Free Web NovelChapter 176: Chapter 176: Under the Desert Night
As they ascended back to the surface, the orange glow of the fading sunset had long turned into darkness. The night has already arrived.
The city was still standing, but Yue Yue’s eyes kept wandering back toward the distant, quiet dunes. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Yue Yue was escorted back to the palace, but she couldn’t sit still. Her mind was a mess of worry and relief.
She wandered through the quiet hallways until she spotted the old caretaker standing by a large window, speaking softly into her wrist terminal.
The caretaker was indeed on a private call...with Xing Luoguang.
On the other end, the Prince’s voice was uncharacteristically tight. "Is she back? Is she safe? Tell me everything."
The caretaker smiled gently, describing how Yue Yue had been brave, though her hands had been shaking. And also how much she has been worrying about him.
As she spoke, Xing Luoguang finally felt the icy knot in his chest loosen.
When he had first heard the alarms while out on patrol, his mind had nearly blacked out.
The thought of Yue Yue out in the open sand with a high-level polluted beast nearby had terrified him more than any monster ever could.
But now hearing that she was also worried about him just as he was, there was a quiet flutter in his chest.
He was just about to hang up when he heard a soft, hesitant voice coming from the caretaker’s side. He froze, holding his breath.
"Madam..." Yue Yue whispered, stepping closer to the caretaker. "Can I... can I go to the site? The situation should be fine now, right?"
Xing Luoguang was stunned. She wanted to come to the battlefield? Why? To see him? A strange, warm flutter rose in his chest.
He quickly cleared his throat, let out a small, muffled cough into the terminal, and disconnected the call before she could realize he was listening.
The caretaker’s expression immediately brightened. She looked at Yue Yue with a knowing, mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Yes, Lady Yue Yue! Of course you can go!" she chirped, her smile wider than usual. "Wait just a minute; I will arrange a small hover car for you immediately."
The caretaker was practically beaming as she bustled away. She understood exactly what that "cough" from the Prince meant; it was a silent "yes."
Within minutes, Yue Yue was settled into a sleek, small hover car. It zipped across the cooling desert sands, the city walls shrinking behind her. When the car finally slowed and touched down near the cleanup site, the door automatically opened.
Yue Yue stepped out and immediately spotted a tall figure standing by a pile of dark debris.
It was none other than her Xing Luoguang.
He looked different from his usual neat self. His dark hair was windswept and messy, and his face was smudged with dark sand and dust.
But as Yue Yue’s eyes scanned his face, they widened in horror.
There was a big cut right on his chin. Even though it was not bleeding, she could still feel the cut was deep.
"What happened?" she cried out, forgetting her shyness. She rushed toward him, her hands reaching out instinctively before she even realized what she was doing. "You’re hurt!"
Xing Luoguang’s expression softened instantly. As Yue Yue stumbled toward him in the uneven sand, he reached out and caught her hands, steadying her.
"I am fine, Yue Yue," he said, his voice dropping to a low, soothing rumble. "It is just a scratch."
But Yue Yue wasn’t listening. Her eyes were fixed on the cut on his chin, and her imagination ran wild with what other injuries might be hidden beneath his combat gear.
Without a word, she grabbed his arms and pulled him toward a small portable cabin used by the patrol teams for resting.
"Come with me," she insisted, her voice trembling with authority and worry.
Inside the quiet cabin, the air was cool, but the atmosphere was anything but. Yue Yue didn’t even give him a chance to sit down.
"Take it off," she said firmly, her small hands already tugging at the edge of his tightly fitted tactical vest. "Let me see where else you are hurt. You could be bleeding and not even know it!"
Xing Luoguang stood frozen, completely stunned by her sudden boldness.
He wanted to deny her, to tell her that a warrior of his rank didn’t worry about such trifles, but as he looked down at her determined face, he found he couldn’t say no.
With a heavy throb of his Adam’s apple, he reached up and unbuckled the vest, letting it thud to the floor.
As he pulled off his undershirt from the waist of his pants, Yue Yue’s breath hitched.
He truly wasn’t injured, but the sight before her was overwhelming.
His skin was a magnificent, deep shade like polished mahogany or rich espresso with a hint of a golden undertone that glowed even in the dim cabin light.
Because he had rushed straight from the heat of the battlefield to meet her, his entire body was glistening with a fine layer of sweat, making his powerful muscles look like carved dark stone.
His chest heaved up and down with every breath, his heart still racing from the adrenaline of the fight.
Yue Yue’s eyes wandered over the sharp lines of his abs and the broad expanse of his shoulders. She had never seen skin of such a beautiful, deep color before. frёeωebɳovel.com
In her daze, she forgot to look for wounds. Her fingers twitched; she desperately wanted to reach out and touch that smooth, dark surface to see if it felt as warm as it looked.
A deep flush crept up from her neck to her cheeks.
The silence in the cabin became heavy and thick.
Xing Luoguang, sensing her intense gaze, finally lost his stoic grip on his emotions.
He looked down at her, his eyes darkening until they looked like molten gold. The heat radiating from him wasn’t just from the battle anymore.
His gaze was searing, fixed entirely on her reddened face, and the air between them felt like it might catch fire at any moment.
