The jolting of the horse was beyond his imagination. Fu Liao managed to straighten his body with difficulty, letting the steed carry him galloping through the scenery they had traversed just the night before.
Nausea welled up within him.
It was even worse than being slung over Xi Lingjian’s shoulder earlier, feeling as though current after current of electricity was pulsing through his palms, forcing him to let go.
He could not let go.
Before they started, Xi Lingjian had specifically reminded him to hold on tight to this position.
A returning warmth seemed to seep back into his icy hands.
Xi Lingjian’s hands were warm.
Warm and dry, they formed an exceptional haven, one that made a person want to drift off to sleep the moment they found it.
Fu Liao had no idea why Xi Lingjian had done this.
He had thought he could understand a fraction of Xi Lingjian’s mind, but looking back now, it was nothing more than his own arrogant presumption.
A dull ache throbbed in his right arm, though Fu Liao exerted no deliberate force. The horse seemed to know the route of its own accord, navigating the turns with familiarity as it carried him galloping down the path.
“Young Master, surely you are not lost in thoughts of your beloved?”
A teasing voice suddenly drifted from behind him.
Heat rushed to Fu Liao’s face.
Had Xi Lingjian caught up already?
Fortunately, he had no idea what he had been thinking just now.
Compared to himself, Xi Lingjian was far more at ease. The amusement on his face was even more unbridled than before, carrying the same high-spirited daring as when he had routed enemy forces with his horsemanship.
For reasons unknown, a flicker of gladness stirred within Fu Liao.
Yet, due to the violent jolting, he still could not see Xi Lingjian clearly, even though they were riding side by side.
No, that was not the reason. It was simply too dark.
Too dark?
Xi Lingjian’s voice arrived right on cue.
“Young Master, it is going to rain.”
Only then did Fu Liao notice that the sky had darkened at some point, shrouded in a heavy gloom so dense that the road ahead was nearly obscured.
Even as the words left his lips, Fu Liao felt a droplet of water strike the tip of his nose.
“Focus your mind.” Xi Lingjian’s mount had already pulled ahead of his, sounding like a casual remark tossed out by a victor.
Rounding this final bend, they would re-enter the public eye, and the finish line was already within reach.
The massive boulder was visible now, though Xi Lingjian’s silhouette intentionally or unintentionally blocked his line of sight.
The rain suddenly intensified. Seeing that the outcome was decided, many spectators turned and hurried back.
Pebble-sized raindrops battered Fu Liao’s body with fierce density, as if vying for his life, trying to force him to loosen his grip on the reins.
The path ahead was no longer visible; Fu Liao could see only a hazy blur, the surrounding scenery completely wiped out.
Pain began to flare in both hands, feeling as though they had frozen into ice before being smashed apart hammer blow by hammer blow.
Aside from the roar of rain and hooves, other sounds seemed to pierce through the air.
The thunderous crash of something collapsing.
“Young Master, watch out!”
Fu Liao could not tell whose voice that was. The successive deafening crashes left him momentarily incapable of deciding which crisis to address first.
The ground was quaking violently, and the giant boulder beside them suddenly came crashing down.
“A landslide! The mountain is collapsing!” shouts echoed from all around. “Run!”
Fu Liao let out a sigh.
His numb hands could no longer hold on. A flying pebble struck the web of his right hand squarely.
A sharp jolt of pain shot through Fu Liao’s hand, and the slackened rein whipped against his injury, robbing him of the strength to clench his fingers again.
His body listed sideways, plunging straight off the horse.
In the fraction of a second his body was suspended in mid-air, Fu Liao felt time warp and stretch out with eerie slowness.
Gravel grazed the tip of his ear, flashing like the cold, silvery spearheads of a battlefield. No distinct sounds reached his ears, save for the roaring gale that choked his airway.
His eyes remained squeezed shut against the stinging cloud of fine dust, and his arms found nothing solid to anchor onto.
Yet someone found him.
His wrist jerked to a violent halt, the sudden tension tearing at a body still unrecovered from momentum.
A dizzying whirlwind tossed Fu Liao’s head before he found himself seated securely back on a horse.
It was still his horse, with Xi Lingjian mounted directly behind him, one arm locked firmly around his chest and abdomen while the other hand controlled the reins.
Xi Lingjian’s steed let out a piercing whinny and surged forward ahead of the rest.
“Do not move,” Xi Lingjian’s deep voice resonated right beside his ear. “No matter what happens, do not move.”
Listening to the violent pounding of a heart, whether it belonged to him, Xi Lingjian, or both of them merged together, Fu Liao felt it beat in unison with their damp, clinging garments, pressing tightly against one another in the freezing wind like people seeking warmth.
Rainwater trickled down Fu Liao’s hair and across his face, tickling lightly before turning ice-cold under the lash of the gale, as if stubbornly conspiring against them.
Drained of strength, Fu Liao could not help swaying unsteadily against the steep mountain path, even as he tried to brace himself against Xi Lingjian’s chest.
“Do not move,” Xi Lingjian reminded him.
“I trust you.” Fu Liao buried his face against the side of Xi Lingjian’s neck, repeating, “I trust you, Xi Lingjian.”
His body trembled continuously. “But I feel terrible. I am so uncomfortable.”
He heard Xi Lingjian draw a heavy, ragged breath.
Was he annoyed that he was holding him back?
Then why rescue him in the first place?
Struggling to steady his posture, Fu Liao fumbled blindly by touch until his fingers finally brushed against the hand Xi Lingjian was using to secure him.
The horse let out another shrill whinny, dodging a sudden cascade of falling debris.
“Xi Lingjian…”
Fu Liao felt as though every bone in his body had been uncoupled piece by piece and submerged in biting, freezing water.
“I am here.”
That clear, steady voice wrapped around his ears like a soul-calming chant, resembling a surge of hot spring water bursting through a wintry wasteland, making him feel as though this were merely the fever dream of a dying man.
“I know about that cottage,” Fu Liao grasped his hand tighter. “I had Madam Zu organize all his letters, they are all inside the cottage, along with evidence of his abuse of family dependents. We cannot let him keep hiding behind the charge of favoring a concubine over a wife.”
“I know.” Xi Lingjian abruptly cut him off, a trace of impatience underlying his tone.
Fu Liao was momentarily dazed. “I mean those letters Lü Chen took back with him last time, and Madam Zu…”
“I know.”
Xi Lingjian’s voice drew even closer, pressing directly against his earlobe. The warmth of his breath momentarily dispelled the chill, sending a sudden shiver through Fu Liao.
“So, shut up.”
Fu Liao pressed his lips together.
He really seemed angry.
Unlike his usual natural, overbearing arrogance, there was an indescribable incongruity to it that kept Fu Liao from feeling genuinely terrified of this enraged, murderous Prince Regent.
Instead, this version of Xi Lingjian made him feel even more secure tucked against that chest, feeling the solid, rhythmic thumping of a real heartbeat.
He knew? Fu Liao felt a wave of bewilderment.
To Xi Lingjian, those official correspondences with corrupt officials were paramount; using them, he could root out a mass of abusive magistrates and greedy bureaucrats, even if he himself was ruthless and lawless.
“Your Highness!”
Yin Ruoche’s voice sounded from the flank. Fu Liao saw him riding low over his horse’s neck.
“Evacuate the crowd!” Xi Lingjian cut off his motion.
Hesitating for a second, Yin Ruoche seemed to glance downward at something else, his eyes flickering before he gave an affirmative shout and spurred his horse ahead.
Fu Liao felt Xi Lingjian’s spine shift from upright to leaning forward, pressing down as his voice murmured back into his ear: “Sit tight.”
The synchronized vibration of their bodies made Fu Liao’s heart race even faster, hammering frantically against his ribcage.
The finish line was in sight now. The giant boulder blocking the cottage entrance was teetering under the relentless pounding of the torrential rain, with mud and smaller rocks tumbling down continuously from above.
If they kept charging forward, a collision with that boulder was entirely possible.
Xi Lingjian’s horse crossed the finish line first, immediately swerving to the side, with the two of them following closely behind. Pulling hard on the reins, Xi Lingjian dragged the horse back as they leaned sharply backward. Fu Liao felt as though no moment had ever stretched so agonizingly long, long enough that he almost loathed the thought of leaving this warm harbor.
The horse came to a steady halt before the boulder, then calmly picked its way toward a safe zone.
Breathing a sigh of relief as they cheated death once more, Fu Liao savored the lingering seconds upon the horse.
Xi Lingjian shifted his posture, their rain-soaked, fused garments holding them together and finally snapping Fu Liao back to reality.
“Th, Thank you.” Flustered, he attempted to dismount.
When Xi Lingjian released his hold without a word, Fu Liao realized with mounting dismay that he had no idea how to get down from a horse.
There was no sound of laughter behind him, but Fu Liao felt a slight vibration ripple through Xi Lingjian’s chest.
“Such a tease,” Fu Liao muttered under his breath.
His body twisted awkwardly in confusion, but since the two of them were still pressed tightly together, it looked rather like he was acting spoiled.
“Your Highness, the duel with the heir is concluded,” Meng Zhi’s voice materialized abruptly. “The prior rule was that whoever crossed the line first wins…”
Fu Liao’s heart dropped. He blinked, keeping his gaze averted.
Rainwater had disheveled his hair, tangling his strands together with Xi Lingjian’s. Lacking the strength to sort it out, Fu Liao slowly attempted to separate his hair from Xi Lingjian’s with trembling fingers.
As his slender fingers lingered amidst the locks, concentrating entirely on his task, he remained unaware that Xi Lingjian’s gaze was tracing curve after curve over him from beneath long, wet lashes, lingering on his fluttering eyelashes, his down-turned outer eye corners, and his slightly parted, rain-kissed lips.
A few lingering droplets of water still rolled across those lips, seemingly inviting him to do something.
“Since My horse crossed the finish line first, but the heir’s man crossed the finish line first as well,” Xi Lingjian murmured softly, “this match shall be declared a draw.”
Fu Liao froze.
His hair was given a sharp yank by the strands caught in his fingers. Wincing, he hurriedly untangled them just as Xi Lingjian spoke again.
“However, Young Master,” he locked eyes with Fu Liao, “you can forget about taking Ji Liandu away.”
Fu Liao frowned, opening his mouth to retort, but the words were cut short by a series of violent sneezes followed by a fit of coughing.
Gazing into the distance, Xi Lingjian noticed a figure limping toward them. He made to dismount, but Fu Liao caught hold of his sleeve instead.
Though devoid of real strength, Xi Lingjian paused and remained still.
“What is it?” He watched Fu Liao’s shivering form.
Fever was undoubtedly setting in.
“Thank you, Your Highness, for saving my life.” Fu Liao tucked a stray lock of wet black hair behind his ear and offered a faint smile.
Seeing Fu Liao’s lips moving without sound, Xi Lingjian asked, “That is it?”
Fu Liao’s gaze darted around nervously before he leaned in close to Xi Lingjian’s ear.
Xi Lingjian stiffened slightly as Fu Liao drew near.
Having exhausted his remaining strength, the person draped over him could barely hold himself up, pressing his lips directly against Xi Lingjian’s auricle.
Soft, warm breath plumed against his ear, misting into faint vapor.
“Your Highness, do not ever tell Ji Liandu to shut up again. He really does not like it.”