Chapter 412 So Cruel
Chapter 412 So Cruel
Chapter 412: Such a Ruthless Heart
Flames shot skyward, thick smoke billowed, painting half the camp crimson.
The heat warped the air, and even the distant clash of battle seemed twisted by the blaze.
A dark figure slipped silently through the shadows of ruined tents and drifting smoke.
Through his hazy, lurching vision, Cheng Ge's consciousness barely registered the brightest blaze in the distance.
Through blurred vision, he thought he saw a tall figure hurl himself into the heart of the flames, instantly swallowed by the leaping tongues of fire.
He thought... that guy's an idiot...
In his foggy brain, only that one fleeting thought lingered.
A fire that big, turning heaven and earth red, and he still ran in—wasn't he just throwing his life away?
But just as the thought faded, darkness flooded over him like a tide, drowning out every last sense.
The dark figure emerged in a secluded, forgotten corner at the camp's edge.
The distant firelight stretched and shrank the shadows here as he came to a stop before a man.
"Take him out through the rear-side gate. Someone is waiting there."
Alutai said, quickly shifting the unconscious Cheng Ge into Zhou Ming's arms.
Zhou Ming nodded firmly, took Cheng Ge, and hoisted him onto his back, strapping him in with cloth bindings he'd prepared ahead of time.
The second Cheng Ge's body settled against his back, Zhou Ming stiffened almost imperceptibly.
...How could A Ge be this light? Like a hollow shell dried out by the fire.
Once Cheng Ge was secure, he nodded to Alutai again, who gave a slight nod back, signaling him to go.
Zhou Ming didn't hesitate. Crouching low with Cheng Ge on his back, he headed for the rear-side gate.
Alutai stood there, watching until their figures disappeared and even the softest footsteps faded out.
He waited for two breaths, then turned and melted back into the darkness in another direction.
Zhou Ming carried Cheng Ge, pressing himself into the shadows as much as he could.
He moved with feather-light steps, barely breathing, creeping toward the gap in the rear-side gate.
The faintly glowing opening was only a few dozen paces ahead, and he could just make out the figure waiting with horses beyond it.
Just as he let his guard down a notch, ready to make a final dash—
From behind the half-collapsed ruins of a felt tent beside him, a figure stepped out slowly.
The man didn't step fully into the light; half his body stayed hidden in the deep night.
Only the distant, flickering firelight traced a slender silhouette.
The flames danced across his exposed cheek and the cloth on his shoulder, casting a near-dazzling sheen that felt utterly out of place amid the bloodshed and chaos around them.
Though his full face was hidden, an unmistakable air of charm radiated off him.
Zhou Ming's feet froze on the spot, scaring him half to death.
"Hand over dear." The voice wasn't loud—pleasant, even—but to Zhou Ming it hit like a thunderclap!
Zhou Ming's scalp prickled, his guts churned! On pure instinct, he spun around with Cheng Ge on his back, making a break for another pile of debris beside the path.
But he'd barely made it two steps—
"Oof!" He slammed straight into a solid chest!
The impact left him seeing stars and his nose stinging, and Cheng Ge wobbled on his back from the jolt.
Zhou Ming, scared out of his mind, stumbled back a step and looked up in sheer panic.
Zhou Ming: "!!!!"
The terror on Zhou Ming's face froze, and he felt a faint ache starting in his ass.
Then, stiff as a board, he slowly forced out the most fawning smile imaginable.
"Ah... ha... haha... small world, what are you doing here?"
...
The rumble of wheels over stone pavement came through the vibrating wooden planks beneath him—thump, thump—hammering at Cheng Ge's hazy mind.
Street sounds filtered faintly through the carriage walls—muffled, yet clear to his ears.
His eyelids felt heavy as boulders, pulling at his temples with a dull ache.
His head felt full of molten lead, sloshing around sluggishly.
In the space between delirium and clarity, a warm, soft touch—cool and damp—brushed across his cheek, wiping slowly and carefully.
The touch was light, with an almost careful... gentleness?
The sensation cut through the fog of his consciousness like a fine needle.
Cheng Ge's lashes fluttered violently a few times before he finally managed to pry his eyes open a crack.
His vision swam blurry at first, then slowly sharpened.
A face leaned in close, slow and lazily curious.
A pair of phoenix eyes held a natural hint of a smile, the outer corners tilted up, with a faint, elusive curve on thin lips.
Why the hell is this bastard Yun Xunyu here?! Cheng Ge almost instinctively squeezed his eyes shut again.
"Dear, awake?" The voice came—not loud, lazy like he'd just woken up, the last syllable drawn out.
Like a feather brushing his ear, yet it made the eyes beneath Cheng Ge's closed lids twitch uncontrollably.
Not a hallucination.
That tone, that goddamn way of addressing him...
Cheng Ge's heart sank, and even his wounds seemed to throb harder.
He'd rather face ten of Hutuke's leftover soldiers right now than this preening peacock Yun Xunyu.
The warm, damp cloth was removed from his face. Then, a slightly cool finger, with a casual, almost careless air, came to rest on his tightly shut eyelid.
The temperature of the fingertip seeped through the thin skin of his eyelid, and he could even feel the fine ridges of the fingerprint, stroking the base of his lashes, one slow stroke after another.
Every muscle in Cheng Ge's body tensed instantly at this overly intimate, controlling gesture, and his already weakened, injured frame stiffened uncontrollably.
This bastard... getting handsy again!
Cheng Ge couldn't keep up the act any longer, and he couldn't take it either. He snapped his eyes open with a jolt!
His eyes were still bloodshot and weary from his injuries, and the very instant his eyes opened, he tilted his head slightly and sank his teeth in with a vicious bite on the finger still lingering over his eyelid!
A sharp sting shot through the fingertip, catching Yun Xunyu completely off guard. An almost imperceptible raise of his brow, yet he didn't withdraw his hand immediately.
Then, beyond the pain, came the clear sensation of warmth, wetness, and softness—the pressure of teeth sinking into flesh, and the trembling breath of the other man as he strained.
Cheng Ge's teeth sank in a little deeper, bearing down with added force.
Soon, a faint, rusty, salty tang spread through his mouth.
Yun Xunyu lowered his gaze, watching his own bitten finger, watching the bulge in Cheng Ge's cheek from the strain and the undisguised ferocity in his eyes.
Instead of anger, the smile at the corner of his mouth deepened.
He let out a low chuckle, tinged with helplessness and indulgence.
"Dear..." he called out with a sigh, the laziness in his voice still lingering, but now laced with genuine amusement. "You really do have a cruel heart, don't you?"
His fingertip remained between Cheng Ge's teeth, and with that soft laugh, it twitched slightly, as if savoring the tight grip and the warm embrace.
He let the blood seep out, staining Cheng Ge's teeth and his own fingertip red.
"Your right eyelid suddenly swelled..."