84 Bargaining with Master

The caravan of demons that came to the Ice Forest for the purpose of gathering Ice Spider Silk was rather numerous in number. Hui Se Ying felt surprised to see it as they crossed through a defensive barrier that had been set up around the camp.

Though Ice Spiders were troublesome to deal with, they didn't warrant such fanfare. His master's decision to leave Lu Se Ying behind to investigate the matter was a wise one. However, after their little group settled into the two tents afforded them, they soon learned the harmless truth.

The excess was merely bodyguards for the curious and wayward young master of the fox clan that insisted on tagging along for the journey. Not at all letting his guard down at the news, their master ordered that they keep an eye out for anything strange.

After all, who would have thought the other Gate Guardians would so ruthlessly act in concert against them? It wouldn't hurt to keep caution under these circumstances.

Nastasia had not stirred at all when she had been laid to rest within the tent. As they were outsiders and were merely staying among them for a night only simple bedding had been given to them aside from the tent.

Lu Se Ying had already entered to check over her condition with a worried Li Yu Rong quickly hurrying after. The fact that Asya had so stubbornly held on to slumber was rather concerning and left him quite anxious.

Before he could go beyond the tent flaps, Hui Se Ying called him to a stop. "Master, that girl was moaning your name in her sleep," he slyly commented and after a slight pause continued, "she said other things concerning you. Do you want to hear them?"

At first, Li Yu Rong was going to ignore him, after all, Asya was more important. However, his steps faltered and his heart felt as if it had been lightly scratched. The tips of his ears flushed red as all sorts of salacious reasons for her to be moaning out his name raced through his mind.

Swallowing down the lump that formed in his throat, he managed to calmly respond. "Oh, what else did she say?" He was trying to affect an uninterested front, despite being entirely curious and somewhat hopeful for the other words mentioned.

Quite pleased with this reaction, Hui Se Ying dropped his demands. "During the time that Paoxiao is allowed to take his sister home, I have somewhere I want to go. It's nearby and I'll be sure to return before the funeral rites have finished."

The funeral rites would take three days to complete.

Hearing the spirit using this information as a bargaining piece to get his way, Li Yu Rong wanted to turn a deaf ear to him as he left outside the tent to check on Asya.

Yet, he couldn't.

All because he wanted and needed to know what had been said. After being deprived of her due to what happened that day, after having failed to prevent her kidnapping, he wanted to know what she had said about him.

In moments like these when words were spoken, they tended to be from the heart.

Whatever was said, Li Yu Rong hoped they mirrored the longing that had been eating up his insides as he forced himself to stay away from her during those agonizing days. In hopes of being regaled with words that painted the tale of her feelings for him, he, after a giant moment of hesitation, gave in.

However, he didn't outright agree without laying down some ground rules. "Whatever it is your doing, it cannot go against the rules of the Palace of the Four Gates and you must return before the funeral rites are over. Can you promise this?"

"I can promise."

"Then, go on...."

Hui Se Ying bit back the grin that wanted to bloom across his lips. His master was rather cute as he forced himself to appear as if he could take or leave the words without a care.

He spoke, fully expecting to invite his master's ire. He found the risk worth it as he had already obtained the permission needed. Li Yu Rong would never take back his promise once it had been given.

"Hmm, well, most of what she mumbled were in that strange language of hers, but the few things she spoke properly went in this order: 'so warm, hungry,' and lastly 'why is it so cold?'"

Deadpan.

That was the first word that came to mind as he stared into his master's eyes and his master's face that underwent such an ugly transformation. A hand reached out to swipe at him in anger. Hui Se Ying side-stepped it and then said as if an afterthought. "Ah, but she said your name quite a bit. She seemed to be crying out for you in a rather lonely sort of way."

After dropping that revelation, he quickly fled the scene. Laughter trailing his exit.

Li Yu Rong didn't bother going after him or calling out foul obscenities to chase after his retreating back. His mind was tightly grasped by Hui Se Ying's parting words. His heart felt like it had been tossed about before being caught up in a warm embrace.

In light of that last sentence, he decided to be benevolent and forgive Hui Se Ying.

When he walked through the tent flaps, despite his lifted mood, the heavy atmosphere inside brought him crashing down. He took in Lu Se Ying's grim expression and asked as the light fluttering in his chest dropped like a cold stone to his stomach.

"Is it too late to deal with the Shaqi's poison in her?"

"The poison had already been treated. The bite wound has even scabbed over and will heal rather nicely. It shouldn't leave a scar so long as she puts this salve on it every day."

"Then why are you looking so grim?" Li Yu Rong moved from the entrance to kneel at Asya's bedside, finding comfort in gazing at her peacefully sleeping face. "I thought it would be bad news you had to tell because of it."

Lu Se Ying hesitated but, knowing that it couldn't be hidden, ultimately decided to be the one to convey the full extent of Nastasia's trauma. "It wasn't successful, I check over her body from within using my ability. I can say with certainty that it wasn't successful." He stressed this assurance before saying, "there is bruising and bite marks all over her upper body that would suggest she was-"

"Get out."

That vocalization held in it a murderous intent so strong it made Lu Se Ying tremble. The red-eye on the left side of his face flashed and shown with such a sinister light that it would de-bone the body of any who held the ill-fortunate luck to be gazed at by it. The spirit doctor couldn't handle being in his master's presence a moment more and so left without a word.

Li Yu Rong understood what was going to be said, that's why he stopped it before it could be voiced out loud.

He didn't have the courage to hear it.

Fingers trembled as they brushed against a satiny cheek. As the warmth of her flesh seeped into his finger pads, the wrath in his veins intensified.

"The bastard that did this to you... I'll kill him!"