Chapter 128: Never Send Me Away, Okay?

Shi Yuan met Qing Yue's gaze without a trace of fear, his heart filled with questions. Who was this person? What was his relationship with Jin Er? Judging by the undisguised adoration in his eyes, they could hardly be siblings, so then what were they...

"Ahem! Well... let me introduce you. This is my friend—Stone..."

"Shi Yuan," Jin Er corrected in a deep voice before she could finish.

"Oh, right, Shi Yuan. Hehehe..." Jin Er chuckled somewhat awkwardly and continued, "And this is my friend—Qing Yue."

"A friend?" Hearing this introduction, Qing Yue glanced sideways at her, repeating the word with a hint of dissatisfaction.

Jin Er felt a wave of depression. "Isn't that what you are? Hehehe... Let's put that aside for now. Let's talk as we walk." Giving him no chance to reply, Jin Er directly grabbed Qing Yue's sleeve and started walking forward.

"Where are we going?" Qing Yue recovered his composure and asked.

"The Earth Kingdom."

Hearing this, Qing Yue frowned. "The Earth Kingdom... We can head to Fushui Town in the west, then take a boat along the edge of Dream Lake straight to the Earth Kingdom. It will be much faster that way." What he said was the truth, but he also had his own selfish motives; he preferred not to pass through the territories of the Water Kingdom.

Dream Lake lay at the very center of the Five Spirits Continent, perfectly positioned at the heart of the five surrounding nations. Although everyone dared not approach the Flower Mist Island in the middle of the lake, fishing and shipping along the shores continued as usual.

"Why didn't you ask me why I'm going to the Earth Kingdom?" Jin Er asked with some puzzlement.

"Since you want to go, you must have your reasons. I don't care about that; as long as I can stay by your side, I can go anywhere." As Qing Yue spoke, he raised his fair, slender fingers to gently stroke the black birthmark on her face, seemingly finding it quite amusing.

Jin Er grabbed his hand and pulled it away from her face, feeling somewhat conflicted and uncomfortable beneath her homely visage. *Finished, completely finished. It looks like I've been entangled.* She had originally thought his feelings for her would fade with time, but now it seemed they were only growing stronger...

"By the way, where is Tianyu?" Jin Er suddenly remembered the prior event and anxiously looked around.

"Rest assured, he didn't come. He left half a month ago and has no idea where you are." A hint of gloating flickered across Qing Yue's enchanting, handsome face.

Seeing his smug little look, Jin Er couldn't help letting out a soft chuckle while feeling a quiet wave of relief in her heart. *Good, very good, that fellow Tianyu didn't come...* If those two had spent the entire journey bickering and quarreling, she surely would have gone mad.

Earlier, Mo Yan had been keeping her company, and she had developed genuine feelings for him. Though her days in the palace were bound by many restrictions, they had also been fulfilling and sweet, causing her to gradually push Qing Yue and Tianyu to the back of her mind. Now that Qing Yue had sought her out again, she had no idea what to do next.

*Sigh~~! Oh well, I'll deal with future matters when they arrive. For now, I can only let nature take its course.*

Jin Er took a deep breath, feeling a sense of liberation. Afterward, she, Shi Yuan, and Qing Yue headed to the post station together.

Since Jin Er's injuries had not fully healed, Shi Yuan refused to let her ride a horse alone. Upon hearing of her injury, Qing Yue had also strongly objected and insisted that Jin Er share a horse with him. Left with no choice, Jin Er had to agree.

Although Shi Yuan had remained silent throughout, the sharp glances he cast toward Qing Yue grew increasingly fierce. A pleasant journey for two had somehow been gatecrashed by a half-man, half-woman anomaly who constantly gazed at Jin Er with such affectionate eyes—it was truly more than he could bear. Yet, since Jin Er raised no objections, what could he say?

Ultimately, Shi Yuan traded away his previous bay horse, while Qing Yue requisitioned another so he could ride alongside Jin Er.

Swinging themselves up onto their mounts, the party of three people and two horses set off toward Dream Lake in the west of the Fire Kingdom.

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"Jin Er, why are the Fire Kingdom's officers issuing a wanted poster for you?" By the campfire, Qing Yue furrowed his delicate brows and asked with puzzlement. Along the way, he had seen more than a few of those wanted notices, and the anxiety in his heart back then had been nearly unbearable.

"Well... it's a long story," Jin Er stammered, genuinely at a loss as to where to begin.

"The new Emperor of the Fire Kingdom has taken a fancy to you, hasn't he?" Seeing her evasive manner, Qing Yue simply frowned and asked directly.

With a helpless chuckle, she nodded. Glancing sideways to see Shi Yuan watching her, Jin Er felt an indescribable sense of guilt.

"Hmph! These people of royalty only know how to use their power for forcible seizure and plunder!" A look of contempt and resentment crossed Qing Yue's peerless face.

Jin Er smiled awkwardly, momentarily unsure of how to respond.

The next morning, Jin Er woke up, breathed in the fresh air, and stretched her arms in a wide, expansive yawn. As she turned around, she was startled by Shi Yuan, who was standing silently right behind her.

"Was it because of him?" Shi Yuan fixed his gaze on Jin Er and asked softly.

"Huh??" Jin Er raised an eyebrow, completely uncomprehending.

"You weren't willing to marry Mo Yan because of that so-called Qing Yue?" He simply couldn't understand; previously, she had clearly loved Mo Yan so deeply, and the two of them had even shared life-and-death trials—how could things change so suddenly??

"Or perhaps, being with Mo Yan was merely a means for you to obtain something?" The former Emperor had flown into a rage, making it blatantly obvious that she had succeeded in her mission. In his view, such a deduction was entirely plausible.

Seeing the hidden disappointment and hesitation flickering within Shi Yuan's otherwise indifferent eyes, Jin Er felt a rising sense of unease and distress.

She thoroughly disliked the feeling of being wrongfully accused.

"Since you are so persistent in seeking that answer, I might as well stop hiding it from you. That's right, I was unwilling to marry Mo Yan. When I first came to the imperial palace to find him, my primary goal was indeed to have him help me obtain a certain object, and that night, I achieved my purpose." Seeing Shi Yuan's brow furrow deeper and deeper, Jin Er let out a bitter laugh of her own, her unfocused gaze dropping to the ground beside them.

"However, I truly, deeply loved him, entirely apart from whether or not he helped me. As for my reluctance to marry him, it wasn't because of anyone else either, but for my own sake. I would rather keep these feelings forever buried in the depths of my heart than become this Empress, trapped within the scheming back palace.

Call me selfish, call me cruel—I simply want to live properly for myself for once." When she raised her eyes to look at him again, she saw that all doubt and disappointment had vanished from his gaze, replaced solely by a sense of release.

"I understand."

He had known she wasn't the sort of person who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals, willing even to deceive another's affections. On second thought, given her personality, she certainly wouldn't enjoy or willingly allow herself to be trapped in a harem, forced to fight other women for the man she loved.

"Snap!" A strange sound rang out. Jin Er and Shi Yuan turned their heads at the same time.

Seeing the two of them looking over in unison, Qing Yue hurriedly lowered his eyelids to hide the wounded look in his eyes, quickly squatting down to gather the wild fruits that had fallen to the ground. However, perhaps out of panic or sheer bewilderment, before he could pick up the ones on the ground, the pile in his arms rolled away as well, scattering everywhere.

His heart contracted violently as Jin Er's words—*"I truly, deeply loved him..."*—echoed relentlessly in his ears, aching so fiercely he could barely breathe. With trembling hands, he picked up the wild fruits one by one. When he reached the very last one, a slender little hand snatched it up ahead of him.

Qing Yue started, hurriedly forcing his expression into order as he slowly stood up.

"Here..." Jin Er called out softly and hesitatingly. The deeply wounded look he wore had pierced her heart like a thorn.

"For you to eat." Qing Yue forced a faint smile, signaling for her to take the fruits from his arms, though his charming eyes could not entirely conceal his lingering sorrow and melancholy.

Jin Er bit her lip, not daring to meet his eyes any longer. She merely lowered her gaze to look at the egg-sized wild fruits in his arms and reached out to take three of them. When she had first met him, she had always found herself aching for the faint sorrow in his eyes, and now, it was still the same. Especially since his heartbreak was caused by her, she felt all the more distressed.

Yet, what could she do?

Seeing that Jin Er kept her head down, silently nibbling on a fruit without speaking another word, Qing Yue tossed two fruits to Shi Yuan, who was standing stiffly to the side. He then turned around, sat down with his back facing the two of them, and began eating in small, quiet bites, trying hard to steady the churning turmoil within his heart once more.

Jin Er had fallen in love with someone else... She had said she didn't want to talk about romance for the time being and had left him behind to go her own way. Now, hearing with her own ears that she deeply loved another man, his heart ached so terribly.

So, loving someone could be this painful. Was he truly destined to walk the same path as his father?

Shi Yuan glanced at Qing Yue, then at Jin Er, and ultimately furrowed his brows before turning his back as well.

Jin Er looked glumly at their backs, feeling as though a five-flavor jar had been upset in her heart. She suddenly began to wonder if her master's earlier prediction—that her path in romance would be fraught with obstacles—might actually be true after all...

Over the next few days, Qing Yue did not wear a single smile. Jin Er remained cautious, occasionally taking the initiative to chat with him, but he merely listened quietly, now and then managing a strained, polite smile in response—the joyful radiance he had shown upon first meeting her was entirely gone.

This made Jin Er feel profoundly uncomfortable; she knew he wasn't angry, merely heartbroken. In truth, she would almost rather he had been angry, but instead, he simply pretended nothing was amiss, stayed by her side, and locked all his troubles away to digest them entirely on his own, even though his sorrowful eyes already betrayed him.

After several days of hurried travel, the trio finally arrived at Fushui Town by dusk. After a hasty dinner at a small tavern, they hurried straight to the dock, rented a medium-sized boat, and journeyed toward the Earth Kingdom through the night.

Sitting on the stern deck, Jin Er twisted open a flask of wine and took a hesitant sip, her gaze fixed upon the receding shores of the Fire Kingdom. Flashes of her past moments with Mo Yan continuously played through her mind, bringing an inexplicable ache to her heart.

Earlier, she had been desperate to escape the Fire Kingdom and evade the patrols of officers, but now that she was truly leaving, an immense reluctance and sorrow welled up within her. This place held her most joyful and blissful memories...

*Mo Yan, will you blame me? I'm sorry...*

Another mouthful of wine slid down, and finally, her tears silently overflowed, falling with increasing frequency.

Leaning against the cabin doorway, Shi Yuan also uncorked a flask of wine and silently drank along with her. Every time she lifted the flask to her lips, he too took a gulp, his gaze never leaving her back for a single second. Seeing her shoulders tremble slightly, a faint frown creased his brow. After hesitating for a long moment, he finally straightened up and walked over slowly.

Seating himself silently beside her, he turned his head and, as expected, saw that she was crying. Stripped of her ugly birthmark and moles, she had regained her original peerless appearance. The tear-streaked visage was so breathtakingly beautiful that it momentarily stole his breath, flooding his heart with boundless tenderness and pity.

With a hesitant twitch of his fingers, after struggling with himself for a long while, Shi Yuan finally mustered the courage to raise his arm, wrap it around her slender shoulders, and pull her gently against his chest.

***

Jin Er started in surprise at first, but the next moment, her grief only intensified. No longer caring about anything else, she buried her face in his chest, whimpering and sobbing aloud, weeping more bitterly than before.

Shi Yuan held her silently, his somewhat calloused hand awkwardly patting her arm. His eyes rippled with a tenderness and heartache he had never felt before.

"Stone..." Jin Er sobbed through her choked throat.

Shi Yuan lowered his head to look at the tearful figure in his arms, his heart gripping tight with unbearable pain.

"Do you think... will he hate me?"

Shi Yuan raised his eyes to gaze at the calm river surface, contemplating for a long moment before replying with a trace of heaviness: "He loves you very much."

Jin Er bit her lip, ultimately unable to hold back, and broke down weeping once more, crying more heartbrokenly than before.

"Jin Er, don't cry..." The two layers of clothing across Shi Yuan's chest were soaked through, and the icy sensation seemed to pierce straight into his heart. Watching the woman he loved weep in his arms was already an exquisite torture to his willpower, let alone knowing she was crying over another man...

"Jin Er..." Shi Yuan looked down and saw her tears flowing ceaselessly, genuinely terrified that she would ruin her eyes from crying.

Frowning, he raised a hand to cup her soft, delicate face, using his thumb to meticulously wipe away her tears, yet the tears seemed utterly endless. He finally believed the old saying that women were made of water, and he felt as though his very heart was being melted into mud by her tears.

"Jin Er, stop crying, please..." Shi Yuan coaxed her in a helpless, gentle whisper, utterly unaware that he possessed such a tender side, simply feeling exasperated that he could find no other words to say.

Seeing that she was completely unable to stop sobbing, Shi Yuan grew both anxious and distressed. Taking a silent, deep breath, he suddenly cupped her chin, leaned down quickly, and captured her lips.

Jin Er, who had been completely immersed in her sorrow, felt her breath hitch instantly. Her heartbeat skipped a beat, and she stared with wide, tear-filled eyes at the blurred face before her, utterly dumbfounded.

Shi Yuan's kiss was clumsy, even nervous. He kissed her with slight trembling, from time to time sucking away the salty tears on her lips, much like a gentle beast licking the wounds of its mate.

It wasn't until she felt she was running out of breath that Jin Er snapped back to reality, pushing him away in a flurry of panic. She retreated from his embrace, uneasily turning away so she wouldn't have to look at him, her heart pounding *thump, thump, thump* as though it wanted to leap right out of her chest.

Why, oh why, had he kissed her?! How could he do such a thing?!

"It's too windy out here; let's go inside." Seeing that she had finally stopped crying, Shi Yuan picked up the wine flask beside him and headed toward the cabin. The moment he stood up, Qing Yue flashed out of the cabin doorway and slipped back into his own room.

Once Shi Yuan entered the cabin, Jin Er wiped away the remaining tears on her face and, carrying a storm of chaotic emotions in her heart, stood up and returned to her own room.

The boat was far from luxurious, yet much better than ordinary small skiffs. The cabin contained four partitioned rooms, allowing the three of them to occupy one each.

At that moment, the doors to all three rooms were closed. The occupants inside listened in silence to the sound of flowing water outside, each lost in their own thoughts.

Jin Er curled up on the soft couch with a complex expression. Her mind kept shifting—now to Mo Yan, now to Shi Yuan, and now to Qing Yue's wounded gaze. Her heart was tangled like a mess of hemp, impossible to cut through and impossible to sort out.

Shi Yuan sat in his room with one leg bent, his back resting against the partition, gently stroking his own lips in a daze.

Meanwhile, Qing Yue sat despondently with his back against the partition in the room next to Jin Er's, trying to drown his sorrows in wine while desperately attempting to wipe away the scene he had just witnessed. Wine trickled down the corner of his mouth, dampening his white garments, and the heavy scent of alcohol mingled with sorrow, filling the cramped space.

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The next morning, Jin Er woke up quite late. Pushing open her cabin door, she stepped onto the stern deck and saw Shi Yuan standing there with his arms crossed, taking in the scenery.

Jin Er hesitated, thinking of retreating, but on second thought, avoidance was no solution; didn't they have to face each other every day? Taking a deep breath, she feigned nonchalance, walked over, and sat down nearby.

"You're awake?" Shi Yuan turned his head and asked calmly, his expression entirely unruffled, as if nothing at all had happened yesterday.

Jin Er murmured a soft acknowledgment without turning to look at him.

Shortly afterward, she heard his light footsteps drawing closer, and despite herself, her heart began beating anxiously once more.

"Eat something." Shi Yuan handed her a water skin and a pack of dried rations.

Hearing this, Jin Er relaxed slightly. "Thank you." She took the items from his hands and began eating the coarse, unpalatable food in small bites. Until she finished, Shi Yuan did not utter a single word, merely standing quietly to the side and gazing into the distance.

By now, the sun was high in the sky. The warm autumn sunlight felt quite pleasant against the skin, and the lake rippled with sparkling light, as if countless flecks of gold had been scattered across the surface. The opposite bank was lined with lush trees and rolling mountains, contrasting against the emerald waters. Such lakeside scenery was truly intoxicating to behold.

As she watched, Jin Er's gloomy mood gradually lifted. She suddenly thought that the view would be even more marvelous if accompanied by music, which naturally brought Qing Yue to mind.

Turning to look, she realized she couldn't see him anywhere, and only then remembered that she hadn't laid eyes on Qing Yue since boarding the boat yesterday.

"Is he awake yet?" Jin Er raised her head and asked Shi Yuan.

Shi Yuan lowered his gaze to look at her charming face bathed in sunlight, shook his head gently, and nearly lost his wits all over again.

Seeing him shake his head, Jin Er furrowed her brow. Was he still sleeping so late in the day? With that thought, she stood up and headed toward the cabin.

"Yue, are you awake?" Jin Er arrived at Qing Yue's cabin door, tapped lightly twice, and asked aloud.

However, there was not the slightest sound from within.

"Yue?" Jin Er called out again. Still no movement; a strong sense of puzzlement gripped her heart. Hesitantly, she pushed open the cabin door, and a heavy, pungent reek of alcohol hit her face.

"Why did he drink so much?" Jin Er wrinkled her nose. Qing Yue was lying flat on his back on the soft couch with a furrowed brow and a haggard complexion. Several empty wine jars lay overturned on the floor beside him, while a quilt remained neatly folded off to the side.

Could it be that he had slept like this the whole night through?? Jin Er felt a jolt of alarm, hurried inside, sat down beside him, and grabbed his arm, shaking him gently while calling out, "Yue?? Wake up. Yue?"

At that moment, Jin Er noticed his fair face looked abnormally flushed, and his lips appeared slightly chapped. She hastily reached out to touch his forehead, only to find it burning hot to an alarming degree.

"Yue!" *Oh no, how did he get a fever???*

Jin Er quickly withdrew her hand, accidentally brushing his chest and discovering that his clothes were damp, presumably soaked by spilled wine. It was late autumn after all, and the nights on the lake were exceptionally cold; sleeping in damp clothes without a quilt made catching a chill far too easy.

Frowning, Jin Er rushed out of the cabin, instructed the boatman to find the nearest village and dock as soon as possible so she could buy medicine on shore. With those instructions given, she scurried back into the cabin, dampened a hand towel to wipe Qing Yue's face and neck, and then laid the cool cloth across his burning forehead.

In his delirium, Qing Yue muttered softly, moving his lips in incoherent murmurs.

Though she couldn't catch every word, Jin Er knew he must be thirsty. She reached for the water flask nearby, pulled out the cork, and brought the spout to his lips so he could drink.

However, not only did the greater part of the water spill out and run down his chin, but the small mouthful he actually swallowed caused him to break into a fit of coughing.

Flustered, Jin Er used one hand to wipe away the water that had trickled down his neck while patting his chest with the other, feeling both anxious and distressed.

*This fellow is impossible,* she thought. *Drinking so much wine for no reason?? And then catching a chill and running a fever. He already looked heartbreakingly sorrowful to begin with, and now lying here so pale and haggard, it's enough to ache one's heart.*

Seeing that his coughing finally subsided, Jin Er frowned and looked at the water pouch. Deciding on a different approach, she lifted it, took a mouthful of water, leaned over, and pressed her lips to his, slowly feeding the water into his mouth bit by bit.

Fearing she might choke him again, Jin Er took quite a while to finish feeding him that mouthful of water, and fortunately, he didn't cough again. Thus, she repeated the process several times until she was done.

Noticing that the furrow between his brows had practically smoothed out, Jin Er breathed a quiet sigh of relief. She then drew a set of silver needles from her robe and began applying them to help dissipate his fever. Needle after needle went in, and soon sweat began to bead profusely across Qing Yue's face and body.

After the span of an incense stick, Jin Er retrieved and safely stowed away all the needles. Looking at Qing Yue again, she saw his garments were soaked through with sweat.

Using the towel once more to wipe the sweat from his face and neck, she checked his forehead and found his temperature had dropped significantly. Giving him one final, lingering look, she turned and headed out.

"Could you help him change into dry clothes?" Jin Er asked Shi Yuan, who was leaning against the doorway, watching her quietly.

Seeing him nod slightly, she stepped out of the cabin and onto the outer deck. Yet, she had barely sat down for two minutes when Shi Yuan emerged as well.

Jin Er turned an inquiring gaze toward him, only to hear him say, "He's awake."

Her eyes brightened, and the worried expression on her face instantly faded quite a bit. Though he didn't look as physically robust as Shi Yuan or Mo Yan, his constitution wasn't weak either.

After waiting anxiously for a short while, until she heard the sound of a door being pushed open, Jin Er sprang to her feet and darted toward the cabin.

"Go back inside and lie down. You need to rest," Jin Er intercepted Qing Yue, who was trying to step outside, and practically half-carried him back in to sit down.

"How is it? Are you feeling better?"

"I'm fine, just... my head still hurts a bit. *Cough cough...*" As soon as he claimed to be fine, his throat betrayed him with a fit of coughing.

***

Jin Er picked up his wrist and checked his pulse. "The fever has broken, but you still need to take a couple of doses of medicine."

Watching the anxious concern written all over Jin Er's face, Qing Yue experienced an indescribable mix of emotions in his heart. Seeing her care so much made him happy on the one hand, but on the other, it only made him sink deeper into her grasp. Whenever he thought of her tangled web of romantic ties, he felt nothing but sorrow and despair.

In his hazy delirium just moments ago, he had the distinct sensation that someone had fed him water mouth-to-mouth. Though he had desperately wanted to open his eyes, try as he might, he hadn't succeeded.

"Just now... was that you?" Qing Yue asked, his cheeks flushed with a faint blush. He knew he was asking the obvious since she was the only one on the boat who would treat him that way, but he still wanted confirmation from her own lips.

Seeing the two delicate pink blushes blooming across his pale, beautiful face, Jin Er was reminded of how she used to tease him for blushing so easily. She couldn't help smiling and bantering, "At it again, are you? You already look like a total femme fatale, yet you're always blushing like this. It's a good thing there aren't any other men around, otherwise someone would have pounced on you long ago."

Hearing this, Qing Yue's face turned even redder, but this time he didn't lower his gaze or dodge her smiling look. Instead, he met her clear eyes and asked with unmistakable seriousness, "If someone really did pounce on me, would you care?" He refused to believe she felt nothing for him after she had used her own mouth to feed him water.

"If anyone dares to really pounce on them, I..." Jin Er's heated words died instantly in her throat when she caught the smile gradually spreading across the corners of Qing Yue's lips. "...I mean, whoever dares to bully my friend, I certainly won't let them off!" Jin Er declared with feigned bravado, though she felt a sudden guilty pang inside.

Just now, imagining that exact scenario had indeed left a strange taste in her heart. In truth, she probably did like Qing Yue; they said true platonic friendship between a man and a woman was rare, let alone with an otherworldly beauty who made men obsessed and women torn between love and hate? Besides, when he kissed her before, she hadn't felt overwhelming resentment or disgust.

Yet, compared to the depth of her feelings for Mo Yan, this affection fell far short. Analyzing it thus, it probably fell somewhere between friendship and romance?

Just as she reached this thought, Jin Er felt a warm touch on the back of her hand. Looking down, she saw Qing Yue's hand covering her own. She instinctively tried to pull away, but he held her fast.

"Jin Er..." Qing Yue's voice was soft, affectionate, and tinged with sorrow. Unable to resist, Jin Er raised her eyes to look at him, and as she gazed into those watery, almond-shaped eyes brimming with infinite tenderness, her heart seemed to sink. Despite her internal struggles, her body remained frozen, locked in a direct gaze with him, completely unable to look away.

Gradually, Qing Yue lowered his eyelids, his gaze dropping to her soft, alluring lips as he slowly leaned in.

Jin Er watched nervously as he tilted his head closer, her heart hammering against her ribs. Whether out of pity or reluctance, she ultimately didn't turn her face away, instead closing her eyes and allowing his lips to meet hers.

His kiss was cautious and immensely gentle, as though terrified of frightening her away. Knowing he was afraid, Jin Er felt another surge of pity rise in her heart. He was as pristine as a white magnolia, his heart as clear as crystal glass; facing a man so perfect yet so fragile, surely any woman would lack the heart to harm him?

Jin Er let out a helpless, quiet sigh in her heart, parted her soft lips slightly to return the kiss, and extended the tip of her tongue to gently brush his lower lip.

Sensing his body tremble with sensitive awareness, Jin Er felt her breath tighten, and an inexplicable desire to conquer welled up within her. Raising a hand to cup the nape of his neck, she gradually deepened the kiss, eagerly plundering the sweetness of his mouth.

After an intensely lingering kiss, Qing Yue was left breathless by Jin Er's fervor. He finally pulled back, turned his head to catch his breath, and flushed so brilliantly red he looked fit to bleed. Meanwhile, one of his wide sleeves was seemingly cast casually across his lap, concealing his rigid desire.

Seeing him blush to such a degree, Jin Er's lingering shyness vanished. With a playful chuckle, she pinched his chin and turned his face back to hers. "It's a good thing your orientation is normal. Otherwise, you'd surely become public enemy number one for all women."

Qing Yue blinked, quickly grasping her meaning, and his face turned even hotter. "Jin Er... you seem... naughtier than before." He lowered his gaze, not daring to meet her eyes.

Jin Er raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Oh, really??" Hearing him call her naughty, far from feeling embarrassed, she wore an expression of triumphant amusement. It seemed this was the exact difference between a woman and a girl... (Mo Yan deserved immense credit for that).

Releasing his chin, Jin Er withdrew her hand, suddenly remembering his drinking binge from the night before, and asked, "What on earth made you drink yourself into such a stupor last night?"

Hearing this, Qing Yue lowered his head with a aggrieved expression, muttering softly after a long pause: "I ate too much vinegar, it hurt."

Jin Er was slightly startled before bursting into a peal of laughter. His expression of a wronged newlywed bride paired with those words was simply too adorable.

"You're still laughing! It hurt so much yesterday I felt like I was going to die!" Qing Yue looked up in vexation.

"Huh?" It was that serious?? Jin Er's smile stiffened slightly. She quickly reined it in, furrowed her brow, and looked at him seriously, asking with an apologetic tone after a moment of hesitation: "Yue, although just now... but I... I didn't mean..." Before she could finish her tangled explanation, her lips were effectively sealed by Qing Yue's hand.

"I told you before, you are the meaning of my existence. So, even though I was truly heartbroken and miserable these past few days, I still couldn't let you go. I promised I would wait for you, and that hasn't changed. I know you like me—perhaps far less than you like that other person, but I'm willing to wait. I only hope... you won't drive me away." As he spoke, a glistening moisture flickered within Qing Yue's eyes, a sight that deeply alarmed Jin Er.

She hadn't realized... that he loved her to such a profound depth.

"I love you, Jin Er... I truly love you. I can't imagine how I could go on living without you... I know I'm just a lowly dancer, humble not only in status, but equally humble in this love for you—"

Qing Yue's unfinished words were cut short as Jin Er silenced him with a kiss.

Biting his lip with a hint of playful punishment, Jin Er pulled back, furrowed her brow at his slightly damp eyes, and put on an angry front. "Don't you ever talk about yourself like that! What humble or not humble? I have never thought of you that way. You dance brilliantly—that's a talent others could only dream of possessing. In my eyes, you're like an immortal fairy from the heavenly palace: pure, elegant, and the most stunning man in this world!"

A single clear tear slipped from the corner of his eye. Qing Yue's long, thick lashes trembled, and his tear-bright eyes shimmered with joy and overwhelming emotion. "Jin Er... do you really think so?"

Looking into those literal pools of water for eyes, Jin Er nodded earnestly. Every word came straight from the depths of her soul, without a shred of falsehood.

"Then... promise you'll never drive me away, alright?" Qing Yue gazed at her with tearful eyes, a mixture of trepidation and anticipation.

*Uh... forever??* Why did adding that word make everything feel so different? Jin Er opened her mouth, but looking at his tear-streaked, pitifully endearing face, she simply couldn't force herself to say no. She couldn't help wondering if this fellow had somehow found her fatal weakness??

Ultimately, she let out a helpless sigh and gave a soft nod. *Agreeing is agreeing, after all—he is following me, not the other way around. Besides, I hold all the freedom and authority in my own hands. Having such an absolute beauty to travel the jianghu with meant no loneliness, and if I got bored, I could always bully him or take advantage of him—it seemed like a win-win deal.*

While she was calculating all the gains, Qing Yue was beside himself with excitement. He pulled Jin Er into his arms and held her in a fierce embrace, squeezing the breath right out of her lungs until the boatman's voice rang out from outside: "We're docking!" Only then did Jin Er escape his embrace as if granted a pardon.

"Lie down and rest properly, I'm going to get your medicine." Just as Jin Er tried to slip away, Qing Yue grabbed her arm...

"You still haven't answered my question from earlier." Seeing her puzzled expression, Qing Yue asked directly, "Was that you who fed me water earlier?" He wanted to hear the answer straight from her own lips.

Jin Er paused. "Feed you water... Shi Yuan fed you water right here." Seeing his expression instantly curdle, Jin Er stifled a laugh, stood up, and strode toward the doorway, breaking into silent laughter the moment she turned around.

Once outside, she walked a few steps before tiptoeing back stealthily. Poking her head into the doorway, she saw Qing Yue still sitting there dazed, his face cycling between red and white—clearly agonizing over whether to believe her previous answer, and likely still imagining Shi Yuan doing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation with him in his head.

"Pfft!" Unable to hold it in, Jin Er let out a sudden chuckle. Inside, Qing Yue raised his head in shock and looked over.

"I lied to you! Dummy!" Giggling, she pulled her head back and darted away in a flash.

Qing Yue was utterly exasperated with her, yet completely helpless against her. Ultimately, he shook his head with an indulgent, helpless smile and lay back down.

Fortunately, she had been lying to him, or else he would have spent a long time brooding over that thought.

Exiting the cabin, Jin Er still wore a smile, but as she looked up, she found Shi Yuan standing at the bow, staring straight at her with a rather complex expression.

Recalling that he had been at the stern earlier and was now at the bow, she figured he must have passed by Qing Yue's cabin door—which meant he had more or less seen or heard something. Still, she couldn't be bothered to overthink it right now.

"You don't need to follow me, just stay and watch over him. I'll be right back." With that, Jin Er hopped ashore, asked a nearby villager for directions to the apothecary, and hurried off in the indicated direction.

Shi Yuan watched her receding figure silently, his heart pinching with an inexplicable ache.

Sure enough, not long after, Jin Er returned carrying four packages of Chinese herbal medicine, along with a roasted chicken and a few warm flatbreads.

After setting up a stove at the bow to brew the medicine and asking a young crew member to keep an eye on it, Jin Er retrieved the food and called Qing Yue and Shi Yuan to join her in an empty cabin for a meal.

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"Your Majesty, still no leads."

"Keep looking." Wearing a golden crown, Mo Yan commanded in a deep, unwavering voice without lifting his head, his longing-filled eyes fixed entirely on the flying-flower sword inlaid with gorgeous gems resting in his hands.

"Understood!" Footsteps hurried away, and the imperial study plunged back into dead silence.

"Jin Er, I miss you so much... Please come back..." He stroked the scabbard, murmuring softly, his face etched with unspeakable haggardness.

"Did you know all along that things would turn out this way? Otherwise, why would you have murmured those words this morning? But why didn't you tell me so I could prepare in advance? Do you still not trust me? No matter what you've done, I don't care—I only care about you...

Jin Er, I've already rescinded the wanted poster, and His Imperial Father is no longer pursuing the matter. He even urged me to make you Empress; why won't you come back? Even out of fear, you should at least come back and take a look, shouldn't you? With your current martial arts skills, slipping into the imperial palace is no difficult task at all.

Jin Er, can you truly bear to leave me behind? I don't believe it, I truly don't..."

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"Why did you come out? It's too windy out here, hurry inside." Jin Er was sitting on the deck soaking up the sun when she saw Qing Yue follow her out and hurried over to guide him back.

"Jin Er..." Qing Yue stood his ground with a faint smile. "Don't make me out to be so delicate; that day was just an exception. Aren't I practically all better now?"

[End of today's update]