Born for Officialdom, Turning Small Merit into Great Merit (Requesting Monthly Votes, Two-in-One)

"Madam had grown thinner."

Liang Qu clasped Long E Ying's waist through the Phoenix Cry Rainbow Dress and gently stroked up and down.

Threads of heat seeped from his palm, clinging to her skin, heady enough to intoxicate.

Hearing the familiar voice, Long E Ying's cheeks flushed slightly. She turned back and asked, "Is being thinner bad?"

"Bad." Liang Qu shook his head, pressed his chest to her back, and hugged her tighter. "I like you plump."

"Then..." Long E Ying narrowed her eyes in a smile and reached back to pat Liang Qu's head. "Let's rest when we get back, then make me some egg tarts?"

"Why rest? I'll fill Madam up first!"

"Mmm... Don't mess around."

"I missed you. I couldn't help myself. It was the first time we'd been apart for so long."

"Mhm." Long E Ying lowered her eyes. "It had been sixty-three days since you went to the Imperial Capital."

Sixty-three days?

Liang Qu raised his brows and grinned.

He had E Ying face the tree trunk, wrapped one arm around her waist, and sat down with her.

Winter in the north was bleak and killing. As far as the eye could see were Yellow Earth and withered branches, bare trees standing like skeletons. The south was different. Even in January, broad leaves still covered the mountains and forests, casting moonlit shade.

The two sat side by side atop a branch, their calves dangling, ears pressed together and temples touching. Through the swaying shadows of the trees, they watched the Mountain Ghost Cave Entrance.

As Liang Qu recounted his journey north and all his glorious achievements, listening to E Ying praise him, he also heightened his hearing. The heartbeats inside the cave came through clearly, dense and unceasing.

There were too many heartbeats to determine