Sept nuits de neige

Chapitre 32

"Don't they all carry their wives on their backs?" Shen blurted out, forgetting to correct himself.

The fair little hand didn't strike as usual, nor did she jump up and scream as usual. Nineteen blushed and gently pinched his shoulder.

"You're talking nonsense again." That's what she said, but there was still a smile in her eyes.

He always seemed so useless and good-for-nothing, but I never expected him to have such broad and reliable shoulders. Nineteen, crouching behind Shen Yuntan, whispered, "Yuntan."

This time, she didn't call him a good-for-nothing, nor did she call him a spittoon.

Long strands of hair fell down, tickling their faces. They turned their heads slightly, and their faces touched so easily that they both blushed involuntarily.

Shen Yuntan took a deep breath and whispered, "Nineteen."

"Um?"

"This is the first time I've ever carried a girl on my back."

"Eh? Could it be that you've always carried men on your back? You really are..." She remembered the joke he made at the inn and deliberately brought it up to laugh at him.

"..." Shen Yuntan suddenly understood Tianxiu's helplessness when he was interrupted by Shijiu.

"nineteen……"

"Um?"

"Eat less at the next meal, I can hardly carry you anymore."

"..." This time, it was Nineteen's turn to remain silent for a long time. "As expected, he's still a good-for-nothing. How are you going to carry your wife in the future?"

"No need to wait until later."

"What?" She clearly didn't understand, and he didn't explain further. He just hoped that the road to the inn could be longer, much longer, and preferably never end.

"nineteen."

"What's wrong now?"

"No, I was just calling you. Nineteen."

Unfortunately, although the Jinxiu Medical Clinic was in the east of the city and the inn was in the west, the road from east to west still had an end. Even more unfortunately, after banging on the door for so long and almost demolishing the inn, the result was still: there were no rooms available.

Despite the shopkeeper being terrified by the nineteen fierce and malevolent spirits, he was still unable to conjure up another room.

After threatening and coercing Nineteen for a long time, Shen Yun slowly took out a gold leaf from his pocket: "You must have a room, right? Then stay in your room."

The shopkeeper was immediately drawn to the gold leaf, staring at it intently as if afraid it would run away: "Yes, yes, but in my small room, uh, there's only one bed." These two didn't look like siblings, nor were they dressed as a couple; he really should remind them.

Shen Yun pretended to ponder for a moment, then said, "There's no other way. Something is better than nothing. Please trouble the shopkeeper to tidy up and bring in a bucket of hot water while you're at it."

Money makes the world go round, and Nineteen witnessed firsthand how money solved problems that violence couldn't. In no time, the innkeeper had the room spotless, and the sheets, pillowcases, and duvet covers had all been replaced. A sleepy-eyed waiter huffed and puffed as he dragged a steaming wooden tub from the kitchen to the room.

Shen Yuntan placed a set of clothes belonging to the shopkeeper's wife on the table and said softly, "You've been up all day, take a shower and go to sleep." Nineteen asked in surprise, "What about you?"

Yun Tan gently stroked her black hair: "I'm going to find the place where Xiao Er takes a bath, so I can take a bath too. I'll be back in a little while."

He locked the door for her and stood outside for a long time, watching her petite figure reflected on the window paper as she slowly undressed and began to bathe. As she entered the wooden tub, she let out a soft, comfortable moan, but his hearing was excellent, and he didn't miss it.

Shen Yuntan composed himself, resisting the urge to break down the door. He turned around, lifted his robe, and went to find the bathing area.

Nineteen soaked comfortably in the hot water, washing away the blood, grime, and mud from her body, feeling utterly satisfied. Women love to bathe, especially after extreme stress; a bath is the best way to relieve stress. Her thoughts gradually cleared, and Nineteen frowned, pondering the relationship between Tianxiu, Tianshu, and the strange man in white.

Although Tianxiu had plotted against her before, his dedication to taking care of her these past few days was genuine. If he wanted to kill her, he could have just poisoned her; there was no need for Tianshu to do it.

Tian Shu… Why would Tian Shu want to kill me? He had clearly given me medicine before, and if he wanted to kill me, why didn't he do it two days ago? And why would someone with such an icy demeanor suddenly become so mentally unstable and suffer a qi deviation?

And... and that strange man in white.

He saved him again. Nineteen felt a pang of gratitude thinking of this person, yet the memory of the horrific scene at the mountain temple still sent chills down her spine. It must have been that guy… Recalling the white-clad stranger's incredible martial arts skills during his battle with Tang Diruo that day, Nineteen was absolutely certain he possessed such abilities.

Is he Tian Shu's enemy?

Was it he who burned down the Jinxiu Medical Clinic?

There were too many problems, making her head increasingly fuzzy. Nineteen took a deep breath and decided to leave these complicated issues to her, a "person in the martial arts world," to solve. Shen Yun, a mere scholar, really didn't need to get involved.

Anyway, she's there for you when there's danger.

This time was better than last time; at least I dodged a few attacks. If I had the Xuanbei Blade in hand, it would definitely be a different story!

Seemingly having completely forgotten that she had been scratched several times by Zi Nu that afternoon, and that she had just been driven to the brink of despair by Tian Shu, she regained her confidence.

The water was getting a little cool, so Nineteen got out of the bucket and took the shopkeeper's wife's clothes to wear. The lady seemed to be a carefree person, since a carefree person is prone to being overweight. Wearing the baggy clothes, she herself felt somewhat comical.

So, when Shen Yuntan pushed open the door, this was the scene he saw.

The oversized, ill-fitting clothes draped over Nineteen's delicate and charming body, with the sleeves rolled up, revealing a section of her arm, which added to her allure.

Seeing him enter, Shijiu reached out and picked up the wooden tub: "Hmm, I'm done washing. I'm about to take the tub out." She bent down, and her wide collar slipped to one side, revealing a fragrant shoulder. Her skin, freshly washed, was like the finest white jade, and her delicate collarbone was like a butterfly standing still, waiting to take flight, exquisite and translucent.

Shen Yun closed his eyes and sighed inwardly. The cold shower he had just taken was a waste.

Chapter Twenty-One: An Encounter

Gently pressing down on the hand carrying the bucket, Shen Yun said softly, "Let's leave it here for now, and the waiter will come to collect it tomorrow."

Nineteen was exhausted herself, and upon hearing this, she immediately let go. Her eyelids were heavy, and she couldn't hold on any longer, so she slumped onto the bed. However, she still stubbornly insisted, "I'll make a makeshift bed on the floor later, and you can sleep on the floor. You don't know martial arts, and the cold ground will easily make you sick."

Shen Yun chuckled and suddenly moved closer, his gentle breath almost touching hers, creating a very ambiguous atmosphere: "No rush, let me take a look at your injury first."