ITOTIABSAM | Young General | 91
Amidst 1101's laughter, which threatened to collapse his mental sea, Xie Ye nodded at Gu Cong without any assistance and climbed into the carriage by himself.
Although his expression remained unchanged, and his bewilderment lasted only a moment, Gu Cong keenly felt that something was amiss. He opened his palm, waiting for a response that never came, leaving him feeling empty.
Even as they set off, Gu Cong kept turning his head back from time to time.
Lurking by Gu Cong's side, Lu Jin grew increasingly puzzled. On one hand, he worried about his general's neck; on the other hand, he silently remained vigilant, twisting his head. "What's up? Is someone following us?"
How did he not notice?
Gu Cong immediately sat up straight. "You talk too much."
"Are you checking on Mister Xie?" Lu Jin's mind raced, unable to hold back. "Qianbo must have chosen a very reliable carriage."
"If you're really concerned, go sit with Mister Xie in the carriage. Our brothers won't make fun of you."
Having spent so many years outdoors, Gu Cong rarely rode in carriages. Just the thought of it made him feel uncomfortable.
Furthermore, with him around, Xie Ye probably couldn't truly relax.
Gu Cong decisively signaled Lu Jin to shut up with his eyes, then raised his left hand and waved it down. "Let's go!"
This journey was the return trip, without an imperial decree hanging over their heads. They didn't need to rush and travel through the night on obscure paths; instead, they could travel on well-maintained and spacious official roads.
However, except for Xie Ye, everyone in the group had a military background, and their luggage was not extensive. They made quick progress, and in just a couple of days, they were completely out of the capital.
As the focal point of the entire convoy's protection, Xie Ye could rest in the covered carriage during the night and pass the boredom during the day by reading books or playing chess with the system in his mind. Apart from the limited space for movement, it was almost no different from life in the mansion.
This situation was completely different from the original plot.
In the original story, ‘Xie Ye’ was also leaving the capital, but due to being unable to use the money received and the conspicuous trait of not being able to speak, he had to travel through the most remote areas, enduring exposure to the elements.
Before fleeing the marriage, he hid a knife on his person and encountered some wild beasts that saw him as prey. Perhaps due to witnessing too much death in his childhood, he remained calm when killing for the first time, even skinning the animals and cooking their meat to eat.
But now...
Xie Ye looked at his still fair palms and thought, these were hands still suitable for playing the zither and wielding a brush.
Having experienced a tragic death and being reborn into the Mingyun Tower, he could understand his obsession with revenge. However, the mistakes of those in power should not be filled with the lives of the common people.
The old emperor, despite his advanced age, refused to designate a successor, and several of his sons were already eyeing the throne with greed and ambition. Truly loyal advisors who dared to speak their minds were either killed or suppressed, leaving only some sycophants who were busy deciphering the emperor's intentions without accomplishing anything substantial. With just a slight push, the entire regime could collapse.
If he remembered correctly, in the later stages of the plot, the old emperor was drugged by his beloved fourth prince. He became disabled, bedridden, and was eventually persuaded to abdicate voluntarily by the protagonist Yan Beilin, who returned to the capital with the Northern Lin army. Instead of regicide, the protagonist orchestrated the old emperor's "voluntary abdication," allowing him to enjoy his remaining years as a retired emperor.
Xie Ye thought that this ending was quite satisfactory.
What could be more agonizing for a power-hungry ruler than watching his son ascend to the throne? To have something cherished taken away, yet unable to utter a word. Perhaps only then would the old emperor truly understand the pain of his alter self.
As for himself, he only needed to consider what leverage he could use to persuade the newly crowned Emperor to vindicate the Xie family.
...Didn't the protagonist almost get poisoned near the end of the story?
After a long absence, 1101, the host with a laid-back attitude, commented, "So, are we going to collaborate with the protagonist this time?"
Xie Ye responded calmly, "Each takes what they need."
Antagonists and protagonists were not allies who could trust each other.
But in 1101's eyes, despite being labeled as an antagonist in his host's settings, Xie Ye behaved more like a mirror: he treated the protagonist based on how the protagonist treated him, without resorting to outright hostility solely based on their identities.
With so many predetermined labels, the only truth was perhaps that the strong preyed on the weak.
【Don't think of any cheesy lines in my mind.】Reading in the carriage was a bit tiring on the eyes. Rubbing his temples, Xie Ye retorted expressionlessly, "It's just a lack of conflicting interests. Wasn't the death of Xi Jinyu from the previous world not miserable enough?"
1101 immediately silenced itself.
Lifting a corner of the carriage curtain for some fresh air, within moments, the rhythmic clatter of hooves intertwined for a few breaths, and someone turned to his window. "Feeling stifled?"
Xie Ye shook his head.
"Further ahead, there will be an inn where we can stretch our legs," sitting upright on his horse, Gu Cong lowered his gaze, "You've lost weight."
1101 scanned its host swiftly: How did you notice just a half pound of weight loss?
Approaching the city of Sanggan was like transplanting a delicate orchid into the desert. The closer they got, the more Gu Cong felt like scratching his heart like a cat's paw. Roughly estimating, there was still at least a dozen days of travel ahead. Fearful that the youth might become bored or fall ill, at the slightest movement in the carriage, his hands and feet acted involuntarily as he drove the horse over.
Xie Ye himself didn't feel much, after all, both he and Xiao Hao had experienced times without food, so even military rations were not too difficult to swallow.
Gu Cong did initially prepare various types of pastries, either flaky or soft, but those things couldn't last long. Seeing the youth shaking his head again, he unconsciously reached out, his slightly rough fingertips tracing along the smooth contour of the other's jawline. "Here."
"Still say you don't?"
The guards around discreetly averted their eyes.
But, following the general's usual demeanor, he cleared his throat and coughed twice in a pretentious manner.
The unfamiliar sensation, delicate and cool... Gu Cong suddenly realized what an abrupt move he had made. Just as he was about to retract his hand, intending to reprimand some subordinate who dared to joke with him, the youth accurately grasped his fingertips and then moved upwards, writing: "Thirsty."
Then, he shook the empty water pouch in the carriage.
Gu Cong's attention was instantly diverted.
Thanks to his excellent equestrian skills, he had been able to keep pace with Xie Ye's window. He also had a water pouch hanging from his waist. Taking it off, he unscrewed the lid and handed it to the other.
After getting married and spending time together, he had come to understand the young man's cleanliness. Although there were tea cups in the carriage, he had expected Xie Ye to pour the water into one before drinking. However, to his surprise, the youth tilted his head back, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, and drank directly from the pouch.
Gu Cong's hand holding the reins stiffened.
He had also used this water pouch before. Apart from drinking the wedding wine together on the wedding night, he and Xie Ye had never been this intimate. Even sharing a bed had been canceled due to their hurried travels.
They were married, yet they were not truly husbands.
What was even more damning was that after quenching his thirst, the youth handed back the water pouch. Gu Cong's fingertips twitched slightly, unsure whether to take it or not:
It wasn't because the mouth of the pouch had been touched, but rather because Xie Ye's gaze was too candid, reflecting back at him so clearly that he could see the ripples in his own heart and some bizarre thoughts that had unexpectedly surfaced.
The touch of water accentuated the crimson hue, making it even more beautiful.
With something in hand, it was difficult to write. Since the other person had been motionless, Xie Ye had no choice but to speak up, hesitantly calling out, "General?"
Each word was enunciated clearly, much smoother than on the day of their wedding. Gu Cong was pleasantly surprised to hear the youth speak again at such a moment. Setting aside all his miscellaneous thoughts, he eagerly asked, "What did you call me?"
Patiently, Xie Ye repeated, "General," while offering the water pouch forward.
However, Gu Cong didn't take it. He lowered his head slightly, his eyes filled with curiosity, joy, and unmistakable anticipation, as if silently urging, "Say it again."
After a couple of seconds, he furrowed his brows. "Last time... You didn't call me that."
Sensing what the other was about to say, Xie Ye abruptly let go of the curtain.
1101 was surprised: "???" Unexpectedly, he didn't tease back. This was nothing like the usual behavior of the host.
However, it soon realized its naivety.
A gentle breeze blew, and a hand, slightly darker in color, retracted the curtain. Accompanied by the suppressed laughter of the guards, "Ahem."
"I'm thirsty."
The laughter, barely contained, grew louder.
In these past few days, the image of the once coquettish Xie Ye, as perceived by the guards, had changed. Apart from using the carriage, he hadn't misbehaved or complained of fatigue throughout the journey. With the shift in attitude from individuals like Lu Jin, who often accompanied the general, most people had let go of their initial hostility towards the youth.
Although they couldn't hear exactly what the two were talking about, the atmosphere around them was peaceful. Witnessing the general being taken down a peg was indeed worth a bit of laughter for the guards.
Not to mention under normal circumstances, but even in the face of a formidable enemy, who had ever seen the general appear calm yet actually at a loss like a clueless kid?
Keeping a straight face and pretending not to have heard anything, Gu Cong finally managed to receive the water pouch that the youth had handed him. However, before he could figure out what to say next, he was met with the youth's direct and unwavering gaze.
—Aren't you thirsty? Just drink it.
Gu Cong knew exactly what it felt like to shoot oneself in the foot.
Perhaps because they had left the capital, he felt that the youth was much more vibrant than when they had first met. With no way to avoid it, he naturally lifted the water pouch openly, deliberately holding it up to the sun as if searching for the traces left by Xie Ye's touch, examining it carefully.
Gulp.
He took a big gulp, some of the clear water spilling out along with the horse's movements. He shook it off unconsciously and looked into those slightly raised, dark eyes.
"How about it?" he asked, with a hint of mischief. "Satisfied?"
The way he said it made it seem as if he wasn't the one who had just forcefully opened someone else's curtain and demanded water.
Thinking of repeating the same trick and pulling down the curtain again, Gu Cong hesitated. However, this time, Xie Ye didn't move it.
With his strength and Gu Cong's weakness, a little effort from the former made the curtain seem as if it were welded shut.
"Let some air in, aren't you feeling stuffy?" Whether it was to tease or to amuse, Gu Cong came up with a noble excuse just to coax a few more words out of the youth.
Gently patting the horse's flank, he said with a straight face, "The next stop is still far away."
"Let's chat."
Author's note:
Hmm, being flirted with so often naturally makes one "desensitized" to shyness, hhh.
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