Chapter 215: Seeing Off

Chapter 215: Saying Goodbye

Cheng Ge rolled his eyes lightly and tucked his chin in.

He wanted to reach out and slap him so hard he'd look like a pig, but was afraid his hand would freeze, so he shot back: "Your Nanling... isn't going bankrupt, is it?"

"Pfft—" Yun Xunyu couldn't hold it in this time and laughed out loud, then let out a mock sorrowful sigh.

"Mm, all my dowry silver went to some heartless jerk...

But now that person is about to turn around and run off to Yuanzhou, leaving me alone in this icy wasteland to freeze.

Poor me, both money and love are gone, my heart is frozen solid—why would I care if my body is cold?"

Cheng Ge: "..."

Deadpan, he watched Yun Xunyu's melodramatic act, quietly stuffing the last half of his almond cake into his mouth, crunching loudly.

Yun Xunyu smiled and leaned in closer, his eyes sweeping over the mountain of luggage piled up in the courtyard, his tone suddenly turning more serious.

"The road to Yuanzhou is long and the weather harsh, and the roads are dangerous. Do you need a tough personal escort, my dear?

I don't need any money, just the chance to always be by your side, and if needed, I can even warm the bed."

Cheng Ge was speechless, hugging his hand warmer tighter against his chest, and sneered at Yun Xunyu, his look clearly saying 'are you crazy?'

"How do you warm a bed?" he asked, his voice stiff from the cold, but no less sarcastic. "By chopping you into pieces and stuffing you into the stove?"

Hearing this, Yun Xunyu was not annoyed; instead, his phoenix-like eyes lit up slightly, and he actually tilted his head in thought.

After a moment, he turned back with an unusually serious expression, tinged with a chilling tenderness.

"Can it be done?" he asked calmly, as if discussing the weather.

"If truly possible, flesh, blood, and bones all turning into warmth to keep you cozy, clinging to you inch by inch, never leaving, keeping you company every night... that would truly be a bond beyond life and death, never apart by day or night."

Cheng Ge: "..."

In the end, the conversation ended perfectly with Cheng Ge leaping up and kicking Yun Xunyu.

Night fell, the wind and snow still howling, tapping against the window frames with a soft rustling sound.

Indoors, the candle had long been extinguished, leaving only the dying embers in the brazier, barely keeping the room warm.

A figure slipped into Cheng Ge's room like a ghost, utterly silent.

When he landed, he didn't disturb a speck of dust, and even the wind and snow seemed to hold their breath for a moment.

Yun Xunyu crept slowly to the bedside, using the faint glow of the snow outside to look at the sleeping figure on the bed.

Cheng Ge, as expected, feared the cold intensely, bundled tightly under a thick brocade quilt, only a small part of his face—his eyes and forehead—and his ink-black hair scattered on the pillow visible.

He unconsciously clutched the edges of the quilt tight, making him look like a contented caterpillar hibernating for winter. His breathing was even and deep, clearly sound asleep.

Yun Xunyu stood quietly by his bed for a long while, his usual playful charm completely fading, replaced by an indescribable intensity.

He slowly leaned down and sat on the edge of the cold bed, his movements so light they didn't disturb a breath of air.

He didn't touch Cheng Ge, but rested his arm on the edge of the bed, then turned his head and rested his chin on his arm, staring unblinkingly at Cheng Ge's face.

In sleep, Cheng Ge lost the lively expressions of the day, his face appearing quiet and gentle.

His long lashes lay low, casting a faint shadow beneath his eyes.

Perhaps the room was warm enough, his cheeks showing a healthy hint of pink, his lips unconsciously slightly puckered.

Watching this, Yun Xunyu's lips curled upward involuntarily into a very shallow arc.

His fingertips lightly tapped the soft brocade quilt cover, just a gentle touch, and the sleeve shifted slightly, revealing a cool, slippery presence.

Xing Shuang, also seemingly drowsy from the warmth of the room, slowly raised its small white snake head.

Its glassy crimson eyes stared blankly around, finally landing on the "little silkworm" wrapped up to just its head so close by.

Its slender body arched slightly, as if confirming something.

It looked back at the sleeping Cheng Ge, then turned its head toward its master, its tiny head tilting.

Yun Xunyu reached out with the index finger of his other hand and tapped the icy little snake head extremely lightly, a silent signal to stop and reassure.

Xing Shuang, as if understanding its master's feelings, instinctively rubbed its head against its master's fingertip, then obediently lay down, coiled into a small circle, and stayed still.

Inside the room, there was only the occasional crackle from the charcoal and the soft sound of Cheng Ge's breathing.

One person and one snake, quiet by the bedside, shrouded in darkness, silently guarding the sleeping figure.

Yun Xunyu traced Cheng Ge's sleeping face with his gaze, as if he could never see enough.

Outside the window was the biting winter wind, while inside there was an eerie yet tranquil stillness.

After who knows how long—Xing Shuang seemed to have fallen asleep, its body still draped over its master's hand.

Yun Xunyu let out an extremely soft sigh, his breath barely a whisper.

Finally, with the lightest, slowest motion, he raised his hand, his fingertips hovering a fraction of an inch above Cheng Ge's forehead.

But in the end, he didn't let them fall, merely brushing through the air, not touching him.

Then, he rose silently, just as soundlessly as he had come, and slipped out of the room.

Fading into the snowy night outside, as if he had never appeared.

Only a faint, cold yet lingering, exotic scent seemed to remain in the air by the bed.

Cheng Ge unconsciously pulled the quilt tighter around himself, mumbling a vague, unintelligible phrase in his sleep: "...cold..."

...

On the day of departure, the snow, which had been falling nonstop, finally paused for a rare break. The sky was still gray, but at least there was a hint of light.

Outside the city gate, the snow had long been cleared to the sides of the official road, revealing the bluish-gray stone pavement.

The carriage and horses were ready, the luggage packed to the brim, with guards standing silently on either side, their breath forming white mist in the frigid air.

The horses shook their heads and snorted, sending white vapor billowing into the air, their hooves lightly pawing the ground.

Cheng Ge, wrapped in a brand-new snow-white fox fur cloak, stood by the carriage.

The soft, fluffy fur lining the hood made him look a bit healthier.

The chill that had lasted for days had finally eased a little, though the tip of his nose was still slightly red from the cold.

Not far away, a man in a loose blue robe stood in silence beneath a wall where patches of snow still clung.

He simply looked at him, his gaze calm and still, yet seeming to hold a thousand unspoken words.

For a moment, Cheng Ge was dazed as the scene before him merged with a recent memory.

That day, also at this spot, with the river wind blowing, he had seen Cui Ji off from the capital.

In just a short time, he had become the one being seen off, and an indescribable melancholy welled up in his chest.

Lin Nanshu slowly stepped forward, the snow crunching softly under his feet.

He walked up to Cheng Ge and, without a word, took something from inside his robe.

It was a black jade token, smooth and warm to the touch, deep in color, engraved with flowing cloud patterns and an archaic 'Lin' character in the center.

"Muyu," Lin Nanshu said, his voice as gentle as ever, as he gently held the token out to Cheng Ge.

Cheng Ge was slightly startled, looking down at the token without immediately taking it. "This is...?"

Lin Nanshu's gaze rested on his face, a faint smile curving his lips.

"Yuanzhou isn't the capital after all. If you run into trouble, Muyu, show this token at any Lin family shop and they'll help you out."

He spoke obliquely, but Cheng Ge was not foolish; he immediately understood that this was far more than just a pass to a few shops.

This black jade token likely represented the Lin family's hidden influence in Yuanzhou and the surrounding regions.

This gift was too weighty, almost burning to the touch.

Cheng Ge instinctively wanted to refuse. "Yuli, you don't have to do this..."

"—Powered by love (Dian Dian)"