The two of them checked into two rooms. Seeing that Zhao Litang looked unhappy, the innkeeper thought that the two of them were also staying in the inn to recuperate. He refused to take any money from them, saying that the wounded soldiers who came to the city to stay temporarily would not be charged no matter which inn they stayed in.
The waiter led the two people upstairs and they entered a room together. After the waiter left, A Lanyue hurried over and closed the door tightly.
Zhao Litang didn't even look at him. He walked to the bed and sat down. He closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and began to mobilize the internal strength of his body.
A Lanyue took out a pile of medicines from the package on his back, all of which he had stolen from the military camp. After arranging them neatly, he sat on a stool and looked at Zhao Litang beside the bed.
The general's face was still dirty and dusty, but his handsome and resolute eyes were still so beautiful. Alan Yue held her breath and concentrated, afraid of disturbing him.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Litang suddenly opened his eyes and looked straight over.
A Lanyue hurriedly turned her eyes away, holding a medicine box in her hand, and whispered, "General... How about I help you apply the medicine first..."
Not hearing Zhao Litang's answer, Alanyue raised his head, only to see Zhao Litang still looking at him. He called out softly again, "General?"
"Yeah." Zhao Litang responded in a deep voice, then closed his eyes again.
A Lanyue came over with a few medicine boxes, stepped lightly, and stood beside the bed.
He reached out and unbuttoned Zhao Litang's clothes, revealing the deep and shallow scars on his body. Some of them had stopped bleeding, but some had begun to bleed again because of the whole day's running around.
A Lanyue's movements became gentler, and the scars seemed to have been inflicted on his body, causing him to feel more pain than Zhao Litang.
The small palm was dipped in ointment and gently applied a few times on a long whip mark on the chest. Feeling that the body of the person under her hand seemed to stiffen, Alan Yue looked over and saw that Zhao Litang's brows were slightly frowned, his chin was coldly tense, and he didn't make a sound.
He felt a sudden pain in his heart and lowered his head slightly, blowing gently on the scar. It was not until his wrist was suddenly grabbed and lifted up that Alan Yue realized what he had just done.
He stared at Zhao Litang blankly, his ears turned red, and he stammered, not knowing how to explain, "General... General... I... I just..."
—A finger suddenly pressed against his lips, blocking the rest of his words in his throat. Zhao Litang lowered his eyes and looked at him, signaling him not to make a sound with his eyes.
A Lanyue swallowed unconsciously, and his lips moved on the finger. He blinked and looked at Zhao Litang, keeping his body close to his chest, not daring to move.
Just then, there was a small sound outside the door.
A Lanyue suddenly became nervous and turned his head slightly to look at the door, but a hand pinched his cheeks and turned his face back. Then an arm came across his waist with great strength, lifted him up and threw him to the inside of the bed.
A Lanyue was stunned by the fall. Before she could react, the candles in the room were extinguished and a figure came close to her.
"Will… "
Zhao Litang reached out and covered Alanyue's mouth tightly, and put his other hand to his lips as a gesture of silence.
In the darkness, A Lanyue could still see Zhao Litang's eyes clearly. They were dark and deep, and it was impossible to see to the bottom. They were full of warnings and threats.
A Lan Yue was almost suffocating because of his hold, and the two of them lay in bed together, so close that they could hear each other's breathing and their hair were entangled.
A Lanyue nodded vigorously, but Zhao Litang still didn't let him go.
At this time, a voice came from outside the door.
"Hey, the light was on just now, why did it go out when I just came up? I wanted to bring some food..."
The waiter was outside the door. He glanced at Alanyue's room next door and saw that it was also dark. He muttered again, "Why are you sleeping so early..."
As he spoke, he left with the sound of footsteps.
The two men remained in that posture without moving, waiting until there was no sound outside, and then Zhao Litang eased up a little.
A Lanyue took a deep breath, his face turned red from holding it in, but he managed to hold it in without struggling. Zhao Litang didn't move, and he didn't dare to move either. The two of them just lay there face to face.
He didn't know how long he had been lying there. A Lanyue's body was too tense and half of it was numb. He couldn't help it and looked up and secretly glanced at Zhao Litang, only to find that he had closed his eyes without him noticing, as if he had fallen asleep.
A Lanyue stretched out her hand and waved it in front of his eyes, but he didn't react at all. He really fell asleep.
A Lanyue relaxed a lot immediately, put her hands under her cheeks, and stared straight at Zhao Litang's face.
In the afterglow of moonlight in the room, he quietly stretched out a hand and traced the curve of Zhao Litang's face in mid-air, with the corners of his lips unconsciously raised slightly.
Further down, there are exposed collarbones and a strong chest.
A Lanyue withdrew his gaze in panic, not daring to look again. He wanted to get up quietly and go back to his room.
Unfortunately, before he could sit up, he found that his clothes were firmly pressed under him by Zhao Litang.
He pulled carefully for a while, but was afraid of waking Zhao Litang up, so he moved even more gently, making it harder to pull it out.
As he was talking, he yawned loudly. He had been very nervous during the whole day and was therefore very tired.
The hand that was pulling at the clothes gradually lost its strength, and the breathing of the two people became even and long, one after another.
The next day, when Zhao Litang woke up, he was covered with a quilt and felt much better. He hadn't had such a good sleep in a long time. The room was empty, and he was the only one there.
He sat up from the bed, still feeling a little weak. Just then the door was pushed open and A Lanyue walked in carrying two bowls.
"General, you're awake!"
There was surprise in A Lanyue's tone. She put the bowl on the table, then walked to the bed and helped Zhao Litang sit on the stool.
One bowl contained a bowl of hot noodle soup, and the other bowl contained a dark and bitter medicinal juice.
"General, don't worry. I borrowed the kitchen to make the noodles and medicine myself. Everything will be fine. Eat the noodles first, then take the medicine."
Zhao Litang looked at the bowl of noodles but did not move.
A Lanyue thought for a moment and said, "General, if you are worried, I can try a bite first..."
As he spoke, he picked up the chopsticks beside him, and it seemed that he really wanted to take a bite first, but the chopsticks were snatched away by someone.
Zhao Litang started eating the noodles without any hesitation. His stomach was already empty, and he finished the bowl of noodles in no time, even drinking up the soup.
A Lanyue said, "If it's not enough, I'll make some more."
He didn't expect the general to eat so cleanly. He thought the general would not believe him and would not eat a single bite.
Zhao Litang didn't say anything. He picked up the bowl of medicine next to him and drank it all, then walked back to the bed.
As if he had thought of something, he raised his eyes and asked, "Where did you sleep last night?"
"In... in my room..." Alan Yue replied.
"Yeah," Zhao Litang responded indifferently. It seemed that it was indeed his illusion last night.
"I'll rest for a while and set off at noon."
After saying that, he lay back on the bed and continued to rest with his eyes closed.
A Lanyue cleaned up the table and did not go back to her room. She sat at the table, far away from Zhao Litang, glancing at him from time to time and then looking away.
He only dared to stare at Zhao Litang so unscrupulously at night. He didn't dare to do so in broad daylight.
Zhao Litang slept until noon. It was a very light sleep. After waking up, he felt that he had regained a lot of strength. It seemed that the medicines A Lanyue gave him were of high quality and effective quickly.
After leaving the inn, A Lanyue was still sitting on the horse, and Zhao Litang walked in front leading the horse.
The two men went to a tailor's shop and bought some casual clothes. It would be strange to wear military uniforms after leaving the town.
After changing clothes, we continued walking. The town was not big and we soon arrived at the city gate.
After leaving the city gate, Zhao Litang jumped on his horse.
"General, where are we going next?"
Zhao Litang spurred his horse and whipped it, "Continue to head south."
The further south you go, the farther you will be from the Celestial Empire, and the deeper you go into the barbarian tribes, the more dangers you will face.
But Zhao Litang also had his own considerations. Amul was now trapped on the front battlefield and could not get away for the time being. Once he returned to the camp and found that he was missing, he would immediately send people to the north to chase him. In that case, they would be caught up in no time and might even run into the barbarian army returning to the camp.
But if he did the opposite and went south to other cities within the barbarian tribe, he might not be discovered for a while, and he would have enough time to heal his wounds and see if there was any chance to transmit the information back.
The two men rode for another afternoon. They did not take the main road, but instead took the less traveled paths. They did not see the next city until evening, but did see a ruined temple in the wilderness.
Zhao Litang reined in his horse and stopped in front of the dilapidated temple. He got off the horse first, his steps were a bit unsteady. He walked into the temple to take a look, and it turned out to be a shelter from the wind and rain, so he came back to lead the horse.
After tying the horse, Zhao Litang ignored A Lanyue who was still sitting on the horse and walked straight into the temple.
A Lanyue jumped off the horse carefully, looked at Zhao Litang's back, felt only a little disappointed in her heart, and followed him.
There was straw laid out in the temple, as if someone had slept there. Zhao Litang walked over and lay down directly, then closed his eyes.
A Lanyue sat down beside him. It was pitch black all around. No one knew what gods or Buddhas were enshrined in the temple. They looked a little scary, with their claws and fangs bared, surrounding him.
There was no sound around, only the whistling wind.
A Lanyue was a little scared and didn't dare to sleep at all. She curled up beside Zhao Litang, getting closer and closer to him.
But Zhao Litang seemed unaware of his fear and did not react at all.