The faint morning light filtered into the hall through the window lattice. Lin Qingyang struggled to open her eyelids. Her vision was still a little blurry. She only felt that her eye sockets were extremely sore, and her body was like a rusty machine. Every bone was filled with soreness and dull pain.
Subconsciously, she moved her somewhat stiff arms, only to find that she was curled up on her side, holding something tightly with both hands. What her fingertips touched was warm cloth, and further up, was a solid chest.
Lin Qingyang's sluggish mind went blank for a moment, and his eyes slowly moved up along the black skirt, revealing an angular profile. Cang Mo closed his eyes, breathing steadily and long, as if he was still sleeping.
The distance between the two was so close that he could even clearly feel the rise and fall of the other's chest and the warmth of his breath. He held his breath and carefully let go of his hand, trying to distance himself. But as soon as he moved with some effort, the pair of amber eyes suddenly opened, and the flash of vigilance in them softened when they met his gaze.
Their eyes met, and the air seemed to freeze.
Lin Qingyang looked embarrassed, but Cang Mo looked calm. He raised his hand to touch his forehead and said lightly, "The fever is gone."
This intimate gesture made Lin Qingyang more and more uncomfortable. He tried to sit up with his arms, but his lower back felt sore and weak. His arms softened, and he fell back again. Cang Mo held his shoulders and pulled him into his arms. This time, he was even closer.
"Although the coldness has been eliminated from your body, your body is still weak and you will need to rest for a few days before you can recover." Cang Mo hugged the person and naturally pulled the pillow next to him to raise him up and let him lie on the head of the bed.
"Thank you." Lin Qingyang said in a hoarse voice, but her expression was extremely awkward. It was really strange to be hugged back and forth on the bed like this.
Cang Mo got up from the bed and poured a glass of warm water to his mouth. Lin Qingyang was a little helpless. However, she couldn't even raise her hand at this moment, so she had to drink from his hand. The warm water went into her throat, and she finally felt better.
He leaned on the pillow, looked up at Cang Mo, and asked uncomfortably, "You... were you sleeping here last night?"
"You had a nightmare last night. You kept holding on to me and refused to let go." Cang Mo said in a calm tone.
Lin Qingyang was stunned for a moment, then vaguely remembered that he had indeed dreamed of some previous things last night, and said with some embarrassment on his face, "I'm sorry... I'm probably confused because of the fever."
"It's okay." Cang Mo's deep eyes fell on his face, and then he looked away after a moment, "Since you're awake, I just need some breakfast, I'll get it."
After saying that, he stood up and left. The door closed gently and silence returned to the palace.
Lin Qingyang leaned weakly against the head of the bed, his head feeling dizzy, but his memory gradually came back. Uncontrollably, he flashed back to the scene before fainting in the ice cave of Netherworld Stream. The hot touch between his lips and teeth was extremely clear. Lin Qingyang's face suddenly felt warm. Although he was trying to save his life, was it too much? And he seemed to have responded later. Lin Qingyang pulled his hair in annoyance, what was going on!
Not long after, Cang Mo came back with a food box.
Lin Qingyang lay down for a while and regained some strength, then insisted on getting out of bed, and moved to the dining table with some difficulty and sat down.
Cang Mo didn't say anything, and took out a casserole from the food box. In the casserole was steaming fish fillet porridge. The rice grains were soft and glutinous, and the fish meat was fresh and sweet. It had obviously been stewed for a long time.
"Eat it while it's hot." Cang Mo filled a bowl and pushed it in front of him, then put the spoon into his hand.
Lin Qingyang's wrist was still weak, and the spoon made a slight sound against the wall of the bowl. He lowered his eyes and drank a few mouthfuls of porridge before he said casually, "By the way, what are you going to do with the drunken rat and those half-demon?"
"Although the drunken rat was being used by others, he also did a lot of evil. He stayed at Gu Teng's place to work for the time being as a punishment. The half-demon who delivered the goods didn't know it and had already been released." Cang Mo was drinking porridge together next to him.
"It's time to teach him a lesson." Lin Qingyang smiled, drank a few mouthfuls of porridge in silence, and then said softly, "Now the matter of the drunken rat is over, and the Nine Heavens Sword has also investigated it."
Cang Mo raised his eyes to look at him, waiting for his next words.
Lin Qingyang avoided his gaze, her eyes fell on the gently stirring spoon in the bowl, and continued, "I have been out for a few days. There are many things over there in Yin City. It's time for me... to go back."
The hall was quiet for a moment, Cang Mo's eyes were deep and emotionless.
Lin Qingyang subconsciously clenched the spoon and said in a lower voice, "We agreed before that when the matter is over, we will let me go."
Cang Mo looked at him and suddenly chuckled. His expression seemed a little helpless and he said, "Why are you nervous? I didn't say I wouldn't let you go. It's just that you can't even walk steadily now. At least you have to wait until you feel better."
Lin Qingyang was speechless to refute for a moment. He was indeed tired of speaking loudly now.
"Speaking of it, you were injured and fell ill because of me. I should be responsible for it. I will rest and recuperate for a few days. When you are almost recovered, I will send someone to take you back." Cang Mo's tone was gentle, but his words did not mean to discuss anything.
But what he said was reasonable, and Lin Qingyang felt that she was a little impatient and couldn't hold on any longer.
After finishing the porridge, Cang Mo stared at him again. He drank a bowl of dark soup, and then he pushed him back to lie down on the bed.
Lin Qingyang looked at Cang Mo beside the bed, thought of something, and asked again, "Didn't you say before that you would have someone clean up the room for me? I can't live here with you forever."
Cang Mo lowered his head to tuck the quilt in for him, and said calmly, "The Sea Clan envoy is coming soon, and all the rooms in the palace have been arranged. There are no extra empty rooms at the moment."
"There is not even a single room in such a big palace?" Lin Qingyang said speechlessly.
Cang Mo looked at him and said, "There are only some old and remote ones left. You are sick now and need someone to take care of you. I feel more at ease living here."
Lin Qingyang was a little helpless, but after Cang Mo said this, he couldn't say anything else. Just thinking about the kiss before, his heartbeat couldn't help but speed up.
"Why is your face so red? Are you feeling hot again?" Cang Mo said, reaching out to touch his forehead.
Lin Qingyang tilted her head in embarrassment and whispered, "It's okay, the porridge is a bit hot after drinking it."
Seeing that his body temperature was normal, Cang Mo retracted his hand with confidence and said softly, "I still have some things to deal with. I will ask someone to stay outside. If you need anything, just call me."
"Well, you go and do your work first." Lin Qingyang said quickly.
Cang Mo stood up and went out. After taking two steps, he thought of something. He turned back and looked at him and said, "When we were in Nether Stream before, I did it to help you suck out the cold air... don't mind."
"Of course... of course, when it comes to emergencies, I understand." Lin Qingyang smiled and nodded.
Cang Mo glanced at him again, then turned and left, his black clothes disappearing at the door.
Lin Qingyang looked at the empty door, stunned for a while, and then let out a breath. What happened to him? He was so frank, but he became suspicious and pretentious. He must have a fever and his brain was unclear, so he pulled the quilt to cover his head., before his body recovered, he was very tired, and he fell into drowsiness again after a while. He vaguely remembered Lin Yao mentioned the sea tribe that Cang Mo just mentioned, but now his head hurt so much that he couldn't remember it, so he fell asleep again in a daze.