The Innocent Heart - Chapter 67

The two returned to the manor. Huo Qubing took a look at his friend’s current state; Guan Yueyao was covered in dust, and her clothes were quite dirty because of the fall she took while riding that morning.

He knew that Guan Yueyao’s hygiene habits were somewhat different from those of most people today; even in this late autumn season, her frequency of bathing and washing her hair remained very high.

Huo Qubing swept a brief glance over her and said with a smile, “A-Yao, I expect you’ll want to bathe again today. But since your arm is inconvenient right now and can’t get wet, I’ll have Luxiu and the others come serve you while you bathe.”

Guan Yueyao was currently drenched in sweat and had rolled on the ground, picking up quite a bit of dirt; she was indeed anxious to take a refreshing bath. She was just about to nod at the first half of Huo Qubing’s sentence when she heard the second half. It startled her so much she waved her hands frantically. “No need, no need! It’s just a minor injury, I can handle it myself.”

Huo Qubing didn’t understand why his friend was so resistant to being served by servants during a bath, but since she had always been this way, he naturally assumed it was a habit she had cultivated in that other era.

He didn’t insist and gestured for the maids to prepare hot water. Still feeling uneasy, he took another look at his friend’s heavily bandaged arm; it was no longer bleeding, but healing wouldn’t be that simple.

“Are you really okay alone? How about… I help you?” Huo Qubing’s tone was a bit hesitant. In all his life, he had only ever been served by others. Even in front of the Emperor, he only had to be the obedient “student of the Son of Heaven” and enjoy the palace attendants’ service. He had truly never done the work of serving someone else.

But looking at Guan Yueyao’s current state, he highly doubted she could manage without any problems on her own.

“NO!!!” Guan Yueyao was so spooked by Huo Qubing’s offer that she blurted out an English word and scrambled back two steps.

“I really can do it by myself! Whatever you do, don’t come in!” Guan Yueyao looked at Huo Qubing with a trace of wariness, firmly vetoing his decision once again.

Finding his good intentions so strongly rejected, Huo Qubing couldn’t help but flush red. He wasn’t in the mood to investigate what that strange sound she just made meant; he glared at her with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance.

“Fine, wash yourself then!” Having said that, he turned around in a huff and hurried back into his own room.

Once back in his room, he sat down at his desk and picked up the bamboo slips the Emperor had bestowed upon him recently, but he couldn’t take in a single word. The image of Guan Yueyao looking at him with panic and wariness kept flashing through his mind.

Huo Qubing felt a bit embarrassed; the offer to help A-Yao bathe had popped out without a second thought. It really wasn’t like him, but perhaps it was simply because he had grown accustomed to being completely unreserved in front of her.

Thinking about it now, the reason that thought had occurred to him was solely out of genuine concern for the wound on her arm. In this era where medicine was not very advanced, a minor illness or injury could easily take a person’s life. Huo Qubing rationalized it to himself: worrying about a friend’s injury was only human. It was just that A-Yao wasn’t used to people seeing her body—it wasn’t a personal slight against him, so what was there to be annoyed about?

“By the way, where is that bottle of wound medicine the Emperor rewarded me with last time?” Once he thought it through, Huo Qubing quickly shifted his focus. He rose and summoned the maids, ordering them to prepare the linen bandages and ointments needed for the dressing change before Guan Yueyao finished her bath.

While Huo Qubing was rummaging through his room for the imperial medicine, the bathroom was filled with steam and silence. If one didn’t look closely, it would be hard to tell a person was currently soaking in the large wooden tub.

Guan Yueyao kept the arm cut by Lietian suspended over the rim of the tub, while using her uninjured hand to carefully wipe her arm with a towel. Without her clothes covering her, she realized it wasn’t just that one cut; she had several other scrapes across her body, likely from rolling on the ground in the arena.

She hadn’t felt much pain at the time, but now that they touched the water, these tiny wounds on her knees and elbows began to sting. However, years of practicing martial arts had made her used to such pain. She didn’t cry out; she only secretly missed modern spray-on bandages. Those things stung like crazy when first applied, but once they formed a film, they were truly waterproof and helped wounds heal much faster.

After tending to her wounds, Guan Yueyao rested her back against the rim of the tub, feeling the warm water slowly wash away the fatigue brought on by the intense exercise.

However, the sense of guilt in her heart could not be washed away. Regardless of her starting point—whether it was a coincidence of fate or a deliberate choice—it was an indisputable fact that she was deceiving her best friend. Guan Yueyao thought again of the concern in Qubing’s eyes and his disappointment after being rejected.

She had let down her friend’s sincere care; Guan Yueyao felt this deeply at this moment.

Maybe I should just come clean with Qubing and tell him I’m actually a girl.

Guan Yueyao began to weigh it in her mind. If she lost that minor official post, she lost it; she didn’t care. But what if Qubing saw her as a liar and never spoke to her again… That thought flashed through her mind, and her heart, which had been eager to confess, suddenly went cold.

The bathroom was quiet, and she was all alone. Just imagining Huo Qubing treating her with cold indifference made her feel as if she weren’t soaking in warm water, but placed in a freezing river in the dead of winter.

No, I can’t. I absolutely cannot let Qubing know my true gender.

Guan Yueyao thought in a panic. Even if it meant going against her true feelings and continuing this lie like “drinking poison to quench thirst,” she still hoped to maintain her current friendship with Huo Qubing.

Qubing, I’m sorry. As a friend, I haven’t been honest with you. I hope that one day, I will have the courage to tell you about the thing I’ve been hiding all this time.

Guan Yueyao was lost in her thoughts until the bathwater gradually turned cold. Luxiu poked her head in from outside and asked, “Attendant Guan, would you like more hot water?”

A splashing sound came from inside. “No need, I’m finished.”

Luxiu knew this young lord’s quirk—that he didn’t like anyone serving him even while dressing. She was used to it, acknowledged him, and withdrew again.

When Guan Yueyao walked into Huo Qubing’s room, he was looking down at the bamboo slips he had been unable to focus on earlier. Hearing the noise, he looked up toward the door and, as expected, saw Guan Yueyao. Because her hair wasn’t dry, it was draped loose, and wisps of steam were rising from her head.

Huo Qubing rose to meet his friend, but he noticed that the smile usually on her face—the one that always looked a bit carefree and simple—was missing.

Is A-Yao unhappy? That thought surfaced, making Huo Qubing feel a bit surprised. In the time it took to take a bath, what could have happened to upset her?

“A-Yao, what’s wrong? Does the wound hurt because it got wet?” The last trace of his annoyance and awkwardness vanished, replaced by worry. He took her hand and led her to the inner chamber.

“This is the wound medicine the Emperor bestowed earlier; it has miraculous effects on healing. Quickly, undo the linen and I’ll apply the medicine for you.” Huo Qubing pointed to an exquisitely crafted small gold jar on the desk.

Guan Yueyao, her heart heavy with thoughts, let him lead her to a seat. It wasn’t until she felt a comfortable coolness on her wound that she snapped back to reality. Looking closely, she saw Huo Qubing holding her hand with somewhat clumsy movements. Likely worried about hurting her by touching the wound, his actions were exceptionally cautious.

Faced with her friend’s unreserved care, Guan Yueyao’s heart felt a pang, and the impulse to confess her gender surged again. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Huo Qubing noticed something was off, looked up with a smile, and asked, “What? Did I hurt you?”

Guan Yueyao shook her head. After hesitating for a long while, she asked tentatively, “Qubing, would you be friends with a girl?”

“Huh?” Huo Qubing was baffled by the question. He stopped his movements and looked at her, but saw that her expression was serious, as if she wasn’t joking.

“Of course not. What would I have to talk about with those young ladies? Chat about how many new dresses they made, or how many new pieces of jewelry they had crafted?” Perhaps thinking the scene was too ridiculous, Huo Qubing couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“But what if it was just like how we interact?” Guan Yueyao was unmoved and pressed further, her tone carrying a hint of urgency she didn’t realize.

“That wouldn’t work either. Men and women shouldn’t even sit together after the age of seven. Even if there were a young lady we could get along with like this, could she go to the front lines and kill enemies with us?” Huo Qubing waved his hand. “Besides, those young ladies are all very delicate; a little bump or scratch would cause a huge scene. Interacting with them is just too awkward.”

“Oh.” Guan Yueyao lowered her head slightly. The words of confession reached her lips and were swallowed back down.

“A-Yao, what is wrong with you, asking such a question out of nowhere…” Huo Qubing looked at her suspiciously. “It couldn’t be… that you’ve taken a liking to some young lady?”

“Where did you get that idea?! I was just curious!” Guan Yueyao waved her hand frantically to deny it, but the movement was too large and tugged at her wound, causing her to let out a low cry.

“Ow, ow, ow, hurts!” Seeing a bit of pale blood water seeping from the wound again, the two no longer had the leisure to continue the previous topic. They scrambled to finish tending to the injury.

“Hey, I told you to be still! That tugged it, didn’t it? Let’s see if you keep moving around now!” Huo Qubing glared at her, but seeing her face grow pale from the pain, he swallowed the rest of his lecture.