A pure heart in a jade pot

Chapter 171

"Your reaction is too slow; you couldn't even hear my breathing."

In the darkness, a person limped out from a corner and lazily mocked him.

Upon hearing this, Zhan Zhao was immediately relieved and smiled, "So it's you, elder brother. What brings you here? I thought it was..."

"Who did you think it was?" Su Zui asked.

"……nothing."

Zhan Zhao smiled wryly, then stopped lighting the lamp, put down the flint, and sat down on the wolf-skin rug, letting out a long sigh. Su Zui sat down next to him, and although she couldn't see his face clearly, she could tell from his sighs that he had truly had a difficult time these past few days.

"Did you think I was that girl?" he teased. "What, you expect her to throw herself at you?"

Zhan Zhao smiled wryly: "Let's not talk about that. Brother, did you come here specifically for something important?"

Su Zui said, "After you left the town, a few more people came. Although they changed their clothes and covered their faces, I could recognize one of them. He was Yelü Hongji's confidant. And another one..." He frowned, "Judging from his size, he looked like a woman."

What are they going to town for?

"It was like they were just passing through; they only asked for some flatbreads at the inn to take away, without even resting."

Zhan Zhao frowned: "Yelü Hongji went hunting and has been gone for more than half a month. Recently, Yelü Chongguang has been in a very bad mood, and I have to go to his side every day. I can't move around here."

"No rush, let's take a closer look after Yelü Hongji returns from the hunt."

Zhan Zhao nodded and said, "You can just send a message by carrier pigeon. Why bother coming all this way in this freezing weather?"

"It's nothing. I was just feeling a bit stifled in town, so I came out for a walk," Su Zui said casually with a smile.

Zhan Zhao knew that he must have something else to say, but it was pointless to ask him about it if he was unwilling to talk about it. So he didn't press him further and just said, "Brother, it's a good thing that you stay here and we can take care of each other."

Su Zui smiled slightly: "Then find me some clothes. Although I have a limp, I can still nail horseshoes."

"Alright, I'll make the arrangements tomorrow." Zhan Zhao seemed relieved and simply lay down on his back. His voice in the darkness, though somewhat tired, carried a smile, "I feel more at ease with you here."

"Have that girl caused you any trouble these days?"

Su Zui rarely saw Zhan Zhao show such obvious weariness, and asked with a faint smile.

"No, she's fine, it's me... who's not good." Zhan Zhao's voice was low. "I shouldn't have married her in the first place, otherwise I wouldn't have dragged her down to this day."

Su Zui remained silent for a long time before saying, "After this is over, we'll have to find a way to get you out of this mess."

"Escape?" Zhan Zhao seemed taken aback.

"Do you really want to wear this mask for the rest of your life?" Su Zui snorted.

Sensing something amiss in his voice, Zhan Zhao sat up and asked urgently, "Are you injured somewhere?"

"It's nothing," Su Zui said, grimacing as he removed the half-piece of wood from his leg. "It's just that this piece of wood is a bit uncomfortable. It's more comfortable when I'm in a wheelchair."

Zhan Zhao lit a lamp and took a closer look. He saw that the left knee of the man was purplish and swollen, probably from wearing a wooden leg for a long time.

"I'll go find some medicine to reduce the swelling. Please wait here."

Before Su Zui could speak, Zhan Zhao donned his cloak and hurriedly lifted the curtain to leave the tent. He went to the nearby physician to get some medicine to reduce swelling and bruises. As military officers, they were bound to suffer bumps and bruises, and getting medicine was a routine matter for them, so it wouldn't arouse suspicion. He had just come out with the medicine when he ran into Mo Yan.

"Lord Yelü? Are you ill?" Mo Yan asked in surprise as he came out of the physician's office, leaning closer to smell the medicine packet in his hand. "Corydalis, safflower... to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis. Are you injured?"

"It's just a little bruise, nothing serious." Zhan Zhao took a step back imperceptibly.

Mo Yan took out a delicate little silver box from her bosom and handed it to him, saying, "Use this. It's a top-quality medicine from our area. Apply it and you'll be fine by tomorrow."

Zhan Zhao naturally knew that the medicines in the Central Plains were extraordinary. If it were his own injury, he wouldn't need to use them. But since it was Su Zui who was injured, he hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took the medicine, saying, "Thank you."

"No need to be so polite." Mo Yan smiled, said no more, and turned to leave, pulling her cloak tighter around herself.

The silver box seemed to still carry her body heat; it was slightly warm to the touch. Zhan Zhao slowly put the silver box into his bosom and put it away. He glanced at the direction in which her figure disappeared before turning back to his tent.

"Green Jade Ointment, where did you get this? I haven't seen this precious stuff in years." Su Zui opened the box, and a delicate fragrance wafted out. He smelled it, looked up, and asked with a smile.

"It was given to me by Xiao Qi. I happened to run into her on the road."

Zhan Zhao took the ointment with his hand and applied it to the swollen and purple area of his broken knee.

The ointment, once applied to the skin, sent a cool sensation deep into the body, instantly relieving the burning pain and swelling at the broken knee. Su Zui felt so comfortable she almost wanted to moan.

"This kind of thing is only available in the Imperial Palace, right? How did that girl get her hands on it?"

"It was probably given to her by the princess."

After carefully wiping it clean, Zhan Zhao wrapped it in a clean cloth, closed the box, and handed it to him, saying, "You'll need it a lot, keep it."

Su Zui didn't stand on ceremony with him, and directly put him into his arms. Then he climbed onto the soft couch and lay down comfortably: "I won't stand on ceremony with you. I haven't slept well on the road these past few days, and I'm so sleepy..." Before he could finish speaking, he yawned and closed his eyes to sleep.

Zhan Zhao smiled slightly, pulled the quilt over him, grabbed another blanket for himself, turned off the lamp, and lay down fully clothed on the wolf-skin rug on the ground.

Nothing happened that night.

The next day, a group of people returned from hunting, and the hunting grounds were bustling with activity as they divided up the roe deer and wild deer.

Zhao Yu remained unmoved, finding a secluded spot to calmly fish for her turtle. Mo Yan, wrapped tightly in a fur coat, stayed by her side, chatting idly with her.

As evening approached, a delicious aroma wafted over from afar. The Liao people had set up a large pot in the open space of their camp and were cooking roe deer meat. They had also lit a fire and were roasting wild deer skewers on it.

Mo Yan was the kind of person who felt hungry just from the smell of fragrance, and she didn't want to leave on her own, so she had to chew on a blade of grass and look around in the direction from which the fragrance was coming: "With such a grand display, it must be that Yelü Hongji has returned."

"Why bother with him? No one will remember me anyway," Zhao Yu said calmly, his eyes fixed on the ice hole.