Jun Huailang suddenly lost his footing, and instinctively grabbed tightly onto Xue Yan’s lapel.
The next moment, a fierce wind surged around them. Before the falling rocks could hit the ground, Xue Yan carried him several feet forward in a leap, then pressed him firmly against a hard stone wall.
The mountain rocks were jagged, digging into Jun Huailang’s back and causing a brief, sharp pain.
Xue Yan pressed tightly against him, his somewhat hurried breathing falling against Jun Huailang’s ear.
Almost at the same time, there was a tremendous crash of rocks landing behind them. In only a moment, Jun Huailang’s eyes went dark.
Only then did he realize that Xue Yan had pushed him into a very shallow little hollow in the mountainside. The small hollow could accommodate at most one or two people. Calling it a cave was somewhat generous; in reality, it was merely a depression in the mountainside.
And just moments ago, the enormous section of mountainside that had collapsed had slammed down onto the road. In an instant, the entire road had been buried beneath massive rocks.
The little hollow they were in had also been completely buried.
After the deafening crash came a deathly silence. All that remained around them was the sound of their breathing after narrowly escaping death.
Just then, there was another tremendous rumble.
A section of rock near them had become unstable after the sudden collapse and now gave way a second time on a smaller scale.
A muffled groan came from Xue Yan beside Jun Huailang’s ear.
“Prince?” Jun Huailang hurriedly called out, reaching toward the back of his head.
If he had been struck in the head by a falling rock, something would surely have gone wrong.
“Don’t move.” Xue Yan’s low, hoarse voice sounded beside his ear.
Jun Huailang froze.
“Did it hit you?” he asked.
Xue Yan paused, then took a deep breath.
“I’m fine.”
The two of them were extremely close at this moment, with Xue Yan almost completely covering him. As he spoke, his warm breath fell against the side of Jun Huailang’s neck without the slightest obstruction.
Jun Huailang could even feel the tremor in Xue Yan’s breathing.
Jun Huailang knew how much Xue Yan could endure. If he could hear pain in his voice, then the injury certainly wasn’t minor.
“It did hit you!” Without realizing it, Jun Huailang’s voice had also begun to tremble.
He didn’t dare move, afraid that he might cause Xue Yan’s wound to scrape against the stone wall.
Thus his entire body remained tense. The more carefully he restrained himself, the more obvious the tremor in his voice became.
“Where did it hit you? Is it serious?”
But Xue Yan let out a low laugh beside his ear.
“What are you afraid of?” he said. “If it were really serious, would I still be able to talk?”
Jun Huailang could tell that when Xue Yan spoke again, he had barely managed to steady his breathing and was pretending to be unaffected.
But even so, the involuntary tremor in his breathing could not be concealed.
For some reason, Jun Huailang’s eyes grew hot.
At that critical moment just now, his own mind had gone completely blank, yet Xue Yan had immediately rushed forward and saved him.
And with only one place to hide, he had pushed Jun Huailang inside first.
…How could this man be like this? At a moment when life and death hung in the balance, he was willing to throw even his own life away for him.
What if that enormous rock had struck him when the mountain collapsed? What if it had landed on the back of his head?
No one could say what would have happened.
Jun Huailang had seen it clearly. Xue Yan had desperately shoved him into this place without even having time to worry about what was behind him. If this hollow had been even a little narrower, Xue Yan would already have been buried beneath the falling rocks.
“You can’t lie to me,” he said.
Xue Yan seemed to hear that something was wrong with his tone. He paused slightly and said nothing for a moment.
After a while, bracing one hand against the rock wall, he struggled to raise the other and gently smoothed Jun Huailang’s hair.
“I really am fine.” His voice was still deep and cold, but it was obvious that he had deliberately softened his tone, trying to make himself sound gentler. “Look. I’m perfectly fine, aren’t I?”
He had never been one to talk much, yet now he continued, “The Embroidered Uniform Guard acts quickly, and Duan Shisi also knows where we came. It won’t take long for them to arrive. Don’t be afraid.”
Jun Huailang gave a muffled hum.
Only then did he realize that, at some point, his voice had become slightly choked.
Perhaps trying to cheer him up, Xue Yan gave another soft laugh.
“How did you end up crying too?” His voice was cold to begin with, and even when he laughed, it didn’t become much friendlier. Instead, there was a hint of wickedness in it, making him sound almost like some street thug or local bully.
Jun Huailang sniffed softly.
“You said you’re fine, but I don’t believe you,” he said. “Why did you bother with me just now? What would happen if something happened to you?”
In the darkness, Xue Yan frowned, and the smile disappeared from his face.
“How could I not?” His tone was somewhat fierce. “Was I supposed to leave you there?”
He said it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, leaving no room for argument. Jun Huailang was speechless for a moment.
He pressed his lips together and said nothing.
After a while, Xue Yan sighed.
“…Just be angry with me, then,” he gritted out.
Jun Huailang didn’t understand.
“Hm?”
Perhaps because the darkness around them meant Xue Yan could not see Jun Huailang’s eyes. Perhaps because the two of them were pressed tightly against each other, their breaths and body heat mingling together in this cramped space. That faint birchwood fragrance seemed almost as though he were holding the birch tree itself in his arms.
Perhaps because the large wound across his back from being struck was burning painfully now, as though the pain pierced straight through his spine, making his head grow heavier and heavier.
Whatever the reason, his courage grew.
“You were the one who said before that we’re family, weren’t you?” Xue Yan asked quietly.
Jun Huailang said softly, “I was, but…”
But he hadn’t meant that Xue Yan should risk his life to save him.
And hearing the words “family” from Xue Yan’s mouth somehow felt strange.
“There is no ‘but,’” Xue Yan said.
How could this man be so unreasonable?
Just then, Jun Huailang felt his shoulder grow heavy.
Xue Yan lowered his head slightly and rested his chin on Jun Huailang’s shoulder.
“Stop arguing with me.” He let out a deep breath, trying his best to keep his voice steady. “I’m a little tired.”
Jun Huailang froze.
Then he heard Xue Yan involuntarily let out another muffled groan. Clearly, the pain had become severe.
“…Xue Yan?” Jun Huailang’s voice trembled.
“You finally decided to call me by my name.” Xue Yan gave a low laugh. “All right. Don’t talk. I’ll sleep for a while.”
—
Jun Huailang froze where he was.
For a while, all that remained around them was the sound of their intertwined breathing.
Jun Huailang could feel Xue Yan’s arm braced beside him. The rock behind him had gradually warmed from Xue Yan’s body heat, while Xue Yan’s solid body was in front of him. Aside from the cramped closeness, Jun Huailang did not feel uncomfortable at all.
But his heart had sunk to the bottom of a valley, and panic surged through him again and again.
“Prince?” he hurriedly called out again. “Are you dizzy? Don’t sleep. Open your eyes.”
Xue Yan gave a lazy tsk from his shoulder.
“How did I become ‘Prince’ again?”
Jun Huailang knew that even if Xue Yan had not been struck in the head just now, his injuries were still severe. He had been hurt badly enough that his consciousness was becoming unclear, which was why he was growing drowsy and wanted to sleep.
But if he really fell asleep, he might never wake up.
Hearing Xue Yan answer him, Jun Huailang forced himself to calm down. He picked up their conversation and deliberately drew Xue Yan into talking with him.
“It was only because of the emergency just now, but it would have been improper according to etiquette,” he said.
Xue Yan gave a low hum.
“That’s true. You never call Xue Yunhuan by his name either.”
But immediately afterward, he frowned.
“Can I possibly be the same as Xue Yunhuan?”
How were they different? Weren’t they both the Emperor’s sons?
But Xue Yan had never been a reasonable person, especially now, when the pain was making his head spin.
“From now on, when we’re in private, call me by my name,” he said.
Jun Huailang said, “How could I?”
Xue Yan clicked his tongue, and there was actually a hint of shamelessness in his tone.
“Weren’t you afraid I’d fall asleep? If you don’t agree, I’ll go to sleep right now.”
Jun Huailang panicked.
“Xue Yan!”
Xue Yan gave a low laugh.
“That’s more like it.”
Jun Huailang had always known that Xue Yan was not exactly a good man. It was simply that he had never shown this side of himself in front of Jun Huailang.
He just hadn’t expected him to start acting shamelessly with him now.
Jun Huailang paused before saying quietly, “As long as you can get out safely and nothing happens to you, I’ll agree to anything you ask.”
“Anything?” Xue Yan repeated.
Jun Huailang asked, “What else do you want me to agree to?”
Xue Yan paused and said nothing.
That silence made Jun Huailang’s heart inexplicably beat a little faster. Somewhere in his subconscious, he seemed to be anticipating something, but even he couldn’t explain what it was.
After a moment, Xue Yan spoke.
“Nothing else. As for the rest, we’ll talk about it later.”
The two of them continued talking intermittently.
They talked about what had happened in the capital over the past year, as well as what Jun Huailang had seen and experienced in Jiangnan. Jun Huailang learned that Jun Xiaowu seemed to have become rather unfriendly toward Xue Yan over the past year. He also learned that when Xue Yan moved out of the palace, Consort Shu had been extremely reluctant to part with him and had left his entire weapons rack in the rear courtyard, saying that she simply wanted something to remember him by.
…And Jun Huailang also realized that Xue Yan’s breathing was growing weaker and weaker.
The panic in his heart grew stronger, but he forced himself to remain calm, pretending not to notice as he continued joking and chatting with Xue Yan.
He knew that this would at least distract Xue Yan somewhat. If he himself panicked, Xue Yan’s attention would instead turn toward his injuries.
As long as he could keep him awake until someone came to rescue them…
Just then, a rustling sound came from outside.
It did not sound like people moving rocks. Rather, it sounded like something light and dense falling onto the stones.
Xue Yan heard it as well.
He frowned.
“What was that sound?”
Jun Huailang listened quietly for a moment before speaking in a trembling voice.
“…It sounds like rain.”
If it started raining in the mountains at a time like this, whether the landslide would continue and whether the people coming to search for them would be able to get through were both unknown.
Jun Huailang himself was not injured at all, so waiting a little longer would not matter.
But Xue Yan had suffered serious injuries. He was forcing himself to remain conscious, and the longer they waited, the more dangerous it would become.
Even if everyone under heaven called him the ill-fated star of death who was impossible to kill, he was still made of flesh and blood.
And right now, that flesh-and-blood body was standing between Jun Huailang and countless falling rocks.
Jun Huailang’s eyes began to burn.
Xue Yan slowly exhaled.
Jun Huailang felt a somewhat cold hand, rough with calluses, settle against his face. It gently stroked him in reassurance.
“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Did you think I couldn’t tell you’d been afraid this whole time? It’s fine. I always keep my word. I promised you I wouldn’t sleep, so I won’t.”
Jun Huailang was so choked up that he could not speak.
Then Xue Yan continued, “Even if the King of Hell truly wants to take my life, he’ll have to see whether he dares.”
As he said this, he even laughed softly, trying to make Jun Huailang feel better.
“I was born under the Seven Killings. Even if he wants my life, he’ll have to think twice. They say calamities like me live for a thousand years. I’ll just make sure to protect you. My life is tough; I won’t die that easily.”
His tone was clearly relaxed, yet a tear fell onto the back of his hand, warm and burning.
It was Jun Huailang’s.