General’s Gown Chapter 18

Chapter 18 Thousand mile Jiaolu Part 3 

<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>

Yan Changqing opened his eyes: 

“That’s not the case.” 

It was just a glance, but the black and white, obsidian, cold, and beautiful eyes have already captured half a person’s soul. 

If he was not mistaken, Helian Rongchuan found an imperceptible panic in the depths of his eyes, like a meteor passing by, but he was delighted. 

For some people, the more they care about something in their hearts, the more they have to pretend not to care about it. It was really frustrating and cute. 

Helian Rongchuan couldn’t help but lift the corners of his mouth: “Why is Yan Daren blushing?” 

Yan Changqing calmly pushed the stove further away, and said: “The charcoal fire is too hot and it’s smoking.” 

Helian Rongchuan’s smile grew. While smiling, he shook his head helplessly. He turned around and jumped on the boat he came in and brought back a few small jars.

Yan Changqing raised his eyes and saw that it was wine. But then, his gaze stopped on Helian Rongchuan’s naked upper body. Helian Rongchuan’s body was very strong and beautiful, with flat and broad shoulders, a thick chest, strong and unobtrusive muscles, and sun-tempered, wheat-coloured skin. But this kind of body that seemed to have been kissed by a god was covered with hideous, dark red welt marks. The marks were deep and looked like scabbed recently, but because they had just been soaked in water, many wounds had a faint blood colour. 

With his eyes closed just now, he hadn’t noticed it. Helian Rongchuan actually suffered such an injury? 

Looking at these scars, it should be an injury he received after they were separated. But what happened? Helian Rongchuan rushed all this way with such an injury? 

Helian Rongchuan saw Yan Changqing’s eyes on him, and he was taken aback for a moment. He quickly put on the still damp clothes. An indifferent smile appeared on his face: “It’s really unfortunate. To chase General Yan, I ran into a group of small-eyed water bandits on the road. I dealt with them, and they cried and called me an old man. Look, I ate a few whips from those little b*stards and then heard them call me grandpa a few times. Is this a loss or not?” 

Yan Changqing lowered his eyes and said calmly: “Nonsense.” 

It seems that tomorrow when they come across a merchant town, they must stop and buy some medicinal supplements. 

Helian Rongchuan raised the small wine jar in his hand: “It’s nonsense. Fortunately, I can predict things without being a clairvoyant. Knowing you who is 80% a monk, I brought some wine of my own.” He lifted the lid, looked up and took a few sips. He laughed and said: “Come on, Lord Yan, quickly accompany this drinking prince!” 

“I need to watch the cargo ship at night, it is not wide to drink.”

Helian Rongchuan: “Right now there is still the spring cold and you are all wet. The several small broken stoves don’t do much. If you try to push yourself through the night and fall ill tomorrow, it will only further delay the trip.” He stuffed the wine jar into Yan Changqing’s hands:

“Drinking a little won’t hinder anything and can drive away from the cold. The body would be warm, and the vigil will not be stopped.” 

It seems… there was some reason for these words. 

Yan Changqing’s eyebrows moved slightly. Although his alcohol tolerance was not bad, he was disciplined and did not like to drink. But today, to rush this trip, drinking a little bit to protect himself from the cold should be okay. 

After all, hurrying this journey along is the priority. 

Yan Changqing raised the wine jar without looking at Helian Rongchuan. He tilted his head back and took a sip. 

The wine that touched his tongue was not strong but like a warm stream. Its effects slowly flowed into his limbs. The chill he felt all over his body dissipated a little. 

Helian Rongchuan smiled, took a sip, and said with a smile: “Refreshing! Tonight I can have a drink with the general under the moon. I can cherish this memory after we part from each other in the future!” 

Yan Changqing glanced at him silently. He felt uneasy,  the feelings in his heart were mixed up, and an unexplainable emotion slammed into his heart. He couldn’t voice it and couldn’t swallow it. It seemed that only the wine in front of him could give him a temporary sense of peace. 

So he raised the wine jar and poured himself another sip. 

After a while, Yan Changqing felt that his mind was a little lost, and the world was spinning. Strange, this wine was not strong, why was he drunk?

Yan Changqing thought this wasn’t good, and shook his head hard, only to see Helian Rongchuan in front of him becoming a hazy overlapping image. 

Why wasn’t this person drunk? 

Helian Rongchuan saw that Yan Changqing’s figure was swaying slightly, that he was a bit drunk, so he wrapped his arm over him calmly: “If Master Yan is tired, take a good rest. This prince will watch over the ship for you.” 

Yan Changqing frowned and shook his head. He struggled to stand up, but he couldn’t. He felt dizzy, then finally when he wasn’t able to support himself any longer, he fell into Helian Rongchuan’s arms. He closed his eyes sleepily. 

Helian Rongchuan scanned the surroundings and saw that there was no one. Then he took Yan Changqing by his waist boldly and princess carried him into the cabin. 

The Dongyun Royal family’s wine was top-notch. Although it tasted weak, it had a strong comeback. Even if it was not a large amount, the first time people drank it they would get drunk and not know how it happened. 

Even though he was off dreaming, Yan Changqing’s long eyebrows were still slightly frowned, seemingly unable to let down his guard. He was also struggling in his dream. 

Even though he was soaked, he refused to change his clothes. His neckline was still tightly covered. Was he really not afraid of catching a cold? 

Helian Rongchuan sighed, rummaged around, and found a set of clean clothes. He wanted to change them for him. He stretched his hand to pull away Yan Changqing’s strict collar, to make him breathe more smoothly. Under the flickering candlelight, only a few inches of naked and warm skin of the sleeping man were inadvertently exposed. The thin clavicle and the deeply sunken neck socket revealed a light honey colour, and the smooth and graceful lines of the neck underneath the black collar. 

Helian Rongchuan couldn’t help his eyes darkening. He gently turned away from the sight in front of him. Just as he was about to untie Yan Changqing’s robe, Yan Changqing seemed to realize something. He dazedly knocked away Helian Rongchuan’s hand. 

“You…what are you doing?”

Helian Rongchuan gently lifted the strands of hair soaked in the river water off Yan Changqing’s forehead. Suddenly an inspiration flashed in his heart. He changed his tone, and said in a low voice: “This little one is helping change Daren’s out of the wet clothes.” 

Yan Changqing heard this, and opened his eyes, straining them to take a better look but only saw a dim shadow. Thinking it was Ah Jing, he said angrily: “You do not have to change me, quickly get out to look after the boat for me…… I….. I will do it myself…” 

But before he finished speaking, the heavy sleepiness came over him again. And before he could stand up, Yan Changqing went down softly like an extra-large puppet. 

Helian Rongchuan couldn’t help laughing, his eyes filled with tenderness that he hadn’t even realized. He had been accustomed to being served by others since he was a child, and he was very frivolous from a young age. He had always been delighted and eager to take clothes off a drunk person, but never waited upon a drunk person to help change their clothes. After a great deal of effort, Helian Rongchuan didn’t seem to be making any progress. He couldn’t even get an arm in a sleeve and couldn’t help complaining: 

“Yan Changqing, stretch your arms!” 

“Arms?” 

Yan Changqing opened his eyes, eyes of stunning black as usual but clear from the fierceness of the past. Now they were just confused and dazed, reflecting his foggy mind. He heard Helian Rongchuan’s voice while still half-dreaming and half-awake. He couldn’t figure out why but he stretched out an arm in a daze. 

Helian Rongchuan was taken aback for a moment. He put on the sleeve of that side of his clothes hurriedly, and tentatively said, “What about the other arm?” 

“The other…one?” Yan Changqing was still confused but stretched out his other arm. 

Helian Rongchuan couldn’t help but smile. He never expected that this majestic and indifferent general would be so obedient when drunk. 

Maybe even Yan Changqing didn’t know about his drunk state, only Helian Rongchuan did. 

Suddenly, bad thoughts came up in his mind again. Helian Rongchuan could not help but pick up Yan Changqing who tried to fall asleep. He gently lifted his chin: “Yan Daren? Yan Changqing?”

Yan Changqing frowning slightly opened his eyes: “En——?”

This sound, soft and ignorant, was like a kitten’s tail. It lightly swept into the heart of Helian Rongchuan. He had never seen Yan Changqing’s red cheeks or this kind of a bewildered look. It was not the cold and indifferent like what he’s gotten used to, instead, it was soft and well-behaved, especially- 

Helian Rongchuan’s mouth hooked upwards. 

He really wanted to tease him now. 

Forcibly pulling Yan Changqing’s face, Helian Rongchuan said: 

“Do you know who I am?” 

Yan Changqing closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. 

“Look carefully, who am I?” Helian Rongchuan continued to guide patiently, like coaxing a child. He said softly: “Look again. That’s right, there is a reward.” 

Yan Changqing desperately desired to fall asleep but was constantly harassed. He couldn’t help feeling a little irritated. Without raising his head, he struggled to return to the soft bed, and said muffledly: “Helian Rongchuan!” 

It seems that he still recognizes who the man in front of him is. 

Helian Rongchuan was happy in his heart, and continued to persevere, trying to turn Yan Changqing back facing up. He hesitated for a moment, then finally asked a question that had been hidden in his heart for a long time: 

“Then you, do you like me?” 

……

It got very quiet. 

Helian Rongchuan looked at Yan Changqing, his heart felt like it was being scratched by a hundred claws. 

Yan Changqing’s chest moved up and down slowly. Without a doubt, he fell asleep again. 

Helian Rongchuan couldn’t help feeling a little impatient. Regardless of the consequences, he tried to pull Yan Changqing out of his sleep again: 

“Do you like me? En? Do you like me?” 

Yan Changqing barely opened his eyes, and said in a very soft voice: “I don’t like.” 

It was as if a basin of cold water was dumped on him. Helian Rongchuan felt that his whole body was freezing for a moment, more bone-chilling than the Jiaolu River. The mood was instantly ruined. 

Just now, ignoring the fact that the whip marks on his body were not healed, he jumped into Jiao Lu, wanting to gamble on what Yan Changqing thought of him. The moment Yan Changqing jumped into the river, his heart was exuberant. He never had felt joy like at that moment before. He thought he had won the bet.

He was still a little unwilling to give up. After a long while, he slowly and with some difficulty said: “Really, or are you faking it?” 

Yan Changqing didn’t know what he was thinking, so he nodded honestly and replied: “Faking it.” 

Helian Rongchuan: “…” 

Helian Rongchuan gently grabbed Yan Changqing’s chin, forcing him to keep eye contact. His words were full of eagerness: “So, do you dislike or like?”

“Like.”

Helian Rongchuan frowned, somewhat suspiciously looking at Yan Changqing. He cleared his throat and continued: “Helian Rongchuan, you dislike?” 

“Dislike.”

Helian Rongchuan: “…” 

It seemed that this person was drunk and only repeated the last word of what was said to him! 

Helian Rongchuan couldn’t help putting his palm on his forehead. He chuckled softly. He was not only laughing at Yan Changqing but also at himself. 

He stretched out his hand, found a comfortable position, and carefully put down Yan Changqing. He wanted to turn around and leave. He raised his foot but turned back reluctantly. He stretched his hand over Yan Changqing’s black silk-like hair, hesitated for a moment, then finally couldn’t help but lean down. 

A very soft kiss, as if a cautious butterfly finally met the flower that it had long liked. It landed on Yan Changqing’s scarlet-dyed eyes, gently and quite reverently, then his straight and beautiful nose, then a stubborn and soft one on the corners of his lips.

This was a sincere kiss, one that wasn’t asking for any response. 

He wished Yan Changqing liked him, but also hoped he didn’t. 

Helian Rongchuan sighed softly, then raised his head. The piercing dark brown eyes no longer held the tenderness from earlier. Walking out of the cabin, he looked up at the sky and saw that in the night like ink, the moon had quietly disappeared. Only the gray-black clouds in the sky were there, faintly revealing the grayish cold light. 

The reeds on both sides of the river bank fluttered with the night wind, and it was very quiet. 

It was as if there was no one. There seemed to be no danger. 

But he knew that at the end of this long Jiao Lu River, it was no longer quiet. 

At this very moment dozens of thin black wooden fast boats, flying close to the surface of the water like sharp arrows, rushing down the Jiaolu River. They were silent and didn’t make any waves. The mirror-like surface of the river seemed to be cut alive by these pointed, narrow-tailed black blades. 

And these fast boats were now approaching Yan Changqing.

<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>