Chapter 11: Finally he turned over too

Near the dusk the sick man and the girl with ’spring water’ colour eyes, finally reached the town , locally known as " Minor cloud town " .

Lin Tian’s arm had soaked through the strip of robe. His ribs made every breath painful..

Su Qingxue walked close enough to catch him if he stumbled and far enough that their shoulders did not touch. The dual feeling between them was still wild from the fight , thicker like the violence had woken something .

The last stretch of road had been quiet. No more men in the trees. No more laughing boys from the village , only the sound of their own steps and the occasional cart.

She had asked him twice if he could keep walking. He had said yes both times. The second time she did not believe him, but she did not force a rest either. They both wanted walls and a door between them.

The town was larger than the last one. Real streets , lamps being lit in windows. A dog barked somewhere and was told to shut up. A medicine shop near the gate had a wooden sign that had lost half its paint.

Su Qingxue went in first and did the talking. She bought wound salve, clean cloth, and a cheap bottle of something bitter for pain.

The shopkeeper looked at Lin Tian’s arm, at the bruise on her cheek, and asked no questions beyond the price...

She paid with The coins that were meant for food , and did not even. flinch when the jar went light..

Outside she made him sit on a low wall, while she checked the bandage again in better light. People passed , a woman with a basket glanced at them and looked away .

"It’s still bleeding a little " she carefully pressed a clean cloth against the cut until the seepage slowed,

"Ouch..! Don’t press it too hard , "

Her fingers were steady "Those men knew your name. They knew about me. They talked about mixed energy like someone had drawn them a map."

"Someone is paying for information."

"I know , that’s what worries me." She tied the cloth firmer ,

"Village talk shouldn’t be the reason, there are many kind of talks going on everyday.. right... And I think, I think that someone was already monitoring us before we left...The footsteps outside the house? , the men at the inn.. This wasn’t chance.."

Lin Tian didn’t argue , she was right after all . The dual core turned under her hands, drinking a thin thread of her Yin every time her skin brushed his.

She felt it he saw the way her shoulders tightened and she finished the knot and stood up ."We will stay for just one night,"

"Umm, let me think..Medicine , then rest that’s all . Then we move early . the selection grounds are still two days , if we don’t stop for long."

She has all it covered ..."okay sure that’s fine "

They found a small "Soul pleasing inn "two streets over.

Isn’t the name too fancy ?like who the hell,..heh the owner wanted to attract attention a little too much. ’ Lin thought

One room and one bed. The innkeeper took their money, looked at the blood on Lin Tian’s sleeve, and pointed up the stairs without interest.

The room was narrow and clean enough. Su Qingxue set the bag down, poured water into the basin, and pointed at the bed.

"Sit, Now I need to clean it properly , otherwise you’ll get an infection from iron "

She unwrapped the cloth, washed the cut with careful hands, and spread the salve. It burned but he did not flinch .

"Why are you so quiet , it’s like you’re avoiding me .." Tian asked her,

"I’m working , I’m keeping you from bleeding through another set of clothes." She did not look up,

"We can talk about knives and messages and the path, we are not talking about last night while I’m putting your arm back together."

She tied the new bandage firm and sat back on her heels. The mark on her cheek had gone purple. Without asking he lifted his good hand and stopped short of the bruise, same as on the road. This time she did not pull away .

She only watched his fingers like she was measuring the distance between touch and something larger.

"last night," he started to speak,

"Tian-ge.!" She heard herself say it and ...her cheeks red ,

"You said my name in the dark,

You touched yourself ; I heard you.....I’m not going to pretend I didn’t, and I’m not going to let you pretend it was nothing , why are you suppressing it, do you hate me or something?

It’s just us now Qingxue ,.. we have left anything , the village, the clan ...we are going to start a new ...We can be closer or we can be

just like we are. .. I’m not forcing you , I just want you to think about us "

She stood up too fast and went to the basin. Water ran over her hands. For a few breaths the only sound in the room was the drip against the ceramic.

"I know what it was," she said without turning ,

"You think I don’t feel it? every time I get close to you the air changes ! My body does things I didn’t tell it to do . I wake up on you, I can’t sleep without ending up against you , when you look at me ....my body , I sometimes want you to look more , and last night I even .... " Her lips stopped ,

"I know what it means Tian-ge .., I just, just don’t know what to do with it yet."

Lin Tian stood , his ribs protested , he crossed the small space until he was close enough that she had to tip her head to keep his eyes.

His voice came out gently "You don’t have to do anything , but stop pretending it’s only some strange thing . That pull goes both ways...I felt you , I wanted you and I still do."

The dual core surged , drinking the spike of pure Yin that leaked from her when she heard .

She did not step back , she also did not step forward. The space between them was the width of a hand and full of heat.

"You weren’t like this before, you’ve changed Tian-ge. I don’t hate this , even I expect more of your words, your care , I’ve always....

"If I say yes it won’t be because something in the air is making me. It’ll be because I chose it , and I’m not ready to choose it on a night when you’re bleeding and men with knives know our names and , half a village thinks I’m already ruined."

"All right.."

"That’s it? Just all right?"

"I can wait, I’ve been waiting since the first morning you woke up on me " He lifted his good hand and this time he did touch the edge of the bruise on her cheek .

His lips were about to touch her forehead but , he pulled back .

A small sound tried to leave her throat and she locked it down . For a second she leaned into his hand, just enough that he felt the warmth of her skin, then she stepped back and put the basin between them like a wall.

"You make it sound too simple."

"It is simple , you’re the one adding the weight."

"Someone has to, you’re too ready to burn through everything." She wiped her hands on a clean cloth even though they were already dry.

"Sleep you moron !! ...you need it more than I do. I’ll keep the lamp low and listen for the door. If those men have friends in this town I want to hear them before they’re on the stairs."

"Qingxue. "Thank you for the path , for the fight , for not running when I told you to."

She looked at him for a long moment

"Don’t thank me for that.. just get strong enough that next time you don’t have to..... Idiot ."

He lay down on the far side of the bed because arguing would cost energy and he’s empty.

She washed the blood from the old cloth, set the salve aside, and put out the main lamp until only a thin glow remained.

Then she lay on her side with her back to him, the gap between them deliberate and fragile gap..

For a long time neither of them moved.

He listened to her breathing. It stayed too controlled for sleep. His arm throbbed ,his ribs ached. His cock was heavy against the cloth from the nearness of her and the memory of her voice in the shelter .

After a while her breathing finally slowed In the dark her body eased the way it always did. She shifted until her back found his chest warm chest ... a small sound in her throat that was almost his name again...

The dual core drank the pure Yin that moved toward him without her permission. The thread between them thickened one more night, braided with fear and care .

Outside on the street a transmission talisman had already burned out in a stranger’s hand .

Inside the room Su Qingxue pressed closer in her sleep,

then she turned towards Lin , placed her hand over his chest; but this time, her lips closer to his neck, he could feel her breath...

her boobs pressed his arm , soft and a little warm ..

Her one leg pressed against his abdomen as she hugged him tightly in her sleep, to chase the the cold , to feel comfortable....and for the first time he felt the warm press of her sex over his thigh ...

Lin understood that the careful line she was still trying to hold is going to break. His dual core was telling him, how badly aroused she was when her body was touching .

Finally he turned over and hugged her too, he pulled her even closer., their bodies pressed and he felt her warmth, her boobs against his chest, her lips against his neck . his cock throbbed against her warm abdomen as he smelled the lotus on her neck. He felt comfortable and safe and closed his eyes.