Jiang Yunshu placed a cool cloth on Xie Lin’s forehead, then gently wiped his neck, elbows, and the backs of his knees...
Though Xie Lin remained unconscious, Jiang Yunshu couldn’t shake the feeling that every time she replaced the cloth on his forehead and tended to his body, his expression softened slightly, as if he were sleeping more peacefully.
She wasn’t wrong. Xie Lin, though unresponsive, wasn’t entirely unaware.
Every time Jiang Yunshu’s cool hands touched him, he knew.
So soothing...
Instinctively, Xie Lin longed to press his feverish face against her hand—just a little longer, just a little more.
But his head felt heavy as lead, his thoughts sluggish, and he couldn’t move at all.
Xie Lin had been lost in dreams. Each time Jiang Yunshu replaced the cloth with a fresh, cool one, his dreams would shift—rain poured or snow fell.
Wen Lin appeared again and again in these dreams, running alongside him through storms and blizzards.
"Faster!" Wen Lin urged, shoving Xie Lin forward. "Go that way! Hurry, get out of here!"
Xie Lin turned back, trying to grab Wen Lin’s hand, but he could never hold on.
In the distance, a woman’s voice called his name, faint and intermittent, just beyond comprehension.
The voice was familiar, yet Xie Lin couldn’t place it...
"Go!" Wen Lin gave him one final push toward the voice.
Xie Lin slowly opened his eyes.
Jiang Yunshu’s face lit up with relief. "Chief Eunuch, you’re awake at last!"
It took Xie Lin a moment to shake off the lingering haze of his dreams and recall what had happened before he lost consciousness.
Without waiting for him to ask, Jiang Yunshu explained, "You’ve been unconscious with a high fever for two days and nights."
Xie Lin reached up and touched the damp cloth on his forehead—so this was the coolness he’d felt.
The voice in his dreams must have been Jiang Yunshu’s too. Had she been calling his name all this time by his sickbed?
His gaze lingered on her face. How long had she kept vigil here?
Dark circles shadowed her eyes, her lips were dry and pale, and exhaustion clung to her features.
Though her eyes sparkled with relief, the weariness beneath was unmistakable.
She must not have rested much these past two days.
It seemed the people around him always fought harder for his life than he did himself.
The imperial physicians filed in, examining Xie Lin thoroughly.
Jiang Yunshu mentally translated their cryptic pronouncements: His awakening was a promising sign—his body was finally gaining the upper hand against the snake venom.
From here, his condition would steadily improve as the toxins were purged.
True to their words, Xie Lin’s fever gradually receded, his forehead no longer burning to the touch.
The bouts of fever grew shorter, mostly flaring at night while his days passed in relative normalcy.
He no longer lost consciousness, though his weakened body demanded more sleep than usual.
But Xie Lin’s "usual" was hardly restful—just three hours a night. Now, even with extra rest, he slept only four or five hours, still less than Jiang Yunshu, who, drained from her earlier sleepless nights, needed every minute of her five-hour slumbers to recover...
So when they shared a bed, it was often Xie Lin who lay awake, watching Jiang Yunshu sleep soundly beside him.
Had he not asked about her actions during his illness, he might have assumed she’d been as carefree as ever—eating and sleeping without a worry.
But now, he looked at her with newfound complexity. Her decisions had been sharp and decisive.
She’d been bitten by the same snake, yet she’d tended to him day and night.
What puzzled Xie Lin most was that after he woke, Jiang Yunshu only briefly summarized her investigation and the guards she’d detained...
Not a word about how she’d cared for him.
If not for the cool cloth he’d felt in his dreams, or the sound of her voice calling him back... he might never have known.
Why do so much, yet say so little?
---
Xie Lin, hardened by years of martial training, recovered swiftly once the worst passed.
By the second day after his fever broke, he seemed almost back to normal.
When it came time to descend the mountain, Xie Lin even considered walking down.
Jiang Yunshu panicked—not just for his health, but because the snakebite had left her with a lingering dread.
What if another snake struck on the way down?
Seeing the worry in her eyes—and how she bit back her protests—Xie Lin relented and climbed onto a sedan chair.
Jiang Yunshu exhaled in visible relief before quickly boarding her own.
The journey down was uneventful, and soon their party was en route back to the capital.
Though their stay at Black Mountain had lasted less than ten days, the return trip felt like an eternity.
So much had happened in so little time, stretching each moment to its limit.
Leaning against the carriage’s plush seat, Jiang Yunshu lifted the curtain to gaze back at the receding peaks.
Are we really going back already?
Xie Lin noticed the reluctance on her face.
This trip had been cut short—barely begun before the snakebite, barely recovered before the return.
"Would you like to learn to ride?" he asked suddenly.
Jiang Yunshu blinked. "Ride? I don’t know how."
"I can teach you," Xie Lin offered.
It was a small compensation for the trip’s disappointments—and a way to repay her for those sleepless nights at his bedside, calling him back from the brink.
Xie Lin... wants to teach me to ride?
Delighted, Jiang Yunshu agreed. Since arriving in this ancient world, she’d never had the chance to learn—now, at last, she would!
The procession halted on a flat stretch of land, and Xie Lin led her out.
He selected a gentle mare from the group, guiding Jiang Yunshu through their first meeting.
"Never pull the mane," he warned, pointing to the horse’s back. "And don’t grip too hard with your legs—"
Taking her wrist, he pressed a sugar cube into her palm.
Jiang Yunshu stared at it, then slowly raised it to her lips.
Xie Lin sighed, catching her hand. "Must you eat everything? It’s for the horse."
"Horses eat sugar?" she asked, surprised.
Indeed, the mare adored it—her warm tongue lapping eagerly at Jiang Yunshu’s fingers.
By the time the treat was gone, the horse had warmed to her considerably.
When Xie Lin helped her onto the saddle, the mare stood perfectly still.
But once seated, Jiang Yunshu clutched the reins in white-knuckled terror.
It didn’t look this high from the ground!
Her legs instinctively squeezed the mare’s sides, as if clinging tighter might keep her from falling.
To her surprise, the mare suddenly accelerated with her movement!
Jiang Yunshu let out a scream, startled, and instinctively tightened her legs around the horse.
Xie Lin, gripping the reins as well, chased after them at full speed, managing to keep up without falling behind.
The wind whistled past their ears as Xie Lin shouted, "Relax! Don’t squeeze it with your legs!"
He pulled back on the reins while calling out, "Whoa—"
Jiang Yunshu quickly followed Xie Lin’s instruction and loosened her grip. Just then, the horse slowed to a stop under his command. It halted so abruptly that its head turned sharply to the side, its body pivoting halfway around.
Jiang Yunshu lost her balance on the horse’s back, swaying precariously.
Xie Lin swiftly reached out, clasping her waist and lifting her down from the saddle.
With a helpless expression, he remarked, "So clever when dancing, yet so clumsy on horseback."
"You’ll sit in front of me, and I’ll take you for a ride."
The mare Xie Lin had chosen for Jiang Yunshu wasn’t suited for two riders.
He let out a sharp whistle, summoning his own prized steed, Benxiao.
Benxiao was a magnificent silver-white stallion, without a single stray hair, its coat gleaming like satin under the sunlight as it trotted toward them.
Tall, agile, and swift as the wind, Benxiao had a temperament that was far from docile. It recognized only Xie Lin as its master and refused to be ridden by anyone else.
However, with Xie Lin accompanying Jiang Yunshu, there was no issue.
Benxiao was too intelligent to be bribed with treats. Xie Lin took Jiang Yunshu’s hand and guided it to stroke the stallion’s cheek.
At first, Benxiao tilted its head away, but after Xie Lin murmured a few words, it flicked its tail and stood still.
Lowering its head, it assumed a posture inviting them to mount.
Xie Lin told Jiang Yunshu, "It’s giving its approval."
He lifted Jiang Yunshu onto the horse first, then swung himself up behind her, one hand holding the reins while the other wrapped around her waist.
All the guards and attendants nearby averted their eyes.
Though Jiang Yunshu knew no one dared to look, her face burned with embarrassment.
The saddle, curved for a single rider, now accommodated both her and Xie Lin. Her body kept sliding backward along its slope, as if she were constantly pressing into Xie Lin’s embrace!
Her back pressed flush against his chest, the heat between them seeping through their clothes.
With a flick of the reins, Xie Lin urged Benxiao into a gentle trot.
Jiang Yunshu leaned back slightly, and as the horse jostled beneath them, their clothing rustled against each other. She became acutely aware of Xie Lin’s firm chest—hard from years of martial training, yet with a subtle resilience…
Shaking off her thoughts, she focused on experiencing her first horseback ride.
Xie Lin was undeniably a skilled rider. Nestled safely in his arms, Jiang Yunshu could enjoy the thrill without fear.
He kept a watchful eye on her—her body wasn’t tense, nor was she trembling. She didn’t seem afraid.
He flicked the reins again, signaling Benxiao to pick up speed.
The stallion, sensing its master’s intent, quickened its pace, its hooves beating a livelier rhythm. Earlier, it had restrained itself to a slow trot, a pace far too dull for its liking.
Now, with more speed, Benxiao’s joy was evident.
Jiang Yunshu, too, reveled in the exhilaration.
The crisp mountain wind rushed past her ears, carrying away Xie Lin’s warm breath against her skin.
Gradually, she forgot about the man behind her, entranced by the blur of scenery flying past. It felt as though she were racing toward the clouds on the horizon.
Tilting her face up slightly, she closed her eyes, savoring the wind against her skin.
Even the dust kicked up by Benxiao’s hooves seemed to carry the scent of freedom.
An urge to shout welled up inside her.
"Ah—" Jiang Yunshu let it out.
Birds scattered from the trees, only to settle again once they realized there was no danger.
After her cry, she felt lighter, as if releasing all the tension and fear pent up inside her.
She inhaled deeply, then exhaled with force.
Seeing her delight, Xie Lin took her on a longer route.
The carriage, laden with attendants and luggage, couldn’t keep up, falling far behind. Only a few guards on horseback trailed at a distance.
When Xie Lin finally slowed, Jiang Yunshu pouted. "Lord Xie, let’s ride a little longer."
She wasn’t ready to stop!
Ignoring her plea, Xie Lin brought Benxiao to a halt and helped her dismount.
The moment her feet touched the ground, Jiang Yunshu gasped, her face twisting in pain. Her legs ached terribly, especially her thighs, the muscles sore and stiff.
She took a tentative step forward, only to wince as the fabric rubbed against her tender inner thighs.
With an amused smirk, Xie Lin asked, "Does Her Ladyship still wish to ride longer? I can take you back up right now."
Jiang Yunshu shook her head vehemently.
Lost in the thrill of the ride, she hadn’t noticed the strain on her legs. Now, even with Xie Lin guiding her, the toll of her first horseback experience was undeniable.
Ever mindful of her comfort, she stood perfectly still, waiting for the carriage to arrive.
After what felt like ages, the carriage rumbled to a stop before them.
Gritting her teeth, Jiang Yunshu forced herself toward it. But the moment she took a step, Xie Lin swept her into his arms, carrying her inside.
Seated in the carriage, she adjusted her posture carefully, leaving a slight gap between her thighs. It wasn’t the most ladylike position, but pressing her legs together only worsened the pain…
Xie Lin immediately fetched a basin of water and washed his hands thoroughly.
The carriage was spacious enough for them to wash, dine, and sleep during their journey.
Jiang Yunshu assumed his fastidiousness was due to the dust from riding, thinking nothing more of it.
But once his hands were dried with a silk cloth, he reached for the ties of her skirt.
Startled, she clutched at her clothes. "Lord Xie… what are you doing?"
Xie Lin arched a brow, his smirk deepening. "What does Her Ladyship think I’m doing?"
