Hot flashes

In the following days, Xiao Jue was indeed so busy that he was nowhere to be seen.

With Hengshui now established, there are countless things to consider.

The city needs to reorganize the surrendered soldiers, redeploy its defenses, appease the anxious officials, gentry, and common people, eliminate the remaining forces of the former garrison commander, and remain vigilant against Li Chong's army, which has retreated but is not far away, as well as the possible movements of Luancheng in the south.

During the day, Xiao Jue was either at the military camp or the main hall of the garrison headquarters, meeting with all sorts of people and dealing with mountains of documents and military reports. Often, it wasn't until late at night that he could finally return to his temporary residence—a relatively quiet and carefully cleaned courtyard in the backyard of the garrison headquarters—under the heavy darkness.

No matter how late it was, the light in the room was always on. Sometimes Zhou Heng would force himself to stay awake, sitting under the lamp reading or fiddling with small gadgets; other times he couldn't stay awake any longer and would take a nap on the table.

That night, after Xiao Jue finished dealing with the last batch of urgent military intelligence, he returned to the courtyard close to midnight. The courtyard was quiet, except for the warm glow of the light coming from the windows of the main room, which seemed particularly comforting in the chilly spring night.

He pushed open the half-closed door and stepped inside, feeling a chill in his body. The charcoal fire inside was almost extinguished, but still retained some warmth.

He immediately saw that Zhou Heng had fallen asleep again, slumped over the table by the window. A miscellaneous book about the customs and products of the North lay open beside him, pen and ink were set aside, and the ink in the inkstone had dried.

The wick of an oil lamp was smoldering, casting a warm glow on half of his face. His eyelashes cast two adorable shadows beneath his eyes, his lips were unconsciously pouting slightly, and his breathing was light and even.

Xiao Jue stood at the door for a moment, not going forward immediately, but just watching quietly.

The weariness of days of fighting, the cold-bloodedness of executing traitors, the calculations of weighing pros and cons... all these heavy things seem to be gently brushed away by an invisible, soft veil the moment they touch this picture, quietly settling down.

He walked quietly to the table and slowly squatted down.

His crouching position allowed him to look directly at the sleeping Zhou Heng.

From this angle, Zhou Heng's profile appears exceptionally soft, with a few unruly strands of black hair gently draped over his forehead, rising and falling slightly with his breath.

Xiao Jue's gaze was like the most meticulous brushstrokes, slowly and meticulously tracing Zhou Heng's eyebrows, nose, lips, and even the tiny, almost invisible curve of his chin.

The sharp gaze honed on the battlefield has now transformed into incredible focus and gentleness, as if to deeply etch this face, along with this moment of tranquility, into the deepest recesses of his heart.

He reached out, his fingertips pausing slightly just before touching Zhou Heng's cheek, then gently brushed aside a few strands of hair from his forehead. The movement was so careful it was almost precious.

The person in their sleep seemed to sense something, smacked their lips vaguely, and buried their head even deeper into their arms.

Xiao Jue's lips curved into an almost imperceptible smile. He carefully slipped one hand under Zhou Heng's knees and used the other hand to firmly support his back, lifting him up horizontally.

The feeling of insecurity from suddenly being suspended in mid-air still woke Zhou Heng from his light sleep.

He jolted, his eyelids struggling to open, his eyes still shrouded in lingering sleepiness and confusion. But when he saw who was holding him, the confusion quickly faded, replaced by clarity and a hint of bewilderment at being woken up: "...Xiao Jue? You're back?" His voice was hoarse and soft, as if he had just woken up.

This look of complete trust was like a feather, gently tickling the softest spot on Xiao Jue's heart.

An unprecedented, almost overflowing tenderness filled his chest, making his throat tighten.

"Yes, it's me." Xiao Jue's voice was soft and low, even he himself didn't realize it. He tightened his arms around him slightly, pulling him closer to his warm chest. "Did I wake you?"

Zhou Heng shook her head, snuggled closer to him to find a more comfortable position, and mumbled, "You're back... It's so late."

"Yes, you're back." Xiao Jue responded softly, carrying him to the bed in the inner room with steady movements. "Why are you sleeping here again? Be careful not to catch a cold."

Zhou Heng instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, rested her face against the cold metal edge of his shoulder armor, and mumbled, "I fell asleep while waiting... Have you eaten anything?"

"I've used it." Xiao Jue walked to the bedside, bent down, and gently placed Zhou Heng into the bed covered with thick bedding. However, he did not straighten up immediately. Instead, he leaned over, supported himself on his arms beside Zhou Heng, and looked at him intently for a while.

That gaze was so focused, so tender, that Zhou Heng's heart skipped a beat. The grogginess he had just woken up completely vanished, and his face flushed. He awkwardly looked away, asking, "...What are you looking at?"

Xiao Jue didn't answer, but simply reached out and gently rubbed his cheek, which was slightly red from sleeping face down, with his fingertips, the gesture carrying an indescribable tenderness.

Then, he lowered his head and placed a tender and lasting kiss on Zhou Heng's smooth forehead.

"It'll be soon." Xiao Jue's voice rang out against his forehead, deep and slow, with an almost promise-like certainty. "Aheng, just wait a little longer. Once I've finished fighting these battles... I won't keep making you wait until late at night like this, keeping you worried sick."

"When that time comes, the world will be at peace, and the seas will be calm and the rivers will be clear. I'll have plenty of time to spend with you. Wherever you want to go to see the scenery, whatever new and interesting things you want to explore, I'll go with you."

He spoke calmly, even with a hint of anticipation.

It seemed that the greatest temptation for him of that supreme power was not the pleasure of having the power of life and death, but the peaceful time he could spend with the person in his arms.

However, the moment he finished speaking, he clearly felt the body in his arms stiffen almost imperceptibly.

Xiao Jue paused slightly and looked down at Zhou Heng. Zhou Heng had already buried his face in the crook of his neck, so his expression was not visible. He could only feel the arms wrapped around the back of his neck tightening, and the fingertips were slightly cool.

"...Hmm." After a long while, Zhou Heng finally responded with a muffled sound, his voice as soft as a sigh.