Chapter 52: By the Riverbank, Praying to the Gods

Chapter 52: By the Riverbank, Praying to the Gods

Ning Lanzhi had had a bit too much to drink, and with his younger brother still unconscious, he really couldn't bring himself to sleep.

Gazing at the distant river, he decided to take a walk.

Xiao Shaoqing was polite enough to him, saying, "That area over there is already ours—no need to worry about a night attack."

Ning Lanzhi was never one to be easily scared. Feeling restless and stifled, he waved a hand at Xiao Shaoqing and walked off away from the main military tent.

As he drew closer, Ning Lanzhi discovered that there were actually some small, shabby houses here.

Outside the houses were small yards that looked like they were for keeping livestock.

He was about to keep going, but was stopped by an old woman who had heard the noise outside her door.

Ning Lanzhi was confused and asked what was going on.

The old woman pointed to a figure by the riverbank.

The moon was full and bright, but the grassland was simply too vast—the moonlight couldn't light up every corner. Ning Lanzhi looked closely for a long while before he realized it was someone kneeling by the river.

The old woman's language was a bit hard for him to understand, so she communicated through gestures.

Ning Lanzhi understood: "You mean, praying to the moon god on the night of the full moon can make your wish come true?"

The old woman nodded.

Ning Lanzhi didn't believe in it himself, but he respected her faith. He'd figured the person was a local, but once the alcohol had mostly worn off, the figure finished praying and turned back. Only then did Ning Lanzhi realize—the one praying was actually Xie Jingxing.

He was instantly sober.

But Xie Jingxing didn't look at him. He looked right past him, as if the whole world held only himself.

Ning Lanzhi then remembered what Xiao Shaoqing had said earlier—"Every day, Xie Jingxing only goes out for a short while. Sometimes it's to discuss military matters, sometimes he personally boils water and makes his medicine, and other times he listens to the locals talk about weird ways to summon spirits. In short, to wake Xiao Xi, he's tried everything he could think of."

This time, it seemed Xie Jingxing was praying to the heavens.

Ning Lanzhi continued walking toward the riverbank and noticed that the wet marks on the stone hadn't yet dried completely.

He could just barely make out the characters—fifteen large ones:

"I'm willing to give my life in exchange for Ning Xishi's lifelong health."

Ning Lanzhi's throat tightened, choked up with a feeling he couldn't name.

·

Ning Xishi woke three days after his older brother's arrival. He felt as though he had slept for a very long time, having had a really long dream.

He couldn't quite remember what had happened in the dream, only vaguely recalling a person—someone sitting with their back to him, holding a brush, writing something nonstop.

He had wanted to go take a look, but the person quickly noticed someone behind them. Upon seeing him, they were clearly startled.

Ning Xishi found it even stranger. He was just an ordinary student who had recently finished his college entrance exams—not some kind of monster. Why would someone be that scared of him?

So he took another step forward. The person hurriedly tried to hide what they were writing on the table, but accidentally knocked over the candle on the stand.

Ning Xishi finally figured out what felt so weird.

Why was this person wearing old-fashioned clothes? It felt like they were filming a costume drama.

And they were seriously writing with a brush—something pretty rare these days.

There was also no desk lamp or overhead light, just a bronze candlestick, giving the place an old, ancient feel.

At any rate, a fire had started, and since the surrounding furniture was all made of wood, Ning Xishi decided to do the nice thing and help put it out.

When the person saw Ning Xishi approaching, they didn't even care about the burning books and simply bolted, sprinting away.

Ning Xishi: "?"

Just as he grabbed the book, he woke up.

...Ah, so it was a dream.

·

Young Master Ning was awake, but he didn't recognize anyone, and even said the place was too run-down—he wanted to go home.

Ning Lanzhi was overjoyed, of course, and with endless patience, explained who he was, who Ning Xishi was to him, how many people were in the family, and so on.

Only Xie Jingxing stood at the foot of the bed, watching Ning Xishi's features come alive once more, his heart aching with bitterness.

Ning Xishi listened in a daze, and his head still ached terribly, so he claimed he was tired: "I need to sleep."

Ning Lanzhi tucked him in. Though his younger brother had lost his memory, his personality was exactly the same. His heart was truly delighted, so he planned to take his leave of Xie Jingxing: "Since Xishi is awake now, and this place is too rough for him to recover properly, I intend to take him back to the capital for proper treatment. Getting his memory back shouldn't take long."

Xie Jingxing had just been trembling with joy over Ning Xishi's awakening when Ning Xishi's unfamiliar, wary gaze threw cold water on him.

Now all his emotions were lodged in his throat, and upon hearing those words, his eyes went red.

Ning Lanzhi seemed to know what he was thinking, and said, "The situation doesn't allow for anything else, General."

With a smart person, you never need to explain much. That one sentence was enough for Xie Jingxing to figure things out on his own.

—The political climate. The emperor had already become clearly wary of him, even guarded. Summoning Ning Xishi back and returning him to the Minister of Rites' household was nothing more than an attempt to continue winning over the honest officials.

If Xie Jingxing were to hold the young man against his will, it would be the same as branding the Minister's entire family as traitors—basically sending the whole family to their deaths.

If Xie Jingxing was truly crazy, he could indeed do such a thing.

But once Ning Xishi came to his senses, he would never forgive him.

Xie Jingxing closed his eyes, and just said, "You depart in three days."

After a pause, he continued, "For these three days, only I get to be with him."

Ning Lanzhi wanted to argue further, but seeing the look of total determination on Xie Jingxing's face, he had no choice but to give in: "Fine."

And so, only Ning Xishi and Xie Jingxing remained in the main tent.

Ning Xishi was actually pretending to sleep. His headache was real, but he couldn't fall asleep, and that dream from earlier was really creepy—he was a bit afraid of falling asleep and having it again.

Hearing footsteps leaving, Ning Xishi assumed everyone had gone. He pulled the blanket down from over his head, revealing his bright, sparkling eyes.

Unfortunately, they met Xie Jingxing's gaze directly.

Ning Xishi awkwardly said, "..."

Xie Jingxing stood in place, trying to speak in the gentlest voice he could muster: "I am your husband."

Ning Xishi was taken aback, then heard Xie Jingxing continue, "So, there's no need to feel embarrassed. We can be completely open with each other about everything."

If he had internet right now, Ning Xishi would definitely post on a forum—

"Help! I woke up and this really hot guy says he's my husband. What do I do? For the record, I'm straight."

"Also, I don't even know if I'm straight—never dated anyone. But this guy is kinda hot!"

Unfortunately, it was just him on the bed and the hot guy standing at the foot of it.

Ning Xishi had first thought this was some elaborate reality show prank, but when the man claiming to be his brother had spoken to him earlier, he'd tried tugging at his own hair—it was long, reaching his waist, all real.

What period drama reality show could pull that off? That's just scientifically impossible.

So, if he really had time-traveled, what was that dream about? And what was in that book?

And who was that person who had fled in terror the moment he saw him?

Ning Xishi had a gut feeling the dream was connected to all this, but since he'd just arrived, he figured he should get familiar with the people around him and understand his situation first.

So he cleared his throat. His voice was hoarse from not having spoken in so long, and Xie Jingxing leaned closer, crouching by the bedside in a completely submissive, head-bowed posture.

Ning Xishi thought the hot guy looked especially good from this angle, but figured crouching like that must be tiring, so he scooted over and asked, "Since we're married... why don't you come up here and lie down?"

Xie Jingxing's eyes widened, but before he could even look shocked, he quickly recovered and said, "I haven't bathed yet."

Ning Xishi's face flushed red: "I—I didn't mean it that way."

Xie Jingxing said, "Of course I know. You just woke up, and I wouldn't want to exhaust you. I meant I should bathe and change before getting into bed."

What the hell did "wouldn't want to exhaust you" even mean?!

Ning Xishi thought to himself, he was just a fresh high school graduate about to start college!

Was this really how intense things got right after transmigrating?

The main army tent was really bare-bones—not even a screen. So Ning Xishi watched Xie Jingxing strip right in front of him and step those long legs into the bath.

Usually, Xie Jingxing would find a household and rinse off in their courtyard, so why he chose to do this now—only General Xie himself knew.

Ning Xishi thought he was being subtle, but Xie Jingxing could feel every look.

He'd never stooped to such tactics before, but that didn't mean he didn't know them.

And right now, this method seemed to be working pretty well.

When he came back to the bed and lay down next to Ning Xishi, Xie Jingxing could feel Ning Xishi's body responding.

He turned on his side, looking at Ning Xishi with deep, affectionate eyes, and said, "The physician said this morning that you're fine for now. After all those supplements you took last month, having a reaction is totally normal."

Saying it that way saved Ning Xishi from embarrassment.

Ning Xishi wanted to control it, but he just couldn't. He stammered, "Oh, oh—too many supplements."

Xie Jingxing hummed in acknowledgment, then asked, "So... want me to help you with that?"

Ning Xishi froze and was about to shake his head when Xie Jingxing said, "We're already married. Taking care of you is my duty."

Ning Xishi instantly felt like he hadn't just traveled to ancient times, but to some primitive society with strict class divisions.

But his morals told him this wasn't right, and he tried to shake his head again—but Xie Jingxing had already knelt up and lowered his head.

During the month Ning Xishi had been unconscious, Young Master Ning's clothes had always been changed personally by General Xie, who knew every tie and hidden clasp by heart. Before Ning Xishi could even react, he was enveloped by something warm and soft.

A young college student, barely out of his teens and over-nourished by supplements, had never experienced anything like this. He didn't know where to put his hands, finally settling them gently on the back of Xie Jingxing's head.

The gesture seemed to encourage him, and Xie Jingxing doubled his efforts.

Only when Xie Jingxing finally sat up, wiping a faint trace from the corner of his lips with his fingertip, did the two of them actually start talking.

By now, Ning Xishi had completely forgotten everything he'd wanted to say. He asked in shock, "You... don't... spit it out?"

Xie Jingxing's cheeks were slightly red as he said, "There are no cups here."

Ning Xishi didn't know how to respond and just nodded along. He whispered, "I suppose... well then, do you need me to help... help you?"

Xie Jingxing paused, then smiled softly: "No. I couldn't bear to."

==========Author's Note:==========

Good night.