Leng Jue immediately shook his head: "How could that be? I was just praising you."
"Hmph, that's for the best, otherwise, when I get angry, the consequences can be severe." Ouyang Yue pouted, stood up, and said, "Let's go, let's find a place to stay for the night." They entered Tianshan during the day, and after all this time, it's getting dark. It would be dangerous for the two of them to sleep naked outside like this. They should find a cave to stay in for the night, and leave as soon as they find the Tianshan Snow Lotus tomorrow. Ouyang Yue felt that entering Tianshan would shorten her life by ten years; it was just too exhausting.
“Alright, let’s walk on.” The two of them packed up their things and left. Fortunately, the heavens did not forsake them. After walking for a while, they found a naturally formed cave halfway up a mountain. Most importantly, there seemed to be no signs of habitation here, which was perfect for the two of them to stay in. Leng Jue gathered some firewood, and Ouyang Yue started a fire.
The cave wasn't small; there was enough room for the two of them to lie on either side. A fire was lit in the middle, but neither of them could fall asleep. They probably hadn't expected the Tian Shan Mountains to be so dangerous. Even if they had considered it beforehand, without experiencing it firsthand, it was unimaginable to outsiders how perilous it was. Thinking back to the journey from when they fell into the cave, they hadn't had a moment's rest. Now that they were finally able to relax, it only made them more anxious.
Ouyang Yue snorted: "When I get back, I must find the old monk Minghui and demand justice. That old bald monk actually lied to me, talking about how monks are compassionate. I should twist his head and use it as a stool."
Leng Jue deeply agreed, saying, "That's exactly what I was thinking too. Don't forget to let me sit down when the time comes."
Ouyang Yue's lips suddenly curled into a smile: "I didn't expect you to have such an extraordinary background and such good martial arts skills. You even know this Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation. I underestimated you." To be able to study such a complex and unpredictable formation as the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation, Ouyang Yue believed that only a person of great talent could do it. Moreover, Leng Jue's ability to match this formation with unofficial histories of the previous dynasty just by looking at it was thought-provoking. "You've seen the Five Elements Formation."
Leng Jue shook his head and said, "Although I haven't read it, there are a few points in the description in the book that are very similar to the Five Elements Formation in the Stone Path, so I am sure."
“Hmm…” Ouyang Yue responded lightly. The prince of the previous dynasty was so talented that the Five Elements Formation he developed must have been feared by many. It is likely that the previous dynasty could not leave any records of it. How did he see it?
Ouyang Yue's lips curled slightly: "You insisted on coming with me back then, but I didn't expect you to be such a great help. If we successfully return this time, I will owe you a favor. How do you want to repay me? But let me make it clear beforehand, I will absolutely not do anything beyond my capabilities or anything that I force." Although she hadn't said much beforehand, when she fell into the swamp, her attention was focused on preparing to shoot through the wolf's head. If Leng Jue hadn't noticed something was wrong and pushed her, she probably would have fallen to the very bottom. In that case, she probably wouldn't have had time to use the Immortal Binding Lock to tighten the tree trunk, and they would have been in danger.
Along the way, Leng Jue saved her twice, which gave Ouyang Yue a headache. This favor was really hard to repay. She understood Leng Jue's intentions, but she really didn't have that idea, nor did she want to now. She also felt that it wasn't fair to Leng Jue to repay him so unwillingly.
...
Ouyang Yue waited for Leng Jue's reply, but after a long time there was only silence. Ouyang Yue became puzzled and asked, "Are you asleep?"
"..." There was still no sound from the other side, but Ouyang Yue keenly noticed that Leng Jue's breathing seemed very heavy. Her heart skipped a beat, and she immediately jumped over the fire and walked towards Leng Jue.
As soon as she approached, she sensed that Leng Jue seemed unwell. He lay stiffly, his breathing becoming increasingly heavy, and he seemed to be groaning in pain, though his eyes were tightly closed. Ouyang Yue immediately reached out to touch him, and found his hand to be unusually firm. Her heart skipped a beat, and she immediately checked a few more places, then touched her own forehead. Without thinking, she pulled open Leng Jue's clothes, only to see that the previously bandaged wound was now oozing blood again. Leng Jue's wound had been almost healed; could it be that falling into the swamp had caused an infection? "You have a fever."
Leng Jue's breathing was heavy, as if responding to Ouyang Yue; he was very ill.
This can't go on. If Leng Jue keeps burning up his fever all night, he'll either go crazy or die. Ouyang Yue frowned, thought for a moment, then turned and left the cave. When she returned a short while later, she had taken off her outer garment, leaving only a single layer of clothing, a bamboo bucket for drinking water hanging around her neck, and several wet clothes. She then went to Leng Jue's side and began to undress him. Getting Leng Jue through his high fever was crucial, and since there weren't many resources available, she could only use the simplest and most troublesome method: constantly wiping his body with cold water, hoping it would help.
However, when Ouyang Yue's hand covered Leng Jue's mask, Leng Jue suddenly moved, his voice becoming impatient and even more gruff. His hand, which was burning with fever, pressed tightly against Ouyang Yue's: "Take it off... It can only be my wife... You... You need to think it through..."
Ouyang Yue paused for a moment, then sneered, "You really have no manners. Even at a time like this, you're still arguing about these things. Are you even a man? You should know I'm saving you right now. If I don't agree, are you prepared to die here? Do you really want to die that badly?!"
Leng Jue opened his eyes. Despite being feverish and nearly delirious, his eyes were misty and glistening with tears, yet he maintained his composure, staring intently at Ouyang Yue. Ouyang Yue slapped Leng Jue on the head, causing him to sob softly. But the next moment, Ouyang Yue covered his face with a mask, then slowly removed it. Upon seeing the monstrously handsome face beneath the mask, Ouyang Yue's expression shifted slightly: "It really is you!"
☆、109、The male beauty is alluring, and she offers herself to repay a debt of gratitude!
Ouyang Yue's expression was somewhat cold, but compared to her, Leng Jue, or rather, Baili Chen, smiled as if in a spring breeze. From the moment Ouyang Yue removed his mask, even though his face was flushed from the fever and his eyes were misty with moisture, his brows and eyes were full of joy.
How could Ouyang Yue not sense that joy emanating from his eyebrows, eyes, and hair? She felt that this person was being a little too smug.
Ouyang Yue snorted coldly, suddenly pinched Baili Chen's nose, and poured water into his mouth through the bamboo tube. Baili Chen's expression changed, and then he choked and coughed: "Cough cough cough, Mother... Wife, be gentle... Ouch... cough cough cough."
As soon as Baili Chen spoke, Ouyang Yue's expression turned even colder. She pinched his nose and twisted it. Baili Chen immediately cried out, his brows furrowing as he looked at Ouyang Yue accusingly: "Wife, why aren't you gentle..." He seemed to be aggrieved, wrinkling his nose, which was red from Ouyang Yue's pinch, and twitching it a couple of times. He looked as pitiful as could be.
Ouyang Yue smiled, a strange smile playing on her lips. Baili Chen immediately looked at her warily. Ouyang Yue's voice became very soft, with a hint of seduction, but it sent chills down Baili Chen's spine: "You have a fever right now, so you need to drink more water. Otherwise, all the water in your body will evaporate, which will be very dangerous. I'm helping you. Drink, keep drinking."
Baili Chen couldn't help but see the sinister glint in that smile; how could he possibly dare to drink it? "How about I lie down for a while? Maybe my fever will go down by tomorrow. Hmm, I'll lie down for a bit."
Ouyang Yue's face darkened: "Ridiculous! Have you ever seen anyone burn themselves and then burn themselves the next day? If you want to die like this, it has nothing to do with me. Even if you are the favored seventh prince of the court, if you die in these Tianshan Mountains, no one will know. Maybe some wild beasts will even carry your body out and eat it. In that case, you will die without a complete corpse, with no one to testify, and no one will say that I let you die without helping you. Thinking about it this way, you can do whatever you want, and I'll be relieved." Ouyang Yue seemed to have just realized what was going on. She slammed her right fist heavily into her palm, nodded in sudden understanding, and then stood up and turned to leave.
She felt a pulling force from behind, and saw Baili Chen grab her hem, pursing his lips, looking at her with a soft and pitiful expression: "I...I'll listen to you, my wife, cough cough...I won't say anything no matter what you do to me. My wife, come on..." As he spoke, he straightened up like a corpse, looking at Ouyang Yue with sidelong glances, like a wronged little wife.
Ouyang Yue sneered, picked up the bamboo tube and poured water into Baili Chen's mouth. As a result, Baili Chen coughed for a while, and his clothes were soaked. Ouyang Yue did not gently pull off his clothes. Baili Chen looked at Ouyang Yue in great surprise, his eyes blinking constantly, his very red lips slightly parted. He couldn't swallow for a long time, and naturally more water flowed out.
Ouyang Yue used her wet clothes to wipe Baili Chen's body, then looked up angrily and said, "Shut your mouth, are you stupid? You're even drooling."
Baili Chen's face seemed to darken, and he finally shut up obediently, thinking to himself, "Who drools so much? It's all because of you." But for some reason, he felt very pleased with himself, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and his face was covered with an intoxicating smile. He was as beautiful as a peach blossom, which made Ouyang Yue's teeth itch with hatred. She directly reached out and pinched Baili Chen's waist.
Despite his fair and handsome appearance, Baili Chen, who could use the alias Leng Jue and possessed superb martial arts skills, was far superior to those pale-faced scholars. He had broad shoulders, a high chest, and a narrow waist, making him very strong. However, when Ouyang Yue pinched the flesh around his waist, he still cried out in surprise and pain, "Wife... please be gentle... I... this is my first time... please be gentle..."
"Smack!" Ouyang Yue slapped Baili Chen hard on the chest with a black line on her face. The latter held his breath and almost vomited. He was almost dead from his wife's torment. His wife was really no ordinary person. Cough cough cough.
Ouyang Yue glared at Baili Chen with a dark face. Thinking back to what he had said earlier about going easy on her the first and second time, she was glad there were no outsiders in Tianshan, otherwise they would have thought she had forced herself on him. She had suffered and toiled for so long, only to be taken advantage of by this bastard with his words. Of course, she was in a bad mood: "Shut up! Don't call me wife, or I'll kill you!"
Baili Chen looked at Ouyang Yue with some grievance and doubt, and pursed his lips, saying, "But, before, only my wife could take off my mask. You... you took it off, didn't you?"
"I did this to save you, do you want to die?"
Baili Chen said seriously, "This concerns my top secret. Even if I die, I can't let anyone see my true face. Unless it's someone closest to me who loves me, I'm afraid they'll betray me, and I won't even know how I died. Cough cough... Wife, I'm not lying to you, I really do have an illness..."
“Yes, you really are sick, and quite seriously so. Your mind is all muddled.” Ouyang Yue nodded repeatedly, looking at Baili Chen with admiration: “I didn’t realize you were sick, and seriously ill at that. You’re really something.”
Hearing the sarcasm in Ouyang Yue's words, Baili Chen wisely shut his mouth. Ouyang Yue snorted coldly and immediately took the wet clothes to wipe Baili Chen's body. The two had fled into the Tianshan Mountains, fallen into a cave, broken the Five Elements Formation, and encountered a pack of wolves and a swamp. They were both in a sorry state. Ouyang Yue's once neatly combed hair was now disheveled. At this moment, she was carefully wiping Baili Chen's body to cool him down, her expression calm. A mischievous strand of hair fell down, adding a touch of playfulness to her serene beauty.
Ouyang Yue's face was actually quite exquisite, but she was still young and hadn't fully matured. A close look at her features revealed a rare elegance, and her skin was very fair and translucent, making her even more striking and beautiful in Baili Chen's eyes. He thought to himself, a serious woman is truly beautiful. Compared to those hypocritical, pretentious, and vain people in the palace, he had never seen such a different woman. She could be multifaceted in front of him: cunning, greedy, calculating, ruthless, decisive, wise, intelligent, and gentle. He truly didn't know how many facets a woman could possess, and each one was so captivating. It was as if heaven had specially chosen her for him. From the very first moment he met her, he had that feeling: she was his, and he had to hold onto her tightly!
As they spent more time together, this feeling grew stronger. Although he had to admit that his wife possessed talent that many men lacked, and her hidden weapon designs always amazed Lao Tie, he knew he had many ways to win her over. He chose to cooperate, partly to spend more time with her and prevent her from developing a dislike for him. Looking back, he realized he had made the right decision. Knowing his wife had other plans, he knew she needed him, which fostered a sense of dependence. Even with Leng Can's tips, though the guy always complained and demanded someone else handle the wife, it allowed him to learn more about her, things that were previously unknown to others—it was all worthwhile.
It's okay to trouble my subordinates a little more for my wife's sake.
In short, Baili Chen is the kind of person who forgets his brothers once he has a wife. As the saying goes, he forgets his friends and loyalty when he sees a beautiful woman... What a character he really is...
Ouyang Yue was covered in sweat from exhaustion when she looked up and saw Baili Chen with a lecherous look on his face. She immediately frowned and said, "You're not allowed to have any wild thoughts!"
Baili Chen immediately composed himself and said innocently, "Wife, I wasn't thinking anything. I was just thinking about how we could get out of here and how to get the Tianshan Snow Lotus. The way I was acting just now was because I wanted to take the Tianshan Snow Lotus for myself." These words were truly shameless. He knew perfectly well that Ouyang Yue had come to Tianshan to find the Tianshan Snow Lotus at the request of Master Minghui, yet he still wanted to take it for himself.
Ouyang Yue, however, rested her hand on her hand, gently rubbing her chin, and said thoughtfully, "What you said makes a lot of sense. This Heavenly Snow Lotus is no ordinary thing. Originally, that old bald monk Minghui asked me to take it back as a way of thanking him for helping me, but that old bald monk didn't mention how dangerous it was here. I almost died here, and you were staring at me with such lust. I really suffered a great loss. I'm not that stupid to give it to him. I should really be greedy for this thing. It's priceless and has no market value. If I give it directly to the emperor, I can even ask for a reward or something. No matter how you look at it, I can make a profit!"
Bai Lichen was slightly annoyed. He hadn't been lecherous at all; his gaze was full of affection. How come it looked so different in his wife's eyes? But he still said seriously, "Wife, I can offer double. I'm willing to give up all my wealth for this Tianshan Snow Lotus. Do you think this deal is worthwhile?"
Ouyang Yue was slightly taken aback and asked, "All your family assets? How much do you have?"
Baili Chen did some quick calculations: "You know, there's Baohao Money Shop. Although my Baohao Money Shop opened later than Fu's Money Shop and has less capital, it still has a few million. Besides, I've received many gifts from my father and the palace over the years, which I've collected, and I also have some properties, which are quite valuable. I'll use these to exchange for Tianshan Snow Lotus, and oh, I'll get one as a bonus too. Isn't that a good deal?" Baili Chen's eyes sparkled as he looked at Ouyang Yue with anticipation.
The latter immediately gave him a disdainful look: "This extra thing looks really worthless. Since it's an extra, I can choose not to use it. You don't even understand that real money is the only thing worth anything. How much is it worth? You're giving it to me for free, and I'll have to support you in the future. I don't spend money on food, drink, clothing, and other necessities. This is something that will be consumed over a long period of time. It doesn't sound like a good deal to me at all."
Bai Lichen's expression shifted strangely as he stared at Ouyang Yue with his mouth slightly open. He seemed quite surprised by Ouyang Yue's ruthless rejection, which she could then articulate so convincingly that she portrayed him as nothing more than a useless piece of trash, someone who could only be spent but not possessed.
If we follow Ouyang Yue's logic, since Baili Chen's businesses are all hers, they naturally belong to her. Baili Chen, being an idle person, is nothing but a spendthrift; he's really quite useless...
Baili Chen's lips twitched. In all his life, this was the first time someone had called him a good-for-nothing, and so ruthlessly at that. If it were anyone else, he would have killed them in a fit of rage. But with Ouyang Yue, he had no choice but to swallow his anger. However, he was still unconvinced: "Wife, don't underestimate me. I'm a money-making expert. I'll give it to you for free. Just wait and see how happy you are. I can make gold while sitting at home. That's me."
Ouyang Yue nodded and said, "That's true. When your father gives gifts, it's like making money. He's just eating, drinking, and playing with the people's things. You can indeed make money, but you're consuming the people's hard-earned money."
Baili Chen was taken aback, his eyes suddenly turning deep as he looked at Ouyang Yue. No one had ever spoken to him like this before, and he hadn't expected such a seemingly pedantic yet profoundly insightful woman like Ouyang Yue. He sighed and said, "You're right. The rewards given in the palace are for those who eat the people's food, drink the people's drink, and play the people's games..." Then Baili Chen fell into deep thought and said nothing more.
Ouyang Yue stopped halfway through wiping his body, snorted, and said, "You can wipe yourself from now on. I'll come in to collect some things and then soak the clothes and bring them to you. Call me when you're done." After saying that, Ouyang Yue walked out, but when she reached the cave entrance, she couldn't help but turn back and say, "Make sure you put your pants on when you come back." Then she hurriedly walked out.
Baili Chen paused, holding Ouyang Yue's wet clothes, then fell silent for a moment before bursting into laughter. He had seen his wife's adorable red-eared expression. After all, Ouyang Yue had never been so intimate with a man before. Baili Chen lay on the bed, his skin as white as snow, his physique unbelievably good—not much different from modern advertising models. However, modern people value healthy beauty more; most men have wheat-colored skin, and those who are extremely pale are often frail, unlike someone like Baili Chen. Ouyang Yue was directly wiping his body; how could she not react? She wasn't blind.
Baili Chen held Ouyang Yue's wet clothes, even sniffing them. They still carried her faint, unidentified fragrance. Baili Chen narrowed his eyes, his smile becoming even more wicked. He then readily pulled down his legs, grumbled as he wiped himself, and then, after a moment's thought, put his pants back on. However, he was actually afraid that if he didn't wear them, his wife would be furious and might cut off his private parts, which would be terrible for him. It wasn't that Baili Chen was so lewd; Ouyang Yue's slightly flushed cheeks had been too alluring. Baili Chen sighed; if he had had time, he should have kissed her. Tsk tsk, what a pity.
"Wife~ I'm done, come and collect the clothes."
Ouyang Yue stood outside with her arms crossed. Hearing Baili Chen's deliberately drawn-out voice, she frowned but didn't immediately enter the cave. She pondered, truly unable to fathom why Baili Chen was so interested in her. Was it just Ouyang Zhide? Would the Seventh Prince really need to sacrifice his beauty to seduce her for Ouyang Zhide? If it were any other woman besides herself, it was hard to guarantee she wouldn't be tempted and end up doing *that*. Perhaps Baili Chen was no longer a naive young man; his methods were certainly unusual.
Hmph, how could she not know how infatuated Fu Meier and Rui Yuhuan were with him? Back at the Five Elements Temple, she was almost framed for having an affair with a man. She even suspected that Baili Chen did it on purpose back then, but now it seems that it could not be such a coincidence.
Ouyang Yue narrowed her eyes, increasingly convinced of this possibility. It wasn't surprising she was suspicious; her past life experiences made her always feel that any kindness shown to her had a ulterior motive. She had never experienced the legendary selfless love of parents, so how could she believe there were truly people in this world who were completely devoted to her? Even Ouyang Zhide, though she had a good impression of him, her keen perception had already noticed that he seemed to be watching someone through her eyes—someone unlike Ning Shi. This was one of the reasons she suspected her relationship with Ning Shi and her mother. Therefore, Ouyang Zhide's favor was probably not without reason. And Baili Chen, a prince who had lived in the palace since childhood, couldn't possibly have such innocent feelings.
Ouyang Yue took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart caused by Baili Chen, and turned to walk into the cave. She saw Baili Chen lying on his side, his body seemingly even whiter and more moisturized after wiping himself with wet clothes. His eyes were filled with affection and a hint of spring as he looked at her, but Ouyang Yue only said coldly, "Alright, I'll get some more clothes to wet myself. You should rest for a bit." After saying that, she picked up her things and turned to leave, but Baili Chen couldn't fall asleep at all.
He paused, blinking in confusion, then pressed his lips together, his expression turning cold. What was wrong with his wife? Just moments ago, she had walked out shyly, but now, upon her return, she seemed even colder, as if keeping strangers at bay. Just like when he first met her, she was like a hedgehog, constantly using her quills to warn others not to approach her, yet no one knew how alluring that aloofness was. He had once been captivated by it, but now, that wasn't what he wanted.
He wanted a deep connection, a mutual understanding, and this kind of aloofness was too hurtful. Baili Chen was somewhat devastated, so when Ouyang Yue returned, she could clearly sense that he was a little quieter. However, she didn't pay much attention to it and just dutifully wiped Baili Chen's body. After doing this three times, she felt that Baili Chen's body temperature had dropped a bit, and only then did she breathe a sigh of relief and sit down on the other side to rest.
Baili Chen watched Ouyang Yue walk away, his eyes flickering.
After an unknown amount of time, Ouyang Yue was exhausted from the journey and taking care of Baili Chen. As soon as she closed her eyes, drowsiness washed over her. In her hazy state, she seemed to hear some noisy voices. Ouyang Yue thought it was a dream, but suddenly, she opened her eyes wide and her mind immediately became clear. She raised her head and looked around warily, finally focusing her gaze on Baili Chen, who was lying on the weeds of the cave on the other side. He was sleeping soundly, seemingly talking in his sleep, humming and groaning, and his body was tossing and turning uncomfortably.
Ouyang Yue's heart skipped a beat. She rushed over, placing her hand on Baili Chen's head against her own. His fever had worsened again. Without hesitation, she grabbed some clothes, soaked them outside, and brought them back. She even made a small pit on the ground to hold the water. A moment later, she returned and began wiping Baili Chen down to cool him down. This time, Baili Chen remained unconscious, only groaning softly. However, feeling the coolness on his skin, his expression clearly improved.
However, as soon as Ouyang Yue wiped him from head to toe and touched him again, she found that Baili Chen's body temperature had risen again, incredibly quickly. She immediately soaked his clothes in the water she had prepared beforehand and wiped him again, but as soon as she wiped him from head to toe, Baili Chen's condition started to rise again, leaving Ouyang Yue puzzled. What was wrong with Baili Chen's body? But she dared not be negligent. Baili Chen had saved her life several times, and he was already unconscious from the fever. If this continued, it would be too dangerous. She had no reason to abandon him, whether out of affection or a sense of duty.
Without hesitation, Ouyang Yue went outside to fetch water. However, she and Baili Chen had been out for quite some time, and it was now pitch black outside. This posed another challenge for Ouyang Yue. Following her memory of the location to the Qinghe River, she walked cautiously, step by step, not daring to take even half a step too far. Fortunately, perhaps the wild animals and poisonous insects had already rested, and Ouyang Yue encountered no danger on her journeys. Then she returned to wipe Baili Chen down.
However, Baili Chen's constitution seemed truly different from ordinary people. Logically, with Ouyang Yue's care, his high fever should have subsided. She had also cleaned and applied new medicine to Baili Chen's previously reopened wounds, force-fed him healing medicine, and repeatedly wiped his body to lower his temperature. Even if the fever hadn't subsided, it couldn't remain high indefinitely, or even rise further. This inevitably made Ouyang Yue somewhat worried. If he didn't make it through the day, what would happen to Baili Chen…?
Ouyang Yue couldn't care less about anything else. She was tired, but she was determined to bring Baili Chen's fever down. She refused to believe that it was so difficult for her, Ouyang Yue, to save someone!
She didn't know how long Ouyang Yue had walked back and forth, or how many times she had tried to lower Baili Chen's fever. She felt as if she had practically rubbed a layer of skin off Baili Chen's body. Baili Chen's fever had only just subsided slightly when Ouyang Yue suddenly slumped to the ground, unable to get up. She truly felt that taking care of a patient was more exhausting than completing an SS-level mission in her previous life. She didn't want to take care of anyone for the rest of her life; it was tormenting both her body and mind.
Ouyang Yue closed her eyes, yawned, and, unable to bear it any longer, sat down on the ground and dozed off.
"Hmm...hmm...hmm...cold...so cold...cold..."
Half-asleep, Ouyang Yue was woken up again. Frowning, she opened her eyes with great annoyance. Who dared to disturb her sleep? She immediately shouted, "Baili Chen! Are you ever going to stop?!"
However, the only response she received was Baili Chen's painful groans: "Cold...cold...so cold..."
Ouyang Yue raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but reach out to touch his forehead. She immediately gasped and withdrew her hand, then kept shaking her arm. She was shocked: "How did Baili Chen's body temperature suddenly drop so much? And this is definitely not a normal person's body temperature. It feels like touching an ice cube. My hand almost went numb from the cold."
Ouyang Yue immediately touched Baili Chen's body and found that he was shockingly cold, a temperature far beyond what an average person would have. She quickly covered him with everything available in the room, but it was far from enough to warm him. His eyes were tightly closed, a look of pain flashing across his face. He kept frowning and twisting his body. Even in his sleep, he instinctively hugged himself and rubbed his arms up and down, but to no avail. Baili Chen's body trembled and even twitched from the cold.
Ouyang Yue was also greatly surprised. Baili Chen's body temperature was frighteningly low. Even a person who had just recovered from a high fever wouldn't be like this with a low-grade fever. Yet, at this moment, large beads of sweat began to drip from Baili Chen's head, clearly from the cold. However, these beads of sweat immediately froze into small ice crystals as soon as they fell, while a faint mist seemed to rise from Baili Chen's head, as if he had become an ice sculpture. Ouyang Yue frowned deeply. What was going on? She had never seen anyone in this state before.
Even though she thought she had seen a lot in her past life, she had never heard of such a thing. Given Bai Lichen's condition, he shouldn't be sweating profusely. Even if he were, could Bai Lichen's body be below zero? And how could it freeze into ice beans? And what's with the smoke on his head?
Ouyang Yue immediately stepped forward and slapped Baili Chen's cheeks without mercy: "Baili Chen, wake up! Baili Chen, wake up! Wake up quickly, quickly!"
Ouyang Yue continued to pinch various acupoints on Baili Chen's body, causing Baili Chen to groan even louder in pain. He opened his eyes groggily and saw only a blurry figure. He hugged it tightly and said, "Mother, Mother...you have come to see your son, Mother."
Baili Chen hugged Ouyang Yue tightly around the waist, rubbing his head against her chest. If she didn't know that Baili Chen was currently in a daze, she would have thought that he was taking advantage of her. However, the way Baili Chen hugged her made Ouyang Yue feel even more clearly how low his body temperature was. This was not normal for a human. Did Baili Chen have some kind of strange illness?
"Mother, Mother..." However, Baili Chen just kept holding her body and kept murmuring. It seemed that Ouyang Yue's body was very comfortable and he was not so uncomfortable anymore. However, his arms still did not loosen and tightly wrapped around Ouyang Yue's waist.
Upon seeing this, Ouyang Yue immediately covered Baili Chen's clothes with his clothes and then covered him with a layer of dry grass.
"Awoo, awoo, awoo!"
Just then, the howling of wolves suddenly rang out outside. Ouyang Yue's heart skipped a beat, and a bad premonition rose within her. The next moment, rustling footsteps sounded at the cave entrance, and soon a pack of wolves gathered inside. At the head of the pack was the same wolf leader Ouyang Yue had encountered danger earlier. However, Ouyang Yue's heart skipped a beat when she saw them. She noticed that each of the wolves had some dry grass in their mouths, and under the wolf leader's command, they quickly put down the grass and left. A short while later, they returned in a pack. Ouyang Yue's brow furrowed.
The wolves seemed to know they were in trouble and brought them hay. The madam wolf approached Ouyang Yue and growled softly in a gesture of friendliness. Ouyang Yue couldn't help but smile; they must have remembered the food she had given them during the day. Ouyang Yue said, "Thank you, I remember your kindness. Thank you."
The pack of wolves came back several times, delivering hay before leaving again under the leadership of their leader. A hint of tenderness flashed in Ouyang Yue's eyes.
"Mother...My Lady...My Lady..."
Baili Chen's murmured calls suddenly turned, and he called out to Ouyang Yue. Ouyang Yue was startled and looked down, only to see that Baili Chen's face still showed pain, and his body temperature was still frighteningly low; she even felt that she was about to freeze. She immediately picked up some dry grass and covered Baili Chen with it, but this did not improve his condition.
Ouyang Yue was sweating profusely with anxiety, her lips pressed tightly together.
She first met Baili Chen in the palace, when Ouyang Hua tricked her into going to a pavilion where Ning Xihai and a group of纨绔公子 (sons of wealthy and powerful families) were waiting to humiliate her. Although she was confident they wouldn't succeed, she dared not act rashly in the palace. Just as she made up her mind, Baili Chen saved her. After that, there were many other times when she thought she could protect herself, but Baili Chen always appeared at the right time to resolve her troubles. Of course, her feelings for him were only because of his help and a slight fondness; nothing more.
But in reality, there's much more to the relationship between the two than that.
Baili Chen saved her life time and time again. For example, when she was being chased by a whole group of assassins from the Blood Killing Alliance, if Baili Chen hadn't blocked her, she would have been the one poisoned by the dart. In the swamp, if he hadn't pushed her, they might have both died if they had fallen in.
Moreover, the recurrence of Baili Chen's wounds was probably related to the uncleanliness of the swamp. His body was now alternating between hot and cold, which was also related to Ouyang Yue to some extent. She frowned and looked at Baili Chen, who was calling her name and shivering from the cold. She felt a little confused.