Ger, So Proud

Chapter 56

It wasn’t until noon on the third day that the heavy snow finally stopped. The accumulated snow on the ground was about three feet deep, reaching an adult man’s thigh.

As the snow cleared, the sun shone brightly, making the day even colder.

Because of the sudden snowstorm, the streets and alleys were deserted. Even Xu Qingsheng’s clinic remained closed, giving him a rare two-day break at home.

Just as he finished his meal, there was a loud knock on the door, accompanied by a frantic voice, “Doctor Xu, Doctor Xu, are you there? Doctor Xu!”

Surprised by the urgency, Xu Qingsheng opened the door, only to be startled by the disheveled appearance of the two men before him. “Who are you…?”

“Doctor Xu, are you Doctor Xu Qingsheng?” Liu San panted, speaking between gasps, hands on his knees.

His hair was disheveled, with dried leaves and dirt stuck to it. His trousers were soaked up to his knees, dripping water. The man next to him, He Dalang, looked just as bedraggled.

“Yes, yes, that’s me. Who are you? Are you unwell?”

“No, it’s not us…” Liu San waved his hand, and He Dalang quickly interjected, “It’s not us. We’re from Hejia Village. Uncle Zhang suddenly fainted. Uncle Li said you’ve been his doctor. We went to your clinic but didn’t find you, and a passerby told us you live here. We were wondering if…”

“Uncle Zhang? You mean Yu-ge’s dad?” Xu Qingsheng asked anxiously.

“Yes, Lin Yu’s dad. Several uncles in the village are looking after him. The snow is too thick; carts and carriages are prone to slipping. Can we carry you?”

“No need, I’ll pack my medicine chest and go with you right away. Wait here!”

Before they could respond, Xu Qingsheng hurried back inside. In no time, he returned with his medicine chest on his back.

Liu San and He Dalang exchanged a relieved glance, grateful that the doctor was willing to make a house call despite the weather.

“Doctor Xu, are you sure you don’t need us to carry you?”

As Xu Qingsheng locked his door, Liu San asked again.

“No need, no need. In this weather, carrying me would waste time. We must hurry. If anything happens to him…” Xu Qingsheng said, his voice trailing off in worry.

Although the snow was deep, the streets were still better than the mountain paths. Xu Qingsheng sighed and, supporting himself against the wall, trudged through the snow towards the road.

“Dr. Xu, would it be alright if Dalang helps you get there? I need to find He Ze immediately. He hasn’t been home for two days, and something serious has happened to Lin Yu…”

“Yu-ge? What happened to him? What’s going on?” Xu Qingsheng stopped, looking worried.

“Lin Yu went up the mountain a couple of days ago and hasn’t come down since. He’s likely trapped up there… The snow was too heavy yesterday, so we couldn’t let his dad go up the mountain to search. Today, the snow finally eased, and early this morning, several men from the village went up to look for him. His dad went too, but they haven’t found him yet. He got so worried and cold that he fainted. We didn’t dare delay and came to find you immediately!”

“And now? Have they found Yu-ge yet?”

“Not yet,” Liu San shook his head, his face showing his anxiety. “The snow is so deep, the mountain must be freezing and dangerous. We don’t know his condition, and we just hope he’s alright. He Ze has been in town for the past two days and hasn’t returned. Uncle He and Uncle Li don’t know where he is. When they saw us heading to town, they asked us to look for him.”

“But… But finding He Ze won’t help, will it? How…”

“Dr. Xu, you don’t understand, Lin Yu is…” Liu San’s words were cut short by a glare from He Dalang. He realized his mistake and corrected himself, “I’ll explain it to you another time. For now, I need to find He Ze quickly. Be careful on your way, and if you get tired, let Dalang carry you!”

Without waiting for a response, Liu San hurriedly gave a few more instructions to He Dalang and then trudged through the snow in the opposite direction.

“Well then…”

“Dr. Xu, let’s go. Uncle Zhang is waiting for you,” He Dalang said, not wanting to elaborate further. He took the medicine chest from Xu Qingsheng’s shoulder and carried it himself. “If you get tired, just let me know!”

Seeing their urgency, Xu Qingsheng had his suspicions but didn’t press for details. He quickly followed He Dalang.

On the other side, Liu San first went to the town academy. However, likely due to the weather, he reached the academy’s outer walls only to find not a single person there.

Left with no other choice, he then visited several places they used to frequent. Finally, at Yu’s Tavern, he got news of He Ze’s whereabouts, but He Ze was still not present.

“He Ze has been staying here for the past couple of days, but he went out this morning and hasn’t returned. Why don’t you wait for him?”

“Wait? There’s no time to wait… where did he go?” Liu San’s face was flushed, either from running or from worry.

“He has been spending time in the Flower Bird Alley these days, looking for someone named Master Cai. You might find him there.”

Before the innkeeper finished speaking, Liu San wrung out his wet pants and hurried out of the tavern. Upon reaching the Flower Bird Alley, he saw He Ze coming out of Master Cai’s courtyard.

“What did you say? Lin Yu is trapped on the mountain?”

After hearing Liu San’s news, He Ze was both shocked and anxious, his face instantly changing color. His hand clenched into a fist beneath his sleeve.

“Two days, he’s been missing for two days. With such heavy snow, isn’t it obvious he’s trapped? I had a hard time finding you, we should hurry… Hey, you!”

Before Liu San could finish, He Ze had already sprinted off into the distance. Liu San paused for a moment before shaking his head and chasing after him.

Seeing He Ze’s reaction, it was clear he was deeply involved. Now, all Liu San could hope for was that nothing had happened to Lin Yu. Otherwise…

Liu San sighed inwardly and quickened his pace.

Yet, he couldn’t catch up. Whether He Ze was too fast or he was too slow, by the time he reached the intersection, He Ze was already out of sight.

The sun was about to set, and the sky was getting darker. Liu San had no choice but to slow down.

Meanwhile, He Ze had already entered Xiangyang Mountain.

He didn’t return to the village. Upon reaching the entrance, he used the trees along the mountain path to travel quickly. Within moments, he reached the mountain, thankfully unnoticed due to the weather.

The snow was thick, and the world was a vast expanse of white.

As soon as He Ze reached Xiangyang Mountain, he closed his eyes without even standing still. In that instant, the entire mountain glowed with green light, swirling and mingling with the white snow. This strange and beautiful sight, however, was seen by no one.

Except He Ze.

He used the surrounding trees to scan the forest. Despite the tremendous energy consumption of this ability, he could no longer care.

Lin Yu, you absolutely must be safe.

He had never been this scared, not even during the apocalypse when he knew he was about to die.

He Ze’s hand gripped the nearby tree trunk so tightly that the rough, sharp bark cut his fingertips, but he seemed oblivious to the pain.

After about a quarter of an hour, he finally opened his eyes, but his brows were furrowed.

He found him, but Lin Yu’s condition…

It’s okay, everything will be okay.

He Ze forced himself to remain calm, not daring to think too much. He gradually merged his hand into the tree beside him, then his body. With a step, he disappeared from the spot.

A few moments later, He Ze’s figure emerged from another tree halfway up the northern peak.

Not far away, a yellow bamboo basket was vaguely visible. Beside it, a figure leaned against the tree trunk, snow piled up to his waist, his upper body covered in a thin layer of snow. A reddish-brown longbow was tightly clasped in his arms, and his exposed hand was the same color as the longbow, red.

Above that, his pallid face and dark lips.

It was Lin Yu.

He Ze’s pupils contracted, and he almost instantly rushed to Lin Yu’s side. He quickly brushed off the snow on Lin Yu’s body, revealing the tears in his outer garment and the swelling on his ankle.

“Lin Yu, wake up… wake up!”

He Ze’s voice trembled as he held Lin Yu tightly in his arms, like holding a human-shaped block of ice, the chill penetrating his bones.

Rubbing Lin Yu’s arms continuously, He Ze watched as the pallor of Lin Yu’s face gradually turned rosy, his eyes sweeping over the surrounding trees, countless green lights entering Lin Yu’s body.

“It’s okay, everything will be okay…” He Ze murmured to himself, unsure if he was speaking to Lin Yu or to himself.

The green lights grew more and more, while He Ze’s expression grew paler.

Lin Yu had been frozen for too long, and there were probably other injuries on his body that He Ze didn’t know about, causing his ability to rapidly deplete.

After about half an hour, He Ze’s eyelids grew heavier, while Lin Yu’s complexion gradually became ruddy.

The warm breath sprayed on He Ze’s neck, and his tense body finally relaxed. Leaning against the tree trunk, He Ze picked Lin Yu up in his arms and slowly disappeared from the spot.

The next day was another sunny day, and the sunlight shone directly on the faces of the two inside the cave, the glaring light causing Lin Yu to blink his eyes, finally waking up.

Rubbing his sleepy eyes.

He had a dream, dreaming that he went to hunt Blind Bear, but he was caught. The Blind Bear didn’t eat him, but kept him bound, unable to move at all.

Lin Yu rubbed his eyes, then widened them the next second.

He was indeed bound, not a dream!

The hands tightly tied around his waist, the legs crossed over his, and… the face less than an inch away.

He Ze?

Was it He Ze? Or was he dreaming?

He clearly remembered hurting his ankle again, intending to descend the mountain slowly, but then he stepped on empty space, and later collided with his chest, after which he fainted.

Lin Yu touched his chest, feeling no discomfort. He subconsciously moved his legs again, feeling a little pain in his ankle, but it was much better now.

What… what’s going on? And why is He Ze here?

Lin Yu looked at the person sleeping in front of him, almost greedily. Even if it was a dream, it was a beautiful dream.

Before passing out, he thought he would never see He Ze again.

At that moment, he regretted it deeply.

He liked this person, he wanted to marry him, but could all the disasters be borne by him alone?

That would be so much better.

Lin Yu couldn’t help but reach out, his fingertips tracing down He Ze’s face, from his forehead to his eyebrows, he paused. He Ze might not even know it himself, but since the time he rescued him, there had always been a sense of oppression on him, a chilling oppression.

Or perhaps, it was a threat.

He was sensitive to this feeling after years of hunting.

And now, He Ze was sleeping with his eyes closed, his whole person unusually gentle. This gentleness was like the sunlight beside him, carrying a faint warmth.

Lin Yu couldn’t help but curl his lips, his hand sliding down to He Ze’s nose, thin lips, chin… actually, quite handsome.

He had never looked at a man so seriously before.

His face was slightly hot, and his fingertips moved up again, stopping at the corner of He Ze’s lips, where it was faintly red, a bit dry. Lin Yu stared at it and lost himself.

Was this really a dream?

What should he do? He really wanted to kiss him, just a kiss, he wouldn’t notice, right?

Lin Yu tugged at his clothes, slowly bringing his face closer to his own. At the moment their lips touched, his heart pounded like a drum.

Was this what kissing felt like? There was no taste at all, but he just didn’t want to pull away. Lin Yu couldn’t help but extend his tongue to lick it, the wetness spreading, He Ze’s lips taking on a reddish hue.

The fingers wrapped around Lin Yu’s waist moved slightly.

After a long time, Lin Yu finally straightened up, just as his lips moved away, the person in front of him suddenly opened his eyes, their eyes meeting. He Ze pressed his hand against the back of his head and forcefully pressed against him.

Author’s Note:
From this chapter on, I’m afraid you’ll be so sweet you’ll get cavities.