Yuxuan (REMASTERED)

Chapter Twenty-Five

A week went by since I had that dire conversation with Hansel.

Yuxuan had chosen to migrate the tribe farther up the river, a day's trip of traveling almost. And as the days went by, I found myself feeling lonelier than ever.

I was forced to postpone my plans of asking Yuxuan to help me explore so I could note the different landmarks. And he, as the leader of the tribe became busier. Early in the Dawn, he would leave me to check that the environment was secure with the other tribesmen.

When he arrived at night, he was always too tired to pay me any mind. Although I knew it wasn't on purpose, I still felt ignored.

Hansel was busy helping some of the men build new huts. We've all been sleeping under the stars. I hated that where I slept was placed a short distance away from the rest because Yuxuan placed all my things there.

What I hated the most was that I couldn't figure out why Yuxuan's tribe was being hunted. Who was hunting them?

Bai didn't have to die like that. It made me sick to my stomach that anyone would do that to a child. And it terrified me. If they were going to do that to a child, what would happen to me?

Were Hansel and I in danger? What were we going to do?

The thought of leaving crossed my mind, and it made me feel guilty. Abandoning Yuxuan like that would be worse than sin.

I felt the cloth beneath me reposition, and my shoulders relaxed. Again, Yuxuan had arrived after being gone the whole day.

He rested his head next to mine and closed his eyes, which surprised me. Usually, he would acknowledge me before sleeping, but I figured that he must've been exhausted.

That made me feel horrible. I wished he didn't have to push himself so hard. But as the chief over everyone, it was a necessity.

I tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear and moved closer to him. Then I kissed him softly. His lips curled into a faint smile and he reciprocated.

He opened his eyes a bit, but they were very heavy. He was struggling to keep them open. He bit my lip and immediately collapsed on top of me.

I gasped. "Yuxuan?"

No response.

That quickly, he fell asleep. Poor fellow.

I tried to push him off but with all of his dead weight, I couldn't. I slapped his shoulder a few times but he didn't budge.

"Oh, good grief!" I sighed.

I stayed the entire night stuck in that position, with my front being crushed by Yuxuan's muscular build. His abdomen and wide shoulders felt like I was being pressed against a hard wall.

When the dawn finally came, I could feel Yuxuan stir above me. He moved himself beside me.

"Good morning." I grinned at him.

Yuxuan sat up quickly. He squinted his eyes and yawned. Ever since we relocated, his usual routine of kissing me as soon as the sun rose slowly came to a stop.

I didn't want to admit it, but it affected me. I missed the attention and affection I was getting from him before.

Yuxuan looked at the sky and stood as if he realized he slept longer than he needed to. And without saying a word to me, he grabbed his spear and fixed the cloth around his waist.

"You're leaving already?" I frowned and sat up as well.

"Must." Yuxuan voiced coldly. "Must Go."

"Be careful. Don't work so hard. Even Generals need proper rest."