" His resilience is commendable. Take him along, he'll protect you, Lian."
Patriarch Zhu said to Zhu Lian as she was holding the battered De Ming before leaving
Tears of relief welled up in Zhu Lian's eyes as she hugged the unconscious De Ming tighter
The celebration died down, leaving the Crimson Cloud manor in a peaceful quiet. The battered Zhu Feng was dragged back to his room by Elder Hu for treatment and rest.
As for De Ming, Zhu Lian carried him to her room, much to the guest's disapproval. But Zhu Lian stubbornly did it anyway. De Ming's health mattered the most, she wasn't gonna let him sleep at the infirmary's uncomfortable bamboo bed, especially not in this condition
She let him lie on her cushioned bed as she removed his robes and bandaged him up, violently blushing all the way, but she persisted
By the time she was done, she was so tired that she instantly fell asleep, lying next to De Ming on a soft mattress, the warmth accentuated by exhaustion and a heavy burden lifted from her back, the grasp of sleep pulled her right in
=====================================================
The moonlight painted Zhu Lian's room a shade of blue as it overlooked a pair of tired martial artists, each had overcome their respective struggles as they lay soundly asleep
Surrounded by an aesthetic of pink and red, walls of patterned clouds blooming flowers, a custom-built table, equipped with a beautifully crafted mirror, and containers of makeup powders and ointments. Opposite was a large dresser full of graceful traditional dresses hanging with folded up training clothes at the bottom, a balanced blend of beauty and practicality
Time passed, and an ache woke De Ming up in the middle of the night. He gasped for air, his fingers gripping the bed sheets as he waited for the pain to subside
After a while, he breathed out in relief, he had pushed himself too far this time
And then a question arose in De Ming's mind; he didn't notice because of the ache, but had the infirmary's bed always been this soft?
He racked his brain in confusion for a moment before opening his eyes, only to find Zhu Lian's delicate face right in front of him, sleeping peacefully
?!??
De Ming's jaw dropped as his face turned beet red, his heart thumped furiously as he froze in place. His mind scrambled for answers, but none could calm his frantic breathing
He tried to flee in embarrassment, but his battered and burned body wouldn't let him move, let alone stand up
His squirming ruffled the sheets, disturbing Zhu Lian's sleep
"Ming… don't leave… I'm sorry… I didn't mean it… "
De Ming heard Zhu Lian mumble in a pained and desperate voice as he was struggling to get away
He panicked and turned back, fully prepared to comfort her, only to discover that her eyes were shut, and she was fast asleep still
Her brows were furrowed, and her breath was shallow. De Ming could tell that she was in a terrible nightmare, maybe something related to him? According to her sleeptalk, it seemed plausible
He couldn't bear to leave her like this. De Ming weakly raised his hand and placed it onto hers, smiled softly and warmly, whispered
"It's fine, Lian, I'm not going anywhere. "
His words and touch eased her; the nightmares went away, peace returned to her sleeping face. Satisfied, De Ming followed suit and dozed off, his hand still holding hers
=====================================================
The sun peeked over the horizon as roosters cried out, signaling the start of a new day
Zhu Lian was the first to wake. She yawned as she sat up. Her beautiful eyes were half open, and her mind was in a morning daze. She didn't even notice the sensation of De Ming's hand around hers, and her hair was a tangled mess from her habit of rolling around when asleep
She remembered that she had collapsed while tending to De Ming's injuries and promptly jolted awake from worry, fearing that his treatment was half-heartedly done in her state of exhaustion
She turned her eyes to the young man snoring beside her, and she breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that the bandages were well wrapped. Only when her worry subsided did she noticed De Ming's hand gently holding hers
Zhu Lian let out a short, high-pitched squeak as she flinched, and a mix of surprise and embarrassment escaped her lips, her face flushed with red
Panicking, Zhu Lian screamed internally as she carefully retracted her hand, slipping away from his grasp, as gently as she could to avoid waking him. He cannot wake up right now! Zhu Lian thought before pulling back her hand and setting his down carefully
She blushed as she uttered to the sleeping boy
" Next time you could just ask… "
She spoke softly in an embarrassed tone, cupping her face bashfully before leaving the room and going to train. She had to get ready for her journey, now with De Ming and his latent talents traveling alongside her, she couldn't afford to fall behind
Over the next few days, De Ming focused on his recovery while staying in Zhu Lian's room; Zhu Lian would take time to tend to his needs, feeding him food, applying medicine, and even giving him recovery pills refined by Elder Hu.
On another note, Zhu Feng, whose injuries were minor at best, recovered completely within two days with the treatment of Elder Hu and his pills. Zhu Lian would often encounter him in the training room, putting in actual effort rather than lazing around like he always had for the past few years.
He didn't speak to her at all, there was none of his usual arrogance and snarkiness, only a young master focused on training, trying to live up to his title as heir of the Crimson Cloud. His defeat by De Ming was a humbling experience
By the sixth day after Zhu Lian's send-off party, De Ming had fully recovered, thanks to Zhu Lian's extensive care and aid from the Patriarch, who gave her valuable recovery pills to use on De Ming's health
" Your companion must be well enough not to drag you down by the time you depart."
He said sternly, not showing his warmth outright, but Zhu Lian saw right through his act
" Thank you, father!" She said, accompanied by a grateful smile, before jumping at the Patriarch, hugging him, the Patriarch sighed and hugged back
=====================================================
The day finally came, and De Ming woke up early, his body now fully recovered and filled with newfound vigor. Zhu Lian's care for him over the last week had energized him beyond measure
He swiftly gathered his belongings, a handful of tools and cookware, the wooden token of participation given by the mysterious elder, a few sets of traveling clothes provided by Elder Hu, crimson-accented black hanfus with a Crimson Cloud symbol embroidered at the back, his savings, containers of medicine salves, and some rations for the road
All of this was neatly packed and wrapped in a leather sleeping bag that De Ming slung over his shoulder, he was ready to hit the road!
He headed outside to the manor's gate, the servants were all gathered up front, prepared to send off Zhu Lian.
De Ming walked by the familiar faces of fellow servants and guards as each of them offered De Ming short goodbyes and words of encouragement. De Ming only nodded in response as his tears silently welled up under his black eyes. He had been working with these people all his life; after all, goodbyes are never easy.
He kept walking before he made eye contact with Zhu Lian, who was wearing a pinkish changpao, simple, maneuverable, and easily maintained. Yet it didn't obscure her youthful beauty, not at all
" Zhu Lian! You look great!"
De Ming made a cheeky remark, trying to get a cute reaction out of her. The days of recovery had gotten them closer; they were now comfortable with exchanging light-hearted jokes and banter
Unfortunately, his timing this time was horrible at best
"Ming! Not now! " Zhu Lian scolded
Before De Ming could ask why, the patriarch, who had been there the whole time, the man whom De Ming was too focused on Zhu Lian to notice, cleared his throat loudly
" Ehem!"
His voice was deep and stern as usual, De Ming turned his face awkwardly to face him, sweating bullets as he looked up
Zhu Zhang's normally unreadable face was very clearly expressing an emotion at the moment, and the bulging veins on his forehead told De Ming that it was undoubtedly anger
" Make good of your vow, protect my daughter, " He said with a harsh tone, yet the contents of his words were that of approval. Is he really just shy? De Ming pondered silently
" I will, patriarch! You can leave her to me!"
De Ming answered confidently, Zhu Zhang nodded, gave his daughter one last look of pride, and went back in. Elder Hu followed closely behind him
De Ming and Zhu Lian gave the manor one last look as they stepped forward onto the dirt road
" Hey!"
Suddenly, a loud voice crashed out, halting their steps as they turned back to see Zhu Feng frantically running out from the manor. Expecting another fight, De Ming went into a combat stance
But Zhu Feng only went as far as the family's gate, his eyes narrowed as they met De Ming's cautious gaze
" De Ming… take care of Lian for me."
He spoke sharply as he turned away, walking back silently
" I will!" De Ming yelled back
Zhu Feng's face grew a subtle smile as he walked inside
His wide back was now strangely reliable, the same as the benevolent big brother De Ming remembered years ago
De Ming and Zhu Lian gave each other a determined look before they started walking away