175: 4.40 Mark Your Words

4.40 Mark Your Words

Heimo's eyes dropped and his entire body turned cold when he saw the ground where the hem of Lu Yizhou's robes swept was spotted with blood and it was still trickling down, even now. A hole had been formed on his lower back where the flesh was showing, raw, with its edges burnt black. So deep that Heimo could see the shift of muscles whenever the man moved. Not only that, he could also catch a glimpse of his spine. The dragon, Heimo thought numbly. The dragon had shot a fire beam at them and Heimo was unscathed. How could he be unless someone was covering him? H—How consumed was he by his own troubles that he failed to realize that Lu Yizhou was suffering?0

Bitter bile surged up Heimo's throat and he felt like he was going to throw up, again. But this time, it was worse than before. His gut twisted in his stomach, like someone had just punched him straight on his chest. And somehow, it wasn't unfamiliar. He felt like he had gone through this kind of thing before; he had always, always been too caught up with his own problems, unaware that somewhere, someone else was looking after him, protecting him, getting hurt because of him.

Don't turn your back on him again, a voice in his mind spoke, so desperate and anguished that Heimo felt it bleeding out of his fingertips. But… again? What did it mean? When had he ever—

It was just a split second then Lu Yizhou noticed his line of sight and his shoulders tensed. He turned his body so as to hide his wound from sight and once again, Heimo felt as if the air had been squeezed out of his lungs. He never showed me his back, Heimo belatedly realized. All these times, Lu Yizhou had moved with every intent to cover his condition. Carrying the wound on his body, he had shielded Heimo time and time again, he had sent Heimo his spiritual energy, he had brought Heimo up here. But then, what had Heimo done? He had pushed the man, provoked him, insulted him, sent him crashing against the wall, attacked him with demonic energy; and his sword— God, his sword…

Lu Yizhou wasn't only carrying flesh wounds, but his soul was also gravely injured.

"Come back!" Heimo's eyes burned so badly it seemed like blood was going to drip out of it. His voice was raw, the edges sharper than ever that he almost bristled. But there was no denying the plea in his tone. "Don't you dare… Don't you dare to go down with that condition!" He struggled desperately against the invisible chains around his body but it was no use, he still couldn't move an inch. Frustration and helplessness cut him open as he growled. "LU YIZHOU!!!"

Lu Yizhou stared at him in one passing moment that felt like eternity before he sighed and returned to Heimo. Now that he had been shocked out of the haze of his mind, Heimo could notice the rigidness in his steps, the strain between his brows and the tightness on his lips that clearly spoke of pain. Goodness, Heimo you idiot. How did you not notice? How could you always miss anything important? Lu Yizhou slowly crouched down in front of him and Heimo's mouth opened to yell, how could he do that?! Didn't the movement pull on his wounds?! But then, he realized Lu Yizhou had been crouching in front of him just a moment ago. The words sizzled before they could make it past his lips. He felt so, so upset as if he was going to die.

"It's not that bad," the man started.

"Not that bad, your ass!" Heimo snarled. "You stupid idiot! Why the hell were you jumping after me?! You should have left me alone and let me clean up after my own mess!"

He reached out slowly and this time, Heimo didn't flinch away. Warm, broad palm landed on top of his head, combing through the messy strands of his hair before tucking it behind his ears. Heimo's body was trembling from the sheer force he willed not to bite his tongue. He didn't deserve this kind of gentleness, not now, not ever. The guilt was killing him. "It's okay. I will be back soon."

He was so insufferable that Heimo wanted to tie him up and force him to sit down. "You aren't answering my questions!"

The corner of Lu Yizhou's lips ticked upward before it swiftly disappeared before Heimo had the chance to blink. Heimo wanted him to— he didn't know. He wanted the man to take care of himself, to stop minding Heimo's business as if it was his own, to stop looking at Heimo with those eyes as if he was the most wonderful man ever existed in the realm. But he also knew that if he ever lost this warmth, this kindness, this tenderness, he would fall apart. He would be broken beyond cure that nothing could piece him back together anymore. 

"I know." He was still stroking Heimo's hair gently and sooner or later, Heimo was going to die from this. "I know Lan'er is strong, that he doesn't need anyone." That's not true, the words hung on the tip of his tongue, unbidden. Heimo pressed his lips together so that he wouldn't start to say anything stupid. "You are strong, kind and selfless. It's me. I am the one who wants to help you, to stay by your side, to share your burden. I understand if you don't enjoy my company and I deeply apologize for everything you have gone through. There's not much I can do in this kind of situation so… at least let me do this for you, okay?"

Then, without waiting for Heimo to react, he stood up in one sharp movement and jumped down the cliff. "No—" Heimo's heart lurched out of his mouth only to follow after the man's steps. His eyes drew blank and the demonic energy swiveled around him. The image of Lu Yizhou's bloody robes and wisps of his hair disappearing beyond the precipice burned itself into Heimo's mind. It took him a while to register the metallic tang of blood in his mouth and he realized that he had been biting his lips to suppress the scream. Every piece of his soul longed to jump after the man, longed to keep him close, demanding him to remain where Heimo could see. The realization struck him like lightning. Was this how Lu Yizhou was feeling? Was it the same kind of helplessness and distress? Was he—

Lu Yizhou reappeared again before Heimo could spiral down the darker thoughts. Tucked in his arm was a sizable round, iridescent egg. It pulsed with purest spiritual energy and Heimo could feel himself breathing a bit easier even though it was still a distance away. He gasped as the air refilled his lungs, traces of tears sliding down his cheeks. It was the thing Heimo was after, yet he found himself not even sparing it another glance and focused on Lu Yizhou instead, raking his eyes up and down the man. "Are you okay?! What about the dragon? Did you get another injury?!"

"I am fine." Lu Yizhou placed the egg into Heimo's lap then slid his arm around Heimo's back, the other going behind his knee and carried him again with an inaudible huff. This time, Heimo didn't hesitate to screech into his ear. "You fucking let me down right now, Lu Yizhou! What the fuck are you thinking about, carrying me like this?! I have two working legs and I can walk on my own, Lu—mmph!"

Lu Yizhou gave his plush bottom lip an admonishing bite before he pulled away. "Language." He steered them into the direction of the exit and started to walk. 

Heimo gaped at the man's audacity, his lips closing and opening without a sound. The sensation of Lu Yizhou's lips on his own was searing and Heimo was certain that he wouldn't be able to get used to it no matter how many times— He gave himself a mental slap and glowered. "You're trying to distract me. You're not fucking allowed to—" 

This time, Lu Yizhou showed a slight wince and in an instant, Heimo's jaws snapped shut. His voice was hesitant and careful when he asked, "A—Are you okay…?"

"Mn." He said. "The sooner we get out of here, the sooner I will be able to rest."

That's true but— Heimo gritted his teeth. "You stubborn brute. I am going to kill you after I can move."

Lu Yizhou let out a light chuckle. Was he laughing?! Never had Heimo wished he could move more than now. He had never seen Lu Yizhou laughing before! He should feel offended but the sound of Lu Yizhou's laugh was too wondrous for him to do so. His heart skipped a beat before it decided to slam against his ribcage again and again in an attempt to escape; so loud that he was sure the other could hear that. But outwardly, he still grumbled. "I am so going to kill you." 

"Mark your words." Lu Yizhou retorted.

The narrow space around them opened up into the large clearing where the entrance was. Light sprinkled into the cave, illuminating the thick moss and shallow puddles, courtesy to the melted snow. Heimo squinted his eyes at the brightness. The thick mist, the demonic energy, corpses and dragon, it seemed to be an event of a lifetime ago when they stepped out and embraced the light.

pqdm.com