Book 11: Chapter 120

Ming Feizhen had his hands on his cheeks as he pretended to sob and complained. “You would viciously assault an injured man…”Apologetic, Shen Yiren turned her face away. “It wasn’t on purpose. It’s your fault for… doing that. It’s gross.”“I was just cleaning your face. Plus, your face smells nice, is smooth…”Shen Yiren turned back to shoot Ming Feizhen a glare.Cough, cough!“By the way, why do you have an inkstone with you in war?”A smile bloomed on Shen Yiren’s lips. “Oh, I figured I was going to meet you, so I brought it along. You never know when it’ll come in handy, so it’s better to stay ready.”Wh-when did she develop the habit? No wonder why she always has an inkstone on her.They say opportunity comes to those who are prepared.The two had while of fun – technically fun only for Shen Yiren.“The road back will be rocky, so it’ll aggravate your wounds. Bear with it, okay?”Ming Feizhen pouted. “I refuse. I hate pain.”“Bear with it.”“Objection.”Shen Yiren was more than ready to stamp or smack his face again, but she was worried she’d hurt him. Ming Feizhen would’ve gone down on his knees if he had the strength in him. She leaned in to coax, “… Good boy. I’ll whip up some nice dishes for you when we get back, okay?”Ming Feizhen’s nose sprayed two trails of blood as he fell back, lips spread from ear to ear. “My life as an alcoholic has not been lived in vain!”Shen Yiren’s nerves were frayed to the quick upon seeing blood blast out of his nose, compelling her to clumsily clean him up. “Okay, okay, enough playing around. We’ll rest here until you’re good to go.”Ming Feizhen used his arm as a cushion a little later. “… I never expected my injuries would be exacerbated due to such a stupid reason… Boss, you really are a vixen.”Shen Yiren inflated her cheeks, resisting the urge to bite back.“I’m not privy to what the situation is outside since I’ve been here for days. You sure you won?”Shen Yiren could only provide a brief recount as she was pretty much always fighting on Luo Ming’s front. Besides looking annoyed over Ming Suwen’s injuries, nothing appeared to be outside of Ming Feizhen’s predictions.“How are you injuries? You know health and medicine better than me, so you should have a more accurate diagnosis, right?”“Feels like I crushed my organs when I tripped. Besides my eyes and mouth, I can’t move anything else.”The “mouth” part almost prompting a blushing Shen Yiren to bring out her trusty inkstone. She could tell he wasn’t his usual self when she smacked him before. Usually, she’d feel some sturdy resistance upon impact, but it felt as though he crumbled today.They say, when you care about someone, you pay particular attention to everything they do. Howbeit, Shen Yiren believed it was just her Precision Scout ability highlighting everything. If only she noted the plethora of finer details in her behaviours…Although Ming Feizhen had plenty of wounds, the one that nobody would miss was how much blood he lost. His face was ghastly white, while his body was red. His speech was also slow unlike when he feigned illness.“My life isn’t threatened, but these wounds are a bit of a hassle. It’s going to take me some time to recover. I’ll need some time before I can be your loyal backup.”“I don’t need your backup. I don’t have enough to feed you.” Shen Yiren clammed up and placed her chin between her knees. “As long as your life isn’t at risk, everything else is trivial. Thanks to you, Liu Shan Men’s value has risen significantly… Actually, it should be even higher. It’s just that nobody knows what you did behind the scenes.”Ming Feizhen just smiled.“If the imperial court’s reward isn’t sufficient… I’ll give you extra. What do you want?” Upon turning her head to look at him, she unexpectedly ran into his eyes. Hence, she hurriedly looked away. “Always like this with you.”What did I do now?“I don’t want any extravagant reward. I’ll be satisfied if I can just have a fulfilling meal.”“You must be starving, huh? I’ll go grab you some food.”Ming Feizhen made his best attempt at a head shake. “It’s okay. I’m not that hungry… Don’t go. I don’t want to be separated from you for a second.”Shen Yiren chuckled. “You refuse to move, and you refuse to let me go, yet you want food? Oh, I have a few pieces of shortbr-”“I’ll take eighteen, thanks!”“That’s a swift recovery. Sadly, I only have two.”“I’ll take two!”Ming Feizhen bit off almost half of a shortbread. It tasted dry and plain after spending days in Shen Yiren’s shirt, yet he wolfed it down as though it was delightful to his palate. “This thing should only exist in heaven. This could save the world from famines.”Shen Yiren already grabbed a quick bite from the camp; she wasn’t hungry. “I really wonder what you’re made out of. You only had two pieces of shortbread, yet you’re already more energetic.”“If only there was some water.” Although he still couldn’t stand, he didn’t sound so weak following the snack.“I’ll fetch you some.” Upon getting to her feet, Shen Yiren noticed a presence. “Who’s there?”In a voice that was impossible to distinguish their gender, the individual in hiding responded, “Neither of you noticed someone watching while you two were flirting? Ming Feizhen, you took some serious punishment, huh? Hahaha. I shall put you out of your misery.”