Qinglian Chronicles Chapter 58

[Slight NSFW.

Rember to read on chichilations and not an aggregator~]

When the ti ca that the mood had leveled out, I could only lay in bed coated in a cold sweat. Pain! The pain is killing !

Jinzi gets tense looking at my suffering appearance, he quickly sought out the jinchuang dicine from last ti. I glanced at it; it’s a small Hetian jade bottle containing so faintly-rogue colored ointnt, and saring it on wounds leaves cool traces of comfort.

He first cleaned a bit, then applied it to as softly as he could, speaking while he did it. “My master gave this to when he was alive. It doesn’t have a na, but it’s much better at internal healing than linint ointnts.”

I hmmm, unable to keep from starting to ntally thinking of what his unknown dicine is, whether the materials to make it are rare or not, and whether or not it would be possible to compress the costs and produce it in bulk and such, my mind wandering off into what marketing tactics to use. It wasn’t until Jinzi repeatedly called for that I ca back to my senses. “What did you say?”

He looks very helpless. “I need you to part your legs so I can see if there’s an injuries.

My face went hot. “No, you… you were being very careful…”

He got sowhat embarrassed, lowering his head and coughing.

I also lowered my head and saw the sheet full of bloodstains, but they weren’t mine. They were his.

I reached out to him and said softly, “Are you hurt? I can apply it for you.”

He jumped, then held back my hand that was going towards the dicine bottle. A suspicious layer of pink faintly rose up on his handso, lightly olive face, a bit of a stutter happening when he spoke. “Don’t- don’t think of that!”

Settling himself, he barely resud his cold and disdainful look. “What’s a small injury like this to us martial artists? There’s no need for any dicine.”

Seeing him like this, I couldn’t help but want to smile. I’m contrarily not feeling very bashful, thinking of teasing him so. “Jinziiiii…” I look at my body, lengthening my words with feigned charm. “Your blood as such is all over . After the dicine dries in a bit, I want to take a bath. Will you help with that?”

The suspicious red on his face deepens. He turns his head to not look at , pretending to be aloof. “You shouldn’t bathe right now, but… if you can’t because of your injuries, I’ll help you wash up.”

I hold back my smile, and the pain, and say with a silky voice, “You’ve looked after , and I’d like to return the favor, or I’ll feel like a burden for having you wipe down.”

“You—” He looks in the eyes. I look back at him with a grin. He’s angry and unable to do anything about , sighing powerlessly.

“Co on now.” The tone I use is one for coaxing a child, and I place my hand on his thigh with intention. “A little wound won’t take long or be too much a bother to treat.”

Jinzi looked down, saw his own body’s reaction, and his face went thoroughly red. He threw himself on the bed and said, “Fine. Do what you like.” He proceeded to grab my hand that was stroking his bottom, whispering out a warning. “You can’t touch or move around randomly.”

I’m unable to keep back a pffft. “Okay, okay. Relax, Jinzi, I won’t do that to you!”

He simply shut his eyes from feeling sheepish and mistreated, long lashes gently quivering.

This is my first ti taking a close look at Jinzi’s naked back. It’s positively gorgeous: the curves of his waist and hips, his impeccable tanned skin, slightly narrow shoulders, slender and solid muscles… I didn’t dare to make a crass joke by touching him randomly, instead concentrating on parting his cheeks to apply the ointnt, hand shaking a bit.

When my finger t him, he let out a barely audible groan, but I heard it like a thunderclap hitting my ears. My mouth is a little dry for a mont, my motions becoming even more ungraceful.

He didn’t open his eyes, but he reached behind himself and grabbed my still-dicating hand, his voice coming out rough and breath unsteady. “Don’t keep being gentle, alright? I won’t be able to stand it.”

I imdiately redden as if I’ve been boiled. The image of him saying that, eyes shut, is really… hot. His thin lips are pressed firmly together, a strand of loose black hair stuck to their side.

So pretty.

I obediently stay my hand.

Jinzi flipped over and sat up, lightly panting, and moved outside my arm’s range. “Keep away from for a bit. I don’t plan on touching you again until you heal enough.”

I maintain my distance as I’m told, my heart beating terribly, and I’ve no choice but to turn my head to keep from looking at him.

The room warms up.

Then Hong Feng pushed the door open with a food tray in her hands, a bowl of steaming hot congee on top of it.

My first reaction is to imdiately pull over Jinzi’s cast-off robes to cover up his lower half, only to hit his hand that was going to pull up the sheets to cover my own body, both of us subconsciously startling.

I awkwardly faced Hong Feng, feeling quite sorry for her. She was Zhang Qinglian’s concubine, after all, and she loved him; this scene would hurt her heart.

However, she seed like she didn’t even see it. She looked at with wide eyes, her face paling in an instant. She placed the tray on the table, flew to my side, clasped my hand, and spoke with a sharp trill, “Who? Who’s hurt you like this again…”

A few drops of water hit the back of my hand.

Hearing her extrely resentful, despairing tone, her shoulders shaking, I’m greatly astonished. Hong Feng’s emotions usually never reach her face. The damage I have this ti isn’t light, but it shouldn’t be enough to make Hong Feng scared and bristling like this.

I feel helpless as I watch her cry, looking towards Jinzi for help. He threw a look that said ‘you should fix your own problems’ and turned his head away. I’m forced to pat her on the back a little clumsily. “It’s okay, I’m alright. It’s actually not as serious as you think… I’m fine…”

She just cries harder.

A woman who’s been suffering in silence for a long ti is doubly difficult to deal with when she cries. If she’s the short-fused, pampered type, I could cold-shoulder her, ignore her, sneer, indifferently butter her up, and so on. In regards to the seldom-weeping Hong Feng, this cannot be brushed aside.

As a result, I coaxed her for a long ti and until I was dry in the mouth. I almost wanted to pass out to get it over with, but that wouldn’t be appropriate. Jinzi spoke up in the end, “You should go. He’s injured, and this is keeping him from resting well.”

She gave a verbal response, wiping the tears from her eyes as she left. I thought that she was going to go cry alone now, and I couldn’t help but grumble about Jinzi’s harshness.

He brushed that off, getting up to get the bowl of . “Was Zhang Qinglian injured a lot before?” I ask.

“Every once in while the Emperor would hurt him. It was inevitable,” he said coldly.

I give an ‘oh’, and he fed a spoonful of congee. I swallow it down, finding it sweet and fragrant – it really is true that things taste twice as good when you’re starving! – and quickly gesture for more. Jinzi’s face gradually morphs into a soft smile, and he conscientiously kept feeding .

I also put Hong Feng to the back of my mind, my heart slowly overflowing with happiness.

The most blessed ti in love is when you just confirm that he likes you and you like him. All the doubts have passed, all the exhaustion hasn’t caught up yet. When I suddenly think about what I’m doing, I then feel like a miracle is taking place. I actually like soone, and he likes too! Even my brows and lips can’t contain my smile.

I’m now unable to contain myself, slightly drawing up the corners of my mouth. Jinzi finally couldn’t take it anymore, shouting at , “Are you not worried that a stately man like you would get laughed at from always smiling like a fool?”

I take back my smile as I recall that I am undoubtedly a man in Jinzi’s eyes, and Jinzi likes n. I thus felt like I was just disguised as a man, an immoral bloke ant to confuse gay n, and wordless guilt arises in .

If he knew that I was so kind of not-male, not-female freak, would he be disgusted?

My mood sinks lower.

But… forget it. Keeping this from him is fine. I’ll do so until I can’t put off that discussion anymore. Love isn’t to be tested, because it won’t be able to stand it. If you really love soone, then you mustn’t test them.

I’m reluctant to part with this tenderness, even if I have to use so deception to get more of it.

When he saw that I wasn’t opening my mouth anymore, he put down the spoon and whispered, “What? Does it still hurt a lot?”

He shouldn’t have said that. Those words gave even more of a sense of my full-body ache and unbearable fatigue. I nod.

“Eat a bit more,” he says.

I shake my head.

He didn’t force , and finished eating what I hadn’t. I thought about how he was looking for all night and didn’t take care of himself by eating anything, and I feel a bit ashad.

I’m still habitually self-centered.

The sky outside the window is already blank. Jinzi had lie on my stomach to sleep, gently pulling the blanket over . “Sleep well.”

I hum, then calmly pulled on his hand. “Will you sleep with ?”

He was conflicted, then agreed, making his way into the covers. Though he was afraid of bumping into my wounds and couldn’t hold or be too close to , the sheets were still warming up.

I’ve been especially greedy for people’s warmth since I was young. My parents were forr exchange students, and were rare Westernized people of that era. They always slept in separate rooms when they were alive. I had my own room when I was two years old and had to fall asleep by myself in the darkness, and it beca the first phobia I overca in my childhood.

I developed a habit of independence when I got older, and it naturally got even more difficult to cling to people.

With Jinzi’s warmth, I feel content.

He and I don’t say anything for a long ti. He suddenly opened his mouth, but his words failed him. My intuition imdiately knew that he wanted to ask sothing, so I covered his mouth. “Don’t ask.” My voice is gentle but firm. “Don’t ask about my past.”

He shut his mouth tight.

I slightly open my mouth to suck in a quick breath as the faint illumination cos from behind , my eyes gazing into his.

He suddenly extends both of his hands and carefully embraces .

“It’s all over with,” he speaks into my hair, voice gentle and containing endless heartache and compassion. “I’ll protect you in the future.”

I feel a bit stupid from his over-emotional words and actions, suddenly realizing that I had a past I couldn’t bear to think about, maybe even a horribly bloody and death-filled experience, so I wouldn’t want to bring it up.

Whatever, let him think that. I kinda want to laugh, and feel at ease.

When I was finally about to fall asleep, he said, “I only want to ask one thing.”

I open my eyes.

“What’s your original na? I can’t always call you Zhang Qinglian, can I?”

I smile. “Qiaochu. I’m called Ji Qiaochu.”

My na is pretty gender-neutral.

“Qiaochu?” Jinzi’s also a bit sleepy. “Is that your courtesy na?”

“No, it’s my birth one.”

“Do you have a courtesy?”

I think about it, then say, “It’s Liaoliao.”

We finally learn the MC’s actual na… 58 chapters in! Wow! That’s a long ti!!!!

季翘楚 (Ji Qiaochu), 寥寥 (Liaoliao). Qiaochu refers to soone of outstanding talent (it’s like naming your kid Einstein nowadays). Liaoliao refers to sothing being in scarcity, or describing loneliness and emptiness.