After The Soft And Cute Beauty Marries The Wolf King - Chapter 9

 

 

 

Xie Zhiqing blinked his eyes and smiled, lowering his head. He fiddled with his fingers and said, “Everyone is doing well, and you… you’re doing well too.”

 

He spoke candidly, his happiness and contentment evident in his words. “I’m really happy, just as happy as when I was in Anyu!”

 

Lang Sa also smiled and nodded, “That’s good. I hope Xiao Qing’er will be this happy in the days to come.”

 

Xie Zhiqing responded with a firm “Mmm.”

 

*

 

The two of them sat in the cave for a while longer, until the residual warmth of the firewood had dissipated completely before leaving.

 

 

 

 

Having already agreed not to thank each other anymore, Xie Zhiqing truly stopped being overly polite with Lang Sa. He willingly hopped onto Lang Sa’s back this time, allowing the Wolf King to carry him back up.

 

However, he was a bit worried about his weight and poked Lang Sa’s shoulder, asking, “Am I too heavy?”

 

Lang Sa responded naturally, “No, you’re very light.”

 

Lang Sa’s reply was matter-of-fact and devoid of any insincerity. Xie Zhiqing believed it wholeheartedly – after all, from childhood to now, nobody had deceived the young prince of Anyu.

 

His belief was so easy, he didn’t even notice the trace of delight in Lang Sa’s words.

 

 

 

 

Of course, even if he did notice, he wouldn’t have known the reason behind Lang Sa’s happiness.

 

This was the first time Xie Zhiqing had made a request to Lang Sa without thanking him repeatedly or using endless polite words. Just like asking a normal friend, he made a request that couldn’t be any smaller.

 

Lang Sa tilted his body upwards, holding onto Xie Zhiqing’s ankle and the tree vine.

 

*

 

The sky was already pitch black. Unlike Anyu, the grasslands were truly dark at night, and everything Xie Zhiqing saw became vague shadows.

 

He also didn’t know what position Lang Sa was in. In any case, with a whoosh, they had already landed securely on the ground.

 

“Oh!” Xie Zhiqing suddenly remembered, “Wolves are nocturnal animals, right?”

 

 

 

 

“Yeah. I wake up around noon and come back around midnight every day. Didn’t you know?” Lang Sa sounded a bit puzzled as he asked.

 

After placing Xie Zhiqing on the ground, Lang Sa saw him stumbling a few steps and suddenly realized, “I see, you can’t see the path clearly, right? Then I should carry you again.”

 

Xie Zhiqing’s face was beaming with happiness as he climbed onto Lang Sa’s back again.

 

Xie Zhiqing was very light, and his weight on Lang Sa’s back was negligible. Lang Sa could walk quite fast while carrying him.

 

On the way, the two of them chatted about this and that.

 

 

 

 

“Didn’t your father send a few palace maids and eunuchs with you?” Lang Sa asked.

 

Xie Zhiqing replied, “Originally, there were some, but I sent them away.”

 

Talking about this, Xie Zhiqing let out a soft sigh.

 

“You know, my second elder brother has limited mobility, and my younger sister is still very young. Those palace maids who are good at serving people and still young enough to stay for a few more years, I want them to stay and take care of the two of them. As for the older maids, I don’t want them to come to such a distant place. Many of them have families to take care of.”

 

Lang Sa nodded softly in understanding.

 

 

 

 

Xie Zhiqing thought he was worried that he wouldn’t have anyone to take care of him, so he continued, “That’s right, Anyu is a small country, and the number of citizens is very small, so there aren’t many servants in the palace. I don’t really need anyone to take care of me, you know! Not only do I not need it, but I’m also quite good at taking care of others!”

 

Lang Sa turned his head slightly and responded with a soft “Mmm.”

 

Lang Sa walked quickly. They had walked for quite a while on their way here, but the return trip was much faster.

 

Ateus was lying at the door, looking at them with a dejected expression.

 

Lang Sa turned his head and said to Xie Zhiqing, “Oh, we were caught sneaking a snack by him.”

 

 

 

“Ah!” Xie Zhiqing exclaimed in surprise, “Is the smell that obvious?”

 

He quickly sniffed around.

 

Approaching Ateus, Xie Zhiqing greeted him nonchalantly, “Good evening, Ateus!”

 

Ateus raised his head, glanced at him, then slowly got up and showed him the pile of grass stacked behind him.

 

He had gone to find food for Fufu.

 

Lang Sa, with Xie Zhiqing’s help, had managed to sneak a bite of roasted pigeon, while Ateus was diligently searching for food for the little rabbit he frightened.

 

 

 

 

In comparison, Ateus seemed even more aggrieved.

 

Xie Zhiqing touched his nose, went over, and organized the stack of grass, then touched Ateus’ ears before quickly slipping back into the room.

 

Inside the room, Fufu was drinking water. It saw Xie Zhiqing and greeted him enthusiastically.

 

Xie Zhiqing bent down and picked it up, rubbing its long ears. He whispered, “Ateus found a lot of food for you. Shouldn’t you thank him?”

 

Fufu squinted its three-part mouth, turning its body away from Ateus at the door.

 

Ateus became even more unhappy.

 

 

 

 

Lang Sa burst into laughter, patted Ateus’ head, and cheerfully said, “See, Fufu isn’t afraid of me, but it’s afraid of you!”

 

Ateus flicked his tail at him and left.

 

It was getting late, so after Xie Zhiqing and Lang Sa had a simple wash, they both prepared to rest.

 

While they were roasting the pigeons in the cave, Xie Zhiqing didn’t feel the cold much. But now, back in the room, he was feeling a bit chilly.

 

He curled up in the blanket, his hands and feet ice-cold.

 

 

 

 

Interestingly, except for an unspoken situation he couldn’t talk about, Xie Zhiqing’s health was quite good. He had no illnesses or pains, unlike Xie Zhifeng, who was often sickly.

 

The only issue was his cold hands and feet.

 

His hands were fine; he could warm them up by staying in the blanket for a while. However, his feet never seemed to warm up.

 

Xie Zhiqing tossed and turned under the covers, unable to fall asleep.

 

He brought his legs up, pressing his cold feet against his thighs, trying to warm them up for a while before lying back down.

 

 

 

 

But it didn’t take long before they became cold again.

 

He continued to struggle like this, unable to sleep.

 

In the darkness, sounds were amplified, and Lang Sa soon noticed the small movements.

 

“What’s wrong? Can’t sleep?” Lang Sa turned his body, facing in Xie Zhiqing’s direction, and asked.

 

Xie Zhiqing replied in a soft voice, “I’m feeling a bit cold.”

 

Lang Sa immediately got up and said, “I’ll get a hot water bottle.”

 

 

 

 

He didn’t want Xie Zhiqing to feel cold, so he had prepared various warming items.

 

After filling the hot water bottle, Lang Sa touched the exterior to check the temperature, lifted Xie Zhiqing’s blanket, and placed the hot water bottle inside.

 

“Both warmth and coldness start from the feet,” Lang Sa said, placing the hot water bottle in various positions, “if your feet are cold, your whole body will be cold; if your feet are warm, your whole body will be warm.”

 

With limited space under the blanket, Lang Sa couldn’t avoid touching Xie Zhiqing. Once, the back of his hand brushed against Xie Zhiqing’s foot.

 

Lang Sa hadn’t intended to do so, but after realizing it, his hand had already left Xie Zhiqing’s ankle. His hand continued downward, reaching his toes.

 

 

 

 

Now, his hand was cradling Xie Zhiqing’s upturned foot.

 

The skin was delicate and soft, slightly cold to the touch, mixed with Lang Sa’s slightly warmer body temperature. It was unexpectedly comfortable.

 

Lang Sa’s hand seemed out of control, and his rough palm slowly followed the curve of Xie Zhiqing’s foot.

 

“It’s so cold,” Lang Sa cleared his throat, trying to sound composed.

 

Xie Zhiqing didn’t respond, only squirming away when Lang Sa’s dry fingertips brushed against the sole of his foot.

 

“Itchy…” Xie Zhiqing breathed out a single word, barely audible.

 

 

 

 

Lang Sa felt awkward and rubbed his fingers, but this time he didn’t hesitate, bending down to kiss Xie Zhiqing’s forehead.

 

Luckily, Xie Zhiqing’s feet had warmed up by now.

 

Lang Sa lifted his head and looked around. This time, Xie Zhiqing’s lips were tightly pressed together, showing a nervousness that couldn’t be more evident.

 

Lang Sa rubbed his fingertips, and without hesitation, he leaned down to give a kiss on Xie Zhiqing’s forehead.

 

The gentle kiss moved downward from his forehead, stopping at the tip of the young prince’s slightly upturned nose.

 

 

 

 

The two of them were so close that Lang Sa could even smell the same scent of soap from Xie Zhiqing’s hair.

 

Lang Sa let out a soft sigh, and his body once again pressed against Xie Zhiqing’s. This time, Xie Zhiqing’s fingertips touched Lang Sa’s slightly tense shoulder, which was right underneath his touch.

 

Just brushing against that small area of skin, Xie Zhiqing couldn’t help but curl his fingertips.

 

The tingling sensation transferred through his fingertips. It wasn’t long before his fingertips were lightly brushed by the loose strands of Lang Sa’s hair, bringing a slight itch.

 

Xie Zhiqing seemed to finally be unable to bear it and exhaled a breath, producing a slightly moist sound.

 

 

 

 

“Lang Sa…” Xie Zhiqing softly called his name.

 

He couldn’t speak too loudly, as if speaking louder would cause his lips to collide with Lang Sa’s.

 

Lang Sa responded with a low “Mmm,” bending down to kiss his hair.

 

Afterward, Xie Zhiqing, without looking at him, buried his head in his pillow.