Qiao Chu

The influx of troops brought the Imperial City back to life.

The scent of blood lingered in the air, carried by the wind.

On the way up to the city wall earlier, corpses lay everywhere—so gruesome that even the firelight couldn't fully illuminate the horror. Who knew what kind of hell would be revealed at dawn.

That person leaned against the wall, draped in the night, shrouded in darkness.

When Xiao Man approached with a torch for her, he snapped irritably, "Are you stupid? Do you want everyone to see me? To let my death be in vain?"

Chu Zhao had Xiao Man put away the torch and leave. She felt her way to his side and leaned against the wall beside him.

Below the city gate, troops marched relentlessly; above, new guards had taken their posts. The surroundings were chaotic and noisy, but the two of them leaning there felt as if they were cut off from the world.

For a while, neither spoke.

It was Xie Yanlai who broke the silence first. "Hey."

They had to say something.

Otherwise, it felt strange.

Once he spoke, Chu Zhao did too.

"Xie Yanlai," she said, "why did you throw me down the mountain that day?"

Xie Yanlai was both annoyed and amused. "What are you talking about?"

What kind of time was this? After all they had just been through? Why couldn't she break this habit? Every time, at critical moments when there were so many important things to discuss, she'd start with some nonsensical, trivial remark.

"How is this nonsensical?" Chu Zhao retorted angrily, clenching her fists at her sides. "What if I had fallen to my death?"

Xie Yanlai replied, "You wouldn't have. Your mother was there to catch you. We had it all planned out."

"Planned out? In the pitch dark, with everything in chaos, who could guarantee nothing would go wrong?" Chu Zhao demanded. "What if I had really died?"

As if she were so afraid of death—if she truly feared it, why had she come back?

"You're blaming me? Then why did you come back? Didn't you know I was acting as a puppet here? What if I'd been killed when you charged in fighting?" Xie Yanlai shot back, his eyebrows furrowed.

Chu Zhao was furious but inexplicably burst out laughing.

If he were truly afraid of death, why would he have become a puppet?

She knew why he had done it.

Suddenly, Chu Zhao fell silent. Xie Yanlai, who had been ready to continue his sarcastic questioning, swallowed his words.

He knew why she had come back.

He wanted to say something but felt there was nothing left to say.

"It really was planned," he murmured. "Many people were lying in wait below the mountain, with nets set up. Even if your mother hadn't caught you, you would've been fine. Think back—didn't you see the nets when you fell?"

So they were really talking about this now. Chu Zhao's voice was muffled. "I don't know. I was so scared I fainted. I didn't see anything."

Scared to the point of fainting? As if anything could scare her that much—she was just pretending to be pitiful. Xie Yanlai touched his chin. "Chu Zhao, don't forget, you bit me first. Left a huge scar. I never said a word about it."

A cold, soft hand reached out, cupping his face and carefully stroking it.

"Really?"

The girl stood up straight to touch his face. Because he was so tall, she had to rise on her tiptoes, perhaps unsteady from exhaustion.

Xie Yanlai quickly reached out to support her waist.

She drew closer, her hand stroking his chin as she tilted her head up to examine him carefully.

"Did it leave a scar?" she asked worriedly.

She had been poisoned at the time, nearly losing her life. If she had really broken the skin, and A Jiu was also poisoned, it could have festered or worse.He was leaning against the wall, utterly exhausted, using it as his sole support. He had no strength left to hold another person, yet when this girl pressed herself against his chest, Xie Yanlai didn’t collapse from fatigue. Instead, it felt as though he had gained another pillar of strength.

Slowly, he wrapped his arms around the person before him, feeling as if his weariness had dissipated. The wall behind him was no longer necessary.

The sudden embrace startled Chu Zhao.

“A Jiu, A Jiu,” she called out urgently.

She was no fool. The reason he avoided the light wasn’t to conceal his identity—after such a bloody fight, who cared about identities? It was because his injuries were too severe, and he didn’t want her to see them.

“What should I do? What should I do?” Chu Zhao murmured to herself.

Should she call for a physician immediately, or help him lie down first?

“What should I do?” Xie Yanlai felt an urge to laugh.

Because he had suddenly pulled her into his embrace, the girl’s hands rested on his shoulders, her body pressing closer to his, her forehead leaning against his chin.

Xie Yanlai didn’t quite know what came over him, but he heard his own voice say, “Then I’ll bite you too.”

And he did bite down.

He had intended to bite her chin, to return the favor in kind, but his strength was failing, and his vision was blurred. He missed his mark.

This spot was also flesh, but it felt different from the hands that had cupped his face or the skin that had brushed against his cheek.

It was soft and moist.

He had only meant to take one bite, but as the juices burst in his mouth, his hunger and exhaustion were instantly soothed. Greedily, he sought to take a few more bites.

Strangely, after a few more bites, the vanished thirst flared up like fire from the depths of his heart, igniting his entire body.

Intense, scorching, burning—he couldn’t help but suck harder, prying open the barrier of her teeth to seize more of the nectar.

Only when a soft whimper came from the person in his arms and her hands began to pound against his chest did he suddenly snap back to reality.

What was he doing?

He opened his eyes. In the dimness of the night, he saw her dark eyes. Their lips were still pressed together.

For a moment, his breath halted.

The footsteps beneath the city gate, the voices, the flickering torchlight, the scent of blood—all vanished.

Only the sound of a heartbeat remained.

His, or hers.

Their bodies were pressed so closely together that it was impossible to tell whose heartbeat it was.

Xie Yanlai abruptly let go, trying to step back—

But the city wall was behind him. There was nowhere to retreat.

As he collided with the wall, he stumbled forward again.

Chu Zhao caught him and pushed him back against the wall.

“Are…are you okay?” she asked, her voice trembling.

Whether it was from being bitten or something else, her voice sounded different now—fragmented and broken.

What was the right answer to that? “Okay” or “not okay”—neither seemed appropriate. Xie Yanlai remained silent.

“Should I call for a physician?” Chu Zhao asked again, pressing closer to him and reaching out to touch his face, her fingers exploring everywhere. “Where exactly are you injured?”

Xie Yanlai grabbed her hand and held her tighter to keep her from moving around.

“No need,” he said, pausing briefly. “The injuries are serious, but I won’t die from delaying treatment for a while.”

Chu Zhao fell silent, allowing herself to be held quietly.

But then Xie Yanlai released her and said, “You…should go to the Imperial City. There’s work to be done.”

Chu Zhao’s voice seemed to carry a hint of laughter. “No need. Ding Dachui, Xiao Man, and the others are all here. They’ve taken over the city defenses. Zhang Gu and the others are keeping an eye on the Capital Garrison. Although there’s much to be done, if I don’t attend to it for a little while, the world won’t fall apart.”"Inside the city," Xie Yanlai also thought of something and said, "After I killed some people to intimidate them, that young man used the Emperor's authority to stabilize everyone. Even if I'm not by his side, he's surrounded by heavy protection."

So there was no need to worry about Xiao Yu's safety.

Therefore, they could indulge in this brief moment of relaxation, continuing to hold each other on the dimly lit city wall, amidst a ground full of corpses.

Chu Zhao couldn't help but laugh, leaning against his chest, and suddenly asked, "Have you... ever kissed before?"

What was she talking about? Xie Yanlai felt his ears grow warm.

"I haven't," Chu Zhao continued without waiting for his answer, her voice somewhat strange, as if both happy and sorrowful. "So this is what it feels like."

In that previous life, Xiao Xun had been intimate with her, but he had never kissed her face, let alone her lips.

She had thought that intimacy was just like that.

But it turned out a kiss could bring such joy.

"A Jiu," she lifted her head.

Xie Yanlai made a soft sound of acknowledgment, looking down at the girl whose eyes sparkled brightly.

"Bite me again," she whispered.

Xie Yanlai felt both annoyed and amused. Earlier, he had lost control and done such a thing, but shouldn't she say something? How could she say nothing and still... be like this?

The deep night was now fading, and being so close, he could clearly see the girl's small face and red lips. Even though he had bitten them earlier, bitten so fiercely, why hadn't they withered? Instead, they seemed even more lush with moisture.

Forget it.

He softly called out, "A Fu."

Then he lowered his head and gently took her lips between his.