The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan
Chapter 522 - 521 Who is all this for, husband? (Second update)

Chapter 522: 521 Who is all this for, husband? (Second update)

Li Xianyun never anticipated that Yelu Yan had even considered his own funeral arrangements, and her heart ached unbearably. She hooked her hands around his neck and said, "My husband, please don’t be like this, it hurts my heart."

"Xianxian, you feel pain, but what about me? Wouldn’t I feel pain? Seeing that you hadn’t left a single word for me, I guessed that you had embraced the willingness to die... Xianxian, I may seem strong, as if nothing can defeat me, but I, too, am human, not an indestructible wall of metal. I am not as powerful as you think; there are some hurdles I just can’t get over," he said.

Seeing him getting more agitated and angry with each word, Li Xianyun tightened her embrace around his neck and buried her face in his neck, rubbing against his skin. "My husband, I know I was wrong. I won’t speak lightly of life and death again," she murmured.

Yelu Yan hugged her tightly, feeling that only this made everything seem real—that Li Xianyun had truly come back into his arms.

"Xianxian, for me, could you please take better care of yourself?"

His pleading tone was heavy, far from the invincible, towering hero she envisioned in her mind.

It was truly heartbreaking.

"Yes," Li Xianyun said emotionally.

With Li Xianyun’s affirmative answer, Yelu Yan finally felt at ease, hugging her tightly and kissing her earlobes and cheeks...

The town wasn’t large, and the group quickly arrived at the posthouse.

Yelu Yan put shoes on Li Xianyun, wrapped her in a cloak, and only after everything was in place did he carry her from the carriage into the posthouse.

The locale was remote and backward in many respects.

Though the local officials had arranged the accommodations to the highest standard, the conditions remained limited.

Seeing Yelu Yan frown, Li Xianyun raised her hand to smooth out his brow and smiled. "My husband, when we’re out and about, we should be lenient. Don’t be so hard to please."

Looking at her, Yelu Yan leaned down to touch her smooth forehead with his own and chuckled softly. "Ungrateful little thing, who am I doing all this for?"

Since separating from Li Xianyun, Yelu Yan hadn’t smiled once. Now, his smile suddenly seemed cheap, his upturned lips hardly ever drooping.

"For me, for me, alright already," Li Xianyun laughed.

"Glad you know it," Yelu Yan laughed and planted a heavy kiss on her cheek. "Shall we have dinner first, or would you prefer a bath?"

"A bath first."

She wanted to have a delightfully thorough wash.

"All right," Yelu Yan said, and he ordered the servants to bring in the bath tub and fill it with hot water, and also had them carry several buckets of hot water to the cleansing room.

After Li Xianyun washed up, she blissfully sunk into the water.

Taking a bath was truly wonderful.

The tub was surrounded by four folding screens, and Yelu Yan stayed close by, waiting just outside.

Li Xianyun called out with a smile, "My husband, you should go and wash up; I won’t disappear."

"Call for me if you need anything."

"I will."

Only then did Yelu Yan go to the cleansing room to wash up, grooming his beard in front of the bronze mirror.

This was the first time in many days that Yelu Yan had looked at himself in the mirror.

Seeing his unkempt and scruffy appearance in the mirror startled him at first.

He couldn’t believe he had become such a frightful mess; it was completely unacceptable.

Fortunately, his Xianxian hadn’t found him repulsive.

After Yelu Yan shaved and washed his face, he looked in the mirror again and finally saw something presentable.

He had considered joining Li Xianyun in the bath, but thought better of it, deeming the action far too lascivious, and refrained.

He took a proper wash with hot water in the cleansing room, then came out wearing a light nightshirt for sleeping.

The sleeping garment was specially prepared by the town officials, made of the finest material.

The room was warmed by a stove, and the windows were sealed tight, making it quite cozy, warm enough even when wearing nightwear.

Yelu Yan sat outside the screen, waiting; he did not know how much time had passed when finally, louder sounds of water came from within—it was the sound of someone rising from the water.

"Xianxian, may I come in?"

"...Yes."

Li Xianyun was about to reach for the soft cloth hanging above the screen when she heard Yelu Yan’s request to enter. She dipped back into the water, gathered her hair together, and gently wrung it out.

Seeing Yelu Yan come in, Li Xianyun instinctively turned her back to him, pressing against the side of the bath, leaving him with the view of her slender, straight back.

Through the foggy vapors, the woman’s body was utterly exposed, drifting in the clear, warm water.

Yelu Yan’s Adam’s apple rolled heavily as he restrained his impulses.

Li Xianyun was exhausted; he had to let her rest for a while before engaging in any beastly behavior.

Clearing his throat, Yelu Yan took a smaller cloth and approached Li Xianyun from behind, took her hair from her hands, and gently wrung and wiped it dry. After no more droplets dripped, he attempted to wrap the tips of her hair in the style Li Xianyun usually did.

But after two tries, he failed to succeed.

Li Xianyun laughed, "My lord, let me do it."

As she spoke, she took the cloth from Yelu Yan’s hands, wrapped up the ends of her hair, and tied a small, living knot—a spitting image of a young maiden by the stream, wrapping her hair in a handkerchief to prevent it from dipping into the water.

As Li Xianyun coiled her hair, Yelu Yan’s gaze unavoidably swept over her.

It was but a hurried glance, yet enough to make one’s blood boil and lose self-control.

Yelu Yan struggled mightily to restrain himself and, feigning composure, unfolded a cloth about one meter wide and one and a half meters long. In a husky voice, he said to Li Xianyun, "Xianxian, come out, please."

Li Xianyun’s gaze unintentionally swept over a certain area, which was already embarrassingly obvious.

She bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, and then stood up.

Yelu Yan, fearing she would catch cold, hurriedly wiped off the droplets of water on her.

After drying her upper body, Yelu Yan lifted her from the bath, having her stand on a small stool beside the tub—that was used for getting into the bath.

The delicate and exquisite body of the woman stood exposed before his eyes.

Yelu Yan felt his blood rush to his head. If his nose started bleeding at that moment, it really would have been the death of his dignity.

He bent down to wipe her clean, and when he reached a certain place, his movements slowed, causing Li Xianyun to shiver slightly.

Yelu Yan lifted his head to look at her blushing little face.

Their gazes collided in a way that could not be called innocent.

Li Xianyun bent down to help Yelu Yan stand up.

Because she was standing on the stool, their eyes were almost level.

Li Xianyun pressed her body against his chest, cupped Yelu Yan’s handsome cheeks in her hands, and initiated a kiss on his lips.

Yelu Yan wrapped the soft cloth around her to prevent her from catching a chill.

The two of them opened their mouths and gently nibbled at each other with an indescribable tenderness and lingering affection.

After a few pecks, the two slowly parted.

Yelu Yan gazed at Li Xianyun dazedly, "Xianxian, may I?"

Li Xianyun, blushingly shy, looked away and nodded her head.

Yelu Yan was ecstatic, and he clasped Li Xianyun’s head and kissed her deeply.

Gone was the brief tasting from before.

It was a fervent entanglement as if desiring to devour the person in his arms entirely.

Li Xianyun was completely overpowered; her soft, delicate hands clutched tightly at his clothes, her mouth welcoming his, her eyelashes trembling.

Fearing that Li Xianyun would catch cold, Yelu Yan carried her horizontally and quickly walked to the bed. He set her down on the soft bed, pulled off the cloth covering her and tossed it aside, then pulled over the covers to tightly wrap Li Xianyun up.