Chapter 47: Like

Li Qingwu explained in a soft voice, “It’s… too close.”

Then she turned her head, avoiding Qiu Che’s probing gaze, and awkwardly added, “I’m not used to it.”

The scene fell silent for a while, only the gentle mountain breeze blowing by.

Qiu Che stared at her reddened face, slowly realizing, she was shy.

Really?

Qiu Che eyed her suspiciously, not understanding why this was so embarrassing. She wasn’t a real man. What was the big deal about being close?

Or was it...

Was she pretending to be shy again… like before, deliberately making Qiu Che overthink?

The thought made Qiu Che feel a little uneasy.

She had thought that Li Qingwu would only say those things to her, share the pain she had once experienced, because she trusted her.

But now it seemed Li Qingwu didn’t feel that way.

Moreover...

She said she wasn’t used to being too close to Qiu Che.

Then why didn’t she feel uncomfortable talking to that young Master Zhu?

Her mind spinning, Qiu Che still politely took a couple of steps back and reminded, “I’m not a real man. It’s just normal instruction, no need to feel so awkward.”

Li Qingwu pursed her lips and softly murmured, “Oh.”

But in her heart, she thought, Yao Tai said that not being a man didn’t mean Li Qingwu couldn’t feel drawn to her.

She hesitated before asking, “So... does this mean you’ve taught others like this?”

Qiu Che’s expression turned strange. “Didn’t I already say? I haven’t taught anyone else, except you.”

Did she look so idle?

Li Qingwu pursed her lips again, muttering another “Oh.”

This time, the corner of her mouth curled up slightly.

Qiu Che couldn’t figure out what she was thinking and was too lazy to dwell on it. Habitually, she patted Li Qingwu’s shoulder, then remembering she had said she wasn’t used to it, quickly withdrew her hand. “Focus.”

“Look ahead.”

For the rest of the afternoon, the two didn’t make eye contact again.

Yet, an indescribable atmosphere lingered around them.

Li Qingwu practiced for half the afternoon, and by the end, her hands were covered in blisters the size of half her palm. She could barely shoot a few arrows.

Qiu Che, sharp-eyed, noticed the marks on her hands and quickly said, “Let’s stop here for today. When I have time, I’ll take you to pick a lighter one for practice.”

Li Qingwu nodded, and Qiu Che led her to a small wooden house beside the training ground, where she fetched a medical kit from the corner. She gestured for Li Qingwu to sit on the chair.

Then, she went outside to the well to fetch a bucket of water, squatted down, wrung out a cloth, and handed it to Li Qingwu. “Wipe your hands.”

Li Qingwu obediently took it and slowly wiped her hands, which were covered in dust from the bow and arrow.

The blisters had just formed, so they hurt when touched, causing her to furrowed her brows involuntarily, though she didn’t say a word.

After a while, she handed the cloth back and raised her eyes. “Done.”

Qiu Che noticed the pained expression on her face and quickly squatted down, opening the medical kit and taking out a set of needles. “Spread your hand.”

Li Qingwu looked at the needles, one bigger than the other, without moving, and asked in surprise, “...You have these here?”

Qiu Che explained, “Every well has one. This is Mr. Chen’s old house outside the city. The training ground was built just half a month ago.”

“The house next door has been turned into a temporary clinic, where people from Ming City come for small injuries while training.”

Li Qingwu nodded. “I see… You know medicine?”

“A little bit of first aid.” In her past life, due to certain circumstances, Qiu Che had served as a small soldier, even gaining military merit and nearly becoming a general.

Sometimes, when the doctors couldn’t keep up or were unavailable, they had to treat themselves for minor injuries.

Dealing with blisters was a piece of cake.

Li Qingwu let out a dry “Oh.”

Qiu Che gave her a leisurely look, a playful gleam in her eyes. “How long are you planning to avoid the topic?”

Li Qingwu: “...”

Qiu Che: “Hand it over.”

Reluctantly, Li Qingwu stretched out her hand.

Qiu Che lowered her gaze, finding the right angle, and quickly pricked one of the blisters on her palm with the needle.

Li Qingwu winced, her fingers curling in pain, but Qiu Che gently and firmly pressed her hand flat. “It’s okay. It’ll be over soon.”

The pain lasted only a moment, but Li Qingwu couldn’t help but glance at the gory sight of her palm after the blister had burst. “...Couldn’t you have avoided pricking it?”

Qiu Che shot her a sideways glance, dipped the cloth in water, and wiped away the blood from her palm. “When you eat, read, do accounts, or practice martial arts, you always use your hands. Or do you want a maid to do everything for you?”

Li Qingwu realized she had said something silly and mumbled, “Got it.”

“Not pricking it is fine, but it may take longer to heal.”

Qiu Che glanced at Li Qingwu’s tightly furrowed brow and her unwillingly spread fingers. “Afraid of pain?”

Li Qingwu immediately replied, “No.”

Qiu Che leisurely added, “It’s natural to be afraid of pain. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Why are you so eager to deny it?”

Li Qingwu fell silent, her ears reddening as she slightly turned her head. “I’m afraid you’ll think I’m… pretentious.”

Afraid of the dark, afraid of pain, afraid of everything. She couldn’t do anything on her own and always needed Qiu Che to save, help, and teach her.

As grateful as she was, it also made her feel a sense of unease.

She was too helpless.

She longed to grow stronger, to catch up to Qiu Che’s pace.

At the same time, she feared...

Fearing that one day, Qiu Che would suddenly leave her, just like in the dream, just like when they were in the long tunnel... and disappear without a trace.

No one would want a burden.

This was a truth Li Qingwu had always known.

Even when she had lived comfortably before marriage, it was because she was just right in every way, and there was still something useful about her to the Li family.

She had lived in this fear her whole life—growing up, getting married.

Marrying, coming to Qiu Che’s side, it should have been better.

But the vague dream had thrown her back to square one.

The scene where she traveled alone to Jiangnan in the dream felt so real that she couldn’t forget it.

While she was lost in thought, Qiu Che had already, unnoticed, pricked the other blister on her hand.

Li Qingwu’s face turned pale.

In fact, her body was slightly different, and she was particularly sensitive to pain.

The seven points of pain from the torturous whip felt like ten when they landed on her, leaving deep psychological scars.

Qiu Che glanced at her. “If it hurts, just say so.”

“Say so…” Li Qingwu paused, “What’s the point?”

Qiu Che thought for a moment. “I’ll buy you some candy.”

Li Qingwu laughed and knew she was trying to comfort her. “It’s my hand that hurts, not that I’m suffering through bitter medicine. Why would I want candy?”

“Isn’t candy your favorite?” Qiu Che thought for a moment. “The best candy shop in East Street in the capital—The Sugar Figurines, the owner’s surname is Xu. I know him.”

Li Qingwu froze for a moment.

What she had thought was just a casual remark, turned out Qiu Che had remembered.

The other person was still calculating, wiping her hands while speaking seriously: "Next time you go buy candy, I'll have him give you a seven-tenth discount."

Li Qingwu smiled, thinking she was just teasing her to make her happy. "Lord Qiu really has extensive connections."

Qiu Che maintained her composure. "It's nothing extraordinary."

The two exchanged a few playful remarks, and the atmosphere immediately lightened.

Qiu Che cleaned her up again and wrapped her hands in gauze.

…

On the way back to the city, they still took the long tunnel that led to Ming City.

This time, Qiu Che held her hand, quietly guiding her through the entire path, not letting go.

Li Qingwu’s focus slowly shifted from the quiet surroundings to their hands, which were still intertwined.

Her heartbeat quickened with each passing moment.

The feeling was even stronger than it had been earlier.

When they returned to the Qiu residence, Fu Ling had been waiting for a long time. As soon as they got off the carriage, she came forward, greeted them with a bow, and handed over the account book.

"Prince Consort, Your Highness... here is the account book with the discrepancies calculated by Master Zhu today. Because of the seven-tenth discount, the tavern suffered some losses... but the business is still booming."

She smiled as she spoke. "The new story books are quite interesting. Master Zhu told the storytellers to leave the story hanging at critical points each time, making the customers anxious to know what happens next. They'll definitely come back next time."

Upon hearing "Master Zhu," Qiu Che raised an eyebrow slightly.

Li Qingwu didn't notice her expression and flipped through a few pages, laughing as she spoke: "He seems to have some experience with eating, drinking, and having fun. It’s a wonder he’s here managing this."

Qiu Che remained silent, listening to them chat for a while before suddenly asking, "Aren't you going inside?"

Li Qingwu let out a soft "ah," realizing that it wasn’t a good place to talk at the door, and nodded. "Let’s go inside and talk."

Fu Ling followed behind them, and the two walked side by side.

As they walked, Li Qingwu occasionally flipped through the account book. Before she realized it, Qiu Che had already walked ahead of her.

Then, Qiu Che suddenly broke the silence. "I forgot to buy the candy."

Li Qingwu didn’t immediately react but, for some reason, her heartbeat skipped a beat. "...Hmm?"

Qiu Che calmly said, "I said I’d buy you candy, but I forgot... frget it. I’ll buy you two pieces next time."

But...

Wasn't she just joking?

Li Qingwu froze for a moment, staring at Qiu Che’s back for quite a while before lowering her eyes again.

How could someone be... so kind?

Li Qingwu had said things before, but Qiu Che always remembered them. Even the things she casually mentioned were always taken to heart and acted upon.

She had only told her about dressing as a man, and Qiu Che had personally taught her martial arts.

The way she spoke and acted always gave Li Qingwu the feeling that she was the only exception in Qiu Che's world.

But even though she knew it was just an illusion, every time she thought about it, she couldn’t help but feel happy.

Li Qingwu raised her hand, gently touching her burning cheek, realizing that she couldn’t lie to herself anymore.

She had told Fu Ling that everything was just an act, that it was all to keep Qiu Che from understanding her, to make her feel guilty, to make her feel sympathy...

But only she knew that those exchanged glances, those unspoken moments of understanding, the times when her heart raced, when her face flushed, were mostly genuine feelings.

And only she knew that, in fact, she had already fallen for Qiu Che a long time ago.

During the Lantern Festival, the lotus lantern went out, and a fleeting glance on the Linglong Pavilion became an unforgettable memory.

It haunted her dreams for ten years.

She had been unwilling to admit it, deceiving herself.

But the deafening heartbeat, the instinct to avoid looking directly at Qiu Che, was all too obvious to ignore.

Qiu Che stopped suddenly when she didn’t hear any response from behind, and when she turned around, Li Qingwu, still holding the account book, bumped right into her.

Qiu Che quickly reached out to stop her from hurting herself.

She glanced at the account book Li Qingwu had been holding but hadn’t flipped through, her expression neutral. "What are you thinking?"

Li Qingwu snapped back to reality.

She looked up and saw Qiu Che’s face just inches away. Without thinking, she blurted out, "I think I’ve started to... "

"Like someone."

Qiu Che’s eyelids twitched.

But Li Qingwu, realizing who she was talking to and that Fu Ling was still by their side, quickly blushed and corrected herself, stammering:

"I think I’ve started to like someone."

Qiu Che froze.

Her first thought was: "Is it the young master from Linglong Pavilion?"

She stood still, confused.

They both fell silent for a while. As Li Qingwu's face turned even redder, her eyes increasingly avoiding Qiu Che’s, Qiu Che finally asked, "Who?"

Her calm voice broke the silence. "Do I know them?"

Li Qingwu, embarrassed and flustered, almost wished she could sink into the ground.

She didn’t want to answer, yet she was afraid Qiu Che wouldn’t ask.

After a while, she hesitantly glanced at Qiu Che and stammered, "I guess... maybe."

It was a stammer, obviously feeling guilty.

Qiu Che assumed this was because Li Qingwu was shy about mentioning the person she liked, and perhaps embarrassed about liking someone else while their agreement was still in place.

She assumed that the person Li Qingwu liked was most likely "Master Zhu," and after a moment of silence, she spoke, almost unsure of what to say next:

"I understand."

Master Zhu was indeed quite handsome, and when she dressed as a man, he resembled her a little.

A young, talented man like him would attract attention.

Li Qingwu had once liked her, so it wasn’t surprising that she liked Zhu Zhu now.

Maybe Li Qingwu did prefer this type.

Qiu Che continued walking forward, trying to keep her voice light. "Since that’s the case, according to our agreement, I’ll take care of things in the court as soon as possible. Then, you can wait for me to become Prime Minister, and once that’s done, we can part ways."

Li Qingwu hurriedly followed and shook her head. "No, no, no... It’s okay. I’m not in a hurry."

Qiu Che paused. "Why?"

Li Qingwu secretly glanced at her and whispered, "I’m not sure if she... likes me."

Qiu Che silently thought to herself, "Seeing you so happy whenever you see her, how could she not like you?"

Actually, she should have told Li Qingwu not to hesitate or be afraid, that the other person surely liked her too.

Such a beautiful woman, gentle, considerate, with both beauty and talent, and sometimes so... cute.

Who wouldn't like her?

On the other hand, Master Zhu didn’t have a family background as good as Li Qingwu's, and his reputation wasn’t as high either. He didn’t hold an official post but only had some business skills.

It seemed clear that he wasn’t a good match for Li Qingwu.

But Qiu Che didn’t say any of this. For some reason, she didn’t want to.

She knew something was wrong.

Clearly, it had been her idea to part ways once they found someone they liked.

But now, with Li Qingwu finding someone, she was the one who felt uneasy.

Qiu Che didn’t know what was going on with her.

Perhaps it was because Li Qingwu was chatting with her and still managed to think about who she liked at the same time.

She might not have even heard what Qiu Che said.

"Buy candy..."

Qiu Che thought gloomily. This job should be left to Li Qingwu’s crush from now on. It wasn’t her responsibility.

With that thought, Qiu Che suppressed her feelings, afraid that if they kept talking, she might end up criticizing Master Zhu. She chose not to say anything more.

The two walked in silence for a while. When they reached the door of the study, Li Qingwu’s blush finally started to fade a little.

Qiu Che stopped and said, "I have some matters to attend to. You go ahead and have dinner with Mother. I’ll join you shortly."

Li Qingwu simply nodded as Qiu Che quickly entered the study and closed the door behind her.

Li Qingwu stared at the closed door for a while, then blinked slowly.

She hesitated, thinking, "Did Qiu Che... figure out who I was talking about?"

Could it be... that she couldn’t accept it?