In a moment of impulse, I forcibly kissed my brother's best friend.

He reached out and grabbed the black cloak that was lying to the side, wrapping both of them inside, making them completely covered.

They were like two fish that clung to each other, whispering sweet nothings, as if by staying together they could never be separated.

Xie Yige breathed softly in his arms, her eyes filled with tiny, scattered tears.

"Cui Yutang." She suddenly spoke, her voice muffled, with a nasal tone from crying.

"Um."

Will you ever forget me again?

The cave was quiet for a moment.

Cui Yutang lowered his head, his lips touching the top of her head.

"Yige, memories may lie, but love won't."

Whether I remember you or not, I will always love you.

"But I don't want you to forget me."

"Okay." He buried his face in her hair. "I won't forget."

Knowing full well that love and affection will harm the body, yet the longing for you has already entered my soul.

Outside the cave entrance, Zhixia squatted on a rock, resting her chin on her hand and counting stars.

When she had counted to who-knows-how-many hundreds of beads, she suddenly heard light shining down from above, followed by the fall of a thick rope.

She immediately stood up, drew her goose-feather knife, and looked up warily.

Then they heard Baoyu's voice.

As he climbed down the rope, he shouted wildly into the air, "Master! Master, where are you?"

Zhi Xia's lips twitched, and she was speechless.

Afraid of disturbing the noise inside, she quickly lowered her voice and replied, "Don't make a sound, I'm here."

Bao Yu turned his head at the sound and saw Zhi Xia standing on a protruding rock. His eyes instantly reddened, and he quickened his pace, almost jumping down in the last few steps.

"Zhi Xia!" He grabbed her slender arms with both hands and looked her up and down several times.

"It's so good that you're still alive... Master and the others are all alive too, right?"

Zhi Xia didn't like being touched and instinctively wanted to shake off his hand, but seeing the joy mixed with fear in his eyes, her anger subsided by half. She just glared at him fiercely and lowered her voice.

"They're inside, it's not convenient for them right now. Please keep your voice down so as not to startle my young lady."

inconvenient?

Bao Yu blinked, remembering what the Fifth Prince had said up there: Li Roujia had drugged Xie Yige. His ear tips turned red instantly, and he immediately released Zhi Xia and took a half step back.

"oh oh."

The two of them fell silent, standing guard at the cave entrance on either side, adding another guardian figure counting stars.

Deep inside the cave.

Xie Yige felt like a small boat adrift on the sea, with wave after wave crashing over her.

It seemed like it was going to drown her.

Her hands wrapped around Cui Yutang's shoulders and back, leaving deep and shallow crescent moons.

"Cui Yutang, I can't take it anymore, please spare me..."

She buried her face in the crook of his neck as she said this, her voice soft and affectionate.

It didn't sound like a plea for mercy at all; it sounded more like an invitation.

Cui Yutang's hot breath brushed against her ear: "I'll be done soon."

His time calculation method is simply different from others.

A day in heaven is equivalent to a year on earth. He's so handsome; he must have been an immortal in his past life. Everything is understandable.

"You've said it so many times..." Xie Yige sobbed, tears streaming down her face, landing on his chest where they felt incredibly hot. "Waaah... you bad guy."

His hand slid down her back and touched her waist, and he could clearly feel her whole body tremble.

He loved the reaction, so he pinched the skin again, and Xie Yige burst into even more tears.

Her hand moved behind his shoulder and suddenly touched a soft scar.

The tension in her heart instantly eased, and she hugged him even tighter, wrapping her whole body around him.

Cui Yutang took this as a sign of encouragement and became even more out of control.

The blue stones in the cave were all trembling slightly, each one shining even more brilliantly as if it had come to life.

After being lonely for thousands of years, I'm finally getting to eat something good tonight.

Time slips away as the stars gradually diminish.

On the flat, bare rock, Xie Yige resembled a fish pushed ashore by the waves.

Tears were everywhere, scattered like tiny pearls in the pale blue light.

It's crazy.

After an unknown amount of time, the air suddenly became quiet.

Sweating profusely, Cui Yutang buried his face in a soft spot.

He took a while to look up, only to find that Xie Yige's eyes were already closed, her long eyelashes wet and pressed against her lower eyelids, motionless.

His heart tightened suddenly, and he quickly got up to check her breath.

I touched her forehead again, and the burning sensation had subsided considerably.

The tension in his heart finally eased; she had fallen into a deep sleep. A wave of self-reproach washed over him, but it was quickly replaced by another, more lingering emotion.

He gently picked her up and carried her into the warm spring.

The warm water reached their waists, and he held her close, cleaning her up little by little.

Her skin shimmered like pearls in the steam. He gently massaged the acupoints around her waist for a while until her furrowed brows completely relaxed.

Once she was clean, he picked her up and helped her put her clothes back on.

She then wrapped herself tightly in that black cloak, revealing only her soft, cute, and alluring little face.

He could hardly take his eyes off the entire time.

She seemed to really enjoy using his cloak, and a secret happiness slowly seeped into his body.

The sky gradually brightened.

We can't stay here any longer.

As he carried her out of the cave, Baoyu was gazing at the sky with tired eyes.

Zhixia was so sleepy that she couldn't stay awake any longer and tilted her head to sleep on Baoyu's shoulder.

As soon as he came out, Zhixia stood up warily.

His gaze fell on Xie Yige's face, which was tightly wrapped in a black cloak, and then he glanced at the faint scratch marks under Cui Yutang's clothes. His eyes stung a little.

"Thank you all for your hard work tonight." Cui Yutang's voice was a little hoarse. "We have to go up now. You can go back and get some rest."

He tugged on the thick rope, tested its load-bearing capacity, and checked the knots.

"Baoyu, you go up first. Once you're up there, arrange for the people to be in place and ensure the safety of the fixed positions."

"Yes, Master."

Without saying another word, Baoyu nimbly climbed up.

Half an incense stick later, the thick rope taut and steady. Cui Yutang held Xie Yige with one hand, grabbed the rope with the other, tapped his toes twice on the rock face, and floated lightly up the cliff.

Zhi Xia followed closely behind.

The morning breeze wafted in from the mountain stream, carrying the scent of dew and pine resin.

The group used their light-footed skills to run for a while before finally reaching the place where the carriage was parked.

Cui Yutang carried the unconscious Xie Yige without letting go, settling her into the carriage, and then tucking her in with a cushion and a cloak.

"Baoyu," he said, lifting the carriage curtain, his voice becoming calm.

"Go and briefly explain to Father what happened last night. Tell him I stabbed Li Xianning twice. If Li Xianning has any sense, he shouldn't dare to complain. I won't participate in the upcoming spring hunt. Father knows what to do."