Finest Servant

Chapter 468 The Secret

"Madam, you—you're alive?" Lin Wanrong's words came out haltingly, choked by the sudden joy that filled his heart. Though he couldn't make out her face in the darkness, her voice sounded like celestial music, irresistibly pleasant and captivating.

"Are you... Lin San?" Madame Xiao shifted slightly. She felt a weight on her, as if a heavy mountain pressed against her body. Waves of a man's warm breath reached her from behind, causing her cheeks to flush, yet also sending a comforting warmth through her.

"Madam, it's me, it's me," Lin Wanrong responded, the tears of happiness falling down his face. "We're alive, we didn't die."

His voice was raspy, and had Madame Xiao not been so close, she would not have heard him clearly. Drops fell in the darkness, landing warmly on her face.

She suddenly remembered the moment of the explosion—it had been Lin San who had shielded her with his body. Choking back a sob, two lines of clear tears rolled down her cheeks. "Lin San, thank you."

"What is there to thank? As long as Madam doesn't think I've taken advantage of you, that's all that matters," Lin Wanrong sighed, his tone a mixture of seriousness and jest.

He shouldn't have mentioned it. The moment he did, Madame Xiao felt her cheeks burn even more. There they were, tightly entwined, a young man and herself in such a compromising position. If anyone saw them, even the Yellow River couldn't wash her reputation clean. Trained from a young age in the strict etiquette between men and women, she felt uncomfortable being this close to him. She clenched her teeth and started to move away, but the moment she did, Lin San groaned softly. His teeth were clenched so hard they made a grinding noise, and his voice weakened considerably.

Madame Xiao was startled and stopped moving. "Lin San, what—what's wrong with you?"

Sweat rolled down Lin Wanrong's forehead. Even without looking, he knew how pale his face must be. Clenching his teeth, he gasped, his voice feeble, "I'm fine, continue—"

His voice was completely different from the buoyant Lin San she was accustomed to, and Madame Xiao felt uneasy. Over time, she had become somewhat accustomed to the darkness. Though she couldn't see clearly, she could make out vague shapes.

They were hiding in a crater created by an explosion, so cramped that it could barely fit one person. Lin Wanrong had protected her body with his own, and they had fallen into the hole. A large wooden frame had collapsed across the top, preventing any large rocks from falling in.

The narrow, shallow pit had wedged them tightly together, immobilizing them. Scattered around them were pieces of wood, bricks, and tiles, all hot as boiling water and emitting suffocating smoke that stung her cheeks. She coughed several times, finding the air increasingly thin. Her breathing became rapid, and her head began to feel dizzy.

"Bend down—" Madame Xiao lowered her head, and an arm reached up to her mouth. Lin San's raspy voice sounded in her ear, tinged with an undeniable firmness, "Bite my arm—"

In a state of extreme oxygen deprivation, Madam Xiao felt dizzy and her consciousness began to blur. Upon hearing Lin Wanrong's words, she slightly opened her mouth and bit down on his arm.

"Bite harder!" Lin Wanrong shouted, enduring the pain. Her teeth sank into the flesh of his arm. Agonizing pain shot through him; he clenched his fist but said nothing.

As Madam Xiao's jaw opened, she instinctively took a deep breath. A rush of fresh air filled her nostrils and mouth. She gasped for breath and felt immediately relieved. When her consciousness returned, she realized she was biting tightly onto Lin Wanrong's arm. Shocked and embarrassed, she quickly let go and her cheeks flushed red.

Lin Wanrong knew her temperament. He shook his head and sighed, "Madam, don't blame yourself. It's just a small trick for self-preservation when oxygen is low. If you feel dizzy again, just take another bite."

‘Another bite? You make it sound like braised pork knuckle,’ Madam Xiao thought, her cheeks still flushed. The darkness hid her expression. She just hummed in acknowledgment and said nothing more.

"Madam, you can't fall asleep," Lin Wanrong said anxiously after a long silence. "The air isn't circulating well under this debris, and oxygen is scarce. If you pass out, you may never wake up again."

"I'm not asleep," Madam Xiao softly replied, though a hint of weariness tinged her voice—a common symptom of oxygen deprivation.

"Madam, you mustn't sleep. You have to hang in there. If you fall asleep, I will take advantage of you. You'll suffer a big loss, so you must hang on," Lin Wanrong warned urgently.

His threat was so laden with roguishness that Madam Xiao's cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red. She hummed in agreement but felt uncomfortably close to him. She slowly shifted away, her movement causing pain to Lin Wanrong's leg. He groaned, and beads of cold sweat dripped down his face.

"Lin San, what's wrong?" Madam Xiao was alarmed. Her shaking hand reached out in the darkness and touched his cheek, only to find it wet and icy cold with sweat.

"I don't know. Maybe my leg is broken," Lin Wanrong gasped heavily.

Trapped beneath him, Madam Xiao could not turn her body. Her fingers traced down from his cheek to his shoulder and eventually to his leg, only to find it wet and sticky. She withdrew her hand tremblingly, the faint scent of blood filling the air. "Lin San, your leg—"

Lin Wanrong gave a bitter smile. "Being alive is already good enough. Who cares about a leg? It’s probably just broke."

Struggling, Madam Xiao managed to look back and saw that a large rock had smashed through the wooden frame above and landed on Lin Wanrong's leg. The bright red of blood had already soaked through his clothes. Broken bricks and rubble lay across his back, as if he'd been embedded alive into the debris. Then she looked at herself, unharmed except for her tattered clothes and a few minor scrapes on her arm, all because he had protected her. She stared in a daze for a long while, tears blurring her vision.

"Madam, don't be too moved," Lin Wanrong said, sweat dripping down his face as he grinned carelessly. "I'm taking your money to eliminate disasters for you. Your monthly wages aren't given to me for nothing."

Seeing him still making sarcastic remarks in this state, Madam Xiao was both angry and annoyed. She wanted to rebuke him, but her lips quivered for a long time without uttering a word. Tears began to fall like beads from her eyes.

From above her, Lin Wanrong could feel her delicate body trembling slightly. In the darkness, he couldn't see her face clearly. Assuming she felt embarrassed due to their physical closeness, Lin Wanrong gave a faint smile, "Madam, rest assured. Though I may be greedy and lustful, I would never engage in deceitful acts. In this ruin, I won't take advantage of you. If I break this vow, may I be struck down by heaven and earth."

"What nonsense are you spouting?!" Madam Xiao interrupted him, visibly shocked and embarrassed. "When did I ever say you were taking advantage of me—never mind, why are we even discussing such nonsense?"

Lin Wanrong chuckled, then clenched his teeth and arched his body. With great effort, he moved his broken legs, enduring a piercing pain that made him tremble from head to toe. His jaws clenched tightly, sweat rolling down his face, he managed to create a small gap beneath him.

As the sweat landed on both him and Madam Xiao, she tremulously asked, "What are you doing?"

With his right arm, Lin Wanrong pulled Madam Xiao away from him. She let out a surprised gasp, her body instantly moving a few inches away from his. At the same time, drained of energy, Lin Wanrong leaned to his left with a roar. With a crunching sound, the large rock loosened, and he used the last of his strength to move his broken legs. Debris and dust fell on his back, but he clenched his teeth, not uttering a sound.

With this movement, Madam Xiao was able to move off him, and they found themselves face to face, though still intimately close. Despite the closeness, it was a more respectable arrangement than before. In the small crater created by the explosion, this was the most physical distance Lin Wanrong could manage.

Madam Xiao was stunned. This proud Lin San was unlike the man she knew, who was usually playful and never serious. Despite people getting mad at him and cursing him, he had never shown anger. Who knew that deep inside, he was more stubborn and proud than anyone else?

Their faces were close, his breath gently brushing her face. Madam Xiao's eyes filled with tears, her chest trembling rapidly. Even Lin Wanrong could feel the waves of her emotion. "Lin San, what are you doing? Do you have a death wish?"

Lin Wanrong gave a faint smile, "Life is important, of course. But perhaps in Madam's eyes, there are things even more important than life. So, I have to oblige."

Tears fell like rain from Madam Xiao's eyes. "Are you insulting me? At a time like this, when even our lives are at stake, would I still care about minor details? Am I some backward, inflexible person? Are you the only noble one, while I can only be despicable?"

Madam Xiao's words came out like rapid-fire, melodious but piercing, leaving Lin Wanrong dizzied and rueful. Women are truly hard to please. Madam used to scold him for being despicable; now she complained he was being too noble. He really felt like Zhu Bajie [TL: A character in the novel Journey to the West] looking into a mirror—neither human nor beast.

A faint fragrance wafted into his nostrils, and the breath she exhaled tickled his face. Lin Wanrong listened to her tirade with a smile, but his mind was surprisingly calm. In this pitch-black ruin, the oxygen was slowly depleting, and he didn't know whether the two of them could last until they were found. Fortunately, he wasn't alone; he had someone to talk to.

The Madam finished her rant in one breath, her face flushed, feeling dizzy and short of breath. Having been educated by Lin San, she knew it was due to the thinning air. Just as she began to feel anxious, an arm stretched towards her mouth, "Bite down—"

"I don't want to—Mm—" She resisted stubbornly, but the arm had an irresistible force, pushing against her mouth and making her open it.

In the darkness, she couldn't see Lin San's expression or discern his thoughts. Strangely, she felt this Lin San before her was both proud and pure.

Both remained silent in the cramped, narrow pit, feeling intensely alone. Facing each other, they could smell each other's breath and hear each other's heartbeat, feeling a sense of vastness, as if the world had receded. The Madam's heart thumped wildly, yet she sensed that Lin San had no impure thoughts whatsoever.

What was the matter with him? Was he really so pure now? Her face flushed; she had grown accustomed to his taking liberties and was now disoriented by his changed demeanor.

"Madam, do you have a mother?" Lin San's voice echoed softly in the boundless darkness, raspy yet distant, as if coming from far away.

‘What kind of question is this? Do I look like I sprang from a rock?’ The Madam responded softly, "My mother passed away a long time ago. What about you? Are your parents still alive?"

Perhaps it was an illusion, but Lin San's voice seemed to choke, "They should be, along with my sister—I really miss them."

Their bodies were so close that she could feel the trembling of his palm. Lin San, who was always unscrupulous and cunning, also had this vulnerable side. Her heart trembled, and she gently held his hand, soothingly saying, "If you miss them, go back and visit. Take Yushuang and Yuruo with you."

‘Go back? Easier said than done.’ Lin Wanrong shook his head with a bitter smile, a montage of faces flashing before his eyes—parents, sister, Qingxuan, Xian'er, An Biru, Ning Yuxi... Face after face floated past him, sometimes blurry, sometimes clear. Unwittingly, from a lone wolf, he had gained so many emotional ties. The changes in life were truly unpredictable; he couldn't help but sigh softly.

"What are you thinking about?" Lin San had suddenly transformed before her eyes, becoming profound and thoughtful, making her feel restless. Strangely, she missed the simpler Lin San of the past.

Lin Wanrong chuckled, "I was thinking about my experiences." He clicked his tongue and shook his head, "Sometimes I find it strange—did I really do all those things? Am I really that great a person?"

"Blowing your own horn, are you?" The Madam chuckled softly. Though her face was hidden, her laugh gave the impression of a gentle spring breeze. "What extraordinary feats have you accomplished? Do share."

Amid the ruins, survival was a game of fate. Lin Wanrong smiled faintly and began recounting his story from Jinling, sharing his adventures one by one.

His experiences were so diverse that no one else in the world could compare. Whether it was poetry competitions, fierce battles against the bandit leader of White Lotus Sect, solving riddles at Lingyin Temple, or vying for the top merchant positions, his stories included both familiar and unknown tales that left the Madam trembling, her eyes wide and mouth agape. She had initially considered him merely a carefree rogue; little did she know his life could fill volumes of legendary tales.

Many of these stories he had never shared with anyone. Seeing the Madam listening so intently, a sense of unprecedented calm arose within him. He felt no urge to hold anything back. Even his interactions with Qingxuan, Eldest Miss, and others, as well as his emotional history with Ning Yuxi, were laid bare.

His most astonishing story involved a life-and-death love affair with Fairy Ning, captivating and soul-stirring. The Madam gasped in shock, "You were involved with Miss Xiao's master? How could this be allowed?"

"What's wrong with it?" Lin Wanrong retorted calmly.

She shook her head repeatedly, "Fairy Ning is Miss Xiao's master. What you're doing defies social norms; it's unacceptable."

"Fairy Ning is Qingxuan's master, true. But she's also my Fairy Sister. Both are correct," Lin Wanrong snorted. "I am unmarried, as is she. We share no blood relations and our feelings are mutual. Why is this unacceptable? I intend to marry her, to love her, to protect her. What can anyone do to me?"

At a loss for words, the Madam found herself speechless.

Lin Wanrong grinned, "Madam, have you ever been in love?"

She gasped and quickly withdrew her hand, her face flushing as she chided, "Why do you ask? My marriage was arranged; my husband and I respect each other. We're not as audacious as you."

"Ah, so you've never been in love," Lin Wanrong sighed, nodding his head. "No wonder. You haven't experienced that kind of heartbeat, so naturally you can't understand."

Heartbeat? What kind of heartbeat? She glanced at him, asking softly, "How old are you this year?"

"Nineteen," Lin Wanrong answered earnestly.

She chuckled, "You look more like thirty-nine to me. Even a man of fifty-nine would not possess your experiences."

"I'll take thirty-nine, then. Age has never concerned me much," Lin Wanrong laughed.

"Thirty-nine, thirty-nine... Why couldn't you be thirty-nine?" The Madam sighed quietly, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Madam, what did you say?" Lin Wanrong asked, as if he hadn't heard her words.

"Never mind," the Madam chuckled, wiping her tears. "My thoughts are rather chaotic today, and I can't even remember what I've said. Let's keep this as our little secret. You're not allowed to tell anyone." She extended her delicate little finger, hooking it around Lin Wanrong's, her face flushed with a charming rosy hue.

"Our secret," Lin Wanrong smiled softly, hooking his finger around her delicate one. A warm, soft sensation filled his heart...

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