Early Spring Journey

Chuxia, hearing no more sounds, finally opened her eyes to find herself on the other side of the Little Mirror Lake, away from the scene of carnage. Jun Ye’an gently placed her on the ground, and she noticed his white robes were now stained with blood. The fine moonlight sifted down, and the stars sparkled, making the lake look incomparably beautiful. Here, the nightmare ended. Chuxi sat alone, hugging her knees, her head buried between her legs, seemingly trying to calm her mind. “Chuxi…” came the voice of the young master. She seemed not to hear it. “Chuxi, look at me.” Chuxi suddenly turned around, trembling all over, and with a swift motion, she tore off the bracelet from her wrist and hurled it at him, “Jun Ye’an! You deceived me!” She had no martial arts skills and was already injured, so her throw lacked force. Yet, the young master did not dodge, allowing the bracelet to hit his forehead, standing motionless. “You! You told me there was no danger! Damn it! I almost—” Chuxi wiped her eyes, but tears kept flowing, “You liar! Liar!” Jun Ye’an’s expression subtly changed, just watching her as she cried out, throwing a tantrum, cursing without stopping, yet he did not intervene. Chuxi, already exhausted, had been shouting for a long time, and the wound on her head reopened, her spirit waning. The young master stepped forward, decisively pulling her into his embrace, whispering in her ear, “Are you done being angry?” He held her tight, his left hand firmly around her waist, making it impossible for her to move. “Chuxi…” His other hand gently stroked her back, following its gentle curve, soothing her repeatedly, “Little girl, this time, I was inconsiderate.” Chuxi’s sobs gradually turned into whimpers. “Chuxi, just stay like this, don’t move.” He said softly, his fingers moving to the back of her head to apply ointment. Hearing this, Chuxi suddenly turned her head and bit down hard on his neck, not letting go. The young master winced in pain but continued to stroke her back patiently, saying nothing, until after a considerable time, he softly asked, “Do you still have the strength? Want to bite somewhere else?” Chuxi, with a mouth full of blood, slowly released him, her head bowed, whispering, “I want to wash in the lake.” The young master slowly released her but gently advised, “The lake water is very cold.” She did not argue, stepping towards the tranquil lake. The young master watched her back for a long time before turning away, seemingly enduring something. Chuxi removed her torn clothes piece by piece, walking barefoot into Xiao Jing Lake. The touch of the cold water made her shiver, but she was not afraid of the chill, scooping up water with her hands to pour over herself. She washed slowly, the sticky blood, the painful wounds, and the places touched by that man, until her whole body was trembling from the cold, yet she continued to scrub. “Young Master, Young Master… that day in the study, when you pointed at the map and told me about Xiao Jing Lake on the Qingchuan River, was it because you anticipated that I would be kidnapped by the Tian Gang? When I was taken, I wasn’t afraid, I threw down my bracelet, and made a pact with you to meet on the new moon; when I was beaten and scolded, I endured, delaying day by day until I led them to Xiao Jing Lake—I believed you would come to save me. And you did, you are like a god at foreseeing things—but did you ever think that I would be tortured, almost violated, to the point of contemplating suicide several times?” The moonlight grew cooler, and Chuxi, looking at her reflection in the water, pondered what could still be warm in her. As her consciousness began to blur, she slipped into the lake, and the young master, wading into the water, pulled her out. Chuxi’s face was already blue, her body as cold as ice. He cradled her in his lap, covering her with his outer robe, and with his right hand, he pressed against her back, rapidly circulating his inner energy. After a long while, as the energy circulated through her several times, he heard her cough softly, as if awakening. The young master felt a slight joy, bending down to look, but was taken aback. This was his Chuxi, yet she seemed different. The Chuxi he knew, when first met, had a clean gaze. No one would call her a great beauty, her appearance merely pleasant. He could even point out her flaws—her nose slightly flat, her eyes not large, and her cheekbones a bit prominent. But now, under the moonlight, Chuxi’s eyelashes were long and slightly curled, like the stamens among spring blossoms, her nose sharp, and her lips slightly upturned, now with a hint of color, tender and vibrant. And slowly opening her eyes… perhaps the blackest, brightest eyes he had ever seen. Their light flowed, only the word “beautiful” could describe them. Chuxi’s gaze was still somewhat unfocused, as if unable to distinguish distance, her eyes opening and closing in confusion. The young master’s fingers touched the faint whip marks on her cheek, momentarily lost in thought—this was indeed his Chuxi, whom he had lost and found again. Even if she had always carefully hidden her appearance, even if he knew she wouldn’t immediately forgive him. When Chuxi awoke, she found that around Xiao Jing Lake, azaleas were blooming all over the mountains and fields. Deep red, rich purple, pale yellow, as if the world had changed its face overnight. The sunlight made her feel warm, and touching the back of her head, the pain was much less, the wound had quietly scabbed over. She got up, looking around, but saw no one. The white robe on her told her this was not a dream. He… must still be here. Chuxi suddenly remembered everything from last night—the mouthful of blood, the cold lake water, and then… she had lost consciousness. Suddenly, she remembered something, quickly looking down, the inner garment under the white robe was still there, but… it didn’t seem to be hers. It was too big, the sleeves folded several times, like the water sleeves of an opera costume. Who had changed her clothes? Whose clothes were these? She took a few steps forward and saw the young master, his back to her, bare-chested, standing by the lake, the bloodstains on his back startling. He seemed to be cleaning his wounds, but since the wounds were on his back, out of reach, his movements were awkward. Chuxi watched silently for a while, suddenly recalling his blood-stained white robe from last night… those weren’t just the enemy’s blood, were they? She felt confused again; how were her clothes so clean now? Stepping closer, she could see the long, deep cuts on his back, which would reopen with the slightest movement, looking quite horrifying. Chuxi cleaned her hands by the lake, then carefully examined the stone wall, finally picking several plants with purple roots and round leaves. The young lord still had his back to her and didn’t speak. She also remained silent, chewing some leaves before applying them to his wounds. She looked around, then fetched her own clothes from last night, tearing them into strips to bandage him. The young lord was a full head taller than her, making it quite challenging for her to treat the wound on his shoulder. She didn’t want to speak, so she pressed on his shoulder to signal him to sit down. He did sit, slightly lowering his head, his black hair falling forward, obscuring his expression. His skin was a light tan, his back’s lines slender and firm. At first, Chuxia was focused solely on bandaging him, not thinking much of it, but as she reached the end, she suddenly remembered she was wearing his clothes. Her face flushed slightly, and her touch became uncertain, her nails lightly scraping a wound, causing the young lord to let out a soft grunt.