CH 36

Ah Qin is so slow, I’m so cold

They have been traveling north from the capital for nearly a month now, and as they proceed, the surroundings become increasingly cold and desolate. On several occasions, before nightfall, Ming Qin and Murong Yan were unable to find an inn, and they had to spend the night in the woods.

The sturdy horses work tirelessly, silently grazing on frost-covered wild grass outside the carriage.

Ming Qin, meanwhile, chews on her own dried meat as she starts a fire and boils water. The sound of metal chains clanking breaks the silence of the forest.

Feeling a tug on her neck, Ming Qin opens the unlatched door and softly inquires of the woman inside, “Have you eaten enough?”

The woman in the fox fur nodded and handed Ming Qin a half-eaten steamed bun. “Here, Ah Qin, eat,” she said.

Ming Qin waved off the offering, indicating her already full stomach. “I’ve already eaten,” she replied.

“If you don’t eat, then I’ll have to eat the same food as you next time,” the woman insisted, feeding her the steamed bun.

Since Ming Qin’s hastily made dried meat was tough, she didn’t want to share it with Murong Yan. She reluctantly accepted the food offered by the woman.

Before shutting the carriage door, Ming Qin puffed her cheeks and said vaguely, “The water is almost ready. I’ll bring it in for you in a bit.”

Murong Yan nodded, covering her mouth and attempting to suppress the itchiness in her throat.

Quietly, she loosened her clothes, her form illuminated by the dim oil lamp inside the carriage. Her once beautiful physique was now too thin, but her skin remained fair and as smooth as condensed fat.

Ming Qin opened the door and brought the basin of hot water into the carriage, glancing at the person inside nervously.

Murong Yan watched with an open expression, but her face remained obscured by shadows, making her emotions difficult to discern. She reached out her hand to the person in front of her, allowing her to support and place a moisture-proof oilcloth underneath her.

Once Murong Yan was comfortably situated, the shadow guard knelt down and focused on the woman’s knee, intending to remove the strap that held the prosthetic leg in place. However, the cramped quarters of the carriage, combined with Murong Yan’s charming figure, caused Ming Qin to feel a strange nervousness.

Ming Qin avoided looking directly at Murong Yan and instead focused on her hands. Her neck remained stiff, unwilling to move even the slightest bit. The sight of Murong Yan’s slender and flat stomach, her smooth and soft skin, and the deep cleavage visible in Ming Qin’s field of vision, all served to unsettle her typically calm heart.

Despite her efforts to concentrate on the task at hand, Ming Qin appeared increasingly clumsy, unable to remove the prosthetic no matter how hard she tried. Her anxiety grew as she broke out into a sweat.

Feeling the warmth of Ming Qin’s breath on her skin, Murong Yan struggled to suppress the urge to breathe heavily. She tugged at the chain on her hand with a hint of urgency, compelling Ming Qin to look up.

The person kneeling in front of her lifted her head slightly, looking flustered and unable to focus. Ming Qin’s eyes darted around, unable to meet Murong Yan’s gaze.

Suppressing her emotions and trying to conceal her playful thoughts, Murong Yan gazed intently at Ming Qin, forcing her to make eye contact before pretending to be distressed and saying, “Ah Qin, you’re taking so long. I’m getting very cold.”

“I’m… I’m sorry,” Ming Qin apologized in a panic as she draped a blanket over Murong Yan, but despite her efforts, her other hand couldn’t seem to untie the straps.

“Is it because you don’t want to see my wound that you’re untying them so slowly, Ah Qin?” Murong Yan asked with a mischievous smile, holding the iron chain that symbolized her captivity.

“No! How could I?” Ming Qin’s face turned red as she tried to explain, but looking up at the woman’s snow-white face made her even more incoherent.

Although Murong Yan knew that the answer would never change no matter how many times she asked, she felt a subtle sense of satisfaction as she watched Ming Qin frantically trying to prove her innocence. She continued to feign sadness and asked, “Really? If you didn’t mind, then why couldn’t Ah Qin untie them suddenly?”

“I…I really didn’t mean to,” Ming Qin struggled to apologize to the distressed Murong Yan, but she found it difficult to explain her uncontrollable and malicious thoughts.

In her panic, Ming Qin wasn’t paying attention to her actions and accidentally pulled the strap too hard, causing the prosthetic that she had been struggling to remove to fall off.

The young shadow guard felt flustered and looked up at the woman with a face that seemed to be on the verge of tears. She felt ashamed and blamed herself for the mistake.

As if trying to make amends, Ming Qin took a deep breath and grabbed Murong Yan’s wrist. She then lowered her head and gently touched the stump of the woman’s right leg, lingering over the swollen and bruised skin, trying to show her empathy.

“I didn’t,” Ming Qin repeated, her gaze lifting up from under her bangs.

Although her eyes were usually bright, they now held a hint of gloom. Her tone remained remorseful.

“I really didn’t dislike you. Please don’t cry.”

As Ming Qin’s lips touched the stump of Murong Yan’s amputated leg, a strange sensation shot up her spine from her right knee. It caused her covered body to curl up involuntarily and her heart to tremble.

“Ah… Ah Qin?” Murong Yan’s voice trembled as she felt weak all over. “Ah Qin, what are you doing?”

Ming Qin leaned against Murong Yan’s right knee once again, tilted her head, and thought for a moment. She then let out a vague sound from her throat, “Rewarding?”

She slightly tightened her fingertips and asked again, “Don’t you like it?”

“I don’t dislike it,” Murong Yan’s pale skin turned pink, and she tightened her grip on the chain under the covers, “but…”

“That’s not the right kind of reward, is it?” Ming Qin obediently stepped back and stood up, releasing the hand that was holding hers.

“No!” Murong Yan felt the tremors throughout her body subsiding, and suddenly grasped the wrist of the shadow guard, and exclaimed, “I want you to continue, Ah Qin.”

Kneeling down once again, Ming Qin listened attentively to what the woman had to say next.

“But you cannot watch, and you cannot speak until I say so, no matter what happens, okay?”

“Okay.”

Ming Qin untied the belt fastening her outer robe and tied it tightly around her eyes, assuming a devout posture. The iron chain around her neck made a slight clinking sound.

The person beneath her followed orders obediently. Despite her best efforts to bite her lip, Murong Yan struggled to control herself and let out broken sounds.

She lifted her left foot and pressed it against Ming Qin’s shoulder, curling her toes tightly and causing the loose outer robe to slip off her shoulder.

With a focused and sincere expression, Murong Yan watched the kneeling figure. Under the covers, her fingers, clad in a leather strap, couldn’t help but stroke the swollen, blood-red, and moist beads that were about to fall off.

The carriage gradually warmed up, heralding the arrival of spring after winter. The dim light of the oil lamp flickered, suffusing the space with the scent of flowers and nectar.

The carriage swayed gently, creating the sensation of being on the high seas. Orioles sang merrily outside, and the sound of chains clinking grew more intense.

Submerged, Murong Yan lifted her head and gasped for air, feeling as though she might drown.

As the drops of water accumulated into a river, the situation had spiraled out of control.

As the final sound echoed, Murong Yan’s feet involuntarily hooked back, pulling Ming Qin towards herself and causing a spasm to ripple through her body.

Feeling a bit of moisture on her cheek, Ming Qin instinctively licked her lips, but hesitated whether or not to remove the blindfold.

“…No!”

Gasping for air, Murong Yan stopped the movements, her body still trembling with the lingering vibrations. She reached out for Ming Qin to catch her, then fell into her arms from the seat.

Ming Qin held Murong Yan in her arms, refraining from asking any questions despite her curiosity. She waited silently, patiently allowing the woman to catch her breath.

The creek continued to murmur in the background.

The dampness of the wet clothes could be felt against Ming Qin’s hand as she gently stroked the thin, prominent vertebrae along Murong Yan’s slender back, offering comfort and support.

The shadow guard, accustomed to following orders and keeping a low profile, did not feel curious about the woman’s actions.

However, the trembling of Murong Yan’s body, caused by Ming Qin’s touch, and the warmth and nostalgia in her voice when she said her name, stirred a sense of excitement within Ming Qin.

If she could make Murong Yan happy, then it was a reward worth having.

After a while, the panting in Ming Qin’s ear gradually subsided, and Murong Yan spoke in a low voice, “Ah Qin, it’s okay now.”

Ming Qin replied, “That’s enough for the reward.”

Ming Qin removed the blindfold and observed the damp Murong Yan before her. She brushed the hair off her forehead and suggested, “You’ve perspired a lot. The water’s cold, so I’ll warm it up for you to take a bath.”

Murong Yan leaned into Ming Qin’s shoulder, still feeling weak despite having caught her breath. “Alright,” she murmured.

“As long as it’s you, Ah Qin, everything will be fine.”