Siheyuan: tomb robbing? I am serious about hunting.

Chapter 1053 Pause

As long as there was one wounded soldier left untreated, she couldn't rest. When she finally stitched the last wound and stood up, she realized the hem of her skirt had frozen to the blood on the ground. She moved slightly, feeling a sharp pain. Looking down, she saw the dark red blood had frozen into ice, gluing the fabric to the ground. Shen Qingci gave a wry smile and was about to bend down to peel the hem of her skirt from the ice when the curtain suddenly parted, revealing Wanqing, a beaming figure, running in. "Madam, the general is back!" Shen Qingci's heart leaped, all the fatigue and chill seemed to vanish in that moment. She looked up, following Wanqing's gaze, and saw Xiao Heng standing at the entrance of the tent, shrouded in moonlight. An arrow had struck his shoulder, the feathers still trembling slightly. Blood soaked his silver armor, casting an eerie dark red in the moonlight. But he remained as straight as a pine tree, unyielding in the wind and snow. His gaze pierced the shambles of the tent and fell upon Shen Qingci, a complex wave of emotions difficult to describe. When he saw Shen Qingci's bloodstained hands, her pale face, and her lips, purple from the cold, he suddenly strode forward and pulled her into a hug. The coldness of her armor stung her, as if shattering her bones, yet Shen Qingci felt an immense warmth. She could clearly feel the rise and fall of Xiao Heng's chest and hear his powerful heartbeat, a quickening cadence still lingering from the intensity of the battle. The warmth from his palm, like a flame, instantly dispelled the chill from her body. "Chenpi tea..." Shen Qingci was about to say the tea was ready, but Xiao Heng covered her mouth. "Shh," Xiao Heng's voice echoed through her hair, a trembling tinge of fear mixed with a deep sense of relief. "Don't talk, let me hold you." He held her tightly, as if to rub her into his very flesh and blood. Just now on the battlefield, he faced life-or-death moments several times, and every time, her face flashed through his mind. He was afraid that he would never come back, afraid that he would never see her smile again, afraid that he would leave her alone on this cold border. Shen Qingci could feel the tenseness of his body, and the fear in his voice. She stopped talking, but stretched out her arms, gently wrapped them around his waist, and rested her cheek on his cold armor, listening to his strong heartbeat, and feeling peace in her heart. The wind was still howling outside the tent, and the candlelight inside the tent was burning quietly. At this moment, all the fighting, pain, and worries seemed to be isolated outside, leaving only two people hugging each other tightly, feeling each other's warmth and heartbeat at this border full of flames. After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Heng gradually loosened his grip, but still did not let her go. He lowered his head, looked at her blood-stained hands, and frowned again. "Your hands are so frozen, why don't you warm them up?" Shen Qingci pulled her hand away, giving an embarrassed smile. "I was busy, I didn't notice." Xiao Heng sighed helplessly, pulling her over to the copper stove. He placed her hands in his palms, gently warming her cold fingertips with his body heat. His palms were rough, yet their warmth was reassuring. "Don't do that next time," he said with undeniable seriousness. "If you get frozen, I'll..." He paused, but the worry in his eyes was evident. Shen Qingci nodded, looking at the wound on his shoulder. "How is your wound? Let me take a look." "It's a minor injury, nothing serious." Xiao Heng smiled dismissively, but still complied with her request, sitting on the couch and letting her tend to the wound. Shen Qingci fetched a pair of scissors and carefully cut open the fabric on his shoulder, revealing the hideous wound. He had already pulled the arrowhead out himself. The wound was slightly red and swollen, and still bleeding. She first used a clean cloth dipped in strong liquor to carefully clean the wound, her movements gentle and focused. Xiao Heng observed her serious profile, the candlelight casting a faint shadow on her face, outlining her features with exceptional softness. He suddenly felt that all the hard work and danger were worth it. Just being able to see her, to watch her quietly like this, even in this war-torn borderland, felt like owning the whole world. "It hurts a little, bear with it," Shen Qingci said softly, looking up at him. Then she evenly applied the special hemostatic ointment to the wound and carefully bandaged it with clean gauze. Only after doing all this did she breathe a sigh of relief, a fine layer of sweat beading on her forehead again. Xiao Heng reached out and gently wiped the sweat from her forehead with his fingertips, his movements as gentle as if he were touching a rare treasure. "Are you tired? Take a break." Shen Qingci shook his head and turned to pick up the bowl of tangerine peel tea that had been brewed long ago. The tea was amber in color and exuded a faint tangerine peel fragrance. She handed the tea bowl to Xiao Heng: "Drink some to warm yourself up." Xiao Heng took the tea bowl, put it to his lips and blew gently, then drank it all in one gulp. The warm tea slid down his throat, with a faint sweetness, instantly dispelling the cold and fatigue in his body. He put down the tea bowl and looked at Shen Qingci, his eyes full of tenderness: "The tea you brew is still the best." Shen Qingci smiled, and that smile was like a quietly blooming plum blossom in the candlelight, beautiful and warm. The moonlight outside the window shone in through the gaps in the tent, casting mottled light and shadows on the ground. Occasionally, a few coughs of soldiers and the neighing of war horses came from the distance, making the tranquility in the tent even more precious. Xiao Heng pulled Shen Qingci to sit on the couch and let her lean on his shoulder. Neither of them spoke, but just quietly enjoyed this rare peaceful time. In this border where war and smoke are raging, such a peaceful moment seems particularly hard-won. Shen Qingci could feel Xiao Heng's body gradually relaxing, and his breathing became steady. She knew that he was too tired. These days, he not only had to deal with the attacks of the Northern Di, but also had to worry about all the big and small affairs in the army, and he hardly had a good rest. She gently adjusted her posture so that he could lean more comfortably, and closed her eyes, listening to his steady breathing, feeling the warmth from his body, and gradually fell asleep. The wind outside the tent was still howling, as if telling the hardships and dangers of the border. But inside the tent, the candlelight flickered, illuminating the two figures leaning on each other, composing a chapter of unswerving love in this troubled world. Rusty Shen Zhiyi stood in front of the mottled iron door for a full ten minutes. The early autumn wind rolled up the tiny ginkgo leaves, swirling past her ankles.