Chapter 123: An absurd dream, reality and illusion are hard to distinguish

"Nothing. I was... I forgot because of Xiao Hui's howl." His earlobes were slightly red, and he turned his head awkwardly, not daring to look at Lin Qingyue's face.

Most of the images in the dream had blurred, only the lingering warmth between the bed curtains flashed repeatedly in his mind. The numbness of lips and teeth intertwined, the fragrant and inseparable breath, burned his whole body's blood hot.

Lin Qingyue's fingertips suddenly touched his forehead, and when the cool touch passed over his skin, it actually burned together with the fragrance in the dream.

Dongfang Qi's breathing suddenly stalled, and his Adam's apple rolled uncontrollably.

He suddenly grabbed her wrist as if he had been burned: "What are you doing?"

Lin Qingyue looked at Dongfang Qi strangely: "Seeing how you have recovered. Why is your reaction so big?"

His fingers loosened inch by inch, but before letting go completely, he unconsciously rubbed that piece of warmth.

"Perhaps consciousness is still chaotic, excuse me." His voice hid an hoarseness he hadn't noticed himself.

Lin Qingyue naturally wouldn't care about these trivial matters, and said: "Your soul

Dongfang Qi forcibly suppressed his chaotic emotions and regained his original calm: "You have worked hard these past few days. Thank you."

Lin Qingyue smiled: "I thank you as well. When we were in the Chiying Land, you were like a mud bodhisattva crossing a river—barely able to save yourself—yet you still didn't forget to come and save me. It is fortunate that you arrived in time to retrieve your Heavenly Soul. Otherwise, if you had been snatched away by other monsters, it would have taken a great deal of time to search for you, and who knows how many complications might have arisen in the meantime. Alright, you should rest now; I won't disturb you any further."

Dongfang Qi did not ask her to stay, nor could he. He simply watched helplessly as she turned and left.

The curtain of the felt tent stirred, and she had already vanished.

A sudden emptiness welled up in his heart, followed by an indescribable, stifling heaviness.

The images from his dream flooded back into his mind; he had actually been with Deputy Envoy Lin... Since when had he quietly developed such improper thoughts?

Yet in the dream, Deputy Envoy Lin was clearly the Nudi, while he was her consort—and a mere substitute for someone else at that! It was so absurd that it made him blush and his heart race; he raised his hand and slapped himself.

"Dongfang Qi, oh Dongfang Qi! How could you be so filthy? She is the Princess of Prince Jin and even saved your life; you should only feel gratitude toward her!"

"Even if... even if you truly have developed feelings of love, you should wait until after she has divorced before discussing anything else. How could you humiliate her like that in your dream?"

But dreams are never under one's control; they only amplify one's own desires.

That was why he had treated her that way in the dream. And subconsciously, he knew deep down that there was an insurmountable barrier between them, which was why she had appeared as an emperor in his dream.

The reason he was treated as a substitute must also be his subconscious warning him that Dongfang Yan still stood between them!

Thinking of it this way, the absurd events in the dream could actually be explained.

"Thank goodness Deputy Envoy Lin didn't see my dream. Yes, I must absolutely never let her know!"

At this moment, Xie Shouzheng entered the tent carrying millet porridge. He helped Dongfang Qi sit up and thoughtfully draped an outer robe over him before picking up the bowl to feed him.

Dongfang Qi hurriedly took the bowl and spoon: "I will do it myself."

Xie Shouzheng said "Oh," then squatted to one side, watching Dongfang Qi eat intently.

Once he finished, he hurriedly helped clear the bowl and assisted him in lying back down.

Dongfang Qi said: "Xiao Hui, you have also worked hard these past few days."

Xie Shouzheng said: "Your Highness, what are you saying? Serving you is only right and proper; how can it be called hard work? Your Highness, you don't know—the day I saw you being carried out by Deputy Envoy Lin, your face was as white as a corpse's. I was scared half to death."

Dongfang Qi hurriedly asked: "Are you saying that it was Deputy Envoy Lin who carried me out?"

Xie Shouzheng nodded: "That's right. Deputy Envoy Lin's complexion wasn't good either at the time, but she didn't care about resting at all. Once we were in the carriage, she ordered me to drive away. She herself stayed in the carriage, channeling spirit power into you to soothe your soul and remove the evil Qi."

"Not to mention, Deputy Envoy Lin is truly loyal. After arriving here, she even took turns with me to watch over you. Just for this, if she ever wants my position as Evil-Appraising Envoy, I would gladly yield the seat! In short, as long as someone is helpful to Your Highness, I am willing to help Your Highness win them over, even if it means being demoted. My loyalty to Your Highness is as clear as the sun and moon, and as evident as the heavens..."

"Enough, Xiao Hui, if you keep rambling, I will have you kicked out!" Dongfang Qi couldn't help but interrupt Xie Shouzheng.

Xie Shouzheng hurriedly shut his mouth, but after not even a moment, he couldn't help but say: "Your Highness, besides a promotion, what else should we reward Deputy Envoy Lin with? She is just as loyal to Your Highness as I am. After saving you, she did everything herself, even your clothes..."

Dongfang Qi was startled upon hearing this: "Could it be that she changed my clothes?"

He was currently wearing thin undergarments, not the ones he had worn in the Chiying Land. So, Deputy Envoy Lin...

"I changed your clothes!" Xie Shouzheng's words promptly corrected Dongfang Qi's wandering thoughts.

"But Deputy Envoy Lin helped pick them out; she said this set was soft and comfortable for sleeping. That is what I meant—hey, Your Highness, you didn't think of something else, did you?"

Dongfang Qi couldn't help but glare at him: "It is clearly your words that were full of ambiguity! If you cannot speak properly in the future, just shut up!"

Xie Shouzheng scratched his head: "I have always been speaking properly. Your Highness, you were the one who thought of something else; how can you blame me? Besides, even with your toes, you could tell that Deputy Envoy Lin and you are of different genders, so she would never do such an improper thing."

"Xiao Hui, get out. I want to rest."

Dongfang Qi no longer had any desire to continue the conversation.

After two days of recuperation, Dongfang Qi's body finally recovered, and it was time to embark on the road back to Jingcheng.

On the way there, apart from encountering some strange cases, they had not alerted anyone else.

The journey back, however, was not as smooth.

With such a great commotion caused by the Donglin Prefecture affair, it was likely that Dongfang Qi's itinerary would be difficult to keep hidden.

Xie Shouzheng also understood this point. On the way back, he no longer let Dongfang Qi ride a horse or act as the coachman. Instead, he wore a bamboo hat and a disguise, driving the carriage himself while vigilantly observing the surroundings.

Dongfang Qi and Lin Qingyue sat in the carriage, leisurely and carefree.

During this time, Lin Qingyue even jokingly asked Xie Shouzheng: "Why don't you ask us to avoid suspicion now?"

On the way there, he had watched them like a hawk, constantly shouting about "brother-in-law and sister-in-law" this and that.

Xie Shouzheng straightened his bamboo hat and said as a matter of course: "It is naturally inappropriate for a brother-in-law and sister-in-law to share a carriage. But it is different with me in it; now it is the three of us sharing a carriage. If anyone dares to gossip, I, Xie Shouzheng, will be the witness for you two! Besides, the current situation is that Your Highness's safety is paramount; Your Highness must absolutely not show your face again!"

Lin Qingyue said: "So you plan to hide him in the carriage and pull him all the way back to Jingcheng?"

Xie Shouzheng said: "Is that not possible?"

Lin Qingyue said: "Look behind you to the left; those two people have been following us for half an hour."