Test Me (3)

“I’ll care for you!” Ye Lang said solemnly.

“Huh? It’s fine, it’s just skin…” Li Yue feigned nonchalance.

“I have to! I’ll take responsibility for that! Why not be my girlfriend? After this event, I’ll meet your parents for their blessings.” Ye Lang was still speaking very solemnly.

“Go to hell! As if!” exclaimed Li Yue immediately. “Please don’t say that! It won’t be easy to win me over!”

“Li Yue, can you show me the Tianji Armour?” asked Ye Lang with a smile. He didn’t care if it would be easy to win her heart, as long as she gave him the Tianji Armour, he’d disappear immediately.

This question wasn’t too jarring because anyone would be curious about the suit of armour she was wearing.

“No you can’t, this is the precious heirloom of the Li family, I can’t let just anyone see it,” said Li Yue.

“Just a moment, just for a second please…” begged Ye Lang, though in his heart he whispered, just one moment and I’ll disappear. With your current condition, it would be impossible for you to catch me.

“No!” Li Yue shook her head. With the current stage of their relationship, she still did not trust him enough to show him the Tianji Armour. He hadn’t successfully won her heart over, at this point he had potential but that was it.

“You’re so petty! What would I need to do to be able to see it?” asked Ye Lang.

“Only if you become part of the Li family, then I’ll show it to you!” said Li Yue, though she blushed immediately after.

Didn’t that mean he should marry her? He’d be part of the Li family then…

“Then we’re back to the first question I asked! I’ll just meet your family, you can show me the Tianji Armour then,” said Ye Lang.

“Go to hell! I didn’t agree to marrying you!” cursed Li Yue, embarrassed.

“I don’t need you to agree right now, you can think about it when I meet your parents,” said Ye Lang.

“...” Well, it was true. She didn’t have to agree right now before he met her parents. That line sounded so much like a human. Are you sure you’re not human?

“Shut up! Or it’ll never happen!” said Li Yue, her face still red.

“Then tell me, if I marry you, are you sure you’ll show it to me?” asked Ye Lang.

“Of course I would, if you’re my husband… But you’re not!” she frowned.

“Alright, then I’ll marry you right now! Show it to me…”

“Shut up!!”

“...”

“You idiot, you can’t be too honest with your words! You have do be a little more subtle, although I do think you have a chance! Looks like we’re not far from victory!” Coldblood Five interjected, exasperated.

“Subtle? How? Should I ask if she loves me?” asked Ye Lang.

“... That’s still too honest! You should spend more time with her first, you still have ten days. We’ll talk about it when you leave this place!” answered Coldblood Five, frustrated.

“This is so much trouble… Fine! I’ll wait!” Ye Lang stopped asking and decided he’ll treat the next ten days as if it were a vacation.

After a while… “Why aren’t you talking anymore?” asked Li Yue after she realised he was very quiet. She thought she might’ve snapped too hard at him…Maybe he didn’t want to talk to her anymore...

“You told me to shut up!”

“As long as you don’t talk about that, we can still talk about other stuff…” said Li Yue gently.

“Other stuff...I don’t have anything to say…” Ye Lang thought for a moment and realised he didn’t have anything else to talk about.

“...” Li Yue was silent.

Fine! That’s how it is then! I don’t want to talk to you either!

And just like that, both of them trekked across the chilly mountainous region early in the morning. Although she was protected by the Tianji Armour, it offered not much insulation properties, she was shivering as they travelled.

“Cold? Come, put this on!” Ye Lang produced a jacket for her. “You should take your Tianji Armour off or you wouldn’t be able to put this on.”

“No!” Li Yue shook her head. She secretly wanted to take her armour off too but her current clothes were torn and tattered and it would just be embarrassing.

If she still had strength, she probably would’ve just gone somewhere private to change but the poison was still in effect.

Right now, with so little strength, she wouldn’t be able to change her own clothes. And she couldn’t ask Ye Lang for help either!

She didn’t ask the organisers for the antidote to the poison either because it would be too much trouble to explain why she needed it. Unfortunately, because of that, all she could do now was suffer through it before the poison faded.

Leave? That would also signal everyone else that something was wrong.

On the other hand, Ye Lang also had the skills to cure her of her poison but the problem was he couldn’t expose his identity. He could not do anything related to alchemy and that included formulating an antidote for her.

However, a strange dynamic surfaced with these problems. At this point, Ye Lang was responsible for protecting a weak Li Yue. This could be interesting.

The effects of the poison could last a while without the antidote. Her bodily strength would recover slowly but she would not be able to use her douqi for a while. Thank goodness Li Yue wasn’t some famous fighter or that would invite many questions.

“Then we should rest there. Let’s start a fire for warmth, you should get some rest!” Ye Lang pointed at a spot suitable for setting up camp.

“Alright!” nodded Li Yue. She wanted to sleep too. Then she’d be able to regain some of her strength back and at least wouldn’t depend on Ye Lang for everything.

With her current condition, she knew she’d even need help to pee… That was why she was going to hold it in. She would only deal with it when she couldn’t hold it any longer…

Ye Lang started a fire then unrolled a straw mat on the ground. He didn’t have a tent, that was all he planned to do.

“Alright, time to rest!” He carried her off the horse, placed her on the mat, then unrolled another mat for himself.

“Goodnight!” said Li Yue. It was going to be daybreak soon but she still felt the need to say it.

“Mm, goodnight!” Ye Lang nodded, snuggling up in his mat. Then, he added, “Li Yue, wake me up if you have to pee…”

“Go to hell!”

“...”

“Morning!”

It was already long past daybreak when Ye Lang woke. The sun was so warm, all he wanted to do was sleep in.

“It’s not morning anymore! Time to get up.” Li Yue’s voice was as fresh as a spring, his weariness fading away upon hearing her voice.

“Alright!” Ye Lang packed his things then got ready to brush his teeth at a stream nearby.

At this moment, he realised Li Yue was looking at him, blushing, as if she had something to tell him but was too embarrassed.