Chapter 464 Stay With You

Chapter 464: Staying with You

"Yun Xunyu..."

His voice was very soft, like a wisp of smoke rising from the depths of his throat.

The man didn't move. Cheng Ge called out again.

"Yun Xunyu."

Still no movement.

His heart clenched tight.

He quickly bent down and reached out to pat Yun Xunyu's face.

He wanted to shake him awake, to see his eyes open, to hear him smile and call him "dear" like before.

But the instant his hand touched him—

Ice cold.

Bone-chilling cold.

The sensation spread from his fingertips through his entire body in an instant, chilling him so thoroughly that he froze stiff.

Cheng Ge's mind went blank with a roar.

The blood in his veins seemed frozen solid, refusing to flow.

He froze for a beat—just one beat.

Then he lunged forward, gathering the man up from the bed into his arms.

The body was so light it made his heart lurch, so light it felt like holding an empty shell.

"Yun Xunyu—!"

His voice cracked, a heart-wrenching sound that exploded into the silent night.

Yun Xunyu lay limp in his arms, head hanging weakly, his full head of white hair spilling down over Cheng Ge's arm.

Cheng Ge clutched him tightly, his entire body shaking.

"Yun Xunyu... Yun Xunyu..." He called out again and again, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible. "Wake up... wake up..."

The man in his arms didn't respond.

Just then, Cheng Ge felt something damp on his arm.

He looked down.

A streak of crimson was seeping from Yun Xunyu's wrist, trickling down and dripping onto Cheng Ge's sleeve.

Cheng Ge froze for a moment, then quickly lifted Yun Xunyu's hand.

The wrist was wrapped in a bandage, blood-soaked. The bandage hung loose now, revealing a patch of skin underneath.

Cheng Ge's gaze fell on that patch of skin, and his eyes went wide.

The wrist was covered in wounds, dense and overlapping, crisscrossing every which way.

Some had scabbed into dark red scars. Others still bled, gaping open to reveal raw red flesh.

Old and new layered upon each other, stacked again and again, as if someone had carved into it countless times with a blade.

Cheng Ge was scared out of his mind.

He stared at those gruesome wounds, at the blood still seeping out, his mind completely blank.

"How... how..." His hands were trembling, his whole body quaking.

He tore a strip from the hem of his robe in a panic, trying to wrap it around the wrist.

But his hands were trembling too violently. The cloth strip wouldn't stay on—it kept slipping off no matter how he tried.

"Damn... damn..." He was so panicked that tears streamed down his face, but his hands just wouldn't cooperate.

He looked down at his own still-trembling hand, gritted his teeth, and bit down on one corner of the cloth strip. Working with his teeth and fingers, he wound it around the wrist.

He got the strip on.

He bit down on the end of the cloth, tightening it little by little, then gave it one last hard tug and tied a knot.

Blood soaked through the cloth, seeping out from between the fibers, blooming into a dark stain.

Cheng Ge let go of the cloth and gasped for air. His lips were stained with blood.

The blood had seeped through the cloth, smeared at the corner of his mouth, and slipped past his lips.

A familiar taste flooded his mouth in an instant...

"Sweetheart... open your mouth..."

"Husband... swallow it..."

A tender, lingering voice suddenly rang out in his mind.

Again and again, it echoed in his mind, repeating endlessly.

Cheng Ge felt as if he'd fallen into an ice cellar. His heart was crushed as if by an invisible hand, nearly stopping.

"Fortune and lifespan are decided by heaven—you can't possibly give me your life, can you?"

"Give my life to you, my dear? Do you want it?"

Do you want it?

...Do you want it?

The voice still echoed in his mind.

He'd thought it was a joke. But Yun Xunyu had actually given his life.

Cheng Ge's tears fell heavily, landing on Yun Xunyu's pale face.

"But I don't want your life..." His voice trembled violently, his lips still quivering. "I don't want it, not like this..."

He held Yun Xunyu tightly in his arms, burying his face in the crook of his neck, his entire body trembling.

"You motherfucker... you motherfucker..."

Cheng Ge couldn't get the words out. His lips wouldn't stop trembling, shaking hard.

Dahuang crouched beside him, tail drooping, letting out low whimpers deep in its throat.

It edged closer, nudging Cheng Ge's arm with its head, as if trying to comfort him.

Cheng Ge quickly wiped the tears from his face, pulled Yun Xunyu up from his embrace, and hoisted him onto his back.

He gritted his teeth, bracing himself on his injured leg, and slowly stood up.

White hair spilled over his shoulders, brushing his cheeks, cool and silky.

"I'll take you to the imperial physician," he said, his voice hoarse, but he fought to keep it steady. "They must have a way..."

The pain in his leg was excruciating, like someone was twisting a knife in the cracks of his bones.

But he couldn't afford to think about that. All he knew was that he had to keep moving forward, had to carry this man out on his back.

He carried Yun Xunyu, step by step, shoving through the curtains one layer after another.

The blue fabric slid across his body, shoved aside by his shoulders, dropping behind him.

His feet stepped on those blood-stained cloths, soft underfoot, muffling his steps, but he didn't bother to look down.

Dahuang ran ahead to lead the way, glancing back at him from time to time, whining lowly.

He gritted his teeth, muttering to himself: "It's fine... it's fine... it'll be fine soon..."

He had already reached the middle of the curtains, those layers of blue fabric hanging down, swaying as he crashed through them.

A few more steps and he'd make it out. He quickened his pace.

But that leg gave out on him. His whole body lurched forward—

Cheng Ge's pupils suddenly contracted. He used every ounce of strength he had to shield the person he was carrying.

But the fall was too hard. He pitched forward, yanking down the curtains—

"Rip—"

The blue curtains came down with him, layer after layer, cascading over them in waves.

Cheng Ge rolled across the ground, clutching Yun Xunyu tightly to his chest.

The curtains fell over them, covering them entirely. The blue fabric piled on their bodies, on their faces, blocking out the moonlight and the world beyond.

Cheng Ge ignored the pain, pushed himself up, and threw the curtains off to look down at the person in his arms.

Yun Xunyu hadn't changed—eyes closed, face pale as paper.

White hair spilled loose, a few strands clinging to his cheeks, tangled with the blue fabric, swaying in the night breeze.

Cheng Ge jerked his head down, pressing his ear against Yun Xunyu's chest, listening to the slow heartbeat.

Cheng Ge pulled Yun Xunyu back into his arms, gritting his teeth, trying to stand again.

But that leg had stopped obeying him—numb with pain, gone completely dead.

He tried once, couldn't get up. Tried again, still couldn't.

"Fuck..." he spat out.

Dahuang ran back, licking the back of Cheng Ge's hand, pacing in frantic circles.

Cheng Ge looked at it, about to say something, when the man in his arms stirred.

Just barely.

Cheng Ge glanced down.

Yun Xunyu's eyelashes trembled—slowly, so gently.

Cheng Ge forgot to breathe.

He stared at that face, at those eyes, not daring to so much as breathe.

His eyelids slowly opened, just a crack.

His gaze was unfocused, nowhere—like he was seeing something, or nothing at all.

But after a moment, his eyes slowly focused, landing on Cheng Ge's face.

Cheng Ge opened his mouth, trying to say something.

But his throat felt like it was clogged shut, and not a single word would come out.

He just looked at those eyes, tears streaming down his face.

Yun Xunyu looked at him for a long, long time.

Then he turned his face away, slowly raising one hand, struggling to hide his face behind his sleeve.

The movement was slow, gentle, like each movement cost him everything he had.

Cheng Ge froze. He ducked his head, whispering his name softly.

"Yun Xunyu..."

Yun Xunyu's voice came from behind the sleeve, barely a breath, so light it seemed it would be carried away by the night wind.

"Now... I look like a wreck..."

His fingers curled, clutching the sleeve in a death grip.

"...darling, don't look."

Cheng Ge's tears spilled over all at once. He reached out and gently took the hand hiding his face.

The wrist was still wrapped in gauze, soaked through with blood, wet and sticky.

He pulled the hand away from the face, cradling it in his palm.

"Look." His voice was hoarse, but every word came out clear and distinct. "I'm going to look."

Yun Xunyu's eyelashes trembled. Cheng Ge lowered his head, leaning in close.

Close enough to see the tears glistening on his lashes, close enough to see the chapped, cracked lips.

Yun Xunyu's eyes were half-closed, a faint breathy sound escaping with a slight quirk of his lips.

"...dear... I'm afraid... you'll think even less of me now."

Cheng Ge sniffled.

"How could that be." His voice was still thick with a stuffy nose, but he tried to steady himself. "I'm blind in both eyes and heart—even Dahuang looks handsome to me on a good day."

He paused, raised his hand, and gently rubbed Yun Xunyu's cheek. The skin was ice-cold, and his touch was featherlight.

"Besides," he said, his voice hoarse, "of all the men I've known, you're the most singular. I doubt there's anyone else who comes close."

Yun Xunyu looked at him, those half-closed eyes, the corner of his mouth lifting again as if trying to smile.

Then he closed his eyes, and his hand gently curled around Cheng Ge's fingers, saying nothing more.

By the time Dahuang led the others there, the candles in the room had already burned down.

Only moonlight streamed through the window, falling on the floor, falling on the layers of blue bed curtains.

The curtains draped over two people.

They lay nestled together on the cold ground.

The blue fabric fanned out beneath them, stretching all the way to the corner of the room, like a still lake.

The moonlight shone down quietly.

Cheng Ge lay on his side, shielding Yun Xunyu in his arms, his hand still gripping Yun Xunyu's tightly.

The gauze around that wrist was already soaked with blood, gleaming dully in the moonlight.

Yun Xunyu's head rested on Cheng Ge's shoulder, his white hair splayed across the floor, tangled with Cheng Ge's dark locks.

............

The imperial physician pulled his hand away from Yun Xunyu's wrist, and he was quiet for a long time.

The candles in the room had been lit again, their dim yellow light falling on his pale face.

Cheng Ge stood by the bed, staring at the physician's mouth, as if trying to dig the words out of it.

The physician stood up and stepped back, and Cheng Ge stopped breathing.

"How is he?" His voice was hoarse, trembling with barely suppressed fear. "How is he?"

The physician lowered his head.

That single motion made Cheng Ge's heart sink.

"Lord Cheng..." The physician's voice was low, tinged with reluctance. "Prince Yun... he... lost too much blood... and he's also been poisoned with something strange..."

Cheng Ge clenched his fists, cutting him off, his voice trembling. "Can you cure him?"

The physician didn't look up.

Silence.

A long, heavy silence.

Cheng Ge stepped forward, his injured leg making him stumble, but he didn't even care.

"Speak."

The physician finally lifted his head, meeting his eyes.

In that gaze, Cheng Ge saw the answer.

The physician paused, every word seeming to be forced out through his teeth. "I... can't do anything."

Cheng Ge froze, standing there, staring at the physician, unable to say a word.

The room was very quiet. The candle flames flickered, stretching long shadows.

Cheng Ge slowly turned to look at the man on the bed.

Cheng Ge walked over.

He sat down by the bed, reached out, and gently took the ice-cold hand.

The gauze on that wrist had been changed, with no blood seeping through, but the hand was still cold.

Cheng Ge pressed the hand to his face and closed his eyes.

His face was expressionless, and he just sat there, motionless.

The others who saw this said nothing, slowly backing out and gently closing the door behind them.

Outside the door, several people stood in the hallway, none of them speaking.

Inside, Cheng Ge sat by the bed, holding the ice-cold hand.

The man on the bed suddenly stirred, and Cheng Ge's eyes snapped open.

Yun Xunyu curled up slightly, trembling uncontrollably.

The trembling was faint, but it came in waves, as if seeping from the marrow of his bones.

Cheng Ge quickly felt his forehead—it was startlingly cold.

Cheng Ge's heart clenched.

"Yun Xunyu?" He leaned in, his voice trembling. "Yun Xunyu?"

Yun Xunyu's lips moved slightly, and Cheng Ge pressed his ear closer.

"...cold..." The voice was as light as a feather, so faint it was almost inaudible.

Cheng Ge froze for a moment, then abruptly stood up.

He stumbled to the cabinet, pulled out the blankets one by one, and piled them all over Yun Xunyu.

One layer, two layers, three layers. He covered him with everything he could, but Yun Xunyu was still trembling.

Yet the trembling did not stop—it only grew worse.

Cheng Ge stood there, watching him, a thin layer of clammy sweat forming on his palms.

He gritted his teeth, raised his hand to undo his outer robe, the garment falling to the floor. He lifted the blankets and climbed in.

He wrapped his arms around Yun Xunyu from behind, pressing his body against him, from chest to back, from his arms to his waist.

He wrapped his arms completely around Yun Xunyu, holding him tight.

"Still cold?" his voice was trembling, his lips against Yun Xunyu's ear. "Are you still cold?"

Yun Xunyu didn't answer, and Cheng Ge held him even tighter.

He buried his face in the other man's hair, closing his eyes, the white strands brushing against his cheek, carrying a faint scent of medicine.

"It's okay... I'm right here... go to sleep..."

Yun Xunyu's body was still trembling, as if it were seeping from his very bones, impossible to stop.

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