CH 39

Deeper Relationship (Marriage)

The wheel was submerged halfway in the deep snow.

Even an excellent horse could not pull the carriage through the snowstorm.

Ming Qin told the person in the carriage, “We may have to wait a day or two for the heavy snow to stop before we can continue our journey.”

Murong Yan didn’t reply, and there was no sound in the carriage.

It was a strange feeling. Ming Qin pulled the curtain back and glanced over her shoulder, only to discover the woman slumped in the seat, shivering uncontrollably.

She did not react at all to the little tiger biting her skirt.

Oh no!

Ming Qin leaped off the carriage, hastily opened the door, and felt Murong Yan’s forehead. She was startled by the burning temperature.

The woman was unconscious and had a high fever. Her lips were pale, and even though she was wrapped in thick blankets, she still shivered uncontrollably.

Ming Qin held Murong Yan’s delicate wrist and checked her pulse. Her face turned pale as she felt the weak and slow pulse. The cold had entered her body, and her breathing was becoming more and more difficult.

This couldn’t go on.

Ming Qin looked at Murong Yan in the carriage, panting and with a blurred consciousness. She felt anxious and quickly pulled out the map from her arms to check it.

Ming Qin wrapped the woman in a blanket and secured it tightly with a belt. She picked up the furry bundle nearby and placed it into Murong Yan’s arms.

“You know how a scale needs fire to balance, right?” Ming Qin glanced deeply at the restless little tiger while covering the woman with a large fur coat and tightening the hood.

Ming Qin carried the unconscious Murong Yan out of the carriage and braved the wind and snow to protect her. With one hand, she drew her sword and cut off the carriage’s support and leather ropes, leading the horse out separately. She lifted both the woman and the tiger and mounted the horse.

With a kick to the horse’s belly, she broke through the cold wind and headed east.

A house made of slate stood at the foot of a tree-covered slope, emitting wisps of blue smoke.

In the depths of the winter night, the tranquil atmosphere of the hunting couple inside was shattered by a rough pounding on the door.

The husband nervously shielded his pregnant wife behind him, picked up the iron shovel placed by the door, and cautiously opened the door slightly to peek outside.

As soon as the door opened, a frozen, bright-red hand reached through the crack, disregarding the hunter’s pointed shovel directed at her chest. The black-clad person holding the woman just barged in.

The hunter watched as the tall woman, with a chain around her neck and snow piled on her shoulders, walked straight to the bed and gently placed the woman in her arms on the bed. She then turned to add more firewood to the stove.

“Hey, you… Ahh!” The man tried to intimidate the unwelcome stranger, but was startled backward by the sudden tumble of the little tiger from the bed.

Ming Qin placed her hand on Murong Yan’s forehead and asked the trembling couple who were huddled together in an anxious tone, “Do you have any medicine to treat a cold here?”

The man swallowed as he looked at the long sword at the intruder’s waist and answered, “Yes, yes, we do… some.”

The man slowly walked over to the earthenware jar beside the stove, still holding the shovel in his hand, and threw the oil-paper package inside to Ming Qin.

The black-clothed figure in front of him, along with the woman lying next to her, didn’t seem like bad people. The hunter’s pregnant wife asked boldly, “Excuse me, have you encountered any bandits?”

“Bandits?” Ming Qin looked up at the woman, sniffing the large pills as dark as dumplings with some confusion.

“The bandits have been active recently, with six or seven big men robbing everywhere, but no one from the government has come to handle it,” the man replied, putting down the iron shovel in his hand. However, he was still too scared to move due to the snarling little tiger.

“I have already killed those bandits,” Ming Qin said calmly, ignoring the shocked expressions on the faces of the hunter couple.

She grabbed a handful of pills and chewed them into small pieces. Then, she bent down to support Murong Yan’s neck and fed her the medicine.

Ming Qin gently soothed the semi-conscious woman to swallow the medicine mixed with saliva. She then lovingly touched Murong Yan’s face before turning to the frightened couple standing aside and said, “Please allow me to stay for a few days until my companion recovers.”

Finally, she took out a bag from her pocket and threw it to the man.

Looking at the heavy silver coins in his hand, the man was somewhat at a loss, but he simply nodded and said, “Okay… okay.”

The little tiger was probably hungry and began to sniff around the room, gnawing on the table legs. The pregnant woman sitting on a wooden chair was startled at first but then hesitantly asked Ming Qin, “There is a newly-born lamb in the backyard. Would it be alright if my husband milks some sheep’s milk for the little tiger cub?”

Ming Qin breathed a sigh of relief and touched Murong Yan’s no-longer-trembling hand. She then turned to the couple and nodded her thanks in a low voice.

That night, the pregnant woman and Murong Yan slept on the bed board together, while the man went to the stable to sleep on the floor. Ming Qin sat straight on the wooden chair and didn’t close her eyes all night.

Ming Qin gazed at the frail woman before her, consumed by self-blame.

As she had feared.

She was only skilled in taking lives, not safeguarding them.

If she had entrusted Murong Yan to her senior brother and sister, perhaps the woman wouldn’t be in such a dire state.

Ming Qin clasped her head, an uncommon sensation of despair washing over her.

The next morning.

The hunter’s wife woke up early and cooked porridge. She glanced at Ming Qin, who was efficiently chopping firewood despite the snow and wind.

In less time than it took to burn incense, Ming Qin had piled up neat bundles of firewood next to her. The wife clicked her tongue in amazement.

Ming Qin immediately dropped the axe and went inside when she heard a slight movement on the bed. Murong Yan, wrapped in thick fur, struggled to open her eyes. Her lips, which were somewhat cracked, slowly parted, and she looked at the person in front of her with a nervous expression. She called out softly, “Ah Qin…”

Ming Qin helped Murong Yan to sit up and asked with concern, “Do you feel better now?”

Murong Yan’s voice was weak and hoarse, with a tight throat, as she responded with a simple “Hm… Don’t worry, Ah Qin.”

The hunter’s wife handed a bowl of steaming porridge to Ming Qin, who carefully cooled it down before feeding it to Murong Yan with a spoon. “Please have some, it will help you feel better,” Ming Qin encouraged her gently.

Murong Yan obediently opened her mouth, and the warm porridge, with a slight sweetness from the soft rice, filled her empty stomach, providing much-needed warmth to her body.

When Murong Yan could no longer eat, she gestured to Ming Qin with a wave of her hand.

Ming Qin put down her bowl and took out a few pills. She chewed them up and then held Murong Yan’s face in her hands, tilting her head down to cover her mouth.

Murong Yan swallowed the bitter and broken medicine, despite her usual preference for sweetness. She obediently swallowed everything that Ming Qin put into her mouth.

After a while, Ming Qin stood up and gently wiped away the water stains on Murong Yan’s lips with her thumb.

As the hunter returned empty-handed from checking his traps and opened the door, he appeared frustrated.

Ming Qin, holding Murong Yan’s wrist, turned slightly to shield her from the man’s sight, afraid that his appearance might startle the recently awakened patient.

Murong Yan tightly clasped Ming Qin’s fingertips for comfort and spoke with some difficulty to the husband and wife, “I am truly grateful for your hospitality.”

The hunter couple were initially stunned by the clear-headed woman’s extraordinary appearance, which was even more stunning than when she was asleep, but then quickly regained their senses. The man’s face reddened, and he nervously waved his hand, saying, “It’s okay, it’s okay. Your companion has already paid us.”

The little tiger played with the scraps on the ground, jumping around the room while the stone house remained warm.

Murong Yan fell asleep once again.

The pregnant hunter’s wife, who now believed that Ming Qin was not a bad person, leaned against the doorframe and asked the shadow guard sitting by the bed, “Did your master treat you well before?”

Ming Qin paused from tending to Murong Yan, looking puzzled by the woman’s question. “Master?” she repeated, tucking a loose strand of hair behind the patient’s ear.

The pregnant hunter’s wife pointed to the lock around Ming Qin’s neck and said, “If your master didn’t treat you well, why would you, as a slave, take care of her so meticulously?”

Ming Qin didn’t refute the woman’s assumption but instead remained silent for a moment. Finally, she said, “My master has shown me kindness.”

The woman nodded in understanding and said, “Gratitude should be returned with kindness. Even though I am uneducated, I understand that much. But between you and your master, it doesn’t seem like a typical master-slave relationship.”

Ming Qin tilted her head in confusion and asked, “Not a typical master-slave relationship?”

But Murong Yan was the person she had vowed to protect for the rest of her life.

“Yeah, it doesn’t seem like a typical master and slave relationship,” the hunter’s wife said softly. “I always feel like it’s something deeper.”

The two of them gazed at each other, their connection feeling more like that of lovers than master and slave. The hunter’s wife didn’t finish the strange thought that had suddenly entered her mind.

That night, after everyone else had gone to sleep, Ming Qin sat by Murong Yan’s side, looking at the long hair that covered her view. It was illuminated by the dim oil lamp.

Ming Qin gathered a handful of hair on her forehead, poised to cut it off with a dagger, when Murong Yan, who had just woken up, patted her leg.

She turned to look at Murong Yan, but her hand holding the hair remained steady, making her appear foolish in the eyes of the awakened woman.

Murong Yan waved her hand, signaling for Ming Qin to lift her up.

The shadow guard complied, and Murong Yan took the dagger from her hand, held Ming Qin’s face with her hands, and began to meticulously trim the long, unruly strands of hair.

Ming Qin supported the person on her body, ensuring that she wouldn’t slip, and obediently allowed Murong Yan to work on her face.

The woman’s focused expression was illuminated by the oil lamp, making her eyes sparkle. As she lowered her head, she felt the person’s breath hitting her face. Even through the cloth that separated them, the warmth between them was evident. Suddenly, Ming Qin’s mouth felt a bit dry.

After a while, Murong Yan leaned back slowly, smiled, and asked, “Would you be angry with me if I made your hair look ugly?”

Ming Qin shook her head and couldn’t speak. Instead, she mouthed to the woman in front of her, “Of course not.”

Murong Yan quietly chuckled and reached out to tidy up the shadow guard’s shortened hair. Then she took a handful of her own hair from the back of her neck and cut it off, mixing it with the shadow guard’s hair.

She held the combined hair in front of Ming Qin.

“Can you tell which hair belongs to me and which ones belong to Ah Qin?” Murong Yan raised her eyebrows, amusement in her tone.

In the dim light, the jet-black hair of Ming Qin and the soft, grayish-white hair of Murong Yan seemed to blend together. Even the sharp-eyed shadow guard couldn’t tell them apart.

Looking at Ming Qin, who was shaking her head blankly in front of her, Murong Yan chuckled softly.

She then put down the strands of hair in her hand, wrapped her arms around Ming Qin’s shoulders and neck, and ran her fingers through the black hair in front of her.

Then, she leaned in and gently kissed her lips, tracing them bit by bit before inviting her to open her mouth.

Ming Qin understood and obediently followed suit, but her hands on the woman’s body involuntarily tensed up.

As time passed, Murong Yan’s fingers unconsciously clenched and pulled on the roots of the shadow guard’s hair. She couldn’t resist pressing down on Ming Qin’s head and tightening her legs as their bodies trembled involuntarily.

The sleeping pregnant woman beside them remained undisturbed, unaware of the silent yet burning passion between the two.

“If only we had a piece of red cloth to cover us,” Murong Yan weakly gasped and murmured to herself as their lips finally parted.

“Just.”

“This is already enough,” she said, taking hold of Ming Qin’s hand and intertwining their fingertips tightly.