In the dark forest at night, wolves and dogs howled. When Xue Rui saw the glow of a fire from afar, he brought along his men and swiftly rushed over there. When he saw the figure that was standing by the side of the fire clearly, he leaped off his horse and walked swiftly to stand before that figure. He first used his gaze to inspect her from head to toe, and when he didn't notice that she was missing an arm or a leg, the worry in his heart finally eased up. What followed after was a wave of rage, and he said with a gloomy expression, "You ran into the wilderness by yourself. Do you intend to feed the wolves!?"
Yu Shu looked at Xue Rui who came out to look for her in the middle of the night. Knowing that she was in the wrong, she lowered her head and whispered: "I accidentally lost my way."
Xue Rui still wanted to say something, but a gust of wind blew over. When he saw Yu Shu shrinking her neck and shuddering, he frowned and raised his hand to untie the silk rope in front of his chest. He took off the cloak on his shoulders and wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders before draping it over her shoulders.
Yu Shu's upper body suddenly warmed up. When her gaze landed, she saw a pair of hands tying a knot in front of her neck. She raised her head slightly and saw the fine wrinkles on the eyebrows of the person in front of her. She seemed to be able to feel the source of his displeasure. Her eyes slightly swayed as she softly said, "Big Brother, I made you worry.
Xue Rui's fingers paused for a moment, causing the knot to become even heavier. After that, he took a step back and looked past her shoulder. As he gazed at the fire and the shadows of the trees behind her, his gaze flickered, and then he turned around and instructed the people he brought with him. "Extinguish the fire, we're returning."
Gui Qi and Gui Ba nodded and went forward to extinguish the fire.
Xue Rui walked to the side of the horse and pulled the reins with one hand. When he turned around and saw that Yu Shu was still standing there without moving, and she was looking around for something, Xue Rui intentionally said in a cold voice, "Why aren't you leaving yet?"
"Oh." Yu Shu retracted her gaze from the direction where Jing Chen had left. Grabbing the cloak on her shoulder, she jogged forward and watched as Xue Rui mounted his horse. He extended an arm towards her, indicating that he wanted to ride with her.
"…" Could she walk back?
Xue Rui didn't seem to notice her hesitation and urged: "Come up and sit behind me. We need to go back as soon as possible."
Yu Shu had no choice but to hold onto his arm. She raised her leg, intending to step on the stirrup, but Xue Rui stretched out his other hand and without any explanation, circled her waist and back. With a forceful pull, Yu Shu's feet left the ground. In a flurry, she grabbed onto his shoulder. She heard a faint chuckle, then her buttocks fell back onto the saddle. Immediately after that, the hand that was circling around her waist left her.
"Sit tight." Xue Rui grabbed the reins with both hands and squeezed the horse's abdomen lightly. Then, the horse started to trot forward. His speed was not fast, which made Yu Shu, who suddenly felt a little dizzy from sitting so high, feel refreshed.
Then Gui Liu and the others followed. One ran in front of Xue Rui and lit a torch to find the way. The other two followed behind and didn't move forward.
Yu Shu sat behind Xue Rui with her legs together. Although she wasn't afraid of heights, she was afraid of falling. She wanted to find a place to support herself. But she was depressed to find that other than the person in front of her, she had no place to put her hands. She looked up and down and couldn't find a suitable place to grab. Should she hug his waist? She wasn't that thick-skinned. Should she pull his belt? She was afraid that he would pull it open. Finally, her eyes fell on his shoulder. Her eyes lit up and she put her hand on it.
The moment she moved, Xue Rui sensed it and turned his gaze to look at the hand on his shoulder. To his surprise, he saw that there were a few new scratches on the back of her hand that had just recovered from frostbite. He felt uncomfortable in his heart, so he silently turned his head around and didn't say anything.
Yu Shu thought that Xue Rui would ask her why she ran to the suburbs. She secretly thought of an excuse. But after waiting for a long time, he didn't ask. She thought that he was still angry. After thinking for a while, she felt that she was in the wrong, so she cleared her throat and took the initiative to say: "During the day, I suddenly thought of a place that Jing Chen might go to. I was anxious so I hired a carriage to leave the city. I didn't expect the forest to be so big and deep. I got lost after walking too far. Fortunately, you came to find me. Otherwise, I would have to spend the night on the tree.
Hehe. "Yu Shu pretended to be relaxed. Who knew that once she said it, Xue Rui would remember the scene when she went out to find someone in the heavy snow and froze in front of him. He could still clearly remember that pale face until now. Xue Rui clenched the reins in his hand and ignored her. He was afraid that if he opened his mouth, he wouldn't be able to control himself and teach her a lesson.
Yu Shu said a few more words, but when she didn't see Xue Rui responding, she sensibly shut her mouth. She was exhausted from running around for the entire day, and she'd experienced happiness and anger one after another. Now that she'd calmed down, she only felt a surge of sleepiness, so she covered her mouth and yawned a few times while her eyelids twitched.
Feeling the weight on his back, Xue Rui pulled on the reins lightly and slowed down the horse's speed. He turned his head and looked at Yu Shu, who was sleeping quietly on his back. That lively and lively face during the day was now suffused with a layer of gentle light under the moonlight. Her stubbornness was gone, and she couldn't help but look weak, making people feel pity for her.
Xue Rui let out a short sigh and whispered, "Why do you have to do this?"
The city gate was closed in the middle of the night. Fortunately, Xue Rui had informed the guards in advance, so they left half the gate open for him to pass through. Yu Shu lay on Xue Rui's back and slept for the whole journey. It was not until they returned to Wang Ji Tower in the south of the city that Xue Rui woke her up and asked someone to knock on the back door.
The cook, Xiuqing, came to answer the door and helped the dazed Yu Shu up to the room on the second floor. She put her on the bed and lit the lamp to take a look. Yu Shu was filthy from head to toe, so she went outside to call for someone to boil water and prepare a bathtub.
Xue Rui sat in the outer room and received the tea that Lin Fu passed to him, and then he said to the cook, "Let her sleep. Just give her a simple wipe, and then check if there are any injuries on her body."
"Okay." Xiuqing went inside again and closed the small door of the bedroom.
Lin Fu stood next to Xue Rui and asked carefully, "Gongzi, I have asked someone to make the bed. You should go and rest. Let Xiu Niang take care of this place."
Xue Rui looked at the door of the bedroom and felt that it was inappropriate to wait here. He got up and said, "You go down with me."
"Yes."
Yu Shu slept until dawn the next day. When she woke up, her back was sore and her bones were cracking. She sat up and smelled a faint musk. She looked at her underwear and her hands were wrapped with a few bandages. She then rolled up her trousers and saw that her ankles and knees were smeared with medicine. She vaguely remembered that it was the cook who took care of her last night.
Yu Shu found a stack of banknotes under the pillow that she put away when she took off her clothes last night. She stuffed it back and was not afraid of losing it in the restaurant.
"Hiss." She stretched. Yu Shu stepped on a pair of new embroidered shoes and walked to the table to pour a cup of tea. The tea was still warm.
While drinking, Yu Shu recalled what happened last night. Her mood suddenly became complicated. After the night passed, they returned to the beginning. Jing Chen was hiding, and the two became friends again.
Yu Shu touched the amulet stuck in her underwear and digested what she heard from Jing Chen last night. She concluded that Ketu Star often occurred at the beginning of every month. Every year, during the new and old New Year's Festival, there were murders. Even the Yellowfrost Stone could not stop it.
Before finding the person who broke the life, Jing Chen's Dao Heart could not be moved. If it was moved, it would bring disaster and harm to the innocent.
In addition, Jing Chen was the descendant of Yun Hua Yi and the eldest princess.
"Forget it. It's fine as long as Jing Chen is safe." Yu Shu muttered. She put down the teacup and looked around the room for her clothes. However, she saw a short cloak thrown on the recliner. She fixed her gaze, and the frown on Xue Rui's face flashed across her mind.
"Miss, you're awake. Miss, miss?"
"Ah?" Yu Shu suddenly turned her head and looked at the maid, Xiao Qing, who was holding a tray at the door. She regained her senses and said, "Oh, what did you say just now?"
Xiao Qing said, "The hot water is ready. Have a bowl of porridge to warm your stomach first, then go take a bath?"
Yu Shu scratched her head. She smelled a faint sweat on her body and felt her stomach growling. Thus, she went forward and took the bowl of porridge. She gulped it down but could not taste it, so she went next door to take a bath.
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Yu Shu was soaking in a bathtub full of flower petals with white mist curling up in spirals. She sighed comfortably and muttered to herself, "Who said that nothing good happened these days? Didn't I recognize a big brother?"
After saying that, she smiled.
After taking a bath, Yu Shu changed into a clean dress that no one knew where she got it from. She sat on the bed with her hair down and stretched out her hand to let the maid apply medicine on her.
Her claws were frozen in the front and broken in the back. They were already in a bad shape. The two little maids did not dare to use force when they saw it. They asked her carefully, "Miss, does it hurt?"
Yu Shu teased them, "It doesn't hurt, but it's too ugly. Look at the red and swollen skin. Don't you think it looks like pig trotters? Or is it infected?"
Xiao Qing and Xiao Die laughed. They realized that they had lost their manners, so they quickly lowered their heads and apologized, "Miss, don't blame us."
Yu Shu smiled, "Alright, quickly finish applying the medicine and help me comb my hair. I'm starving."
The two of them wrapped her palms and took a cotton cloth to wipe her hair clean. They tied it into a bun without any beaded hairpins. Yu Shu did not even look at herself in the mirror and went downstairs to eat breakfast.
When she arrived at the restaurant in the front, in the empty hall, Yu Shu saw Xue Rui sitting at a square table drinking wine. Her eyes widened. No one told her that Xue Rui did not leave last night.
Xue Rui saw Yu Shu coming out of the door with no makeup on and was surprised to see him. He raised his eyebrows and waved at her, "Come and eat."
"You didn't go back last night?" Yu Shu asked as she walked over and sat opposite him. She took a pair of chopsticks from the celadon stand.
Xue Rui shook his head, "I didn't leave because it was too late."
Yu Shu said embarrassedly, "It's all my fault. I caused you trouble again."
Xue Rui actually didn't stand on ceremony with her this time, and he glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes and said, "It's good that you're aware. Next time, you better remember to do something stupid again. Let's see if I'll still care about you then."
Yu Shu snickered and cleverly picked up a piece of grilled, sparkling and translucent dried meat and placed it in his bowl. "Big Brother, eat."
Only then did Xue Rui look her in the eye. He picked up the piece of meat and ate it. After taking a sip of wine, he said, "I've sent someone to inform the Ji family that my Third Younger Sister asked you to stay overnight last night, so that they won't gossip."
Yu Shu wasn't worried that the Ji family wouldn't be able to find her. She was more worried that they wouldn't be able to find her and would go to Zhao Hui's house. She was relieved after hearing Xue Rui's explanation. She then heard him mention someone else, so she asked curiously, "So you have a sister?"
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