Chapter 92: Homecoming

Chapter 92: Homeward

Qiu Shuiyi saw the boat moored at the shore, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.

How did he manage to bring such a large boat here without alerting the Qiyun Sect?

There was no time to dwell on it. She hurriedly helped Shen Yuchao aboard.

Liu Songqing’s sword had nearly struck a vital point. As soon as he boarded, his body began to sag.

Qiu Shuiyi stumbled, nearly falling with him. “Shen Yuchao?!”

Shang Ze was about to move to help when Qiu Lianying, ahead of them, suddenly cried out, “A’mu! Are you all right?”

He quickly supported the closer Mu Yuanxi.

With this movement, Zuo Yi, bringing up the rear, immediately stepped forward, bracing Shen Yuchao and commanding in a low voice, “Set sail.”

“Yes.”

A shadow guard acknowledged the order and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Hearing the commotion, Xin Liu and Xin Tao rushed out, calling out in delight, “Miss!”

When they saw Qiu Lianying, their eyes widened even further. “Eldest Miss!”

Qiu Shuiyi had no time for anything else. She waved for the two to come and help.

Medicine was prepared on the boat. By the time Shen Yuchao and Mu Yuanxi had their wounds dressed, the boat was already far from the island.

Seeing Shen Yuchao’s breathing gradually stabilize, Qiu Shuiyi let out a sigh of relief. When she turned around, she noticed the crimson wounds peeking through the torn clothes of Zuo Yi and Shang Ze and quickly said, “I’ll stay with him here. You two should go and tend to your wounds.”

The two exchanged a glance, hesitating slightly.

Xin Tao glanced at Zuo Yi and said pointedly, “Hurry up and go.”

As she passed them, she whispered, “Don’t get in the way of the young lady and His Highness.”

Hearing this, Zuo Yi and Shang Ze had no choice but to follow her out.

Xin Tao closed the door halfway, leaving just enough of a gap to see inside.

Qiu Shuiyi sat at the bedside, gazing down at Shen Yuchao’s pale face.

After a long while, she reached out and gently touched his cheek with her fingertip.

The man lay with his eyes closed, silent and still, letting her do as she pleased.

After watching him for a while, exhaustion washed over her in waves from deep within.

She hadn’t rested well these past few nights, cutting bamboo on the mountain.

She yawned, then lowered herself and fell asleep with her head resting on the edge of the bed.

When she opened her eyes, the sky had already darkened.

The lamp on the table cast a dim, yellowish light—bright enough to see by but not so bright as to disturb her rest. It was just right, likely lit by Xin Tao or the others.

Qiu Shuiyi glanced at Shen Yuchao.

He was sleeping peacefully. If not for the slight rise and fall of his chest, one might have thought he had stopped breathing.

Her stomach let out a low growl. Qiu Shuiyi pressed a hand to her belly, suddenly feeling uncomfortably hungry.

She stood up and walked outside.

The night breeze drifted in through the half-open door, carrying an indefinable scent.

Qiu Shuiyi froze abruptly.

She raised her arm and sniffed it, then immediately turned her head away in disgust.

At a time like this, she was almost grateful Shen Yuchao hadn’t woken up.

Striding out and closing the door behind her, Qiu Shuiyi called, “Xin Tao.”

“Miss, I’m here.”

Xin Tao responded and came running over.

“Prepare some water. I need to bathe.”

Qiu Shuiyi took a deep breath.

As she inhaled, she seemed to catch the unpleasant odor on her body again and immediately held her breath.

“It’s already prepared, Miss. Please come with me,” Xin Tao said with a smile.

Following Xin Tao back to her room, Qiu Shuiyi quickly shed her clothes and slipped into the bathtub.

The warm water enveloped her entire body, making her sigh in contentment.

She scrubbed herself from head to toe three times, making sure no trace of the odor remained, before drying off and changing into fresh clothes.

The weather was gradually warming. Even at night, a lingering heat hung in the air.

After changing into the light gown Xin Tao had prepared, Qiu Shuiyi had just pushed the door open when she saw Qiu Lianying standing at her doorway, holding Mu Sichuan’s hand.

The young woman’s face glowed like a pearl under the night lanterns. She had clearly bathed as well, carrying a faint scent of water and magnolia blossoms. Smiling, she said to Qiu Shuiyi, “Yi’er, dinner is ready. Let’s go.”

Mu Sichuan lifted his little face, beaming. “Aunt Qiu, hurry up! I’m starving.”

Qiu Lianying tapped his nose helplessly. “You, all you think about is eating.”

Mu Sichuan giggled, swinging her hand. “I’m still young! It’s the time for me to grow, so I not only need to eat but eat a lot.”

Observing his expression with curiosity, Qiu Shuiyi raised an eyebrow slightly.

Since Mu Yuanxi and Qiu Lianying had returned, the child had clearly become much more cheerful, the gloom between his brows completely gone.

That was good.

Qiu Shuiyi smiled and went with them to have dinner.

Mindful that the sisters had suffered these past few days, the kitchen hadn’t prepared overly greasy dishes. Still, at a glance, there was no shortage of chicken, duck, fish, and meat. They had really gone to great lengths to be thoughtful.

Picking up her chopsticks, Qiu Shuiyi asked, “Where’s Brother-in-law?”

No matter when she heard this address, Qiu Lianying couldn’t help but blush, her eyes filled with shyness.

Mu Sichuan piped up, "Little Uncle is in his room." He pouted, complaining, "He's so helpless. Not only does he need Auntie to feed him medicine, but he even has to wait for Auntie to finish eating before she brings him his meal."

Qiu Lianying's face flushed even redder. She shot Mu Sichuan a reproving glance, "Xiao Chuan!"

Mu Sichuan chuckled, using his chubby little hand to eagerly pick up a piece of meat for Qiu Lianying, "Auntie, eat quickly. This meat is really delicious."

Qiu Lianying didn't know what to do with him. She glared at him and focused on her food.

Watching their interaction, Qiu Shuiyi smiled lightly and shook her head, eating the shredded chicken slowly.

After they finished eating, Qiu Lianying picked up the food box and led Mu Sichuan back.

Having gone hungry for days, Qiu Shuiyi felt a bit stuffed. She went outside to walk it off and enjoy the breeze.

On her way back, she caught a glimpse of Shen Yuchao's room with only a single lamp burning. Frowning, she called over Shang Ze, who was guarding the door, "He still hasn't woken up?"

Shang Ze shook his head, "Not yet. Second Miss, there's no need to worry. His Highness has survived more severe injuries before. He'll be fine."

Even though his constitution was special, didn't he take Baili He's medicine?

Also, now that his wish is fulfilled, what if he...

Unwilling to think further, Qiu Shuiyi glanced worriedly into the room and instructed, "If he wakes up, notify me immediately."

Shang Ze replied, "Understood."

Full of concern, she left and returned to her own room. Lying in bed, she expected she wouldn't be able to sleep, but perhaps due to the exhaustion of the past two days, she soon drifted off.

Unexpectedly, Shen Yuchao still hadn't woken up by dusk the next day.

Now even Zuo Yi and Shang Ze couldn't sit still. One ordered full speed ahead to the nearest city to find a doctor.

The other examined Shen Yuchao's entire body multiple times, confirming there were no fatal wounds.

But for some reason, he just wouldn't wake up.

Qiu Lianying brought Mu Yuanxi to see him several times. He lay in bed, eyes tightly shut, his expression peaceful.

Because of this, the atmosphere on the ship inevitably became gloomy.

When night fell, Qiu Shuiyi shooed everyone out of Shen Yuchao's room. She sat by the bedside, gazing at his sleeping face for a long time.

In the evening breeze, she whispered, "Are you still unwilling to wake up?"

She lowered her gaze to his hand.

His fingers were long and slender, knuckles distinct, his palm broad and thick, covered with thin calluses.

Holding his hand against her cheek, Qiu Shuiyi nuzzled it and whispered, "I'll wait for you."

"But..." she said with a smile, "don't make me wait too long."

She stayed by Shen Yuchao's bedside. Even when she fell asleep, she still tightly held his hand.

She didn't see that beneath Shen Yuchao's closed eyelids, his eyeballs moved slightly.

...

Qiu Shuiyi slept very restlessly.

Her dreams were bizarre and fantastical, filled with gods and ghosts, all sorts of things. As a result, when she woke up, her mind was foggy, struggling to distinguish reality from illusion.

Her lethargy vanished the moment her eyes fell upon the empty bed.

Where is he?

Qiu Shuiyi stood up abruptly.

A robe slid off her body and fell at her feet.

Recognizing it instantly as Shen Yuchao's clothing, Qiu Shuiyi pressed her lips together tightly and left the room without a word.

"Shen..."

Just as she was about to call out, in the light of the night lamps on the ship, she saw a faint silhouette sitting on the deck.

The night was deep, his figure hidden in the darkness. If not for the wind lifting the long hair behind his shoulders, he would have seemed like a sculpture weathered by wind and rain, full of hardship.

He radiated profound loneliness.

After watching him quietly for a moment, Qiu Shuiyi walked over and sat down beside him, asking softly, "Why didn't you call me when you woke up?"

This question seemed to breathe life into Shen Yuchao. He turned his head very slowly, looked at Qiu Shuiyi, and said gently, "I saw you were resting."

Qiu Shuiyi pouted, complaining, "If you saw I was resting, couldn't you have put me on the bed?"

She extended a fair, delicate hand, saying in a coquettish tone, "Look, you made my hand sore from being pressed."

Shen Yuchao was slightly taken aback, then enveloped her hand in his palm, his voice carrying a hint of a smile, "I'll remember next time."

Qiu Shuiyi hmphed lightly, "That's more like it."

The two sat side by side, enjoying the evening breeze together.

Gazing at the boundless darkness before them, Qiu Shuiyi spoke softly, "Why were you unwilling to wake up?"

Shen Yuchao remained silent.

She didn't press him, just tightened her grip on his hand, offering silent companionship.

After a long while, Shen Yuchao looked up at the night sky.

Cloudless for miles, dotted with stars.

He said quietly, "I had a dream."

"I dreamed my father was alive, and my mother... my mother was still my mother."

"I was practicing martial arts in the courtyard. My mother was under the tree, making clothes for me and my father. My father stood beside her, carefully peeling lychees and feeding them to her."

"My mother glared at him, her face flushed as she ate the lychee."

Shen Yuchao's voice gradually grew distant, "That dream was too real, so real that I became immersed in it, unwilling to wake up."

The grip on her hand suddenly tightened. He said, "But when I heard you calling me, I finally woke up."

"Yet after waking, I suddenly felt an emptiness in my heart. For over a decade, what kept me going was the desire to personally send her to confess to my father. But after killing her..."

Taking her hand and placing it on his chest, Shen Yuchao turned to look at her and asked softly, "After killing her, what should I do?"

Gazing into those beautiful peach blossom eyes filled with confusion, Qiu Shuiyi felt a sudden pang in her heart. It was as if her entire heart had been soaked in sour water, twisting with a bitter ache.

Placing her hand on Shen Yuchao's shoulder, she let him lean against her. Then, gently stroking his soft hair, she whispered, "You don't need to do anything. You've been tired for so long; you should rest well."

"After resting, you can do whatever you like. We can go fishing, admire the flowers outside the city, ride horses, go hunting, or climb to high places and gaze into the distance. We can visit beautiful mountains and rivers, watch the long river and the setting sun. Wherever you want to go, I'll accompany you."

Shen Yuchao was utterly captivated.

He looked up at her, feeling something take root and sprout in his empty heart.

Qiu Shuiyi's face remained as delicate and graceful as a lotus flower in the night.

Her delicate hand gently caressed his temple as she said with a smile, gazing into the night, "But before that, we must first go home."

Let's go back. I'll give you a home.