Chapter 52

Chapter 52

She turned away, dove under the quilt, and buried herself completely.

Shen Qingyu rolled onto his side and moved closer. Taking her hand, he whispered beside her ear, “Qiao Ying, do you know how to cure it?”

“Qiao Ying.”

“Why won’t you speak to me?”

“Qiao Ying…”

His hand found her burning cheek, and his lips brushed her ear as he murmured, “You’re getting worse. What should we…”

Before he could finish, the girl abruptly turned and pounced on him.

This time, she pinned him beneath her and stopped his mouth with hers, kissing and nibbling with no skill or rhythm. She did not even notice when she crushed the flower in his hair. Finally, she rolled away, retreated under the quilt, and announced in a muffled voice, “That’s how you cure it. I’m better now!”

Silence filled the dark room.

A very, very long time later, the young man sprawled on the bed slowly raised a hand to touch the damp corner of his mouth. His tongue stirred. It hurt a little.

After another moment, he rolled onto his side and turned his back on the person sleeping against the wall.

Perhaps Qiao Ying did not like him all that much after all. Otherwise, she would not have passed her illness to him, leaving not only his ears burning but his heart beating faster than it ever had before.

Her illness was cured, Shen Qingyu thought, but his seemed to have grown worse.

In the darkness, two hands crept out, pulled the quilt over him, and carefully tucked it around him so no cold air could get in. Then they quickly withdrew.

Shen Qingyu reconsidered. Perhaps the illness would have killed her but could not kill him, so she had passed it to him in order to survive. There had been no other choice.

After all, she was foolish and fragile, while he was clever and strong.

And so Shen Qingyu turned back, pressed himself close to the figure curled beneath the quilt, and slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her into his embrace.

He meant nothing else by it. The weather was cold, and she had even less fur than the mountain cubs. Now that she had finally used him to cure her illness, it would be a shame if she froze to death instead.

Otherwise, he would have fallen ill for nothing.

Qiao Ying dreamed again.

She dreamed she had fallen into a bank of clouds, with softness all around her. Then, for no apparent reason, the clouds transformed into a fox.

The fox looked at her with smiling eyes, paced over, and lifted one hind leg.

Just as it was about to mark its territory in the most feral way possible, Qiao Ying woke with a start and sat bolt upright. It took her a long moment to return to her senses.

“That scared me to death. It was only a dream.”

Clutching the quilt, she let out a long sigh of relief.

Two sparrows had settled in the osmanthus tree outside the window and were chirping nonstop. Judging by the sun, it was already late.

Qiao Ying felt the space beside her. It was cold. She had no idea when Shen Qingyu had left, but he had finally developed the good habit of eating three meals a day. If he did not eat on time, who knew whether he might go mad again?

She had just thrown back the quilt to get out of bed when she looked up and saw what had been placed before her.

Unknown wild fruits had been piled into a small hill. Wild greens, likely dug up from some farmer’s land, rose in another heap. There were even two blood-soaked pheasants.

Apparently to ensure she noticed the bounty the moment she woke, the table that should have stood in the middle of the room had been moved directly beside the bed.

Fresh from a nightmare, Qiao Ying opened her eyes to two bloody pheasants. Shock and fury got the better of her, and she shouted, “Shen Qingyu!”

The Youth in Blue was sitting on the roof, biting into an unripe green fruit. The girl’s yell startled the birds from the branches. One small bird landed on the rooftop, cocked its head, and cooed as if speaking to him.

The young man smiled. “She’s so full of energy because I cured her. She could hardly resist me before. Now she must like me even more.”

The bird cooed several times, as though answering.

Once she had washed, Qiao Ying stormed out of the house and planted her hands on her hips. “Shen Qingyu, get down here!”

Afraid of being caught in the crossfire, the bird promptly flapped away, leaving Shen Qingyu alone to face her wrath.

He floated gracefully down and landed before her. In a patient voice, he asked, “Qiao Ying, you’re terribly lazy. You slept for so long. Aren’t you hungry?”

“You nearly scared me to death! How could I stop to think about whether I was hungry? Shen Qingyu, what possessed you first thing in the morning? Those pheasants…”

“Qiao Ying, you’re sick again.”

He cut her off and touched a finger to the cheek anger had flushed red. She was so startled that she froze.

Then he bent down, covered her lips with his, and swallowed her breath.

By the time Qiao Ying reacted, it was too late. One of his hands held the back of her head. Imitating her from the night before, he kissed and nibbled with the same complete lack of skill. With nowhere to retreat, she could only endure his relentless tongue until the base of her tongue ached.
After a moment, he drew back slightly. He touched her hot, red cheek again and asked with a smile, “Do you feel better?”

Qiao Ying stared at him. “Sour.”

Shen Qingyu maintained his habitual smile, though confusion slipped into it.

She snatched the green fruit from his hand. Anyone could tell from the color alone how sour it was, yet somehow he had eaten half without changing expression. Without ceremony, she hurled it into the distance.

Shen Qingyu reached out to catch it, but Qiao Ying firmly pinned his hand down.

“I may be holding all your money for you, but it’s not as if I deprive you of food or clothes. You’re not allowed to eat anything that sour again.” She added, “If you eat too much of it, you won’t be as effective at curing me.”

Shen Qingyu had been about to object, but at her final words, he abandoned the impulse and closed his mouth.

“Let’s go out for breakfast today!”

Qiao Ying changed her mind as quickly as the wind. Only moments ago she had been ready to rage at him. Now she was cheerful again, seizing his hand and leading him lightly out the door.

At this hour, the streets were at their busiest. Vendors called from every side, and pedestrians flowed past in an endless stream.

Qiao Ying asked Shen Qingyu, “What do you want?”

He instinctively raised a hand to his hair, then remembered that Qiao Ying had crushed the little red flower while “curing” him last night. Lowering his empty hand, he smiled.

“I want flowers.”

Qiao Ying had expected him to ask for food, not flowers. But since he wanted them, there was nothing else for it. The flower girl was standing not far away. She looked up at him. “Fine. I’ll buy you some.”

She led him to the flower stall. There were many girls buying flowers today, and Qiao Ying squeezed into the crowd. Shen Qingyu remained outside, feeling the breeze sketch the outline of her lively figure. His fingers once again stroked his ebony blind cane of their own accord, while a faint, unreadable smile touched his lips.

Among the passersby, two men suddenly stopped.

“I’ll take this one and this one.”

Qiao Ying bent over to choose flowers, her eyes sparkling. The white jade pendant at her waist swayed gently, lustrous and translucent.

“Look at that pendant. She’s the Eldest Miss Qiao.”

“Everyone at the last stronghold was killed. What is she doing here?”

“I heard the higher-ups flew into a rage after she disappeared. If we capture her and bring her back, we can claim the credit.”

Qiao Ying paid and emerged from the crowd holding a great armful of flowers. When she looked up, Shen Qingyu was gone. Puzzled, she searched all around.

“Shen Qingyu… Shen Qingyu…”

With his distinctive appearance, he would have been the first person she noticed in any crowd. Yet after scanning everyone in sight, she could not find the familiar figure.

Before long, Qiao Ying spotted a dark alley. Acting on instinct, she approached slowly.

The instant a black rat shot out and darted past her feet, Qiao Ying shrieked and leaped into the air, goose bumps rising all over her body.

A young man laughed softly, apparently amused by the spectacle.

Qiao Ying whipped around. “Shen Qingyu! I searched everywhere for you. I thought you’d gotten lost and was worried sick, but you’re hiding here laughing. What’s so funny?”

She hurried over, carrying the fragrance of the flowers with her.

Standing at the mouth of the alley, Shen Qingyu leaned toward the approaching scent, drawn toward the fragrance even more captivating than flowers. He smiled. “There were two rats. They were very noisy.”

Qiao Ying lifted her face. “So?”

“I killed them.”

The two crisp words somehow chilled the air around them.

“You caught rats with your bare hands?” she asked.

Shen Qingyu laughed. “Mere vermin. There was no need for me to touch them.”

Only then did Qiao Ying thrust the entire bouquet into his arms. Against all that simple white, the brilliant colors added a burst of spring.

She took his Blind Staff, then caught his free hand. “All right, you’ve had your fun. It’s time to eat.”

Shen Qingyu obediently followed. The faint fragrance of flowers drifted into his nose, and everything around him seemed to grow strangely different.

Inside the black alley, the two men’s bloodless corpses lay with every joint twisted and their heads wrenched backward, grotesque and macabre.

Outside the alley lay daylight and a bustling crowd.

“Qiao Ying.”

“Mm?”

“The fifteenth is almost here.”

“Oh.”

“We should hurry to Yunling Prefecture. Once you’ve met my elders, it will be time for us to marry.”

“…”

“They say a husband and wife are supposed to be together day and night. So it won’t matter if you fall ill again. I can cure you every day and every night. Qiao Ying, are you happy?”

“…Delighted.”

The young man holding the flowers smiled. “Qiao Ying, I knew you would be.”

Smugness hid in his smile once more. Perhaps there was a better way to express what he meant.

I knew it. You like me.