Chapter 421 Reunited

Chapter 421: Reunion

Cheng Ge was dead to the world, letting out a few vague murmurs before sinking completely into a deep, sweet dream.

He had no idea that his drowsy roll had kicked up such a storm behind him.

Lin Nanshu stood frozen in place, like a statue turned to stone.

His chest, the outside of his thigh—everywhere Cheng Ge had rolled over—the distinct yet fleeting sensation didn't fade even after Cheng Ge moved away.

Instead, in the silence and darkness, it was magnified endlessly, replayed over and over, turning into silent, scorching ripples that crashed against his usually placid heart.

Blood roared in his ears, his heartbeat lost its steady rhythm, and his fingertips went numb from clenching too hard.

All his thoughts—the cold, sharp-edged restraint from his verbal sparring with Yun Xunyu moments ago, even Yun Xunyu's last loaded, probing remark—were all wiped clean by this sudden, almost rough physical contact.

He could only stay frozen in the position he'd been rolled into, motionless, even holding his breath without realizing it, as if any slight movement might disturb the secret heat that still hadn't settled within him.

After who knows how long—maybe a few breaths, maybe longer—he finally turned his head, achingly slow.

His gaze landed on the figure curled up on the outer edge of the bed beside him, breathing slow and even.

Cheng Ge had his back to him, only showing a sliver of his profile and black hair scattered across the pillow, sleeping with no guard up.

Lin Nanshu's throat was bone dry, his eyes dark as undiluted ink in the gloom.

On the inner side, Yun Xunyu caught Lin Nanshu's brief, almost dazed stiffness, and the corner of his mouth curled just barely in the shadows—a curve that held a hint of knowing, a hint of cold scorn.

He didn't give Lin Nanshu or Cheng Ge another look, rolling over fully to face the cold wall.

………

The north wind cut like a knife, flinging fine snowflakes into faces with a sting.

This was the market outside Gray Goose Fort, a border town in the northern wilds—a far cry from Nanling's bustling warmth.

Rough stone pavement was slick with half-melted, grimy snow, and the air stank of livestock, charcoal, and cheap booze all mixed together.

Passersby, mostly bundled in thick fur coats with faces weathered by wind and frost, hurried past.

Lü Rou wore a worn sheepskin vest, her cheeks red from the cold, nose tip just as flushed.

She trudged through the creaking snow, stopping at shops with thick cotton curtains hanging over the doors, unfolding the frayed, dog-eared portrait in her hand.

The handsome young man in the painting looked totally out of place in this harsh, bitter border town.

"Shopkeeper, could I ask you about someone—have you seen this person in the painting?"

Her voice was hoarse from the long journey, carrying a hope that was almost gone.

Most of the time, shopkeepers splitting wood or wiping down rough clay bowls would just glance up and wave her off impatiently: "Haven't seen 'em! Too many strangers pass through this town—who remembers anyone!"

Some, seeing a young woman alone, eyed her with curiosity and bad intentions.

After another rejection, Lü Rou's grip on the portrait tightened, knuckles going white.

She ducked into a windbreak corner, watching the north wind howl past with snow, her gaze empty.

She'd followed the trail all the way to this farther northern town, hope as faint as snow in the wind.

Exhaustion and cold seeped into her bones. She slowly crouched, burying her face in her knees.

Just then, something slammed into her from the side!

Caught off guard, Lü Rou yelped as she was knocked sideways. The portrait flew from her hand, snatched by the wind, and landed face-down in the half-frozen mud by a hitching post.

The ground was frozen slick and hard, and she was about to eat dirt—

A strong arm shot out, clamping around her shoulder like a vice, steadying her.

At the same time, a low, muffled voice—like the guy had something stuffed in his mouth—came from above her:

"Watch it! You okay?"

That voice...

Lü Rou's blood seemed to freeze solid, then rush to her head in a blazing flood the next second!

She stood frozen, not daring to turn, heart slamming in her chest, ears ringing.

No... impossible... was she imagining it? But that voice had a painfully familiar shape...

She turned her head, inch by inch, painfully slow.

The first thing she saw was a rough cotton sleeve, faded dark blue, washed almost white.

Then, half a profile—red from the north wind, shiny with grease, stubbled with a scruffy beard.

The man tilted his head, frowning, as if trying to chew and swallow a big hunk of jerky.

His cheeks bulged as he chewed.

Sunlight filtered through the clouds, casting a small shadow under his lowered lashes.

But those eyes, that face...

Lü Rou's pupils snapped wide, then constricted—her breath stopped dead.

As if feeling her stare, the man swallowed and muttered, "You really gotta watch where you're going—"

His voice died mid-sentence.

Their eyes met.

Time froze in that biting wind.

Cheng Ge still had the salty, gamey taste of jerky in his mouth, brow furrowed without thinking, a rough edge still in his eyes.

And in Lü Rou's eyes, like a current under ice, something surged, boiled, and finally burst through every dam!

"You—" Her lips trembled hard, the first syllable breaking off, barely a whisper.

Tears fell without warning, like beads off a snapped string, freezing into icy tracks on her cheeks.

"—ng?"

Cheng Ge's whole body jolted!

On that face—deliberately darkened with soot, sporting a short fake beard, and screaming "stay away"—appeared, for the first time, a crack of stunned disbelief and utter shock.

"Lv... Lvrou Jie [Sister Lvrou | Character Role -> Sister Lvrou]?" His voice was hoarse, carrying the strange shock of a title long unspoken.

"Gongzi——!!!" A shrill, almost unrecognizable cry exploded from her!

Lü Rou [Lü Rou | Character Role -> Lü Rou] could no longer hold herself up—as if all her bones had been pulled out, as if she'd used her last shred of strength to confirm this wasn't a dream. She whirled around and seized Cheng Ge's [Cheng Ge | Character Role -> Cheng Ge] arm!

She gripped with such force her fingers seemed to embed into his flesh.

In the northern border's cold wind, a near-wailing cry of grief burst forth, carrying all the terror of escaping death, the desperation of searching, and the panic of days and nights.

"Gongzi! Gongzi! It's really you! It's really you! I found you! I found you——!!!"

Several border folk were startled by the sudden crying.

A few traveling merchants leading horses stopped in their tracks. A man holding a leather bag poked his head out of the tavern. Several women wrapped so tightly only their eyes were visible whispered among themselves.

Low murmurs and pointed gossip rose up, carrying the borderland's characteristic bluntness and coarseness:

"Hey, that man! Made a young lady cry, did he?"

"Looks unfamiliar—not from around here, is he? Crying so pitifully..."

"Tsk, probably owes a romantic debt, and she's come a thousand li to find him!"

Cheng Ge [Cheng Ge | Character Role -> Cheng Ge] was indeed completely stunned. The remaining half of the dried meat in his hand fell with a "plop" to the ground, and he didn't even notice.

Lü Rou's [Lü Rou | Character Role -> Lü Rou] soul-tearing sobs cut into his eardrums like a dull knife.

What made his scalp tingle even more were the unabashed stares and increasingly outrageous speculations around them.

Lü Rou's [Lü Rou | Character Role -> Lü Rou] clutching and wailing was like splashing a ladle of ice water into a pot of boiling oil.

He stood stiffly in place, his face—though darkened with makeup, still unable to hide its handsome features—completely blank.

Lü Rou's [Lü Rou | Character Role -> Lü Rou] voice was hoarse, those shrill cries of "Gongzi," mingled with the north wind's sobbing, thundered in his ears.

Cheng Ge [Cheng Ge | Character Role -> Cheng Ge], washed over by this scalding, genuine flood of tears, was strangely settled by it, revealing beneath it all a trace of the most primal, bittersweet warmth.

She had actually found him. In the vast northern wastes, using the most foolish method, she had found him.

He let out a barely audible sigh, as light as a snowflake landing.

He raised one hand and placed it on her hair at the back of her head—messy, withered and yellow, dusted with snow and dirt—and gently, stroke by stroke, smoothed it down.

His voice softened a little, mingled with the north wind. "I... I'm fine."

Lü Rou [Lü Rou | Character Role -> Lü Rou] stared fixedly at Cheng Ge [Cheng Ge | Character Role -> Cheng Ge], frostbitten red marks and grime mixed together, disheveled and pitiful, carrying the terror of one who had almost lost something and was still shaking from the fear.

"Gongzi..." she choked out, frantically beginning to check him over. Her hands, red from the cold and covered in frostbite, trembled as she touched his arms and shoulders, her voice shaking beyond control.

"Are your wounds healed? That day... so much blood... I went back to find you... I couldn't find you... I couldn't find you..."

She was rambling, tears surging forth again. She raised a hand to wipe her tears, but afraid her hands were dirty, could only smear her face with the back of her hand.

"I'm sorry... Gongzi... I'm sorry..." She covered her eyes, tears spilling through her fingers. "It's because Lü Rou [Lü Rou | Character Role -> Lü Rou] was useless... Lü Rou [Lü Rou | Character Role -> Lü Rou] was too slow..."

Cheng Ge [Cheng Ge | Character Role -> Cheng Ge] watched her like this, his chest feeling as if something were gripping it, a dull ache spreading.

"It's all healed, it's fine." Cheng Ge's [Cheng Ge | Character Role -> Cheng Ge] Adam's apple bobbed as he tried to press down her hands, his voice hoarse.

She cried in a suppressed, desperate way, and that self-blame seemed almost to crush her.

The border folk watching the spectacle clicked their tongues even louder.

"Look at that! How badly he's bullied the poor girl!"

"Must have done something terrible, then ran off to hide in this godforsaken place!"

"Poor girl, still calling him 'Gongzi'—her devotion's been given to the wrong man!"

"Maybe her family arranged a betrothal, and this lad broke it off and fled!"

The veins at Cheng Ge's [Cheng Ge | Character Role -> Cheng Ge] temples jumped, and a faint ache ran down his spine.

He felt that if he stayed any longer, he might truly be nailed to the pillar of shame as the "North's First Heartless Betrayer" by all this spit and wild speculation.

He took a deep breath of the biting cold air, suppressing the complex emotions churning in his chest, and decisively reached out. Using the still-clean inner lining of his sleeve, he quickly wiped away the tears and grime from Lü Rou's [Lü Rou | Character Role -> Lü Rou] face.

His voice was low, carrying an unyielding force. "Lvrou Jie [Sister Lvrou | Character Role -> Sister Lvrou], let's leave this place first."

Cheng Ge [Cheng Ge | Character Role -> Cheng Ge] brought Lü Rou [Lü Rou | Character Role -> Lü Rou] to an unremarkable little eatery at the edge of the market.

Pushing aside the heavy cotton curtain, a wave of warmth carrying the scent of hot soup and smoke rushed toward them.

Inside, the light was dim. A few rough wooden tables were scattered about, with a handful of border folk sitting with heads down, eating and drinking.

Cheng Ge [Cheng Ge | Character Role -> Cheng Ge] chose the corner spot farthest in, by the wall, and settled Lü Rou [Lü Rou | Character Role -> Lü Rou] in a seat facing away from the door.

He quickly ordered a pot of mutton soup, several large flatbreads, and a small dish of pickled vegetables.

Lü Rou's [Lü Rou | Character Role -> Lü Rou] gaze remained glued to Cheng Ge's [Cheng Ge | Character Role -> Cheng Ge] face, as if confirming the person before her was real.

It wasn't until the steaming soup and bread arrived that Lü Rou [Lü Rou | Character Role -> Lü Rou] suddenly came back to her senses.

She grabbed a flatbread and, heedless of the heat, ate big mouthful after big mouthful.

With her other hand, she picked up a wooden spoon and ladled scalding broth into her mouth.

She ate ferociously, almost wolfing it down, cheeks stuffed full.

Her cheeks, which in his memory still held some flesh, were now sunken almost beyond recognition, and now showed even more gaunt as she chewed forcefully.

Cheng Ge [Cheng Ge | Character Role -> Cheng Ge] didn't pick up his chopsticks. He just watched her in silence.

He remembered how Lü Rou [Lü Rou | Character Role -> Lü Rou] used to eat in small, small bites, with the manners cultivated in a great household.

Now, this sight—where was even half a trace of her former self?

He lowered his eyes, picked up the teapot on the table, poured half a bowl of warm tea, and gently pushed it to Lü Rou's [Lü Rou | Character Role -> Lü Rou] hand.

Lü Rou [Lü Rou | Character Role -> Lü Rou] paused mid-chew, looked up at him, and mumbled a "Thank you, Gongzi."

Then she grabbed the bowl, gulped down a few mouthfuls, and went back to burying her head in her food.

Cheng Ge [Cheng Ge | Character Role -> Cheng Ge] watched her wolfing-down profile, his fingertip unconsciously tapping once on the rough tabletop.

"Lvrou Jie [Sister Lvrou | Character Role -> Sister Lvrou]," he paused, his gaze resting on the top of her head. "How... is he?"

He didn't say the name, but Lü Rou [Lü Rou | Character Role -> Lü Rou] understood instantly. Her chewing came to a complete stop.

The flatbread in Lü Rou's mouth, not yet fully swallowed, suddenly turned dry and hard to get down.

After several seconds, she lowered her head and said in a barely audible voice, "Not good..."

Those three words, like three chunks of ice, struck Cheng Ge's heart, which clenched suddenly.

His fingertips trembled sharply, his gaze darting anxiously toward the window, his Adam's apple bobbing hard.

Outside lay the bleak, oppressive view of Grey Goose Fort, where distant leaden-gray battlements loomed silently in the wind and snow.

He could almost see, further north, the distant pass city he'd left behind.

"What do you mean... 'not good'?" His voice stayed low, but a barely perceptible tension crept in.

Lü Rou, at a loss for words, only murmured, "You'll know when you return, young master."

These past two days, Cheng Ge had idled away his time among the market crowds, claiming to take in the local customs. But only he knew the truth—he was simply running away.

He had nearly convinced himself: this broken body, dragged back from death's door, was already rotting from within, with little time left.

Rather than go back and let Cui Ji see him at death's door, he might as well let him think he was dead.

The harshness and indifference of Grey Goose Fort made it as good a place as any to be buried.

But Lü Rou's appearance, and her casual "not good," were like a rusty, dull knife, slowly cutting through his flesh.

...

Inside the military tent, lamps burned bright.

Cui Ji had removed his armor, sitting on the simple camp bed in only his underclothes. A deep gash on his left arm, cutting to the bone, gaped hideously, the flesh turned outward, the edges already showing signs of inflammation and festering, slowly seeping dark red blood that stained a large portion of his sleeve.

The military surgeon entered carrying a bowl of bitter-smelling anesthetic brew, bowing as he said, "General, the medicine is ready. Drink it, and after a moment, I will clean the wound."

Cui Ji's gaze withdrew from the northern frontier map hanging on the tent wall, swept over the bowl of dark medicinal liquid, his face expressionless, and he said flatly, "No need."