"What happened to your back?" Ye Ziling pointed to his back. A strong smell of blood assaulted her senses, stinging her.
Ling Xi knew he couldn't hide it from her. He placed the fish on the embers, roasting it while chuckling lightly, raising an eyebrow as if nothing was wrong, "What, worried about me?"
Ye Ziling then remembered that when they fell off the cliff, Ling Xi had used his body to shield her. His back had hit the stone wall, and he was bound to be injured.
Her gaze fell on his focused profile, her eyelashes fluttering slightly as she examined his complexion.
His face didn't look too bad; he wasn't going to die.
Ling Xi noticed her unusual behavior, glanced at her, and chuckled, "Why are you so hesitant even when you're worried?"
The firelight illuminated his chiseled, handsome face, casting a golden halo that made him appear even more radiant.
"Take it off." Ye Ziling looked at his blood-soaked robe, then at him, her eyes burning as she spoke.
The words took on a different meaning when they reached his ears.
"...Hmm?" Ling Xi was momentarily stunned by her words, then smiled and raised an eyebrow, "Here?"
Those with impure thoughts hear everything as impure. If it weren't for his handsome face, Ye Ziling would have slapped him.
After a moment of speechless exasperation, she took out a small porcelain bottle from her embrace and offered it to him.
"Bai Yu gave this to me; there's a little left. You can use it," Ye Ziling said, lowering her head and trying to search her own body for other medicine, but after a long search, she found nothing.
Ling Xi's gaze darkened. He flipped the fish over, his tone chilling, and still didn't take it.
Bai Yu's things were like Bai Yu himself; seeing them annoyed him.
"Take it away." After a long silence, Ling Xi's thin lips moved, and he coldly uttered two words.
Ye Ziling stared at the blackened crucian carp roasting, sighed softly, and casually withdrew her gaze, "Fine. If you die here, I won't be bothered to collect your corpse. I'll go back to the valley alone. Besides, Bai Yu is there, and it will be peaceful without you."
Seeing Ling Xi's gaze instantly darken like a storm cloud, Ye Ziling was satisfied and curved her lips.
Soon, the man beside her looked as black as the bottom of a pot. He got up, stripped off his belt, neatly set his clothes aside, and turned his back to her.
Ye Ziling stiffened and turned around.
She saw Ling Xi tear off the only piece of clothing he had left. His smoothly sculpted back was adorned with countless scars, and alarming bloodstains dyed his fair skin.
Even with the dense scars, it was clear that his physique was still excellent.
Ye Ziling bent down, gently wiping away the blood seeping from the wounds with a handkerchief, her brows furrowed tightly.
As her fingertips slid across his skin, Ling Xi stood stiffly in place, not moving, his earlobes seeming to burn red.
He took a deep breath stealthily.
The steady breathing of the person behind him fell on his wounds. His fists clenched slightly, trying to suppress the turbulent emotions within him.
Compared to the wounds, an unintentional touch was the most fatal.
Ye Ziling looked at the deep red gashes on his back, her brows remained tightly furrowed, and she didn't know where to begin.
With each application of medicine, her movements involuntarily became gentler. Despite having seen countless wounds, seeing the scars still made her heart ache.
After bandaging Ling Xi's wounds, Ye Ziling looked up at him, then at the campfire beside them.
"When did Scholar Ling become so narrow-minded, to be offended by a bottle of medicine?"
Ye Ziling propped her chin, staring at the campfire in a daze.
"How can Miss Ye be any better?" Ling Xi put on his clothes, not to be outdone, and glanced at her, "You mean you can't get past it?" Ye Ziling heard him and chuckled lightly, deliberately provoking him, her lips curling in mockery, "You're right. And then?"
Their eyes met, neither willing to back down.
"Being with me causes you so much suffering?" Ling Xi withdrew his gaze from her, his expression focused as he flipped the fish, not looking at her.
"Indeed, it's quite suffering."
Ye Ziling subconsciously savored the slightly fishy sweetness with a hint of cold plum in her mouth, a faint pain still lingering on her lips.
Whether it was suffering or not, she always got injured whenever they had intimate contact.
Her habit of biting was persistent, truly causing suffering.
Ling Xi calmly put down the fish, turned his head to look at her. The candlelight was bright, making the bite marks on her lips even clearer.
He picked up the medicine bottle from the ground, gently twisted it open, smeared some on his fingertips, leaned closer to her, and said in a low voice, "Turn around."
His focused, clear eyes locked onto her lips. His fingertips, coated with ointment, gently pressed onto hers.
Ye Ziling looked at his focused expression, her gaze flickering. She pretended to be calm, lowered her eyes, and asked softly, "How many times has it been?"
Ling Xi's eyes brightened. After a moment of silence, he looked at her and smiled knowingly, "Then shall I atone?"
"You know about atonement too?" Why didn't you say so earlier? She wouldn't have been so impulsive.
Ling Xi rubbed his forehead, sighed helplessly, and casually added more firewood, saying calmly, "Don't forget, you're still mine."
Ye Ziling looked up, "Then I'll return you."
"How will you return me?" Ling Xi couldn't help but laugh, stopping his movements, and appraised her with great interest.
"When I… complete my mission, I will return this body to you."
"If I say I want you now, how do you intend to return me?" Ling Xi's gaze was scorching as he stared at her face, waiting for her answer. Feeling a bit unnatural under his gaze, she suddenly realized something was amiss and, in return, locked his throat with a swift move, a triumphant smile blooming, "If I say I won't return you, General Junlan, won't you be displeased?"
Ling Xi let her choke him, chuckling softly, "After going to such lengths to save you, are you sure you want to do this?"
If she killed him again, she would be widowed for several lifetimes, crying without finding the right place.
After a long stare, Ling Xi let out a sound of pain. Ye Ziling's face instantly turned pale, and she abruptly released her grip.
This time, she hoped she wouldn't kill him again.
The last time she stabbed him with that sword, she was quite certain it would only make Ling Xi fall into a coma for a few days, not touching any vital points. Who knew it would almost kill him?
"Have you ever raised pets?" Ling Xi rubbed his shoulder, suddenly changing the subject.
"I've raised a few rabbits."
"How many years?"
"Three days."
Ling Xi frowned, "Why only three days?"
Ye Ziling spread her hands, moved closer to the fire to warm them, and said leisurely, "They died."
"How did they die?"
"Scared to death."
"..."
Ye Ziling sighed. Last time at Jiuling Palace, she saw how cute they looked and asked Mu Heng to get a few. At that time, she was interrogating prisoners and coincidentally brought the rabbits to the prison. After the prisoner died from torture, the rabbits were also scared to death.
Since then, she had never raised such creatures again.
However, Ling Xi was quite resilient. He had almost been killed by her so many times, yet he was still alive.
Much better than her pets.
"You've saved me so many times, do you regret it?" Ye Ziling's voice suddenly lowered, and she dared not look at him.
"Regret what? Regret being rejected by you countless times? Or regret being suspected by you all along?" Ling Xi's eyebrows still held a faint smile, unsure if he was mocking her or himself.
Ye Ziling was rendered speechless by his words.
It was unavoidable. Having been schemed against so often, she wouldn't have survived without being cautious.
As a result, whenever someone approached her, she felt they had ulterior motives.
Either they coveted her power, or they wanted her life.
She believed she could see through people's hearts, yet she didn't even understand herself.
Truly a misfortune.