Chapter 64: Warmth

  Qing Xia's body was covered in injuries, almost every inch of her hurt. After crying loudly in Qin Zhiyan's arms, she fainted from exhaustion.

  Qin Zhiyan held Qing Xia, climbing up from the hook lock that Qing Xia had climbed down from. It was laughable that those venomous snakes, possibly encountering an opponent for the first time in their lives, even without the threat of fierce flames, still did not dare to make a move on the unconscious Qing Xia, watching as she left with Qin Zhiyan's embrace, collectively petrified and seeing her off.

  On the grand golden temple, Qin's flame looked at Qing Xia Quan's body covered in venomous snakes' foul blood and internal organs' juice, gently taking off her outer shirt, every inch of her skin was a shocking wound.

  Her hands were already beyond recognition, the frostbite she had gotten in the ice-cold stone room, the cuts from the rocks and dagger when sliding down the whirlpool, the severe burns from hugging the burning pillar, and after that, putting her hand into the python's belly, being soaked in the snake's corrosive stomach acid, her once fair hands were now completely disfigured.

  Her arms, snow-white and covered in red blisters. Her shoulders were swept by the snake's tail, leaving large welts. Her knees had sharp cuts, her ankles were swollen, and her back was covered in large patches of abrasions. Looking at this woman covered in scars, Qin Zhiyan felt an unprecedented pang of heartache for the first time in twenty-five years. After fetching clear water from the Ice Stone Chamber and bringing back a large quantity of burning wood from the Flame God Temple, Qin Zhiyan sat in front of the golden dragon bed after giving Qing Xia a simple cleaning, looking at the tightly furrowed brows on her pale face, he couldn't help but reach out his hand to gently stroke her slender cheek.

  She was really young, looking less than twenty years old, with a small face the size of a palm, often covered by her eyelashes, and had a subtle silhouette that outlined her features.

  In just five days, this small but strong girl had taken root in his heart like a big tree.

  He can no longer tell when it started, perhaps from the moment she opened her eyes, he had already begun to fall.

  Why else would he have instructed Zhong Bo to take extra care of her and give her a large amount of gifts? And why would he want to part ways with her when danger is approaching?

  This seemingly fragile girl gave him a huge shock. From the moment she rushed back into the midst of ten thousand horses to take down Yan Pingxi's head, from the moment she created an avalanche and held onto his wrist to escape, from the moment she grasped his sleeve and said they wouldn't part ways, from the moment she turned back to save him in the Flame Temple, from the moment she carried him on her back in the Ice Stone Chamber, he knew that he couldn't escape.

  The cold arrows and secret calculations of the court, the mysterious undercurrents of the palace, the dark secrets of the imperial family, his heart had been tempered like steel, cold as ice. Yet, he didn't expect to be undone by her radiant smile.

  But everything was nothing compared to what he saw in the pit of ten thousand snakes under the Yellow Soil Temple. When he was hung on the cliff, waking up from his coma, looking at the girl below who was covered in blood and crying silently, he suddenly felt a heart-wrenching pain, a new and strange feeling that he had never experienced before, a huge shock, a huge emotion, a huge heartache, and seemingly, a huge joy.

  Qin's flames slowly stretched out his hand, gently grasping Qing Xia's wounded hand. Before his eyes again appeared her bright eyebrows and white teeth smile: "Eimar, it means eternal life."

  "Qin Zhiyan, if I could, I really want to give this name to you."

  Qin's eyes closed slightly, took a deep breath, his voice was calm and soothing, with a hint of warmth like the ocean: "Your appearance is my Emma."

  "A faint voice echoed... 'Qin Zhiyan...' Xia Qing's eyes slowly opened, and she met Qin Zhiyan's joyful gaze. After a brief daze, all her memories came flooding back. Her eyes moistened as she spoke in a choked voice: "Qin Zhiyan, I dreamed you were dead."

  "I haven't sent you out of the imperial mausoleum yet, how can I die." Qin Zhiyan smiled lightly and stroked Qing Xia's hair.

  "This imperial tomb is really hateful." Qing Xia suddenly gritted her teeth and said in a low voice: "We almost got killed by it several times."

  Qin's flames smiled faintly and shook his head, saying: "This is originally a place for burying the dead. The living should not come here, everything here is prepared for tomb robbers. In fact, we disturbed the rest of the dead."

  "Hmph!" Qing Xia snorted in disagreement: "They're your family's ancestors, so of course you'd side with them."

  Qin's flames subsided, and he didn't refute. Seeing Qing Xia seemed to have recovered some physical strength, he said in a low voice: "Yimaer, we should leave, there is no food or drinkable water here, staying for a long time will not be good for us."

  "Alright, let's go! I don't want to stay in this haunted place for another moment." Qing Xia said hastily, and as soon as she finished speaking, she wanted to get out of bed and walk. But before her feet even touched the ground, a sharp pain suddenly attacked her heart. Her eyebrows furrowed tightly together, and her face turned pale instantly.

  "Your foot is injured, how can you still be so reckless." Qin Zhiyan frowned and said seriously. He hastily pressed down on Qing Xia's body, afraid that she would move again.

  Even in the Flame Temple, Qing Xia had lost his boots and later bought a pair to wear with socks while walking in the icy stone room. His feet were already frostbitten, and later, in order to save Qin Zhiyan, he rushed back to the Flame Temple again, suffering extensive burns. At this moment, being wrapped layer by layer by Qin Zhiyan, they looked like two rice dumplings.

  Tying Qing Xia's dagger and long sword to his body, he took off the dried cloak and draped it over Qing Xia's shoulders. Qin Zhiyan turned around with his back facing forward and said in a low voice: "Get on, I'll carry you."

  "Are you behind me?" Qing Xia was stunned, her eyes wide with confusion.

  "How come you can carry me, but I cannot carry you?"

  "No, no," Qing Xia hastily shook her head and said: "I think that as a noble prince of a country, you condescend to carry me on your back, it's a bit overwhelming."

  Qin's flames bitter smile, looking at the full of pain Qing Xia: "Without you, this one country prince would have been destroyed long ago."

  Walked up to Qing Xia's front, slightly bent down, with his straight back facing Qing Xia.

  Qing Xia's mouth suddenly curved into a big smile, she opened her arms and jumped up.

  Qin Zhiyan looked very thin, but his back was wide and warm. No matter when or how rough he was, his body always carried a pleasant scent of Sichuan peppercorns and Chinese medicine. His neck was long, Qing Xia's hands were wrapped around it, her small head leaning on his shoulder, fitting perfectly. Qin Zhiyan held Qing Xia's legs with one hand, carrying two flints and a sword, all their belongings, as they walked out of the grand hall of the Yellow Earth Temple.

  Qing Xia's small body lay on Qin Zhiyan's back, looking like a little cat, light and delicate, so light that it almost had no weight.

  "Yima," Qin Zhiyan's voice was warm and soft as he called out.

  "Really?"

  "Does it hurt?"

  "It doesn't hurt."

  "Oh." He nodded slowly and quietly walked forward.

  "Emma."

  "Really?"

  "Are you tired?"

  "I'm not walking anymore." Qing Xia's voice was a bit muffled, she dazedly leaned on Qin Zhiyan's back, the fatigue of several days suddenly surged up in her mind, and she muttered.

  "Oh, are you hungry?"

  "I've been starving for a long time."

  "Yima'er, after we go out, I will definitely treat you to a big meal, all the delicacies in the world, whatever you want to eat is fine."

  "I don't need any exquisite food, I can swallow anything now. Even if you give me a KFC meal, I swear I can finish the whole family bucket by myself." Qing Xia said with her eyes closed and her thoughts dazed.

  "Huh?" Qin Zhiyan was slightly stunned and said in a low voice: "What kind of chicken is this 'pecking' chicken? I've never heard of it before."

  "You don't have it here, it's a Western-style fried food, not very nutritious and not particularly delicious, but very convenient."

  "West? But isn't it Nishikawa?"

  "Not yet, go a bit further west."

  "Further west? That's the territory of the Xiongnu people. Have you been to the court of the Xiongnu king?"

  "No, it's further west than Xiongnu."

  Qin's eyebrows were tightly locked, and he thought hard: "Further west is the Cangwu Sea. Yimaer, are you talking about the food on the sea?"

  "No!" Qing Xia said somewhat gloomily, "It's on the other side of the ocean, anyway you won't be able to go in this lifetime."

  "Can't go?" Qin Zhiyan's eyebrows rose, and the rare radiance emanated from his face, exuding strong confidence and power. "Even if it's just for this chicken you're eating, I will definitely defeat the Xiongnu, pacify Western China, recover the world, and revive the great Qin dynasty. Then, I'll sail across the sea and catch one of these chickens for you to eat."

  "Qin Zhiyan, you can't get there." A wave of sadness slowly crept up to Qing Xia's heart. "Even if you defeat everyone in the world, you still won't find it. I myself can't even go back, Qin Zhiyan. My country has abandoned me, my friends and comrades all don't want me anymore."

  A warm drop slowly flowed down and landed on Qin Zhiyan's neck, he suddenly froze for a moment, then firmly said in a low voice: "Yima, they don't want you, I do."

  "En." Qing Xia nodded, burying her head in Qin Zhiyan's neck, sniffled and said softly: "Okay, I've been wanting to take a break for a long time. I want to go to college, fall in love...I didn't want to do this job anyway."

  "Alright, come with me back to Daxin, I'll take you to the study room to read books."

  "En," Qing Xia hugged Qin Zhiyan's neck tightly, suddenly feeling very sleepy, her voice was light and soft as she responded.

  "Emma?"

  "En?" The girl was already half asleep, responding softly.

  "What's wrong? Does it hurt?"

  "No," Qing Xia said softly: "Qin Zhiyan, I'm so tired, I want to sleep well for a while. Since I came to this place, I've never had a good night's sleep, I'm so sleepy."

  "Alright," Qin Zhiyan nodded and smiled faintly. "You sleep now, I'll go out and call you later."

  "Well, by the time I open my eyes again, I'll be able to see the sun."

  Qing Xia's voice became muffled and she gradually fell asleep.