Ayao was his, and even if Chi Zimo saved her a thousand times, it would be the same.
But at the same time, he was vaguely afraid that if Feng Jinyao later discovered that Chi Zimo was the one who truly saved her, she would think he had deliberately concealed it.
His little thoughts were all revealed on his face. Feng Jinyao suddenly chuckled and teased him, saying.
"So that's how it is. Then Ayao seems to have thanked the wrong person. She should have..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xiao Tingyi kissed her. His kiss was as domineering and aggressive as he was. In a moment, Feng Jinyao collapsed on his shoulder, defeated.
"This King has already given him the Candle Dragon Pill. Your debt to him has been repaid, so Ayao need not worry."
Feng Jinyao's eyes widened when she heard that the extremely precious Candle Dragon Pill was gone.
Although she had never seen this item with her own eyes, she knew how rare it was just by hearing others talk about it, so Chi Zimo must have been severely injured.
"How is Patriarch Chi now?"
"Ayao..."
Xiao Tingyi understood that Feng Jinyao was merely asking out of concern, but his heart, which had been stirred by jealousy, could not listen to any explanations at this moment.
He secretly thought that Chi Zimo was truly a scoundrel.
He probably had his eye on Ayao from the very first meeting!
With so many troubles in the southwest now, he would likely not have time to accompany Feng Jinyao in the future, which was why he was so reluctant to let go of this moment of tenderness.
Feng Jinyao felt that Xiao Tingyi's jealousy was unreasonable.
"If I were so indifferent to my savior, would Your Highness still like me?"
"Yes. What this King likes most is when Ayao's eyes and heart are only on this King. That would be best."
Feng Jinyao pouted and frowned at him. His demeanor was nothing like the decisive Ding Wang of the past.
"Your Highness, you are almost thirty, why do you still speak so childishly?"
"Don't talk nonsense. This King will only be twenty-seven at the end of September. Counting from today, this King is only twenty-six. Ayao came of age in April, so I am only eleven years older than you, not that much."
Feng Jinyao looked at his "sophistry" speech quietly, finding it amusing.
In fact, if she really counted, with her age from her previous life, she was also almost twenty-six, so she didn't feel that there was much of a gap between them.
It was just that Xiao Tingyi cared so much, fearing that others would say they were an old husband and a young wife.
So he said solemnly, "Why didn't Ayao have ten years earlier, and meet this King in his prime? This King would not have been so lonely and helpless for these ten years."
When the words "lonely and helpless" came from the lips of the powerful Ding Wang, Feng Jinyao laughed.
But she held his hand tightly and looked into his watery eyes, saying.
"From now on, with me here, Your Highness will not be lonely and helpless, and neither will Ayao."
Having received another reassurance, Xiao Tingyi even felt that this hand injury had come at the right time, allowing him to embrace the woman he had pursued for so long but could not obtain.
They cherished every second and minute, temporarily putting aside the troubles outside.
At this moment, Chi Zimo also woke up under the effect of the Candle Dragon Pill.
In the tent, the servants accompanying the Chi family were taking care of him.
When they saw him wake up, they were overjoyed.
"Patriarch! You're finally awake!"
"Where is Third Miss?"
"Third Miss heard that she is also awake. His Highness is with her."
Hearing the words "His Highness," he came to his senses and remembered Feng Jinyao's "Princess Consort" status.
Recalling the scene of saving her, he was surprised himself.
Ever since he could remember, his grandfather had constantly reminded him that the burden of the Chi family's future would fall on him, so his body was his most precious possession.
Let alone taking risks, he paid extra attention to even minor illnesses and pains, for fear that his health would not be good enough to affect the future of the Chi family.
But for some reason, the first reaction when he saw the carriage fall was to save Feng Jinyao and shield her in his arms, so that she would not be harmed in the slightest.
This kind of behavior, let alone others, even he himself could not understand.
He looked down at the wounds on his body. They were shocking, but they didn't seem to hurt much.
The servant seemed to see his confusion and patiently explained.
"His Highness ordered someone to send the Candle Dragon Pill. After you took it, your condition stabilized. Otherwise, you would probably have..."
"Candle Dragon Pill? He's quite generous."
Anyone could see his motive, even a blind person.
He was deeply devoted to Feng Jinyao. Chi Zimo felt a little regretful. If only he had met Feng Jinyao earlier, would the outcome have been different?
While resting in bed, he carefully thought through all the recent events.
If Feng Jinyao had feelings for him, he would fight for her with his life. Unfortunately, the Prince of Xiang had intentions, but the goddess was unconcerned. His opponent was Ding Wang, someone he seemed "unable to offend."
Therefore, after repeated consideration, he decided to put away his feelings.
He did not want to make an enemy of Ding Wang, nor did he want to lose Feng Jinyao, Feng Jinlin, or even his friends from the Feng family because of this.
He gave a bitter smile. This affection, which had not yet been expressed, would now be buried in his heart forever.
A ground full of bitterness, a ground full of sweetness, but the world outside the tent was full of wailing.
After Ding Wang settled Feng Jinyao, he turned to deal with these problems.
Wen Zhonghe was hit by a chair, only dislocated his shoulder. After it was fixed with a splint, he continued to fight despite his injury.
It was now the third day after the earthquake. In the past few days, the Southwest Army, who had crossed the bridge, had been working hard to rescue those trapped under the ruins.
The refugees outside the city were fine. The tents were simply constructed, so the earthquake had no effect on them.
But it was different for the wealthy families in the city. Some were injured, some were dead, and there was crying and wailing everywhere.
Xu Lin arranged the survivors in tents outside the city. However, having lived in carved beams and painted rafters, the tents now seemed extremely shabby in their eyes.
"Our rice and flour were bought at a great price. Now not a single grain is left, and it's all ruined. Magistrate Wen, you are our parent official. You must manage this matter."
The speaker was a rich merchant from Shuzhou City. He was usually stingy, but in matters of great importance, he knew what was primary.
The last time he bought grain in the name of the government, this person had taken the lead in donating some. It wasn't much, but at least his intentions were good.
"Don't worry. The government granaries were not significantly damaged. Once the roads are cleared, we will open the granaries for everyone to get grain. However, it's impossible to get a lot. It's good enough to maintain basic sustenance."
"Alas, what kind of times are these? To suffer two calamities in succession!"
He sighed, and many merchants and gentry behind him also looked dejected.
Their homes were destroyed, and the grain they had stockpiled suffered heavy losses. Although they had taken a lot of banknotes with them when they fled, now even with money, there was nowhere to spend it. Therefore, everyone felt hopeless about the future and was in low spirits.