Chapter 615: Concealing the facts, a big misunderstanding (2/2)

Gu Beiyue’s complexion improved markedly after 10 days’ worth of treatment, but his leg wound showed no signs of healing. Fortunately, Mu Linger’s White Peak Oil stopped the injury from growing worse. Han Yunxi kept trying to get in touch with Gu Qishao while urging Third Elder Shen to hurry up at the same time.

“Esteemed wangfei, there’s no need to rush the search for medicine. Third Elder Shen will be here in a few days as well,” Gu Beiyue didn’t like to see her fret because she always ended up knitting her brows. Long Feiye didn’t like it either. Like an OCD patient, he’d reach out to silently smooth out her brows whenever they wrinkled over her eyes. He didn’t stop even when the creases disappeared until she removed his hands herself. In the end, it wasn’t clear who was comforting whom, only that Long Feiye never calmed down unless she held his hand first.

Gu Qishao would definitely stare if he was here, but Gu Beiyue chose to avert his eyes. There were some scenes meant for two people alone. Ever since he’d laid his cards on the table for Long Feiye, Gu Beiyue had been doing nothing but attending to his wounds. Long Feiye would only show up if Han Yunxi came to visit, and kept out of his room otherwise. It seemed as if nothing had ever happened between the two men.

“Third Elder Shen still needs five more days before he arrives,” Han Yunxi remarked. Once they left Gu Beiyue, she asked Long Feiye, “What if I made a personal trip to Medicine City?”

“Find Gu Qishao for his opinion first. Let Chu Xifeng go take a trip to West Jing,” Long Feiye replied. Although Han Yunxi was the Pill King’s disciple, she only carried the title and held no real power. If they went to ask the man for help now, they’d be owing him a favor instead. How could he let that happen? The Pill King wasn’t a generous man. Suppose Han Yunxi was forced to stay by his side in exchange—what then?

Damned Gu Qishao. He never shows up when you need him, but he always sticks around when you want to chase him off. Long Feiye’s brows wrinkled at the thought.

“Nothing could have happened to that old fiend, right?” Han Yunxi suddenly exclaimed.

“He can’t die!” Long Feiye’s voice was a little louder than usual, revealing his utter exasperation.

Han Yunxi resentfully shut her mouth. She was already thankful that her husband hadn’t shipped Gu Beiyue back to Southern Ning already. That night, she personally cooked Long Feiye a bowl of cinnamon vine porridge and delivered it to his rooms. He was currently going through a pile of secret missives on his desk, so he only spared her a silent glance when she came in.

“Mending things in wintertime is better than fixing them in spring. This is top tier cinnamon vine from Medicine City, it can restore your energy and vitality,” Han Yunxi said in a low voice. Inexplicably, another year had passed and they were nearing spring again…

Long Feiye patted his leg to indicate that Han Yunxi should set it on the table. But as soon as she drew near, he hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her into a seat. Hugging her from behind, he murmured into her ear, “Your punishment is to spend the night with your lordship.”

She was clear on exactly why he’d used ‘punishment’ of all words, and silently sighed over all the different methods he had for eating vinegar. There were too many meanings hidden in the phrase ‘spend the night’ for her to truly understand what he meant. Perhaps she was a little afraid of knowing the truth as well. “Chenqie accepts her punishment,” she said in the end.

His grip on her tightened significantly after the words, as if blaming her for acting out despite knowing her own crimes. Despite the sudden ache in her waist, her heart was filled with sweetness. He nuzzled against her ear and lightly kissed her ear a few times, seemingly lukewarm yet holding back an almost unbearable passion.

“Drink the porridge and go back to sleep.” In the end, he finally let her go to urge her away. Han Yunxi rose to her feet but didn’t leave. She spooned a mouthful of the soup to his lips.

“I’ll leave after you finish this. Otherwise, I’ll stay here until day breaks.”

He knew that even with her gone, he’d be stuck reading these reports until tomorrow. Even though the fighting had stopped, the situation was still quite delicate. Moreover, he had to make preparations to deal with Ning Cheng which kept him plenty busy.

“You’re threatening your lordship?” Long Feiye arched a brow.

“Yes!” Han Yunxi arched her brows back provokingly. The two of them stared at each other with cold eyes before bursting into grins at the same time.

“You finally smiled, haha!” Han Yunxi crowed in her delight. Even though Long Feiye’s smile was only a tiny curve of his lips, he covered her face with his hands at the comment to purposely block her view.

Han Yunxi removed his hands and said seriously, “Eat. I won’t leave even after you’re finished, but stay with you here.”

Long Feiye had just smoothed out his lips, but now they curved up into a grin again. It was a very faint smile, yet genuine. Han Yunxi carefully flipped through the reports on the western regions. Many developments had happened over the past few days. The Chu Clan took Western Zhou’s Fenglin Prefecture and publicly announced their allegiance with Tianning, while Empress Chu accepted their surrender. Then she condemned Western Zhou’s Emperor Kang Cheng for listening to Empress Xue’s slander and persecuting loyal subjects, thus forcing the Chu Clan to revolt to save themselves. Meanwhile, Ning Cheng transferred Tianning’s troops to the western borders of Fenglin Prefecture, formally taking it as part of Tianning Country territory. The Chu Clan soldiers and Western Zhou’s decades old marriage alliance with Tianning were thus both ripped from their roots!

“Long Feiye, how are you planning to deal with Ning Cheng and the Chu Clan?” Han Yunxi asked seriously.