Rest in a Demon's Embrace [BL]

The Caravan

Thinking about the fact that he could make Ling Mo very upset, Luo Xiao couldn’t help but snicker. This was an expression he dared not show, so he buried his face in Jiang Yao's strong chest. 

So far he had been carried like a princess quite a few times, but he hadn’t ever held onto Jiang Yao before, in fact, every action that was made had been initiated by Jiang Yao. Even though Luo Xiao was usually a clueless and sickly person, now he had realized the joy of tormenting another.

Luo Xiao would have stretched his arms and hooked them around Jiang Yao’s neck, but due to the pain in his arm, he had to give up this idea and instead held on to the clothes in front of him and burrowed his head in Jiang Yao’s sturdy chest.

Although Luo Xiao was unaware of how strong Jiang Yao was, he knew it was impossible for him to harm him in any way, so he didn’t hesitate to use all his strength to cling to him. 

Unfortunately, Jiang Yao was completely unprepared. He had never expected that Luo Xiao would do something so bold, so he instantly stopped running and almost fell from the sky. 

“What are you doing?” Jiang Yao asked, stunned. His voice didn’t contain any fury. Instead, it was quizzical and filled with confusion.

“It’s more comfortable,” Luo Xiao lied as he used his hand to straighten out the collar of his clothes, sending a shiver down Jiang Yao’s body, and the sudden shiver made him angry. 

No one had ever made him feel this way before. He usually never felt anything no matter what was done to him, however now with just one intimate gesture, Luo Xiao had caused him to shiver. But even so, he dared not say anything. Right now they were pretending to be lovers, so his intimate gestures had to be accepted. 

Jiang Yao lifted his head and saw Ling Mo standing not far away; his face was as black as a thundercloud, and he ground his teeth against one another.

“We are in a hurry,” he reminded them with in a dangerously low voice, “If we don’t move quickly, then I fear the Moon Anise will be taken by others.”

“Very true,” Jiang Yao said with a big smile on his face, a smile that he couldn’t hide. “Let’s hurry onward. Xiaoxiao hold on tight,” he said as they once more rushed forward, towards an unknown location within the Chengzi Empire. 

As the sun started to set, Jiang Yao frowned. They had been moving rapidly for the last many hours, but they had not come across even one village. 

Jiang Yao was rather displeased. He had wanted to find an inn where Luo Xiao could rest for the night.

“He has done nothing, but hang in your arms all day. If he wants to sleep, then I’m sure that he can just sleep there too,” Ling Mo said.

“He was injured yesterday, and he might have already pushed himself above his limits,” Jiang Yao said with a sigh. But, he wasn’t very keen on sleeping in the middle of nowhere either. It was beneath his status to sleep in the wild outdoors. 

Luo Xiao had indeed pushed himself quite a bit. He hadn’t eaten anything since the steamed buns that Jiang Yao had bought him this morning, and he was starting to feel lightheaded from the wound on his arm. 

But Luo Xiao said nothing. He just grit his teeth and accepted it as he continued to persevere. 

Both Jiang Yao and Ling Mo were strong experts. They saw the sweat beads on Luo Xiao’s forehead, the slight tremble that ran through his body from time to time and his gritted teeth. 

Ling Mo enjoyed seeing Luo Xiao in such pain and agony, but Jiang Yao was uncomfortable. However, the Moon Anise was important. Thus, he continued forward. Now day had turned to night, and Luo Xiao was getting a bit feverish, so he wanted to stop and rest. 

“We cannot stop in the middle of nowhere. It is beneath your dignity to sleep in the wilderness. Why don't we continue forward until we find a village?” Ling Mo said. But, Jiang Yao was still worried. Luo Xiao was not feeling well, this point was awfully clear, but he was also in a hurry to find the Moon Anise. 

“I can handle it,” Luo Xiao said with a weak voice from within Jiang Yao’s arms. “Jiang Yao, you need the Moon Anise, so let’s keep going. Sir Ling is correct; I have just been lying in your arms. There would be no difference between being here or in bed.”

Luo Xiao tried his best to not make a big deal out of his wound, but little did he know that his words caused Ling Mo to get even more annoyed and jealous than before.

First of all, Luo Xiao called Jiang Yao’s name so directly while for Ling Mo, himself, it was ‘Sir Ling.’ 

Secondly, he said that sleeping in his arms was the same as sleeping in a bed. Didn’t this mean that he would also sleep in Jiang Yao’s arms in bed? 

Although the second part was a misunderstanding due to his insane jealousy, Luo Xiao didn’t dismiss his worries. He had actually been sleeping in Jiang Yao’s arms the previous night. 

The trio soon reached a big plain. The plain had a few shrubs and bushes, but no trees. The grass was dry and seemed as if all of it was withered. 

The sun had shone all day, sending rays of scorching hot sunlight down on the trio, but neither Jiang Yao nor Ling Mo were troubled by it. 

Jiang Yao had even used some sort of energy to shield Luo Xiao as well, so it hadn’t been troublesome, but when night fell the temperature plummeted. 

Once more, Jiang Yao cloaked Luo Xiao with his Qi and ensured that he wasn’t too cold. There were no villages at all in these desolate plains, but they came across many beasts on their way. 

Although Luo Xiao was cloaked in Jiang Yao's Qi, he still felt a shiver run through his body. He was exhausted, his arm was sore, and he felt feverish. At the same time, he was also hungry. He was used to eating three meals a day, but right now that was not possible as they were on the move.

Everything started turning black for Luo Xiao. He had really strained himself too much. He was attacked the day before, and although he wasn’t using any physical strength while being carried by Jiang Yao, he had always been weak. 

Suddenly having to travel such a long distance while being injured would be a task for everyone, much less Luo Xiao. 

Jiang Yao was worried. He was struggling with his dignity. Should he give up his pride and rest in this wilderness, or should he continue forward at the risk of hurting Luo Xiao more? It was a difficult decision for him. 

In the end, Jiang Yao continued forward with Luo Xiao in his arms. He had nothing necessary for camping outside, he didn’t even have a blanket or food, so Luo Xiao wouldn’t benefit from them stopping. 

“Seems like I need to buy some things next time we arrive at a village,” Jiang Yao said with a sigh. He wasn’t willing to experience such a situation again. He felt terrible whenever he looked down into his arms and saw Luo Xiao lying there. Sweat dampened his forehead, and his closed eyes were tightly shut while he moaned softly in pain. 

“There is a caravan ahead of us,” Ling Mo said with a voice that was filled with unhappiness, “why don't you ask them for a carriage? Leave your little lover there, and we can continue forward to the Moon Anise. Then, when we have found it, we’ll pick him up again.”

Jiang Yao glared fiercely at Ling Mo when he heard the words. “I will not travel without Xiaoxiao,” he said seriously, “but we can find a carriage in the caravan and stay there for the night. I can buy a few things I need and then we can move on when he is feeling better.”

“Sir Jiang! We don’t have time to wait on this young boy! The Moon Anise is essential to you, can you really ignore it like this for the sake of some random person?” 

“Xiaoxiao isn’t some random person,” Jiang Yao said with a gentle smile on his face. This was the softest smile that Ling Mo had ever seen on him. Hearing Jiang Yao’s words, Ling Mo was willing to do anything to kill Luo Xiao, so he didn’t decline them going to the caravan. 

When they were alone, then it was impossible to execute his plans, but when they were together with others, then he would be able to attack Luo Xiao.

“I don’t believe that his Highness will be by this little s**t’s side the whole time. If he leaves him for but a moment, then I will be able to kill him!” Ling Mo smirked as he thought this. 

Jiang Yao caught the smirk and his brow furrowed. He knew that whatever Ling Mo was planning would be sinister and of great trouble to Luo Xiao, but right now he couldn’t hesitate. He needed to check Luo Xiao’s condition and let him rest; therefore, they rushed down to the caravan. 

“Halt!” the driver of the first carriage in the caravan stopped everyone when he saw three men appear on the road. It was in the middle of the night, and most caravans would have stopped and rested, but they had continued throughout the night even when knowing that it might attract beasts and bandits.

Being stopped by three figures, the driver was unsure of whether or not it was a group of bandits, so he was very nervous.

“What’s going on?!” a fat man said as he walked out from one of the carriages. He wore purple robes that were draped over his overweight body. 

He was in a bad mood, and from the way he spoke, it was clear that he was the owner of this caravan. 

“Three sirs have stopped us,” the driver said straightforwardly. He did not seem too respectful towards the owner of the caravan, but he didn’t insult him either. 

The fat man’s eyes narrowed. “Who might you be good sirs?” the owner asked while gesturing for the many guards of the caravan to come forward.

Looking into his arms, Jiang Yao saw that Luo Xiao had already completely passed out. He wouldn’t hear anything that was said, so a smile appeared on his face. 

“I am Jiang Yao, the Seventh Demon Prince of the Tiansong Empire. This is Ling Mo, Marquis of the Tiansong Empire, and the one in my arms is Luo Xiao,” Jiang Yao introduced them, and this was the first time that Ling Mo heard Xiaoxiao's real name. 

“Luo Xiao has injured himself and needs to rest somewhere. I want to rent one of your carriages for the night and maybe a few days while he gets better.”

Jiang Yao took out his embroidered bag, and a few bars of gold appeared in his palm. 

Seeing the gold, the eyes of the fat man shone. “Seventh Demon Prince, huh?” He asked with a lick of his lips, “you’ve got to be very rich, tell me is this all you want to pay me for clearing a carriage for you?” 

Luo Xiao stirred in his arms as his fever got worse, and Jiang Yao's mood declined further. 

“Take the money, or I don’t mind executing all of you,” Jiang Yao said as he sneered, “I’m already as generous as I will ever be if you try to take a mile when I have given an inch, then don’t blame me for being ruthless.”