Peaceful Jianghu - Chapter 85
"Next time you have time, remember to settle all the rules with God." When Xue Beifan pulled her into an inn, both of them were already soaked by the rain.
"Ugh!" Xiao Dao rubbed his hair. "It's covered in mud!"
Xue Beifan smashed open the inn's door, and the sleepy waiter told him that there was only one superior room left, and there was no hot water; he would have to boil it himself.
Xue Beifan and Xiao Dao were left stranded in a guest room.
Xiao Dao touched his wet clothes, opened his eyes wide, and looked up at Xue Beifan, just like a kitten with wet fur.
Xue Beifan looked up at the sky and said, "Don't look at me."
Xiao Dao stuck out a finger and grabbed his sleeve, "I want to take a bath!"
"Together?" Xue Beifan replied, and sure enough, he got kicked by Xiao Dao. After his shameless nature was straightened out, he ran to boil water for her.
When Xue Beifan returned, Xiao Dao had set up two bathtubs behind the screen and was using the back of a chair to hang his outer clothes on the charcoal brazier to roast them.
Xue Beifan filled both wooden buckets with hot water and then went to soak in them.
Xiao Dao seemed a little uneasy and peeked around the screen.
"Trying to peek?" Xue Beifan flicked his finger, and a spray of water landed on Xiao Dao's nose.
"Who peeked?" Xiao Dao rubbed his nose. "I just wanted to make sure you couldn't peek!"
"How could I do something so tasteless?" Xue Beifan heard Xiao Dao seemingly preparing to undress, and suddenly his hand twirled in the water, making a series of splashing sounds.
Xiao Dao immediately hugged his outer robe, peeked out again, and glanced around warily.
Xue Beifan chuckled, "Why don't you blindfold me?"
Xiao Dao thought it was feasible and had just taken a step outside when Xue Beifan spread his hands, revealing a large expanse of his chest. "Come on, I'm not afraid of you peeking. Look openly!"
With a "smack," a wet cloth flew over and hit him in the face.
Xiao Dao was still wondering—was there something on Xue Beifan's shoulder and chest? Something seemed off.
"What do you think is the relationship between the Grand Steward and the Imperial Advisor?" Xiao Dao started a conversation to avoid any awkwardness.
Xue Beifan leaned against the bathtub wall, looking at the small knife that was faintly visible behind the screen, and a slight smile appeared on his lips. "Mutual exploitation? Hard to say."
"They specifically mentioned Xue Xing... Xue Xing is just a minor figure in the martial arts world. Is it because of the Beihai Sect's treasure? Or is there some connection between the two?"
"I guess so." Xue Beifan yawned, then heard a flurry of activity and the sound of running water. "What are you doing?"
"Wash your hair!" Xiao Dao quickly grabbed a towel, picked up the washed hair, wrapped it in dry clothes, and ran out.
Xue Beifan quickly glanced at it and found that the clothes were wrapped up tightly. He pouted and said, "Boring."
Xiao Dao glared at him, then tossed her head and swaggered toward the bed. Xue Beifan glanced down... and saw a pair of feet still outside, leaving a trail of wet footprints.
"There's only one bed." Xue Beifan squinted, reminding Xiao Dao, who was taking up the whole bed to dry his hair, "Shall we squeeze in for a bit?"
"Dream on!" Xiao Dao held the porcelain pillow in her hand, only to find Xue Beifan's bathtub not far away, without even a screen to block it. She thought to herself, "Miscalculation!"
He reached out and pulled the curtain down a little to block the view. After wiping his hair for a while, Xiao Dao became curious and wanted to peek inside.
Xue Beifan had almost finished washing and was rubbing his back.
Xiao Dao peeked cautiously through the bed curtains and caught sight of a tanned back. She instinctively took a closer look. Xiao Dao's face flushed; it was probably quite red by now. She clicked her tongue inwardly, thinking, "Pretty smooth and muscular, huh?"
Xiao Dao was engrossed in watching when she suddenly saw Xue Beifan turn around, his chest exposed, and grin at her, "You lecherous girl, you can't just look for nothing!"
Xiao Dao quickly ducked his head and used the bed curtain to cover himself.
However, in that very instant, Xiao Dao noticed a large burn scar on Xue Beifan's left shoulder, extending down to his chest. No wonder he seemed odd earlier; it was a large scar on his chest—it must have been very painful.
Xiao Dao doubted his own eyes and wondered if he was just imagining things, so he peeked out for another look... Xue Beifan had already put on his clothes.
"Want to see more?" Xue Beifan smiled at her.
Xiao Dao ducked back behind the curtain, burrowed under the covers, and hugged his pillow, asking, "What's that on your shoulder? A tattoo?"
“...Birthmark.” Xue Beifan was silent for a moment before casually replying.
Xiao Dao curled his lip, "Do you think I'm stupid?"
"No birthmark looks like this," Xiao Dao muttered under his breath. "It looks more like a scar to me."
Xue Beifan finished dressing, sat down at the table, and changed the subject as usual, "Are you hungry?"
Xiao Dao poked her head out from under the covers to look at him. She was clearly not hungry. Then she asked, "When you were little, did they bully you?"
Xue Beifan was stunned for a moment, then turned around and looked back. After a while, he laughed rudely, "Was it Chonghua or Shen Xinghai who was being nosy? Right... it was Xiaoyue who was being nosy and told you."
"Is your older brother really that powerful?" Xiao Dao asked with great interest. "No one can be without weaknesses, right?"
Xue Beifan pushed several stools together to make a bed, lay down, and said, "Of course we have weaknesses; everyone has weaknesses."
"What are Xue Beihai's weaknesses?"
"The only weakness of a clever person is that they are too clever for their own good." Xue Beifan smiled faintly.
Xiao Dao tentatively asked, "Is it because you're smarter, or is your older brother smarter?"
Xue Beifan put his hands behind his head, yawned, and said slowly, "What do you think?"
"Hmm..." Xiao Dao lay on the bed, peeking half her head out from behind the curtains, looking at Xue Beifan's profile not far away, and suddenly asked very seriously, "What do you think of me?"