Shoutout to Tachibanaswife for the commission!
Very quickly I discovered that whether Lord Toilet could swim or not didn’t matter anymore. The current was fierce, spiraling forward; in the blink of an eye we were swept far away. No matter how good one’s swimming skills were, they were useless. All we could do was hold our breath as much as possible, absolutely not choke or swallow water, and seize any moment our heads broke the surface to snatch a quick breath.
After being carried along for a stretch, the river suddenly narrowed, we had entered the famous Nine-Bend Gorge.
Nine-Bend Gorge: nine winding curves, many shoals, rapid waters. Hidden reefs suddenly appeared in the river. Swept along by the current, Lord Toilet and I collided with one from time to time. He held me completely in his arms, both hands protecting the back of my head, using his own body to take the impact of reef after reef.
Amid the roaring water, I could clearly hear the muffled groans from his throat each time he was struck.
I knew very well that this couldn’t continue. Though he could still hold me now, the next second he might be knocked unconscious and loosen his grip. After a moment’s thought, I forcefully stretched out my arms to loop them around his neck, then used my hands to shield his head and neck as well. At the same time, I wrapped my legs around his waist, trying to use them to protect beneath his ribs.
At once, there wasn’t the slightest gap between us. D*mn! This posture was as intimate as it could get. Even I felt embarrassed myself.
Lord Toilet was clearly not yet knocked senseless. He looked at me in some astonishment.
Seizing the moment when both our heads were washed above the surface, I shouted into his ear, “Let’s make a bet, see who gets knocked out first.”
His face was covered in water, yet he still grinned and said, “Fine. I bet it’s you.”
I opened my mouth to retort, but a huge wave suddenly crashed over us, plunging us back beneath the river. I quickly shut my mouth and held my breath, waiting for the next chance to surface.
But this time we were repeatedly dragged into whirlpools, unable to break the surface for a long while. I had reached the limit of holding my breath; my lungs felt ready to explode. Though I knew there was water all around, I couldn’t help wanting to open my mouth to breathe. I could no longer spare my legs to shield Lord Toilet; I kicked downward desperately, wishing only to break the surface and gulp air.
Just as I was struggling on the brink of death, my mouth was suddenly sealed by two warm, soft lips. A nimble tongue slipped in, forcefully prying open my teeth, and then a rich current of air slowly passed from him into me.
I was dumbfounded. I was clearly about to suffocate, yet I forgot to inhale.
Still underwater, Lord Toilet sensed my stiffness. Perhaps he thought I’d passed out from holding my breath. His hand pressed firmly against the back of my head; his lips sealed more tightly, even trying to blow air directly into my mouth.
My first thought was that this kid had excellent lung capacity! At a time like this he still dared to give me artificial respiration!
I snapped back to my senses. Life and death were uncertain, why bother thinking such nauseating thoughts? Just treat him like a tall, well-built beauty, wouldn’t that do? I persuaded myself thus, hugged him tighter, and consciously drew in some air from his mouth.
With that half-breath sustaining me, I finally endured until we surfaced again.
Our lips parted at the same time; both of us gasped deeply for air. Once our breathing steadied somewhat, I thought I ought to thank him. But when I turned my head, my lips accidentally brushed his. For some reason my heart jolted, and I inhaled a mouthful of water, immediately coughing violently.
Lord Toilet reached out to pat my back. “What’s wrong?”
I didn’t know how to answer, and fortunately the current ahead suddenly grew rapid again. We were swept forward, no longer able to speak.
This was the final bend of Nine-Bend Gorge, and the most dangerous stretch, shoals within shoals. Though we both tried our best to avoid the reefs, we still scraped against several. The last collision was the worst. After a muffled groan, Lord Toilet slowly loosened one arm that had been tightly holding me.
All right. I won the bet, Lord Toilet fainted first.
It was still dark; I couldn’t see where he was injured. I could only hold him tightly and drift along with the current.
Further downstream, the river finally widened and the flow gentled. After drifting some more, the surface no longer bore its earlier fury. It was like a shy maiden, shimmering under the moonlight.
I loosened my limbs, keeping only one arm around Lord Toilet’s neck, floating on my back and drifting quietly along the calm water. The river was quiet; so was my heart.
I thought, at this moment, if I let go, Lord Toilet would never again be my threat. I could turn back to find Qi Sheng and continue playing Crown Princess Zhang until Qi Sheng ascended the throne. Then I would choose a few beautiful palace maids, take Luli along, find an unobtrusive palace hall, and muddle through life eating and waiting for death.
It could even be called “peaceful and healthy, free from want.”
My hand loosened, then tightened; tightened, then loosened. In the end, I could not let go of Lord Toilet.
I was afraid that if I released him, what drifted away downstream would not only be Lord Toilet, but also my own conscience.
After drifting for most of the night, near dawn we finally reached shore at a gentle shoal. My limbs were so numb they didn’t feel like my own, yet I still dragged Lord Toilet out of the water.
The riverbank was all forested hills. I chose a sheltered spot and laid him flat, carefully examining him. Scrapes and bruises all over his body were too many to count. Near his shoulder blade on his back was a not-shallow knife wound, the flesh already bleached white from soaking in the river.
Fortunately, his limbs didn’t seem broken. I carefully felt along his ribs as well, good, it didn’t seem too serious.
I let out a breath and considered bandaging him. But looking down again, his clothes had been shredded by sharp reefs; not even a strip could be torn for bandages.
My own clothes were in better shape, especially the goose-yellow satin inner garment. Tear it up and it would do. I took off my clothing, tore usable pieces, and wrapped his wounds. Then I checked myself. I was much better off than he was. The sword wound on my chest hadn’t been deep to begin with and had already been treated; though soaked, it wasn’t severe. The rest were just scrapes and bruises on arms and legs, not major injuries.
Lord Toilet lay quietly beside me. Though still unconscious, his breathing was fairly steady. What I feared now was infection leading to high fever. And as if summoned by fear, before long his breathing grew rapid. Though his body was burning hot, his teeth chattered, and his limbs curled inward.
I crouched beside him, silently watching, hesitating whether to try that television trick, strip naked and use my body heat to warm him! I didn’t even know if it worked. It wasn’t psychological resistance; in such circumstances two grown men holding each other wasn’t much. But considering the intelligence of those screenwriters, I abandoned the idea and honestly fetched cold river water with cloth to cool him physically.
Only when the sun had risen high did his temperature gradually drop. I finally relaxed. After a while, Lord Toilet opened his eyes. He didn’t speak, only looked at me silently.
I began to worry he’d fried his brain with fever.
Suddenly he said hoarsely, “You surprised me.”
I patted the dirt off my backside, turned to rummage through the pile of rags, and replied casually, “Some things you did also surprised me.”
I tried to find something wearable, but after rummaging a long time found nothing. In the end I smacked my lips, picked out some strips of cloth, and wrapped the soles of my feet first.
Lord Toilet fell silent again.
I turned back, narrowed my eyes, and sized him up for a moment before saying sincerely, “After last night, no matter what calculations you had, we went through life and death together. I sincerely advise you, give up the idea of contending for the throne. Otherwise, sooner or later it ends in death.”
Propping himself up halfway, Lord Toilet glanced at me sideways and sneered. “What makes you say that?”
I walked over and sat cross-legged beside him. “Military power. You may be a favored prince, but you hold no military power. Qi Sheng does. He is Crown Prince, personally designated by the Founding Emperor. Even if the current emperor dislikes him, as long as he doesn’t rebel, the emperor won’t touch him, for the stability of the court.”
That was also why I had decided earlier to continue working under Qi Sheng. The current emperor wasn’t a fool. A crown prince of a nation isn’t dismissed on a whim.
Lord Toilet said nothing, only looked at me coldly.
I felt clear-hearted and didn’t avoid his gaze.
In the end, he looked away first and smiled faintly. “Do you think that if I don’t contend, I’ll be safe? They’ve forced me step by step to today. If I contend, perhaps there’s a sliver of hope. If I don’t, I can only wait for death.”
Beyond that, I felt I had no standing to speak further, so I stopped. Rising, I said, “I’m hungry. Stay here. I’ll see if I can find something to eat, then fetch some water from the river.”
As I turned to leave, he suddenly called out, “Hey—”
I stopped and looked back. He glanced at me, then slightly turned his head aside before asking, “You’re not afraid?”
I almost laughed. I’d already retrieved my life from the river, what was there to fear?
Smiling, I shook my head and went to look for food. After wandering around without catching anything, I returned to the riverbank, thinking I might as well catch a few fish.
Unexpectedly, I picked up a very large “fish” on the shoal.
I could hardly believe my eyes. Rubbing them, I stepped forward cautiously, carefully turned the person over, and looked at the face. I jumped in fright. D*mn it! It really was Qi Sheng!
Even more unimaginable, Qi Sheng slowly opened his eyes and looked at me lucidly.
My expression froze for a few seconds. Then suddenly I chuckled, glanced at the armor on his body, and asked with a grin, “Was it because you were wearing armor that you floated much slower than I did?”
