The men withdrew from her body, lay down on the couch to rest, surrounding her and comforting her, none willing to leave.
Ye Hui's hand remained wrapped around Lao Shi's waist, her inner feeling: among the three, this man was the most steady, she felt so tired, she needed him by her side, being held by his strong arms felt so good.
"My lady, rest on the bed," Lao Shi said, seeing her so weak, his heart twisting, he held her closer, climbed onto the bed, laying beside her, his tall and robust physique embracing the fragile and petite young girl, like a father embracing his daughter.
Muo Qi covered the two with a blanket, helped Lao Shi dress, and tiptoed out of the cabin, leaving the space for the two on the bed.
Ye Hui was too tired to move, during dinner she was held in Lao Shi's arms, fed by him, then slept deeply. By noon the next day, she finally felt somewhat better. Under Muo Qi's care, she washed and dressed in a light pink long dress, went to Ling Xue Pavilion to visit Heng Ting, holding the small body, thinking about her son's first birthday in two days.
At this moment, a tall figure walked into Ling Xue Pavilion, his gaze falling on the young mother holding her child. Lao Shi and Lao Shi Yi were about to speak but were stopped by a hand gesture from the man.
Ye Hui was softly singing to Heng Ting when a pair of solid arms wrapped around her from behind, embracing her and the child. The man sat at the bedside, leaned down to kiss her lips, his star-like eyes filled with countless longings: "My wife, did you miss me?"
This man embracing her was Qin Yu Hang, who had been away from home for several days.
"You're back?" Ye Hui's eyes filled with tears of joy, nodding repeatedly: "I heard your master returned to Tianying Mountain, is he well?"
"He's restless, stayed at the sect for only two days before wandering off," Qin Yu Hang smiled softly: "No one knows where he went. As Senior Uncle Qing Tian would say, even I can't find his body."
Qin Yu Hang laughed, not disrespectful to the Tianqi Daoist, who was easygoing and would joke with his disciples.
"Someone who has gone wild finds it hard to stop," Ye Hui smiled, seeming to recall something: "Right, didn't you go to Nepal in the first month? He was going to climb Mount Everest, did he reach the summit?"
"Mount Everest?" Qin Yu Hang looked puzzled.
"Oh, no..." Ye Hui quickly shook her head: "Sagarmatha Peak."
"Fortunately, you gave good advice," Qin Yu Hang smiled, waving to Lao Shi to take Heng Ting to the garden.
Lao Shi Yi, not wanting to disturb Ye Hui's good mood, followed behind and left Ling Xue Pavilion.
Qin Yu Hang laid Ye Hui on the bed, pressed on top of her, kissing her for a while: "Master said that on flat ground, even a hundred-meter cliff would be nothing. But climbing Sagarmatha Peak, breathing became difficult, like having several mountains pressing on his chest, suffocating, each step harder than walking dozens of miles in Tianying Mountain. Such a steep slope was impossible, so he had to turn back."
Thin mountain air! Ye Hui wanted to say this, but feared he wouldn't understand, so she remained silent. Based on his description, he was between 8050-8150 meters from the summit.
Located on the southwest slope of Everest in Nepal, there's a hundred-meter steep cliff with an average slope of 75 degrees, more rock climbing than mountaineering, first breached by the British in 1975.
Though the Tianqi Daoist didn't reach the summit, eight thousand meters was historically significant. When she became the queen of Yingdang, she would ensure historians recorded this, proving the Chinese were the first to attempt Everest, even if unsuccessful.
Two months later on an auspicious day, Ye Hui officially married the two bodyguards, becoming their legitimate wife. The wedding ceremony was exceptionally grand, with everyone from Tianying Gate coming to offer congratulations. Huangfu Zeduan received the news and sent gifts by fast horse six hundred li from the imperial capital to add glory to his wife.
