Chapter Thirteen: Frosty Cold (III)

Under the ink-black sky, the moonlight, pure as white silk, gently poured over the plain.
Leaning alone against a rock beside the campfire, Li Kuo tightened the leather robe covering his body.
Life in Chang’an was hard but fulfilling. He had often complained about the unfairness of the world and the wickedness of people, even harboring resentment toward the city. Yet it was only after leaving that he realized he could never cut ties with this place.
At their old home in Lane 23 by the lake, his mother would pat his head and tease, “Xiao Qi has grown taller again. When you reach the roof beams, go work as a guard in the Daming Palace. The emperor really likes handsome young men like you.”
On the Lantern Festival night, Uncle Sun would buy his favorite sweet cheese, carrying a bag full of mountain goods in one hand and the plum deer lantern he had asked for in the other, laughing nonstop.
At their old home in Chongren Fang, his third brother would hold him and count the stars in the sky. He would foolishly ask, “Is this the Milky Way? Is that how Cowherd and Weaver Girl are separated?”
Each time, his third brother would hold his small hand and say, “This is the Milky Way. When our Xiao Qi grows up, he’ll build a big boat to take Weaver Girl across, so they can be together again.”
But all of this gradually faded away, turning into illusions. The young man felt his head growing heavier, his eyelids growing heavier too. The sights before his eyes suddenly blurred, and everything he had seen turned into a wisp of smoke.
Yet that smoke did not dissipate with the wind. Instead, it gradually condensed and took on human form. The figure slowly turned around, and it was A Tian, wearing a green floral dress with rosy cheeks!
“Dang dang, dang dang! Time for scrambled eggs!～～You silly Xiao Qi, get up quickly!”
A Tian tapped on a black iron pot beside him, her cheeks bearing a pair of sweet dimples.
He forced himself to rub his eyes and sit up, only to see A Tian suddenly turn and run out of the teahouse, heading toward Qujiang.
She entered the alley and ran along the banks of Qujiang Lake, stopping in front of a huge rock before turning back with a smile.
“Brother Xiao Qi, come chase me!”
The young man responded and rushed after her. But no matter how hard he tried, he seemed unable to catch up with A Tian. With each step he took, she took one back. The distance between them never seemed to change.
“Giggle giggle,” the girl said, covering her mouth and laughing, “You’re such a fool!”
“Ah!”
Li Kuo’s head buzzed as the image of the girl flashed through his mind.
Suddenly, the sky darkened with clouds, thunder roared, and torrential rain poured down. Strong winds carried sand and gravel, scratching bloody marks on the young man’s cheeks.

The spring waters of Qujiang Pond spread out, creating layers of waves. The water overtopped the riverbank, carrying cold winds that hit the young man’s ankles.
“Xiao Qi Ge, run fast! Don’t worry about me—run west, keep running west!”
A Tian was trapped on a huge rock, with nowhere to escape.
“Run west! Remember, keep running without looking back!”
A huge wave surged forward, instantly drowning A Tian in the torrent, with echoes of cries ringing in the young man’s ears.
“No, don’t!”
The young man screamed and roared, rushing toward the rock desperately. He wanted to save A Tian, his beloved woman! As he ran frantically, he suddenly felt his feet give way and he collapsed to the ground.
“Ah!”
The young man sat up, gasping for breath. It was a dream! It was just a dream!
Raindrops fell on his cheeks, wetting his eyes and washing away the dust from them.
“Heh, just a dream. It’s just a dream.”
The young man tightened the leather bag around his body and curled up in a corner, smiling foolishly like a child. The campfire beside him flickered, seemingly on the verge of being extinguished by the downpour.
“General, let’s go to that cave over there to take shelter from the rain.”
Dou Qing rushed over, grabbed Li Kuo by the arm, and led him toward the cave on the west side.
“Hm? It’s raining. Have we sent the caravan to the valley to take shelter?”
The young man followed Dou Qing through the storm, shivering from the cold rain, gradually returning to reality.
“We’ve already asked Brother Xianyu to send someone to inform them. I believe they’ll arrive here soon under Brother Guan’s leadership.”
Dou Qing draped a felt coat over Li Kuo and tightened the strap around his neck.
The two stumbled into the cave at the west end, finally catching their breath.
“Cough, cough… This damned weather is infuriating. Heaven really changes its mind at will!”
Dou Qing took off his robe, wrung it out, and squeezed out as much water as possible.
“Brother Dou, are Master You and the others on the south side of the goods city?”
The young man watched the merchants scrambling to escape outside the cave, frowning as he suddenly remembered something.
“Yes, they’re outside the goods city. Master You said they’re responsible for keeping watch at night. I couldn’t argue with him, so I agreed.”
Dou Qing took out the flint he carried, rubbed it lightly, and ignited a few dry sticks. The orange-yellow flames illuminated the entire cave, making it seem like daytime.
“Damn it! The southern area is low-lying, and the rain came so suddenly. I’m worried they might be in danger!”
Li Kuo slapped his thigh anxiously.
“That can’t be. They’re used to traveling on escort missions and should be very alert. If they notice the heavy rain, they should be able to evacuate in time.”

Dou Qing twisted hard to squeeze out the remaining water from his robe.
“I need to go check. If something happens to them, how can I face Brother Ma?”
Li Kuo, however, was still worried and got up, ready to leave the cave to investigate.
“General, please rest here first and warm up. I will surely bring back the two escorts safely.”
How could Dou Qing let Li Kuo go out in the heavy rain? Gritting his teeth, he put on his now-dry robe and rushed into the pitch-black night…
“Cough, cough.”
Ni Xin coughed out the rainwater she had swallowed. Under the light of the campfire, her cheeks appeared especially pale.
The worst fear of Li Kuo had come true. Since You Long and Ni Xin were sleeping on the lower side of the cargo city, they were easily flooded by the rain. You Long avoided the storm by going to the woods to relieve himself, but Ni Xin wasn’t so lucky. It seemed unbelievable—perhaps due to exhaustion from the day, Master Ni slept deeply and didn’t notice the thundering rain. The storm hit violently, and water poured into the cargo city. With the crates and packages piled tightly together, the water had nowhere to drain, accumulating rapidly until it reached knee height. Since the two insisted on staying on the south side for night watch, Dou Qing had removed the guards from that area. Although You Long rushed back as soon as the storm started, by the time he reached the south side of the cargo city, the water had already reached Ni Xin’s neck…
Li Kuo knelt on one knee, laying Ni Xin flat on his lap, and patted his back vigorously.
“Brother Dou, press hard on Master Ni’s abdomen, following my rhythm!”
Working together, they repeated this process dozens of times.
“Pfft…”
Ni Xin suddenly leaned back and spat out some rainwater, slowly opening his eyes.
“Hot… hot…”
Ni Xin murmured weakly, trembling uncontrollably.
“How can you feel hot after being in water for so long?” Dou Qing asked in confusion.
Li Kuo laid Ni Xin back on the ground and sighed in relief. “When a person stays in water for a long time, they first feel cold and shiver. If their wet clothes aren’t changed in time, after a while, they’ll feel hot all over—this is likely a high fever. If the clothes aren’t changed and no measures are taken to warm them up, allowing the cold to affect their heart, it could be life-threatening!” (Note 1)
“Then hurry and change Master Ni’s clothes. My outer robe is almost dry too—perfect for him!”
Dou Qing acted immediately, ready to change Ni Xin’s clothes.

“Go away… leave me alone… don’t come closer, please…”
When Ni Xin saw Dou Qing approaching, she kept waving her arms frantically. After murmuring a few words, she fainted again.
“I’ll do it!”
Li Kuo took the clothes handed to him by Dou Qing and placed them on a nearby bluestone, then gently removed Ni Xin’s layered garments one by one.
After taking off Ni Xin’s undergarments, the young man was stunned as if struck by lightning.
Under the flickering flames, her delicate, snow-white body, like fine jade, displayed full, fragrant breasts…
Note 1: This is my own personal experience… Everyone must be very careful. After being exposed to rain, change into dry clothes immediately and use a heater or similar. Otherwise, it’s really dangerous—having a fever of over 40 degrees is still considered a minor issue…