Chapter 62: The Flower Thief (Part 2)
When Duanmu Ling slowly opened his eyes, he found that he had been tied up. All around him were dilapidated wooden planks, and the windows were covered with yellowed white cloth, casting the room in darkness. He deduced that he was in an abandoned, simple wooden hut.
He twisted and struggled, trying to break free from the ropes, but they were tied very tightly and were extremely thick.
“Heh heh… you’re awake?”
A man with an eagle’s nose and hawk’s eyes, and a lewd appearance, walked over to him and reached out to untie his sash.
Duanmu Ling was startled and rolled over to dodge. But the ropes on his body restricted his movement, and the man only had to get a little closer to pull him back.
Qi Shaoling disliked him using hidden weapons and poisons, these sinister tools, so he no longer had any such self-defense items on him. At this moment, he was completely powerless.
The man slightly loosened the ropes binding his legs, reached out to pull them apart, and took off his outer trousers.
After the ropes were loosened, Duanmu Ling used his internal energy to break them. With his legs free, he immediately jumped off the filthy bed and ran for the door.
The man chased after him and swept his leg out, intending to stop him. The man’s martial arts were not weak, and his internal energy was also good. And with Duanmu Ling’s upper body still tied, he struggled to defend himself and couldn’t get close to the rickety wooden door.
He couldn’t attack, only steady his stance and do his best to block the man’s unstoppable offensive.
Crash—
The man gathered his energy in his palm and slammed it against the wooden wall. The internal energy passed through the wall to the wooden planks in the corner of the room. The long planks, which had been leaning against the wall, were now shaken and all fell down, hitting him.
“Ugh…!”
He was knocked to the ground, with countless heavy wooden planks on top of him. His knees and elbows were scraped, and his back was also injured by the planks. He couldn’t get up again.
The man pinched his chin and said lewdly, “Heh heh! I was going to be gentle, but…”
Slap—
He slapped him across the face. “Try to run! Try to be disobedient!”
A fiery sting spread across his cheek. His bruised and battered body was tightly bound, and he felt an inexplicable sense of grievance.
Seeing his flushed face and his constant gasps for air, the man patted his cheek. “Don’t be afraid, little beauty. I’ll be very gentle…”
With that, he reached out to pull at his undergarments.
Duanmu Ling closed his eyes in despair.
However, there was no movement…
He opened his eyes in confusion and saw the man standing stiffly in front of him, motionless. His lifeless eyes were wide open, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
He saw a dagger stuck in the man’s chest, precisely in a vital spot. The man hadn’t even had time to let out a groan before he had stopped breathing.
“Ling’er!”
The wooden door was kicked down, and Qi Shaoling and some patrol soldiers appeared outside.
It’s Qi Shaoling…
Seeing him, Duanmu Ling felt even more aggrieved. His nose and eyes stung, and the pain in his body became even more intense.
After Qi Shaoling and the patrol soldiers had removed the wooden planks from him, Qi Shaoling, without a word, pulled him into his arms. He held him very tightly. He felt like he was about to suffocate, but he didn’t want to break free.
Seeing him leaning on his shoulder and sobbing, Qi Shaoling was at a loss. He wasn’t good with sweet words or comforting people, so he could only gently pat his back.
“I’m sorry…” he said seriously. “I won’t let this happen again.”
People are not made of grass or wood. He knew that Duanmu Ling liked him. And he himself…
Do I like him?
I do.
He didn’t know when he had started to like him. Maybe it was the first time they met, maybe it was when he had saved him from the One-Eyed Dragon Gang outside the city, maybe it was when he had blocked the sea monster’s attack for him on the ship, maybe it was in the little moments of their life together…
If he didn’t like him, he wouldn’t have cared so much about whether he was the flower thief. Because he didn’t want him to do bad things, he wanted him to be a good person. And also because… of jealousy.
If he didn’t like him, he wouldn’t have been so anxious when he was in trouble, even praying in his heart that as long as he was safe, he would be willing to trade his own life. A person more important than his own life, how could he not like him?
If he didn’t like him, seeing him like this now, he wouldn’t feel such pity, such a desire to kiss him…
Qi Shaoling lowered his head and gently kissed his forehead.
However, at this moment, Duanmu Ling had already fainted. This kiss, only the surrounding patrol army and Qi Shaoling himself knew.
