Chapter 135: Under the Bridge
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The girl paused and slowly let go of the hilt.
“Hey, kid! You…”
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The three men were about to stand up and curse when they were kicked to the ground again.
“Let’s go home. It’s going to rain heavily.”
Luo Qingzhou urged the cold girl in front of him.
The girl was no longer stubborn. She lowered her head and followed behind.
The two of them left the street one after another.
The rain suddenly poured down in torrents. There was still thunder rumbling and lightning flashes cutting through the sky.
Luo Qingzhou realized that the girl behind him was standing very close to him. She was almost pressing herself against him. Every time there was the sound of thunder, her body would tremble slightly.
He thought, “Looks like Bai Ling didn’t lie to me. This girl is very timid… ‘
In the heavy rain, the two of them crossed the stone bridge over the moat and rushed toward the inner city.
However, just as he crossed the bridge, he suddenly realized that the city gate of the inner city had closed.
Luo Qingzhou’s expression changed slightly. “This is bad, ” he thought.
He had forgotten that because the Grand Princess was coming to MO City, the inner city was heavily guarded at night, and the city gate was closed much earlier.
He hurriedly ran over and pushed the heavy city gate, wanting to see if the door was left unlocked or was not closed completely. In the end, he realized that the door was tightly closed and did not budge at all.
Clearly, a heavy bolt had been placed behind the door.
At this moment, even if there were guards inside, they would definitely not open the door for him.
Boom!
The night sky was filled with dark clouds. Lightning crackled and thunder boomed nonstop.
The torrential rain showed no signs of stopping.
An angry shout suddenly came from the city wall. “The people below, don’t loiter in front of the city gate, otherwise, you’ll be shot with arrows!”
Luo Qingzhou looked up but did not say anything. He could only run to the girl who was also standing in the rain and said, “The city gate is closed. We can’t enter. Looks like we have to find a place to stay tonight. Let’s go to the outer city and get a ro… I mean, we should find an inn to stay for the night. We will return to the residence tomorrow. Is that okay with you?”
The girl was stunned for a moment before nodding slightly.
Luo Qingzhou immediately led her across the stone bridge and returned to the outer city.
In the end, they went to two inns in a row but got chased out by the inn owners.
“The authorities are stringent now because of the Grand Princess’ upcoming visit to MO City. Without any proof of identification or the recommendation of an acquaintance of mine, not only will I be fined, but I will also be imprisoned.
Guests, I am really sorry.”
Both inn owners said the same thing.
Luo Qingzhou and Xia Chan wandered on the streets again. They were drenched in the rain and did not know where to go.
“Achoo!”
Just as Luo Qingzhou was thinking of a solution, he suddenly heard the girl behind him sneeze.
They could not wander around in the rain anymore.
He suddenly turned around and said, “Miss Xia Chan, let’s go to the brothel. There should be no need for proof of identification there. We will just stay there for the night, what do you think?”
The girl stood motionless and threw a cold gaze at him, rejecting his suggestion.
She suddenly sneezed again.
She immediately turned around so that her back was to him.
Luo Qingzhou could only say, “Then there’s only one last option, under the bridge. Over there, it can shelter us from the rain and is a little drier. The only disadvantage is that it’s a little cold. Can you stand it?”
The girl did not answer. She started walking toward the stone bridge.
Luo Qingzhou sighed and could only follow behind her.
The two of them quickly arrived at the stone bridge one after another. Then, they went down from the side and entered the dark stone cave. The cave was overgrown with weeds and filled with a foul smell.
But at least they did not have to be in the rain anymore.
Late at night, there were also martial artists patrolling the streets of the outer city. If they stayed on the streets, if they were discovered, they would probably be captured and interrogated.
Therefore, it was safer here.
Luo Qingzhou found a clean patch of grass and took off his shirt as he said,
“Miss Xia Chan, sit here. It’s cleaner here.”
The girl walked to the grass and sat down. She bent her legs and hugged the sword in her arms. Her body trembled slightly.
Luo Qingzhou wrung the water out of his shirt and put it on again.
Both sides of the bridge were well-ventilated, and because of the rain, the temperature had plummeted. It was very cold.
Luo Qingzhou walked out from the other side and went to the riverside to pick up some dry firewood. He piled them in front of the girl.
He went out twice more and brought back a lot of firewood that was wet because of the rain.
Fortunately, the storm had just started. These withered branches were only wet on the surface, but they were still dry inside.
Luo Qingzhou first started a fire with the withered grass and leaves he had picked up from the cave before setting up the firewood.
Smoke rose out of the cave.
The damp firewood began burning with a crackling sound.
The cave was hidden deep below the bridge. Additionally, there was a combination sound of wind, rain, and thunder like that heard during a storm. Hence, no one would notice this place.
After the bonfire was lit, Luo Qingzhou took off all his clothes and sat down naked opposite the girl. He began to dry the clothes in his hands.
The two of them sat opposite each other and did not speak.
Except for the occasional sound of burning firewood, it was silent in the bridge cave.
When his shirt was almost dried, Luo Qingzhou stood up and walked to the girl opposite him. “Take off your coat. I’ll help you dry it. Meanwhile, you can put on my clothes. You’ll feel warmer.”
The girl hugged her sword. She glanced at the clothes in his hand and then at his bare upper body. After a moment of silence, she reached out. However, she only took his coat and wrapped it around her.
With a male’s coat wrapped around her slender body, she looked even thinner and frailer.
Luo Qingzhou did not force her to put on more clothes. He put on his undergarments and sat down beside her. As he added firewood to the fire, he said softly, “Your clothes are wet. It’ll be very uncomfortable to wear them, and you’ll get sick. You’re wearing another layer of clothing inside. Moreover, I won’t peep at you, so why won’t you take them off?”
The girl turned her face away and said nothing.
The flickering firelight shone on her pretty face. Even though her face was still cold, she was still very beautiful.
Luo Qingzhou sneaked a look at her and then at the shoes under her skirt. He said, “If it’s not convenient to take off your clothes, you can take off your shoes and socks and dry them. Your shoes are filled with water. It must be very uncomfortable.’
With that, he took off his shoes and socks and dried them over the fire.
Silence returned to the cave.
Luo Qingzhou dried the clothing for a while and placed the shoes and socks that were no longer wet beside the fire. He continued to dry them. Then, he turned to look at her and said, “You practice martial arts. Why must you adhere to such social etiquette rules? As long as you’re comfortable, there’s no need to care too much about others’ opinions. Besides, I’m the only one here. I won’t tell anyone.”
The girl was silent for a moment before turning to look at him. She said coldly, “Are you saying this because… because you want to look at my body?”
“It’s not that.”
Luo Qingzhou calmly denied it and said, “If you are bothered by this, I can step out so you can take off your clothes and dry them yourself. I’ll only come in after you’re done. Are you okay with this? I’m suggesting this because I think you feel uncomfortable wearing such wet clothes. Besides, you’ll catch a cold.” The girl stared at him in a daze. After a moment of silence, she lowered her head slightly and stretched out a foot in front of him. She turned her face away and said in a low voice, “Take it off.’
Luo Qingzhou was stunned for a moment. He looked at her slender and delicate foot..
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