Qin Zhao finished cleaning the fish and walked back to the side of the fire pit.
He picked two branches, sharpened them with a dagger, and then skewered the fish halves onto them, placing them over the fire to roast.
The fish sizzled and sputtered as it cooked over the flames.
Qi Yan Su Luo remained sitting by the water's edge, but at some point, she had stopped paddling.
She seemed lost in thought.
The aroma of the grilled fish soon wafted through the air.
Qin Zhao took a deep breath, and his hungry stomach reacted with a growl.
After the fish was cooked, Qin Zhao called out to Qi Yan Su Luo, "Come over here, the fish is ready to eat."
Qi Yan Su Luo got up and walked barefoot to Qin Zhao's side, sitting down.
Qin Zhao handed her one of the skewers with grilled fish.
The fish was still hot, so they waited a little while for it to cool down.
When they could finally take a bite, Qin Zhao took the first piece of fish and chewed slowly.
Since they hadn't added any salt, the fish had a mild flavor, but its tenderness and the smoky taste from the grilling made up for it.
The taste had layers to it, and it was quite delicious.
Qin Zhao took a few more bites in succession to show his appreciation for the grilled fish.
Qi Yan Su Luo ate beside him, taking small bites, and she seemed to think it was good too.
After finishing the fish, Qin Zhao felt partially satisfied.
This state was perfect for falling asleep.
She washed up with water from the stream, then took off her robe and spread it on the ground about a meter away from the fire pit, lying down on it.
Qi Yan Su Luo tidied herself up, picked a few lotus leaves, and made a makeshift bed near the fire pit, preparing to sleep as well.
However, Qin Zhao said, "Come here, sleep next to me."
Qi Yan Su Luo didn't object and walked over to lie down beside her.
She spoke, "I'm sorry, I didn't intentionally hide it from you. I just didn't think the blisters on my feet were worth mentioning, so I didn't tell you."
Qin Zhao closed her eyes and said, "No, it's because you didn't want to seek comfort from me.
You were afraid that I would look down on you or make a fuss, maybe even be overly dramatic.
So you endured everything.
Not showing weakness is your bottom line for maintaining dignity, am I right?"
Qi Yan Su Luo replied, "Regardless of whether your guess is correct or not, it won't change anything."
Qin Zhao said, "I don't want to change you. You can live according to your own wishes.
But please remember, while you belong to me, I also belong to you, and I will accept every part of you."
A long silence fell around them, and Qin Zhao gradually felt drowsy.
When she was almost asleep, she heard Qi Yan Su Luo whisper, "Why are you so good to me?"
Qin Zhao thought, is this the reason why she's unwilling to completely let go of her guard against herself?
In the middle of the night, Qin Zhao was in a daze, and she vaguely felt like someone was nibbling at her!
She woke up, thinking she had encountered a wild animal.
But she heard Qi Yan Su Luo's laughter, "Ha, I thought you wouldn't wake up until tomorrow morning.
To be able to sleep so soundly even in the wilderness, it's truly a talent."
Qin Zhao's awareness instantly returned, and her lower abdomen tightened!
"Qi Yan Su Luo, what are you doing?"
"I'm... doing you."
"Uh...
"You said you wanted to interact with me, so why are you sleeping so deeply?"
"Sorry, is it still possible to interact now?"
...
The next day, Qin Zhao was awakened by the sound of rushing water!
She opened her eyes and saw Qi Yan Su Luo bathing in the water.
The sunlight bathed her pure body, casting a halo that made her appear as ethereal as a goddess.
Although this was far from the actual situation.
Qin Zhao continued to gaze at her with great interest.
His line of sight traveled from Qi Yan's slender neck to her collarbones, and then to the lean and powerful lines of her legs...
Qi Yan Su Luo turned her head and smiled at Qin Zhao. "You've come too."
Qin Zhao replied, "Of course."
She stood up, shedding the burdens from her body and leaping into the stream.
Qi Yan Su Luo cupped a handful of water and splashed it on Qin Zhao's face.
With a toss of her head, Qin Zhao shook off the water from her face, but even more intense attacks immediately followed!
Qin Zhao was drenched and disoriented, closing her eyes and struggling to maintain her balance.
Then, she scooped up water with both hands, retaliating against Qi Yan Su Luo's assault!
Their laughter echoed through the vast expanse of sky and earth...
The two of them tidied up their attire and set off again, already on the second day.
The previous day was spent in leisure, so today they had to make up for the doubled distance.
They traveled intermittently for more than ten days and finally arrived at Mobei Town, which was relatively close to the northwest border, on the thirteenth of May.
Qin Zhao learned from the town's residents that no large military forces had passed through.
It seemed they had arrived ahead of everyone else.
Therefore, Qin Zhao decided to wait for them in the town, so she could return to the army unnoticed when the time came.
The two of them walked hand in hand on the street.
The houses in the town were all dusty, mostly made of earthen walls, which matched well with the sand and wind here.
Qin Zhao wanted to find an inn in the town to stay, but she realized she had no money.
She asked, "Qi Yan Su Luo, I didn't bring any money. Do you have any?"
Qi Yan Su Luo took out a silver ingot from her pocket and gave it to her.
Qin Zhao accepted it and smiled. "Luckily, you're here, otherwise we would have to spend the night on the streets."
Qi Yan Su Luo shrugged and said nonchalantly, "We can sleep even in the wilderness, so what's wrong with sleeping on the streets?"
Qin Zhao caught sight of a few suspicious figures out of the corner of her eye. She leaned close to Qi Yan Su Luo's ear and whispered, "I'm just afraid that some people sleep forever and never wake up."
Qi Yan Su Luo frowned and also noticed those few people.
Qin Zhao reassured her, "Don't worry, if they dare to come, it's a perfect opportunity for me to limber up and prepare for the battlefield."
The two of them entered an inn called West Wind Inn.
West Wind Inn was a three-story building.
Qin Zhao asked the waiter, "Do you have any guest rooms?"
The waiter unabashedly looked them up and down and said, "There are no ordinary rooms left, only two superior rooms available. It's twenty wen per night. Would you like to stay?"
"Yes, but we only need one room."
The waiter seemed a little displeased and said, "The bed in the room is small, not big enough for two people."
Qin Zhao replied, "We can squeeze in. When away from home, we should save wherever we can. No one's money comes easy."
The waiter pursed his lips, no longer saying anything, and reached out for the money.
Qin Zhao placed the silver ingot into his hand.
The waiter's eyes lit up when he saw the large silver ingot! He excitedly stared at the silver for a moment, then licked his lips, saying, "This silver ingot is too big. I need to ask the boss for some small change. Please wait a moment, both of you!"
He took the silver and was about to leave.
Qin Zhao caught hold of his wrist. "You can go, but leave the silver behind. When you bring the small change, I'll pay."
Qin Zhao glared at the innkeeper's assistant, his anger evident on his face. Before he could utter a word of insult, a sudden sharp pain shot through his wrist.
Qin Zhao exerted more force and asked, "Is what I said feasible?"
The assistant, wearing a mournful expression, replied, "Yes, it's feasible. I'll go find the boss right away."
Shortly after, the assistant returned with a middle-aged man who had a protruding belly.
The Fat Man greeted them with a wide smile and said, "Esteemed guests, apologies for the long wait. I will arrange the best room for you. Tonight's dinner is on me, as a gesture of apology."
Qin Zhao handed him some silver coins and said, "Enough with the talk, give me the change quickly."
"Alright!"
The Fat Man took out a handful of silver from his sleeve, carefully counted it, and handed it to Qin Zhao, saying, "If the honored guests require bathing services, please inform us in advance. We have a water shortage in this area, so we can only provide water to guests at specific times and in limited quantities."
Qin Zhao nodded and replied, "Understood."
He then took Qi Yan Su Luo's hand and ascended to the second floor.
The Fat Man exchanged a meaningful glance with the assistant, who silently made his way to the kitchen.
