Still Secretly In Love With My Enemy Today - Chapter 46

Chapter 46: 

 

Two more cycles of the sun and moon passed, and I was finally able to get out of bed.

 

I had actually felt ready a day and a half ago, but Xie Huaishuang had insisted on pressing me back down for another half-day. On the morning of the second day, after I made my request to stand, Xie Huaishuang spent a long time looking at me with deep suspicion. I simply pushed myself off the edge of the bed and stood up.

 

“How could you…”

 

“You ought to have a little more faith in me.”

 

Xie Huaishuang was exhausted to the point of collapse, yet he was still trying to do everything himself. I couldn’t bear to let such days continue for a moment longer.

 

Now, I could finally see the full extent of the room. It was likely an abandoned shack in the middle of nowhere, consisting of only one small chamber. In another corner, a mess of items was piled up—likely cleared away in a hurry by Xie Huaishuang. His outer robe lay on top, the bloodstains long since dried into a dark crust.

 

I found what I was looking for, aware that Xie Huaishuang was following me like a shadow.

 

“What are you trying to do? Tell me, I’ll do it…”

 

“Sit down.”

 

I pressed him onto the edge of the bed. He frowned. “You should go back and lie down properly—”

 

He went silent the moment I pulled back his collar.

 

“You said you had it ‘under control’?”

 

Xie Huaishuang remained stubborn. “It was never a big deal to begin with…”

 

I wanted to point out that he was doing “that” again, but looking at him, I couldn’t find a single word of reproach. His hair wasn’t properly tied, cascading over his shoulders in long strands. In his pale, weary state, the colors of his features seemed more pronounced as he stared at me unblinkingly.

 

Without a word, I slowly peeled away the bandages he had crudely applied. I felt him give a slight shiver, and my movements became even lighter.

 

By the time I had meticulously treated all of his wounds, half an hour had passed. When I stood up, the wound on my lower left abdomen pulled sharply. I thought I could hide a slight wince from him, but it didn’t escape his eyes.

 

“Get back in bed. Now.”

 

He pulled his clothes back up haphazardly and pressed down on my left shoulder. “Before noon, you are not to move an inch, no matter what.”

 

I had observed over the past few days that Xie Huaishuang usually brewed medicine in the morning and afternoon, and checked the surroundings every two hours. There was still an hour until noon; he likely had nothing to do during that time anyway. If he wanted me to stay still until noon, I would stay still.

 

Xie Huaishuang was visibly surprised to see me lie back down so obediently without a word of protest. He paused, then narrowed his eyes. “You calculated the timing, didn’t you?”

 

…

 

This was our fifth day staying here.

 

“Senior Sister should arrive tonight,” he calculated. “Then she’ll take you back to Iron Cloud City.”

 

This was the first time he had spoken to me about what happened during that interval.

 

“I just felt something was wrong that day.”

 

He didn’t dare touch my right shoulder, so he leaned against my left. I hadn’t realized before how much he liked physical proximity.

 

—Then again, I hadn’t realized how much I needed to be near him, either.

 

“Everything was chaotic. We were scattered during the breakout… so I turned back to find you.”

 

“Why turn back for me?”

 

“I couldn’t feel at peace.” He paused, then continued, “I felt uneasy that night. I know those people in the Temple better than you do…”

 

Was that why he had asked me for the specific coordinates over and over again?

 

“I heard the news that you had been captured. And then… I came for you. There wasn’t time to find anyone else. I ran into Doctor Ye nearby; she gave me some medicine. You know the rest.”

 

“Ye Jingwei… why was she in the area?”

 

“The Fifth Elder of the Temple had a recurrence of an old ailment. They invited her and her master several times before they finally agreed to come.” He paused. “When I saw Doctor Ye, she said it was a coincidence. I don’t believe in coincidences.”

 

I could already imagine what Ye Jingwei would say. She’d undoubtedly claim she was just afraid I’d lose my life before finishing her remaining iron puppets. She and her master were alike—always claiming they helped Iron Cloud City because the City Lord paid too well, and always asking if she could pay a little more.

 

“We owe Doctor Ye another favor.”

 

“Her favors are actually easy to repay,” I told him. “Give her money, lots of it, or lots of valuable materials.”

 

“…”

 

Xie Huaishuang likely understood. Her desires were simple. In a way, we all sought the same things. But having common goals is one thing; showing gratitude for a life-saving favor is another.

 

Xie Huaishuang lowered his head in thought for a while, then began to seriously count his possessions one by one. When he finished, he asked, “Do you think this is enough?”

 

“You don’t need that much.” I pressed his fingers back down—he had even included his favorite necklace. “I’ll cover the rest. Both she and her master love things made in Iron Cloud City.”

 

Knowing Ye Jingwei, the debt of three iron puppets would likely double or triple. I heard she had too many patients and used the puppets for simple labor—it was cheaper than hiring people, allowing her to save money to buy herbs for those who couldn’t afford them.

 

Xie Huaishuang nodded, then remembered something else.

 

“I came to find you, but Iron Cloud City must have been looking for us too. Senior Sister’s mechanical bird found this place yesterday. I had it carry a letter back.”

 

Hundreds of miles, through blades and shadows, and he dismissed it with the light phrase “came to find you.” He was always like that.

 

“Don’t do it again.”

 

Xie Huaishuang didn’t respond. After a moment of silence, he changed the subject.

 

“Don’t worry about the Temple. This place is hard to find… even if they do, it’s the same. I’ll just kill them all.”

 

Xie Huaishuang showed me his sword, drawing it to reveal a blade riddled with nicks and notches. He looked at it, then lifted his gaze to me, looking somewhat heartbroken. He had used this sword for a long time; this was likely the first time it had been damaged so badly.

 

“Can it be fixed?”

 

I took it from his hand and inspected it. “Yes.”

 

Xie Huaishuang sat up straighter. “Can it really be restored to how it was?”

 

“Yes.” I pressed his hand as I gave it back. “If you want, I can make it even better than before.”

 

Xie Huaishuang lowered his eyes, staring at his sword for a long while before leaning back against me. “Focus on getting better first.”

 

“Am I not doing well?”

 

Xie Huaishuang shot me a look that clearly said don’t make me scold you.

 

“…My mistake. I’ll definitely be careful next time.”

 

…

 

Xie Huaishuang was right. In the evening, the bells outside rang again, but this time they were accompanied by the sound of iron wings churning the air.

 

When the door opened, it was indeed Senior Sister Chen. She ran up through the night, quickly scanning the both of us twice before closing her eyes and letting out a long, shaky breath.

 

“Senior Sister,” Xie Huaishuang greeted her.

 

She opened her eyes. The way she looked at Xie Huaishuang was strange—as if she wanted to say something but held back. She quickly shifted her gaze to me, her brow furrowed.

 

“We’ll talk back at the city. This place isn’t safe.”

 

As we lifted ten yards off the ground, I looked through the window and saw a group of people swarming toward the shack, likely drawn by the noise of our departure.

 

“Senior Sister, how are the City Lord and the others?”

 

“In Iron Cloud City. Just minor surface wounds, nothing to worry about.”

 

She adjusted the flight path and came over to look at us. We were leaning against the window together—now that we were in relative safety, the tension finally snapped, and a wave of sleepiness washed over us. Looking at Xie Huaishuang’s expression, I guessed he felt the same.

 

“How did the two of you end up in such a state?”

 

Senior Sister Chen knelt down, her gaze darting between us with that same hesitant expression.

 

“Senior Sister, what exactly is the matter?”

 

She didn’t speak. After a moment, she shook her head and pulled out a medicine chest. “This is what Doctor Ye said you’d need. We had to scour all of Iron Cloud City to find the ingredients… it seems a lot of it will be useful for both of you.”

 

“Ye Jingwei?”

 

“Before I set out, she came to the city to find me and left these.” Senior Sister Chen opened the chest. “She said she couldn’t do anything else, so she’d help this way.”

 

“Is she still in Iron Cloud City?”

 

“She left the items and vanished. Who knows where she went.” Senior Sister Chen’s hands paused for a beat before she continued, “She’s always been like that… a nomad.”

 

She pulled out several jars and bottles. She said nothing as she handed mine to me, but when she looked at Xie Huaishuang, her gaze became complicated again. When he thanked her, she merely gave a slight nod.

 

Xie Huaishuang was confused, clutching the medicine bottles and stealing a glance at me. I was just as confused. I asked Senior Sister Chen, but she refused to elaborate, saying only that we’d talk back at the city.

 

What on earth could she not say?

 

Xie Huaishuang had been pushing himself for days; he fell asleep before I did, his head resting on my shoulder. I slowly adjusted my position to pull him closer. Looking up, I saw Senior Sister Chen watching us with a frown, her book only half-turned.

 

“You two…”

 

She trailed off. I thought I saw her let out a soft sigh as she lowered her head again. I looked myself over and couldn’t see what I was doing that was so out of line.

 

…

 

By the next morning, the familiar peaks appeared through the window. Past those mountains was Iron Cloud City.

 

Senior Sister Chen remained quiet. Xie Huaishuang slept deeply most of the time; even when he woke, he wasn’t fully lucid, looking at me and the surroundings briefly before being coaxed back to sleep. Aside from the hum of the engine, the small space of the machine was silent.

 

Just before we landed, Senior Sister Chen finally spoke.

 

“There is something I need to make clear to you.”

 

“What is it?”

 

Senior Sister Chen glanced at Xie Huaishuang, took a deep breath, and sat down across from me.

 

“This is… the former High Priest of the Temple, isn’t he?”

 

I was puzzled. “Didn’t you know that a long time ago?”

 

Senior Sister Chen finally snapped, as if she had been holding it in for far too long. “How could I have known? How could I possibly have known!”

 

“Then before…”

 

Wait.

 

“You… you don’t need to explain. I can tell from this trip that Little Xie… he’s a good child. But I truly never expected…”

 

I instinctively looked at Xie Huaishuang. He was still asleep, his eyelashes fluttering slightly with his breath.

 

“Was it back then… back at Linlang Pavilion that you and him…” Senior Sister Chen’s expression was bizarre. “Or was it… was it even earlier?”

 

Wait. When she mentioned Linlang Pavilion, I started to sense the problem.

 

—The biggest event of one’s life. —We will prepare it for you. —Are you sincere? Sincere.

 

“Don’t tell me that for all these years, the two of you have actually—”

 

“No!”

 

I jolted, which startled Xie Huaishuang awake. He half-opened his eyes and looked at me with total confusion. Both of them were now staring at me searchingly. Though the weather wasn’t hot, I suddenly felt a cold sweat.

 

—I finally understood. I understood completely.

 

Senior Sister and the others never knew Xie Huaishuang’s identity, and Xie Huaishuang and I never knew that they didn’t know.

 

When I said he was my “nemesis” back then, the City Lord and Senior Sister misinterpreted it to mean he was the person I wanted to marry.

 

But because the person I wanted to marry and my nemesis happened to be the exact same person—the person I cared about most in every possible sense—everything had proceeded with a bizarre, accidental logic. It had all just… worked out!

 

Stared at by the two of them, I could only manage one dry sentence.

 

“…Things being as they are.”