After I Got Pregnant With The Hero’S Baby, I Ran Away With The Ball. Chapter 4

The peaks of the Extreme North were perpetually covered in wind and snow. Faintly breathing plum blossoms hung from the branches, only three or two scattered flowers remaining.

A person stood with their hands clasped behind their back beneath the tree, gazing up at the cold plums swaying in the wind.

After an unknown amount of time, a black figure silently knelt behind him.

The person, who had been still as a statue, moved, turning his head to look at the newcomer and asking, “How was the task handled?”

“When this subordinate arrived, the entire Ghost Valley had already been burned to ruins. I searched the area and only found this Ghost Mask. The whereabouts of the Ghost Valley Valley Master are unknown.”

The black-clad man lowered his head, not daring to look directly at him, and presented the scorched, dark bronze Ghost Mask in his hand.

“Useless!”

A terrifying pressure surged outward, shaking the thick snow accumulated on the cold plum branches until it fell off. Yet, the person standing beneath the tree remained untouched.

The black-clad man covered his chest and spat out a mouthful of dark blood, lowering his head even further.

“This subordinate failed in his duty. I ask for your forgiveness, Master.”

The man coldly snorted. “Go find him. If he is alive, bring the person; if he is dead, bring the corpse. Wei Lin is too cunning a man to die so easily.”

“Yes!”

The black-clad man shakily stood up. As if remembering something, he bowed again and said, “Master, there is one more matter.”

“Speak.”

“The arsonist…” The black-clad man hesitated. “It seems to be the Young Master’s subordinate.”

“Duan Xi?” The man uttered a questioning sound, then after a moment, he flicked his sleeve and said, “I understand. You may withdraw.”

The black-clad man left as silently as he had arrived.

The man remained standing on the mountaintop with his hands clasped behind his back. The biting cold wind whipped his robes, making them snap loudly. His ink-black eyes held no trace of warmth.

He opened his lips and murmured to himself, “Li Qing, our son is not very obedient.”

“If he also intends to obstruct my great undertaking…”

He paused, his eyes slightly lowered. “Then I can only personally step in and clear the obstacles.”

As his voice fell, a sharp, mournful bird cry echoed through the clouds. On the cold plum tree, the figure of a giant bird engulfed in flames flickered into view.

He looked at the giant bird, a smile playing on his lips, and a hint of tenderness entered his eyes. “You only pay attention to me at times like this.”

“But it doesn’t matter. Soon you will forget everything. I believe that by then, you will love me just as you did before.”

He touched the rough bark of the cold plum tree with a look of obsession, as if comforting a temperamental lover.

Above the Heaven Gate, Duan Xi shattered the white jade cup in his hand. As if sensing something, he looked toward the north, his gaze dark and heavy.

It is said that illness strikes like a collapsing mountain and leaves like the drawing of silk. Even with the best spiritual medicine sustaining him, Wei Lin had been recuperating for several days.

Although it was only early autumn, he was forced to wrap himself in a heavy cloak. His pale face still carried traces of sickness, and fine beads of sweat were forming on his forehead from the heat.

He did not notice Duan Xi’s unusual behavior. He kept his eyes lowered, pressing his palm against the stone table to seek coolness.

Duan Xi tossed away the powder in his hand. Seeing that Wei Lin was truly suffering from the heat, he took out a handkerchief and threw it to him, saying, “Wipe your sweat.”

Wei Lin pursed his lips, hesitated for a moment, and then accepted it.

He was indeed hot, but rather than wiping the sweat from his forehead, he wanted more to take off the annoying cloak. However, at this moment, he was merely a prisoner. He was completely powerless and could only grudgingly accept his situation.

The handkerchief emitted a faint fragrance. Wei Lin carefully identified it—it was the scent of plum blossoms.

He frowned slightly, finding it odd. The male lead actually liked plum blossoms? Such a feminine scent did not quite fit his character design.

He secretly glanced at Duan Xi, only to be caught red-handed by the latter.

Duan Xi propped his hand on the stone table, resting his head on his side, his fingertips tapping rhythmically on the stone. Catching Wei Lin’s gaze, he smiled leisurely. “Look if you want to look. Why peek at me? If my wife wants to look, I would never stop her.”

Wei Lin’s temples throbbed, and that nameless anger flared up again.

He rubbed his palm against the stone table, unable to hold back. “Why must Gate Master Duan humiliate me?”

Duan Xi raised an eyebrow. “How am I humiliating you?”

Wei Lin frowned deeper. Instead of answering the question directly, he said with a hint of sarcasm, “I was unaware when Gate Master Duan took a Dao companion. It is truly impolite that I failed to send a small gift to the Gate Master.”

He emphasized the words “small gift.” Perhaps influenced too deeply by the original host’s residual thoughts, Wei Lin could not muster any goodwill toward Duan Xi. Even though he knew that to survive, he had to temporarily rely on Duan Xi, he simply couldn’t bring himself to be pleasant.

Duan Xi scoffed. “Sending a gift? Is my wife preparing to send over a dowry?”

Wei Lin narrowed his eyes. If he had the original host’s memories and martial prowess, he would fight Duan Xi right now. But being unable to lift a shoulder or carry anything, he could only swallow his anger.

He couldn’t win with words, and he couldn’t win in a fight, so he decided to simply ignore him.

Wei Lin coldly retracted his hand from the coolness of the stone table. Just as he stood up to leave, Duan Xi grabbed his arm from behind. With a slight pull, Wei Lin lost his balance and fell into Duan Xi’s embrace.

The red-haired man reached out, tousling his sweat-dampened sideburns, a teasing smile playing on his lips.

“Angry? Hmm?”

Wei Lin struggled a few times to no avail. He could only turn his face away, refusing to meet Duan Xi’s eyes. He said irritably, “What exactly do you want?”

He was angry at Duan Xi’s frivolity and angry at his own helplessness.

“What do I want?” Duan Xi murmured softly. After a moment, he laughed aloud. His fingertip slid down from Wei Lin’s cheek, stopping at his slender collarbone.

“I told you before, I am very satisfied with your body. Becoming my wife is not a bad deal for you.”

“You want me to submit to someone else? Over my dead body.”

Wei Lin felt like his lungs were about to explode from anger. The original novel never mentioned that the male lead was so shameless. He completely failed to understand Duan Xi’s thinking—after sleeping together just once, he was forcing a mortal enemy who had tried to kill him multiple times to become his wife?

Was he not afraid of being stabbed to death by his bedmate in the middle of the night?

Duan Xi raised an eyebrow, smiling ambiguously. “Is that so?”

He pressed his forehead against Wei Lin’s sweaty one. The fine lines in his black pupils were clearly visible, shining with a determined light.

“Then we shall see.”

Duan Xi had issued a threat, but he disappeared for the next few days.

Wei Lin’s body was still very weak. Although the cold was gone, he still couldn’t risk catching a chill and couldn’t even leave the courtyard alone.

Duan Xi seemed to truly treat him like a golden canary in a cage. There were hidden sentries surrounding the courtyard, as if guarding against him sprouting wings and flying away.

He leaned against the window railing and laughed self-deprecatingly. With this broken body, where could he possibly escape to?

Duan Xi not only guarded against his own escape but also against anyone sneaking in to rescue him.

Apart from him, there wasn’t even a single servant to sweep the yard. Only a small child came daily to deliver medicinal meals and quickly left, adding a fleeting touch of human presence to the cold compound.

Outside the window, a light rain began to fall. The lingering heat of late summer was washed away, and threads of coldness penetrated his clothes and seeped into his skin.

Though he didn’t want to admit it, even this slight chill could potentially kill him. He hadn’t yet figured out what the original host wanted him to do. This life wasn’t entirely his own yet, so he ought to take good care of it.

Wei Lin pulled his slightly open collar tighter and returned to the bedroom to put on a cloak.

As he tied the cloak’s strings, a slight sound came from outside the door. He thought it was the child delivering the medicinal meal again, but when he turned around, he collided with a pair of dark eyes as deep and abyssal as a chasm.