Chapter 1365: [Epilogue] Qin Min, don’t cry
Gu Qishao was more worried about Yan"er at the moment. Was she alive or dead? Why did scenes of Mysterious Continent appear in the vortex? What was the mysterious power that took Yan"er away? Could it have brought her to Mysterious Continent? Gu Qishao didn"t dare imagine further. His voice shook slightly as he said, "Back to the camp, I"ll send a letter to Gu Beiyue right away!"
He really was terrified.
But in front of Rui"er, he had to hide his fear and despair. If he fell apart, how could Rui"er hold on?
Gu Qishao was about to leave when Rui"er tugged him back. "G.o.dfather, your wounds."
Gu Qishao subconsciously hid his nonstop bleeding arm behind his back. His body was no longer undying, so using it to feed the blood vines was quite harmful to himself. Rui"er tore off a piece of cloth and carefully bandaged the wound for Gu Qishao. He was only ten years old, but dressed up the injury in a single, clean movement no inferior to his father"s approach or his mother"s professionalism. Both the adult and child were worried in their hearts and internally panicking. They said no more, but quickly hurried back to camp.
Jin Zi and the rest were still there. He had already sent out orders for an emergency retreat by flying hawk messenger. Currently, he had finished deploying all available manpower. Tang Li and Ning Jing were personally leading calvaries that were ready to depart at any time to inform the herdsmen of the evacuation. Jing Zi and Mu Linger were preparing to rush for Wintercrow. The flying hawk messenger was much faster than them, but such dangerous situations required capable people to take charge personally in the large cities. Otherwise, if the herders panicked, there would be chaos on the gra.s.slands!
Not only would discordance fall upon the snowy mountains and northern gra.s.slands, the southern gra.s.slands would be a mess too. It might even spread across Northern Li and then Great Qin! Thus, Jin Zi did not state that the Ice Sea was breaking apart, but simply that there was a plague and for everyone to retreat as soon as possible. When Jin Zi"s group was about to depart, Gu Qishao and Rui"er made it back. Seeing Gu Qishao bruised and bloodied and little Rui"er with blood on his face, everyone was scared.
Mu Linger all but fell off her horse as she rushed to Rui"er and broke into tears. She helped him wipe his face while asking, "Where"s your little sister? Your father and mother? What happened?"
Tang Li rushed to Gu Qishao, but words stuck on the tip of his tongue. In the end it was Ning Jing who asked, "Qishao, what happened?"
Gu Qishao looked at everyone before rus.h.i.+ng into the tent without a word to write a letter. Jin Zi and Tang Li chased after him while Ning Jing and Mu Linger looked after Rui"er with anxious questions. When they found out that the Ice Sea had turned poisonous and Han Yunxi and Long Feiye were frozen at the bottom while Yan"er had gone missing, Mu Linger was the first to start sobbing. Tang Li flipped onto his horse and rushed directly towards the Ice Sea. Gu Qishao sent his letter and was left in a daze. He didn"t know what to think and ended up frozen after collapsing into a chair.
"Big White!" Mu Linger suddenly cried. "That"s right, Big White can do it! He"s a poison beast too!"
Big White was raised by Jun Yixie to be immune to many poisons without harm. Mu Linger urged, "Qi gege, Big White can cross the Ice Sea, he can!"
Gu Qishao looked up and muttered, "The Ice Sea"s poison comes from Water of Ten Thousand Poisons. Right now it"s Ice of Ten Thousand Poisons. Aside from Lil Thing, no one should think of stepping within!"
They could only wait…
—
Back at Endless Mountain, Qin Min had fought two days and two nights against the death G.o.d to bring back Gu Beiyue. At last, the door opened with a kacha. Little Shadow, Shaoyao, and the medical acolyte all stood up, but none of them dared to ask after the patient"s condition. Over the past two days, Qin Min"s trials had left her emaciated beyond words. She walked to the door, sat on the steps, and lowered her head. It was impossible to see her expression, but her dejected posture left Shadow and the rest afraid. He looked inside the room, but the folding screen was in the way and blocked his view of his daddy.
How was daddy doing?
Was he alive, or…
Seeing his mother like this, Shadow was scared to step forward. Instead, he started backing away with pursed lips, afraid to cry out loud. Shaoyao grew anxious and quickly went to sit next to Qin Min. "Eldest Miss…eldest Miss, you…"
Shaoyao hadn"t finished asking when Qin Min looked up at her. Her eyes weren"t red-rimmed anymore, but flowing with tears. She said, "Shaoyao, I really…can"t bear to lose him."
"Eldest Miss, you, you…you"re crying. You"re crying…sob…" Shaoyao couldn"t help weeping herself.
That"s right.
Qin Min was crying.
Ten years had pa.s.sed.
She had endured and hidden her feelings for a decade.
Today, her tears finally flowed freely as she wept. She had done her best and steadied Gu Beiyue"s breathing last night, but less than two hours later that true qi started rampage through Gu Beiyue"s body again. She couldn"t suppress it at all, much less knew how. Gu Beiyue was unconscious to this moment. She had guarded him from last night until now but he hadn"t woken up. Even if the true qi couldn"t be suppressed, he should"ve regained consciousness!
She didn"t know where she went wrong. She was afraid to consider it, much less test his breathing. She couldn"t accept that she"d lost, even when she had prepared for this eventuality when she took the gamble! Head buried in her knees, she sobbed. Shaoyao cried too, while Shadow and the medical acolyte stood on the side to weep with them. The sorrowful sounds chilled the whole courtyard and all of Endless Mountain.
But soon enough, little Shadow and the medical acolyte stopped. Shaoyao did too. They looked in disbelief at the doorway.
Gu Beiyue…
Gu Beiyue was standing right by the entrance!
Little Shadow rubbed his eyes in disbelief and looked closely again. He really did see his father standing there. So pale and so weak, yet so gentle.
It was father, all right.
Father…was okay?
Everyone was stunned. Only Qin Min was still burying her head in her knees and sobbing as if all the ten years of patience, suppression, and pain was crying itself out. Gu Beiyue walked over step by step, his eyebrows creased. He stood right behind Qin Min and listened to her weep, his heart feeling so…pained for the first time, as if a knife stabbed through it! He sat next to her, but Qin Min was too lost in her grief. She seemed as if she"d never wake, for she didn"t sense the movement beside her.
"Qin Min…" Gu Beiyue said painfully.
Qin Min still didn"t notice.
Gu Beiyue looked at her, helpless, aching, and lost. After a long time, he sighed lightly and drew her into his embrace.
"Qin Min, don"t cry. I"m still here," he said simply.
Qin Min"s body instantly stiffened. She wanted to break free and look up, but didn"t dare to move. She was afraid that once she did, this beautiful dream would be shattered. She was afraid to cry out loud now, but tears still flowed down her face nonstop. Soon enough, they turned Gu Beiyue"s robes damp.
"Qin Min, don"t cry…don"t cry anymore, all right?"
Gu Beiyue was starting to panic, truly. He glanced towards Shaoyao, who was crying and smiling. She didn"t acknowledge him, but got up and ran off.
10 years!
This was the first time the Grand Tutor had ever taken young Miss into his arms, for no other reason than the fact that he couldn"t bear to see her cry.
10 years had pa.s.sed.
At last, there was no more "pardon me" or acting. Shaoyao wanted to smile, but she only stood in a corner and cried herself into a puddle. Now Gu Beiyue was thoroughly fl.u.s.tered. If Qin Min kept crying like this, she"d ruin her eyes.
"Qin Min, take it as me begging you and don"t cry, all right? It"s all my fault. Blame me, curse me, but don"t cry, all right?" He had never coaxed anyone like this before, even his masters.
"Qin Min, say something, won"t you?"
Unfortunately, Qin Min remained indifferent. He could only take her chin and lift up her face. When Qin Min saw Gu Beiyue, she came to her senses. But not completely. She stopped crying, but stared at him in a daze. Gu Beiyue silently exhaled and said gently, "I"m all right now. Your acupuncture method wasn"t wrong. The true qi recovered on its own after the rampage and I made it through."
"Is this a dream?" Qin Min muttered.
Gu Beiyue gave a start before smiling helplessly. He was about to reply when Qin Min softly caressed his cheek. That made him freeze up, but Qin Min stroked him with unparalleled tenderness. The feeling was so real. His face was as cool as his person. Qin Min knew this wasn"t a dream, but reality! She stared at him for a long time before finally eking out, "You"re all right, so I…should go."
Gu Beiyue had forgotten about their agreement. He gave a start just as Qin Min suddenly grabbed his neck, pressed him down, and kissed him on the lips. Taken aback, Gu Beiyue was surprised and even terrified, but he didn"t push her away. He only froze up and didn"t move as she tangled with his lips and…even let her enter into his mouth to entangle within.
Qin Min"s kiss was raw but fierce and filled with tears. It was incredibly pa.s.sionate, grief-stricken, yet willing…
Gu Beiyue remained frozen throughout it all, but after a while he did move. One hand lightly wrapped around Qin Min"s waist while the other slowly cradled the back of her head. He carefully tilted his head slightly sideways as if groping for a comfortable angle. Sensing this, Qin Min stopped abruptly to look at him with a pounding heart. She didn"t think she"d be so impulsive, much less that he…he would…respond back!
Heavens, what had she done?
She looked at the man before her in alarm. This holiest of figures was like a heavenly G.o.d to her, so now she didn"t know what to do. He also looked at her, his soft eyes not showing any particular emotion besides two to three parts of helplessness. He drew closer and gently locked her lips with his own. It was raw, but also probing, a very careful, particularly gentle kiss identical to his nature, lingering and meticulous.
Could a man like this really have time to turn into a wolf?
In the end, it was Gu Beiyue who ended the kiss. Qin Min had lost all control over herself as well as all her strength. She helplessly sprawled in his arms, feeling that she"d be satisfied even if she died at this moment. Gu Beiyue gently wiped away the teardrops at the corners of her eyes and murmured, "Qin Min, won"t you stay?"
Qin Min was surprised to be so favored and looked at him in disbelief. Even so, she couldn"t help asking, "Why?"
At the very least…there needed to be an excuse!