NCCnovel Chapter 134 What kind of man is he?!
Chapter 134 What kind of man is he?!
The next day, as dawn broke, the dim light shone through the cave entrance onto the two people sleeping in each other's arms.
Lu Zhiheng slowly woke up, feeling a splitting headache, but the next second, he instantly became fully awake.
The current situation is truly... unbearable to look at.
The woman's clothes were disheveled, with most of them draped over him. The two lay embracing, a large expanse of her snow-white skin pressed against his, her charming face almost touching his. Her eyes were slightly dark, her brows were furrowed, and she was sleeping very restlessly.
As if sensing that the heat source beside her had disappeared, she hummed twice and snuggled closer to him like a kitten.
Lu Zhiheng's body stiffened.
The next moment, a strange feeling permeated his entire body, as if he had been struck by lightning. He felt a warm sensation on his cheeks, leaving him feeling completely disoriented.
Absurd, utterly absurd.
Lu Zhiheng raised his hand and pinched his aching brow with his long fingers.
Once the restless heat in his body subsided, he reopened his eyes, carefully pulled his arm out from under the woman's neck, and covered her body with his clothes.
"Lord Lu, you're awake?" Chu Qingyin was startled awake by her action of pulling her hand away, and sat up sleepily.
Lu Zhiheng froze, “…”
Chu Qingyin rubbed her sore neck and calmly gathered her disheveled clothes. "I originally intended to keep watch, but I ended up falling asleep too."
"Um... I last night..."
Lu Zhiheng was unusually flustered, his earlobes burning red, revealing a shy expression typical of young men.
"Lord Lu, please don't take it to heart. You lost too much blood last night and were in a coma with a high fever. You didn't do anything wrong." Chu Qingyin explained frankly, "This was just a temporary measure. You don't need to worry about it."
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhiheng felt a heavy weight in his head.
He had a vague memory of many things that happened last night, only remembering that Chu Qingyin stitched him up, after which he lost consciousness.
Although she said they didn't do anything last night, if word got out that the emperor's concubine and a high-ranking official had spent the night embracing each other in disheveled state, neither of them would survive.
Chu Qingyin seemed to have guessed his thoughts. She lowered her eyes, quietly put on her clothes, and then said in a low voice, "If you don't want us to suffer, please forget about this as soon as possible."
"Consort Qiao, rest assured, I am not an ungrateful person. This matter is known only to Heaven, Earth, you, and me, and no third person will ever know about it."
Lu Zhiheng's face was still pale. He turned his face away and began searching through the cave.
"Thank you, Lord Lu."
Chu Qingyin, already dressed, stood up and said, "This place should be a temporary resting place for the hunters around here. Last night I found some wine and dry food in those ceramic jars. Lord Lu, please make do with some."
She had used all the wine to wipe Lu Zhiheng's body and cool him down, and it was all gone. However, there were a few dry biscuits in another earthenware jar, which must have been put there not long ago, and they were just enough to fill his stomach.
With food available, the two starving men stopped talking and each took a pancake and began to eat.
Since people have stored water and food here and set up shelter, there must be people traveling through the mountains. They should be able to get out soon.
Thinking of this, Chu Qingyin felt a surge of hope.
As long as they can get out, they will be able to find their way back to the palace.
I wonder how Pei Yuanling is doing now, and whether he has found the mastermind behind that group of assassins.
Now that they had found a way out, the two decided not to rush on their way and instead rested in the cave for a while.
"Lord Lu, can we be considered to have shared weal and woe this time?"
After finishing the pancake, Chu Qingyin leaned against the stone bed, her eyebrows curving upwards, carrying a sense of relief after surviving a calamity.
Along the way, she almost thought she was going to die several times, but she never expected that the two of them would be able to escape from this treacherous mountain.
Hearing this, a rare smile appeared on Lu Zhiheng's pale face. "This was indeed dangerous. It's fortunate that we were able to escape unscathed."
After saying that, he paused, then glanced at Chu Qingyin again, this time with a hint of probing in his eyes, "If it weren't for Consort Qiao shooting that arrow last night, I would probably be dead by now."
"The situation was urgent; it was just a fluke."
Chu Qingyin tugged at the corners of her mouth, then lowered her head, concealing the fleeting darkness in her eyes.
Originally, it was thought that after this ordeal, their relationship would improve somewhat. Although they wouldn't necessarily become close friends, they should at least have some affection for each other after going through hardships together.
I never expected that he would still be testing me. He is truly an extremely difficult opponent.
She picked up the bow beside her, gently stroked it, and said with a wry smile, "His Majesty personally chose this bow for me. Although it is much smaller and more exquisite, its killing power is no less than that of a large bow. I just don't know if I will ever have the chance to see His Majesty again in this lifetime."
Looking at her worried face, Lu Zhiheng felt a pang of pity for some reason.
After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Don't worry, I will definitely get you back safely."
Upon hearing this, Chu Qingyin did not reply, but only glanced at him thoughtfully.
The two remained silent for a moment, then got up and continued on their way.
Xishan Imperial Palace.
Pei Yuanling dispatched several teams of guards, along with all the guards of the palace, to search in shifts for several days. Finally, their efforts paid off, and they found a place to descend the mountain on a relatively gentle cliff edge.
Pei Yuanling stood on the edge of the cliff where she had fallen, looking down into the abyss, which still seemed bottomless and made one's heart pound with fear at the mere sight of it.
"Your Majesty, your subordinates have found these at the bottom of the cliff!" A guard climbed up from the cliff and came over to report, his expression joyful.
He revealed what he had hidden in his arms: a few pieces of clothing.
"The bodies of Consort Gui and Lord Lu were not found at the bottom of the cliff, but we found ashes from a fire inside a cliff face."
The presence of ashes indicates that the two did not die immediately after falling off the cliff, but survived by finding a place to stay at the bottom of the cliff.
good news.
Pei Yuanling clutched the few pieces of clothing tightly, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes.
His Yinyin is still alive, he still has a chance to bring her home!
"I must go down the mountain and personally escort Consort Qiao back to the palace!"
Pei Yuanling's voice was cold, and he immediately ordered Chen Zhongliang to bring over the protective rope.
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhongliang was terrified and knelt down tremblingly, pleading, "Your Majesty, you mustn't! You are of noble birth; how can you risk your life? There are many wild beasts in that jungle. If something happens to you, what will become of us..."
"Yinyin's fate is now unknown; how can I sit idly by!"
Pei Yuanling's eyes grew even colder, and he said sternly, "Chen Zhongliang, now even you are trying to stop me?"
Chen Zhongliang was so frightened that he kowtowed repeatedly, and his forehead quickly became red and swollen. "Your Majesty, please calm down. This old servant did not mean to stop you. I was just worried about Your Majesty's safety."
"Your Majesty is the ruler of the world and bears the heavy responsibility of the country. You must not put yourself in danger because of a moment of impulsiveness. Consort Qiao has Lord Lu protecting her. I believe that with Lord Lu by her side, she will not be allowed to suffer any mishaps."
Chen Zhongliang knelt on the ground, speaking earnestly and persuasively, appealing to the emperor's emotions and reason, fearing that His Majesty might really disregard the overall situation and personally go into the mountains. If something went wrong in the palace then, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Pei Yuanling frowned, his anxiety burning like a raging fire. He roared, "Am I just supposed to sit here and wait?"
His beloved's fate is now unknown, and there is nothing he can do.
What kind of man is he?