Chapter 1194: You can only see the stars after it gets dark (2/2)
“Cheep…” Lil Thing wanted to say, but it quickly collapsed onto the side.
“It got drunk just after that?!” Ning Cheng was stunned.
Gu Beiyue was surprised as well. Judging from Lil Thing’s usual appetite for poisons, it shouldn’t be this defenseless against alcohol! Ning Cheng’s wine was osmanthus wine, but it wasn’t one that got people drunk. Even lightweights could down five to six cups without knocking themselves out.
“Gu Beiyue, how is your alcohol tolerance as its master? I can spend a few more days with you if you get drunk,” Ning Cheng joked.
“Lil Thing belongs to the princess,” Gu Beiyue corrected.
Ning Cheng didn’t argue. He was more curious about Gu Beiyue’s drinking skills and slung a large tankard of wine on the table. “Will you drink with me?” he asked with a grin.
“Too much alcohol is bad for the body,” Gu Beiyue intoned.
“With a happy heart, nothing can hurt the body!” Ning Cheng declared.
Gu Beiyue paused briefly, then smiled. “That makes some sense.”
But in the end he still prudently refused Ning Cheng’s giant tankard. “This one’s alcohol tolerance is only so-so. With Ning Clan Head’s tolerance, only His Highness can be a suitable drinking companion.”
A complex look flitted past Ning Cheng’s eyes before he lifted the tankard and downed all its contents in one breath. Then he tossed the empty jug aside, where it smashed against the ground.
Grinning, Ning Cheng said, “I will. After I sort out all the military matters here in a few more days, I’ll go to Yunning to drink with him! We’ll drink to our hearts’ content!”
Gu Beiyue only felt puzzled. With Ning Cheng and Long Feiye’s relationship, it was unlikely for the former to really ask the latter to drink together. Long Feiye wouldn’t even be interested. But Ning Cheng’s words didn’t sound like a joke.
--
That night, Ning Cheng and Gu Beiyue chatted until late while Mu Linger sat on the grass outside the camp alone. The grasslands of the sixth lunar month were open expanses that faced starry skies. Mu Linger was currently lying on her back to stare at the starscape. Beyond them was the vastness of the dark sky. But how could one see the stars unless the sky was black?
Mu Linger stared at them blankly before she muttered, “Can you only see the stars after it gets dark?”
She knew that all of the medical teams had already left and that Gu Beiyue was leaving tomorrow.
What about her?
Three months. I’ve missed the deadline by three months but Jin Zi never showed up. Does he know the saying, “missed appointments don’t count?”
If he wasn’t here, did that mean their agreement was over? She didn’t have to keep to her promise?
Mu Linger suddenly sat up and declared, “Right, missed appointments don’t count!”
She had thought it through and quickly strode towards Ning Cheng’s tent. Unbeknownst to her, Jin Zi was actually nearby, spying on her. Over the past three months, he’d been following her wherever she went!
--
Mu Linger had just reached Ning Cheng’s tent when he emerged with Gu Beiyue.
“Miss Linger, it’s already so late. Do you need anything?” Ning Cheng asked.
“You two chat, I’ll be off,” Gu Beiyue left first. His martial arts skills were enough to sense Jin Zi’s stalking ages ago, but he hadn’t mentioned it since he didn’t want to meddle in others’ business.
But Mu Linger suddenly asked him, “Doctor Beiyue, are you going back to Medical City to get married?”
Mu Linger had gotten in contact with all of the medical teams and heard plenty of rumors about Gu Beiyue’s marriage plans. Many people said that he would start planning his wedding with the Qin Clan as soon as he finished matters here in Northern Li.
Gu Beiyue gave a mild start before studying Mu Linger intently. He wanted to dismiss it all with a smile, but her melancholy face for the past three months stirred him into speaking up instead. “Lass, worry about your own matters.”
She can’t even handle her own problems, but she still frets over my marriage everyday. This little lass deserves to be melancholy!