Chapter 67: A Brush of Shoulders

  Just outside, it was pitch black, and Chuli was massacring the Lüdan people at the foot of the mountain. In the Qingmu Hall of Qin Huang's Mausoleum, Qing Xia was taking the most refreshing hot bath in days.

  Steam rose from her delicate, smooth skin, making her face look even more pale and white. Her long black hair floated on the water's surface, scattered across her sleek back, and her thin shoulders were rounded and white, like fine porcelain. The scars on her hands seemed less gruesome as they soaked in the hot spring. Qing Xia let out a long sigh, washing away the blood and stench from her body, feeling refreshed all over.

  In this isolated underground imperial mausoleum, everything is so magical. The surroundings gradually dimmed down, a bright moon slowly rose to the middle of the sky, majestic and pure, the distant bamboo forest emitted a faint fragrance in the gentle breeze, casting sparse and scattered dappled shadows, Qing Xia felt that everything seemed like a grand dream.

  Slowly getting up from the hot spring, using a clean towel to wipe dry hair, standing barefoot by the warm water pool, crouching down, picking up clothes on the ground, and putting them on.

  This is a cotton-made skirt, with a very simple style, a long white skirt, and a deep white dress on the outside. The waist is high and tied up, highlighting the tall chest and slender legs. If a person with a good figure wears it, it will look very slim, but Qing Xia's head is small and delicate, so wearing it looks a bit mismatched. She frowned, carefully holding up her skirt, afraid that this clean skirt would get dirty if dragged on the ground. Her black hair was wet and hanging down one side, her face red and looking very cute.

  "Yimael, are you okay?"

  A faint voice suddenly rose in the distance, Qing Xia's head lifted up with joy, facing the dense bamboo forest and calling out: "Qin Zhiyan, come over here."

  A gentle breeze caressed his face, the clear moonlight casting a soft, serene glow. In a grove of emerald green bamboo, a man emerged, dressed in a long, pale blue robe and white boots, his features gentle, his lips warm and inviting, as he walked slowly out into the night.

  Qin Zhiyan finished his bath on the other side and saw Qing Xia hadn't made a sound for a long time, so he became somewhat worried and walked over.

  This was still his first time seeing Qing Xia wear a dress.

  Although he had seen many beauties in his life, at the moment when he first saw Qing Xia, he was still slightly stunned. The woman under the moonlight wore a long white dress, her hair fluttering, her face clean and free of makeup. Her eyebrows were as clear as morning dew, her lips were red, her brow was lightly furrowed, and she stood barefoot with her toes pointed, holding up the hem of her long skirt with both hands. She looked like a fairy from a painting, untouched by worldly dust.

  "What's wrong? Doesn't the clothes fit?"

  "Your empress must be from the North!" Qing Xia said with hatred.

  "Really? How did you know?"

  "Ah? I really said it!"

  Qin's flames smiled faintly: "The Female Emperor is the daughter of our country's Great Husband Qin Shou Ye, of course she is a northerner."

  "Hey!" Qing Xia raised an eyebrow in discontent: "Why am I so short, look, you've grown so much taller than me."

  Qin's flames lost his smile as he looked at Qing Xia, who was holding up the hem of her long skirt and frowning. A warm color appeared in his eyebrows, and he slowly walked forward, picking up the shoes on the ground. The female emperor had a tall figure, so her feet were naturally bigger than Qing Xia's. Turning around, she said with her back to Qing Xia, "Let's go, I'll carry you back."

  "Ah?" Qing Xia's eyes widened and she hastily shook her head, "No need, no need."

  "Come on, you can't go back barefoot."

  Qin Zhiyan's voice was gentle, but his words carried a rare firmness. Qing Xia's eyes flickered, and with a sudden movement, she jumped onto Qin Zhiyan's back. Qin Zhiyan's body swayed slightly, knowing that Qing Xia had done it on purpose, and he didn't get angry. He handed the shoes to Qing Xia's hands, saying: "You hold them."

  Qing Xia listened to the words, holding a shoe in one hand, lying on Qin Zhiyan's back, humming a little tune, his legs still swaying back and forth, looking very content.

  Actually, it's not that you can't walk back barefoot.

  Just want to feel this rare warmth again.

  Because she knew that once they left this isolated underground tomb, everything would no longer be as it was now.

  "Qin's warmth, this place is really great, I don't even want to leave."

  "En," Qin Zhiyan smiled faintly, "yes, it's good."

  "It's always chaotic outside." Qing Xia's voice was dull and tired, with a hint of helplessness. "I really don't want to go out again."

  "Then don't go out." Qin Zhiyan said with a smile, his voice as gentle and carefree as the wild smoke trees on the open plains.

  "No," Qing Xia shook her head, "some things, it's not that I don't want to, but just can't be done. Besides, Qin Zhiyan can't stay with me here forever. By myself, no matter how beautiful the scenery is, I'll eventually get tired of it, and no matter how fun a place is, I'll eventually get bored."

  Qin's flames were momentarily stunned, and Qing Xia could even feel his spine stiffen for an instant.

  "Qin Zhiyan, we can be considered friends now, right?"

  A snow-white rabbit suddenly jumped out from the thicket, circling around Qin Zhiyan's feet with curiosity, looking at the two of them. This place had not been visited by humans for many years, so the creatures here did not know the horror of humans. Just now, when Qing Xia was taking a bath, even the plum blossom deer jumped into the water and came to rub against Qing Xia's body affectionately.

  Qin Zhiyan nodded and smiled faintly: "Of course."

  "Well, that's good." Qing Xia smiled and said: "I finally have a friend here too. These days, I've been muddled and didn't know what I was living for. But now I've thought it through, the world is so big and I have plenty of time, why not take a look around? Maybe someday when I'm tired from walking, I'll come find you. You're wealthy and influential, be sure to treat me well then."

  "Yima, do you have an older brother?" Qin Zhiyan fell silent for a moment before suddenly speaking up.

  "I have no relatives here." Qing Xia said in a low voice: "Yang brother is just a very important friend to me, he saved me many times, also helped me many times, gave up many important things for me, so I must find him."

  The road back, suddenly became so long, Qin Zhiyan's heart mouth was instantly bitten open by a small bug. He smiled faintly, carrying Qing Xia's petite body, and walked slowly towards the bamboo house.

  "Qin's flames, I think I understand now."

  "What's on your mind?"

  "This Cypress Great Hall actually exists for the purpose of protecting the central main hall."

  Qin's eyebrows rose slightly as he said, "What do you mean by this?"

  "The Flame Temple is built on the mouth of a volcano, and once someone steps in, it will trigger a small-scale eruption to prevent intruders from entering the main hall. However, to prevent the volcano from destroying the main hall, an ice stone chamber was built next to the Flame Temple, which can extinguish fires in high-temperature situations. If the scale is grand, there is also the Yellow Earth Temple behind it to suppress the volcanic eruption. Few people can escape alive from these three passes, and outside, there are external temple mechanisms that we have not experienced. However, if someone breaks through all the way here, it means that the person is absolutely extraordinary. Ordinary mechanisms cannot withstand them, so the Green Wood Temple, this paradise, will be the final tomb for intruders who become infatuated. After experiencing such terrifying things, coming to such a beautiful and magnificent place, wouldn't anyone feel tired and reluctant to leave? Even you and I would linger here and not want to leave."

  Qin's flames laughed as he listened to Qing Xia speak, but his heart gradually cooled down. The grasses between the trees floated, and the moonlight was enchanting. A man in a green robe carried a girl wearing a white long gown on his back, walking step by step through the bamboo forest, but gradually fell silent, losing all language.

  "Yima'er, want to leave this place?" he finally asked in a low voice.

  "Not really wanting to, but having no choice but to leave, I have more important things to attend to. Qin Zhiyan is probably the same."

  Yes, it's all the same, there are more important things to attend to. This peaceful place was never meant for the living anyway.

  The small cottage under the moonlight looked very quiet, Qin Zhiyan put Qing Xia into the house and went out. After a while, he picked some wild fruits back and placed them on Qing Xia's bed.

  Qing Xia was already starving, his belly was stuck to his back. As soon as he saw the wild fruit, he picked it up and ate it. The wild fruit was refreshing, juicy, and sweet. Qing Xia ate seven or eight of them before he felt full.

  "You've been tired for so long, have a good sleep now. Tomorrow I'll take you to the main hall, and then we'll leave this place." Qin Zhiyan stood in front of Qing Xia, covering her with a quilt, and said with a smile.

  "Then where will you go to sleep? It's going to be very cool at night."

  "It doesn't matter."

  "What's wrong?" Qing Xia frowned and said in a low voice, "Don't tell me that nonsense about being afraid of ruining my reputation by sleeping outside. We've both worked so hard to survive like this, you're also exhausted to death. If we don't rest, how can we escape?"

  Qin's flames faintly smiled, reached out to touch Qing Xia's hair, "I'm not going out, just rest on the bed for a while, don't worry, take a good rest."

  The night grew darker, and the bright moonlight shone in through the window. In the room, there were two people breathing softly, both seemingly asleep. However, in the darkness, a pair of eyelashes was slowly fluttering.

  Something has quietly changed already.

  Between life and death, they took a step that shouldn't have been taken.

  Everything is happening too fast, so fast that it's catching people off guard.

  However, there was a huge chasm in between. Qing Xia opened her eyes wide in the darkness and suddenly remembered the man with a clear face in the small pavilion by the lake that day. He stood in front of her, his voice low and saying to himself: "This may be the last time I want to believe in someone."

  Everything is the same as this world where Tang Xiaoshi shouldn't have appeared in the first place.

  Although we didn't meet by chance, it can only be a fleeting encounter.