Legend of Fei

21. What A Waste of Good Body

Xie Yun knew that something was on A'Fei's mind as soon as they stepped through the door, she had been silent, more like, not curious about anything. She had a faraway look, "I don't think we can keep up the ruse for much longer."

He wondered if this was what she was really thinking for the brooding didn't 

"The Southern Saber ruse? It's alright. Think of it as not keeping up a ruse but going along with the rumors." He had expected A'Fei to set him straight, cut between his wriggling words, but she didn't which meant this wasn't on her mind.

She sat him down, opened her bundle and retrieved a herb's box. It had been master Tong's gift to them during the first wedding. She loosened and removed his robe to expose his arm wound. It was truly a scratch but he dare not argue with A'Fei. Besides he liked when she expanded herself to these tender moments. He looked down at her as she puzzled over what to pick. He was about to help her out when she decisively picked the right ones. Sometimes he forgot that she spent many years in search for herbs to cure him.

The expression of great concentration on her face made her look fierce. He didn't utter a single words while she worked. Only when she sat besides him again did he open his mouth.  

"Where is the wine that you were holding?" A'Fei gathered a considerable amount of paste, paused, looked up and pressed them into his wounds, hard. 

"Ow. Ow. Ow." he groaned, the simple cut was throbbing painfully. He glared at her even though he couldn't put his heart to it but she simply asked, "it hurts?"

Xie Yun frowned and made the best innocent and open face he knew to make at A'Fei while nodding. She only pressed harder, "Then don't get hurt."

He couldn't help smiling despite the slight throbbing. It was really just a scratch. He had worse during his battle time, more like baiting time. 

After she had patched him up, he replaced himself with A'Fei, "Your turn."

HEr old wounds had not healed and the screatches were getting dirty. He loosened her gloves, let the tring fall of her arms and rolled up her sleeves. He did the same thing to her pants. Despite her many years of martial practice her knees still scrapped easily.

As he took the remaining paste, his mind started to wander, "The whole thing with Feng Feng bugs me. I have never seen any sect followers behave like them. There martial arts is not great, neither is their killing intent. But they have a good qi control which could be credited to the sect's practices. Their fighting style is meant to look disorganized and they always use each other as shields..."

"I don't know, it fell somewhere on the street," she finally spoke to him again, pausing his easy chatter and analysis of the fighting style. He wiped his hands with a dirty cloth and sat on the bed beside her with a small sad pout.

"What a waste of good wine." Xie Yun sighed and laid back in their bed.

"What a waste of good body." She too lay back beside him, on his good side, retorting.

"Then, what are the uses?" Xie Yun raised on his elbow, a brow quirked and smirk on his lips but his wife in her usual monotone replied, "put it to martial art's practice." 

He laid back down with a light laugh rolling through his body. What else did he expect from A'Fei? He thought fondly of her straightforwardness and turned to kiss her on the forehead. He couldn't help but linger. Then he kissed the healing scratches by her temple before moving down to between her brows, the tip of her nose, her chin and finally the thin, cherry lips. The night was still young to them and the reassurance of each other's presence was much needed.