ALL NOVEL Ye Li frowned. “Murong, why are you back?”
Murong Ting snorted, looking down the wall, and said smiling: “Prince Ding is here with relief troops. I will be a fool not to come back. Well, actually… you had me sent away. I didn’t want to leave at all!”
Ye Li waved her hands casually as she said: “Let’s not talk about that right now. I must leave.”
“Oh my…” Murong Ting stopped her hastily and said: “Are you a woman or not? It’s Prince Ding down there… Prince Ding! He’s your husband. Will you change before you see him? Look at you now. If Tian Xiang and Zheng-er are here, they won’t let you get away with this easily.”
Ye Li was speechless. No matter how straightforward Murong was, she was a girl after all, still having time to think about that stuff at this point. “Murong, this is war.”
“So what? The battle is over, okay? Besides, Prince Ding is here. If the rebellion troops attack again, this city won’t fall without you. Now come with me!” After that, Murong didn’t pay attention to Ye Li’s stiff expression and dragged her to a camp not far away down the wall. She was quick, a good material for medical personnel on a battlefield.
Ye Li couldn’t help applauding Murong when she saw all the clothes and jewelry kept in good order in front of her. In less than an hour, Murong had to return from her trip to Scattered Snow Pass and find all these stuff which weren’t easy to see around Yong Lin, then she had to get Ye Li from the wall before the battle ended. What a well-trained soldier!
“Hurry up! Move! Let’s go and meet Prince Ding after you are ready.” Murong Ting took some clothes and stuffed them in Ye Li’s hand while pushing her to the inner room to get changed. Then, she started to work on the jewelry.
Yong Lin was a small town. It wasn’t easy for her to get all these stuff. Besides, with a battle coming, nobody was open for business. She went to several places before she collected all these.
Ye Li took those clothes and went inside. If she didn’t act, she was afraid Murong would rush in and make her change instead.
Outside Yong Lin, everything was quiet again. After leaving some soldiers to clean things up and telling Feng Zhi Yao to lead the Army of Mo Family to take over the defense, Mo Xiu Yao went into the city on horseback. All soldiers at the gate and in the city lined the street to welcome him. As far as the eye could see, he didn’t find the one he wanted to meet the most.
Feng Zhi Yao rode beside Mo Xiu Yao and asked in a small voice curiously: “Where’s the princess?” Out there he had seen Princess Ding fight, whose kung fu of killing was… She was a perfect match for Mo Xiu Yao. Meanwhile, he reminded himself not to get into her bad books no matter what. A woman like her… was horrifying.
“Well… now I know where she is,” said Feng Zhi Yao as he pointed at the crossing in front of him.
Mo Xiu Yao looked over. Two people showed up by the street, one tall, one short. The tall girl in red was pulling the girl in blue to their direction. His eyes were fixed on that elegant petite girl.
That girl who was in black on the battlefield fighting fiercely a moment ago now smiled helplessly as her dress flowed in the air. Her silky hair was coiled up with a hairpin with pearl and tassels. She was so quiet and tender like an elegant young lady.
Clearly, Ye Li saw Mo Xiu Yao as well. She paused slightly and stopped.
Mo Xiu Yao urged on his horse. The white horse ran happily to Ye Li and touched her with its head.
“Ah Li…” Mo Xiu Yao smiled lightly. He leaned down and gave her his hand.
She took his hand. With a slight swing, she was on the horse in front of him. Then, the white horse left.
Murong Ting was stunned by that. After a good while, she murmured: “Don’t pull down the bridge after crossing the river… I don’t even get to touch that armored horse. Stingy…”
Not far away, Feng Zhi Yao shrugged and dismounted as he saw those awestruck soldiers and curious men of Hidden Cloud Soldiers. Well, the duty of a subordinate was to take care of things when his boss wasn’t available.
Mo Xiu Yao and Ye Li traveled across Yong Lin and kept going after they left town. It was a good horse Mo Xiu Yao had. After some time, Scattered Snow Pass came in sight.
Ye Li looked at the arms tightly around her waist which hurt a bit and said in a small voice: “Mo… Xiu Yao, where are we going?”
Mo Xiu Yao turned to her, then finally stopped the horse and dismounted.
Her brows rose. She was about to dismount as well when he extended his hands to her.
“Here.”
Ye Li had no choice but to let him take her off the horse for his insistence. Leaning against that slightly cold chest, she felt strangely calm and relaxed. However, the heat on her cheeks left her a bit at loss.
Looking up, his pleasant smell came down on her. Her eyes widened in surprise. His kisses came so fast like a storm, sweeping her up when she wasn’t ready. He locked her up with his arms. His slightly cold fingers touched her helpless-looking face softly. His warm lips lingered on her red ones. His kisses weren’t exactly gentle, but a bit rough. With some strange anger, he opened her mouth with his and got her tongue in a dance.
“Hmm…” With a slight frown, she wanted to struggle.
The arms around her waist tightened. A hand stroked the back of her head gently, forcing her into a further exchange.
She tugged at his lapel weakly. “Xiu Yao…”
When the two parted, both were panting a bit.
Mo Xiu Yao lowered his head and put his forehead against Ye Li’s as he said in a small voice: “Ah Li, you have me worried sick.” Nobody knew the shock and fear he felt when he arrived outside Yong Lin and saw what was happening. Not even he himself knew what exactly was on his mind. He just shot that arrow out of instinct. As the arrow went through two men while spilling splashes of blood, it didn’t suppress his rage at all. If he wasn’t good at controlling himself, he would have shot another arrow at Mo Jing Li. If Mo Jing Li went down with that arrow… if he was down, then no rebels would live another day!
“Ah Li…”
A deep blush spread across her face. For the first time in her life, she felt so awkward that she didn’t know where to put her hands or feet. She… she had kissed a man by the road…
However, when she heard his soft call, all her struggle and awkwardness disappeared.
“Mo Xiu Yao, it’s good to be able to see you again.” She said softly.
Mo Xiu Yao lowered his head. His eyes were filled with tenderness and warmth. His slightly warm lips touched hers again. This time, he was gentle and slow. “Ah Li… I missed so much. I shouldn’t have let you come here alone.”
She smiled quietly. She didn’t intend to tell him that after all the time she was away from him she also missed him a bit… Well, a lot more than a bit.
The obedient horse was nowhere to be seen. The two was only one mile away from Scattered Snow Pass. That magnificent building was clear in sight. But Mo Xiu Yao didn’t intend to return to Yong Lin nor meet Murong Shen. He took Ye Li to a hillside not far away and sat down.
Ye Li sat next to him. Having remained tense for a few days, she sighed in relief now that she could finally relax. Looking up, she saw Mo Xiu Yao frown slightly. “What’s wrong? Are you not well? Are you hurt?”
Mo Xiu Yao shook his head and answered: “I’ve been traveling nonstop. Just a bit tired. As for hurt…” He held her left arm and rolled up her wide sleeve which revealed a long scar. He said with a frown: “Why don’t you bind it up?”
She didn’t know he had seen her get hurt and shook her head with a smile. “It’s just a scratch. It has stopped bleeding. It will heal sooner this way.”
“Nonsense.” He reproached her softly and took out several small bottles of medicine. Cleaning her wound with a clear liquid in one bottle, he then applied some power on it. After that, he took out a handkerchief and dressed her wound.
Ye Li watched her perfectly dressed arm happily and said: “It’s nothing. Really. It will recover in two days.”
Mo Xiu Yao put his arms around her and stroked her head gently as he said in a small voice: “Don’t get hurt anymore. Otherwise, you won’t be allowed to go out any longer!”
She remained quiet. Accidents happened all the time. She couldn’t guarantee that. “I’ll try my best not to. But you got hurt a lot in battles, didn’t you?”
He didn’t get the title of god of war for nothing. He wasn’t an immortal that descended into this world with a perfect protection. Nor was he impervious to sword or spear.
“That’s different.”
She looked up and narrowed her eyes unhappily. “Is that sexism?”
He said helplessly: “No. Even if it is, you are not included.” His girl was magnificent. If she was considered as weak, all men should kill themselves.
“Are you suggesting that I’m not like a woman?”
“Ah Li.” He looked at her with a smile yet not a smile. “Are you mad or are you throwing a tantrum?”
Ye Li paused. Looking at his gentle smile, confused, she wished she could bite him or beat herself up. Did he think she was having a tantrum? He was more childish than Murong. Not even Murong would ask such a naive question!
Mo Xiu Yao smiled slightly and pulled her back in his arms before she flared up. “Sit with me for a while. I’m a little tired.”
Ye Li moved slightly but remained quiet soon. He wasn’t in a good condition. Nor was it possible for him to recover miraculously in such a short time. Even though he tried to cover that up, she noticed his tiredness and paleness. Leaning on him closely, she drifted off to sleep with a lot going on in her mind.