Chapter 163: In Passing

Qingyue stumbled slightly as her boot caught against a root. The jolt sent a sharp, burning pain up her side.

She sucked in a breath through her teeth before forcing herself upright again. Her hand instinctively pressed harder against the wound beneath her cloak.

"Be careful," Kael said from where he was walking ahead of her. His voice was quieter now, no longer carrying the easy confidence it had before they were attacked. "The ground will get worse the higher we go."

"I can see that," Qingyue muttered, though her voice came out tighter than she intended.

Kael slowed down his pace, looking back at her. His gaze dropped immediately to the way she held her side. "You’re bleeding again."

"I never stopped," Qingyue mumbled.

For some reason she hadn’t been able to heal the stab wound, and it wasn’t even that deep. Could it be that she was so exhausted her spiritual energy had depleted?

"That’s not something to sound proud of," Kael shot back, rolling his eyes.

"It’s not pride," Qingyue replied, adjusting her grip as she kept walking. "It’s just a fact. But it’ll stop soon." Once she was able to get enough rest, which didn’t seem to be happening soon.

Kael didn’t argue with that, but his expression turned serious as he fell into step beside her instead of leading. "We should stop soon."

"No."

"That wasn’t a suggestion."

"It wasn’t a refusal either," Qingyue shot back, though she didn’t look at him. "Just not yet."

Kael exhaled slowly. "You said that half an hour ago"

Qingyue sighed. She didn’t know if she was annoyed or just in pain. "And I meant it then too."

Kael felt like he was talking to a stubborn child, even though he was the younger one between them. "You’re going to collapse if you keep this up."

"Then I’ll collapse when we’re closer to the mountains," Qingyue replied. "Which is still better than stopping far away from it. At least we’ll be able to reach the Fortress in less time."

Kael studied her for a moment, then shook his head under his breath. "Heavens! I’ve never seen anyone as stubborn as you."

"I’ve been told."

Kael scoffed, still walking by her side. "I’m starting to believe it."

They walked in silence for a few steps, the only sounds around them was the crunch of dirt beneath their boots. Along with the faint rustling of wind through the trees, but the quiet didn’t last.

"You know you didn’t have to do that," Kael said suddenly. He’d always felt the need to fill in the silence Qingyue seemed to prefer.

Qingyue frowned but didn’t look at him. "Do what?"

He shot her a look. "Back there."

Her expression didn’t change. "You’ll have to be more specific."

Kael sighed dramatically. "I mean...when you saved me by stepping in front of me just as I was about to get stabbed. No one has ever done that for me."

Qingyue looked at him then. "Are you always this dramatic?"

"Hey!" Kael smacked her shoulder lightly, then paled when she winced. "I’m sorry. I forgot you were already injured."

"Like that makes it any better," she muttered.

"Still..."

"There’s no need for you to feel bad. I’ve taken worse." Which was true, the only difference was the fact she would’ve already been healed by now.

Kael stopped walking.

Qingyue took another step before realizing he wasn’t beside her anymore. She turned, irritation already rising before she caught the look on his face.

"You didn’t even know who they were," he said. "Or how many there might be. You just fought them like it was nothing."

"They were aiming at you." She was already tired of the conversation. "There’s no need to make a big deal out of it."

"Why did you do it?"

Qingyue held his gaze, then looked away. "Because you’re the guide. If anything happens to you I won’t be able to get to the Fortress."

"That makes me useful but not worth dying for," he mumbled. "I also feel bad because I promised you a route that was safe. But you ended up injured trying to protect me."

Qingyue exhaled heavily.

The conversation was hurting her more than the injury on her side. "There’s no need to feel bad. I didn’t die. Stop talking like what I did was some heroic sacrifice."

Kael let out a quiet breath, a sound like a laugh slipping through. "You’re impossible."

"I’ve heard that too." She turned away. "We should keep going."

Kael followed after a beat, though his gaze lingered on her back. "You’d make a good leader, you know."

Qingyue went completely still.

Kael blinked severally, caught off guard by the abruptness of it. "What?"

Qingyue turned slowly, a guarded look flickering behind her eyes. "What did you say?"

He frowned. "That you’d make a good leader."

"Why?" She hunched her shoulder, panic almost setting in that he’d caught onto her real identity.

"I don’t know." Kael’s brows drew together. "Maybe...it’s the way you put others before yourself."

Qingyue almost sighed in relief.

To Kael she was Lin Jian, an adventurous traveler. She’d worried for a moment that he’d seen through her disguise.

"That’s not an answer," she mumbled before she continued walking.

Kael followed her. "What?" he asked, half incredulous. "Do you want a list?" He continued anyway when he didn’t receive a response.

"Fine! You stay calm under pressure. You make decisions quickly. You don’t hesitate when it matters. You—"

"Cut it out!" Qingyue yelled.

"If you were a girl, I’d totally be interested."

Qingyue almost stumbled and fell. "Don’t say things like that."

"Why not? You look way pretty for a man. I’m sure you’re usually teased a lot for it." Kael walked beside her. "If you grow out your hair, you’d be even more—"

"Do you ever keep quiet?"

"No, not usually."

Qingyue sighed, it was indeed her fault for picking a guide that was way younger. If only there’d been someone else instead of him.

"For what it’s worth, I still think we should stop soon."