Chapter 431
**Chapter 429: [Extra] Li Qingxun (7)**
Zhang He'an remained silent as he entered the cave, using stones to grind the herbs.
Li Qingxun pointed to her injured right leg. "My thigh is hurt. I suppose Lord Zhang tore my undergarments and personally applied the medicine. Oh, last night when I was unconscious, did you happen to touch any other places while treating me?"
Zhang He'an focused on grinding the herbs. "I did not."
The more aloof he became, the more amused Li Qingxun felt. It was as if she had found a delightful toy. She leaned closer to him, teasingly saying, "Isn't Lord Zhang a bit disappointed then?"
Zhang He'an's movements paused for a moment.
Once the healing herbs were ground, he handed them to Li Qingxun, indicating that she should apply them herself.
Li Qingxun refused, feigning weakness. "My leg is injured, and I can hardly move. Please, Lord Zhang, help me change the dressing."
It was a deliberate tease, an open flirtation.
Zhang He'an placed the herbs in front of her, his dark eyes like ink. "Princess, please have some self-respect."
Li Qingxun clicked her tongue. "Such a pretender."
Zhang He'an stepped out of the cave again.
Li Qingxun had no choice but to sit up with great effort, tearing off the bandage from her leg. The bloody wound was exposed, still fresh and ghastly.
It seemed to have been pierced by a sharp object, then torn open, leaving a long gash that even revealed glimpses of bone beneath.
Li Qingxun felt dizzy looking at it. "I need a tetanus shot, some anesthetic, and to clean and stitch this wound... Unfortunately, in this wretched place, I can only apply herbs."
She really hoped ancient remedies would be effective. She didn't want to end up crippled at such a young age.
Enduring the excruciating pain, she slowly applied the medicine to her wound, blood trickling down as cold sweat beaded on her forehead, her pace agonizingly slow.
Unable to bear the pain any longer, she shouted for help, "Zhang He'an, help me!"
As soon as she called out, Zhang He'an appeared.
"Help me," she pleaded.
Zhang He'an's gaze fell on her face, which was slick with cold sweat from the pain, her lips pale. Li Qingxun was not exceptionally beautiful, but her features were delicate and graceful, her fingers stained with blood, like a peony blooming in the cave after the rain.
Zhang He'an swallowed hard.
He knelt beside her, applying the medicine.
Li Qingxun's legs were long and fair.
As he touched the bloody wound, he also felt her smooth skin. He maintained a calm expression as he applied the medicine, dressed the wound, and wrapped it with cloth.
"All done." He was about to rise when Li Qingxun suddenly grabbed his collar, pulling him close.
Zhang He'an stumbled, nearly falling onto her. Though Li Qingxun was shorter than him, her presence was commanding as she boldly gazed at his long neck.
She noticed his slightly protruding Adam's apple and the faint veins visible on his neck.
Tsk.
So alluring.
Li Qingxun leaned in slowly, her lips almost brushing against his throat. "Thank you, Lord Zhang."
Zhang He'an lowered his gaze. "It is my duty, Your Highness."
They were too close.
Li Qingxun joked, "Now that I'm injured and powerless, if Lord Zhang wanted to do something to me, I really wouldn't be able to resist."
Her warm breath brushed against his neck, and Zhang He'an's body stiffened.
"I will protect the princess," he said firmly.
Zhang He'an stood up calmly and left the cave. Outside, the sunlight was sharp, and in the distance, the city of Liangzhou could be seen, the mountain wind tousling his hair.
His fingertips brushed against his throat.
There still seemed to be warmth lingering there.
...
Chaos erupted in Liangzhou City as bandits attacked, and war broke out once more.
Li Qingxun's leg injury was severe, rendering her immobile, so she could only stay in the isolated cave to recuperate. Each day was a dull routine of lying around, while Zhang He'an took on the responsibility of "providing for the family," venturing out to hunt for game and gather herbs.
Zhang He'an even managed to find some wood and sheepskin, crafting a wooden table and benches. He also found some charcoal for Li Qingxun to write with, alleviating her boredom.
At night, the crackling fire in the cave created a warm atmosphere.
Li Qingxun rested her chin on her hand, watching Zhang He'an intently as he focused on roasting meat, growing fonder of him by the moment.
A man who actively did housework and cared for a woman was truly a good catch.
And he was strikingly handsome, as cool and clear as the moon, with features like a painting. Watching him made the otherwise dull days a bit more interesting.
"Tomorrow it will rain, making hunting inconvenient. We should save some rabbit meat for tonight," Zhang He'an said casually.
Li Qingxun rested her chin in her hand, admiring his handsome face, and asked, "How do you know it will rain tomorrow?"
Zhang He'an replied, "I observe the night sky."
Li Qingxun was taken aback.
She vaguely remembered that the Kingdom of Qing had an institution called the Si Tian Jian (Astronomical Bureau). Zhang He'an's family had served there for generations, studying celestial phenomena and calculating seasonal changes.
Excitedly, she asked, "Zhang He'an, can you tell fortunes?"
Zhang He'an did not answer.
Li Qingxun continued, "Can you predict when I can go home?"
The bonfire crackled, and Zhang He'an's expression remained inscrutable. He replied, "Fortune-telling requires your birth date. What is your birth date?"
Li Qingxun hesitated. "My birth date—"
The rest of her words caught in her throat.
As a modern physics researcher, she truly couldn't recall her birth date. In ancient times, people spoke of their birth dates in terms of heavenly stems and earthly branches.
She couldn't just tell him, "I was born after the year 2000 in the Gregorian calendar, but I don't know the exact date."
"Has the Sixth Princess forgotten her own birth date?" Zhang He'an asked, his dark eyes probing.
Li Qingxun was not one to back down easily. Her gaze was fiery as it landed on Zhang He'an. "If Lord Zhang is willing to share my bed tonight, perhaps I might just tell you my birth date."
Zhang He'an replied, "Princess, please have some self-respect."
Li Qingxun teased, "A lone man and a woman alone in a room—oh, could it be that Lord Zhang is too shy? Or is it that you simply can't?"
The bonfire cast a warm glow, making Li Qingxun's face appear even more radiant.
Zhang He'an fell silent.
After a few playful jabs, Li Qingxun felt sleepy and casually lay back on the pile of hay, covering herself with Zhang He'an's red official robe, drifting off to sleep.
Zhang He'an couldn't sleep. He got up and stepped out of the cave. The sky was dotted with stars, and distant clouds began to gather. He looked up at the stars.
The celestial signs were ominous.
Chaos was about to unfold.
Zhang He'an thought of Li Qingxun.
A neglected, frail princess, who had undergone a transformation after a serious illness—could she be the one to stir the winds of change?
But no matter what, Zhang He'an found it impossible to look away from her.
...
Li Qingxun couldn't sit still or be idle. Zhang He'an was unwilling to sacrifice himself for her amusement, and she found the days of recovery unbearably dull.
So dull that she began to bang her head against the cave wall.
Eventually, she picked up a charcoal pencil and started writing on the rough sheepskin paper to pass the time.
She wrote in her diary and sketched weapon designs.
Before she knew it, two months had passed. The herbs Zhang He'an had gathered worked wonders, and Li Qingxun's leg had scabbed over, causing her less pain. She lowered her head to sniff her collar, catching a whiff of sourness.
She called Zhang He'an over. "Carry me to the river."
Zhang He'an asked, "For what purpose?"
Li Qingxun replied, "To take a bath."
Not far from the cave was a tranquil river, its waters flowing gently, surrounded by lush grass.
The stream was formed from melting snow, and as Li Qingxun stepped barefoot into the cold water, she shivered. Fortunately, the hot weather offset the chill, making it a suitable day for a bath.
Standing in the stream, she threw out a playful invitation to Zhang He'an. "Want to help me bathe?"
Zhang He'an placed his dry clothes by the riverbank and turned to leave.
Li Qingxun clicked her tongue.
Such a pretender.
Her right leg still ached, but she limped over to a large stone by the riverbank and slowly began to remove her dirty clothes.
Using soap pods, she scrubbed her skin, washing off a thick layer of grime. Li Qingxun spent a good half hour scrubbing, nearly rubbing her skin raw, washing from head to toe before preparing to change into dry clothes.
The stream flowed slowly, and the pebbles were slippery. She glanced around mischievously and deliberately stepped on a moss-covered stone.
"Ah—"
Li Qingxun feigned a cry.
As expected, Zhang He'an appeared like a ghost. Li Qingxun sat in the stream, saying, "I've fallen! Lord Zhang, help me."
Her skin was a rosy white from scrubbing.
Her long black hair hung wetly over her shoulders, clinging to her smooth skin, resembling a mountain spirit emerging from the wild.
Zhang He'an's dark pupils froze as he waded through the water, silently lifting the "fallen" Li Qingxun.
He draped her in his dry clothes.
Back in the cave, the bonfire crackled, and Li Qingxun, wearing the oversized garment, sat by the fire, trying to comb her wet hair. Her hair was thick and difficult to dry when wet.
It had also become tangled.
Without a comb, she said to Zhang He'an, "Bring me the kitchen knife; I'll just cut my hair."
Zhang He'an did not go for the knife.
Instead, he patiently combed her tangled hair for her.
Li Qingxun's hair was dark and abundant, with a coarse texture, just like her personality. Zhang He'an's gaze fell on her thin undergarment as he worked through her hair.
The undergarment was white.
It was Zhang He'an's undergarment.
Li Qingxun was petite, and wearing his clothing revealed her slender, fair neck, along with skin that had been reddened from scrubbing.
As they sat close together, Zhang He'an caught a faint scent. Perhaps it was intentional on Li Qingxun's part; she wore the collar low, allowing him a glimpse of hidden beauty from his angle.
She wasn't wearing shoes.
Barefoot, perhaps because the river water was too cold, her toes were a delicate pink, round and inviting.
In the warm cave, Li Qingxun enjoyed Zhang He'an's care, leaning back against his clothing.
She said slowly, "Zhang He'an, were you hiding by the river, secretly watching me bathe?"
Zhang He'an remained silent.
Li Qingxun grew bolder, teasing, "Oh, what a high and mighty flower, secretly watching a girl bathe. If this gets out, your reputation will be ruined."
Zhang He'an continued to untangle her hair.
Li Qingxun was quite the chatterbox, relentless in her teasing. "When the post station was attacked by bandits, you came running to save me, right? You, who would hold up the sky with your words. If you keep being stubborn, my interest in you will slowly fade."
Zhang He'an's movements paused.
Li Qingxun lifted her eyes, meeting his gaze, and continued her rambling. "The old emperor wants to send me off to marry into another kingdom. Oh, I've never even met the prince of Yue. If he looks better than you, I might actually consider marrying him—"
Zhang He'an released her hair, grasping her wrist and leaning in.
A kiss, born of frustration, fell like a storm.
Everything that followed was beyond control.
The bonfire in the cave blazed brightly, while outside, the sun slowly dipped in the sky, until the deep night enveloped the mountains and fields.
At first, Li Qingxun was still reluctant to part, but eventually, she could no longer endure it, refusing to concede. She had always been a competitive person, unwilling to back down in her career, and the bed was no different; she put all her effort into resisting him.
In the small cave, heat erupted, muffled sounds echoing, lasting long into the night.
The moon hung high, and Li Qingxun plucked the cool moonlight.
...
The next morning, Li Qingxun woke up groggily. As her vision cleared, she felt a chill on her right leg.
Zhang He'an was crouched beside her, applying medicine to her leg.
The wound, which had already scabbed over, had reopened slightly due to last night's indulgence, oozing a bit of blood. Li Qingxun lay lazily, her fingers playfully tracing Zhang He'an's chin. "Lord Zhang, you truly are someone who cannot be judged by appearances."
He looked so reserved.
But in bed, he was wild.
Zhang He'an grasped her fingers, his lips brushing against her palm, his dark eyes deep, as if declaring something, or perhaps reminding her, "Li Qingxun, you were the one who initiated this."
Li Qingxun's eyes sparkled. "From now on, follow me, and I will take you in."
Zhang He'an was silent for a moment.
He finally replied, "Alright."
Time passed in the mountains, day and night alternating.
Li Qingxun, bold and unrestrained, was not one to hold back. Having finally captured Zhang He'an, she certainly wouldn't waste precious time.
The two were hardly apart.
Aside from eating and sleeping, they were practically glued to each other. Day and night blurred together, and they spent a month in reckless abandon.
The sheepskin paper was filled with Li Qingxun's diary entries.
She deliberately forgot her hometown, and Zhang He'an set aside the burdens of his family. Only their breaths and warmth blossomed freely in the small cave.
Later, when Li Qingxun reflected on those days, she realized that the three months spent in that cave were perhaps the happiest of her life.
As early autumn approached, the long-silent mountains echoed with the sound of iron hooves.
Li Qingxun slowly sat up, draping a thin garment over herself, and said to Zhang He'an beneath her, "Stop what you're doing. There's some commotion outside; let's go take a look."
Table of Contents
