L'hibiscus comme peinture

Chapitre 55

In the camp, only Yelü Ying's wild laughter echoed for a long time, but who knew the bitterness and sweetness in that laughter?

Amidst laughter, Yelü Ying had already re-bandaged Ao Jun's wound.

Ao Jun felt that the wound was no longer so painful, and her strength seemed to have returned a lot. It seemed that the medicine was quite effective. Although it hurt terribly at first, it felt cool and comfortable now. Had she misunderstood Yelü Ying?

Slowly opening her eyes, Ao Jun realized that Yelü Ying had stopped laughing and was staring at her wound with a dark gaze. Only then did she realize that her injury was on her chest, below her collarbone. However, Yelü Ying had to lift her inner garment to apply medicine to her. Her inner garment was now half-exposed, and her entire shoulder was exposed. Yelü Ying had been watching her as he bandaged her up.

At this thought, Ao Jun's face flushed red. It wasn't that she cared about the taboo of men and women touching each other, but rather that she had always been averse to men. Although she had kissed Jin Xuan, this was the first time she had ever been naked in front of a man like this, and Yelü Ying had just tried to... If her face didn't turn red at this thought, she definitely wouldn't be a girl.

"Yelü Ying!" Ao Jun blushed and hissed. That damned Yelü Ying actually tried to take off his inner garment while she was distracted. Fortunately, she noticed in time and stopped him.

"Hehe... Don't worry, considering how badly you're injured, I won't take you for now. But remember, you can't escape; you'll be mine sooner or later. Now? I just hate seeing your blood-stained clothes. How disgusting!" Yelü Ying said with a frivolous and wicked smile. In truth, seeing those blood-stained clothes reminded him of how much blood she had lost, how many injuries she had suffered, and how much pain she had endured. His heart ached deeply. My lord, what should I do with you?

"Then... I'll do it myself." Ao Jun lowered her head, no longer looking at Yelü Ying, and said softly. Because although Yelü Ying tried her best to hide it, Ao Jun could still see heartache, helplessness, and bitterness in her red eyes. Why was Yelü Ying being so foolish?

"Are you sure?" Yelü Ying glanced sideways at Ao Jun, whose face was deathly pale, and asked with a mocking tone.

Despite the pain, Ao Jun nodded. Yelü Ying said nothing more, but turned and left. A moment later, a white undergarment was thrown at Ao Jun's face.

Ao Jun raised her hand in frustration and removed the clothes from her face, but she couldn't see Yelü Ying anywhere. She only heard a wicked laugh that seemed to come from inside the tent: "Don't worry about changing your clothes! Hehe..."

If this didn't move her, then her heart must be made of iron. Although he had treated her that way before, it was because she had wronged him first; she couldn't blame him. But now, though he still seemed cruel to her, he still genuinely cared for her. He truly loved her, regardless of whether she was a man or a woman. But could she reciprocate his deep affection? Did she even have his heart? She didn't know…

Lost in her thoughts, she struggled to remove her blood-stained undergarment, slowly raised her hand, and put on the new undergarment. She never imagined that putting on clothes could be so difficult.

"Alright." As soon as Ao Jun finished dressing, Yelü Ying's charming voice rang out, and with the last syllable, he was already in front of Ao Jun.

"Hmm." Ao Jun nodded slightly. Was this person secretly watching the whole time? Otherwise, how could they be so accurate?

"Yelü Ying, why... am I here?" Ao Jun broke the silence first, asking the question she had wanted to ask since waking up. After Ao Jun hummed in response, the two remained silent. Ao Jun didn't speak, and Yelü Ying didn't speak either, just quietly looking at her.

"Hehe... You want to ask why Ouyang Jinxuan abandoned you and let me take you away, right?" Yelü Ying sat down leisurely on the edge of the bed, smiling wickedly. He had completely suppressed all his emotions, making it impossible for Ao Jun to tell whether he was happy or angry.

"Hmm." Ao Jun nodded again. She found it very strange. It was impossible for Jin Xuan to let Yelü Ying take her away when she was injured so easily, unless... unless he was powerless to stop it! This possibility had been lingering in her mind, but she just didn't want to think about it. Now that Yelü Ying had spoken it for her, she had no choice but to face it. But she believed that Jin Xuan would be fine.

"What if I said it was because he couldn't stop me? What if I said it was because I had already killed him?" Yelü Ying said with a nonchalant smirk, moving closer to Ao Jun as he spoke.

"Shut up." Ao Jun's face was icy as she hissed, ignoring Yelü Ying's approaching figure. Her mind was blank, filled only with Yelü Ying's words, "Killed by me... killed by me..." Her heart ached terribly, a thousand times more than the pain of her wound reopening. It felt as if her heart had been ripped apart, torn to pieces, and the sky had collapsed. Jin Xuan, no, it couldn't be, he was the "God of War"! No, it couldn't be, he couldn't die, he couldn't die... She didn't understand what this feeling was.

"What, you don't believe me? Or are you feeling sorry for me?" Yelü Ying's wicked smile widened, and his tone became even more obviously sarcastic.

But Ao Jun could clearly see the deep hatred and resentment in his eyes. If Jin Xuan had really been killed by him, he wouldn't have shown such out-of-control emotions when mentioning Jin Xuan. The only possibility was that he couldn't kill Jin Xuan at all.

"Heh... You didn't believe me, Yelü Ying. You almost fooled me. If you really killed Jinxuan, your eyes should be filled with the pleasure of revenge, not this deep hatred. Moreover, once the Longxuan army is without its commander, you will definitely take the opportunity to wipe out Longxuan's 100,000-strong army, and Ziqi and the others will definitely fight to the death to avenge Jinxuan. Then you, Yelü Ying, won't have time to amuse me here. Besides, with Jinxuan's martial arts skills, you can't kill him so easily." Ao Jun analyzed with a cold smile. Although she was very weak, the confidence and wisdom she exuded were so compelling that no one could help but admire her.

"As expected of Mo Jun, you are indeed exceptionally intelligent and possess astonishing insight. You are right, Ouyang Jinxuan is not dead. However..." Yelü Ying smiled coldly and admitted nonchalantly, then deliberately stopped.

He never thought he could fool the clever Jun. Heh... Since they met, she has always been the one deceiving and using him. When has he ever been able to deceive her? Heh... Isn't he a terrible "Devouring Flame Evil Lord"? In front of her, he has always been transparent, seen through by her perfectly, while he has never been able to see through her. The only thing he is sure of is that in her heart, Ouyang Jinxuan is more important than him.

"But what?" Ao Jun knew that Yelü Ying was waiting for her to ask, so she would ask as he wanted! Knowing that Jin Xuan was alright, she was no longer in a hurry.

"However, you overestimate Ouyang Jinxuan, don't you? If it weren't for Wei Ziqi and a woman suddenly appearing, Ouyang Jinxuan would have been dead by my sword long ago. Heh... Don't be too happy yet. Although he's not dead, he's seriously injured. According to our scouts, he's still unconscious. Whether he lives or dies is up to fate!" Yelü Ying mocked with a wicked smile, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Ziqi? A woman?" Ao Jun grasped these words, lowered his head in thought. It was natural for Ziqi to be worried about them coming, but who could that woman be? Ying'er? And Jin Xuan was still unconscious?

"How long have I been unconscious?" Ao Jun raised her head and asked abruptly. Looking at the head that was completely black, she was certain that, given the severity of her injuries, she had been unconscious for more than just a day.

Sure enough, Yelü Ying said with a wicked smile, "You've been unconscious for five days and five nights, and you've been saying all sorts of nonsensical things."

For five days and five nights, he personally cared for her without taking off his clothes, because she had a persistent high fever and was having nightmares. Although she kept saying strange things in her delirium, seeing the beads of sweat constantly seeping from her, he was certain she was having nightmares. What kind of experience could have made the usually calm and composed number one strategist in the world so frightened? He was filled with doubt and heartache. He refused to entrust her care to anyone else, firstly because he didn't want people to know her identity as a woman, and secondly because he wanted to take care of her himself. Even though he himself was seriously injured, and Shen Tu Chu Fei and the others kept urging him to rest, he wouldn't leave her bedside for even a moment, always holding her hand, comforting her, and trying to keep her from having nightmares. But all she could think about was Ouyang Jin Xuan; no wonder he lost control.

"What? Five days and five nights? You've been taking care of me the whole time?" Ao Jun was shocked. She had been unconscious for so long, and had been having nightmares? After a moment's thought, the scenes from her dream slowly surfaced. It wasn't a dream; her parents had really left her! And was the voice holding her hand in the dream, giving her warmth and comfort, Yelü Ying? But she remembered that before she fainted, he and Jin Xuan were both seriously injured. Could he still take care of her like this?

"Heh...take care of you? I don't have that kind of free time. There are still many things in the army that I need to handle! The real decisive battle between Cangliao and Longxuan is about to begin." Yelü Ying stubbornly refused to admit it and immediately changed the subject.

"You want to take advantage of Jin Xuan's unconsciousness to fight Long Xuan?" Ao Jun said calmly, as if this had nothing to do with her. In her heart, however, she thought: What a dishonest child! She didn't believe that after knowing her true identity as a woman, he would entrust her to someone else. But since he wanted to change the subject, and she also wanted to know Long Xuan's current situation, she might as well go along with him!

"Hehe... Worried? Well, the Longxuan army is in chaos right now because the commander-in-chief is unconscious and the strategist has been captured. But that Wei Ziqi is quite capable; he's managed to hold off our attacks multiple times under these circumstances. Hehe... As for how long he can hold out, who knows? Hehe... With your intelligence, you must know!" Yelü Ying didn't directly answer Ao Jun's question. He wasn't stupid; of course, he knew that besides Ouyang Jinxuan's situation, what Ao Jun wanted to know most right now was Longxuan Jun's current state. So, he kindly told her a little something!

"You did this on purpose. Ziqi is quite capable, but compared to you, he's still a bit lacking. Plus, the morale of the Longxuan soldiers must be wavering right now. Under these circumstances, it's impossible for the people you sent to return unscathed. Yelü Ying, you're just playing with him like this." Ao Jun frowned and said. No, she had to find a way to escape quickly, otherwise, if Jinxuan didn't wake up soon, Longxuan's 100,000-strong army would be in great danger.

"Don't even think about running away. You've lost all your martial arts skills, and this place is under my control, heavily guarded. There's no way you can escape. Just focus on healing your injuries! Once you're healed, I'll definitely come and pamper you. For now... I'll let you go for now! Hehe... Get well soon!" Yelü Ying saw through Ao Jun's thoughts, first with a wicked sneer, then with an ambiguous tone towards Ao Jun.

"You...you can't hold me." Ao Jun's voice faltered, her face flushed, but she still spoke defiantly. Her heart sank: Indeed, even without her injuries, how could she escape Cang Liao's camp without her martial arts? And he dared to say such things to her—what did he take her for? A concubine? She wouldn't let him succeed. Even without her inner strength, unable to fight him head-on, couldn't she outsmart him? She refused to believe that such an ancient man could hold back a modern 21st-century woman like herself.

"Is that so? Then let's give it a try." Yelü Ying walked out with a confident, wicked grin. Seeing the doorway, he turned back and said with a wicked smile, "This is my main tent. No one dares to come in without my permission. Get some rest, my darling! Haha..."

As he disappeared into the darkness with a loud laugh, Ao Jun's tense nerves relaxed instantly. She collapsed onto the bed, completely exhausted, her mind racing. How could she escape?

As she pondered, her eyes darted around, taking in her surroundings. It was indeed Yelü Ying's tent—truly magnificent, befitting his status as Crown Prince. It was nothing like Jin Xuan's simple dwelling; anyone who didn't know better would mistake it for a prince's quarters. Thinking of Jin Xuan, Ao Jun suddenly felt a sweet warmth in her heart, as if she had eaten honey. What kind of feeling was that? Then, remembering that he was still unconscious, she couldn't help but feel deeply worried. Jin Xuan, you must get better soon, wake up soon!

My eyes then fell upon a very sharp sword on the bedside table. That was… that was her Heavenly Stem Sword. Yelü Ying had left all his swords here for her. Yelü Ying, oh Yelü Ying! Do I, Ling Aojun, deserve such sincere treatment from you? Aren't you afraid that I will hurt you again for Long Xuan's sake? Why did you fall in love with me? Xue said that someone with my lack of emotional intelligence would inevitably suffer if anyone fell in love with me. She was right. You must be in great pain right now! If that's the case, why not let go?

Standing beneath the starry sky, Yelü Ying looked up at the heavens alone, his heart filled with bitterness: Let go? I want to let go, but I can't, I can never let go again. You can only be mine, both your body and your heart! To get you, I will stop at nothing…

The Strategist and the Princess: Battlefield Chapter 47 - Rescue