his chest, asking in a low voice, “The rest of your life—will you entrust it all to me?”

As soon as Li Youqing’s hand touched his chest, she felt his heart pounding like thunder. She dared not meet his eyes, biting her lip as she nodded and said, “Yes.”

Xuan Rui rested his forehead against hers and whispered softly, “Don’t worry, this General is not yet disabled. If it ever comes to that, I will never burden you.”

His resolute eyes held a tenderness as gentle as water, his demeanor vastly different from usual. He lightly brushed the tip of his nose against her cheek.

Li Youqing was momentarily stunned, unsure of how to respond.

Xuan Rui’s strong arms wrapped around her as he turned her over. With his tightening embrace, their bodies pressed closer together, face to face.

He nibbled on her earlobe, his voice deep and rough like a harsh wind sweeping across the vast desert, each word pouring into her ears: “This General gave you a chance. Since Qingqing has chosen to stay, then for the rest of our lives…”

Li Youqing, pinned under his intense gaze, suddenly felt the fear of being stalked by a wild beast. Her petite body trembled uncontrollably.

Before she could hear the rest of his words, she looked up and saw his eyes tightly shut, his expression pained, his face unnaturally flushed.

“General Xuan—” She reached out to touch his forehead but immediately recoiled at the scorching heat.

Li Youqing carefully pried his arm away, climbed off the bed, and poured a cup of water. Struggling, she lifted his head and fed him the water sip by sip.

Just then, a woman’s knock came from outside.

Li Youqing grew alert. Turning, she saw it was the same woman from before, carrying a basin in her hands and a large medicine chest slung over her wrist.

After placing the items by the bed, the woman gestured and said a few words to Li Youqing before turning to leave.

Li Youqing stood in a daze, realizing from the woman’s gestures that she was meant to wipe General Xuan’s body and apply medicine.

She had never done such servile work before and was at a loss, standing helplessly by the bed.

A low, pained groan came from the bed. Li Youqing hurriedly leaned down to check and found him drenched in sweat, his brow tightly furrowed, clearly in great distress.

She had no choice but to wring out a cloth and gently wipe the sweat from his forehead.

As the cool cloth touched his skin, his furrowed brow relaxed. Without hesitation, Li Youqing continued to dampen the cloth and wipe his face and neck.

His black robes were already soaked through. Li Youqing gently unfastened his clothes, and as his chest was exposed, she gasped in shock at the sight of the scars.

There were all kinds of stab wounds and cuts, some deep, some shallow. Though none appeared fatal, the sight was still horrifying.

Suddenly, she covered her mouth and wept silently.

All her talk of his brilliance and invincibility had been nothing but naive delusions.

Winning or losing may be a matter of a single statement, but surviving a perilous battlefield—the hardships and dangers endured along the way—could never be fully captured in just a word or two.

Someone who had just escaped death’s door ought to have immediately tended to their wounds and rested properly, yet he had rushed about tirelessly for her sake, sustaining such severe injuries while protecting the Crown Prince.

He appeared like an invincible warrior, shielding her from wind and rain all along the way, but in truth, he was dragging along a battered body covered in wounds.

Aside from the fresh injury on his arm, countless other scars covered his body. The fabric of his clothes clung tightly to his skin, stuck fast in several places and impossible to remove.

Li Youqing quickly wiped away her tears, rummaged through the medicine chest for a small pair of scissors, and carefully cut away the fabric stuck to his flesh. Then, using a cotton swab dampened with water, she meticulously cleaned the wounds.

She remained kneeling by the bedside throughout, and by the time she finally managed to remove the entire garment, she was drenched in sweat from exhaustion.

Seeing that he was sleeping more peacefully now, Li Youqing extinguished several of the candles, leaving only one lamp by the bedside. She continued to wring out a damp cloth and wipe his body.

Afterward, she found some травма medicine in the chest, evenly sprinkled the powder over the wounds, and bandaged them with clean gauze.

But that was only the upper half of his body. When it came time to examine the injuries on his legs, Li Youqing couldn’t help but feel troubled.

In all her life, she had never seen…

Considering how torn and battered his upper body was, his legs were likely in no better condition. Besides, he was still running a low fever and couldn’t afford further delay.

She could only remind herself inwardly that the man before her was an ordinary Daliang warrior, and as a princess, she had the duty and responsibility to care for him in his critical state.

With trembling fingertips, she reached for the man’s belt. After several failed attempts to undo it, her face flushed as she studied it carefully. Finally, pressing the buckle firmly with both hands, she managed to release it.

Li Youqing closed her eyes and fumbled to help him remove his trousers.

Eventually, she cracked her eyes open just a slit. Seeing that he still wore his undergarments, which concealed everything thoroughly, she breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Before her lay a pair of lean, powerful legs, their muscles firm and robust, exuding strength.

Li Youqing stared in a daze for a moment before lowering her head and tending to the wounds on his legs as she had done before.

Noticing a shallow cut on his inner thigh, she first cleaned it with a damp cloth. After hesitating briefly, she dipped her fingertip into some topical ointment for abrasions and gently applied it bit by bit.

The deeply sleeping man suddenly twitched. Thinking she had hurt him, Li Youqing lightened her touch even more.

She continued spreading the ointment evenly before moving on to the next area.

Once she had finally finished treating the injuries on his legs, she carefully wiped him down once more with a towel. By the time she tucked him under the covers, Li Youqing was utterly exhausted.

Feeling that his temperature had dropped and his arm had stopped bleeding, she finally allowed herself to relax.

Having knelt for so long, her legs had gone numb. Rubbing her sore knees, she found herself unable to stand up right away and simply rested her head on the edge of the bed.

Before long, she had fallen asleep.

When she awoke again, the candle had burned down to a faint flicker.

She lit a fresh one with a fire starter and, by the candlelight, glanced toward the bed. To her surprise, his robust frame was now curled under the quilt, shivering uncontrollably from the cold.

She hurriedly touched his forehead—he was burning with fever once again.

What should she do? It was still dark outside, and this desolate place was devoid of any human presence. She dared not venture out recklessly again.

Recalling that feverish people feared the cold, she remembered her own childhood illnesses when the imperial physician would prescribe sweating remedies. Often after drinking the medicine, she would burrow under the covers, break into a sweat, and wake up cured the next day.

But where could medicine be found now? The quilt wasn’t particularly warm either. What could she possibly do to help him recover?

After much deliberation, Li Youqing finally made up her mind—she removed her clothes and slipped under the covers, holding him tightly in her arms.