Chapter 53: At Farewell, the Truth Emerges

Chapter 53: At Parting, the Truth Reveals

Early the next morning, Ning Xishi woke up and, recalling what had happened the night before and what he had said to this person who claimed to be his husband, felt rather embarrassed.

Xie Jingxing rarely stayed in bed for an entire night, and when he woke, he seemed somewhat drowsy, with a trace of lazy ease drifting through his brows and eyes.

Ning Xishi thought he looked even more handsome like this than he had the night before.

But he still had something to say: "Um... General Xie, even though we might be married, I don't remember anything right now. I think we were a bit too intimate yesterday."

Xie Jingxing looked at him as he spoke, and after a long moment, replied, "It seems like you're recovering well."

"Huh?"

"You can put together a sentence that long now."

With that, he got up to pour water, then brought over a basin, wrung out a cloth, and moved to wipe Ning Xishi's face.

It wasn't until the warm cloth touched his forehead that Ning Xishi snapped out of it and said, "I can do these things myself."

He wasn't that helpless yet.

Xie Jingxing said, "I've already been doing it for over a month. You're probably not used to doing it yourself yet."

Ning Xishi moved his arm and did feel somewhat weak. Even though he had slept for such a long time and had his qi and blood replenished, the weakness in his muscles couldn't be restored overnight.

"In a couple of days, you'll go home, and I won't be able to take care of you anymore," Xie Jingxing added.

Only then did Ning Xishi lower his hands and allow Xie Jingxing to wipe his face, his hands, and then help him change clothes.

He still found it very uncomfortable, but whenever he opened his mouth, he had to meet Xie Jingxing's affectionate gaze, and Ning Xishi felt that words of refusal simply wouldn't come out.

Interestingly, he hadn't had that dream again. The person running away, and the scroll he had been holding—what exactly it was—still nagged at him. He felt like all of this might somehow be connected to that dream.

With these thoughts on his mind, Ning Xishi was distracted even during breakfast with the others. Ning Lanzhi watched him, then glanced at Xie Jingxing, but ultimately said nothing and continued eating.

Since Ning Xishi's arms and legs were still weak and sore, he returned to the bed after the meal to lie down.

It was only the end of the second month, and freezing cold. Ning Xishi hated the cold and didn't want to go out, so he simply stayed cooped up in the main tent.

Ning Lanzhi often came by to keep him company. When Ning Xishi heard him mention it was the end of the second month, he suddenly blurted out, "I was originally planning to take the county exam at the end of the second month."

He startled himself with his own words and looked at the two shocked people before him, asking, "What's the county exam?"

Ning Lanzhi felt a wave of tenderness, and said, "No rush. Focus on getting better first. The county exam is the first step in the imperial examinations. They hold it every year—you can take it next year."

But Xie Jingxing was speechless.

If it weren't for him, A Xi wouldn't have gotten hurt so badly. Ning Lanzhi turned back and saw that Xie Jingxing, who was usually calm or even eerily still, had his fingers twitching at his sides.

Ning Lanzhi sighed and turned back to continue speaking with Ning Xishi when he heard Ning Xishi say, "Brother, I'd like to speak with General Xie alone."

Ning Lanzhi nodded, rose, and left the main tent, leaving them alone.

He had originally been against this marriage, but who would've thought the emperor's random matchmaking would actually bring two lovers together.

Fate in this world really worked in mysterious ways.

Ning Xishi's attention was clearly also on Xie Jingxing's fingers. Another scene seemed to flash before his eyes—those hands gently resting on his legs.

It felt like that scene had played out many times in his life, so much so that even with amnesia, it still flashed in his mind.

"General, your legs are better?" Ning Xishi asked.

Xie Jingxing froze: "You... you remember everything now?"

Ning Xishi shook his head, his gaze still as clear as ever: "I can only remember bits and pieces. In my memories, you were always sitting."

He continued, "I think, I've even forgotten who I am, yet I can remember you because of the movement of your fingers. That means you must mean a lot to me. So, please don't look at me with such... sad eyes."

Xie Jingxing's heart almost melted at those words. If Ning Xishi had asked him right then to hand over the empire he'd just conquered, Xie Jingxing would've knelt on one knee and offered it to him.

Ning Xishi felt a little embarrassed saying stuff like that, but Xie Jingxing gave him the impression of someone who lacked a sense of security.

So he had to keep going: "Since I woke up, I can only get limited information. This is the border, and my brother is taking me back... I don't know what's going on at court, but we... will see each other again, right, General?"

Xie Jingxing walked over to Ning Xishi, his expression turning serious in an instant: "I swear, we will meet again."

"Then I'm at ease," Ning Xishi said. "I don't know when we got married, but when you come back, can we have a new wedding ceremony? I want to wear the red groom's robes."

Xie Jingxing nodded: "Mm."

That was such a cold response, Ning Xishi thought, racking his brain for comforting words.

But judging by Xie Jingxing's expression, he seemed to have been listening.

He said, "So, you'll come back, and we'll wear red wedding robes and tie the knot."

"I will," Xie Jingxing promised seriously.

·

That night, they lit an extra brazier in the main tent, but the border at the end of the second month was still cold enough to freeze your teeth off.

Xie Jingxing didn't dare let Ning Xishi crawl out from under the blankets to bathe. He washed up and came back as usual.

Coming back to bed with the fresh, clean scent of water on him, Ning Xishi felt an odd sense of intimacy between them. He was still just a young scholar, and even after what happened last night, he shyly turned his head away.

But Xie Jingxing took the initiative. He first tested the waters with his leg, then leaned close to Ning Xishi and whispered, "Are you feeling uncomfortable?"

Ning Xishi's face flushed, and even his ears turned so red they could drip blood.

What was there to be uncomfortable about? He-he-he had woken up with such reactions every morning before, and he'd always just dealt with it himself.

Ning Xishi didn't answer, and Xie Jingxing wasn't actually that bold either.

But he loved Ning Xishi so much. Knowing they might not see each other for a year, or even a few years, he wanted to hold Ning Xishi tightly, to melt him into his own bones. The two of them, never to be apart.

Ning Xishi sensed the other's silence and thought the awkward topic could be dropped.

But unexpectedly, Xie Jingxing swung his long leg over and wrapped it right around Ning Xishi's waist.

Ning Xishi was completely shocked. He almost wanted to frantically tighten his belt—was General Xie planning to force himself on him?

He-he-he wasn't mentally prepared for that yet.

However, Xie Jingxing's next move left Ning Xishi speechless.

He extended his beautiful fingers and licked them one by one with the tip of his tongue.

Amid Ning Xishi's puzzled and shocked gaze, his hand slowly moved behind himself.

Xie Jingxing's hands were the thing Ning Xishi remembered most deeply. Even with amnesia, he could recall how those fingers had once commanded with force just from their tense posture—which just goes to show how beautiful they were.

Now he sat on the quilt covering Ning Xishi, using those hands to do what he was doing.

Xie Jingxing was very handsome. The tent was quite warm at the moment, and he had broken out in a fine sweat from the heat, beads of sweat clinging to the V-line of his waist, strikingly beautiful.

Ning Xishi heard his voice: "I'm not feeling well, A Xi."

Hoarse, and somewhat ethereal, like some enchanting, soul-stealing spirit.

Ning Xishi almost without thinking raised his hand and pressed it against his waist. Warm to the touch, yet taut.

Clearly, the guy was trained in martial arts.

Ning Xishi had no memory of when the quilt had been draped over them. He only remembered that he had a really hard time moving forward, and Xie Jingxing was stuck, unable to go up or down, his long legs tensed up almost to the point of cramping.

In the end, Xie Jingxing figured this wasn't working, and gritting his teeth, he sank down in one go.

It was incredibly deep, and they both let out a breath they didn't know they were holding.

Sweat beaded on Xie Jingxing's forehead. He lay on Ning Xishi's chest, listening to his heart pounding so fiercely, and the corners of his lips finally curled into a smile: "I've wanted to do this for a long time, but I was scared of being too bold with you, afraid you wouldn't want it, wouldn't like it, and even more afraid you'd think I was being cheap..."

It hurt at first, but then Ning Xishi was wrapped in comfort, yet hearing this still made him blush.

"No, I... I like it."

Who wouldn't want a hot guy with six-pack abs and a V-line!

His voice was too soft, and Xie Jingxing, focused on his movements, didn't catch it: "Hm?"

Ning Xishi, being a straightforward guy, steeled himself and said, "I like it."

After a long moment, Ning Xishi heard Xie Jingxing chuckle softly, and then that night he was busy until the middle of the night, and the next day, he could barely walk.

Finally, the day of departure arrived. Ning Lanzhi, no matter how moved he'd been by their love before, now felt like splitting them up after these past few days.

Did any couple spend every waking moment stuck to each other like this?

Was that proper?

Besides, this wasn't in their courtyard—this was the commander's tent!

Although there were no outsiders nearby, just their own people, and at night one could only hear the howling wind, they clearly weren't just chatting. Not to mention that Ning Xishi could still walk on his own the first time, but the next two days, he couldn't even walk.

If nothing had happened, no one would believe it.

Xie Jingxing helped Ning Xishi into the carriage. Ning Lanzhi, with a dark expression, called Xie Jingxing aside and said, "My brother just woke up, and this is how you treat him? Can his body even take it? Besides, with those things still inside him, what if he gets sick again? He's not fully recovered yet!"

Xie Jingxing said, "That's on me."

Ning Lanzhi let out a cold snort: "Of course it's your fault. The trip back is long and bumpy—what if he gets a fever or something... And you call that love?"

Xie Jingxing said flatly, "His stuff is inside me."

Ning Lanzhi: "...What?"

Xie Jingxing didn't elaborate. He couldn't stand to waste a single moment away from Ning Xishi, and his deep, loving eyes stared at him intently, as if trying to etch his image into his heart.

"I don't know if I'll be able to celebrate your birthday with you this year," Xie Jingxing began.

Ning Xishi cut in: "That doesn't matter. Just remember, I'll be waiting for you. My parents gave me my name. But I don't have a courtesy name yet, General, so you'd better hurry."

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

Goodnight