Qing Xia’s face instantly turned as red as it could possibly be. She hurriedly picked up the clean robe, helped Qin Zhiyan put it on, then walked around to the front to fasten the rows of toggle buttons for him.
Perhaps it was because he had just been examined, Qin Zhiyan was now very weak. Just from catching a slight chill, he began to cough softly. Qing Xia could clearly feel the heavy weight he was struggling to suppress in his chest, and her heart felt as if a large stone had been pressed upon it. After finally fastening all the buttons, she quickly picked up the copper basin from the ground and said to Qin Zhiyan, “I’ll go get some hot water.” With that, she ran out.
The moment she lowered the tent curtain, Qin Zhiyan’s coughing immediately erupted, the long-suppressed sounds suddenly bursting forth with broken, painful intensity. Qing Xia hugged the golden copper basin, leaning against the tent pole as large teardrops fell from her eyes. The night wind was cold and harsh, cutting across her face like knives.
Stars twinkled on the horizon, and the distant mountains loomed like wild beasts hidden in darkness, their magnificent forms menacing and imposing. In this vast expanse of heaven and earth, human strength truly seemed far too insignificant.
When she returned with the hot water and entered the inner tent, she saw Qin Zhiyan in his blue robe, leaning against the bed, quietly waiting for Qing Xia’s return.
Qing Xia looked at him and smiled, then calmly cleaned a snow-white face towel that was still steaming with heat. Walking over, she took Qin Zhiyan’s hand.
“Yima’er,” Qin Zhiyan said softly, his voice light and carrying a gentle smile, “I can do it myself.”
He reached out to take the towel from Qing Xia’s hand, but she didn’t let go. She stubbornly gripped the small piece of cotton cloth, staring at him with wide, bright eyes. Qin Zhiyan paused, glanced at Qing Xia, and finally slowly released his hand.
Qing Xia half-crouched on the ground, looking up as the warm towel wiped across Qin Zhiyan’s neck, cheeks, straight nose, and pale, bloodless lips. Then she set down the towel, removed her shoes, climbed onto the bed, and knelt behind him to arrange his scattered long hair.
Qin Zhiyan’s hair was beautiful. Qing Xia had always disliked men with long hair, but since coming to this place, she had unknowingly changed this opinion. She held the wooden comb, her snow-white fingers threading through Qin Zhiyan’s black hair, the contrast of black and white appearing quite lovely. She combed slowly, and the air in the room was warm, giving one the urge to fall asleep.
Everything was so quiet, just like that evening when Qing Xia had first awakened. Qin Zhiyan had set aside his status and cared for her as meticulously as a long-lost family member. Qing Xia thought that Qin Zhiyan must be like the moon – his light was gentle, not blazing. Under a bright sky, you couldn’t even see his shadow, but once darkness appeared in her world, he would appear beside her, enveloping her with his light like a trickling stream, dispelling the night and bringing illumination.
After combing his hair and gently tying it back, Qing Xia got off the bed, put on her shoes, and ran to the front hall. There, a small pot was bubbling over the charcoal fire, steaming with heat. Qing Xia lifted the lid, and the rising steam hit her face, carrying a fresh fragrance. She ladled out a small bowl and hurried back to the inner tent, crouching in front of Qin Zhiyan and saying, “Please eat a little? I stewed it with snow pear, fritillaria bulbs, and lotus seeds – it’s very effective for coughs.”
Qin Zhiyan nodded and smiled, saying, “Alright.”
Qing Xia happily squinted her eyes, half-kneeling in front of him. She scooped up a spoonful, brought it to her lips to blow on it gently, then lifted her head and brought it to Qin Zhiyan’s mouth, unconsciously making an opening motion with her own mouth and softly saying “ah.”
Qin Zhiyan cooperatively opened his mouth and ate it, tasting the clear fragrance. This had been prepared when Qing Xia went out to fetch water. Coming in to wash his face and comb his hair, it had stewed for about half an hour, making it the perfect time to consume. Qin Zhiyan soon finished the small bowl, and Qing Xia contentedly set down the bowl, happily saying, “You must eat this every day from now on.”
Qin Zhiyan paused, thought for a moment, lowered his head and said softly, “Will Yima’er make it for me every day?”
Qing Xia naturally replied, “Of course, it’s good for your health. If you take care of yourself carefully, you’ll definitely get better.”
Qin Zhiyan smiled and shook his head without speaking. Qing Xia was startled, pouting as she said, “Why are you laughing? Don’t you believe me? Or don’t you want to eat it?”
“Yima’er, when you say that, do you mean every day in the future?”
Qing Xia was immediately stunned, foolishly holding the empty bowl, not knowing what to say.
“Yima’er,” Qin Zhiyan gently stroked her beautiful hair, smiling faintly as he said, “You don’t need to promise me anything or make any commitments. You just need to stay by my side like this, letting me see you always – that’s enough. If one day you grow tired of staying and want to leave, I won’t stop you.”
“Qin Zhiyan…” Qing Xia’s voice was weak as she softly called his name.
“Not everything in this world can be obtained. Some things, no matter how hard you try to fight for them, ultimately cannot be won. So I rarely develop a determined heart to possess something – you don’t need to worry about me.”
“Then?” Qing Xia thought for a moment and asked in a deep voice, “What about the throne of Great Qin? Don’t you want to obtain it?”
Qin Zhiyan’s voice was clear and calm as he slowly said, “Being born into the imperial family, many things are already predetermined. Even if I have no interest in the throne, I must have the ability to protect myself. Withdrawing from the struggle is never the best way to protect oneself – it only hands the butcher’s knife to others, allowing them to slaughter at will. This is true for me, and it’s also true for Chu Li. When he eliminated the Xilin lineage back then, it was justified. If it were me, I would have done the same.”
Qing Xia was startled and instantly widened her eyes.
Qin Zhiyan stared intently at Qing Xia, saying gravely, “The mother-child gu of the Bailang Tribe’s beast whisperers is the most extraordinary gu in heaven and earth. Death follows immediately upon entering the body, with absolutely no hope of survival. If Chu Li could preserve his life, then there must be the presence of the Seven Kill Gu, the natural enemy of the mother-child gu, within his body. The Seven Kill Gu is a deadly gu – one mother and seven children, planted in the five organs and six viscera. When the mother gu dies, the seven child gu must die, so it counts as a remotely controlled poison. Under heaven, aside from the mother-child gu that can break the Seven Kill Gu, only the half-eye lotus from Bailian Snow Mountain can dissolve the gu. I heard that when Chu Li first returned to the country, he had wandered to the Xilin family in Heng City. From that moment, Chu Li must have become the Xilin family’s puppet.”
Qing Xia was instantly stunned. She suddenly remembered what she had heard Xi Lin Yuqiao say in the northern camp two years ago. At that time, she was crying in Xi Linyu’s arms, screaming about why everything had changed after she returned from Bailian. Thinking again of the half-eye lotus that Xi Lin Chen had given her, she realized that Xi Lin Yuqiao knew Chu Li had been poisoned with gu, which was why she secretly went to the snow mountain to find an antidote. But by then, Chu Li had already returned to the imperial city. Chu Li had been controlled by the Xilin family for so many years – if not for the fortunate misfortune of being attacked by the Bailang Tribe’s beast whisperer, he might have been controlled for life.
Thinking of this, her heart couldn’t help but feel desolate. Yes, she had been too naive. She had only seen Xi Lin Yuqiao’s passionate frankness, Xi Linyu’s upright loyalty, Xi Lin Yu’s kind benevolence, and Xi Lin Chen’s lonely melancholy, so she naively believed that the Xilin family was a rare loyal and patriotic noble house, thinking that Chu Li had mistakenly killed loyal ministers. But she hadn’t considered that relying on loyalty alone, how could a family stand firm in the chaotic web of relationships for hundreds of years without falling.
She smiled bitterly at Qin Zhiyan and said, “Why tell me all this?”
“You would know sooner or later,” Qin Zhiyan said. “Rather than that, it’s better for me to tell you. I don’t want to deceive you. Only by telling you everything can you fairly face your own heart and decide where to stay.”
Qing Xia’s eyes grew hot as she said softly, “Qin Zhiyan, why are you so good to me? You clearly know what kind of person I am, what kind of past I have – why are you still so good to me?”
“Because I like you,” Qin Zhiyan smiled faintly, his features handsome and his brow relaxed, his entire being radiating an indescribable warm glow. “I want you to receive the best care, live the happiest days, no longer wander in this chaotic world, but be able to follow your heart’s desires and obtain the warmest life.”
Qing Xia slowly lowered her head, kneeling on the thick carpet, pressing her forehead against Qin Zhiyan’s knee. Her long hair scattered over her slender shoulders, falling down and covering her thin, pointed face. A tear slowly rolled down, soaking into the warm fabric on Qin Zhiyan’s leg, dampening a circular mark.
Qin Zhiyan’s hand was long and elegant as he gently stroked Qing Xia’s hair, saying softly, “Yima’er, you’re too tired. You should rest. Those royal ambitions and power struggles are men’s affairs – you shouldn’t be drawn into them. Whether it’s Eastern Qi, Southern Chu, or that survivor of the Xilin family, they all have their own paths to walk. You don’t need to concern yourself with them.”
Qing Xia nodded with a muffled sound, her forehead bumping against Qin Zhiyan’s knee, causing a slight pain.
Qin Zhiyan smiled as he patted Qing Xia’s back, like comforting a petulant child.
The long night stretched endlessly, filled with desolation. In another two days, they would reach White Deer Plains. The four-nation hunt, where winds and clouds would gather – those men who had occupied enormous positions in her life would finally assemble together, witnessing what changes had occurred in her over these two years.
On the vast western loess, the intensely bloody wind howled and swirled. The four nations’ youngest rulers, holding the power of the world in their hands, were finally about to begin their first meeting in their tumultuous lives.
The winds and rains of the chaotic world whispered and howled softly, history’s great wheel turned gently, and amidst the mingling of blood and fire, heroes grew up in iron-forged cradles. The god of fate toyed with the chess pieces in his hands, gradually weaving together the trajectories of their futures. In the unreachable heights of ten thousand peaks above, that thread entangling their destinies was actually a strand of a woman’s three feet of black hair.