When Sikong Ting woke up, the wound on his abdomen had already been treated by Qin Huaiqiu. Although there were no precious medicinal herbs, the bleeding had been stopped.
He was lying on the ground covered with dry grass by Qin Huaiqiu. Due to excessive blood loss, his body was a bit stiff. He tried to move his head to look for Qin Huaiqiu, but as soon as he moved, a sharp pain shot through his abdomen. Sikong Ting hissed and gritted his teeth as he covered his abdomen.
"Don't move," Qin Huaiqiu said hurriedly as he rushed over to support him. "I just bandaged your wound. Take a rest."
Sikong Ting opened his mouth, trying to say something, but his throat was as dry and hoarse as sandpaper. Qin Huaiqiu quickly took out a water flask from his bosom and helped him sit up. Sikong Ting took a few sips of water from his hand. After feeling the fire in his throat subside a bit, he asked, "How's the situation? Are there any pursuers?"
Qin Huaiqiu shook his head and said, "This place is very secluded. They won't find us for the time being."
Seeing that it was already dark outside, Sikong Ting said, "The imperial guards should have noticed. Liu Jin will lead people into Fengquan Hot Spring to look for us. They don't have many people, so they dare not confront the imperial guards. They must be more anxious than we are now."
Qin Huaiqiu said, "But if we stay here, Liu Jin won't be able to find us either."
Sikong Ting smiled and said, "Don't worry. As a royal hunting ground, emergencies in Fengquan Hot Spring are inevitable. I've thought about emergency measures. Liu Jin will find this place."
Qin Huaiqiu looked at the entrance of the cave and said, "I still think it's not right. This cave isn't very deep, and there's only one exit. If they get here before Liu Jin, it'll be like catching turtles in a jar for us. None of us will be able to survive." Qin Huaiqiu was right. He never liked to rely on others for his life. He preferred to do things he was sure of.
"You're right," Sikong Ting said, covering his abdomen as he leaned against the rock wall. Looking at Qin Huaiqiu with a weak voice, he said, "So I'll stay here alone. You go out quickly and find Liu Jin."
Qin Huaiqiu stared at him with wide eyes. "What nonsense are you talking about? How can I leave you here alone when you're so badly injured!"
Sikong Ting shook his head and said softly, "You can't take me with you. I can hardly even stand up now. The best thing for you to do now is to find Liu Jin and then bring the imperial guards here..."
"What if they find this place while I'm gone?" Qin Huaiqiu interrupted him and said seriously, "Then what's the point of my bringing the imperial guards here? To collect your body?"
Sikong Ting looked at him, his eyes filled with undisguised tenderness and melancholy. He reached out and held Qin Huaiqiu's hand, saying softly, "Concubine De, be obedient. You can't stay here any longer. You're my wife, and I'm your husband. I can't walk now. I'm just a burden. I can't drag you into danger."
"Burden my foot," Qin Huaiqiu gritted his teeth and said. "If you hadn't blocked the attack for me on the cliff, I'd be the one with this injury now."
Sikong Ting sighed. He tightened his grip on Qin Huaiqiu's hand and frowned. "I know you're stubborn, but it's full of dangers now. Can't you just listen to me this once? You go find Liu Jin and then bring them here."
"You'll be dead by the time they get here!" Qin Huaiqiu suddenly slapped away Sikong Ting's hand, grabbed his collar, and roared.
"Concubine De!" Sikong Ting got angry too. "Can you just be obedient? You're a woman. What can you do if you stay here?"
"I'm not...!" Qin Huaiqiu gritted his teeth and cursed. "There are things I can do that you can't even imagine."
After saying that, Qin Huaiqiu let go of him and got up to leave the cave. Sikong Ting was startled and quickly shouted, "Concubine De!"
Qin Huaiqiu didn't look back. With his back to Sikong Ting, he said, "I'll go out and take a look. If it's safe, we'll move to another place."
"Qin Huailian!" Sikong Ting shouted, but Qin Huaiqiu ignored him and crouched down to crawl out of the cave.
Seeing this, Sikong Ting angrily punched the ground. "This fool!"
He sighed. The pain and torture in his heart made his brows furrow tightly. He reached out and grabbed his hair. "This fool..."
Qin Huaiqiu groped his way out according to his memory. This was a naturally formed cave. Due to long - term river erosion, a shoal had gradually formed. The cave was located on the cliff above the shoal. But once they got out of the cave and stood on the shoal, they would be at a certain distance from the opposite bank of the river and the nearest jungle, making them very easy to spot.
Qin Huaiqiu crouched under the bushes at the entrance of the cave, holding his breath as he observed the surrounding environment.
Apart from the gurgling sound of the water, the only sound he could hear was the chirping of birds in the jungle. He waited quietly for a while, but there was still no movement around.
It should be safe here for the time being. If they wanted to enter the forest and head towards the camp, he had to quickly take Sikong Ting across this shoal.
He turned around and went back into the cave. By this time, Sikong Ting had already supported himself against the wall and stood up. Seeing Qin Huaiqiu come in, he frowned and said, "Why did you come back?"
"I didn't leave," Qin Huaiqiu said. He walked over and put Sikong Ting's arm on his shoulder, while supporting his waist with the other hand. "Let's go."
Sikong Ting scolded, "Are you going to defy the imperial edict?"
Qin Huaiqiu snorted and said, "Let's get out of here alive first. You can punish me however you want later."
Sikong Ting was taken aback. He looked down at him and hesitated for a moment. "Wait a minute."
"?" Qin Huaiqiu looked at him in confusion, his eyes filled with impatience.
Sikong Ting knew that time was of the essence, but there were some things he was afraid he wouldn't be able to say if they encountered danger later.
"I treated you badly when you first entered the palace. It was my fault," Sikong Ting said. The two of them were very close now. Sikong Ting looked down at him with his head lowered, and their breaths almost intertwined.
Qin Huaiqiu was stunned. Suddenly, the passionate kiss before Sikong Ting fainted flashed through his mind. He trembled all over, and his face inexplicably turned red.
"I... I forgot!" Damn it. Why was he blushing just because two men kissed? He might as well have been bitten by a dog!
"It's good if you forget," Sikong Ting closed his eyes and smiled helplessly. "I'll treat you well from now on."
"Come on," Qin Huaiqiu turned his head away and didn't look at him. "Stop talking nonsense. Let's go quickly."
Unexpectedly, Sikong Ting suddenly reached out and turned his face back. Then he lowered his head and kissed Qin Huaiqiu's lips.
The kiss came so suddenly that Qin Huaiqiu's eyes widened. He subconsciously tried to push him away, but Sikong Ting seemed to have anticipated it. He grabbed Qin Huaiqiu's hand. Due to the loss of balance, his whole body's weight was pressed onto Qin Huaiqiu.
Even though Qin Huaiqiu was a man, he couldn't fully bear the weight of a man who was a head taller than him. He took a few quick steps back and bumped into the rock wall with a thud.
Sikong Ting didn't have the strength to stand now, so he also pressed forward with the inertia. He placed his hands on both sides of Qin Huaiqiu's head, locking Qin Huaiqiu in this narrow space.
"Hey!" Qin Huaiqiu got angry. He pressed against Sikong Ting's chest and said, "What are you doing?"
"I'm not crazy," Sikong Ting said softly. He leaned down, hugged Qin Huaiqiu, and kissed his neck. "Let me hug you for a while."
Qin Huaiqiu gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, look at the current situation. Is this the time for this?"
A look of hurt flashed across Sikong Ting's eyes. Although he knew the situation was very critical, he was just scared. After all, with their current situation, if they ran into those people, they would basically have no chance of surviving.
"You're right," Sikong Ting let go of him and smiled bitterly. "Let's go."