Ye Luan noticed his abnormality, lowered her eyes, and let go of the button she was undoing. She directly pushed him away and left the room.
They had done more intimate things before, so she had nothing to be coy about.
Let him see her but not touch her, let him suffer.
As soon as she stepped out, Ye Luan shivered from the cold. Once she entered the water, she felt as if her entire body had come alive.
Xiao Chizhan's footsteps gradually approached. He squatted by the edge of the pool, smiling as he leaned down to look at her.
"You look best in red."
Ever since returning this time, it seemed she had been deliberately going against him, never wearing red once.
Ye Luan submerged herself in the water and closed her eyes.
"When I don't need to please anyone, I can wear whatever I want."
Choked by her words, Xiao Chizhan touched his nose awkwardly and also got into the water.
He leaned against the edge of the pool, wearing only a simple white inner garment. The clothes were loosely wrapped around his waist, his chest open, revealing clear, hard muscle lines.
The girl opposite him seemed too lazy to pay him any attention, her eyes remaining closed.
Xiao Chizhan narrowed his red eyes slightly, a smirk playing on his lips. He picked up the wine jar by the pool and drank leisurely.
Even with her eyes closed, Ye Luan could feel his deep red eyes staring at her.
Feeling a little uneasy, she turned her head and lay on the jade stone.
The water in this hot spring was truly hot; it must be groundwater.
Was there magma underneath?
She mused idly.
"Luan Luan, after the war is over, let's return to the capital and get married, how about it?"
Beigong was grandly constructing the Yun Shang Que, and the materials had just been purchased. A propitious day needed to be chosen. He wanted to give her the grandest wedding.
Ye Luan's body, submerged in the water, stiffened at his words.
She had almost forgotten about it.
"What? You don't want to marry me?"
His voice drifted over faintly.
Ye Luan opened her eyes and looked back at him.
He was holding a jar of wine and drinking, his enchanting eyes carrying a faint cold light. Seeing her look over, his expression instantly softened.
"---"
Could this fellow truly change?
"Does Your Highness remember the promise you made when you jumped off the city wall?"
Mentioning this made Xiao Chizhan's heart as cold as the sky.
"Naturally, I remember."
Ye Luan said, "You said that as long as I didn't run away again, you would give me freedom and not force me to do anything I didn't want to do."
Her eyes, veiled by the mist, glanced at him faintly.
Xiao Chizhan licked his lips slightly and smiled.
"So, you don't want to get married?"
Ye Luan raised an eyebrow. "Yes."
Silence fell abruptly around them.
Xiao Chizhan's aura turned dangerous and gloomy. He threw down the wine jar and walked towards her.
He cornered her by the edge of the pool, gently lifting her chin. His tone was soft, yet it inexplicably made Ye Luan feel a chill.
"You don't want to marry me, then who do you want to marry?"
Ye Luan replied, "I don't want to marry anyone."
Xiao Chizhan raised an eyebrow and leaned in, pressing his body tightly against hers. He rested his head on her fragrant shoulder, his crimson eyes glinting coldly.
"Fine, then I'll wait until you want to marry someone to get married."
His woman, Xiao Chizhan's woman, who would dare marry her!
In this life, she could only be with him.
Hearing his words, Ye Luan's eyes flashed with a moment's distraction. If it were in the past, he would have likely lost his temper by now.
"Alright, then Your Highness should get up first."
He was so heavy, did he want to crush her?
The slippery sensation against her body was intense. Xiao Chizhan didn't want to let go, but he also didn't want to anger her, so he slowly released his hold.
"His condition seems much better. When are we leaving?"
He spoke to her with his eyes lowered.
Ye Luan, listening to his urging, was somewhat lost in thought and didn't notice that his hand was constantly rubbing her waist.
Actually, she didn't want to return to Daliang temporarily. Lu Feibai's condition was unstable. Even though he could get out of bed now, it might be a temporary resurgence. She didn't know how effective the Han Dan Pearl would be.
She wanted to find a cure as soon as possible.
But the many medical saints of Wuhui Men couldn't save Lu Feibai. She had perused countless medical texts, and the records on Frost Sickness were sparse.
"Your Highness, why don't you go back first? I want to study his condition a bit more."
Upon hearing her words, a barely perceptible displeasure flashed in Xiao Chizhan's red eyes, but his expression remained unchanged. He simply hummed an acknowledgement.
"Then I'll wait for you."
"But I don't know how long it will take. Aren't you very busy? What if it delays your affairs here?"
Xiao Chizhan lowered his gaze. "But what if I can't leave you?"
Ye Luan: "---"
Snowflakes fell lightly, and the atmosphere between them was strangely ambiguous.
His eyes were fixed on her cheeks, his lips curved in a half-smile.
Ye Luan couldn't stand it and pushed him away, lying on the jade stone at the other end with a cold expression.
'Why are you running away?'
His low laughter came from behind her.
Ye Luan said faintly, "Don't talk, I want to sleep for a while."
The water was so warm that it made her feel drowsy.
Xiao Chizhan didn't bother her anymore. He leaned against the edge of the pool, holding the wine jar and looking at her with half-closed eyes.
After an unknown amount of time, it was almost dusk.
He looked at the deeply sleeping girl, then threw the wine jar aside, walked over, and pulled her into his arms, leaning down to kiss her passionately.
A strong smell of alcohol wafted over, making Ye Luan frown uncomfortably. She slowly opened her eyes.
Xiao Chizhan immediately pulled away, his voice hoarse.
"Luan Luan, it's time to go down the mountain."
As soon as Ye Luan opened her eyes, she met his deep gaze.
She immediately sobered up and pushed him away uncomfortably.
What was going on? She had slept without any awareness.
She had slept so soundly.
"Mm, let's go."
In the following days, Ye Luan spent her time in the medical pavilion of Wuhui Men, poring over numerous medical books, almost day and night.
However, the medical records here had too few entries on Frost Sickness. She planned to leave Wuhui Men and search for medical records on Frost Sickness elsewhere.
One day, as she emerged from the medical pavilion and was about to visit Lu Feibai, she saw Qing Luan hurrying towards her. Seeing her, Qing Luan quickly called out.
"Miss Ye, hurry and see the Young Master. The Young Master is about to die."
"What happened?" Ye Luan was startled.
"The Young Master suddenly fainted and is dying. There were no warning signs. He vomited a large mouthful of black blood."
Since taking the medicine, the Young Master hadn't vomited blood for a long time, and his health had been gradually improving. But today, after just walking around the courtyard for a while, he vomited blood and fainted.
Ye Luan's heart pounded. Had the medicine's effect worn off so quickly?
She quickly gathered her skirt and ran out. Qing Luan hurried to follow her.
When Xiao Chizhan and Li Qiongyu walked over from the other side, they saw the figure sprinting in the courtyard.
"Isn't that Ye Luan? Why is she running?"
Xiao Chizhan remained silent, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Li Qiongyu excitedly nudged him. "Could it be that Lu Feibai is dying? Come on, let's go and see."