Silence, more silence, but this silence was much warmer than the one before.
After a long silence, Shen Mo finally spoke: "I choose love."
"What do you mean by 'love'?" Rong Yue smiled slightly. "I'm asking you if you want to be my woman."
"Young Master?"
"Don't call me young master."
"Rong Yue".
"How dare you!"
Chapter Twenty-Four: Needles and Sharp Points
"Then what should I call you?"
"Why are you calling me? Just tell me if you want it or not." Rong Yue remained fixated on the answer.
"Yes!" Shen Mo said without any hesitation.
"I've never seen such an unreserved woman." Not forgetting to tease her, Rong Yue smiled and then pulled her into his arms as if he wanted to devour her whole.
"Hmm...you're holding me too tight," Shen Mo murmured in his arms.
"My woman, I can hold her as tightly as I want." There was a strange sense of satisfaction in his tone.
Feeling cool fingers gently scratching at his waist, Rong Yue grabbed the bag and loosened his grip, staring into her bright eyes and asking, "What's wrong?"
"You're hugging me too tightly, it hurts my arm."
Rong Yue sighed, picked her up and turned her around, pressing his chest against her back, freeing her arms to gently stroke her wounds, "Are you feeling better now?"
"Hmm... but I'm not used to it at all."
"Why are you such a difficult woman to please!" Rong Yue's words seemed to express his impatience, but he did not move an inch.
"I didn't force you to take it." Shen Mo also stubbornly insisted.
"You've grown wings?" Anemic people seem to be particularly prone to feeling cold. Rong Yue held her waist with one hand and kept warming her hands with the other. At this moment, he simply grabbed her and stuffed her into his arms, saying, "Let me tell you, as my woman, you are not allowed to argue with me anymore, you are not allowed to do anything foolish like donating blood without my permission, you are not allowed to be fickle, you are not allowed to disobey me, you are not allowed to..." After speaking for a long time, he found that she was still quiet and unresponsive, and suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness, like punching cotton.
He moved his hand up and pinched her cheek, angrily saying, "You're not allowed to talk or get distracted." However, the slippery feeling under his fingers made his hand linger.
Shen Mo raised his hand and waved it at his face, but to no avail. He said, "You have too many demands. Can I go back on my word?"
"No!" Rong Yue buried his face in her neck.
"Young Master, do you like me?" After a moment of silence, Shen Mo suddenly asked this question.
What use would I have for a woman I don't like?
"When did that start?"
After a long while, just when Shen Mo thought he wouldn't answer, he heard warm breaths beside his ear and heard Rong Yue softly say, "Amo, this is a secret."
Shen Mo calmed down and stopped asking questions. However, the stubble on her neck made her a little itchy, and she couldn't help but shift her position. But he immediately grabbed her and held her close. "Don't move!"
"Are you going to restrict my personal freedom?"
“I’m not afraid of restricting your freedom, I’m afraid of restricting your person,” Rong Yue’s lips brushed against her cool earlobe, “I’m a normal man.”
A flash of white light appeared in Shen Mo's mind, and she realized that she dared not move anymore. She was also really weak, so she just let him hold her and fell asleep.
As the first rays of sunlight shone on the ground in the early morning, Rong Yue had already opened his eyes. He pulled his arms closer, and the person in his arms was as soft as a lump of clay, their breaths mingling with a unique tenderness.
"It's dawn."
"..."
"Get up and help me undress." Rong Yue narrowed his eyes slyly.
"..." but there was no response, and even breathing became almost inaudible.
"Chen Mo!" Rong Yue suddenly pulled back the quilt, turned her around, and brought her hands, which had been outside, inside. The icy touch made him pause, and he quickly patted her face. "Amo, wake up!"
Shivering from the cold, Shen Mo irritably brushed her hand away from her face and reached for the quilt, but she couldn't reach it. Rong Yue had already pulled the quilt far away. Shen Mo groped for something warm in front of her and crawled over.
Seeing Shen Mo snuggling into his arms, Rong Yue's hand froze in mid-air. "Cough, I thought you..." But he stopped again, his brows furrowing. "I've never seen anyone sleep so soundly."
It was unclear whether these words were addressed to Shen Mo, who was still asleep, or to the air itself. Rong Yue, a martial arts practitioner for many years, was generally wary of those around him and had never seen anyone respond to being called several times in his ear.
Some people say that if someone is watching you, you will notice it whether they are far away or asleep. Shen Mo felt this way now. He frowned, slowly opened his eyes, and unexpectedly met a pair of dark eyes. He was instantly wide awake and sat up abruptly.
"Young Master."
"Well, if you feel better, it's time to get up and continue your journey." With her hand no longer attached to him, Rong Yue stood up naturally, regaining his usual demeanor, as if the tenderness of last night had nothing to do with him.
He had slept fully clothed last night, but Rong Yue's clothes had several obvious creases and the embroidered buttons were undone. From behind, he had a bit of Xiao Yin's unruly air about him.
Shen Mo couldn't help but crawl over, habitually smoothing out the wrinkles and fastening the embroidered buttons for him. Then she squatted down and picked up a shoe. Before her hand could touch his foot, she was suddenly lifted up by the waist. She immediately met a pair of deep eyes. Just as Shen Mo was struggling to breathe, Rong Yue turned his head and snatched the shoe from her hand, saying, "I can do this myself."
"oh."
“Last time, to avoid disturbing the people, we bypassed all the villages and towns. This time, we can take shortcuts through these villages and towns on our way back, and we can help you recover along the way.” Rong Yue put on one garment and picked up the other, saying, “The army moves slowly and can’t catch up with us for a while. We can take our time on the rest of the journey. If you…”
Rong Yue suddenly stopped, staring wide-eyed at Shen Mo, who had just been standing in front of him tidying up his belongings, now lying on the ground, rubbing his head in pain.
He frowned and quickly carried her back to the bed. "What happened?"
"Ugh... I feel dizzy and weak," Shen Mo had no choice but to answer truthfully.
"You wait here, I'll go find a doctor." Rong Yue turned and left in a few quick steps, but suddenly returned a moment later, his expression turning somewhat fierce. "If you dare to act tough again next time, I'll make sure you don't see the sun rise tomorrow!"
He slammed the door and left, leaving behind a calm-looking Shen Mo, who pursed his lips and said, "I'm used to it, it's nothing."
Hearing voices in a daze, Shen Mo gradually woke up and realized that she had fallen asleep again. She didn't want to open her eyes and move for a moment, but the sound of voices beside her reached her ears.
"Young master, this young lady is weak due to excessive blood loss. Symptoms such as drowsiness, dizziness, and weakness in the limbs are normal signs of blood deficiency. If she is not treated in time, she may soon experience nausea, dry heaving, and sore throat."
"However, young master, you don't need to worry too much. At least your life won't be in danger. If you take it seriously and treat yourself with medicine and nourishing tonics, it shouldn't be difficult to recover."
The doctor inside wrote out a prescription, gave a few instructions, and then left. During this time, Rong Yue could only hum a couple of times and didn't say a word more.
Unable to bear the silence, Chen Mo pulled off the quilt, revealing her eyes as she looked at his back.
Are you still feeling unwell?
"I don't feel uncomfortable."
Rong Yue turned around, walked up to her, stared at her intently, and concluded: "She's lying."
Shen Mo was speechless for a moment. After a long while, a light suddenly flashed before his eyes, and a dagger appeared in front of him. He immediately remembered the experience of being forced to drink blood that day. The bloody taste in his throat seemed to still linger. Shen Mo hurriedly reached out to snatch it, but when he couldn't, he grabbed his other arm.
"Let go." Rong Yue frowned.
"I won't let go."
"You told me yesterday that I wouldn't allow you to disobey me."
"You can say whatever you want, but I didn't agree."
"You!" Rong Yue immediately retorted, "You used most of your blood to save tens of thousands of my soldiers. Giving a little blood for you is a way of repaying them."
Shen Mo's back suddenly stiffened. The grip on his hands didn't loosen, but he raised his head and looked at him intently, asking the question he had wanted to ask for many days.
"From the day you took me to the front lines, did you ever treat me as a means of generating revenue?"
"If you like me, have you ever thought about the possibility that I might bleed to death or die at any moment?"
Shen Mo released his arm and pointed to the dagger in his left hand. "Also, are you thanking me for saving your soldiers and bringing you honor, or did you expect this and feel guilty so you can't hold a grudge?"
His chin was suddenly gripped tightly, and Rong Yue's eyes seemed to spit fire. "Do you know that as my woman, Rong Yue's woman, you shouldn't ask such a question?"
Shen Mo looked at his hand, which had turned white from gripping the wooden hilt of the dagger, and a pale smile appeared on his lips. "Now I want to ask you, young master, is what you want just a woman, or me, Shen Mo?"
"Clang!"
The dagger was suddenly swung out with great force, shattering a mirror not far away, followed by the sound of a door slamming shut.
The dagger fell, the mirror shattered, Rong Yue left, and Shen Mo lay helplessly on the couch, she was angry too.
As night fell, Chen Mo hugged her rumbling stomach, glanced resentfully at the still motionless door, and a heavy sense of powerlessness suddenly overwhelmed her. Fortunately, she was dizzy and sleepy, so she clenched her teeth, covered herself with the blanket to suppress her hunger, and let her limp body give up her will and fall asleep again.
Without dreams, without boundaries, I continue to sink, sink, sink.
Suddenly, a bone-chilling cold, as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, made Shen Mo shiver and wake up with a start! But at that moment, she was dragged off the bed by a great force. After a moment of dizziness, she realized that she was soaked to the bone, and immediately heard a strange, sinister laugh in her ear.
"Haha, this woman is really shameless. She won't wake up unless you use force."
"Hey, are you really sure her man won't come back? He looks fierce and not someone to be trifled with."
"The doctor said she lost too much blood. What can a young woman do besides have a miscarriage? I heard from the waiter that the man went out yesterday and hasn't come back. He must have left because he didn't like her being alone. Sigh! I've seen this kind of thing a lot. Don't worry about it."
“That’s true,” another person said, becoming bolder as he touched Shen Mo’s face. “With this appearance, after a few days of recuperation, he’ll definitely fetch a good price.”
They even went so far as to persuade Chen Mo, who was lying to the side with a cold look in her eyes, "Hey young lady, don't be too sad that your man is gone, and it doesn't matter if your body is ruined. As long as you work hard, we guarantee you'll live a life of luxury from now on, how about that?"
Shen Mo tried to move his arms and legs to stand up, but found that he hadn't eaten all day and was getting weaker and weaker. He quickly hid his emotions and said, "He just went out to buy medicine. He'll be back."
"Don't be silly. Anyone can come up with an excuse. We'll give you another chance. If you don't agree, we'll tie you up in a sack."
Shen Mo's eyes flickered slightly, touching the porcelain cup on the table beside him, and he slowly said, "What if you agree?"
A large towel and a rope were immediately thrown in front of them, and one of them said wickedly, "I knew you'd be sensible, little lady. So, do you want me to help you stuff it in, or will you stuff it in yourself?"
"Big brother, could I have a drink of water before I leave? I'm a little thirsty." Shen Mo looked at them with innocent eyes, making it hard for them to refuse.
"Tsk tsk! With a mindset like this young lady's, she's guaranteed to become a big star in the brothel in the future." One of them chuckled as he poured water.
"Clang!" Shen Mo's hand slipped, and the porcelain cup shattered on the ground. She looked up with a hint of apology, "I'm sorry, I'm still weak and have no strength."
"Oh, no problem, no problem." The man said, and then picked up the whole pot.
After drinking the water, Shen Mo opened her mouth and stuffed a towel into it. She then spontaneously put her hands together and tied them up, which made the two thieves who had committed the crime feel relieved. When they put her on the carriage, they made sure to carry her gently. The two of them whistled and chatted as they drove the carriage, occasionally reporting the progress to Shen Mo inside.
"Neigh!" "Neigh!"
The horse suddenly neighed and came to a stop. Shen Mo was stunned and rolled twice inside the carriage. A moment later, he heard people cursing outside.
"You little brat, don't you have eyes? This is such a wide road, and you just have to block it here!"
"I'm looking for someone!" The sharp voice seemed to conceal an undercurrent, making people afraid to look directly at it. However, it made Shen Mo inside the car tense up and quicken his movements. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead with every movement outside.