Chapter-13
Translator: Silvery Butterfly
Xiao Bao was dumbfounded. He had messed around with women in all sorts of ways with his rowdy friends, and he had used aphrodisiacs before. He knew that stuff could be deadly if it really took effect. “Impossible!! There must be an antidote!! Hand it over…”
Before he could finish speaking, a curtain of blood filled his vision. Huai En swung his long sword, and both of the enemies’ heads were cleanly cut off. Dark red blood sprayed all over the two of them, covering their faces and bodies. The severed heads, eyes wide open in death, rolled to Xiao Bao’s feet. Terrified, he screamed and fell back, retreating on the ground.
Huai En glared at him. “The needles, pull them out.”
Xiao Bao steadied his nerves and quickly helped him up, his fingers trembling as he pulled out the silver needles from Huai En’s back one by one. With each needle removed, he felt Huai En’s body tremble, and his own heart ached with empathy.
“Maiden Zheng… are you alright…” The person in his arms felt so thin, shivering non-stop. They were both covered in blood, making it impossible to tell whose it was.
“Help… help me to the riverside…”
Xiao Bao hurriedly lifted him up and slowly made his way to the river, moving cautiously to avoid aggravating any wounds.
What should have been a short walk felt exceptionally long.
Xiao Bao soon noticed something was wrong with him.
Over the short journey, Huai En’s face, which was originally deathly pale from blood loss, started to flush unnaturally. His breathing became rapid.
Xiao Bao’s heart sank, realizing the drug was taking effect.
When it came to such things, Xiao Bao had much more experience than Huai En. Huai En was merely uncomfortable, tugging at his collar, completely unable to understand how to relieve the burning sensation inside him.
Even though Huai En had clearly heard it was an aphrodisiac and understood what it meant, the actual physical response was entirely foreign to him.
Xiao Bao set Huai En down by the riverside, but before he could react, Huai En plunged into the water, dunking his head entirely under.
It was early summer, the weather was cool, but deep in the mountains early in the morning, it was still somewhat damp and chilly. Xiao Bao quickly followed and pulled him out. “Maiden Zheng, you’ve lost a lot of blood. If you catch a cold now, there’s no saving you.”
Huai En was soaked through as Xiao Bao fished him out, his face a mess, yet to Xiao Bao, he still looked pitiful and endearing. The thick makeup had been washed away by sweat, blood, and water, revealing a youthful face.
Xiao Bao was a bit taken aback. The beauty’s natural look was quite different from before, not only making him appear several years younger but also showing a stubborn fierceness that made him even more attractive.
“Let go of me… get lost…” Huai En shook off his hand and sat on a rock, ripping off the torn fabric on his arms. He took out a small white porcelain bottle and applied a transparent ointment to the wounds on his arms.
“Maiden Zheng, let me help you.” Xiao Bao swallowed as he looked at the slender, fair arms.
“Get lost.” Huai En didn’t even lift his head, his tone cold.
After treating the wounds on his arms, Huai En was already panting heavily. He stubbornly tore off the fabric on his right leg. The wounds on his hands varied in severity but weren’t too serious. However, a gash over a foot long stretched from his knee to his calf, still bleeding profusely. The sight made Xiao Bao’s heart race with fear.
The most serious wound was on Huai En’s side. He unreservedly lifted his shirt to apply the ointment, wincing in pain. The sight filled Xiao Bao with both pity and desire.
Huai En looked up coldly at Xiao Bao. “I told you to get lost. Didn’t you hear?” He knew his strength was exhausted, and blood loss had weakened him. He couldn’t suppress the drug’s effects any longer. If he lost control, it would be humiliating. He would rather die here than let anyone see him in such a state.
“Maiden Zheng… how can I leave you like this?” Xiao Bao saw Huai En panting heavily, the flush spreading to his neck, his eyes misty with tears. It was incredibly tempting.
Xiao Bao knew it wasn’t the right time, and he cursed himself for acting like a beast, but he couldn’t help the surge of lust, fantasizing about pushing him down…
Huai En had spent enough time with him to see through his thoughts, but he was too drained to even muster the energy to get angry. He lifted his left foot and gave Xiao Bao a shove, causing him to stagger. “Get lost!”
Under normal circumstances, even with an injury, a full-strength kick from Huai En would have sent him flying to the other side, unable to get up for three days. This only highlighted how exhausted Huai En was now.
Xiao Bao quickly jumped up again and supported Huai En, speaking earnestly, “Maiden Zheng… let me help you. I am willing to do anything to relieve you of this poison, and… and… I swear I will take responsibility.”
Narrowing his eyes, Huai En looked at him dangerously. “What did you say?” He grabbed Xiao Bao’s wrist, twisted it behind his back, and Xiao Bao yelped in pain but couldn’t break free. He was then shoved away, hitting the rocks by the river and ending up with a bruised face. He lay there moaning, feeling extremely aggrieved.
After a while, he recovered and, having already forgotten the pain, crawled back to Huai En’s side. “Maiden Zheng, you are seriously injured…”
“Get lost! If you don’t leave, I’ll kill you!” Huai En swung his sword, the blade landing precisely against Xiao Bao’s neck.
Xiao Bao’s legs started shaking again, his mind telling him to retreat, but his heart was stubbornly refusing to give up.
This might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Usually, Huai En looked at him with disdain. How long would it take for him to realize Xiao Bao’s worth? If he could seize this moment, Huai En would be his forever.
He didn’t think he was taking advantage of the situation. After all, Huai En was injured because of him, which meant he must have some feelings for him. Xiao Bao felt it was his responsibility. If Huai En’s condition worsened, he would feel even more guilty. In this sense, helping him was like saving a life.
Having found a perfect excuse, Xiao Bao grew bolder. “Maiden Zheng… I know you won’t kill me… Otherwise… you wouldn’t have saved me… right…”
Huai En, seeing Xiao Bao’s persistence despite his clear reluctance, was torn between frustration and an odd sense of admiration.
Huai En narrowed his eyes. Saving Xiao Bao was part of the mission, but if he was about to die here, no plan would matter. So if Xiao Bao insisted on staying to watch him suffer, he would definitely take his head.
Holding the sword for so long had caused his freshly bandaged wounds to reopen, making Huai En wince in pain. He slowly lowered his hand, and the sword clattered to the ground as he swayed on his feet.
“Maiden Zheng!” Xiao Bao hurried to support him, holding him close. “Maiden Zheng, are you alright?”
“So… hot…” Huai En writhed in discomfort in his arms, his gaze shifting between clarity and haze. Just watching this, Xiao Bao’s body was already reacting.
Damn it, if he could hold back now, he wouldn’t be a man, or worse, he’d be impotent.
“Maiden Zheng, let me… let me help you. I, Jin Xiao Bao, swear that I will marry you with an eight-carriage procession, making you my rightful wife. I will treat you well for the rest of my life. If I break this oath, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death.”
Xiao Bao’s grand declaration made Huai En want to bite him out of sheer frustration. Gaining some clarity, he shoved Xiao Bao away again.
“You… are you really this stupid or just pretending?”
“Huh? What?”
Huai En placed his hand on his collar and with a strong tug, ripped the remaining fabric, leaving his pale chest exposed under the bright sky.
