Three days later, Liang's army launched a perfunctory attack on the city, and Qi Xuan's army offered a perfunctory resistance. Then, Liang's generals announced the failure of the siege in a perfunctory manner, as if to send Lu Feng off. On the way back, several lieutenants whipped their horses fiercely, saying that they had never fought a battle that was about to end in sleep.
Seven days later, Lu Feng was punished by the emperor in Tianjun, but because of his excessive contributions to the court, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
Upon receiving the news, Rong Yue was engrossed in discussing with the commander-in-chief how to break camp and return to the city, but due to the large number of people infected by the virus, they could not determine the exact date for the time being.
However, just as the generals were feeling distressed and lost, a piece of good news suddenly appeared out of nowhere, breaking the silence of their melancholy.
"One person has been cured! This poison can be cured!" The shouts echoed throughout the entire military camp.
This meant they were not in danger of being infected and that they would soon be returning to the city, so everyone was overjoyed when they heard the news, except for one person.
When the news reached Rong Yue's ears, he was still reading a military book that he didn't understand. He then threw it down, lifted the tent flap, and headed towards the quarantine zone.
"Lord Rong, it's dangerous here. You might get infected. You can't go any further." Two soldiers stopped him, but they were captivated by the piercing light in his eyes.
Where are my personal guards?
"At the medical ward," one of them replied hastily.
Inside the medical tent, there were only two people. It was so quiet that you could hear the dripping of water—no, the dripping of blood!
A huge wooden barrel stood in the middle, originally filled with clear water, but now it was murky and turbid. A pair of snow-white, lotus-root-like arms hung from it, with knife wounds on them, from which blood kept gushing out.
When Rong Yue entered, this was the scene he saw: Shen Mo was sitting on a high table, looking as if she might fall into the tub, her dark hair unable to cover her paper-white face.
"What are you doing!" Rong Yue rushed over and pulled Shen Mo's arm out of the bucket, pressing hard on the knife wound.
The military doctor, seeing Rong Yue so enraged for the first time, frantically dropped the pen and paper he was still recording the samples, and hurriedly knelt down, saying, "Lord Rong... Lord Rong, your personal guard is truly a god reincarnated! His body is perfectly suited to neutralize the soldier's toxins. If we could remove this blood..."
"Shut up!" In his rage, Rong Yue saw that Shen Mo's blood had stained his hands, and roared, "Come over here and stop the bleeding!"
The medic glanced into the bucket and nodded. "This should be enough." He then hurried over with the medicine, completely unaware of Rong Yue's increasingly dark face after hearing this.
After the treatment was completed, the military doctor looked at Rong Yue's hands, hesitated for a few moments, and finally said, "Sir, if you want to wash your hands, you can wash them in the bucket. It won't be a waste."
These words finally ignited Rong Yue's anger.
"Someone come here!" The shout was so hoarse that those outside thought something was wrong, and a large group of people rushed into the tent in an instant.
The army doctor blinked at them, still oblivious to the danger, and said, "Sir, we don't need so many people to carry him. Four or five people are enough."
"Kill this quack doctor!"
Even the soldiers were confused. Their Lord Rong was strangely holding his thin personal guard, and with an unusual expression, he ordered them to kill the army's most responsible doctor.
For a moment, no one moved, and the stalemate lasted for a long time. It wasn't until a weak voice broke the deadlock.
"You brought me to this germ-infested military camp, wasn't that your purpose to make me like this?" Her voice was barely audible, yet exceptionally clear in the quiet tent. Shen Mo stared intently at Rong Yue. "Is that so?"
Rong Yue avoided her gaze at that moment and looked directly at the military doctor beside him.
Shen Mo gave a self-deprecating laugh, "Why take your anger out on the military doctor? He sacrificed me for his patients, while you are even more despicable, doing it for your own future."
"You shut up too!"
Shen Mo listened to Rong Yue's shouts at him and calmly closed his eyes. The self-mockery on his face gradually faded; he was indeed a little tired...
Chapter Twenty-Three: Confession
"Chen Mo?" Rong Yue patted her cheek, but there was no further movement. "Wake up!"
"My lord!" the army doctor called out, only to be met with eyes full of resentment. However, he had understood some of what Shen Mo had said earlier, so he wasn't afraid that Rong Yue would kill him. He said directly, "Your personal guard fainted due to excessive blood loss. I have already stopped the bleeding for her. However, the army has been encamped for several days, and there is no blood to replenish it. My lord should send someone to take her back to the city as soon as possible. We can't let her stay here in vain..."
Before the medic could finish speaking, he stared blankly as Rong Yue quickly stood up and picked up the person in his arms, giving the illusion that he was carrying a woman. The soldiers crowded at the door quickly shook off their thoughts and stepped aside to let Rong Yue pass.
"You guys! Come here and move the medicine from the bucket to the isolation area so they can drink it in three doses."
Upon reaching the tent and hearing the medic's instructions from inside, Rong Yue stopped abruptly and took a few steps back. However, he felt the dried blood on his hands, which was extremely uncomfortable. After glancing at the terrifyingly pale woman in his arms, Rong Yue finally composed himself and turned to leave.
Why bring her to the military camp? With the cruel reason she believed in, all other reasons seemed far-fetched. Even Rong Yue didn't know what he was thinking, but Shen Mo made the decision for him.
The black horse seemed to understand its master's urgency. With a neigh, it kicked up a cloud of dust and carried the two of them toward Ningcheng.
From then on, rumors of Rong Yue's homosexuality spread in the army, and with insiders comparing his twenty-four years of experience without romantic relationships, the rumors grew stronger.
On the road, Rong Yue, who clearly didn't know how to take care of people, caused the horse to gallop wildly under the whip's urging. Coupled with the bumpy road in the suburbs, this jolted Shen Mo awake.
"So you're here to torment me, after all?" Shen Mo struggled to cling to his waist.
"Whoa!" Upon hearing the sound, Rong Yue immediately reined in his horse, reached into his robes, and pulled the horse up.
"You're still alive!"
Shen Mo's face was still bloodless, and he frowned, unable to open his eyes. "Young Master, it hurts, please be gentle."
Rong Yue then realized he had touched the incision on her arm and quickly let go. "How do you feel now?"
"I feel dizzy, it hurts, and I'm cold." Shen Mo rarely gets a chance to unleash his senses.
After hearing this, Rong Yue was at a loss, unsure whether to continue on his way or dismount and walk. He grew somewhat irritated and asked, "What exactly do you want?"
Shen Mo's hand slowly slid into his clothes. The icy touch seemed to make his hot heart very uncomfortable, and even skipped a few beats. Shen Mo did not see Rong Yue's stunned expression at all. He snuggled comfortably into his arms. "Hmm... it's much warmer now, but I don't have any strength in my hand. If you don't mind, young master, could you lend me some strength with your free hand?"
"Shen Mo, don't push your luck!" Realizing that Shen Mo was mocking him for his guilt, Rong Yue was so angry he wanted to bite his teeth.
"..."
The person in his arms fell silent, but stubbornly refused to remove her hand. Rong Yue sighed, no longer holding a grudge against him, and after hesitating for a few moments, finally used his free hand to support her back.
Where are you two headed?
Just as Rong Yue was about to continue on his way, a sudden sound made him stop his whip. Less than two meters in front of him, a horse was lying across the road. The man on the horse was wearing a half-mask, and his clasped hands posture was unusually relaxed, as if he were sitting on his own porch.
The person in his arms paused, about to turn their head, only to find that Rong Yue had firmly held the back of their head in place, preventing them from moving.
Rong Yue narrowed his eyes slightly and confidently said, "Xiao Yin!"
"Ha! Young Master Rong's nose is indeed sensitive. I will definitely not bring this damned lingxiang with me next time I go out. It has inadvertently revealed my identity."
“If Your Highness has nothing else to say, please forgive me, I have other matters to attend to and cannot keep you company.” After saying this, Rong Yue turned his horse around and prepared to leave.
Xiao Yin's horse stepped forward, ready to block him. "Actually, Young Master Rong, if you have something to do, you can leave on your own. As for the others, I'm willing to help you out."
How do you know it's her?
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yin raised his head with considerable confidence, "This means that your military and political affairs need to be reorganized."
Rong Yue frowned, pondered for a moment, and then seemed poised to force his way in. "She's not a blood-producing machine."
"Oh? But as far as I know, she just now became your blood-producing tool, Rong Yue."
These words were clearly provocative, but Shen Mo seemed not to hear them, nestled in Rong Yue's arms and remaining motionless.
After a long while, not hearing their voices, Shen Mo tried turning his head, only to find that Rong Yue's hand had moved away. He struggled to turn his head and looked around, but found no one there. He looked at Rong Yue blankly and said, "They're gone?"
At this moment, Shen Mo's lips, which were usually rosy red, were bluish-purple and bloodless. Rong Yue shook his head, "Looking like this, he wouldn't be interested."
His back was supported and held firmly in her arms, without any jolting; his arms didn't need to exert any force, so there was no pain; Shen Mo then put his palms into his clothes again, and he wasn't cold.
In her dream, Shen Mo clearly recalled the year she was kidnapped when she was twelve years old. Shen Yue had also carried her back in the same way. Everything was so similar. If the two timelines were about to overlap, what would happen next?
"Cough...cough cough!" Shen Mo, who was pondering this question, was choked awake by a bloody smell. When he opened his eyes, he saw a blood-dripping arm, and the blood was dripping into... his mouth!
Shen Mo pushed the arm away, tilted his head as if to vomit, but was immediately pulled back. With a burst of breath, he swallowed the blood with a gulp.
"Young Master, you!" Shen Mo stuck out his tongue and gagged, but was helplessly restrained and unable to move.
To everyone's surprise, he nodded calmly, "You are what you eat, and it's true."
Knowing that it was truly rare for him to do this, Shen Mo swallowed the metallic taste in her mouth with all her might, signaling that she would stop vomiting before he released her. When she sat up, she found herself in a tidy room, lying on a couch.
"arrive?"
“Not so fast, this is an inn along the way.” Rong Yue rubbed his temples, then put his hand down and looked at her. “I’d be crazy to personally bring you back.”
Shen Mo had somehow found a piece of cloth and carefully bandaged his hand. "If you regret it, young master, you can still leave now. I won't blame you."
As she finished bandaging him, Shen Mo tied a knot for him. She didn't have much strength in her hands, but when she exerted force, it aggravated the wound, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead. However, she bit her lower lip to keep herself from making a sound.
Upon seeing this, Rong Yue pried her hands away, saying, "Enough!" It was unclear whether he was speaking to Shen Mo or to himself.
"Ta-da!" "Young master? Young master?"
Just then, a knock sounded at the door, breaking the silence of the room.
Rong Yue stood up, turned his back, and walked to the window. "Come in."
A waiter poked his head in, put down his things, and greeted the waiter enthusiastically, "These are the blood-nourishing things you just asked for, young master. I've found them all. There's also a bowl of red date soup, which is considered a holy grail for blood nourishment by the pharmacist in our town. Don't worry, young master, with these things, the young lady's health will surely recover as soon as possible."
"Okay, go out." Rong Yue replied calmly.
"Alright!" The waiter walked out happily, but as soon as he stepped one foot across the threshold, he heard a loud crash.
Shen Mo saw the two of them turn to stare at him at the same time, and lowered his head apologetically. He originally wanted to recover as soon as possible by himself, but when he picked up the bowl, he found that he had no strength at all. He lost his grip and dropped it on the ground, shattering it into pieces.
"Bring me another bowl." It was Rong Yue who spoke first. Hearing his patron's words, the waiter abandoned his regret about the precious food on the ground and leisurely left.
Rong Yue kicked the door shut, sat back down, and punished her by grabbing the red dates the waiter brought and stuffing them into her mouth one by one.
"Um... Young Master!" Shen Mo couldn't keep up with his speed for a moment.
Rong Yue stopped and looked at her with a deep gaze. "What? Do you expect me to chew it up for you?"
Shen Mo remained silent, struggling to chew the unknown substance in her mouth until the waiter brought her the second bowl of soup, at which point she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Night
Although he had stayed up late with Rong Yue more than once when he was a page, it was always in the study. But now, in the bedroom, with only a man and a woman, Shen Mo, having lived in ancient times for a long time, began to feel uncomfortable, especially since the two had been silent for several hours.
Looking at Rong Yue, who was sitting cross-legged not far from her, showing no sign of leaving, Shen Mo shook her head. She believed he was still awake.
Autumn had arrived, and a cold wind still occasionally drifted in through the window. Shen Mo, who usually took such good care of him, seemed to be suffering from a mental disorder, pulling off her own quilt and slowly moving towards him.
"Young Master." Shen Mo gently called to him as he covered his legs with the quilt.
A wave of warmth suddenly washed over him, and Rong Yue abruptly opened his bright eyes. Shen Mo shrank back, startled by the warmth in his eyes, but still couldn't escape his gaze.
After a moment of eye contact, a sudden gust of wind swept in front of them, lifting the quilt into the air. Then, they felt a warmth on their arms and were pushed down with great force.
After a dizzying moment, she bumped into a solid chest and realized that she was being held by Rong Yue, sharing a quilt and a bed.
She felt a gust of wind near her ear, and seemed hesitant. Rong Yue finally pulled her closer and asked, "Want to be my woman?"
The confession was so sudden and awkward that Shen Mo was stunned. Before she could recover from the embrace, she was caught in another predicament. She couldn't utter a single word, let alone say "yes" or "no."