Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen

  The fatigue of the past few days finally got a brief rest, and the bright morning sunlight slowly shone in from the entrance, casting a brilliant light on the ground.

  In the depths of a cave, a petite woman lay on her side on the ground, fast asleep with her eyes closed. She wore a tight black bodysuit that hugged her slender body, accentuating her curves and contours, looking soft and beautiful. Her long black hair cascaded down her shoulders, covering half her face, leaving only her ivory-like complexion and red lips visible in the dim light. Her chest rose and fell gently as she slept soundly.

  By her side, there was a small white beast similar to a little dog, with its entire body pure white, round and chubby, lying on its back, exposing its clean white belly. The thing slept soundly, even snoring softly, its snow-white belly rising and falling, looking quite comical.

  Chu Li stood at the entrance of the cave, holding several pieces of raw meat that had just been cut off. As soon as he came in, what he saw was this scene before his eyes.

  A warm current suddenly rose from the bottom of his heart, instantly dispelling the chill he had brought back from outside. His complexion was slightly pale, and the man who had been injured earlier had a slightly thinner figure, but his face was more relaxed than ever before. He walked gently forward, carefully placing the things in his hand on the ground, afraid to wake up the sleeping person.

  But at this moment, the little white beast suddenly let out a low cry, and with a lazy movement, it turned its body towards Qing Xia's direction, and with a thud, its fat and round body pressed down on Qing Xia's arm.

  The woman in the dream slightly furrowed her brow, but did not wake up. Chu Li shifted his gaze and saw a long, red wound hidden under Qing Xia's sleeve, which was exposed when the small beast pulled it. It seemed that this should be an injury from being cut by ice when she fell down.

  Chu furrowed her brow and strode forward, suddenly grabbing the small white beast's neck skin from behind and tossing it out of the cave with a whoosh, without caring that it was still sleeping.

  A loud crash was followed by a sharp cry, Chu Li shouted "not good", and just as he thought of it, the woman who had been quietly sleeping like a cat suddenly sprang up like she had been electrocuted. In an instant, she jumped up, pulled out a dagger from her boot with a swooshing sound, and became like a swift and fierce hunting leopard. Her long hair swung, her face was cold and stern, and her other hand instantly grabbed Chu Li's collar. The icy dagger was pressed against Chu Li's throat in an instant.

  The entire action was smooth and uninterrupted, with a total time of less than one second, thoroughly demonstrating exceptional combat skills and alertness.

  Chu Li let out a disappointed sigh, having long expected this outcome.

  It wasn't until the dagger was pressed against her throat that Qing Xia's eyes were fully open. She looked around slightly dazed, before regaining clarity and noticing her overly tense movements. A hint of embarrassment flashed across her face, a blush slowly rising to her cheeks as she smiled and said, "Sorry about that."

  At this moment, a small white beast that was thrown out of the cave like a ball by someone swung its extremely short legs and ran back from outside with a furious expression. However, when it saw Qing Xia and Chu Li's strange movements, it suddenly opened its mouth in surprise, its two eyes wide open and round. Then, as if it had reacted to something, it fell to the ground with a thud, its four short and chubby legs kicking wildly in the air, rolling around, making a sound like "huffing" and "panting", with an expression that seemed to be laughing to death.

  The two men who were at a stalemate suddenly froze, what on earth was this thing?

  Chu Li's face turned gloomy, and he pushed away Qing Xia's hand. He stood up and took big strides forward. With one stretch of his boot, he picked up the small beast that was lying on the ground, and then with a swift kick, he sent it flying high into the air.

  The cave suddenly fell silent, Qing Xia's face was stiff with a awkward smile, her facial muscles almost frozen. Why is it always like this? She thought of grabbing her hair in frustration, why does she always end up making jokes whenever she's with him, and she felt so embarrassed that she wanted to bury her head in the snow.

  Before long, the little white beast that had just been flying in the clouds and mist came running back, panting with rage. It glared at Chu Li, suddenly baring its sharp teeth and shaking its head, as if it thought it was a lion.

  Chu Li raised an eyebrow, glanced at it lightly, and with just a faint glance, the eyes of Nan Chu's great emperor suddenly sparkled, the timid guy immediately wet his pants and ran to Qing Xia's back, whimpering and crying, only daring to stick out his head after a while to observe.

  Chu Li lit the fire and roasted the meat, it had to be said that this man had super strong learning ability, just last night watching Qing Xia for a while, he already learned eight or nine out of ten. Qing Xia sat alone on one side, tied up her hair with a cloth strip, and tied up a neat ponytail, looking very refreshing.

  The atmosphere in the cave was a bit awkward, and neither of them spoke to each other, as if they didn't know what to say. It seemed that things had always been like this between them - aside from arguing and fighting, they rarely sat down together for a good chat. Qing Xia still remembered one time at the Northern Garrison of Nan Chu, when the two of them were originally sitting together discussing the formation of the Dark Horns, but after just a few words, they started fighting again. The specific reason was unclear even now, but she recalled that on that day, they had fought for an entire afternoon inside their tent, with Chu Li being beaten to the ground dozens of times, yet refusing to admit defeat. Everything in the camp had been smashed to pieces, including a corner of Chu Li's military seal, and the guards outside seemed deaf, not daring to come in and take a look. The next day, Chu Li went to watch the martial arts competition at the training grounds with a swollen face and nose, drawing attention from everyone in the entire camp.

  It was just two years ago, but now it seems like it's been so long, so long that even if I try hard to remember, I still can't recall it.

  Qing Xia's mood was somewhat down, and she uncomfortably picked up the small animal beside her, poked its nose, and asked: "What's your name?"

  The little white beast saw Qing Xia talking to it and suddenly became excited, barking loudly and wagging its tail wildly, looking exactly like a silly dog.

  Qing Xia didn't understand what it said, tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said: "Then I'll give you one, hmm... how about calling it Hei Zi?"

  With a "pu" sound, Chu Li, who was drinking water, suddenly spat out all the water in his mouth and started coughing loudly without any reserve for his dignity. Qing Xia's face turned bright red with anger as he glared at Chu Li. A man wearing a suit of cold iron armor looked disheveled as he wiped away the water on his lips, pointing incredulously at a small white creature: "Do you think 'Blackie' is a suitable name for it?"

  Qing Xia turned her head and saw that it was a bit inappropriate, but she still said stubbornly: "What's wrong with that? I used to raise a yellow police dog, and its name is Hei Zi!"

  "When did you ever raise a dog." Chu Li let out a disdainful snort, seemingly mocking Qing Xia's bragging. But as soon as the words left his mouth, he suddenly reacted and realized that she had already admitted that she wasn't Zhuang Qing Xia.

  Qing Xia naturally knew what he was thinking, but this topic was too sensitive and didn't want to stir it up. He continued to speak to the little white beast: "Or should I call you White Child? That also sounds terrible."

  "Wooo..." Xiao Bai Beast hastily nodded repeatedly, as if afraid of being named "Bai Zi" by Qing Xia.

  "Hmm..." Qing Xia furrowed her brow and thought for a moment, this question was indeed a bit difficult, even more challenging than destroying an enemy base. She repeatedly searched through the special police force's police dogs to find a loud name, finally her eyes lit up, she clapped her hands and exclaimed: "Got it!"

  The little white beast's ears perked up, its two eyes shining brightly as it gazed at Qing Xia. Excitedly, it raised its two front paws, looking even more like a dog. Chu Li also turned his head around, quite interested in seeing what kind of brilliant move Qing Xia would come up with.

  "Hehe," Qing Xia smiled happily and patted the little beast's head, saying loudly: "Let's call you Da Huang!"

  A basin of cold water was poured over its head, and the little white beast named Dahuang's eyes went straight, its four legs shifted to one side, and with a "pa" sound it fell to the ground.

  Chu Li's face suddenly turned black with anger, and she didn't know if it was intentional or not.

  The barbecue was almost done, Qing Xia and Chu Li had eaten two pieces, Chu Li packed up the things and was about to leave. But Qing Xia suddenly grabbed his arm and whispered: "Wait a minute."

  Chu Li stopped in his tracks, turned around, and saw Qing Xia emerge from the dark cave with a pile of white fur. The petite woman was half-kneeling on the ground, her hands shaking as she held up a fully formed garment made of animal hide. Chu Li took a closer look and realized that this was the beast skin he had personally peeled off last night. He furrowed his brow and spoke in a low voice: "When did you make this?"

  "Last night." Qing Xia lowered her head, very seriously spreading out those clothes completely, then raised her head and said with a small smile: "I did it while you were sleeping, I've never done this before, don't know if it's good or not, try wearing them. It's too cold outside, we can't stand going out like this."

  Chu Li bent down and picked up a piece of leather clothing, only to feel that the style was quite strange. She furrowed her brow and pulled it back and forth twice, saying: "How do you wear this thing?"

  "I'm here." Qing Xia suddenly stood up, her figure not tall, only reaching Chu Li's chest. She had to tiptoe slightly to reach Chu Li's neck. The woman skillfully removed the armor from his neck, then went around to his back and slowly took off the heavy, cold iron armor that didn't keep out the chill, clanging it to the ground. She picked up a fur-lined coat, which Qing Xia had made according to modern clothing styles, using grass rope to tie together several pieces of fur, adding sleeves, looking not very good, with rough workmanship, but very warm.

  A large piece of leather with a hole in the middle was put on his head, tied at the waist, and that was a vest. Putting on sleeves, the upper body was done. Qing Xia crouched down again, tying several pieces of fur to Chu Li's legs, temporarily serving as pants. She hung her head, her long black hair falling from her cheeks, her slender hands circling around Chu Li's legs, binding the straps for him one by one.

  The air was so quiet that even the big yellow dog didn't dare to make a sound. Suddenly, Qing Xia raised her head, her thin face had a faintly refreshing and gentle look, she tilted her neck to look at Chu Li and said: "Boots will get cold too, are your boots big enough? Can you put in a piece of leather?"

  Chu Li was stunned, and the usually eloquent him suddenly didn't know what to say. Qing Xia saw that he hadn't responded, so she lowered her head and stretched out her hand to press on the tip of Chu Li's boots. "The emperor's boots shouldn't be too small," Qing Xia muttered to herself, "they should fit perfectly."

  Thought for a moment, grabbed Chu Li's leg and said: "Lift your leg."

  Chu Li listened and lifted her leg, Qing Xia picked up a large piece of fur, hair inside, wrapped Chu Li's foot along with the entire calf, then took grass rope to tie it up circle by circle.

  Chu Li looked down, gazing at Qing Xia's thin back, sharp cheekbones, and slender shoulders. He thought of the various things between them, those endless tests and precautions, and suddenly felt like a foolish weakling. Wearing bright eyes, stubborn expressions, warm smiles, and the irrepressible joy he saw when she rode her horse to meet him on the dry land, it was like ripples echoing in his heart.

  Suddenly, all his doubts and suspicions, as well as the last bit of defensive barrier in his heart, collapsed with a loud crash.

  She tied up both feet and stood up with a smile, proudly looking at Chu Li who was tied into a rice dumpling. She couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh, her smiling face radiant like a flower, instantly dazzling Chu Li's eyes.

  "Chu Li, you look like a bear." Qing Xia said with a smile, her eyes curved, and then she turned around to dress herself. However, just at this moment, a hand suddenly stretched out from behind, tightly grasping her pale and icy small hand.

  Time seemed to have stopped at this moment, the scorching heat from his hand had almost burned Qing Xia's nerves, she stood there dazed, her expression frozen. However, the man behind her didn't make any movement, he just held her hand tightly, so tight that it was as if he wanted to squeeze it into his own flesh.

  "Qīng xià," a low, muffled voice slowly emerged, like ice scraping against the surface of water, carrying the warmth of thawing snow. The man spoke in a deep, measured tone: "Qīng xià, I'm sorry."

  She really wasn't the kind of person who liked to cry, but at this moment, her eyes suddenly turned red, and the barriers in her heart were shattered. The grievances, the resentment, and the unspoken injustices that had been pent up inside her poured out like a flood of water. Her hands clenched into fists so tightly they hurt, but she didn't say a word, just stood there with her back to him, frozen in place. It was as if she had waited an entire lifetime for this moment, and now a single tear fell silently from her eye, leaving a glistening trail in mid-air.

  "Chu Li," Qing Xia said softly, her voice low but firm. "I am not Zhuang Qing Xia."

  "You are!" Chu Li said stubbornly, "In my heart, you always will be."

  Although Zong Qing Xia is dead, missing and gone. But she was my consort, my woman, Qing Xia. If you are not her, then what identity should I use to face you? And you, what identity will you use to face me?

  The one I know has always been Zhuang Qingxia, even if I'm wrong, don't come and remind me.

  Do you know? When you admit with your own mouth that you're not hers, you no longer belong to me. Now in this isolated place, can't I temporarily forget those cold realities?

  A cold wind blew between them, like an icy knife.

  She slowly put on the thick fur coat, and Qing Xia slowly stood up, wrapped in white fur from head to toe, looking delicate and petite, holy like a fairy.

  Chu Li looked up and down at her, suddenly furrowed his brow, and said in a deep voice: "Why didn't you wear socks?"

  Qing Xia was taken aback for a moment, and calmly said: "It's okay, my boots are thick, I'm not afraid."

  Chu Li's sword-like eyebrows were tightly locked, she took a step forward and grasped Qing Xia's waist with one hand, pressing her down to sit, then lifted her legs up, about to remove her boots.

  "Stop! Ah!" Qing Xia suddenly cried out, her eyebrows furrowed tightly as she seemed to be enduring immense pain along with Chu Li's movements.

  Chu Li was shocked, and saw that the place she was holding onto was exactly a wound. On top of the wound, there was an even bigger wound, which looked like it had been bitten by a wild beast, and had even been torn apart fiercely, almost tearing off a piece of flesh. Qing Xia's calf and foot were already swollen from the cold. Her boots were soft-soled single boots, which couldn't withstand this snowy terrain at all. At this moment, her feet had almost lost all sensation, and if she was wrapped up again, she wouldn't be able to walk at all.

  The flames of anger surged up like a tidal wave, Chu Li tore off the skin on his leg and wrapped it around Qing Xia's leg. His anger was overwhelming, but his movements were not rough, instead he carefully avoided touching Qing Xia's wound, extremely gentle.

  Qing Xia hastily stopped him and said: "I'm fine, just take good care of yourself after we get out. We should still prioritize finding a way to escape."

  Chu Li remained silent and motionless, as if she hadn't heard him. He bandaged her two legs, then suddenly squatted down in front of her and said, "Get on!"

  Qing Xia stopped in his tracks and furrowed his brow, saying: "What do you want?"

  "Enough." Chu Li said coldly, grabbing her hands and suddenly lifting her onto his back. He then stood up abruptly, kicking the big yellow dog's rump with one foot, and said coldly, "Lead the way!"

  "Chu Li! Put me down!" Qing Xia angrily pounded on his shoulder, but the man didn't react at all. He just glared ahead, turned around and fiercely stared at his little white beast, raised an eyebrow and shouted: "Stop pretending! Lead the way!"

  "Wooo." A small beast, about the size of a palm and named Dahuang, pouted its mouth, rubbed its eyes with its short front paws in great distress, and turned around to leave.