The atmosphere in the cave had grown heavier, even though the urgency of their situation was no longer as pressing as before. The pain in his side, while bearable, was starting to intensify in the stillness of the moment. Li Wuxin tried not to show how the heat was rising in his body with every deep breath. Each inhalation felt like a battle against the pain that threatened to overwhelm him, but he forced himself to remain still. 

Xu Moyao's gaze, fixed on him, did little to ease the tension building in the air between them. It was like a quiet storm, palpable yet unspoken, stretching between them with every passing second. The weight of his stare was suffocating, but Li Wuxin couldn't bring himself to look away. There was something in that gaze, something intense, almost unbearable, that made his heart race despite the stillness of their surroundings.

Xu Moyao stood motionless for a moment, his eyes never leaving Li Wuxin, as if every detail of his features fascinated him. It was a strange experience, to know oneself being looked at with such intensity. Li Wuxin tried to steel himself against it, but he could feel every inch of the general's scrutiny, as if Xu Moyao was attempting to read him in a way no one ever had before.

There was a warmth in the general's gaze, a particular gleam, something dangerously close to tenderness, yet tempered by the harsh reality of their situation. The distance between them should have felt like a barrier, but in that moment, it seemed to carry a promise, one that Li Wuxin wasn't sure he was ready to acknowledge. The silence between them was thick with more than just the weight of their circumstances; it was the tension of two souls caught in a fragile, unspoken understanding, neither willing to break it first.

Li Wuxin clenched his teeth, trying to hide the strange destabilization that was spreading in his gut. This time, however, something within him was cracking under the pressure of their silent exchange.

They were so close—too close—in this narrow space. The only soft light came from the outside, filtered through the cave's entrance, casting distorted shadows that moved slowly across the rocky walls. Li Wuxin's heart was beating faster and faster, a creeping agitation slipping under his skin. Why did this silence weigh on him so much? Why, when he had always maintained his calm in any circumstance, did Xu Moyao's mere gaze shake his balance?

Xu Moyao's fingers, until now frozen, slowly moved, drawing Wuxin's attention as the general's hand briefly rested on his shoulder. That almost imperceptible gesture, though subtle, was heavy with meaning and sent a shiver down Wuxin's spine. His heartbeat quickened, his chest tightening as he fought to control the sudden rush of emotions that threatened to overwhelm him. He held his breath, lips slightly parted, and for a split second, he wondered if Xu Moyao could feel that same tension, like an invisible thread pulling them closer, even if neither dared to acknowledge it.

Xu Moyao's gaze lingered for just a moment longer before his voice broke through the silence, hoarse and low.
"You can close your eyes for a while," he said, his words carrying a rare softness. "I will keep watch. You're safe here with me."
The air was thick with unspoken promises.

Li Wuxin nodded, but the gesture seemed painfully slow, as if every movement of his body was happening despite his will.
"As long as you're here, I'm not afraid. I'm going to close my eyes for a moment."
As he closed his eyes, he couldn't shake the persistent feeling of Xu Moyao's hand on his shoulder, the steady gaze from the latter.

Li Wuxin opened his eyes. The silence between them seemed heavier than ever. Li Wuxin averted his gaze, searching for an escape from the feeling of being trapped in that suspended moment. But every movement he made only brought him closer to that unbearable tension.

His thoughts became muddled when he felt Xu Moyao's breath brush against his face, the heat of the general's proximity close to his skin.

It was strange, a silent battle, yet so evident, a mutual desire neither of them dared name. Li Wuxin swallowed hard, his throat dry. He felt caught between the desire to break this heavy silence and the uncertainty of daring to cross that invisible boundary standing between them.

A slight tremor ran through his body, unconsciously. The pressure on his chest intensified, as if his body was fighting against a wave it couldn't comprehend.

"I... I'm sorry," Li Wuxin murmured, his voice betraying the confusion swirling inside him. But no sooner had he spoken the words than he regretted them. That was not what he wanted to say. He didn't even know what he wanted to say. All he knew was that he felt lost in that confined space, suffocating from Xu Moyao's proximity.

Xu Moyao's hands settled on his arms, preventing him from pulling away. His eyes never left Li Wuxin, steady and intense, as if there was nothing else in the world but the two of them in that moment. He didn't answer immediately, but the pressure of his palms on Wuxin's arms seemed to create an unprecedented intensity, an unspoken force that held them together, tethered in place by something neither could define.

Then, in an almost imperceptible gesture, Xu Moyao leaned slightly toward him. It was subtle, almost undetectable, yet it sent a jolt through Li Wuxin's body, as if the space between them had suddenly grown unbearably close. The general's breath grazed his lips, a fleeting sensation that lingered too long, filling the air with a quiet electricity. It wasn't a touch, but it felt like one, an invitation, a silent question, a mute request hanging between them, suspended above the fragile boundary that separated them.

Li Wuxin slightly moved forward bring their faces closer. The heat of the cave, the heat of Xu Moyao's proximity, all mixed together in a dizzying whirlwind, a blur of sensation that swept through him like a storm. His breath faltered, caught between desire and caution, between the pull of something undeniable and the sharp edge of the reality they both faced. He wanted to step back, to preserve the distance, but the weight of the moment held him captive.

He wasn’t supposed to want. And yet, for a second, he did.

And as the world around him narrowed to that heat, to that silence, to the soft fabric of the suspended moment, Li Wuxin felt himself falter. The ground beneath him seemed to give way, the walls of the cave collapsing around him like a furious sea, engulfing everything in its path. The world had become nothing but the press of Xu Moyao's hands, the flicker of heat on his lips, the unsaid things swirling between them.

A final cry from Xu Moyao pierced the veil of his thoughts, sharp and frantic.
"Li Wuxin!"

The general caught him, panic evident in his eyes. His arms wrapped around Li Wuxin just as his strength faltered, his body crumpling in the general's embrace. The last image Li Wuxin saw before falling into darkness was the panic in Xu Moyao's eyes—his expression twisted with concern, a vulnerability he had never allowed anyone to see before. It was as if the world had momentarily cracked open, exposing the fear always hidden behind his commanding exterior. And then, there was nothing but the weight of the general's arms around him, the world fading into nothingness.

The next moment, everything became blurry. The ground was cold beneath his back, the rough stone of the cave pressing against him, grounding him in a reality he couldn't quite reach. The heat of the cave, the overwhelming presence of Xu Moyao—all seemed to drift away like a half-forgotten dream. His limbs felt heavy, like they were made of stone or air, as though his very body was beginning to dissolve into the darkness that surrounded him. He tried to fight it, but his senses were slipping, each breath growing more distant, more hollow. There was no time to fully comprehend what was happening, no time to stop the inevitable slide into oblivion before everything around him faded completely.

Time lost meaning. He drifted, weightless, unsure if he was dreaming or dying — until something anchored him again.

When Li Wuxin woke up, the world was no longer the same. He was lying on something soft—no, not soft, but warm. The warmth of a human body beneath him. His head rested against a firm thigh, and a comforting presence was near. He tried to open his eyes, but a dull, throbbing pain shot through his skull, making him grimace and forcing him to close them again. Every part of him felt sluggish, heavy, as if his body were fighting to wake from a deep, unyielding sleep.

He sensed a presence near him, the faint brush of a hand on his forehead, gentle and hesitant. Then, a familiar voice rose, soft and grave, cutting through the haze of his mind.

"Li Wuxin," Xu Moyao said, his voice low and measured, but there was an undercurrent of concern there, something that tugged at Li Wuxin's chest in ways he hadn't expected.
"Are you with me?"

The words were simple, but there was something in them that made Li Wuxin feel a strange feeling that made him want to cling to the warmth of the moment, even though his mind struggled to keep up with the reality of it. His body, still too weak, refused to move, but in the space between his breaths, he could feel the weight of Xu Moyao's gaze on him, an unspoken promise, an unbreakable thread connecting them.

"You're awake," said Xu Moyao. The general's voice was calm, almost gentle, but a note of tension still lingered beneath his words, as if the worry had not yet left him.

Li Wuxin tried to move, but a wave of dizziness stopped him in his tracks.
"I..." he started, but his voice faltered, hoarse. "I... didn't..."

"You passed out," Moyao answered in a calm voice, but the nervousness that filtered through his words did not escape him.
"You scared me"

The concern in the general's voice was palpable, and something in that simple phrase made his heartbeat stumbled, then picked up again.He forced himself to breathe deeply, pushing away the fog that still clouded his thoughts. Finally, he slowly turned his head toward Moyao, their gazes meeting again. This time, Wuxin did not look away.

He shifted slightly, the ache in his body blooming in quiet protest.

 The realization settled slowly, not unwelcome, but strange. He didn’t remember how they ended up like this. Or maybe he did, and part of him didn’t want to.

Li Wuxin blinked up 

The memory came back, uninvited but vivid: the nearness, the heat, the barely-there brush of lips before everything had gone dark.

He swallowed.

It would be too easy to close that distance again. Too easy to mistake warmth for something else. And yet—

With a breath he didn’t fully release, Li Wuxin pushed himself upright, slow and stiff, careful not to lean too much on Moyao. But as he moved, his body betrayed him — his chest shifted too quickly, and before he could stop it, he was toppling forward, helpless for a split second.

A firm hand gripped his shoulder, pulling him back, steadying him with a quiet certainty. Xu Moyao’s touch was warm, grounding, but there was something in the stillness of the moment that held them both in place.

.For a brief moment, everything was suspended between them, like an invisible thread pulled by the wind. Then, in a sudden impulse, Xu Moyao leaned toward him, his lips barely grazing Li Wuxin's.

A shiver ran through Wuxin's body, and this time, he didn't hesitate.