Chapter 1297: [Linger] Stature
Mu Linger’s first act wasn’t to turn tail and flee upon seeing the scene. Instead, she recovered her wits and rushed to Jin Zi and Feng Ying’s side before finding the strength to shove the man away and giving the woman a sound slap.
Feng Ying wasn’t expecting it and reeled from the contact. Jin Zi was out of strength and sprawled on the ground as soon as he was pushed, staring at Mu Linger’s tearstained face. He wanted to explain but didn’t know how, having no idea what had happened. His memories stopped at holding Mu Linger to fall asleep.
Mu Linger glared at him before turning to runaway.
“Mu Linger!” Jin Zi panicked.
Feng Ying recovered enough to muttered, “She hit me? She actually hit me!”
Jin Zi looked at her icily. Although he had no strength, his eyes were filled with killing intent. The flames of rage burned on him hotter until Feng Ying shrank back in fear.
“I, I heard you were sick so I came to take a look,” Feng Ying schemed desperately, “Who knew you’d…you just…Ling Ge, you bullied me! Why are you still yelling?!”
Jin Zi didn’t even bother to ask for the truth. “I’m going to kill you!” he vowed.
“Ling Ge, you…” Feng Ying subconsciously backed away. Although the current Jin Zi lacked the strength to truss a chicken, although she could restrain this man at any time, she was still a coward. Too filled with fear, she forgot to act and only retreated to hide.
His eyes were terrifying.
Very soon, Feng Ying heard the sound of beasts approaching from outside. Having grown up with them as companions since childhood, she knew too well what this meant. Their tent must be completely surrounded by now and the animals were all feeling murderous! The man before her really wanted her dead!
Feng Ying’s back hit a pile of wood as she ran out of places to run. She finally showed her true face. “Let me go, I’ll tell you everything!”
Jin Zi was indifferent. Although he didn’t move, his murderous eyes fixated on Feng Ying as if he could lynch her anytime. The quieter he was, the more dread Feng Ying felt. “I’ll tell you everything about the Ling Clan, all the truth, just spare me!”
Jin Zi wasn’t interested. He stared at her before uttering a low, b.e.s.t.i.a.l growl.
It was to summon the beasts!
Feng Ying shuddered as she rolled on the ground and fumbled to pick up a dagger. Since I can’t get anything and you want me dead, then…you die first!
She stabbed towards Jin Zi, but never reached him before a tiger pressed her to the ground.
“No…!” Feng Ying shrieked, but the sound soon stopped after the tiger clawed her. Big White grabbed her by the neck and dragged her outside, leaving b.l.o.o.d.y streaks in her wake. Beasts crowded the s.p.a.ce beyond the tent. In fact, all the beasts of the gra.s.slands had shown up: tigers, snow leopards, wolves, and even a few lions. They surrounded the tent while Big White tossed Feng Ying far away until she landed in the snow. Blood poured from her neck as she laid dying, but soon the beasts all pounced on her to compete for food, drowning her form completely.
It was impossible to imagine her fear before death. To Feng Ying, this was worse than death itself!
The sheep and horses in the surrounding pens were frightened and made noise nonstop, while the herdsmen had already huddled in their homes, afraid to look outside. Mu Linger had vanished as well.
In a short while, the wild beasts dispersed, leaving nothing but a puddle of blood and a pile of bones on the ground. The Feng Ying who had harnessed various beasts since childhood probably never expected to die this way.
Peace returned to the plains. In the tent, Jin Zi sprawled on the floor with a piercing headache as he s.h.i.+vered nonstop. He wanted to crawl to his feet and find Mu Linger, but had no strength at all. It was even impossible to turn over. After trying multiple times, he could only give up and stare at the ceiling of the tent. Beneath his bangs, a pair of pretty pupils gradually filled with a layer of despair.
In his life, he had been locked up in a cage as a slave, sold to Three-Way Black Market, and auctioned off with a visible price tag. But he never felt so hopeless as he did now. Pain surfaced with his despair until his eyes shut listlessly with no emotions at all.
Tired in body and heart, he couldn’t tell whether he was giving up on the world, or the world was giving up on him.
At this moment, the sound of hurried footsteps approached from outside the door. He didn’t react, a.s.suming that the herdsmen were coming to his rescue. Yet it was Mu Linger. She showed up with a fresh bowl of medicine and saw Jin Zi lying half-naked on the ground as soon as she entered, his bottom half covered by bedding. His hands were raised high to cover his forehead. Although Mu Linger was in a rush, she still stopped at the sight. Her eyes couldn’t help moving from his hands, to his arms and shoulders, and then even further down.
It was impossible to imagine someone so thin could be so fit. Even the lines of his arms alone seemed perfectly sculpted and impeccable; his shoulders didn’t look weak like usual, but was wide and filled with strength, a fully s.e.xy sight.
Maybe his clothes are to blame? Mu Linger was amazed the longer she stared, taking in his perfect pecs, and well-defined abs. She couldn’t stop tracing even lower on his body until the refined curves and angles made heart beat and ears red. She finally snapped out of it when the quilt blocked her view and almost dropped the medicine again.
Are all men’s bodies this good-looking?
Mu Linger wondered before shaking her head and ignoring the thought. She set the medicine aside and quickly covered Jin Zi up. His eyes were squeezed shut, still lost in his own despair and oblivious to the world. It wasn’t until Mu Linger touched his hand that his heart gave a jolt and recognized her fingers. Eyes flying open, he saw the face he’d been thinking of for the last two years, still covered with tears like some pitiful creature. Despite his utter anguish, he still managed to smile and gently wiped at her tear tracks.
“Mu Linger,” he murmured softly, “I dreamed about you again.”
He was afraid that he wouldn’t even see her in his dreams after she ran off.
Mu Linger gave a start before avoiding his warm gaze and hands. She touched his forehead with trembling fingers but was still shocked by the temperature. He was already sick, but all that activity beforehand had only made things worse. She hastily took his pulse and realized his condition had deteriorated.
She would need to strengthen his medicine, but things were progressing too fast. If she hesitated any more, his fever would burn himself addled! With no time to make a new decoction, she had to make him finish this bowl first to ease his illness.
“Get up and take medicine, hurry! This isn’t a dream!” Mu Linger exclaimed.
She tried her best to pull him upright, but wasn’t strong enough. Although this fellow looked slim, he was very heavy. That was something she knew from personal experience. If Jin Zi had the strength, he would have come looking for her ages ago, not lie here listlessly.
“Be good. Sit here and let me have a long look at you.” Jin Zi still believed he was dreaming. He had done it often enough in the past two years, seeing her in his sleep every three or five days. At that time he’d wondered, Maybe I can’t forget her or let her go because I dream of her so often?
Mu Linger grew desperate. “It’s not a dream, this is reality! If you don’t get up and drink your medicine, your fever will burn you silly! You’ll be even stupider than me! Get up!”
This fellow was always calling her an idiot, but he was the real idiot right now! How could he be dreaming now when he was so sick!
Jin Zi allowed Mu Linger to panic without moving. He looked at her before breaking into a foolish grin. Mu Linger was about to lose her mind, but his smile still caught her eyes. This guy never smiles, but he looks so good when he does! Especially his eyes!
“Get up!” Mu Linger dragged and pulled for ages without moving Jin Zi. She was about to go crazy watching him stare at her with a grin. In the end, she drank a big mouthful of medicine and lowered her head to kiss him, thus feeding the liquid down his throat.
Jin Zi froze. His mind was muddled, but now it was clear. He was forced to drink down a large mouthful of medicine before Mu Linger released him for another dose. Just like that, she fed him by mouth five times until the bowl was empty.
At last she relaxed, but before she could wipe away the traces from her lips, Jin Zi’s arm suddenly circled around her neck and brought her down for a real kiss. She didn’t have time to react before he went further to entangle them together, making it impossible to escape. Heaven knows how deeply he kissed her because she had no chance to escape at all. She could only let Jin Zi do as he pleased until he was satisfied.
He had stolen her first kiss and forced another, but neither was as deep or violent as this one. Mu Linger almost couldn’t stand it—he was too enthusiastic, powerful, pa.s.sionate. She couldn’t even tell whether he was begging her for the kiss or giving his all to her.
When Jin Zi released Mu Linger, she laid gasping on his chest, her red lips puffy and her face flushed. She was left in a daze. Jin Zi lightly licked his lips and stared at her like one would prey, wis.h.i.+ng he could pounce and eat her up. As soon as Mu Linger met his eyes, she punched him in the chest.
“b.a.s.t.a.r.d!” she cried.
“So, it wasn’t a dream,” Jin Zi couldn’t help chuckling.
“You! You were pretending! You did it on purpose! You tricked me into feeding you medicine!” Mu Linger was red with anger as she furiously wiped her lips.
But Jin Zi’s gaze turned ruthless. “Mu Linger, I really don’t have the strength. Otherwise…I’d eat you right now!”
Scared, Mu Linger scrambled to sit aside and prepared to flee when Jin Zi asked, “Why did you come back to save me? I thought you’d ignore me after you left.”
After witnessing what Feng Ying did, she still made him medicine and came back?