Finest Servant-Chapter 617

Chapter 617 Encounter Again

Xu Zhiqing stood closest to her, her gaze fixed on the Khan, who leaned against the railing, silently shedding tears. Her temples were touched with gray, her silent tale seemed to dissolve into the invisible realms, as if even heaven and earth had vanished into nothingness.

How many women of such staunch loyalty existed in the world? Miss Xu felt a twinge in her nose and turned her head away gently, unexpectedly shedding tears for this foreign woman.

An endless silence prevailed as if even the drifting sands of the sky had solidified.

Time passed indeterminately until a deep sigh resonated from within the carriage, "Let's go back, we've crossed the border!"

Though soft, the command pierced the air like a sword thrust. Yujia's body shook violently, tears fell like rain as she sobbed, no longer able to lean on the railing, "Why won't you kiss me? Why, why?!"

With both hands gripping the carriage shaft, her slender fingers seemed to dig into the wood, her body collapsed in tremors like a sieve shaking, her voice as plaintive as an oriole bleeding from a wound. The water skin slung on her back swayed with her movements, a patch at one corner intricately embroidered with the figure of a swiftly flying butterfly, fluttering as if it were the most beautiful butterfly amidst the desert winds and sands.

In the midst of this silence, a broad hand trembling slightly, reached out slowly from behind the curtain. On its back, a row of deep teeth marks was as clear as a crescent moon adorning the horizon.

Yujia wept silently, her tears falling like rain, as she stretched out her hand in haste. Three inches, two inches, the distance between them was just a finger's breadth when her movements slowed, her body trembling like a willow in the wind, her chest soaked instantly with tears.

Her delicate hand gently touched the broad palm, and her body shook so fiercely that she collapsed to the ground, her fingers digging into his flesh without a sound, feeling the warmth of his palm trembling together with her own spirit.

"I hate you," the beautiful Khan murmured to herself, pressing her cheek slowly against his warm, quivering hand. Her tears, silent and breathless, traced the lines of his palm, falling one by one, slow and steady. The engulfing sand swirl could not obscure the sparkle of these teardrops.

Amidst such silence, everyone dared not speak, fearing that their voices might shatter the most beautiful scene on earth.

The swirl had abated at some unknown time, and the Khan's hair was covered in scattered sand. She sat quietly by the carriage in the sand, her cheek against the broad hand, her beautiful eyes tightly closed, long eyelashes wet with the remnants of dawn's dew. But her tears had long since dried.

The Turkic National Tutor and his entourage, who had arrived at some point, bowed slightly and whispered, "Great Khan, it is time to return! Great Khan, Great Khan—"

He called out several times, but Yujia, as if spellbound, did not respond to him.

Lu Dongzan, helpless, slightly bowed with a fist in respect, "Is it Master Lin in the carriage?"

"Lu Dongzan, we meet again!" Master Lin's voice was a gentle sigh.

Who else could it be if not Lin San? The Turkic National Tutor looked at the Khan curled on the ground and huffed in annoyance, "Meet again?! Master Lin, pardon my bluntness, but while you hide inside the carriage, you can see me, yet I have never seen you!"

Lu Dongzan was essentially standing up for their Golden Blade Khan. Lin Wanrong remained silent for a long while before he finally let out a silent sigh, "Brother Lu, can you understand my feelings?"

Understanding depended on personal experience. After some thought, Lu Dongzan shook his head helplessly, at a loss for what to do next.

Yujia trembled slightly, suddenly opening her eyes wide to look upon the blood-stained palm before her. The delicate yet chaotic fingerprints had etched deep grooves, some reaching down to the bone. Specks of blood had stained her cheeks red. Holding back hot tears, she suddenly bit down hard on that palm, springing up as if electrified, "Understand what? I cannot understand! I just hate you, and I want to hate you forever!"

With a soft cry, she dashed into the dust, her figure swift as the wind, leaving even her little boots uncared for. She ran desperately through the flowing sand, her pristine white socks turning a dull yellow in an instant.

"Farewell!" Lu Dongzan hurriedly saluted with his fist and, along with the dozen followers, turned their horses to follow after the fleeing figure of the Golden Blade Khan. "You wouldn't even give her a kiss? You heartless thief!" As Yujia's erratic figure gradually disappeared into the distance, Ning Yuxi let down the curtain, her eyes unable to hold back the moisture.

Staring at the fresh blood and scratch marks on his own palm, he stood dazed, his body suddenly trembling. He shook his head as he gasped for breath, "Sister, I truly dared not kiss her. Because with just one kiss, I would never be able to harden my heart again, cough—"

He coughed violently, the pain bending him over, a bright red hue spreading across his face. Heart-wrenching pain flowed through him, and blood dripped down from the corner of his mouth as if it were raining.

"Thief, what's wrong with you? Thief—” The Fairy cried out in alarm, hurriedly pulling him into her embrace.

The thief's face was pale, his chest heaving, and blood continued to spill out, staining his lips and chest. Tears on his face flowed like a breached dyke, becoming more numerous the more he wiped, unable to stop at all.

"Sister!" he embraced Fairy Ning, burying his head in her warm embrace, and began to cry out loud like a child, his sobs growing louder, turning into heart-wrenching howls that drifted through the sandstorm, resonating across the grasslands.

The Fairy held him, not uttering a single word, just sharing the endless bitterness in his heart.

The Golden Blade Khan, who had just reached the border, trembled intensely. As if sensing something, she slowly turned her head, staring off into the distance, and collapsed silently onto the ground.

“Wo Lao Gong—” With a tender call, she smiled through her tears…

—---

"It is said that on this day, Brother Lin vomited eight taels of blood (300 grams), and Yueya'er shed five jin of tears (2.5 kg or 5.5 pounds), causing the cosmos to lose color and the world to become murky! The desert wind stirred up, and the snow danced across the grasslands. Truly, Yujia's sincere heart shocked the heavens and earth, and Brother Lin's loyalty moved spirits and gods! No matter if they were nomads or citizens of the Great Hua, everyone was so moved that they wept profusely, all kneeling on the ground, praying to the heavens to bless the lovers to ultimately become a devoted couple..."

"Old Gao, can you slow down? I can't keep up with taking notes!" Du Xiuyuan was tirelessly writing, his brush flying across the paper in small characters, diligently recording Old Gao's tall tales into the records.

Hu Bugui chuckled and patted the table, "Write down nonsense? Don't listen to this kid's bluffs. Brother Lin coughing up eight taels of blood, I might just let that slide, but five jin of tears from Yueya'er? Wouldn't she have dried up completely? And what's this about swirling sandstorms, snow dancing across the sky, and both the nomads and Great Hua people all kneeling down. Do you think this is the siege of Kyzil? However, the battle at the Turkic royal court, that could indeed be recorded just like that; Gao Qiu wasn’t bragging! But to circle back, the other day General Lin and Yueya'er didn't even get to see each other's faces before returning, yet Gao Qiu, you've spread these storytelling books to taverns and teahouses. Isn't that misleading the public?"

"It's just a combination of a few events, it can't really be called misleading," Gao Qiu hopped off the table, eagerly grabbed the tea jar, and gulped down a few mouthfuls, wiping his mouth afterward with a satisfied grin, "They didn’t meet the day before yesterday. But they will meet tomorrow, won’t they?! Consider it a reservation made in advance, looking for a bit of good fortune! Brother Lin said, for tomorrow's negotiation, he will go himself! I have volunteered to go as well. Hu Bugui, are you coming?!"

Not only Hu Bugui, but Xu Zhen, Li Wuling, and even Du Xiuyuan, who was listening on the side, grew anxious. Du Xiuyuan slapped the table with his pen: "We're going too!"

The second round of negotiations was full of twists and turns, changes upon changes, and it was over before it even started. The Turks sent another personal letter from the Golden Blade Khan yesterday morning, setting up a third negotiation for the next day. In fact, everyone knew that it was Yueya'er wanting to meet General Lin! After all they had endured, life and death, joy and separation, who wouldn't want to see how things turned out? And the fates of both Great Hua and the Turks would be decided.

Gao Qiu nodded his head, sighing, "It would be good for all to go, but how is Brother Lin's injury?"

"Rest assured," Li Wuling said with a smile, "With Aunt Xu's medical skills and that mysterious Fairy, Brother Lin must be so content he's nearly dying of happiness. Shall we go eavesdrop later?!"

Hu Bugui tsk-tsked and slapped the back of Little Li's head, "How old is this kid, and he’s already as bad as Gao Qiu with his tricks?!"

Gao Qiu hopped around in protest, Li Wuling was furious, and everyone erupted into laughter.

"What are these guys making a racket about?!" The injured man lay in bed, overhearing the laughter from the barracks in the distance, and couldn't help frowning and grumbling, "Are they talking bad about me? Damn it, I’ll have them all flogged three hundred times! Miss Xu, can I get out of bed? I feel full of energy right now, like I can do anything!"

The military strategist Xu Zhiqing gave him a helpless look and gently sat in front of his bed, "Your body may seem well on the outside, but inside it needs rest and recuperation. Otherwise, if your blood and qi become disturbed again like the other day, and your spleen acts up, causing you to cough up blood, I'm afraid you’ll never be able to lift that big stick to beat someone again in your life."

Not being able to lift the big stick? That was a serious concern. The patient's face turned pale with fright, and he quickly fell silent.

Miss Xu smiled and shook her head, taking a small embroidered box from her bosom and handing it to him, "For you."

The box was embroidered with a golden wolf's head, and Lin Wanrong felt a tremor in his heart, hurriedly asking, "What is this?"

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"Medicine!" Xu Zhiqing sighed softly, "Medicine sent by the Turkic people."

Yujia's gift? Lin Wanrong exhaled deeply, slowly opening the brocade box. Inside, wrapped in golden silk, was a tiny pill, pure white and emitting bursts of refreshing fragrance, next to which lay a small grass figurine.

The figurine, unseen for days, now donned a tiny exquisite garment made of silk, incredibly precious. Yet, its sly and ratty expression seemed eternal and unchangeable.

Holding the figurine in his hand, Lin Wanrong found his thoughts tumultuously unsettled. These items, including the water flask and those sheepskins, were all that Fairy Ning had found on Yujia before her memory was wiped, and she had them all neatly packed and buried by the Lake of Uvs. To his surprise, Yueya'er had managed to retrieve each one!

A sourness touched his nose, and he pinched the small pill suddenly, throwing it back into his mouth. Whatever the pill was made of, it melted instantly once he swallowed, cool and fragrantly sweet.

‘Did that girl know of my aversion to bitterness?’ He sighed silently.

"Aren't you afraid that what she's given you is poison?" Xu Zhiqing asked softly, her brow furrowed in concern.

Lin Wanrong chuckled, "Miss Xu would have surely checked it herself, what is there to be afraid of?"

Her cheeks flushed, Xu Zhiqing huffed in slight annoyance, "You trust her so much! Aren't you at all bothered by the arrow she shot at you?!"

He considered her question thoughtfully, then smiling, he took hold of Xu Zhiqing's hand, "The more I care, the less I can let go. Would you prefer I care or not?"

How could she answer that? Xu Zhiqing hesitated for a long moment, then shook her head with a soft sigh, "Yueya'er truly embodies wisdom and is steadfast in affection, as unyielding as metal. Were I a man, I wouldn't have the heart to leave her either. But remember, at the negotiation table, she's not Yueya'er but the Great Khan of the Turk. Can you truly face her with equanimity?"

Lin Wanrong hummed in acknowledgment, pondering for a moment before smiling, "I suppose I can. Otherwise, would the blood I coughed up the day before yesterday have been in vain? Am I to cough up more?"

"Nonsense!" Miss Xu quickly covered his lips with her hand.

Lin Wanrong blinked and took the opportunity to plant a light kiss on her delicate fingers, causing Xu Zhiqing to blush profoundly and hastily withdraw her hand.

"Look, these are new clothes and socks sent from the capital, two sets each made by them! And these many family letters, they're all for you!" Miss Xu brought out a large parcel, all the clothes sent from the capital, with a thick stack of family letters that Xu Zhiqing had collected and organized on his behalf over these perilous three months.

He drew a letter from the pile, dated a hundred days prior. On the pristine paper was a depiction of a woman with a cheerful smile, her pregnant belly pronounced, her beautiful face glowing with tenderness. The letter bore only two words: "My Dear—" The rest was marred with tear stains.

Clutching the letter, he suddenly stood up, startling Miss Xu, "What is it?!"

Wiping the moisture from the corners of his eyes, he looked into the profound night and said softly, "Negotiate! Right away! Once it's done, we go home! My wife is giving birth to my son, and I must be there by her side!"

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