Chapter 46: The End of a Kiss

Before her gasp could escape, her lips were sealed by his.

Applying a slight pressure with his hand, he pulled her slender frame straight into his embrace.

The meeting of their lips carried the clear, bitter scent of medicine between them. A familiar yet unfamiliar aura shifted from an initial, somewhat punishing dominance into an unstoppable passion.

When the tip of his tongue slipped into her mouth, moving and entwine in a lingering dance, he finally realized how terrified he was of losing her.

What if he had not arrived in time to save her today? What if she had been the one to fall from the horse and suffer injury? What if...

The mere thought of these possibilities sent a sharp, piercing pain through his heart.

Sensing her slight, hesitant push, he only held her tighter. Through the thin summer fabric, he could feel the well-defined softness of her curves. Every pore of his body seemed to clamor, unwilling to let her go, unwilling to leave this warmth that belonged exclusively to him.

Xiao Ming felt his tension and his suppressed breathing. He was so exasperating, so utterly shameless, and had been teasing her all along. She knew she should push him away at this very moment, but her hands involuntarily wrapped around his hot, solid waist.

She did not know why either, feeling only that this was what she ought to do.

When the kiss finally ended, an unnatural flush spread across his face. With his eyes closed, he leaned against her, resting his head comfortably on her neck and shoulder. Half the weight of his body pressed down upon her, feeling like a burning ball of fire.

Xiao Ming was suddenly startled, her pupils contracting instantly.

"Ling Zhao..." Her voice trembled.

"Mmm..."

"You, you have a high fever."

"Mmm. I know..." His voice was limp and powerless.

His heavy, warm breath puffed against her ear. Before losing consciousness, he tried to lean even closer to her, his opening and closing lips brushing against her ear as he murmured something unintelligible. Hearing those words, Xiao Ming's heart suddenly fluttered.

For the first time in her life, her face burned like rosy clouds.

***

When Ling Zhao woke up again, the sky was already bright.

The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Suifeng and Jingsheng dozing off by the bedside. As soon as he moved, both of them snapped awake.

"Young Master, you're awake? I'll go right to the side room and fetch Imperial Physician Zhang." Dark circles shadowed Suifeng's eyes as he hurried out.

"What time is it?"

Ling Zhao glanced around and, seeing that he was still in the meditation room, immediately tried to sit up. Jingsheng rushed forward to press him back down.

"Sir, you mustn't move around carelessly, or you'll get dizzy."

Seeing that Ling Zhao was awake, Jingsheng teared up while struggling to hold back a smile. "My dear master, you've finally pulled through. You've been unconscious for two whole days! Imperial Physician Zhang checked on you last night and said that if your fever broke today, you'd be out of danger. Sure enough, your fever broke early this morning, so he finally felt at ease and went to the side room to rest. Please take a moment to rest, I'll go bring the herbal medicine..."

Ling Zhao had not expected to be unconscious for so long. According to his mother's arrangements, everyone should have returned to the estate the day before. If he was still lingering at Nanshan Temple, wouldn't the entire household know he had fallen ill?

Hearing the door open, Yan Jing strolled in with a beaming smile on his face.

"You?" Ling Zhao shot him a sidelong glance.

"What? Disappointed?"

Yan Jing flicked the hem of his robe and sat down on the edge of the bed, managing to make even the temple's austere wooden couch feel like his own luxurious bedchamber. With a provoking grin, he said, "Look on the bright side, General Ling. If it weren't for me staying by your side day and night, you'd be dead by now."

"Though dying here isn't inconvenient either; the abbot could just chant a sutra and send your soul off."

"There always has to be a companion on the road to the netherworld. When the time comes, I'll ask the abbot in a dream to take you along too." Ling Zhao joked with a cold expression, which somehow produced an odd effect.

Having slept for two days, he looked much more haggard, and his hair was loose and disheveled. Yan Jing laughed and reached out to touch his head, only for Ling Zhao to twist his arm and swat him on the head instead. Yan Jing scolded, "Goodness, Ling Zhao, have you lost your mind? Seeing you act like this proves you're well again—you're certainly not whimpering and crying in your sleep anymore."

He went on to tease him further, "The things you said back then almost made me sick to my stomach."

Ling Zhao swept a cold gaze over him. "Nonsense. What disgusting thing could I possibly have said?"

Yan Jing smiled smugly. "You had a high fever and were delirious that day, scaring your little cousin half to death. To be safe, she sent attendants to call Imperial Physician Zhang and me over in the middle of the night. But you kept holding onto her hand and wouldn't let go, continuously muttering things like, *Ming'er, I'm suffering, don't leave me.*"

As he spoke, Yan Jing furrowed his brows, closed his eyes, and imitated Ling Zhao's tone from that day to perfection.

Ling Zhao was clearly used to this. He did not look angry at the performance; instead, a flash of hesitation crossed his eyes as he asked, "What about her?"

"Who? Xiao Ming? Fled like a frightened bird, of course!"

"..."

Such an ungrateful little ingrate.

Staring at Yan Jing's expression of someone eager to watch the world burn, a chill crept into the depths of Ling Zhao's eyes.

"Why are you staring at me like that? You have no idea how awkward it was at the time. Imperial Physician Zhang looked like he wanted to bury himself alive on the spot. Oh, by the way, I was the one who pried your hand loose. I must hand it to you—even when you were burned to a pulp, you still had such a ferocious grip. It took me forever..."

Yan Jing continued chattering away. Before he could finish, Ling Zhao's face darkened, his chilling gaze making Yan Jing shudder.

"Wh-what is it?"

"You touched her hand?"

Yan Jing swallowed hard, feeling a cold shiver run down his spine. Why was this man's focus so vastly different from anyone else's?

"Well, about that..."

Just as the atmosphere in the room grew tense, Suifeng knocked on the door. He and Imperial Physician Zhang were already waiting outside, and Jingsheng had brought over the warmed medicine.

Feeling as though he had been granted a pardon, Yan Jing quickly stood up to usher the imperial physician in. Tossing a casual remark at Ling Zhao—"Right, Old Madam Ling thinks you came back to the estate with me, so don't slip up"—he bolted away like a gust of wind.

Imperial Physician Zhang carefully checked Ling Zhao's pulse. "Young General Ling's high fever has broken, and his pulse is strong and steady. Aside from dietary restrictions during your recovery and changing the bandages on your back daily, everything else is fine. Just finish three more doses of herbal medicine to consolidate the recovery."

"Thank you for your trouble these past few days, Imperial Physician Zhang."

"It is my duty." With that, the imperial physician personally changed the bandages, fed him his medicine, packed up his medical box, and left.

Ling Zhao's gaze narrowed slightly. "Return to the estate immediately."

"Yes."

Meanwhile, back on Xiao Ming's side.

Two days prior, when Ling Zhao was still running a high fever and unconscious, the group had not yet set out to return to the mansion. Who would have expected that Magistrate Li, usually the most upright and proper of scholars, would lose his manners for once.

Feeling thoroughly vexed and distracted, Xiao Ming was swinging on a swing under the apricot trees at Nanshan Temple when she saw Li Zongfang approaching with a large bundle of peach blossoms in hand. Blushing red, he stood there in silence, offering her a respectful bow with words caught on the throat.

Chun'er had always possessed a sharp tongue, speaking her mind freely and fond of teasing. Knowing that on the day Xiao Ming fell from her horse, Li Zongfang had picked flowers at the riding ground to present to her young mistress—and knowing that Magistrate Li held a favored place in Xiao Ming's heart—she smiled and bantered, "Oh, my! Who could this be? Isn't this our most decorous and proper Magistrate Li?"

"How is it that you've picked up the romantic habits of those idle nobles, daring to meet a young lady of a good family all by yourself?"