Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 412 Warm Embrace
"Um……"

Xue Sui responded softly, his eyelids feeling as heavy as lead, his consciousness constantly shifting between lucidity and drowsiness.

The sound of wind and snow outside made her crave the warmth of Li Zhao's embrace even more, and she unconsciously snuggled closer to his chest.

Li Zhao frowned deeply.

He carefully moved her into the haystack, and once there was space, he pulled over the warm, tattered blanket, shook off the bits of hay, and covered her with it again.

"Don't talk, lie down and rest..."

Her voice was soft, but gentle.

"Yuan Cang will bring people to find us; they'll be there soon."

Xue Suishun nodded obediently, his eyelids starting to droop again.

That hazy, dazed feeling was like being thoroughly soaked in warm water; every part of her body felt languid and sore, and she just wanted to crawl into something warm. In her drowsy state, she felt Li Zhao poking at the charcoal fire beside him. To avoid sparks hitting her, he deliberately moved half a foot away from her, shielding her with his body.

Once the fire was burning brightly again, he carefully lay down beside her, gently wrapping his arms around her in a protective posture.

"Don't fall into a deep sleep." Li Zhao rested his chin on the top of her head, his voice muffled. "Talk to me."

His embrace was warm, carrying a faint scent of pine and ink, which made her feel inexplicably at ease and made her even sleepier.

"What does Your Highness want to say?"

"You can say anything... I love to hear whatever you say." He lowered his head and rubbed his head against her hair. "Or tell me, why are you so troublesome, insisting on coming to this harsh and cold place?"

She didn't say anything, but snuggled closer to him like a cat that was cold.

Li Zhao could feel her breath on the nape of his neck, warm and slightly damp with the dampness of her illness, gently stimulating his nerves.

"Don't move." His breath brushed against her earlobe. "If you move again, I can't guarantee what I might do."

"Your Highness, it is you who is moving."

Li Zhao's body stiffened slightly.

A familiar thrill awakens within my veins...

The close embrace of the person in his arms caused the temperature to rise, and the air seemed to become thick and scorching. He suddenly thought absurdly that if he could be isolated from the conflicts and just have her like this, even if he were trapped in a snow cave for the rest of his life, it wouldn't seem so unbearable.

"Safety……"

His voice was low and hoarse, carrying a restrained longing.

"Don't scare me like that again..."

Xue Sui shifted in his arms and mumbled a response: "Mmm."

“You…” Li Zhao’s Adam’s apple bobbed as his fingers, resting on her waist, caressed the fabric of her back.

"Aren't you afraid?"

"With Your Highness here, what is there to be afraid of?" Xue Sui's voice was thick with nasal tone, and even though he was ill, he was still as confident as Xue Ping'an.

"With me here, you should be afraid..."

Li Zhao chuckled softly, his hand on her waist tightening slightly, the calluses on his fingertips brushing against her skin, causing her to shudder slightly.

"Are my hands... cold?"

"It's not cold."

"Shivering from the cold, still being stubborn?"

"That's because it's cold... What does Your Highness intend to do..."

"I want to keep you warm."

"Not serious..."

I can't be serious around you.

"Your Highness is teasing me again..." Xue Sui turned her head away, her cheeks burning even hotter. "The charcoal fire isn't burning brightly enough; just add some more firewood..."

"Xue Ping'an," Li Zhao sighed deeply, "are you deliberately... trying to set me on fire in this freezing weather?"

"Can't Your Highness behave yourself? Stop rubbing against me."

A low chuckle escaped Li Zhao's throat. "Isn't it true manly to talk about rules at a time like this?"

"Nonsense." She turned her head away from his breath, her earlobes turning red. "If you don't care about manners, then do whatever you want. Anyway, I'm a patient, and there's nothing I can do about it..."

Li Zhao closed his eyes, gently lifted her chin, and stared intently at her flushed cheeks. "You're going to kill me."

for a long time……

No one spoke anymore.

Their breaths mingled in the cramped space, becoming sticky from the warmth of the firewood, clinging to each other like a hidden, invisible net, tightly enveloping them...

“No wonder that Gu master said that the Love Silk Gu can lock the soul, bind life and death, and can never be separated for a lifetime…” Li Zhao’s voice was low as a whisper.

Xue Sui's eyelashes trembled: "Nonsense..."

"Otherwise, why would my heart ache so much whenever you are in danger?"

He lowered his head, his gaze uncontrollably tracing her tightly closed eyes and the tip of her pert nose, finally settling on her beautifully shaped lips.

Pale, dry...

Like a flower broken by wind and snow... it silently tempted him to pick it and nourish it.

A surge of heat rushed to his heart, making his reason waver.

His burning lips landed on her burning eyes, gently pressing against them as if in silent declaration. Then, the kiss descended uncontrollably, with a predatory urgency, pressing down heavily…

"Your Highness..." Xue Sui's mind went blank.

The kiss possessed an almost brute force, conquering and plundering, brooking no refusal…

Caught off guard, Xue Sui was overwhelmed by the sudden heat, leaving her mind blank. She turned her head away with difficulty, her breathing becoming rapid and broken, her body growing hotter and hotter.

"Your Highness..."

"Peace, I can't control myself." Li Zhao, as if bewitched, pried open her weak resistance and greedily absorbed her essence...

The sound of wind and snow suddenly disappeared from my ears.

The whole world disappeared, leaving only the frantic entanglement and his overwhelming aura.

Xue Sui's rationality was shattered.

She forgot who she was and where she was. Her mind was in a state of weightlessness. She could only cling tightly to Li Zhao, relying on his strength for support, rising and falling.

In that moment of confusion, a sudden pain shot through her body, making her shudder – it was Li Zhao's loss of control that had hurt her.

"Hiss..." His mind was instantly pulled back to a sliver of clarity.

The awkward yet intense intimacy came to an abrupt end.

"It hurts..." Xue Sui felt the approaching heat source, his brows furrowed, and a dissatisfied whimper escaped from his throat.

This unconscious action was like a bucket of cold water, instantly waking Li Zhao from his near-out-of-control sanity.

Both of them were injured.

She still has a fever, and she's so fragile...

What am I doing?
Li Zhao took a deep breath, his chest heaving violently, forcefully suppressing the surging impulse. His body, like a fully drawn bowstring suddenly released, moved away with extreme difficulty, inch by inch, widening the distance between them...

Almost instinctively, she lunged forward and bit down hard on his lips...

Li Zhao groaned.

A strong, metallic taste filled my mouth.

"I'm sorry, I...lost my composure." He wiped his mouth, his voice hoarse and filled with deep regret. His gaze quickly shifted to the flickering fire, no longer looking at her.

The cave was deathly silent.

All that remained were heavy, disordered breathing sounds.

The crackling of the firewood only added to the awkward atmosphere.

"It's alright... I'm just... a little cold..." Xue Sui shrank back. The chill brought on by the high fever made her subconsciously move closer to Li Zhao, but she accidentally bumped hard into the bruises on his ribs.

Another awkward moment.

"I'm sorry... I lost my composure too..."

Li Zhao gasped in pain, but instead of pushing her away, he tightened his arms, holding her even closer in his embrace to prevent her from moving around.

"Bear with it, everything will be alright, reinforcements will arrive soon..." He seemed to be comforting her, but more like convincing himself, his voice still carrying a lingering hoarseness.

Xue Sui responded softly again.

She found a comfortable position in his arms, seemingly forgetting the loss of control and absurdity she had just experienced, and calmed down completely.

Li Zhaoxin's heart was pounding like a drum, almost bursting out of his chest.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled, suppressing those inappropriate romantic thoughts. He held her close, using his body heat to create a barrier for her.

Time passed slowly in agony.

The fire gradually died down, and the chill returned...

This was the longest and most sobering "torture" Li Zhao had ever experienced. To have a soft, fragrant body in his arms while having to adhere to the duties of a gentleman was not easy for a young and vigorous man...

After an unknown amount of time, amidst the howling wind and snow, faint shouts finally drifted in, coming from afar and growing closer, intermittent and intermittent.

"Your Highness..."

"Sixth Miss Xue..."

"Guard Guan, let's go take a look over there..."

"Your Highness... Miss Xue... where are you?"

The snow in the mountains was deep, and the tracks and footprints left by Li Zhao as he rolled down with Xue Sui were already covered by fresh snow...

Fortunately, in his haste, Li Zhao tore off the jade dragon pendant from his waist and tied it to a withered tree branch outside the cave...

The dragon pendant was an artifact made within the palace. Yuan Cang, with his sharp eyes, caught a glimpse of that faint reflection with a sweep of his torchlight.

"Over there..." Yuan Cang shouted in surprise, rushing forward, picking up the jade pendant, his voice almost trembling with excitement.

"It's His Highness's personal jade pendant... Quick! Search in this direction..."

(End of this chapter)